Taphiae

TA´PHIAEand more anciently TELEBO´IDES, a number of small islands off the western coast of Greece, between Leucas and Acarnania (Plin. Nat. 4.12. s. 19), also called the islands of the Taphii or Teleboae (Ταφίων, Τηλεβοῶν νῆσοι, Strab. 10. p. 459), who are frequently mentioned in the Homeric poems as pirates. ( Od. 15.427, 16.426.) When Athena visited Telemachus at Ithaca, she assumed the form of Mentes, the leader of the Taphians. ( Od. 1.105.) The Taphians or Teleboans are celebrated in the legend of Amphitryon, and are said to have been subdued by this hero. (Hdt. 5.59; Apollod. 2.4. § § 6, 7; Strab. l. c.;Plaut. Amph. 1.1; Dict. of Biog. art. AMPHITRYON.) The principal island is called Taphos (Τάφος) by Homer (Hom. Od. 1.417), and by later writers Taphiūs, Taphiussa, or Taphias (Ταφιοῦς, Ταφιοῦσσα, Ταφιάς, Strab. l. e.;Plin. l. c.;Steph. B. s. v. Τάφος), now Meganisí. The next largest island of the Taphii was Carnus, now Kálamo. (Scylax, p. 13; Steph. B. s. v.;Leake, Northern Greece, vol. 4. p. 16; Dodwell, vol. 1. p. 60.) Stephanus B. mentions a town in Cephallenia, named Taphus, represented by the modern Tafió, where many ancient sepulchres are found. (Leake, Northern Greece, vol. 3. p. 67.)