Listed 2 sub titles with search on: Information about the place for destination: "KLEONES Ancient city NEMEA".
Total results on 10/5/2001: 45 for Cleonae, 23 for Kleonai, 8 for Cleoneans.
Kleonai: Eth. Kleonaios. A city in Peloponnesus, described by writers
of the Roman period as a city of Argolis, but never included in the Argeia or
territory of Argos, in the flourishing period of Greek history. Cleonae was situated
on the road from Argos to Corinth, at the distance of 120 stadia from the former
city, and 80 stadia from the latter. (Strab.viii. p.377.) The narrow pass through
the mountains, called Tretus, leading from Argos to Cleonae, is described elsewhere.
Cleonae stood in a small plain upon a river flowing into the Corinthian gulf a
little westward of Lechaeum. This river is now called Longo: its ancient name
appears to have been Langeia. In its territory was Mt. Apesas, now called Fuka,
connected with the Acro-Corinthus by a rugged range of hills. Both Strabo and
Pausanias describe Cleonae as a small place; and the former writer, who saw it
from the Acrocorinthus, says that it is situated upon a hill surrounded on all
sides by buildings, and well walled, so as to deserve the epithet given to it
by Homer (II. ii. 570):--euktimenas Kleonas. Statius also speaks of ingenti turritae
mole Cleonae. (Theb. iv. 47.) The existing ruins, though scanty, justify these
descriptions. They are found at a hamlet still called Klenes, not far from the
village Kurtesi. According to Dodwell, they occupy a circular and insulated hill,
which seems to have been completely covered with buildings. On the side of the
hill are six ancient terrace walls rising one above another, on which the houses
and streets are situated.
Cleonae possessed only a small territory. It derived its chief importance
from the Nemean games being celebrated in its territory, in the grove of Nemea,
between Cleonae and Phlius. Hence the festival is called by Pindar agon Kleonaios
(Nem. iv. 27). Hercules is said to have slain Eurytus and Cteatus, the sons of
Actor, near Cleonae; and Diodorus mentions a temple of Hercules erected in the
neighbourhood of the city in memory of that event. (Paus. v. 2. § 1, seq.; Pind.
Ol. x. 36; Diod. iv. 33.)
Cleonae is said to have derived its name either from Cleones, the
son of Pelops, or from Cleone, the daughter of the river-god Asopus. (Paus. ii.
15. § 1.) It was conquered by the Dorians, whereupon some of its inhabitants,
together with those of the neighbouring town of Phlius, are said to have founded
Clazomenae in Asia Minor. (Paus. vii. 3. § 9.) In the Dorian conquest, Cleonae
formed part of the lot of Temenus, and in early times was one of the confederated
allies or subordinates of Argos. Indeed in the historical period, Cleonae was
for the most part closely connected with Argos. After the Persian wars, the Cleonaeans
assisted the Argives in subduing Mycenae (Strab. viii.); and they fought as. the
allies of Argos at the battle of Mantineia, B.C. 418. (Thuc. v. 67.) Of their
subsequent history nothing is known, though their city is occasionally mentioned
down to the time of Ptolemy.
This text is from: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854) (ed. William Smith, LLD). Cited June 2004 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
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