LEUCI MONTES
LEUCI MONTES or
ALBI MONTES (
τὰ Λευκὰ ὄρη,
Strab. x. p.479;
Ptol. 3.17.9), the snow-clad summits which form the W. part of the mountain range of Crete. Strabo (
l.c.) asserts that the highest points are not inferior in elevation to
[p. 2.171]Taygetus, and that the extent of the range is 300 stadia. (Comp. Theophrast.
H. P. 3.11, 4.1;
Plin. Nat. 16.33; Callim.
Hymn. Dian. 40.)
The bold and beautiful outline of the “White Mountains” is still called by its ancient title in modern Greek,
τὰ ἄσπρα βουνά, or, from the inhabitants,
τὰ Σφακιανὰ βουνά. Crete is the only part of Greece in which the word
ὄρη is still in common use, denoting the loftier parts of any high mountains. Trees grow on all these rocky mountains, except on quite the extreme summits.
The commonest tree is the
prínos or ilex. (Pashley,
Trav. vol. i. p. 31, vol. ii. p. 190; Hock,
Kreta, vol. i. p. 19.)
[
E.B.J]
