It is a river in Macedonia, that Homer calls "wide-flowing" (Il. 2.849, 16.288, 21.141), "deep-eddying River" (Il. 21.143) and its water "the fairest over the face of the earth" (Il. 2.849, 21.157).
Husband of Periboea, father of Pelagon (Homer Il. 21,141-157).
The chief river of Macedonia, rising in Mount Scardus and flowing southeast into the Thermaicus Sinus.
Axius: (Axios, Axios), the principal river of Macedonia, and the eastern boundary of the kingdom before the reign of Philip, rises in Mt. Scardus between Dardania and Dalmatia, a little NW. of Scupi. It flows in a south-easterly direction through Macedonia, and, after receiving the Erigon and Astycus and passing by Pella, falls into the Thermaic gulf. The Lydias also now flows into the Axius, but in the time of Herodotus (vii. 127) the former river joined the Haliacmon. The Axius has frequently changed its course. In earlier times it flowed into the sea between Chalastra and Thessalonica. (Strab. vii. p. 330.) In the middle ages it was called Bardarium (Bardarion, Anna Comn. i. p. 18, Pans.), whence its modern name of Vardhari. The principal bridge across the Axius was near Pella (Liv. xliv. 43); this bridge is probably identical with the Mutatio Gephyra in the Itin. Hierosol. (p. 605, Wess.). The Axius is a deep and rapid river in winter, and is nearly two miles in breadth before reaching the sea; but it can be crossed by several fords both in the lower and upper parts of its course. (Clark, Travels, vol. iii. p. 334; Leake, Northern Greece, vol. iii. pp. 258, 289, 437, 469; Tafel, Thessalonica, pp. 69, seq. 287, seq.)
This text is from: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854) (ed. William Smith, LLD). Cited July 2004 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
Astycus (Astupalaia : Vravnitza, or river of Istib), a river of Paeonia, flowing into the Axius, on which was situated the residence of the Paeonian kings. (Polyaen. Strat. iv. 12; Leake, Northern Greece, vol. iii. pp. 464, 475.)
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