+Artemisium [23.2417,39.0083] (Perseus) Artemisium is where the wide Thracian sea contracts until the passage between the island of Sciathus and the mainland of Nomos Magnisias [22.75,39.25] (department), Thessaly, Greece, EuropeMagnesia is but narrow. This strait leads next to +Artemisium [23.2417,39.0083] (Perseus) Artemisium, which is a beach on the coast of +Euboea [23.833,38.566] (island), Nomos Evvoias, Central Greece and Euboea, Greece, Europe Euboea, on which stands a temple of Artemis.

The pass through +Trachis [22.55,38.8] (Perseus) Trachis into Greece [22,39] (nation), EuropeHellas Greece [22,39] (nation), EuropeHellas in the narrower sense, not including +Thessaly [22.25,39.5] (region), Greece, Europe Thessaly. is fifty feet wide at its narrowest point. It is not here, however, but elsewhere that the way is narrowest, namely, in front of +Thermopylae [22.5583,38.8] (Perseus) Thermopylae and behind it; at Alpeni, which lies behind, it is only the breadth of a cart-way, and it is the same at the Phoenix stream, near the town of Anthele.

To the westHerodotus' points of the compass are wrong throughout in his description of +Thermopylae [22.5583,38.8] (Perseus) Thermopylae; the road runs east and west, not north and south as he supposes; so “west” here should be “south” and “east” “north.” “In front” and “behind” are equivalent to “west” and “east” respectively. of +Thermopylae [22.5583,38.8] (Perseus) Thermopylae rises a high mountain, inaccessible and precipitous, a spur of Oeta; to the east of the road there is nothing but marshes and sea. In this pass are warm springs for bathing, called the Basins by the people of the country, and an altar of Heracles stands nearby. Across this entry a wall had been built, and formerly there was a gate in it.

It was the Phocians It is to be noted that in 480 the pass of +Thermopylae [22.5583,38.8] (Perseus) Thermopylae was no longer in Phocian territory. who built it for fear of the Thessalians when these came from +Nomo Thesprotias [20.333,39.5] (department), Epirus, Greece, Europe Thesprotia to dwell in the Aeolian land, the region which they now possess. Since the Thessalians were trying to subdue them, the Phocians made this their protection, and in their search for every means to keep the Thessalians from invading their country, they then turned the stream from the hot springs into the pass, so that it might be a watercourse.

The ancient wall had been built long ago and most of it lay in ruins; those who built it up again thought that they would in this way bar the foreigner's way into Greece [22,39] (nation), EuropeHellas. Very near the road is a village called Alpeni, and it is from here that the Greeks expected to obtain provisions.