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.

    29/1140 (page 7)
    ABORRHAS. by them from the Siculians, others apparently new settlements. Little historical dependence can of course be placed on these statements, but they were probably meant to distinguish the cities in question from those which were designated by tradition as of Pelasgian origin, or colonies of Alba. Sallust (Cat. 6) speaks of the Aborigines as a rude people, without fixed laws or dwellings, but this is probably a mere rhetorical exaggeration: it is clear that Varro at least regarded them as pos- sessed of fortified towns, temples, oracles, &c.; and the native traditions of the Latins concerning Janus and Saturn indicate that they had acquired all the primitive arts of civilisation before the period of the supposed Trojan colony. [E. H. B J ABORRHAS. [Chaboras.] ABRAUANNUS ('A§paovdvvos, Ptol. ii. 3. § 2), a river of Britannia Barbara, which discharged itself a little northward of the Promontorium Novantum, or Mull of Galloway into Luce-Bay. Abravannus is probably the stream which flows through Loch Ryan into the sea—Ab-Ryan, or the offspring of Ryan, being easily convertible into the Roman form of the word Ab-Ryan-us—Abravannus. [W. B. D.j ABRETTE'NE. [Mysia.] ABRINCATUI, a Gallic tribe (Plin. iv. 18), not mentioned by Caesar, whose frontier was near the Curiosolites. Their town Ingena, called Abrin- catae in the Notitia Imperii, has given its name to the modem Avranches; and their territory would probably correspond to the division of Av- ranchin. [G. L.] ABRO'TONUM ('A€p6Tovov'), a Phoenician city on the coast of N. Africa, in the district of Tripoli- tana, between the Syrtes, usually identified with Sabrata, though Pliny makes them different places. (Scylax, p. 47; Strab. p. 835; Steph. B. s. v.; Plin. V. 4.) [P. S.] ABSY'RTIDES or APSY'RTIDES CAip^prides: Eth. ’A\f/upT€vs, ’'Arj/vpTos: Cherso and Osero), the name of two islands off the coast of Illyricum, so called because, according to one tradition, Absyrtus was slain here by his sister Medea and by Jason. Ptolemy mentions only one island Apsorrus ('Aipoppos), on which he places two towns Crepsa (Kpeij/a) and Apsorras. (Strab. p. 315; Steph. Byz. s. u.; Mel. ii. 7; PHn. iii. 26; Ptol. ii. 16. § 13.) ABUS (d ''A§os) or ABA (Plin. v. 24. s. 20), a mountain in Armenia, forming a part of the E. prolongation of the Anti-Taurus chain, and sepa- rating the basins of the Araxes and of the Arsanias or S. branch of the Euphrates (Murad). The latter of these great rivers rises on its S. side, and, ac- cording to Strabo, the former also rises on its N. side. According to this statement, the range must be considered to begin as far W. as the neighbour- hood of Erzeroom, while it extends E. to the Araxes S. of Artaxata. Here it terminates in the great isolated peak, 17,210 feet high, and covered with perpetual snow, which an almost uniform tradition has pointed out as the Ararat of Scripture (Gen. viii. 4), and which is still called Ararat or Agri- Dagh, and, by the Persians, Kuh-i-Nuh (mountain of NoaK)'. it is situated in 39° 42' N. lat., and 44° 35' E. long. This summit forms the culminating point of W. Asia. The chain itself is called A la-dagh. (Strab. pp. 527,531; Ptol. v. 13.) [P. S.] ABUS (’'A§os, Ptol. ii. 3. § 6: Humher'), one of the principal rivers, or rather estuaries in the Roman province of Maxima Caesariensis in Britain. It re- ceives many tributaries, and discharges itself into the ABYDUS. 7 German Ocean south of Ocelum Promemtorium (Spvmn Head). Its left bank was inliabited by the Celtic tribe, whom the Romans entitled Parisi, but according to a medieval poet cited by Cam- den, no great town or city anciently stood on its banks. [W. B. D.] ABUSI'NA, ABUSENA, a town of Vindelicia, situated on the river Abens, and corresponding nearly to the modem Abensberg. Abusina stood near to the eastern termination of the high road which ran from the Roman military station Vinde- nissa on the Aar to the Danube. Roman walls are still extant, and Roman remains still discovered at Abensberg. [W. B. D.] ABY'DUS. 1. (g''A€vbos, Abydum, Plin. v. 32: Eth. *A6v5r}v6s, Abydenus), a city of Mysia on the Hellespontus, nearly opposite Sestus on the Euro- pean shore. It is mentioned as one of the towns in alliance with the Trojans. (II. ii. 836.) Aidos or Avido, a modem village on the Hellespont, may be the site of Abydos, though the conclusion from a name is not certain. Abydus stood at the narrowest point of the Hellespontus, where the channel is only 7 stadia wide, and it had a small port. It was probably a Thracian town originally, but it became a Milesian colony. (Thuc. viii. 61.) At a point a little north of this town Xerxes placed his bridge of boats, by which his troops were conveyed across the channel to the opposite town of Sestus, b. c. 480. (Herod, vii. 33.) The bridge of boats extended, according to Herodotus, from Abydus to a promon- tory on the European shore, between Sestus and Madytus. The town possessed a small territory which contained some gold mines, but Strabo speaks of them as exhausted. It was burnt by Darius, the son of Hystaspes, after his Scythian expedition, for fear that the Scythians, who were said to be in pur- suit of him, should take possession of it (Strab. p. 591); but it must soon have recovered from this calamity, for it was afterwards a town of some note; and Herodotus (v. 117) states that it was captured by the Persian general, Daurises, with other cities on the Hellespont (b. c. 498), shortly after the commencement of the Ionian revolt. In b. c. 411, Abydus revolted from Athens and joined Dercyjlidas, the Spartan commander in those parts. (Thuc. viii. 62.) Subsequently, Abydus made a vigo- rous defence against Philip II., king of Macedonia, before it surrendered. On the conclusion of the war with Philip (b. c. 196), the Romans declared Abydus, with other Asiatic cities, to be free. (Liv. xxxiii. 30.) The names of Abydus and Sestus are coupled together in the old story of Hero and Leander, who is said to ’have swam across the channel to visit his mistress at Sestus. The distance between Abydus and Sestus, from port to pprt, was about 30 stadia, according to Strabo. [G. L.]