Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume II.djvu/1079

 SYMBOLON TORTUS, thus is miicli the most considerable river ou tlie E. coast of Sicily, and is in consequence noticed by all the geographers (Scyl. p. 4. § 13 ; Strab. vi. p. 272; I'lin. iii. 8. s. 14; Ptul. ii'i. 4. § 9). It is also repeatedly alluded to by the Roman poets (Virs;. Am. ix. 584; Ovid, Fast. iv. 472; Sil. Ital. xiv. 232.) [E.H.B.] SY'MBOLON PORTUS (:Zufj.§6wv Aifxiiu, I'tol. iii. 6. § 2 ; '2v/j.§uuv Ai^i')!', Arrian, Pei'. Pont. Enx. p. 20), a harbour with a narrow entrance on the S. coast of tlie Chersonesus Taurica, between the town of Chersonesus and the port of Cienus. In ancient times it was the chief station for the pirates of the Tauric peninsula. (Strab. vii. p. 309; Plin. iv. 12. s. 26; Anon. Per. Pont. Eux. p. 6.) Now the port of Ealuklava. (Comp. Clarke's Travels, ii. p. 398; Pallas, ii. p. 128.) [T. H. D.] SY'JIBOLUM (S.vixSvKov, Dion Cass, xlvii. 35), a place in the Thracian district of E^donis, in the iifiyhbourhood of Philippi. (Comp. Leake, North. Or. iii. p. 217.) [T. H. D.] SYMBRA (Si'iuSpa), a small town in Babylonia mentioned by Zosimus (iii. 27). It is probably the same as that called by Ammianus, Hucumbra (.Kxiv. 8). [V.] SYiAIE (2i^(Ur): Sy7)rt),a.n island off the coast of Caria, to the west of Cape Cynossema, between the Ciiidian peninsula and Rhodes, at the entrance of the Sinus SchoeniLS. (Herod, i. 174; Time. viii. 41; Strab. xiv. p. 656; Scylax, p. 38; Athen. vi. >. 262.) The island is described as 37 Roman miles ill circumference, and as possessing eight harbours (I'iin. V. 31, 133) and a town of the same name as the island. The island itself is very higli but barren. According to Stephanus B. (s. v.; comp. Athen. vii. p. 296) Synie was formerly called Jh'tapontis and Aegle, and obtained its later name from Syme, a daughter of lalysus, wlio, together with Chthonius, a son of Poseidon, is said to have first peopled the island. In the story of the Trojan war, Syme enjoys a kind of celebrity, for the hero Nireus is said to have gone with three ships to iv. 17; Dares Phryg. 21.) The first historical population of the island consisted of Dorians ; but subsequently it fell into the hands of the Carians, and when they, in consequence of frequent droughts, abandoned it, it was for a long time uninhabited, until it was finally and permanently occupied by Argives and Lacedaemonians, mixed with Cnidians and Rhodians. (Diod. Sic. v. 33; liaoul-Rochette, J/Ut. des Colon. Grecqiiei^, i. p. 337, iii. p. 72.) There are still a few bnt unimportant remains of the acropolis of Syme, which, however, are constantly diminished, the stones being used to erect modern buildings. (Comp. Ross, lieisen auf den Griech. Inxeln. vol. iii, p. 121, foil.) [L. S.] SYMPLE'OADKS. [Bo.sporu.s, p. 424.] SYNCA (Sw/ca), a small village of Babylonia noticed by Zosimus (iii, c. 28). [V.] SYNNADA (Sucj'aSa : Eth. 'S.waSfvs), a town of Phrygia Salutaris, at the extremity of a ])lain about 60 stadia in length, and covered with olive plant- ations. It is first noticed during the march of the cdusu! Manlius against the Gallograeci (Liv. xxxviii. 15, xiv. 34); and Cicero {ad Ait. v. 20; comp. nd Earn. iii. 8. xv. 4) mentions that he ])assed t hrougli Synnada on his way from Ephesus to Cilicia. In Strabo's time (sii. p. 577) it was still a small town, hut when Pliny wrote (v. 29) it was an im- portant place, being the conventus juridicus lor the SYRACUSAE. 111.:.''. whole of the surrounding country. It was very celebrated among the Romans for a beautiful kind of marble furnished by the neighbouring quarries, and which was commonly called Synnadic marble, though it came properly from a place in the neigh- bourhood, Docimia, whence it was more correctly called Docimites lapis. This marble was of a light colour, interspersed with purple spots and veins. (Strab. Z. c; Plin. xxxv. 1; Stat. Sih.. .5. 36; Comp. Steph. B. s. v.; Ptol. v. 2. § 24; Martial, is. 76; Symmach. ii. 246.) Tl;ere still are ap- pearances of extensive quarries between Kosru-K/um and Bidwudun, which Col. Leake (^Asia Minor, p. 36) is inclined to identify with those of Synnada or Docimia. Remains of the town of Synnada still exist under the name Eski-^ara-hissar about 3 miles to the north-west of these quarries, where they were discovered by Texier. Earlier travellers imagined they had found them at Sui~mina or Surmeneh, or in the plain of Sundahleh. (Comp. Hamilton, Re- searches, i. p. 466, ii. 177; Journal of the R. Geogr. Society, vii. p. 58, viii. p. 144; Eckhel, Doc.tr. Num. iii. p. 172; Sestini, Num. Vet. p. 127.) [L. S.] SYNNAUS {'Zvvvaos), a town in Phrygia Pacatiana, not far from the sources of the Macestiis, probably on the site of the modern Shnawid. (Ptol. V. 2. § 22; Socrat. IJiM. Eccl.vn. 3; Niceph. Hist. Eccles. xiv. 11; Concil. Chalced. p. 674; Hamilton, Researches, ii. p. 124; Franz, Fiwf Insdiriften, p. 33.) [L. S.] SYNO'DIUM {■S.vv6Zlov, Appian, Illy,: 27 ; 2i- vwTiov, Strab. vii. p. 315), a town of Dalmatia, situated in a deep gorge between two hills, where Gabiniiis was defeated, and to which the Dal- matians retreated in the campaign of B.C. 34. Octavius, suspecting their intentions, sent skirmish- ers over the liigh ground while he advanced through the valley and burnt Synodium. [E. B. J.] SYRACU'SAE (^'S.vpa.Kovaai : Eth. 'S.vpaKovai.os, Steph. B.; but Thucydides, Diodorus, &c. u.se the form Sfpo/coffios, which, as we learn from coins and inscrijitions, was the native form; Syracusanus: Siracusu, Syracuse), the most powerful and im- portant of all the Greek cities in Sicily, situated on the E. coast of the island, about midway betwciii Catana and Cape Pachynus. Its situation ex- ercised so important an intiuence upon its history and progress, that it will be desirable to desciilie this somewhat more fully before proceeding to the history of the city, reserving, at the same time, the topographical details for subsequent discussion. I. Situation. Syracuse was situated on a table-land or tabular hill, forming the prolongation of a ridge which branches off from the more elevated table- land of the interior, and projects quite down to the sea, between the bay known as the Great Harbour of Syracu.se, and the more extensive bay which stretches on the N. as far as the peninsula of Tiiap.su.s or Jfa;/insi. The broad end of the kind of promontory thus formed, which abuts upon the .sea for a distance of about 2Jt miles, may be considered as the base of a triangular plateau which extends for above 4 miles into the interior, having its a]iex forr.ied by the ijoint now called MuMjihcllLti, which was occnjiied by the ancient fort of Eiiia'Ai.US. This connnuni- cates, as already slated, by a narrow riilge with the table-land of the interior, but is still a maiked point of .separation, and was the higiiest point of
 * '.ssist Agamemnon. (Hom. II. ii. 67 1 ; Dictys. Cret.