(on the right) and the large peninsula known as the Peloponnesos.
The
Myrtoan (Mirtoan) Sea is a subdivision of the Mediterranean Sea that lies between the
Cyclades and the Peloponnesos. It is described as the part of the
Aegean Sea south of Euboea, Attica, and Argolis.
The
Saronic Gulf, the gulf of Athens, lies between the
Corinth Canal and the Myrtoan Sea.
Names
It is said to have been named after the mythical hero Myrtilus, who was thrown into this sea by an enraged
Pelops. The name has also been connected with that of the maiden Myrto. It is also said to have derived its name from a small island named Myrtus.
Classical references
- Horace makes a reference to Mare Myrtoum in Liber I, Carmen I, line 14 ("Ad Maecenatem").
- Pliny the Elder (iv. 11. s. 18) considers the Myrtoan a part of the Aegean.
- Strabo distinguishes between the Myrtoan and Aegean; Strabo wrote that the Aegean terminated at the promontory of Sunium in Attica.
External links