ZARAX
ZARAX (
Ζάραξ, Paus., Polyb.;
Ζάρηξ, Ptol.: Eth.
Ζαρήκιος,
Steph. B. sub voce a town on the eastern coast of Laconia, with a good harbour, situated upon a promontory, which is a projection of Mt. Zarax. [Vol. II. p. 109b.] Like Prasiae and some other places on this part of the Laconian coast, it passed into the hands of the Argives in the time of the Macedonian supremacy; and this was apparently the reason why it was destroyed by Cleonymus, the son of Cleomenes. From this disaster it never recovered. Augustus made it one of the Eleuthero-Laconian towns; but Pausanias found in it nothing to mention but a temple of Apollo at the end of the harbour.
It is now called
Hiéaka, which is evidently a corruption of Zarax, and there are still ruins of the ancient town.
The promontory bears the same name, and the port, which is on its northern side, is described as small but well sheltered. Pausanias says that Zarax was 100 stadia from Epidaurus Limera, but this distance is too great. (
Paus. 3.24.1; comp. 1.38.4, 3.21.7;
Plb. 4.36;
Ptol. 3.15.10;
Plin. Nat. 4.5. s. 17;
Steph. B. sub voce Leake,
Morea, vol. i. p. 219; Boblaye,
Recherches, &c. p. 101; Curtius,
Peloponnesos, vol. ii. p. 291.)
