Book 10
3.1
SOME writers reckon the Curetes among the Acarnanians, others among the Aetolians; some allege that they came from Crete, others that they came from Euboea. Since, however, they are mentioned by Homer, we must first examine his account of them. It is thought that he does not mean the Acarnanians, but the Aetolians, in the following verses, for the sons of Porthaon were, Agrius, Melas, and the hero Oeneus, These dwelt at Pleuron, and the lofty Calydon,Il. xiv. 116.Il. xiv. 116. both of which are Aetolian cities, and are mentioned in the Aetolian Catalogue; wherefore since those who inhabited Pleuron appear to be, according to Homer, Curetes, they might be Aetolians. The opponents of this conclusion are misled by the mode of expression in these verses, Curetes and Aetolians, firm in battle, were fighting for the city Calydon,Il. ix. 525.Il. ix. 525. for neither would he have used appropriate terms if he had said, Boeotians and Thebans were contending against each other, nor Argives and Peloponnesians. But we have shown in a former part of this work, that this mode of expression is usual with Homer, and even trite among other poets. This objection then is easily answered. But let the objectors explain, how, if these people were not Aetolians, the poet came to reckon the Pleuronii among the Aeto lians.
