Stephanus 111

111a and good pasture for every kind of creature. But in those days, in addition to its beauty, it produced these things in abundance. How, then, is this credible, and in what sense can it rightly be called a remnant of the land of that time? The whole of it lies like a headland stretched far out from the rest of the mainland into the open sea; and the basin of sea around it happens to be deep right up to the shore. Many great floods, then, having occurred within the nine thousand years—for that is the number of years that has passed from that time to the present 111b—the soil, in these times and these experiences, washing down from the heights, deposits no silt worth mentioning, as it does in other places, but keeps flowing off around it and disappearing into the deep; what is left, compared with what was there then, is like the bones of a body that has wasted away, all the rich, soft earth having washed away, and only the thin body of the land surviving. In those days, being still unimpaired, 111c it had high hills of earth, and the plains now called stony ground were full of deep soil; and it held much forest on the mountains, of which clear evidence is still visible: for some of the mountains now sustain bees alone, and yet it is not so very long ago that trees were felled there for the roofs of the largest buildings, and the roofing is still sound. There were also many other tall cultivated trees, and the land bore pasture for flocks beyond reckoning. And indeed 111d it made its yearly crop of the water from Zeus; not as now, when the water is lost, flowing off the bare earth into the sea, but holding much and drawing it into itself, storing it up in the earth that roofed it like tiling, and letting the water absorbed from the heights down into the hollows, it furnished in every region abundant streams of springs and rivers, of which even now, at the springs that existed then, shrines are still left behind as signs that what is now said about this land is true. 111e

Such, then, was the nature of the rest of the country, and it was ordered as one would expect by farmers who were true tillers of the soil and made that their whole business, men who loved beauty and were of good natural parts, possessing excellent soil and most abundant water, and seasons tempered most moderately over the land; and the city was settled in the following fashion in those days.

Critias: First of all, the acropolis was

111a and gives good grazing to all animals. In those days, besides its beauty, it produced all this in huge amounts. How is this believable, and in what way is it right to call it a leftover of the land of that time? The whole of it lies stretched far out from the rest of the mainland into the open sea, like a headland. And the stretch of sea all around it happens to be deep right up to the shore. Many great floods have happened in the nine thousand years, for that is how many years have passed from that time 111b to now. In these periods and events, the soil that washes down from the heights never builds up a deposit of silt, as it does in other places. It always flows off around and disappears into the depths. So what is left now, compared to what was there then, is like the bones of a body that has fallen sick. All the rich soft earth has washed away, and only the thin body of the land is left. Back then, when it was still whole, 111c its mountains were high hills, and the plains now called stony ground held full rich soil. It had much woodland on the mountains, and there are still clear signs of it today. Some of the mountains now give food only to bees. But it is not so very long ago that trees cut there were used to roof the largest buildings, and the roofs are still sound. There were many other tall cultivated trees, and the land carried amazing grazing for the flocks. And in fact 111d the yearly rain from Zeus made the land bear fruit. It did not destroy the land by flowing off bare ground into the sea, as it does now. The land held a great deal of water and took it in. The earth stored it up, covered like a roof with tiles, and let the water absorbed from the heights flow down into the hollows. In every region it provided plenty of springs and rivers. And even now there are still shrines beside the springs that existed before. These are signs that what is now said about the land is true. 111e

So this is how the rest of the country was by nature. And it was farmed, as you would expect, by real farmers who did exactly that work, who loved beauty and had good natural abilities, and who had the best soil and very abundant water, with the seasons over the land mixed in the most moderate way. And the city was settled as follows in those days.

Critias: First, the acropolis was

111a and at that period, in addition to their fine quality it produced these things in vast quantity. How, then, is this statement plausible, and what residue of the land then existing serves to confirm its truth? The whole of the land lies like a promontory jutting out from the rest of the continent far into the sea and all the cup of the sea; round about it is, as it happens, of a great depth. Consequently, since many great convulsions took place during the 9000 years—for such was the number of years 111b from that time to this —the soil which has kept breaking away from the high lands during these ages and these disasters, forms no pile of sediment worth mentioning, as in other regions, but keeps sliding away ceaselessly and disappearing in the deep. And, just as happens in small islands, what now remains compared with what then existed is like the skeleton of a sick man, all the fat and soft earth having wasted away, and only the bare framework of the land being left. But at that epoch the country was unimpaired, and for its mountains it had 111c high arable hills, and in place of the moorlands, as they are now called, it contained plains full of rich soil; and it had much forestland in its mountains, of which there are visible signs even to this day; for there are some mountains which now have nothing but food for bees, but they had trees no very long time ago, and the rafters from those felled there to roof the largest buildings are still sound. And besides, there were many lofty trees of cultivated species; and it produced boundless pasturage for flocks. Moreover, it was enriched by the yearly rains from Zeus, 111d which were not lost to it, as now, by flowing from the bare land into the sea; but the soil; it had was deep, and therein it received the water, storing it up in the retentive loamy soil and by drawing off into the hollows from the heights the water that was there absorbed, it provided all the various districts with abundant supplies of springwaters and streams, whereof the shrines which still remain even now, at the spots where the fountains formerly existed, are signs which testify that our present description of the land is true.

111e Such, then, was the natural condition of the rest of the country, and it was ornamented as you would expect from genuine husbandmen who made husbandry their sole task, and who were also men of taste and of native talent, and possessed of most excellent land and a great abundance of water, and also, above the land, a climate of most happily tempered seasons. And as to the city, this is the way in which it was laid out at that time.

Critias: In the first place, the acropolis, as it existed then, was different from