PANOPEUS
PANOPEUS or
PHANOTEUS (
Πανοπεύς, Hom. Strab. Paus.;
Πανόπη, Hes. ap. Strab. ix. p. 424;
Steph. B. sub voce Ov. Met. 3.19 ; Stat.
Theb. 7.344;
Πανοπέαι,
Hdt. 8.34;
Φανοτεύς, said by
Strab. ix. p.423, to be its name in his time, but the form also occurs in
Thuc. 4.89 ;
Φανότεια,
Steph. B. sub voce Phanotea,
Liv. 32.18 : Eth.
Πανοπεύς, Eth.
Φανοτεύς), an ancient town of Phocis, near the frontier of Boeotia, and on the road from Daulis to Chaeroneia. Pausanias says that Panopeus was 20 stadia from Chaeroneia, and 7 from Daulis (9.4. § § 1, 7); but the latter number is obviously a mistake.
The ruins at the village of
Aio Vlasi (
ἅγιος Βλάσις), which are clearly those of Panopeus, are distant about 20 stadia from
Képurna [p. 2.543](Chaeroneia), but as much as 27 stadia from
Dhavlía (Daulis). Panopens was a very ancient town, originally inhabited by the Phlegyae. Schliedius, the king of Panopeus, and his brother, were the leaders of the Phocians in the Trojan War. (
Paus. 10.4.1.) Panopeus was also celebrated for the grave of Tityus, who was slain by Apollo at this place. because he attempted to offer violence to Leto on her way to Delphi. (
Hom. Od. 10.576;
Paus. 10.4.5.) Panopeus was destroyed by Xerxes (
Hdt. 8.34), and again by Philip at the close of the Sacred War. (
Paus. 10.3.1.)
It was taken by the Romans in is. 100.198, on the first attack (
Liv. 32.18;
Plb. 5.96); and was destroyed for the third time in the campaign between Sulla and Archelaus, the general of Mithridates. (
Plut. Sull. 16.) Pausanias says that the ancient city was 7 stadia in circuit ; but in his time the place consisted of only a few huts, situated on the side of a torrent.
There are still considerable remains of the ancient walls upon the rocky heights, above
Aio Vlasi. The masonry is of different periods, as one might have expected from the twofold destruction of the city.
There are no longer any remains of the tomb of Tityus, which, according to Pausanias, was the third of a stadium in circumference, and stood on the side of the torrent. Pausanias also mentions on the side of the Sacred Way a building of unbaked bricks, containing a statue of Pentelic marble, which was supposed to be intended either for Asclepius or Prometheus.
It was believed by some that Prometheus made the human race out of the sandy-coloured rocks ill the neighbourhood, and that they still smelt like human flesh. (Dodwell,
Classical Tour, vol. i. p. 207; Leake,
Northern Greece, vol. ii. p. 109; Ulrichs,
Reisen, &c. p. 151.)
