ntain the tombs of the earlier dukes of Burgundy.

CITHAERON, now called from its pine forests Elatea, a famous mountain
range (4626 ft.) in the south of Boeotia, separating that state from
Megaris and Attica. It was famous in Greek mythology, and is frequently
mentioned by the great poets, especially by Sophocles. It was on
Cithaeron that Aetaeon was changed into a stag, that Pentheus was torn
to pieces by the Bacchantes whose orgies he had been watching, and that
the infant Oedipus was exposed. This mountain, too, was the scene of the
mystic rites of Dionysus, and the festival of the Daedala in honour of
Hera. The carriage-road from Athens to Thebes crosses the range by a
picturesque defile (the pass of Dryoscephalae, "Oak-heads"), which was
at one time guarded on the Attic side by a strong fortress, the ruins of
which are known as Ghyphto-kastro ("Gipsy Castle"). Plataea is situated
on the north slope of the mountain, and the strategy of the battle of
479 B.C. was considerably affected by the fact that it was necessary for
the Greeks to keep their communications open by the passes (see
PLATAEA). The best known of these is that of Dryoscephalae, which must
then, as now, have been the direct route from Athens to Thebes. Two
other passes, farther to the west, were crossed by the roads from
Plataea to Athens and to Megara respectively. (E. GR.)

CITHARA (Assyrian _chetarah_; Gr. [Greek: kithara]; Lat. _cithara_;
perhaps Heb. _kinura, kinnor_), one of the most ancient stringed
instruments, traced back to 1700 B.C. among the Semitic races, in Egypt,
Assyria, Asia Minor, Greece and the Roman empire, whence the use of it
spread over Europe. The main feature of the Greek _kithara_, its shallow
sound-chest, being the most important part of it, is also that in which
developments are most noticeable; its contour varied considerably during
the many musical ages, but the characteristic in respect of which it
fore-shadowed the precursors of the violin family, and by which they
were distinguished from other contemporary stringed instruments of the
middle ages, was preserved throughout in all European descendants
bearing derived names. This characteristic box sound-chest (fig. 1)
consisted of two resonating tables, either flat or delicately arched,
connected by ribs or sides of equal width. The cithara may be regarded
as an attempt by a more skilful craftsman or race to improve upon the
lyre (q.v.), while retaining som