Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume II.djvu/345

 MENESTHEI. Delta, situated to SE. of tlie higliroad between Alesandreia and Hermopolis, near the Canopic arm of the Nile. It derived its name from Menelans, a brother of Ptolemy Lagus. and attained such import- ance as to confer the title of Menelaites upon the Canopic branch of the river. (Plol. iv. 5. § 9 ; Strab. t6. p.801.) [W. B. D.] MENESTHEI PORTUS (o Meveae^ws Aiixriv), a harbour of Hispania Baetica, between Gades and Asta. (Strab. iii. p. 140; Ptol. ii. 4. § 5; Marcian. p. 40.) In its neighbourhood was the oracle of Menestheus (Strab. I. c), to whom, also, the in- habitants of Gades offered sacrifices. (Philostr. Vit. Apoll. V. 1.) The Scholia.st on Thucydides (i. 12) relates that Menestheus, being expelled by the Theseidae, went to Iberia. The harbour is probably the modern Puerto de S. Maria. MENINX (M-Ziviy^, id. Miiviy^'), an island off the N. coast of Africa, to the SE. of the Lesser Syrtis. It is first described by Scylas (p. 48), ■who calls it Brachiox (Bfjaxfioov), and states that its length was 300 stadia, while its breadth was something less. Pliny (v. 7) makes the length 25 M. P. and the breadth 22 M. P. Its distance from the mainland was about 3 stadia (8 stadia, Stadias7n. p. 455), and one day's sail from Taricheae. It was the abode of the "dreamy Lotos-eaters" [LoTOPHAGi], for which reason it was called Lo- TOPHAGiTis {A(i>To(pay?Tis, Ptol. iv. 3. § 35 ; AuTotpdytAjv yijaos, Polyb. i. 39 ; comp. Strab. i. p. 25, ii. p. 123, iii. p.'l57, svii. p. 834 ; Pomp. Mela, ii. 7. § 7 ; Plin. I. c. ix. 60 ; Dionys. v. 180). The Romans first became acquainted with it, by the disastrous expedition of C. Sempronius Blaesus, B.C. 253. (Polyb. I.e.; comp. Zonar. viii. 14; Oros. iv. 9.) It contained two towns, Meninx and Thoar, and was the birthplace of the emperors Gallus Trebonianus, and his son, Volusianus (Aurel. Victor, EjnL 31), when it was already known by the name of Gikba. Jerbak, as the island is now called, produces the " lotus Zizyphus," a tree-fruit like beans. (Shaw, T7'av. p. 197 ; Rennell, Geoff. of Herod, vol. ii. p. 287; Barth, Wandei-vnffen, pp. 263, 287.) [E. B. J.] MENNIS (Curt. V. 1. § 16), a small town of Mesopotamia, at which Alexander halted in his march from Arbela to Babylon. Curtius stated that it was celebrated for its naphtha pits, — which indeed abound in that part of Asia. [V.] MENOBA (PUn. iii. 1. s. 3) or MENUBA (In- scr. ap. Florez, Esp. Sagr. ix. p. 47), a tributary of the river Baetis, on its right side, now the Gua- diamar. MENOSCA (Mrjj/oV/ca, Ptol. ii. 6. § 9; Plin. iv. 20. s. 34), a town of the Varduli, on the N. coast of Hispania Tarraconensis. Its site is uncertain. Some place it at St. Sthastian ; others at St. Andre ; and others, again, at Sumaya. MENOSGADA (y.i]voa'^a5a), a place in central Germany, not far from the sources of the Main (Moenus), from which it, no doubt, derived its name. (Ptol. ii. 11. § 29.) Its site is generally believed to have been that of the modern Mainroth, near Culmhach. [L. S.] ME'NTESA. 1. Surnamed Bastia {It. Anton. p. 402; Mentissa, Liv. xxvi. 17; MefTiffa, Ptol. ii. 6. § 59), a town of the Oretani in Hispania Tarra- conensis, on the road from Carthago Nova to Castulo, and 22 Roman miles from Castulo. Pliny (iii. 3. s. 4) calls the inhabitants " Jlentesani, qui et Ore- tani," to distinguish them from the following. MENUTHIAS. 309 2. A small state of the Bastuli, in Hispania Baetica. (" Mentesani, qui et Bastuli," Plin. Z. c; Inscr. Gruter, p. 384, 2 ; Florez, Esp. Soar, v p. 24.) MENTONOJION, an ae.stuary or bay of the Northern Ocean, mentioned by Pytlieas, upon which the Guttones dwelt, and at a day's sail from wdiich was an island named Abalus, where amber was gathered. (Plin. xxxvii. 7. s. 11.) The same island is mentioned in another passage of Pliny (iv. 13. s. 27), as situated a day's sail from the Scythian coast. In Sillig's edition of Pliny this part of Scythia is called Raunonia ; but some of the MSS. and older editions have Bannonianna or Bantomannia, which is apparently only another form of Jlentunomon. The bay was no doubt on the Prussian coast in the Baltic. (Zeuss, Die Deutschea. ijc. p. 269.) MENTORES (MeVropes), a Liburnian tribe. (Hecatae. Fr. 62, ed. Klau^en ; Plin. iii. 21. s. 25), off whose coast were the three islands called Jlen- torides, probably the same as the rocky islands of Pago, Osero. and Arhe. [E. B. J.] MENU'THIAS (Mei/ou0ias, Steph. B.), an island off the E. coast of Africa. Ptolemy (iv. 8. § 2, comp. vii. 2. § 1) describes it as being adjacent (irapaKeiTai) to the Prom. Prasum ; at the same time he removes it 5° from the continent, and places it at 85° long., 12° 30' lat., to the NE. (anh Se- ptvUv auaroAm'') of Prasum. The graduation of Ptolemy's map is here so erroneous, that it is im- possible to make out the position of his island iIenuthias, which some have identified with one uf the islands of Zanzibar, or even with Madagascar. (Vincent, Navigation of tlie Ancients, vol. ii. pp. 174 — 185; Gosselin, Geographie des Anciens,o. i. pp. 191, 195.) The simple narrative of the Periplus gives a very faithful picture of this coast, — iiur- monising with the statements of Ptolemy and Ma- rinus of Tyre, — as far as the Rhaptus of the former {Govind, or the river of Jubak). Afterwards it thus proceeds (p. 9, ed. Hudson) : — " Thence" (from the Nova Fossa, " New Cut," or " Channel," or the opening of the coral reefs by Govind), "at the distance of two natural days' sail, on a course a little above Libs (SV.), Menuthias island occurs on the W. (the important words '" Due West" — Trap' avTrjvr-i-ivZvaip — are arbitrarily altered in Blancard's edition to the opposite sense, wiili a view to force the author into agreement with Pto- lemy; comp. Annot. ad Ihidson. p. 68), about 300 stadia from the mainland, low, and covered with wood, with streams, plenty of birds of various kinds, and land-turtle. But, excepting crocodiles, which are harmless, it has no other animals. At this island there are boats, both sewed together, and hollowed out of single trunks, which are u>ed for fishing, and catching turtle. Here, they take fish in wicker baskets, which are let down in front of the hollows of the rocks." It appears, therefore, that Menuthias was distant about two days' sail from Nova Fossa, or 60 or 80 miles from the river Gavind, just where an opening in the coral reefs is now found. The coasting voyager, steering SW., reached the island on the E. side, — a proof that it was close to the main ; a contiguity which perhaps is further shown by the presence of the crocodiles ; though much stress cannot be laid upon this point, as they may have been only lizards. It is true, the navigator says that it was 300 stadia from the mainland; but as there is no reason to suppose that ho surveyed the island, this distance must be taken