AMYCLÆ, a city of Laconia, distant about 18 miles from the metropolis, founded by Amyclas the son of Lacedemon, and famed afterwards for the birth of Castor and Pollux the sons of Tyndarus, eighth king of Sparta. It was afterwards famed for sending a considerable colony of its own inhabitants into Upper Calabria, who built there a city which they called by the same name. This last city was situated between Cajeta and Terracina, and gave its name to the neighboring sea. According to Pliny and Solinus, the territory of Amyclæ was so infested with vipers and other serpents, that the inhabitants were obliged to abandon their dwellings and settle elsewhere. Among the ancient poets, the Amyclæi, or inhabitants of this city, obtained the epithet of taciti, "silent." The reason of this was, either because it was built by the Lacedemonians, who, as they followed the doctrine of Pythagoras, were always inculcating the precept of silence, and thence called taciti; or because of a law which obtained in this place, forbidding any one, under severe penalties, to mention the approach of an enemy. Before this law was made, the city was daily alarmed by false reports, as if the enemy had been already at the gates. From terrors of this kind the above-mentioned law indeed delivered them; but, in the end, it proved the ruin of the city: for the Dorians appearing unexpectedly under the walls, no one ventured to transgress the law; so that the city was easily taken. They reduced it to an inconsiderable hamlet; in which, however, were seen some of the remains of its ancient grandeur. One of the finest buildings that escaped the common ruin, was the temple and statue of Alexandra, whom the inhabitants pretended to be the same with Cassandra the daughter of Priam.