'AMqpa, a coin
of Tiberius Abdera.
of Tiberius Abdera.
Charles - 1867 - Classical Dictionary
58).
Pladrian caused another temple to be
built, but much inferior in size. The city possessed also
a forum and a theatre. Ruins are pointed out by Sir
\V. Cell (Itin. 266) near the modem village of Ezar-
cho.
Ab. *ps, a surname of Apollo, derived from the town
of Abe in Phocis, where the god had a rich temple.
\Hctych. , s. v. '. \6ai. Herod. 8, 33. )
Abacenu*. a city of the Siculi, in Sicily, situated
on a steep hill southwest of Messana. Its ruins are
supposed to be in the vicinity of Tripi. Being an all}
of Carthage, Dionysius of Syracuse wrested from it
part of the adjacent territory, and founded in its vicin-
ity the colony of Tyndaris (Diod. S. 14, 78, 90).
Ptolemv calls this city 'Abanaiva, all other writers
'Xtanaivov. According to Bochart, the Punic appel-
lation was Abacin, from Abac, "cxtoll*rc," in refer-
ence to its lofty situation. (Cluver. Stc. Ant. 2,386. )
Abalus. Vtd. Basilia.
AsiXTEs, an ancient people of Greece, whose origin
is not ascertained; probably they came from Thrace,
and having settled in Phocis, built the city Abte.
From this quarter a part of them seem to have remo-
ved to Eutxsa, and hence its name Abantias, or Aban-
h* (Strafto. 444). Others of them left Euboea, and set-
tled for a time ir>> Chios (Paus. 7, 4); a third band,
resuming with some of the Locri from the Trojan war,
were driven to the coast of Epirus, settled in part of
Thesprotia, inhabited the city Thronium, and gave
the name Abanlis to the adjacent territory (Paus. 5,
22). The Thracian origin of the Abantes is contest-
ed by Manncrt (8. 346), though supported, in some de-
gree, by Aristotle, as cited by Strabo. They had a
custom of cutting otT the hair of the head before, and
suffering it to grow long behind (//. 2,542). Plutarch
(Vit. The*. 5) state>>, that they did this to prevent the
enemy, whom thery always boldly fronted, from seizing
ABA
them by the fore part of their heads. The truth is, the*
wore their hair long behind as a badge of valour, and bo
the scholiast on Homer means by uvipciac *upiy.
The custom of wearing long hair characterized many, if
not all of the warlike nations of antiquity ; it prevailed
among the Scythians, who were wont also to cut off the
hair of their captives as indicative of slavery (Hesych.
--Baycri Mem. Scyth. in comment. Acad. Petr. 1732,
p. 388); and also among the Thracians, Spartans,
? ? Gauls (Galli comati), and tho early Romans (mtorui
Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-12-26 09:03 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/uva. x001045523 Public Domain, Google-digitized / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd-google
? ABA
ADD
whole earth without tasting food. But there arc strong
doubts as to the accuracy of the text given by Wes-
scling and Valckenacr. The old editions read uc rov
uiorijv ireptitjtepe ovdev aiTcvjuevoc, which agrees with
the account given in the Fragment of Lycurgus cited
by Eudocia (Villois. Anecd. 1, 20), where he is said
to have traversed all Greece, holding an arrow as the
symbol of Apollo. The time of his arrival in Greece
is variously given (Bcntl. Phal. 95). Some fix it in the
3d Olympiad (Harpocr. --Suid. ), others in the 21st,
others much lower. One authority is weighty: Pin-
dar, as cited by Harpocration, states that Abaris came
to Greece while Croesus was king of Lydia. An ex-
traordinary occasion caused his visit. The whole earth
was ravaged by a pestilence; the oracle of Apollo,
being consulted, gave answer that the scourge would
only cease when the Athenians should offer up vows
for all nations. Another account makes him to have
left his native country during a famine (Ytllois. Anted
I. c). He made himself known throughout Greece as
a performer of wonders; delivered oracular responses
(Clem. Alex. Sir. 399); healed maladies by charms
or exorcisms (Plato, Charm. 1, 312, Bckk. ); drove
away storms, pestilence, and evils. His oracles are
said to have been left in writing (Apollon. Hist. Com-
ment, c. 4. Compare Schol. Aristophan. p. 331, as
emended by Scaliger). The money obtained for these
various services, Abaris is said to have consecrated, on
his return, to Apollo (Iambi. V. P. 19), whence Baylc
concludes, that the collecting of a pious contribution
formed the motive of his journey to Greece (Diet.
Hist, ct Crit. 1, 4). He formed also a Palladium out
of the bones of Pclops, and sold it to the Trojans (Jul.
Firmicus, 16). Modem opinions vary: Brucker (Hist.
Phil. 1,355. --Enfield, 1,115) regards him as one who,
like Empcdoclcs, Epimenides, Pythagoras, and others,
went about imposing on the vulgar by false preten-
sions to supernatural powers; and Lobcck (Aglaoph.
vol. i. , p. 313, acq. ) is of the same opinion. Creuzer
(Symb. 2, 1, 267) considers Abaris as belonging to the
curious chain of connexion between the religions of
the North, and those of Southern Europe, so distinctly
indicated by the customary offerings sent to Delos
from the country of the Hyperboreans. The same
writer then cites a remarkable passage from the Hiol-
marsaga: "From Greece came Abor and Samolis,
with many excellent men; they met with a very cor-
dial reception; their servant and successor was Herse
of Glisisvalr. " The allusion here is evidently to
Abaris and Zamolxis; and if this passage be authen-
tic, Abaris would have been a Druid of. lhe North, and
the country of the Hyperboreans the Hebrides. The
doctrines of the Druids, as well as those of Zamolxis,
resemble the tenets of the Pythagorean school, and
in this way we may explain that part of the story of
Abaris which connects him with Pythagoras (Origcn.
Phtlos. 882, 906. cd. dc la Riu. --Chardon dc la Ro-
chcttc, Mclang. dc Crtt. vol. i. , p. 58. ) Unfortunate-
ly, the Saga of Hialmar is by the ablest critics of the
North considered a forgery (Midler's Sagabibl. 2, 663).
Still, other grounds have been assumed for making Ab-
aris a Druidical priest; and the opinion is maintained
by several writers (Toland's Misc. Works, 1, 181. --
Higgins' Celtic Druids, 123. --Soutlicrn Rev. 7, 21).
One argument is derived from Himerius (Phot. Btbl.
Vol. ii. , p. 374, cd. Bekker), that he travelled in Celtic
costume; in a plaid and pantaloons. Creuzer, after
? ? some remarks on this history, indulges in an inge-
Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-12-26 09:03 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/uva. x001045523 Public Domain, Google-digitized / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd-google
? ABE
nu Dti praetlcUoris," and thinks that the latter part of
the compound, anim, may be traced in the name of the
god Aitaaujte/ecA (2 fCmirjt, 17, 31). Gesenius (Gesch.
icr Hitbr. SpracAe it ml ScArrft, 228) makes Abdalon-
! uutt, as an appellation, the same with Abil-alunim,
"Servant of the g^ods. "
ABDKRA. I. a city of Thrace, at the mouth of the
Nestua: Ephorus (StepA. B. ) wrote in sing. 'AJMqpov,
but the plural is more usual, ra 'At/iqpa. The Clazo-
menian Timesitis commenced founding this place, but,
in consequence ofthe 'J'li r;n-ian inroads, was unable to
complete it; soon after, it was recolonized by a large
body of Teians from Ionia, who abandoned their city,
when besieged by Harpagus, general of Cyrus (Herod.
1. 168). Many Teians subsequently returned home;
yet Abdera remained no inconsiderable city. There
are several other accounts ofthe origin of this place, but
the one which we have given is most entitled to credit.
The city of Abdera was the birthplace of many distin-
guished men, as Anaxaxehus, Democritus, Hecateus,
and Protagoras; the third, however, must not be con-
founded with the native of Miletus. (Crcuzcr, Hist.
Aatv}. Gr. Fragm. 9, 28. ) But, notwithstanding the
celebrity of some of their fellow-citizens, the people of
Abdera,'as a body, -were reputed to be stupid. In the
C/u&oJx of Erasmus, and the Adagia Vcterum, many
savings record this failing; Cicero styles Rome, from
tbe stupidity of the senators, an Abdera (Ep. ad Alt.
4, 16); Juvenal calls Abdera itself, " the native land
of blockheads" (vcrcccv. m patrtam, 10, 50; compare
Martial, 1O, 25; "AliderUa. no: peciora plcbts"). Much
of this is exaggeration- Abdera was the limit ofthe
Odrvsian empire to the -west (T/mc. 2, 29). It after-
ward fell under the power of Philip; and, at a later
period was delivered up bv one of its citizens to Eumc-
ws, km<r of Pergamus (/>*<**. S. Fragm. 30, 9, 413,
Btf. ) Under the Romans it became a free city (Abdc-
n JiAera), and continued so even as late as the time of
Pliay (4, 11)- It was famous for mullets, and other
fish (Doric, ap. Aihcn. 3, 37. --Archcstr. ap. cu. nl. 7,
124V In the middle ages Abdcra degenerated into a
>>ery small town, named Polystylus, according to the
Byzantine historian, Curopalate (Watu, ad Tkur. . 2,
97). Its ruins exist near Cape Baloustra. (French.
Strata. 3. ISO, ? 3. ) II. A town of Hispania Bretica,
east of Malaca, in the territory of the Bastuli Pceni,
bring on the coast; Strabo calls the place Av<5i? pa
(157). Ptolemy *A6<5apa, Steph. B.
'AMqpa, a coin
of Tiberius Abdera. ( Vailla. nl, col. 1, p. 63. --Raschc's
T^i Jtfi _V<<j>>. 1. 33). It was founded by a Phoeni-
cian colony, and is thought to correspond to the mod-
em Adra. . (Ukerfs Geogr. 2, 351. )
ABDEKFS, a Locrian, armour-bearer of Hercules;
torn to pieces by the mares of Diomedes, which the
hero, warrincr against the Bistoncs, had intrusted to
his care. According to Philostratus (1cm. 2, 35),
Hercules built the city of Abdera in memory of him.
ABiU-ts. Vid. Supplement.
ABELLA, a town of Campania, northeast of Nola,
fcunJeJ by a colony from Chalcis, in Eubcea, according
ta Justin (2O, I)- Its ruins still exist in Avdla. Vccchia.
Small ae was Abella, it possessed a republican govern-
ateat, retaining it until subdued by the Romans; the
ibitants Abclla. nt, are frequently mentioned by an-
t writers; the only feet worthy of record is, that
territorv' produced a species of nut, ma Abcllana
apparently the same with what the Greek
is the K<un>a ttovTiicri, and corresponds to the
? ? r ^rgil(>"cd <<^re,*Sf)of Lin'
Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-12-26 09:03 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/uva. x001045523 Public Domain, Google-digitized / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd-google
? ABO
ABS
conspicuous place in the Greek mythology. (Vid. Her-
culis Columns;, and Mediterrancum Mare. )--II. A city
of Palestine, 12 miles east of Gadara (Euseb. v. "A6e? .
'A/i-e"kuv). Ptolemy is supposed to refer to it under
the name Abida, an error probably of copyists. (Man-
nert, 6, 1, 323. )--III. A city of Ccelesyria, now Belli-
nas, in a mountainous country, about 18 miles north-
west of Damascus. Ptolemy gives it the common
name'ACi'/. a. Josephus calls it 'Afx'/. n, and also 'A''; /. -
uaxca, the latter coming from the Hebrew name Abel
Beth Maacha, or Malacha (Rcland, Palest. . 520).
Abilene, a district of Ccelesyria. (Vid. Abila III. )
Abisares. Vid. Supplement.
Abitianus. Vid. Supplement.
Abi. abuis. Vid. Supplement.
Abnoba, according to Ptolemy (2, 11), a chain of
mountains in Germany, which commenced on the
banks of the Mcenus, now Maync, and, running be-
tween what arc now Hesse and Westphalia, terminated
in the present Duchy of Padcrhorn. Out of the north-
eastern part of this range, springs, according to the
same authority, the Amisus, now Ems. Subsequent
writers, however, seem to have limited the name Abno-
ba to that portion of the Black Forest where the Dan-
ube commences its course, and in this sense the term
is used by Tacitus. A stone altar, with ABNOBA
inscribed, was liscovcred in the Black Forest in 1778;
and in 1784, a pedestal of white marble was found
in the Duchy of Baden, bearing the words DIANAB
ABNOBAE. These remains of antiquity, besides
tending to designate more precisely the situation of
? ho ancient Mons Abnoba, settle also the orthography
of the name, which some commentators incorrectly
write Arnoba. (Compare La Germanic dc TacUe, par
Panckouke, p. 4, and the Alias, Planchc dcuxicmc. )
AbonitTchos, a small town and harbour of Paphla-
gonia southeast of the promontory Carambis. It was
the birthplace of an impostor who assumed the char-
acter of -Esculapius. Lucian (Pseud. 58) states,
that he petitioned the Roman emperor to change the
name of his native city to Ionopolis, and that the re-
quest of the impostor was actually granted. The
modem name lneboli is only a corruption of Ionopolis.
(Mareutn, Penpl. , p. 72. --'Steph. B. )
Aborigines, a name given by the Roman writers
to the primitive race, who, blending with the Siculi,
founded subsequently the nation of the Latins. The
name is equivalent to the Greek airoxOovtc, as indi-
cating an indigenous race. According to the most
credible traditions, they dwelt originally around Mount
Vclino, and the Lake Fucinus, now Celano, extending
as far as Carseoli, and towards Urate. This was
Cato's account (Dionys. H. 2, 49); and if Varro,
who enumerated the towns they had possessed in
those parts (Id. 1, 14), was not imposed on, not only
were the sites of these towns distinctly preserved, as
well as their names, but also other information, such
as writings alone can transmit through centuries.
Their capital, Lista, was lost by surprise; and exer-
tions of many years to recover it, by expeditions from
Reate, proved fruitless. Withdrawing from that dis-
trict, they came down the Anio, and even at Tibur, An-
temnse, Ficulea, Tellcna, and farther on at Crustume-
rium and Aricia, they found Siculi, whom they sub-
dued or expelled. The Aborigines arc depicted by
Sallust and Virgil as savages living in hordes, without
manners, law, or agriculture, on the produce of the
? ? chase, and on wild fruits This, however, does not
Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-12-26 09:03 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/uva. x001045523 Public Domain, Google-digitized / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd-google
? A BY
A BY
Assvrtides. islands at the head of the Adriatic, in
the Sinus Elanaticus, GuM of Quarncro; named, as
tradition reported, from Absyrtus the brother of Me-
dea, who, according to one account was killed here.
(Hygm. 23. --Strabo, 315. --Mela, 2, 7. --Pliny, 3, 26. )
Apollonius Rhodius (4, 330) calls them Brygeidcs,
and states (r. 470) that there was in one of the group
a temple erected to the Brygian Diana. Probably
the name given to these islands was a corruption of
? 3me real apellation, -which, though unconnected with
the table, still, from similarity of sound, induced the
n Jets to connect it with the name of Medea's brother.
-'"_c principal island is Absorus, with a town of the
came name. (Ptul. 63. ) These four islands are, in
modem geography, Cherso, Oscro (the ancient AbBo-
ros), Ferarina, Chao. (Cramer'sAne. Italy, 1, 137. )
Absyrtos, a river falling into the Adriatic Sea,
near which Absyrtus was murdered. The more cor-
rect form of the name, however, would seem to have
been Absyrtis, or, following the Greek, Apsyrtis
('A-tyvpric). Consult Grotius and Cortc, ad Luc.
Pharsal. 3, 190.
Absymtcs ('A^OjpToc), a son of . Eetcs, and brother
of Medea. According to the Orphic Argonautica (c.
1027), Absyrtus was despatched by his father with a
large force in pursuit of Jason and Medea, when their
flight was discovered. Medea, on the point of falling
into the hands of the young prince, deceived him by
a stratagem, and the Argonauts, having slain him,
cast his body into the sea. The corpse, floating about
for some time, was at last thrown up on one of the
islands, thence called Absyrtides. According to Apol-
lonius Rhodius (4. 207). Absyrtus, having reached the
Adriatic before the Argonauts, waited there to give
them battle. Mutual fear, however, brought about a
treaty, by which the Argonauts were to retain the
fleece, but Medea was to be placed in one of the
neighbouring islands, until some monarch should de-
cide whether she ought to accompany Jason, or return
with her brother. Medea, accordingly, was placed on
an island sacred to Diana, and the young prince, by
treacherous promises, was induced to meet his sister
by night in order to persuade her to return. In the
midst of their conference he was'attacked and slain
by Jason, who lay concealed near the spot, and had
concerted this scheme in accordance with the wishes
of Medea. The body was interred in the island.
Both these accounts- differ from the common one,
which makes Medea to have taken her brother with
her in her flight, and to have torn him in pieces to
stop her father"s pursuit, scattering the limbs of the
voting prince on the probable route of her parent.
Tins last account makes the murder of Absyrtus to have
taken place near Tomi, on the Euxine, and hence the
name given to that city from the Greek Topj), see/to;
just as Absyrtus, or Apsyrtus, is said to have been so
called from urro and ervpu. (Hygin. 23. --Apollod. 1,
'M. --Cic. JY. D. 3, 19. --Ovid, Tnst. 3, 9, 11 --
Heyne, ad Apollod. I. e. ) According to the Orphic
Poem, Absyrtus was killed on the banks of the Pha-
<<s. in Colchis.
Abi'lTtes. Vitl. Supplement.
Abcria Gexs. Vid. Supplement.
Abuenus Vjilejcs. Vid. Supplement.
Abl's. a river of Britain, now the Humber. Cam-
den (Brit. , p. 634) derives the ancient name from the
old British word A. bcr, denoting the mouth of a river,
? ? or an estuary. The appellation will suit the number
Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-12-26 09:03 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/uva. x001045523 Public Domain, Google-digitized / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd-google
? ACA
AOA
trfan side, except at the bottom of deep bays, the
choice of which would have doubled the width of the
passage. Sestos was not opposite to the Asiatic town,
nor was the Hellespont in this case called the Straits
of Sestos and Abydos, but the Straits of Abydos.
Sestos was so much nearer the Propontis than the
other town, that the ports of the two places were 30
stadia, or more than 3 1-2 miles from each other.
The bridges were on the Propontic side of Abydos,
but on the opposite quarter of Sestos; that is to say,
they were on the coasts between the two cities, but
nearer to the first than to the last. " (Hobkouse, I. e. )
The ancient accounts make the strait in this quarter
seven stadia, or 875 paces, broad, but to modern trav-
ellers it appears to be nowhere less than a mile
across.
Acacallis. Vid. Supplement.
Acacksium, a town of Arcadia, situate on a hill call-
ed Acacesius, and lying near Lycosura, in the south-
western angle of the country. Mercury Acacesius
was worshipped here (Paus. 8, 36). Some make the
epithet equivalent to /inSevoc kokov irapainoc, nullum
mali auctor, ranking Mercury among the dei averrunci
(Spank, ad Callim. H. in D. U3. --Heync, ad 11. 16,
185).
AcacTos, I. a disciple of Eusebius, bishop of Cesa-
rea, whom he succeeded in 338 or 340. He was sur-
named Mov6(p0aX/wr (Luscus), and wrote a Life of
Eusebius, not extant; 17 volumes of Commentaries
on Ecelesiastes; and 6 volumes of Miscellanies. Aca-
cius was the leader of the sect called Acacians, who
denied the Son to be of the same substance as the
Father. (Socr. Hist. 2, i. --Epipk. Har. 72. --Fabr.
built, but much inferior in size. The city possessed also
a forum and a theatre. Ruins are pointed out by Sir
\V. Cell (Itin. 266) near the modem village of Ezar-
cho.
Ab. *ps, a surname of Apollo, derived from the town
of Abe in Phocis, where the god had a rich temple.
\Hctych. , s. v. '. \6ai. Herod. 8, 33. )
Abacenu*. a city of the Siculi, in Sicily, situated
on a steep hill southwest of Messana. Its ruins are
supposed to be in the vicinity of Tripi. Being an all}
of Carthage, Dionysius of Syracuse wrested from it
part of the adjacent territory, and founded in its vicin-
ity the colony of Tyndaris (Diod. S. 14, 78, 90).
Ptolemv calls this city 'Abanaiva, all other writers
'Xtanaivov. According to Bochart, the Punic appel-
lation was Abacin, from Abac, "cxtoll*rc," in refer-
ence to its lofty situation. (Cluver. Stc. Ant. 2,386. )
Abalus. Vtd. Basilia.
AsiXTEs, an ancient people of Greece, whose origin
is not ascertained; probably they came from Thrace,
and having settled in Phocis, built the city Abte.
From this quarter a part of them seem to have remo-
ved to Eutxsa, and hence its name Abantias, or Aban-
h* (Strafto. 444). Others of them left Euboea, and set-
tled for a time ir>> Chios (Paus. 7, 4); a third band,
resuming with some of the Locri from the Trojan war,
were driven to the coast of Epirus, settled in part of
Thesprotia, inhabited the city Thronium, and gave
the name Abanlis to the adjacent territory (Paus. 5,
22). The Thracian origin of the Abantes is contest-
ed by Manncrt (8. 346), though supported, in some de-
gree, by Aristotle, as cited by Strabo. They had a
custom of cutting otT the hair of the head before, and
suffering it to grow long behind (//. 2,542). Plutarch
(Vit. The*. 5) state>>, that they did this to prevent the
enemy, whom thery always boldly fronted, from seizing
ABA
them by the fore part of their heads. The truth is, the*
wore their hair long behind as a badge of valour, and bo
the scholiast on Homer means by uvipciac *upiy.
The custom of wearing long hair characterized many, if
not all of the warlike nations of antiquity ; it prevailed
among the Scythians, who were wont also to cut off the
hair of their captives as indicative of slavery (Hesych.
--Baycri Mem. Scyth. in comment. Acad. Petr. 1732,
p. 388); and also among the Thracians, Spartans,
? ? Gauls (Galli comati), and tho early Romans (mtorui
Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-12-26 09:03 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/uva. x001045523 Public Domain, Google-digitized / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd-google
? ABA
ADD
whole earth without tasting food. But there arc strong
doubts as to the accuracy of the text given by Wes-
scling and Valckenacr. The old editions read uc rov
uiorijv ireptitjtepe ovdev aiTcvjuevoc, which agrees with
the account given in the Fragment of Lycurgus cited
by Eudocia (Villois. Anecd. 1, 20), where he is said
to have traversed all Greece, holding an arrow as the
symbol of Apollo. The time of his arrival in Greece
is variously given (Bcntl. Phal. 95). Some fix it in the
3d Olympiad (Harpocr. --Suid. ), others in the 21st,
others much lower. One authority is weighty: Pin-
dar, as cited by Harpocration, states that Abaris came
to Greece while Croesus was king of Lydia. An ex-
traordinary occasion caused his visit. The whole earth
was ravaged by a pestilence; the oracle of Apollo,
being consulted, gave answer that the scourge would
only cease when the Athenians should offer up vows
for all nations. Another account makes him to have
left his native country during a famine (Ytllois. Anted
I. c). He made himself known throughout Greece as
a performer of wonders; delivered oracular responses
(Clem. Alex. Sir. 399); healed maladies by charms
or exorcisms (Plato, Charm. 1, 312, Bckk. ); drove
away storms, pestilence, and evils. His oracles are
said to have been left in writing (Apollon. Hist. Com-
ment, c. 4. Compare Schol. Aristophan. p. 331, as
emended by Scaliger). The money obtained for these
various services, Abaris is said to have consecrated, on
his return, to Apollo (Iambi. V. P. 19), whence Baylc
concludes, that the collecting of a pious contribution
formed the motive of his journey to Greece (Diet.
Hist, ct Crit. 1, 4). He formed also a Palladium out
of the bones of Pclops, and sold it to the Trojans (Jul.
Firmicus, 16). Modem opinions vary: Brucker (Hist.
Phil. 1,355. --Enfield, 1,115) regards him as one who,
like Empcdoclcs, Epimenides, Pythagoras, and others,
went about imposing on the vulgar by false preten-
sions to supernatural powers; and Lobcck (Aglaoph.
vol. i. , p. 313, acq. ) is of the same opinion. Creuzer
(Symb. 2, 1, 267) considers Abaris as belonging to the
curious chain of connexion between the religions of
the North, and those of Southern Europe, so distinctly
indicated by the customary offerings sent to Delos
from the country of the Hyperboreans. The same
writer then cites a remarkable passage from the Hiol-
marsaga: "From Greece came Abor and Samolis,
with many excellent men; they met with a very cor-
dial reception; their servant and successor was Herse
of Glisisvalr. " The allusion here is evidently to
Abaris and Zamolxis; and if this passage be authen-
tic, Abaris would have been a Druid of. lhe North, and
the country of the Hyperboreans the Hebrides. The
doctrines of the Druids, as well as those of Zamolxis,
resemble the tenets of the Pythagorean school, and
in this way we may explain that part of the story of
Abaris which connects him with Pythagoras (Origcn.
Phtlos. 882, 906. cd. dc la Riu. --Chardon dc la Ro-
chcttc, Mclang. dc Crtt. vol. i. , p. 58. ) Unfortunate-
ly, the Saga of Hialmar is by the ablest critics of the
North considered a forgery (Midler's Sagabibl. 2, 663).
Still, other grounds have been assumed for making Ab-
aris a Druidical priest; and the opinion is maintained
by several writers (Toland's Misc. Works, 1, 181. --
Higgins' Celtic Druids, 123. --Soutlicrn Rev. 7, 21).
One argument is derived from Himerius (Phot. Btbl.
Vol. ii. , p. 374, cd. Bekker), that he travelled in Celtic
costume; in a plaid and pantaloons. Creuzer, after
? ? some remarks on this history, indulges in an inge-
Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-12-26 09:03 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/uva. x001045523 Public Domain, Google-digitized / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd-google
? ABE
nu Dti praetlcUoris," and thinks that the latter part of
the compound, anim, may be traced in the name of the
god Aitaaujte/ecA (2 fCmirjt, 17, 31). Gesenius (Gesch.
icr Hitbr. SpracAe it ml ScArrft, 228) makes Abdalon-
! uutt, as an appellation, the same with Abil-alunim,
"Servant of the g^ods. "
ABDKRA. I. a city of Thrace, at the mouth of the
Nestua: Ephorus (StepA. B. ) wrote in sing. 'AJMqpov,
but the plural is more usual, ra 'At/iqpa. The Clazo-
menian Timesitis commenced founding this place, but,
in consequence ofthe 'J'li r;n-ian inroads, was unable to
complete it; soon after, it was recolonized by a large
body of Teians from Ionia, who abandoned their city,
when besieged by Harpagus, general of Cyrus (Herod.
1. 168). Many Teians subsequently returned home;
yet Abdera remained no inconsiderable city. There
are several other accounts ofthe origin of this place, but
the one which we have given is most entitled to credit.
The city of Abdera was the birthplace of many distin-
guished men, as Anaxaxehus, Democritus, Hecateus,
and Protagoras; the third, however, must not be con-
founded with the native of Miletus. (Crcuzcr, Hist.
Aatv}. Gr. Fragm. 9, 28. ) But, notwithstanding the
celebrity of some of their fellow-citizens, the people of
Abdera,'as a body, -were reputed to be stupid. In the
C/u&oJx of Erasmus, and the Adagia Vcterum, many
savings record this failing; Cicero styles Rome, from
tbe stupidity of the senators, an Abdera (Ep. ad Alt.
4, 16); Juvenal calls Abdera itself, " the native land
of blockheads" (vcrcccv. m patrtam, 10, 50; compare
Martial, 1O, 25; "AliderUa. no: peciora plcbts"). Much
of this is exaggeration- Abdera was the limit ofthe
Odrvsian empire to the -west (T/mc. 2, 29). It after-
ward fell under the power of Philip; and, at a later
period was delivered up bv one of its citizens to Eumc-
ws, km<r of Pergamus (/>*<**. S. Fragm. 30, 9, 413,
Btf. ) Under the Romans it became a free city (Abdc-
n JiAera), and continued so even as late as the time of
Pliay (4, 11)- It was famous for mullets, and other
fish (Doric, ap. Aihcn. 3, 37. --Archcstr. ap. cu. nl. 7,
124V In the middle ages Abdcra degenerated into a
>>ery small town, named Polystylus, according to the
Byzantine historian, Curopalate (Watu, ad Tkur. . 2,
97). Its ruins exist near Cape Baloustra. (French.
Strata. 3. ISO, ? 3. ) II. A town of Hispania Bretica,
east of Malaca, in the territory of the Bastuli Pceni,
bring on the coast; Strabo calls the place Av<5i? pa
(157). Ptolemy *A6<5apa, Steph. B.
'AMqpa, a coin
of Tiberius Abdera. ( Vailla. nl, col. 1, p. 63. --Raschc's
T^i Jtfi _V<<j>>. 1. 33). It was founded by a Phoeni-
cian colony, and is thought to correspond to the mod-
em Adra. . (Ukerfs Geogr. 2, 351. )
ABDEKFS, a Locrian, armour-bearer of Hercules;
torn to pieces by the mares of Diomedes, which the
hero, warrincr against the Bistoncs, had intrusted to
his care. According to Philostratus (1cm. 2, 35),
Hercules built the city of Abdera in memory of him.
ABiU-ts. Vid. Supplement.
ABELLA, a town of Campania, northeast of Nola,
fcunJeJ by a colony from Chalcis, in Eubcea, according
ta Justin (2O, I)- Its ruins still exist in Avdla. Vccchia.
Small ae was Abella, it possessed a republican govern-
ateat, retaining it until subdued by the Romans; the
ibitants Abclla. nt, are frequently mentioned by an-
t writers; the only feet worthy of record is, that
territorv' produced a species of nut, ma Abcllana
apparently the same with what the Greek
is the K<un>a ttovTiicri, and corresponds to the
? ? r ^rgil(>"cd <<^re,*Sf)of Lin'
Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-12-26 09:03 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/uva. x001045523 Public Domain, Google-digitized / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd-google
? ABO
ABS
conspicuous place in the Greek mythology. (Vid. Her-
culis Columns;, and Mediterrancum Mare. )--II. A city
of Palestine, 12 miles east of Gadara (Euseb. v. "A6e? .
'A/i-e"kuv). Ptolemy is supposed to refer to it under
the name Abida, an error probably of copyists. (Man-
nert, 6, 1, 323. )--III. A city of Ccelesyria, now Belli-
nas, in a mountainous country, about 18 miles north-
west of Damascus. Ptolemy gives it the common
name'ACi'/. a. Josephus calls it 'Afx'/. n, and also 'A''; /. -
uaxca, the latter coming from the Hebrew name Abel
Beth Maacha, or Malacha (Rcland, Palest. . 520).
Abilene, a district of Ccelesyria. (Vid. Abila III. )
Abisares. Vid. Supplement.
Abitianus. Vid. Supplement.
Abi. abuis. Vid. Supplement.
Abnoba, according to Ptolemy (2, 11), a chain of
mountains in Germany, which commenced on the
banks of the Mcenus, now Maync, and, running be-
tween what arc now Hesse and Westphalia, terminated
in the present Duchy of Padcrhorn. Out of the north-
eastern part of this range, springs, according to the
same authority, the Amisus, now Ems. Subsequent
writers, however, seem to have limited the name Abno-
ba to that portion of the Black Forest where the Dan-
ube commences its course, and in this sense the term
is used by Tacitus. A stone altar, with ABNOBA
inscribed, was liscovcred in the Black Forest in 1778;
and in 1784, a pedestal of white marble was found
in the Duchy of Baden, bearing the words DIANAB
ABNOBAE. These remains of antiquity, besides
tending to designate more precisely the situation of
? ho ancient Mons Abnoba, settle also the orthography
of the name, which some commentators incorrectly
write Arnoba. (Compare La Germanic dc TacUe, par
Panckouke, p. 4, and the Alias, Planchc dcuxicmc. )
AbonitTchos, a small town and harbour of Paphla-
gonia southeast of the promontory Carambis. It was
the birthplace of an impostor who assumed the char-
acter of -Esculapius. Lucian (Pseud. 58) states,
that he petitioned the Roman emperor to change the
name of his native city to Ionopolis, and that the re-
quest of the impostor was actually granted. The
modem name lneboli is only a corruption of Ionopolis.
(Mareutn, Penpl. , p. 72. --'Steph. B. )
Aborigines, a name given by the Roman writers
to the primitive race, who, blending with the Siculi,
founded subsequently the nation of the Latins. The
name is equivalent to the Greek airoxOovtc, as indi-
cating an indigenous race. According to the most
credible traditions, they dwelt originally around Mount
Vclino, and the Lake Fucinus, now Celano, extending
as far as Carseoli, and towards Urate. This was
Cato's account (Dionys. H. 2, 49); and if Varro,
who enumerated the towns they had possessed in
those parts (Id. 1, 14), was not imposed on, not only
were the sites of these towns distinctly preserved, as
well as their names, but also other information, such
as writings alone can transmit through centuries.
Their capital, Lista, was lost by surprise; and exer-
tions of many years to recover it, by expeditions from
Reate, proved fruitless. Withdrawing from that dis-
trict, they came down the Anio, and even at Tibur, An-
temnse, Ficulea, Tellcna, and farther on at Crustume-
rium and Aricia, they found Siculi, whom they sub-
dued or expelled. The Aborigines arc depicted by
Sallust and Virgil as savages living in hordes, without
manners, law, or agriculture, on the produce of the
? ? chase, and on wild fruits This, however, does not
Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-12-26 09:03 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/uva. x001045523 Public Domain, Google-digitized / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd-google
? A BY
A BY
Assvrtides. islands at the head of the Adriatic, in
the Sinus Elanaticus, GuM of Quarncro; named, as
tradition reported, from Absyrtus the brother of Me-
dea, who, according to one account was killed here.
(Hygm. 23. --Strabo, 315. --Mela, 2, 7. --Pliny, 3, 26. )
Apollonius Rhodius (4, 330) calls them Brygeidcs,
and states (r. 470) that there was in one of the group
a temple erected to the Brygian Diana. Probably
the name given to these islands was a corruption of
? 3me real apellation, -which, though unconnected with
the table, still, from similarity of sound, induced the
n Jets to connect it with the name of Medea's brother.
-'"_c principal island is Absorus, with a town of the
came name. (Ptul. 63. ) These four islands are, in
modem geography, Cherso, Oscro (the ancient AbBo-
ros), Ferarina, Chao. (Cramer'sAne. Italy, 1, 137. )
Absyrtos, a river falling into the Adriatic Sea,
near which Absyrtus was murdered. The more cor-
rect form of the name, however, would seem to have
been Absyrtis, or, following the Greek, Apsyrtis
('A-tyvpric). Consult Grotius and Cortc, ad Luc.
Pharsal. 3, 190.
Absymtcs ('A^OjpToc), a son of . Eetcs, and brother
of Medea. According to the Orphic Argonautica (c.
1027), Absyrtus was despatched by his father with a
large force in pursuit of Jason and Medea, when their
flight was discovered. Medea, on the point of falling
into the hands of the young prince, deceived him by
a stratagem, and the Argonauts, having slain him,
cast his body into the sea. The corpse, floating about
for some time, was at last thrown up on one of the
islands, thence called Absyrtides. According to Apol-
lonius Rhodius (4. 207). Absyrtus, having reached the
Adriatic before the Argonauts, waited there to give
them battle. Mutual fear, however, brought about a
treaty, by which the Argonauts were to retain the
fleece, but Medea was to be placed in one of the
neighbouring islands, until some monarch should de-
cide whether she ought to accompany Jason, or return
with her brother. Medea, accordingly, was placed on
an island sacred to Diana, and the young prince, by
treacherous promises, was induced to meet his sister
by night in order to persuade her to return. In the
midst of their conference he was'attacked and slain
by Jason, who lay concealed near the spot, and had
concerted this scheme in accordance with the wishes
of Medea. The body was interred in the island.
Both these accounts- differ from the common one,
which makes Medea to have taken her brother with
her in her flight, and to have torn him in pieces to
stop her father"s pursuit, scattering the limbs of the
voting prince on the probable route of her parent.
Tins last account makes the murder of Absyrtus to have
taken place near Tomi, on the Euxine, and hence the
name given to that city from the Greek Topj), see/to;
just as Absyrtus, or Apsyrtus, is said to have been so
called from urro and ervpu. (Hygin. 23. --Apollod. 1,
'M. --Cic. JY. D. 3, 19. --Ovid, Tnst. 3, 9, 11 --
Heyne, ad Apollod. I. e. ) According to the Orphic
Poem, Absyrtus was killed on the banks of the Pha-
<<s. in Colchis.
Abi'lTtes. Vitl. Supplement.
Abcria Gexs. Vid. Supplement.
Abuenus Vjilejcs. Vid. Supplement.
Abl's. a river of Britain, now the Humber. Cam-
den (Brit. , p. 634) derives the ancient name from the
old British word A. bcr, denoting the mouth of a river,
? ? or an estuary. The appellation will suit the number
Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-12-26 09:03 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/uva. x001045523 Public Domain, Google-digitized / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd-google
? ACA
AOA
trfan side, except at the bottom of deep bays, the
choice of which would have doubled the width of the
passage. Sestos was not opposite to the Asiatic town,
nor was the Hellespont in this case called the Straits
of Sestos and Abydos, but the Straits of Abydos.
Sestos was so much nearer the Propontis than the
other town, that the ports of the two places were 30
stadia, or more than 3 1-2 miles from each other.
The bridges were on the Propontic side of Abydos,
but on the opposite quarter of Sestos; that is to say,
they were on the coasts between the two cities, but
nearer to the first than to the last. " (Hobkouse, I. e. )
The ancient accounts make the strait in this quarter
seven stadia, or 875 paces, broad, but to modern trav-
ellers it appears to be nowhere less than a mile
across.
Acacallis. Vid. Supplement.
Acacksium, a town of Arcadia, situate on a hill call-
ed Acacesius, and lying near Lycosura, in the south-
western angle of the country. Mercury Acacesius
was worshipped here (Paus. 8, 36). Some make the
epithet equivalent to /inSevoc kokov irapainoc, nullum
mali auctor, ranking Mercury among the dei averrunci
(Spank, ad Callim. H. in D. U3. --Heync, ad 11. 16,
185).
AcacTos, I. a disciple of Eusebius, bishop of Cesa-
rea, whom he succeeded in 338 or 340. He was sur-
named Mov6(p0aX/wr (Luscus), and wrote a Life of
Eusebius, not extant; 17 volumes of Commentaries
on Ecelesiastes; and 6 volumes of Miscellanies. Aca-
cius was the leader of the sect called Acacians, who
denied the Son to be of the same substance as the
Father. (Socr. Hist. 2, i. --Epipk. Har. 72. --Fabr.
