Histories

Bubares son of Megabazus and Artachaees son of Artaeus, both Persians, were the overseers of the workmen. +Mount Athos [24.316,40.166] (inhabited place), Pangaion Oros, Macedonia, Greece, Europe Athos is a great and famous mountain, running out into the sea and inhabited by men. At the mountain's landward end it is in the form of a peninsula, and there is an isthmus about twelve stadia wide; here is a place of level ground or little hills, from the sea by Acanthus to the sea opposite +Torone [23.8167,40.05] (Perseus) Torone.

On this isthmus which is at the end of +Mount Athos [24.316,40.166] (inhabited place), Pangaion Oros, Macedonia, Greece, Europe Athos, there stands a Greek town, Sane; there are others situated seaward of Sane and landward of +Mount Athos [24.316,40.166] (inhabited place), Pangaion Oros, Macedonia, Greece, Europe Athos, and the Persian now intended to make them into island and not mainland towns; they are +Dion [22.5,40.175] (Perseus) Dion, Olophyxus, Acrothoum, Thyssus, and Cleonae.

These are the towns situated on +Mount Athos [24.316,40.166] (inhabited place), Pangaion Oros, Macedonia, Greece, Europe Athos. The foreigners dug as follows,[*](In spite of the incredulity of antiquity the canal was no doubt actually made and used. Traces of it are said to exist. See, e.g. How and Wells, ad loc.) dividing up the ground by nation: they made a straight line near the town of Sane; when the channel had been dug to some depth, some men stood at the bottom of it and dug, others took the dirt as it was dug out and delivered it to yet others that stood higher on stages, and they again to others as they received it, until they came to those that were highest; these carried it out and threw it away.