The largest of the islands on the coast was Eubœa, about ninety miles in
length, noted for good pasturage and corn. On the west coast was the
group known to modern geography as the “Ionian Isles.” To the south lay
Crete, one hundred and sixty miles in length, noted for the skill of its
archers. In the Ægean Sea were the two groups called the Cyclades and
Sporades. The Cyclades (or “circling isles,” the chief being Delos) are
clearly shown upon the map. The Sporades (or “scattered isles”) lay to
the east off the southwest coast of Asia Minor. Northward in the Ægean,
in mid-sea, or on the Asiatic coast, were Lemnos, Scyros, Lesbos, Chios
and Samos.