Stephanos of Byzantium - Ethnika
Ake: a city of Phoenicia. Disyllables ending in 'ke' for cities or lands are barytone. This one was called Ptolemais. They named them Koilosyritai. Claudius Iulius in the first of the Phoinikika says it was named from Herakles: "for being assigned a most difficult labour by Eurystheus, overcome by the venom of the Lernaean Hydra, he suffered from the wounds of its bites. The Delphic oracle answered that he must go eastward until he met a river growing a plant resembling the Hydra; for sprinkled with that he would be rid of the wounds. He found the river and the oracle-given plant, whose stalk and root are altogether serpent-like in the variety of their heads; for however many one cuts off, others grow again. They call the root 'kolokasion', and what grows above it 'kiborion', offering a pleasant sight and edible veins to the Egyptians." Around the Nile it grows abundantly. That around the Belos cures ulcers hard to heal; for rubbed at the root it gives off a white juice. By this, he says, Herakles too was healed. And called the city Ake. The ethnonym Akaios, as 'Barkaios'.
External translation supplied by Brady Kiesling; reported Claude Fable 5.5 translation. Credit: Brady Kiesling and the Stephanos project (Greg Baker, Gabriel Jower, Greta Hawes, Brady Kiesling). Not individually verified; exact Greek input not supplied.
Stephanos excerpt (left) is aligned with matched Herodian passages (right). Colors indicate corresponding overlap spans.
Ἄκη, πόλις Φοινίκης. τὰ εἰς « κη » λήγοντα δισύλλαβα ἐπὶ πόλεων ἢ χωρῶν βαρύνεται. αὕτη δὲ Πτολεμαΐς ἐκαλεῖτο. Κοιλοσυρίτας δ´ αὐτοὺς ὠνόμαζον. Κλαύδιος δὲ Ἰούλιος ἐν πρώτῃ Φοινικικῶν φησὶν ὅτι ἐκλήθη ἀπὸ Ἡρακλέους “χαλεπωτάτῳ γὰρ ὑπὸ Εὐρυσθέως ἐπιταγεὶς ἄθλῳ, περισχεθεὶς τῷ τῆς Λερναίας ὕδρας ἰῷ, το…
τὸ μέντοι ἀκή ἡ ἡσυχία ὀξύνεται πρὸς ἀντιδιαστολὴν κυρίου. ἔστι δὲ Ἄκη πόλις Φοινίκης ἡ ὕστερον Πτολεμαΐς. ἐκαλεῖτο δὲ Ἄκη ἀπὸ τῆς ἰάσεως τοῦ γενομένου δήγματος Ἡρακλεῖ ὑπὸ ὄφεως. τὰ δὲ εἰς 'κη' λήγοντα δισύλλαβα ἐπὶ πόλεων ἢ χωρῶν βαρύνεται, Πλάκη πόλις Ἑλλησποντία. τὸ δὲ φακῆ περισπᾶται ἐκ συναιρέσεως. Τὰ εἰς 'κη' δισύλλαβα πρὸ τοῦ 'κ' σύμφωνον ἔχοντα μὴ τὸ 'λ' βαρύνεται, κάκκη κόπρος, κάκη δὲ ἡ δειλία, λόκκη ἡ χλαμύς, κρόκκη ἡ παράλιος ψηφίς. Τρίκκη πόλι…
… Λερναίας ὕδρας ἰῷ, τοῖς τῶν δηγμάτων ἐπονεῖτο ἕλκεσιν. ἀνεῖλε δὲ τὸ Δελφικὸν μαντεῖον ἐπ´ ἀνατολὰς ἰτέον μέχρις ἂν ἐντύχῃ ποταμῷ φύοντι πόαν τῇ Ὕδρᾳ παραπλήσιον· ἐκείνης γὰρ καταπασάμενον τῶν ἑλκῶν ἀπαλλαγήσεσθαι. εὗρε δὲ τὸν ποταμὸν καὶ τὴν πυθόχρηστον πόαν, ἧς ὁ καυλὸς ἥ τε ῥίζα πάντως ἐστὶν ὀφιώδης τῷ ποικίλῳ ταῖς κεφαλαῖς· ὁπόσας γὰρ ἄν τις ἀποκείρῃ, φύονται αὖθις ἕτεραι. κολοκάσιον μέντοι καλοῦσι τὴν ῥίζαν, τὸ δ´ ὑπερπεφυκὸς κιβώριον, ὄψιν ἡδεῖαν ἐδωδίμο…
…νοῦντα καὶ Φοινικοῦντα καὶ Ἐρύκην καὶ Καμικόν Ἁλικύας τε καὶ Θέρμον καὶ Καμάριναν, ὡς καὶ ἐν Ἰταλίᾳ. οἱ δὲ ἀπὸ Ἀκράγαντος τοῦ Διὸς καὶ Ἀστερόπης τῆς Ὠκεανοῦ. ἔστι καὶ Θρᾴκης καὶ Εὐβοίας καὶ Κύπρου καὶ Αἰτωλίας. Πολύβιος δὲ τὸν ποταμὸν καὶ τὴν πόλιν ἀπὸ τῆς χώρας ὠνομάσθαι Ἀκράγης διὰ τὸ εὔγεων.