Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume II.djvu/186

 170 LEUCAS. (Liv. xlv. 31.) It continued to be a place of im- portance down to a late period, as appears from the fact that the bishop of Leucas was one of the Fathers of the Council of Nice in A. D. 325. The consti- tution of Leucas, like that of other Dorian towns, was originally aristocratical. The large estates were in the possession of the nobles, who were not allowed to alienate them; but when this law was abolished, a certain amount of property was no longer required for the holding of public offices, by which the government became democratic. (Aristot. Pol. ii. 4. § 4.) Besides Leucas we have mention of two other places in the island, PHIARA (Þapó, Scylax, p. 13), and HELLOMENUM (EAAóuevov, Thuc. iii. 94). The latter name is preserved in that of a harbour in| the southern part of the island. Pherae was also in the same direction, as it is described by Scylax as opposite to Ithaca. It is perhaps represented by some Hellenic remains, which stand at the head of the bay called Basiliké. The celebrated promontory LEUCATAS (AEUKáras, Scylax, p. 13; Strab. x. pp. 452, 456, 461), also called LEUCATES or LEUCATE (Plin. iv. 1. s. 2; Virg. Aen. iii. 274, viii. 676; Claud. Bell. Get. 185; Liv. xxvi. 26), forming the south-western extremity of the island, is a broken white cliff, rising on the western side perpendicularly from the sea to the height of at least 2000 feet, and sloping precipitously into it on the other. On its summit stood the temple of Apollo, hence surnamed Leu- catas (Strab. x. p. 452), and Leucadius (Ov. Trist. iii. 1. 42, v. 2. 76; Propert. iii. 11. 69). This cape was dreaded by mariners; hence the words of Virgil (den. iii. 274): - LEUCE ACTE (AEUKỳ àKT), a port on the coast of Thrace, between Pactye and Teiristasis, which is mentioned only by Scylax of Carvanda (p. 28). [L. S.] LEUCE PR. (AеUк àкт), a promontory of MARMARICA, in N. Africa, W. of the promontory Hermaeum. On the white cliff from which its It still retains among the Greek mariners of the name was obtained there stood a temple of Apollo, present day the evil fame which it bore of old in with an oracle. Its position is uncertain; but most consequence of the dark water, the strong currents, probably it is the long wedge-shaped headland, and the fierce gales which they there encounter. which terminates the range of hills (Aspis) forming Of the temple of Apollo nothing but the sub-the Catabathmos Minor, and which is now called structions now exist. At the annual festival of Ras-al-Kanais. (Strab. xvii. p. 799; Seyl. p. 44, the god here celebrated it was the custom to throw Hudson; Ptol. iv. 5. § 8; Stadiasm. Mar. Mag. a criminal from the cape into the sea; to break his P. 437.) [P. S.] fall, birds of all kinds were attached to him, and if he reached the sea uninjured, boats were ready to pick him up. (Strab. x. p. 452; Ov. Her. xv. 165, seq., Trist. v. 2. 76; Cic. Tusc. iv. 18.) This appears to have been an expiatory rite, and is sup- posed by most modern scholars to have given rise to the well-known story of Sappho's leap from this rock in order to seek relief from the pangs of love. [See Dict. of Biogr. Vol. III. p. 708.] Col. Mure, however, is disposed to consider Sappho's leap as au (History of the Literature of Greece, vol. iii. p. 285.) Many other persons are reported to have followed Sappho's example, among whom the most celebrated was Artemisia of Hali- carnassus, the ally of Xerxes, in his invasion of historical fact. "Mox et Leucatae nimbosa cacumina montis, Et formidatus nautis aperitur Apollo." AR KEYKAAIAN AYEIMAX-E LEUCI MONTES. Greece. (Ptolem. Heph. ap. Phot. Cod. 190. p. 153, a., ed. Bekker.) (Leake, North. Greece, vol. iii. p. 10, seq.; Bowen, Handbook for Travellers in Greece, p. 75, seq.) LEUCA'SIA. [MESSENIA.] LEUCA'SIUM. [ARCADIA, p. 193, No. 15.] LEUCATA, a part of the coast of Gallia Nar- bonensis: "ultra (lacun Rubresum) est Leucata, littoris nomen, et Salsulae Fons" (Mela, ii. 5). Mela seems to inean that there is a place Leucata, and that part of the coast is also called Leucata. This coast, according to D'Anville, is that part south of Narbonne, which lies between the E'tang de Sigean and Salses. He conjectures, as De Valois had done, that the name may be Greek. He quotes Roger de Hoveden, who speaks of this coast under the name Leucate: "quandam arenam protensam in mari, quae dicitur caput Leucate." The common name of this head is now Cap de la Franqui, which is the name of a small flat island, situated in the recess of the coast to the north of the cape. (D'Anville, Notice, &c., Leucata.) [G. L.] LEUCA'TAS PROM. [LEUCAS.] LEUCE. 1. An island lying off Cydonia, in Crete (Plin. iv. 12), which Mr. Pashley (Trav. vol. i. p. 51) takes for the rock on which the fortress of Sudha is built. (Comp. Höck, Kreta, vol. i. pp. 384, 438.) 2. An island which Pliny (iv. 12) couples with ONISIA, as lying off the promontory of Itanum. These small islauds are now represented by the rocks [E. B. J.] of the Grandes. COIN OF LEUCAS. LEUCI (AEUKOí), a Gallic people (Strab. p. 193; Ptol. ii. 9. § 13; Caes. B. G. 1. 40), between the Mediomatrici on the north and the Lingones on the south. They occupied the valley of the Upper Mosel. One of their chief towns was Tullum (Toul). Their territory corresponded with the diocese of Toul, in which were comprised the dioceses of Nancy and Saint-Dié until 1774, when these two dioceses were detached from that of Toul. (Walckenaer, Géog. &c. vol. i. p. 531.) The Leuci are only mentioned once in Caesar, and with the Sequani and Lingones: they were to supply Caesar with corn. Pliny (iv. 17) gives the Leuci the title of Liberi. Lucan celebrates then in his poem (i. 424) as skilled in throwing the spear: 'Optimus excusso Leucus Rhemusque lacerto." 26 - Tacitus (IIist. i. 64) mentions "Leucorum civitas," which is Tulluin. [G. L.] LEUCIANA. [LUSITANIA.] LEUCI MONTES or ALBI MONTES (Tà AEU- кà opn, Strab. x. p. 479; Ptol. iii. 17. §9), the snow-clad summits which form the W. part of the nountain range of Crete. Strabo (1. c.) asserts that the highest points are not inferior in elevation to