Cyphanta or Kyphanta () was a town on the eastern coast of

ancient Laconia Laconia or Lakonia (, , ) is a historical and Administrative regions of Greece, administrative region of Greece located on the southeastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. Its administrative capital is Sparti (municipality), Sparta. The word ...

, belonging to the

Eleuthero-Lacones The League of Free Laconians () was established in southern Greece in 21 BC by the Emperor Augustus,Greenhalgh and Eliopoulos. ''Deep into Mani: Journey to the southern tip of Greece'', 21 giving formal structure to a group of cities that had been ...

. It was in ruins in the time of Pausanias (2nd century), but from the notice of it in other writers, it was evidently at one period a place of some importance. Pausanias describes it as situated 6 stadia from

Zarax Zarax () or Zarex (Ζάρηξ) was a town on the eastern coast of ancient Laconia, with a good harbour, situated upon a promontory, which is a projection of Mount Zarax. Like Prasiae and some other places on this part of the Laconian coast, it pa ...

, and 10 stadia inland; and

Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; , ; ; – 160s/170s AD) was a Greco-Roman mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were important to later Byzantine science, Byzant ...

speaks separately of the port-town and city. Pausanias adds that Cyphanta contained a temple of

Asclepius Asclepius (; ''Asklēpiós'' ; ) is a hero and god of medicine in ancient Religion in ancient Greece, Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology. He is the son of Apollo and Coronis (lover of Apollo), Coronis, or Arsinoe (Greek myth), Ars ...

, called ''Stethaeum'', and a fountain issuing from a rock, said to have been produced by a blow of the lance of

Atalanta Atalanta (; ) is a heroine in Greek mythology. There are two versions of the huntress Atalanta: one from Arcadia (region), Arcadia, whose parents were Iasus and Clymene (mythology), Clymene and who is primarily known from the tales of the Caly ...

. The numbers in Pausanias, however, cannot be correct. At the distance of 6 stadia from Zarax (modern

Ierakas Ierakas () is a small village built along a natural fjord on the south east coast of Laconia, Greece. It is part of the municipal unit of Zarakas. Ierakas is famous for its port or ''limani'' (), providing docks for yachts and boats. The port vil ...

), there is no site for a town or a harbour; and it is scarcely conceivable that, on this rocky and little-frequented coast, there would be two towns so close to one another. Moreover, Pausanias says that the distance from

Prasiae Prasiae or Prasiai (),Aristophanes, ''Pac.'' 242 or Prasia (Πρασία),''Periplus of Pseudo-Scylax'' p. 17 also known as Brasiae or Brasiai (Βρασιαί), was a town on the eastern coast of ancient Laconia, described by Pausanias as the far ...

to Cyphanta is 200 stadia; whereas the real distance from Prasiae (modern Paralio Leonidi) to Zarax is more than 300 stadia. In addition to this Ptolemy places Cyphanta considerably further north than Zarax; and it is not till reaching Cyparissia that there is any place with a harbour and a fountain. Modern scholars place its site near the modern Kyparissi.

References

Populated places in ancient Laconia Former populated places in Greece Places in Greek mythology {{AncientLaconia-geo-stub