Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume II.djvu/1039

 SOGDII MONIES. who occupied difteient parts of the province. JIuny of tliese show by tlie form of their name that if not directly of Indian descent, they are clearly connected with that country. Thus we have the Pasicae, near tho Montcs Oxii; the Thacori {Tahirs) on the Jaxartes; the Uxydrancae, Drybactae, and Gandari ((Jandhdras), under the mountains ; the Jlardyeni (Madj-as), Chorasmii {Kliwaresmians), near the Oxus; and the Cirrodes (^Kiratas) near the same river. (Wilson, Ariana, p. 164.) The historians of Alexander's march leave us to suppose that So^diana abounded with large towns; but many of these, as Professor Wilson has re- marked {l. c), were probably little more than forts erected along the lines of the great rivers to defend the country from the incursions of the barbarous tribes to its N. and E. Yet these writers must have had good opportunity of estimating the force of these places, as Alexander appears to have been the best part of three years in this and the adjoining province of Bactriana. The principal towns of which the names have been handed down to us, were Cyreschata or Cyropolis, on the Jaxartes (Steph. B. s.v. Curt. vi. 6); Gaza {Ghaz or Ghazna, Ibn Ilauki'l, p. 270); Alexandreia Ultima (Arrian, iii. 30; Curt. I. c. Amin. Marc, xxiii. 6), doubtless in the neighbourhood of, if not on the site of the present Khojend; Alexandreia Oxiana (Ptol. vi. 12. § 5; Steph. B. s. «.); Nautaca (Arrian, iii. 28, iv. 18), in the neighbourhood of Karshi or Kalcsheb; Branchidae (Strab. xi. p. 518), a place traditionally said to have been colonised by a Greek population; and Marginia (Curt. vii. 10. § 15), pro- bably the present Marijkinan. (Droysen, jRkein. Mils. 2 Jahr. p. 86; Mannert, iv. p. 452; Burnes, Travels, i. p. 350; Memoirs of Bdber, p. 12; I)e Sacy, Notices et Extraits, iv. p. 354; Thirl wall, IJist. of Greece, vi. p. 284.) [V.] SOGDII MONTES. [Sogdiana.] SOGIU'NTII, an Alpine people mentioned by Pliny (iii. 20. s. 24). Nothing but resemblance of name gives us any indication of the position of many small mountain tribe.s, but the names remain frequently very little changed. The position of the Sogiunlii is conjectured to be shown by the name Sauze or Simches, NE. of Brianqon in the department of IlaiUes Alpes. But this is merely a guess; and even the orthography of the name Sogiuutii is not cer- tain. [G. L.] SOLE, a small town in the interior of Hyreania, mentioned by Amniianus (xxiii. 6). [V.] SOLEN (2a)Ai7i', Ptol. vii. 1. §§ 10, 34), a small river of S. India, which has its scjurces in fil. Bettigo, and flows thence into the Sinus Colchicus or Gulj'of Manuur. It is not certain which of two rivers, the Vaiparu or the Tamraparni, represent it at jiresent : Lassen inclines to the latter. [V.] SOLENTA. [Oi-YNTA Insula.] SOLENTUM. [Solus.] SOLETUM {Soldo), a town of Calabria, situated in the interior of the lapygian peninsula, about 12 miles S. of Lupiae (/-ecce). It is mentioned only by Pliny, in whose time it was deserted (" Suletum dcsertum," Plin. iii. 11. s. 16), but it must have been again inhabited, as it still exists mider the ancient name. That the modern town occupies the ancient site is proved by the remains of the ancient walls which were still visible in the days of Galateo, and indicated a town of considerable magnitude (Galateo, de Si/. /o/)^.<7-P-81 ; Romanelli,vol.ii.p.2(3.)[E.H. B.] SOLI (SoAoi: Etk. '^oivs or SoAios), an im- SOLI. 1019 portant town on the coast of Cilicia, between the mouths of the rivers Lamus and Pyramus, from each of which its distance was about 500 stadia. (Strab. xiv. p. 675; Stadiasm. Mar. Mag. § 170, &c.) The town was founded by Argives joined bv Lin- dians from Khodes. (Strab. xiv. p. 671; Pomp. Mela, i. 13; Liv. xxxvii. 56.) It is first mentioned in histoiy by Xenophon {Anab. i. 2. § 24) as a maritime town of Cilicia ; it rose to such opu- lence that Alexander the Great could fine its citizens for their attachment to Persia with 200 talents. (Arrian, Anah. ii. 5. § 5; Curt. iii. 17.) During the Mithriilatic War the town of Soli was taken and de- stroyed by Tigranes, king of Armenia, who probably transplanted most of its inhabitants to Tigranocerta. (Dion Cass, xxxvi. 20 ; Plut. Pomp. 28 ; Strab. xi. p. 532.) But the place was revived by Pompey, who peopled it with some of those pirates who had fallen into his hands, and changed its name into Pom- peiupolis. (nojUTrrjiouTToAir, Plut. I. c; Strab. xiv. p. 671; Appian, Mithr. 105; Ptol. v. 8. § 4; Plin. V. 22; Steph. B. s. v.; Tac. Ann. ii. 58; Hierocl. p. 704.) Soli was the birthplace of Chrysippus the philosopher, and of two distinguished poets, Philemon and Aratus, the latter of whom was believed to be buried on a hill near the town. The Greek inhabitants of Soli are reported to have spoken a very corrupt Greek in consequence of their inter- course with the natives of Cilicia, and hence to have given rise to the term solecism (troAotKio-^ds). which has found its way into all the languages of Eurojie; other traditions, however, connect the origin of this term with the town of Soli, in Cyprus. (Diog. Laert. i. 2. § 4; Eustath. ad Lion. Per. 875; Siiid. s.v. 2<5Aoi.) The locality and the remains of this ancient city have been described by Beaufort {Karamania, p. 261, foil.). ''The first object that presented itself to us on landing," says he, " was a beautiful harbour or basin, with parallel sides and circular ends ; it is entirely artificial, being formed with sur- rounding walls or moles, which are 50 feet in thick- ness and 7 in height. Opposite to the entrance of the harbour a portico rises from the surrounding quay, and opens to a double row of 200 colunms, which, crossing the town, communicates with the principal gate towards the country. Of the 200 coinums no more than 42 are now standing; the remainder lie on the spot where they fell, intermixed with a vast assemblage of other ruined *buildings which were connected with the colonnade. The theatre is almost entirely destroyed. The city walls, strengthericd by numerous towers, entirely surrounded the town. Detached ruins, tombs, and sarcophagi were tbund scattered to some distance from the walls, on the outside of the town, and it is evident that the whole country was once occupied by a numerous and industrious ]>pople." 'I'he natives now call the ]ilaco Meze.tlii. (Conip. Leake, Asia Minor, p. 213, full.) 'I'he little river which passed through Soli was called Liparis, from the oily nature CUlN OF SOLL