Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume II.djvu/1299

 VENETIA. to the lull above the baths of Aponus, one of the group in question; and ]Iartial gives the name of " Euganeae Orae " to the hills near the town of Ateste (^Este), at the southern extremity of the same range. (Lucan. vii. 192; Slartial. x. 93). There can, therefore, be no doubt that this beautiful range of hills was known in ancient times as the Euganei Colles. The rivers of Venetia are numerous, but, for the reasons already mentioned, not always easy to identify. JIuch the largest and most important is the Atiiesis (^Adige), which at one period formed the boundary of the province, and which, emerging frum the Alps, near Verona, sweeps round in a great curve till it pours its waters into the Adriatic only a few miles N. of the mouths of the I'adus. The next river of any magnitude is the JIeduacus or Brenta, which flows under the walls of Patavium, and re- ceives as a tributary the Bacchiglione, apparently the Meduacus Jlinor of Pliny. After this (proceeding eastwards) comes the Sills {Sele), a small stream flowing by the town of Altinum : next, the Pi^vvis {Piave), a, much more important river, which rises in the Alps above Belunum (Belbmo'), flows past that city and Feltria {Feltre), and enters the sea a few miles E. of Altinum: then the Liquextia {Livenza), and the Romatinus (Lemem), a small river flowing under the walls of Concordia. Next to this comes the TiLAVEMPTUs {Tagliamento), the most im- portant of the rivers of the E. portion of Venetia, having its sources in the high ranges of the Alps above Juliuui Carnicum, whence it traverses the whole plain of the Carni, nearly in a direct line from N. to S. Beyond this come several minor streams, which it is not easy to identify with cer- tainty: such are the Varanus and Ana.ssus of Pliny, probably the Stella and the torrent of Cormor; and the Alsa, which still bears the name of Ansa. E. of these, again, come three considerable streams, the TuRRUs, Natiso, and Sontius, which still preserve their ancient names, as the Torre, Natisone, and homo, but have undergone considerable changes in the lower part of their course, the Natiso having formerly flowed under the walls of Aquileia, about 4 miles W. of its present channel, while the Isorizo, which now unites with it, originally followed an in- dependent channel to the sea, near Monfalcone. The Isonzo receives a considerable tributary from the E., the Wippach or Vipao, which descends from the elevated table-land of the Karst, and was known in ancient times as the Fluvius Frigidus. It was by the valley of this river that the great high- road from the banks of the Danube, after crossing the dreary highlands of Caniiola, descended to Aquileia and the plains of Venetia. On the ext'eme confines of the province the little river Timavus must be mentioned, on account of its classical cele- brity, though of no geographical importance ; and the FoRJiio (^Kisano), a few miles S. of Tergeste, which, from the time of Pliny, constituted the limit between Venetia and Istria. (Plin. iii. 18. s. 22.) The cities and towns of Venetia may now be enu- merated in geographical order. Farthest to the W., and situated on the Athesis, was the important city of Verona. Considerably to the E. of this was ViCENTiA, and beyond that again, Pataviuji. S. of Vicentia, at the southern extremity of the Eu- ganean hills, was Ateste {Este). On the border of the lagunes, at their N. extremity, was Altinuji, and 30 miles farther to the E., Concordia. In- land from these lay Opiteegium and Tarvisiuji, VEXICONES. 1275 both of them considerable towns ; and on the slopes of the hills forming the lowest uiiderfalls of the Alps, the smaller towns of Acelum {Asolo) and Ceneta {Ceneda'), the name of which is found in Agathias and Paulus Diaconus (Agath. Hist. Goth.u. 8; P. Dlac. ii. 13), and was in all probability a Roman town, though not mentioned by any earlier writer. Still farther inland, in the valley of the Plavis, were Feltria and Belunum. E. of the Tilavemptus, and therefure included in the territory of the Carni, were Aquileia, near the sea-coast; Forum Julii, N. of the preceding; Vedinum {Udine~), farther to the W.; and Julium Carnicum, in the upper valley of the Tilavemptus, and in the midst of the Alps. Tergeste, on the E. side of the bay to which it gave its name, was the last city of Venetia, and was indeed by inany writers considered as be- longing to Ibtria. [Tergeste]. Besides these, there were in the land of the Carni several smaller towns, the names of which are men- tioned by Pliny (iii. 19. s. 23.), or are found for the fir?t time in Paulus Diaconus and the Geographer of Ravenna, but were in all probability Roman towns, which had grown up under the Empire. Of these, Flamonia (Plin.) is ]>-nhahy Flar/ngna, in the valley of the Ta'jliamento ; O^opum (P. Diac. iv. 38) is still called Osopo, and Glemona, Gemona, higher up in the same valley; and Artemia, Artegna, a few miles SE. of the preceding. Cormones (i&.) is still called Cormons, a small town between Cividale and Gradisca ; and PuciNi'M (Plin., Ptol.) is JJuino, near the sources of the Timavus. The other obscure names mentioned by Pliny (I. c), and of which he himself says, " quos scrupulose dicere non attineat," were apparently for the most part mountain tribes or communities, and cannot be determined with any approach to certainty. Venetia was traversed by a great line of high- road, which proceeded from Aquileia to Verona, and thence to Mediolanum, and formed the great high- way of communication from the latter city to the Danube and the provinces of the Eastern Empire. It passed through Concordia, Altinum, Patavium, Vicentia, and Verona. From Pataviom a branch struck oft' through Ateste and Anneianum (probably Legnngo on the Adige) to jdin the Aemilian Way at ]Iutina. A still more direct line of communication was established from Altinum to Ravenna by water, through the lagunes and artificial canals which com- municated from one to another of these sheets of water. This line of route (if such it can be called) is briefly indicated by the Antonine Itinerary (" inde [a Ravenna] navigantur Scptem JMaria Altinum usque," ]). 120) ; while the stations are given in de- tail' by the Tabula ; but from the fluctuations that the lagunes have undergone, few of them can be identified with any certainty. [E. II. B.] VENETIA, iu'CauI. [Veneti.] VENETICAE INSULAE, in Gallia, mentioned by Pliny (iv. 19), are the numerous small islands along the coast of Venetia, or the modern de])artment of Morhihun. The largest is Bdle-ile. Tiie others are Ilouat, lledic, Gruuin, and some others. Per- haps the peninsula of Quibcrun may be included [Veneti ; Vindilis]. [G.L.] VENETUS EACUS. [Brigantinus Lacus.] VENIA'TIA, a place in Gallaecia in llispania Tarraconensis, on the road from Bracara to Astu- rica. (/till. Ant. p. 423.) Variously identified with Vinhacs, Varziina, and Reqncjo. [T. II. 1).] VENICO'NES (Ouemwffs, Ptol. ii. 3. § 14), a