Volume 1

A dictionary of Greek and Roman geography / by various writers ; edited by William Smith.

Date:
1873
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A dictionary of Greek and Roman geography / by various writers ; edited by William Smith. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    28/1140 (page 6)
    much interest. Unfortunately most of the names contained in it are otherwise wholly unknown, and the geographical data are not sufficiently precise to enable us to fix their position udth any certainty. The researches of recent travellers have, however, of late years given increased interest to the passage in question, by establishing the fact that the neigh- bourhood of Reate, and especially the valley of the Salto, a district commonly called the Cicolano, abound with vestiges of ancient cities, which, from the polygonal, or so-called Cyclopean style of their construction, have been referred to a very early period of antiquity. Many attempts have been consequently made to identify these sites with the cities mentioned by Varro; but hitherto with little success. The most recent investigations of this subject are those by MarteUi (an Italian antiquarian whose local Imowledge gives weight to his opinions) in his Storia del Siculi (Aquila, 1830, 8vo.), and by Bunsen {Antichi Stahilimenti Italici, in the Annali delV Institute di Corrispondenza Archeologica, vol. vi. p. 100, seq.). But the complete diversity of their results proves how little certainty is to be attained. In the following enumeration of them, we can only attempt to give the description of the localities according to Varro, and to notice briefly their sup- posed identifications. 1. Palatium, from which the city on the Pala- tine hill at Rome was supposed to have derived its name (Varr. de L.L. v. § 53 ; Solin. 1. § 14), is placed by Varro at 25 stadia from Reate ; and would appear to have been still inhabited in his time. (See Bunsen, p. 129, whose suggestion of Tr6Xis oiKQVjiivy] for wdAecos olKov/xevrjs is certainly very plausible.) Ruins of it are said to exist at a place still called Pallanti, near Torricella, to the right of the Via Solaria, at about the given dis- tance from Reate. (Martelli, p. 195.) Gell, on the other hand, places it near the convent of La Foresta, to the N. of Rieti, where remains of a polygonal character are also found. Bunsen concurs in placing it in this direction, but without fiLxing the site. 2. Tribula (TptSoXa), about 60 stadia from Reate ; placed by Bunsen at Santa Felice, below the modem town of Cantalice, whose polygonal walls were discovered by Dodwell. Martelli appears to confound it with Tribula Mutusca, from which it is probably distinct. 3. SuESBULA, or Vesbula (the MSS. of Dio- nysius vary between hveaSoXa and OveaSoXa), at the same distance (60 stadia) from Tribula, near the Ceraunian Mountains. These are otherwise unknown, but supposed by Bunsen to be the Monti di Leonessa, and that Suesbula was near the site of the little city of Leonessa, from which they derive their name. 4. SuNA (SouvTj), distant 40 stadia from Sues- bola, with a very ancient temple of Mars: 5. Me- PHYEA (ytiri<pvXa), about 30 stadia from Suna, of which some ruins and traces of walls were still visible in the time of Varro: and 6. Orvinium QOpoviviov), 40 stadia from Mephyla, the ruins of which, as weU as its ancient sepulchres, attested its former magnitude; — are all wholly unknown, but are probably to be sought between the Monti di Leonessa and the valley of the Velino. Martelh, however, transfers this whole group of cities (in- cluding Tribula and Suesbula), which are placed by Bunsen to the N. of Rieti, to the vallies of the Turano and Salto S. of that city. 7. CoRSULA (KopcoCAa), a city destroyed shortly before the time of Varro, is placed by him at 80 sta- dia from Reate, along the Via Curia, at the foot i of Mt. Coretum. This road is otherwise un- j known*, but was probably that which led from Reate ! towards Terni (Interamna), and if so, Corsula must ! have been on the left ba^ of the Velinus, but its i site is unknown. ' In the same direction were: 8. IssA, a town situ- ated on an island in a lake, probably the same now called the Lago del Pie di Lugo: and 9. Marru- VIUM {Mapoviov'), situated at the extremity of the same lake. Near this were the Septem Aquae, the position of which in this fertile valley between Reate and Interamna is confirmed by their mention in Cicero {ad Att. iv. 15). 10. Returning again to Reate, and proceeding along the valley of the Salto towards the Lake Fucinus (Dionysius has rgv iirl Aarivrjv Sdbr eicri- ovaiy, for which Bunsen would read ini Xifirgy: but in any case it seems probable that this is the direction meant), Varro mentions first Batia or Vatia (Bar/a), of which no trace is to be found: then comes 11. Tiora, sumamed Matiene {Tidpa, ^ naXov- givT] Mari^vr)'), where there was a very ancient oracle of Mars, the responses of which were delivered by a woodpecker. This is placed, according to Varro, at 300 stadia from Reate, a distance which so much exceeds all the others, that it has been supposed, to be corrupt; but it coincides well with the actual distance (36 miles) from Rieti to a spot named Castore, near Sta. Anatolia, in the upper valley of the Salto, which was undoubtedly the site of an ancient city, and presents extensive remains of walls of polygonal construction. (Bunsen, p. 115; Abeken, Mittelitalien, p. 87.) We learn also from early Martyrologies, that Sta. Anatolia, who has given name to the modem village, was put to death “ in civitate Thora, apud lacum Velinum.” (Cluver. Ital. p. 684.) Hence it seems probable that the name of Castore is a conniption of Cas-Tora (Cas- tcllum Torae), and that the ruins visible there are really those of Tiora.f 12. Lista (Ato-ra), called by Varro the metro- polis of the Aborigines, is placed by him, according to our present text of Dionysius, at 24 stadia from Tiora; but there seem strong reasons for supposing that this is a mistake, and that Lista was really situated in the immediate neighbourhood of Reate. [Lista.] 13. The last city assigned by Varro to the Abo- rigines is CoTYLiA, or CuTiLiA (KoTuAia), cele- brated for its lake, concerning the site of which (between Civita Ducale and Antrodoco) there exists no doubt. [Cutilia.] Among the cities of Latiam itself, Dionysius (i. 44, ii. 35) expressly assigns to the Aborigines the foundation of Antemnae, Caenina, Ficulnea, Tellenae, and Tibur: some of which were wrested * The MSS. of Dionysius have Sta rgs 'lovp'ias ddov, a name which is certainly corrupt. Some editors would read 'lovvias, but the emendation of Kovpias suggested by Bunsen is far more probable. For the further investigation of this point, see Reate. f Holstenius, however {Not ad Cluver. p. 114), places Tiora in the valley of the Turano, at a place called Colie Piccolo, where there is also a celebrated church of Sta. Anatolia.