Discusses accent and vowel-length rules for Greek words and place-names ending in -ρα, -αρα, -ερα, with many city examples and phonetic alternations.
ἔστι καὶ Ῥόδου πόλις ταπεινή. καὶ Καρίας ἄλλη. καὶ Σογδιανῆς ἄλλη. χήρα. πλὴν τοῦ 'φ' διὰ τὸ Φηρά »Φηράς τε ζαθέας ἠδ´ Ἄνθειαν βαθύλειμον« (Il. Ι 151) τὰ δὲ ἀπὸ φωνήεντος ἀρχόμενα παροξύνεται, Ἥρα, ὥρα, ὀπώρα. Τὰ εἰς 'ρα' δισύλλαβα συνεσταλμένον ἔχοντα τὸ 'α' βαρύνεται, σφαῖρα, μοῖρα, πεῖρα, σφῦρα. Βοῦρα πόλις Ἀχαΐας ἀπὸ Βούρας θυγατρὸς Ἴωνος τοῦ Ξούθου καὶ Ἑλίκης. Νῶρα πόλις ἐν Σαρδοῖ τῇ νήσῳ. Σῶρα πόλις Ἰταλίας. Σοῦρα μαντεῖον Λυκίας. τὰ δὲ μὴ συνεσταλμένον τὸ 'α' ἔχοντα ὀξύνεται, ἰρά ἡ ἐκκλησία. τοῦτο δὲ διφορεῖται καὶ κατὰ τὴν ἐτυμολογίαν καὶ κατὰ τὴν γραφήν. εἰ μὲν γὰρ παρὰ τὸ εἴρω τὸ λέγω, διὰ διφθόγγου, εἰ δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἱερὰν εἶναι διὰ τοῦ 'ι'. σειρά, πυρά, οὐρά, φρουρά, πλευρά. Φαραί πόλις Μεσσήνης, ὅθεν ἦσαν οἱ Ἀφαρητιάδαι· ἔστι καὶ Ἀχαΐας. εἰσὶ καὶ Φαραί Βοιωτίας. ἔστι δὲ ἄλλη Κρήτης ἄποικος τῆς ἐν Μεσσήνῃ, ὡς Φίλων. ἀρά καὶ Ἀρά Ἀθάμαντος θυγάτηρ καὶ Ἀραί νῆσοι τρεῖς οὕτω λεγόμεναι διὰ τὰς ἀράς, ἃς Δωριεῖς ἐποιήσαντο πρὸς τοῦ Πενταπολίτας, ὡς Ἀριστείδης. Τὰ εἰς 'ρα' ὑπὲρ δύο συλλαβὰς τὸ 'α' βραχὺ ἔχοντα προπαροξύνεται, μάχαιρα, χίμαιρα, Δηϊάνειρα, σκολόπενδρα. * Τὰ εἰς 'αρα' ὑπὲρ δύο συλλαβὰς παροξύνεται, Κυπάρα κρήνη Σικελίας, ἣ καὶ Ἀρέθουσα ἐλέγετο, Βατεράρα πόλις Λιγύων. Ἰνδάρα Σικανῶν πόλις. Θεόπομπος. Καμάρα πόλις Κρήτης, ἥτις Λατώ ἐλέγετο. Λιπάρα νῆσος μεγίστη τῶν ἑπτὰ τοῦ Αἰόλου, ἣ Μελιγουνὶς ἐλέγετο, πλησίον Σικελίας, ἀπὸ Λιπάρου τοῦ Αὔσονος υἱοῦ. λέγεται καὶ πληθυντικῶς. Μακκάραι χώρα ὑπὲρ Φάρσαλον. Θεόπομπος πέμπτῳ Φιλιππικῶν. * Τὰ εἰς 'ερα' δισύλλαβα μακροκατάληκτα βαρύνεται, ἔρα, Δέρα ὄνομα τόπου Λακωνικῆς, Μέρα ὄνομα πόλεως, δέρα, τοῦτο δὲ παρὰ τῷ ποιητῇ διὰ τῆς 'ει' διφθόγγου γράφεται καὶ ὀξύνεται. τὸ δὲ Φεραί
There is also a low-lying city of Rhodes; and another of Caria; and another of Sogdiana: χήρα—except with φ, because of Φηρά: “and holy Φηρά and deep-meadowed Ἄνθεια” (Il. Ι 151). But those beginning with a vowel are accented on the penult: Ἥρα, ὥρα, ὀπώρα. Disyllables in -ρα with the α contracted are accented on the antepenult: σφαῖρα, μοῖρα, πεῖρα, σφῦρα. Βοῦρα, a city of Achaea, from Βοῦρα, daughter of Ion son of Xouthus and of Helice. Νῶρα, a city on Sardinia the island. Σῶρα, a city of Italy. Σοῦρα, an oracle of Lycia. But those without contracted α are accented on the ultima: ἰρά, “the assembly.” This, however, varies both in etymology and in spelling: for if it is from εἴρω, “I say,” it is written with a diphthong; but if from being ἱερά, with ι. σειρά, πυρά, οὐρά, φρουρά, πλευρά. Φαραί, a city of Messenia, whence were the Apharetids; there is also one of Achaea. There are also Φαραί of Boeotia. And there is another of Crete, a colony of the one in Messenia, as Philo says. ἀρά; and Ἀρά, daughter of Athamas; and the Ἀραί, three islands so called because of the curses which the Dorians made against the Pentapolitans, as Aristeides says. Words in -ρα of more than two syllables with short α are accented on the antepenult: μάχαιρα, χίμαιρα, Δηϊάνειρα, σκολόπενδρα. Words in -αρα of more than two syllables are accented on the penult: Κυπάρα, a spring of Sicily, which was also called Ἀρέθουσα; Βατεράρα, a city of the Ligyes; Ἰνδάρα, a city of the Sicani—Theopompus. Καμάρα, a city of Crete, which was called Λατώ. Λιπάρα, the largest island of the seven of Aeolus, which was called Μελιγουνίς, near Sicily, from Liparus son of Auson; it is also used in the plural. Μακκάραi, a region beyond Pharsalus—Theopompus in the fifth book of the Philippica. Disyllables in -ερα with long final syllable are accented on the antepenult: ἔρα; Δέρα, the name of a place in Laconia; Μέρα, the name of a city; δέρα. But this, in the poet, is written with the ει diphthong and is accented on the ultima. But Φεραί…