Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume II.djvu/115

 ITHACESIAE INSULAE. — 74, but they have been successfully confuted by Kiihle von Lilienstern, Ueher das Homerische Ithaca. The fullest authorities on the subject of this article are Gell, Geography aiul Antiquities of Ithaca, London, 1 807 ; Leake, Northeim Greece, vol. iii. pp. 24 — 55; Mure, Tour in Greece, vol. i. pp. 38 — 81 ; Bowen. Ithaca in 1850, London, 1852.) [G. F. B.] ITHACE'SIAE INSULAE, is the name given by Pliny (iii. 7. s. 13) to some small islets opposite to Vibo on the W. coast of Bruttium. These can be no other than some mere rocks (too small to be marked on ordinary maps) which lie just opposite to the remains of Bivona, in the Golfo di Sta. Eu- femia, and on which some traces of ancient build- in<;s (probably connected with that port) were still visible in the days of Barrio. (Barrius, de Situ Culuhr, ii. 13; KomaneUi, vol. i. p. 57). [E. H. B.] ITHO'.ME ('10^;;^"? : i^th. 'Wwfi'fiTris, 'Wu-fialtjs). I. A town of Histiaeotis in The.ssaly, described by Homer as the " rocky Ithome " ('ISw^nj KAoifiaKueaaa, II. ii. 729), is placed by Strabo within a quadran;:le formed by the four cities, Tricca, Metropolis, Peliii- naeum, and Gomphi. (Strab. ix. p. 437.) It pro- bably occupied the site of the castle which stands on the summit above the village of Fandri. Leake observed, near the north-western face of the castle, some remains of a very ancient Hellenic wall, consist- ing of a few large masses of stone, roughly hewn on tlie outside, but accurately joined to one another withiiut cement. (Leake, Northern Greece, vol. iv. p. 510.) 2. A mountain fortress in Messcnia, where the Messenians long maintained themselves against the Spartans in the First Messenian War. It was after- wards the citadel of Messene, when this city was founded by Epaminondas. For details, see Mes- SKNE. riTIO'IUA ('Wwpia), a tomi in Aetolia, near the Achelous, and a short distance south of Conope. It was situated at the entrance of a pass, and was strongly fortified both by nature and by art. It was taken by I'hilip V., and levelled to the ground, IS. 0.219. (Pol. iv. 64.) I'TlUiM PEOilONTO'PtlUM, is placed by Ptolemy (ii. 9. § 1 ) in Celtogalatia Belgica. After the mouths of the Seine, he mentions the outlet of the river Phru- dis [Frudis], Icium (^iKtou 6,Kpov), and then Ge- soriacum (V-qaopiaKOv iwiveiov), which is Boulogne. One of the old Latin versions of Ptolemy has Itium Promontorium, and others may have it too. He places Gesoriacum and Itium in the same latitude, and Itium due west of Gesoriacum. This is a great mis- take, for, Itium being Cap Grisnez, the relative po- sition of the two places is north and south, instead ot east and west. There is no promontory on this part of the French coast north or south of Boulogne except Grisnez, at which point the coast changes its direction from south to north, and runs in a general ENE. direction to Calais, Gravelines, and Dmi- herque. It is therefore certain that there is a great mistake in Ptolemy, both in the direction of the coast and the relative position of Gesoriacum and Itium. Cap Grisnez is a chalk cliff, the termination on the coast of the chalk hills which cross the department of Pas de Calai.i. The chalk cliffs extend a few miles on each side of Cap Grisnez, and are clearly seen from the English coast on a fine day. This cape is the nearest point of the French coast to the opposite coast of Kent. [G. L.] I'TIUS POKTUS (rh "Iriov, Strab. p. 199). When Caesar was preparing for his second British ex- ITIUS PORTUS. 99 pedition (b. c. 54), he says (B. G. v. 2) that he or- dered his forces to meet at " Portus Itius, from which port he had found that there was the most conve- nient passage to Britannia, — about 30,000 passus." In his first expedition, b. c. 55, he says that he marched, with all his forces, into the country of the ilorini, because the passage from that coast to Bri- tannia was the shortest (Z). G. iv. 21); but he does not name the port from which he sailed in his first expedition ; and this is an omission which a man can easily understand who has formed a correct no- tion of the Commentaries. It seems a plain conclu- sion, from Caesar's words (v. 2) that he sailed from the Itius on his first expedition ; for he marched into the country of the Morini, in order to make the shortest passage (iv. 21); and he made a good pas- sage (iv. 23). In the fifth book he gives the distance from the Itius to the British coast, but not in the fourth book ; and we conclude that he ascertained this distance in his first voyage. Drumann (Ge- schichte lioms, vol. iii. p. 294) thinks that the pas- sage in the fifth book rather proves that Caesar did not sail from Itius on his first voyage. We must ac- cordingly suppose that, having had a good passage on his first voyage to Britannia, and back to the place from which he had sailed, he diose to try a ditl'eient pa.ssage the second time, which passage he had learned (cognovcrat) to be the most convenient (commodis.-imum). Yet he landed at the same place in Britannia in both his voyages (v. 8) ; and he had ascertained (cognovcrat) in the first voyage, as he .says, that this was the best landing-place. So Dru- mann, in his way, may prove, if he likes, that Caesar did not land at the same place in both voyages. The name Itius gives some reason for supposing that Portus Itius was near the Promontorium Itium; and the opinion now generally accejjted is, that Portus Itius is Wlssant or Witsand, a few miles east of Cap Grisnez. The critics have fixed Portus Itius at va- rious pkces ; but not one of these guesses, and they are all guesses, is worth notice, except the guess that Itius is Gesoriacum or Boulogne. But the name Gesoriacum is not Itius, which is one objection to tlie supposition. The only argument in favour of Boulogne is, that it was the usual place from which the Romans sailed for Britannia after the time of Claudius, and that it is in the country of the Mo- rini. Gesoriacum was the best spot that the Romans could choose for a regular place of embarkation, for it is adapted to be the site of a town and a fortified place, and has a small river. Accordingly it became the chief Roman position on this part of the French coast. [Gesoriacum.} The distance of Portus Itius from the nearest port of Britannia, 30 M.P., is too much. It seems to be a just conclusion, that Caesar estunated the distance from his own experience, and therefore that he esti- mated it either to the cliffs about the South Foreland, where he anchored, or to the place seven or eight miles (for the MSS. of Caesar vaiy here) further along the coast, where he landed. It is certain that he first approached the British coast under the high chalk clifis between Folkestone and Wabner. It is a disputed point whether he went from his anchorage under the clifl's northwards to Deal, or southward to Sandgate or Uythe. This matter does not affect the position of Itius, and it is not discussed here ; but the writer maintains that Caesar landed on the beach at Leal. There are difficulties in this question, which the reader may examine by referring to the autho- rities mentioned at the end of this article. The pas-