CERAU´NII MONTES
CERAU´NII MONTES (
Κεραύνια ὄρη, Strab. pp. 21, 281, 285, 316, seq., 324, et alibi:
Khimára), a lofty range of mountains in the northern part of Epeirus, said to have derived their name from the frequent thunder storms with which they were visited. (Eustath.
ad Dionys. 389; Serv.
ad Virg. Aen. 3.508.) They are sometimes also called ACROCERAUNII or
ACROCERAUNIA though this is properly the name of the promontory (
τὰ ἄκρα Κεραύνια, D. C. 41.44) running out into the Ionian sea, now called
Glossa, and by the Italians
Linguetta.
The Ceraunian mountains extended several miles along the coast from the Acroceraunian promontory southwards, and rendered the navigation very dangerous. Hence Horace (
Hor. Carm. 1.3.20) speaks of
infames scopulos Acroceraunia (comp.
Lucan 5.652;
Sil. Ital. 8.632). Inland the Ceraunian mountains were connected by an eastern branch with the mountains on the northern frontier of Thessaly.
The inhabitants of the mountains were called Ceraunii. (Caes.
B.C. 3.6;
Plin. Nat. 3.22. s. 26;
Ptol. 2.16.8.) (Leake,
Northern Greece, vol. i. pp. 2, seq., 88.)
