Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume II.djvu/1007

 SICILIA. NE. of Enna, but W. of the valley of the Symae- thus; Centurii'A (Ceniorbi), nearly due E. of Enna; Adranum (^Adei-no), on the E. bank of the Symaethus, at the fuot of Jlount Aetna ; HyBla Majou (which must not be confounded with the city of the same name near Syracuse), and Aetna, previously called Inessa, both situated on the southern slope of the same mountain. N. of Agy- riuni, on the southern slopes of the Mons Nebrodes were situated Herbita, Capitium, and probably also Gal.ria : while on the northern declivities of the same mountains, fronting the sea, but at some distance inland, were placed Apollonia (probably FoUina), Amestratus {Mistretta), Abacaenum, a few miles inland from Tyndaris, and NoAE, pro- bably Noara. Three other towns, Lmachara, IcHANA, and TissA, may probably be assigned to this same region of Sicily, though their exact posi- tion cannot be determined. 3. In the SE. portion of Sicily, S. of the Symaethus and its tributary the Chrysas or Bittaino, were situated Ergetium, -MoKGANTiA, Leontini, and Hybla: as well as Menaenum and Herbessus : but of all these names Leontini (^Lentini) and Menaenum {Mineo) are the only ones that can be identified with any- thing like certainty. In the hills W. of Syracuse were Ackae {I'edazzolo), Bidis {S. Glo. di Bidino), and Cacyuum {Cassaro); and W. of these again, in the direction towards Gela, must be placed the He- raean Hybla, as well as Echetla, in the neigh- bourhood of Gran Michde. SW. of Syracuse, in the interior, were Netum or Neetusi (^Noto Vecchio), and MoTYCA {Modica), both of wiiich are well known. The Syracusan colony of Casmenae must probably have been situated in the same district but its site has never been identified. After going through this long list of Sicilian towns, there remain the following, noticed either by Cicero or Pliny, as municipal towns, to the position of which we have no means of even approximating. The AciiERiNi (Cic.),TYRACLN'i(Cic.; Tyracienses, riin.), Acestaei (Flin.), Etini (Id.), Herbulenses (Id.), Semellitani (Id.), Talarenses (Id.). Many of the above names are probably corrupt and merely false readings, but we are at a loss what to sub- stitute. On the other hand, the existence of a town called MuTisTRATtiM or Jlytistratum is attested by both Cicero and I'liny, and there seems no sufiicient reason for rejecting it as identical with Amestratus, as has been done by many modern geographers, though its site is whollj uncertain. Equally un- known are the following names given by Ptolemy among the inland towns of the island : Aleta ("AAtito), Hydra or Lydia ("T5pa or AvSiu), I'aty- orus (Tlariccpos), Coturga or Cortuga (Kdrupya or KdpTvya), Legum or Letum (^ATjyo)' or AfjTo;'), Ancrina QAyicpLva), Ina (jr Ena ("Ii-a or''H;'a), and Elcethium ('EA/ce9iOf ). It would be a waste of time to discuss these names, most of which are probably in their present form corrupt, and are all of them otherwise wholly unknown. On the other hand the existence of Nacona, mentioned by Stephanus of Byzantium, but not noticed by any other writer, is confirmed by coins. The topography of Sicily is still very imperfectly known. The ruins of its more celebrated cities are indeed well known, and have been often described; especially in the valuable work of the Duke of Serra di Falco (^Antichita della Sicilia, 5 vols. fol. Palermo, 1834 — 1839), as well as in the well-known travels of Swinburne, Sir E. Hoare, &c. (Swinbui'ne'a SICILIA. 987 Travels in the Two Sicilies, 2 vols. 4to. Lond. 1783; Sir R. Hoare's Classical Tour throvgh Italy and Sicili/, 2 vols. 8vo. Lond. 1819; St. Non, Voyarje Pittoresque de Naples et de la Sicile, 5 vols. fol. Pari.s, 1781; Biscari, Principe di, Viaggio per la Antichita della Sicilia, 8vo. Palermo, 1817, &c.): but the island has never been thoroughly explored by an antiquarian traveller, like those to whom we are indebted for our knowledge of Greece and Asia llinor. The valuable work of Cluverius (^Sicilia Antiqua, fol. Lugd. Bat. 1619) must here, as well as for Italy, be made the foundation of all subsequent researches. But much valuable information is found in the more ancient work of Fazello, a Sicilian monk of the sixteenth century, as well as of his commen- tator Amico, and in the Topographical Dictionary of the latter author. (Thomae Fazelli de Rebus Siculis Decades Duo, first edit, iu fol. Panormi, 1558, republished with copious notes by Amico, 3 vols. fol. Catanae, 1749 — 1753 ; Amico, Lexicon Toporjra- phictimSiculum, 3 os. 4to. Catanae, 1759). ]Iuch, however, still remains to be done. Many localities indicated by Fazello in the sixteenth century as presenting ancient remains have never (so far as we are aware) been visited by any modern traveller; no gojd map of the island exists, which can be trusted for topographical details, and there can be little doubt that a minute and careful examination of the whole countiy, such as has been made of the neigh- bouring island of Sardinia by the Chev. De la Mar- mora, would well reward the labours of the explorer. Even the ruins described by Sir E. Hoare as existing in the neighbourhood of Sta Croce, or those situated near Vindicari, a few miles N. of Cape Pachynus and commonly ascribed to Imachara, have never been examined in detail, nor has any clue been ob- tained to their identification. The Itineraries give several lines of route through the island, but many of the stations mentioned are wholly uncertain, and were probably never more than obscure villages or mere solitary posthouses. The first line of route {Itin. Ant. pp. 86 — 89) pro- ceeds from Blessana along the E. coast by Taurome- nium and Acium to Catana, and from thence strikes inland across the centre of the island to Agrigentum; the course of this inland route is wholly uncertain and the names of the three stations upon it, Capi- toniana, Gelasium Philosophiana and Petiliana, are entirely unknown. From Agrigentum it followed the line of coast to Lilybaeum; the stations given are Cena [Caena], Allava, Ad Aquas (i. e. the Aquae Labodes or Thermae Selinunliae), Ad fluvium Lanarium, and Mazara; all except the 3rd and 5th of very uncertain site. A second route {Itin. Ant. pp. 89, 90) proceeds in the inverse direction from Lilybaeum to Agrigentum, and thence by a moro southeriy line, through Calvisiana, Hybla, and Acrae (Palazzolo) to Syracuse, and from thence as before along the E. coast to Messana. A third line follows the N. coast of the island from Lilybaeum by Panornuis to Messana. The stations (ui thi.s line are better known and can for the most part be de- termined: they are, Drepan.a, Aquae Segestanae (near Segesta), Parthcnium (^Partinico'), Hyccara (Mitro di Carini), Panormus, Soluntum, Tiicrmae, Cei)haloedium, Halesus ( Alaesa), Calacte, Agatinnuni, (Agatbyrnum), Tyndaris, and Messana. A fourth route {Itin. Ant. p. 93) crossed the interior of tlio island from Thermae, where it branched off from the preceding, passing through Enna, Agyrium, Centu- ripa and Aetna to Catana. A fifth gives us a line