The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1902-12-11
XENoPHON'S ROUTE FOUND.
An Old Mystery of the March Of the
Greek Ten Thousand Has Been
Cleared Up.


1t is only within the past few years
that fairly satisfactory maps of Asia
Minor have been made. The Germans
have done more than any other geog-
| raphers accurately to describe the
physical features of this great land
bridge which connects Asia with Eu-
rope. An Englishman, also, Prof. w.
III. Ramsey, who has spent his best
years travelling over Asia Minor in
| all directions and studying its topog-
| raphy in connection with what we
know of its history, has greatly en-
| riched our knowledge of that interest
ing part of the world, say the New
York Sun.
Prof. Ramsey has recently printed
| a map of Asia Minor in the Geographic
| cal Journal, containing information
that has not appeared on earlier maps
In describing this map he points out
little valley in west central Asia
Minor and says that it has played an
important part in the history of Asia
Minor.
This glen until recently was sore
trial and puzzle to the explorer. In
his long years of work he found him.
self again and again tramping up and
down the little valley.
Filled with the desire of constantly
| traversing new routes and endeayor-
ing always to avoid ground which he
had previously explored. he did his
best, but in vain, to keep out of the
valley. Year after year he found him
self in the most annoying way doing
the treadmill up and down the glen.
In one year, when thoroughly on his
guard against it and fully resolved to
avoid the valley, he traversed it three
| times. The vague, featureless and in
accurate old maps did not help him
at all, and it was not until he had
worked out the geography in every
nook and corner of this region that he
understood the absolute necessity for
all travellers in that part of Asia Minor
to pass through the valley.
This is what he discovered at last.
The lofty mountain range, starting
from Trojan Ida in the west. and
known by the names of Temnos and
Dindymos in its different parts, sex-
tends to the southeast and closely APP
proaches the central Phrygian noun
tains.
| Between the central range and the
long range coming from the west
there is only this narrow glen. Among
the mountains there is not single
path which may be used as a highway.
There.i is no place where traffic can
get over the mountains, and the only
thing to do is to use this narrow path
between them.
The glen, in fact, forms funnel, up
or down which travellers going in diff
ferent directions must necessarily
pass. All roads in that part Of the
country converge at one end of the
glen and diverge again at the other.
For about 12 miles persons going from
south to north travel side by side with
others who are going from east to
west.
1t has always been easy even with
our imperfect maps of Asia Minor to
trace the route of the Ten Thousand.
according to the lucid description in
| A6HoDUOn AHdUdsls over the
: plains OF Asia Minor But gap has
existed in his route as laid down on
our historical maps.
This mountain region had never
been thoroughly studied by explorers,
and the question was how the army
got over the mountains. Prof Ram
sey has shown that there need no
longer be any doubt on this point.
There was no possible way for the
Greeks to pass the mountains except
through this glen. 1t is obvious that
the Ten Thousand who had marched
from Sardis toward the southern end
, of the central Phrygian mountains,
as if to follow the route around their
southern end, and then turned back
ward toward the northwest, must have
traversed this valley and gone around
the northern end of the mountains.
! No other route was possible; and
noa that this fact is understood it is
easy to follow the march of the Ten
Thousand all over Phrygia.
Any traveller in this mountain re-
gion may confidently say that at any
Il POINT Oi IL inc len Il IHDusdHu MUS !
necessarily have tramped within q
few hundred yards of the place where
he may happen TO stand along the
E road. Xenophon and the retreating
& Greeks entered the valley from the
j. southwest and, after leaving its north.
S eastern exit, were soon on the broac
z plain of Kaystros where the route
b so far as its topography was con
l. cerned, was practically open and easy
\. along the way eastward TOWARD
Greece.
Trouble About breakfast.
d Hobson-It isn't so easy mat
e ter to plan ones housekeeping ar
J. engagements.
Dobbins-I believe you. I've becl
Il thinking what to do about breakfas
v tomorrow morning. ] should lik
i. Heefsteak, but if / pay the price 70