RHYPES
RHYPES (
Ῥύπες,
Ῥύπαι,
Steph. B. sub voce: Eth.
Ῥύψ, Eth.
Ῥύπος),> a city of Achaia, 30 stadia W. of Aegium, was originally one of the twelve Achaean cities.
It had ceased to be a member of the League in the time of Polybius, who mentions Leontium in its place. Rhypes, however, continued to exist down to the time of Augustus; but this emperor transferred its inhabitants to Patrae, and its territory (
Ῥυπίς, or
ἡ Ῥυπική) was divided between Aegium and Pharae. Its ruins were seen by Pausanias at a short distance from the main road from Aegium to Patrae. We learn from Strabo that this town was mentioned by Aeschylus as
κεραυνίας Ῥύπας, or “Rhypes stricken by the thunderbolt.” It was the birthplace of Myscellus, the founder of Croton. (
Hdt. 1.145;
Paus. 7.6.1,
7.18.7,
7.23.4; Strab. viii. pp. 386, 387.)
In the territory of Rhypes there was a demus called
LEUCTRUM (
Λεῦκτρον, Strab. p. 387), and also a seaport named ERINEUM (
Ἐρινεόν, or
Ἐρινεὸς λιμήν) which is mentioned by Thucydides, and which is described by Pausanias as 60 stadia from Aegium. (
Thuc. 7.34;
Paus. 7.22.10;
Plin. Nat. 4.6.)
The geographers of the French Commission place Rhypes at some ruins on the right bank of the river
Tholo, where it issues into the plain; and the distance of the position on the
Tholo from
Vostítza (Aegium) is that which Pausanias assigns as the interval between Aegium and Rhypes. But Leake, thinking it highly improbable that two of the chief cities of Achaia should have been only 30 stadia from each other, suspects the accuracy of Pausanias or his text, as to the distance between Rhypes and Aegium.
He accordingly places Rhypes further W. on the banks of the river of
Salmeníko, and supposes Erineum to have been its port and to have been situated immediately above it at the harbour of
Lambíri. The position of
Lambiri answers very well to that of Erineum; but the reason given by Leake does not appear sufficient for rejecting the express statement of Pausanias as to the distance between Aegium and Rhypes. (Leake,
Peloponnesiaca, p. 408, seq.; comp. Curtius,
Peloponnesos, vol. i. p. 458, seq.)
