eek: Elibatos], Elibatos, was a favourite term with Homer, and
other poets; and is uniformly joined with Petra. They do not seem to have
known the purport of it; yet they adhere to it religiously, and introduce
it wherever they have an opportunity. [Greek: Elibatos] is an Amonian
compound of Eli-Bat, and signifies solis domus, vel [864]templum. It was
the name of the temple, and specified the Deity there worshipped. In like
manner the word Petra had in great measure lost its meaning; yet it is
wonderful to observe how industriously it is introduced by writers, when
they speak of sacred and oracular places. Lycophron calls the temple at
Elis [865][Greek: Leuran Molpidos petran]: and the Pytho at Delphi is by
Pindar styled Petraessa: [866][Greek: Epei Petraessas elaunon hiket' ek
Puthonos]. Orchomenos was a place of great antiquity; and the natives are
said to have worshipped Petra, which were supposed to have fallen from
[867]heaven. At Athens in the Acropolis was a sacred cavern, which was
called Petrae Macrae, Petrae Cecropiae.

[868][Greek: Akoue toinun, oistha Kekropias petras,]
[Greek: Prosborrhon antron, as Makras kikleskomen.]

I have shewn that people of old made use of caverns for places of worship:
hence this at Athens had the name of Petra, or temple. [869]It is said of
Ceres, that after she had wandered over the whole earth, she at last
reposed herself upon a stone at Eleusis. They in like manner at Delphi
shewed the petra, upon which the Sibyl Herophile at her first arrival sat
[870]down. In short, there is in history of every oracular temple some
legend about a stone; some reference to the word Petra. To clear this up,
it is necessary to observe, that when the worship of the Sun was almost
universal, this was one name of that Deity even among the Greeks. They
called him Petor, and Petros; and his temple was styled Petra. This they
oftentimes changed to [Greek: lithos]; so little did they understand their
own mythology. There were however some writers, who mentioned it as the
name of the Sun, and were not totally ignorant of its meaning. This we may
learn from the Scholiast upon Pindar. [871][Greek: Peri de tou Heliou hoi
phusikoi phasin, hos lithos kaleitai ho Helios. Kai Anaxagorou genomenon
Euripiden matheten, Petron eirekenai ton Helion dia ton prokeimenon.]

[Greek: Ho gar Makarios, k' ouk oneidizo tuchas,]
[Greek: Dios pephukos, hos legousi, Tantalos,]
[Greek: Koruphes hupertellonta deimaino