Athos

, a mountain of Macedonia, 150 miles in circumference, projecting into the Ægean sea like a promontory. It is so high that it overshadows the island of Lemnos, though at the distance of 87 miles; or, according to modern calculation, only 8 leagues. When Xerxes invaded Greece, he made a trench of a mile and a half in length at the foot of the mountain, into which he brought the sea water, and conveyed his fleet over it, so that two ships could pa one another, thus desirous either to avoid the danger of sailing round the promontory, or to show his vanity and the extent of his power. A sculptor, called Dino crates, offered Alexander to cut mount Athos, and to make with it a statue of the king holding a town in his left hand, and in the right a spacious basin to receive all the waters which flowed from it. Alexander greatly admired the plan, but objected to the place; and he observed, that the neighbouring country was not sufficiently fruitful to produce corn and provisions for the inhabitants which were to dwell in the city, in the hand of the statue. Athos is now called Monte Santo, famous for monasteries, said to contain some ancient and valuable manuscripts. Hero dot us , bk. 6 , ch. 44 ; bk. 7 , ch. 21 , . — Lucan , bk. 2 , li. 672 .— Ælian , de Natura Animalium , bk. 13 , ch. 20 , . — Pliny , bk. 4 , ch. 10 .— Aeschines , Against Ctesiphon .