In the next place they speak of the treacherous attempt on Messene.
Here Zeno tells us that Nabis, setting out from Lacedaemon and crossing the Eurotas near the so‑called Hoplites, marched by the narrow road skirting Poliasion until he arrived at the district of <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Sellasia&groupId=966&placeId=1714">Sellasia</a>
and thence passing Thalamae reached the river Pamisus at <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Pharae&groupId=878&placeId=1582">Pharae</a>.
I really am at a loss what to say about all this: for the character of the description taken as a whole is exactly as if one were to say that a man setting out from <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Corinth&groupId=493&placeId=928">Corinth</a> and crossing the Isthmus and reaching the Scironic rocks at once entered the <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Contoporia&groupId=490&placeId=921">Contoporia</a> and passing <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Mycenae&groupId=777&placeId=1408">Mycenae</a> proceeded towards <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Argos&groupId=361&placeId=689">Argos</a>. For this is no slight error,
but the places in question are in quite opposite quarters, the Isthmus and Scirades being to the east of <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Corinth&groupId=493&placeId=928">Corinth</a> while the <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Contoporia&groupId=490&placeId=921">Contoporia</a> and MycenaeMessene are very nearly south-west, so that it is absolutely impossible to reach the latter locality by the former.
The same is the case with regard to the topography of <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Laconia&groupId=662&placeId=1211">Laconia</a>.
The Eurotas and <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Sellasia&groupId=966&placeId=1714">Sellasia</a> are south-east of <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Sparta&groupId=660&placeId=1208">Sparta</a>, while Thalamae, <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Pharae&groupId=878&placeId=1582">Pharae</a>, and the Pamisus are south-west.
So that one who intends to march past Thalamae to <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Messenia&groupId=760&placeId=1380">Messenia</a> not only need not go to <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Sellasia&groupId=966&placeId=1714">Sellasia</a>, but need not cross the Eurotas at all.
Walbank Commentary