Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume II.djvu/305

 JIASDOEANUS. MASDORA'NUS (MaaSwpavos), a chain of mountains which divided Parthia from Cannania Deserta, extending in a Sv direction. They must be considered as spurs of the Sariphi mountains (Hazards), which he to the N. of Parthia (Ptol. vi. 5. § 1). [V.] MASKS (Mao-Tj?, fj MacrTiTos, Bteph. B. : J^th MoffTJTtos), an ancient city in the district Hermionis, in the Argolic peninsula, mentioned by Homer along with Aegina. In the time of Pausanias it was used as a harbour by Hermione. (Hom. II. ii. 562; Strab. viii. p. 376; Paus. ii. 36. §2; Steph. B. s. V.) It was probably situated on the western coast (if Hermionis, at the head of the deep bay oi Kiludhia, which is protected by a small island in front. The jiossession of this harbour on the Argolic gulf must jiave been of great advantage to the inhabitants of Hei-mione, since they were thus saved the navigation round the peninsula of Kranidhi. The French Com- mission, however, place JIases more to the south, at jiort Kheli, which we suppose to have been the site of Hahce. [Halice.] (Leake, 3forea, vol. ii. 1).463, Peloponnesiaca. p. 287 ; Boblaye, Eecherckes, ^j■c. p. 61 ; Curtius, Peioponnesos, vol. ii. p. 462.) MASICES. []Iauretania.] MA'SIUS (rb mdaiov opos, Strab. xi. pp. .506, 527 ; Ptol. V. 18. § 2), a chain of mountains which form the northern boundary of Mesopotamia, and extend in a direction nearly east and west. They may be considered as connecting the great western mountain known by the name of Amanus, between Cilicia and Assyria, and the Niphates, on the eastern or Armenian side. The modern name is Karja Baghlar. Strabo states, that M. Wasius is in Armenia, because he extends Armenia some- what more to the W. and S. than other geographers. A southern spur of the Masian chain is the mountain district round Singara (now S'mjar). [V.] MA'SPII (Mcto-inoi, Herod, i. 125), one of the three tribes mentioned by Herodotus, as forming the fii-st and most honourable class among the ancient Persians. [V.] MASSA (Mdo-o-a, Ptol. iv. 6. § 6 ; Masatat, Polyb. ap. Plin. v. 1), a river of Libya, which joined the sea not far to the N. of the Daras (SenegaF), and to the S. of Soloeis (Cape Blanco) in E. long. 10° 30', N. lat. 16° 30'. [E. B. J.] MASSA, surnamed Massa Veternensis, a town of Etruria, situated about 1 2 miles from the sea, on a hill overlooking the wide plain of the Maremma : hence it is now called Massa Marittima. In the middle ages it was a considerable city and the see of 4 bishop; but it is not mentioned by any ancient author earlier than Ammianus Marcellinus (xiv. 11. § 27), who tells us that it was the birthplace of the emperor Constantius Gallus. From the epithet Veternensis, it would seem probable that there was an Etruscan city of the name of Veternum in its neighbourhood; .and, according to Mr. Dennis, there are signs of an Etruscan population on a hill called the Poggio di Vetreta, a little to the SE. of the modern town. (Dennis, Etruria, vol. ii. p. 218.) [E. H. B.j MASSABATICA. [Messabatae.] MASSAEI (Uaaaouoi), a people placed by Ptolemy (vi. 14. §§ 9, 11) in the extreme N. of Scythia, near the mountains of the Alani, or the N. part of the Ural chain. [E. B. J.] MASSAESYLI. [Numidia.] I^IASSAGA (to Mdcra-aya, Arrian, Anah. iv. 25, 09), a strongly fortified town in the NE. part of VOL. II. MASSAVA. 2S9 India, between the Cophcs and the Indus. It is stated by Arrian (/. c.) to have made a desperate defence, and to have withstood Alexander for four days of continued assault. It had been the re- sidence of the Indian king Assacanus, who was re- cently dead when Alexander arrived there. (Curt, viii. 10). This name is written diflerently in difle- rent authors. Thus, Strabo writes it Maa6'ya (xv. p. 698); Steph. Byz. and Diodorus, MaircrdKa (xvii. Frooem.); and Curtius, Mazaga (I. c). It is doubt- less the same as the Sanscrit, Maqaka, near the Guraeus (or Gauri). Curtius himself mentions that a rapid river or torrent defended it on its eastern side. (LsLsaen's Map of India.) [V.] MASSA'GETAE (MacraayeraL), a numerous and powerful tribe who dwelt in Asia on the plains to the E. of the Caspian and to the S. of the Is-edones, on the E. bank of the Araxes. Cyrus, according to story, lost his life in a bloody light against them and their queen Tomyris. (Herod, i. 205 — 214; Justin, i. 8.) They were so analogous to the Scythians that they were reckoned as members of the same race by many of the contemporaries of Herodotus, who has given a detailed account of their habits and manner of life. From the exactness of the geographical data furnished by that historian, the situation of this people can be made out with considerable precision. The Araxes is the Jaxartes, and the immense plain to the E. of the Caspian is that " steppe " land which now includes Svngaria and Mongolia, touching on the frontier of Eygiir, and extending to the chain of the Altai. The gold and bronze in which their country abounded were found in the Altai range. Strabo (xi. pp. 512 — 514) confirms the statements of the Father of History as to the inhuman practices and repulsive ' habits of these earliest specimens of the Mongolian race. It may be observed that while Niebuhr (Kkin Schrift. p. 362), Bcickh (Corp. Inscr. Graec. pi. xi. p. 81) and Schafarik (Slav. Alt. vol.i. p. 279) agree in assigning them to the Mongol stock. Von Humboldt (Asie Ctntrale, vol. i. p. 400) considers them to have belonged to the Indo-European family. Alexander came into collision with these wander- ing hordes, during the campaign of Sogdiana, b. c. 328. (Arrian, Anab. iv. 16, 17.) The Massagetae occur in Pomponius Mela (i. 2. § 5), Pliny (vi. 19), and Ptolemy (vi. 10. §2, 13. § 3): afterwards they appear as Alani. [AI.A^'I.] [E. B. J.] MASSA'LIA (MacraaAia), a river of Crete,which Ptolemy (iii. 17. § 3) places to the W. of Psychium (KaMri),novithe Megalo-potamo. (HiJck, Kreta,'<!o. i. p. 393.) [E. B. J.] MASSA'LIA. [Massilia.] MASSALIO'TICUM OSTIUJI. [Fossa 1L- RIANA.] JIASSANI (yiaffcravo'i, Diod. xv. 102), a people of India, who are said by Diodorus to have lived near the mouths of the Indus, in the district called Pattalene. [V.] MASSAVA, in Gallia, is placed hj the Table between Brivodurum (Briare) and Ebirnum, which is Nevirnum (Ncvers) on' the Loire. Tiie distance is marked the same from Massava to Brivodurum and to Nevirnum, being xvi. in each case. Massava is Mesve or Meves, a place where the small river Masau flows into the Loire; but the numbers in the Table do not agree with the real distance, as D'Anville .says, and ho would correct them in his usual way. [G. L.]