Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume II.djvu/368

 352 METROPOLIS. Lydia, on the road from Smyrna to Ephesus, at a distance of 120 stadia from Ephesus, and 180 from Smyrna. The district of Metropolis produced ex- cellent wine. (Strab. xiv. pp. G32, C>37 ; Ptnl. v. 2. § 17; Steph. B. 5. v.; Plin. v. 31; Ilierocl. p. GOO.) Near the modern village of TourhuU, no doubt a corruption of the ancient name Jletropolis, some ruins are still seen; and as their distance from Smyrna and Ephesus agrees with that mentioned by Strabo, there can be no hesitation in identifying the place. (Comp. Arundell, Seven Churches, p. 22, &c. ; Hamilton, liesearc/ies, i. p. 542; liasche, Lexic. Num. iii. 1, p. 633, &c.) 2. A town in the north of Phrygia, and, as the name seems to indicate, the capit.al of the ancient kings of Phrygia, though Stephanus Byz. («. v.) derives the name from the mother of the gods. It was situated to the north of Synnada (Athen. xiii. p. 574.), and must not be confounded with another town of the same name in the south of Phrygia. Its site is, in all probability, indicated by the ruins of Pisinesh Kulasl, north of Doganhi, which show a very antique style of architecture, and mainly consist of tombs cut into the rocks; one of these tombs is that of king Jlidas. Leake {Asia Minor, p. 24) is inclined to think that these ruins mark the site of Nicoleia; but other travellers, app.a- rently with more justice, identify them with Metro- polis. (Franz, Filnf Inschriften, p. 42.) From the extent of the ruins, it would seem that in the time of the Roman emperors ]Ictropolis was an im- portant town ; but afterwards it declined, though it is still mentioned by Hierocles (p. 677.) 3. A town in the southern ])art of Phrygia, be- longing to the conventus of Apamea. (Plin. v. 29.) That tliis town is different from No. 2, is quite evi- dent, even independently of the fact that Stephanus B. mentions two towns of the name of Metropolis in Phrygia, and that Hierocles and the Notitiae speak of a town of this name in two different provinces of Phrygia. (Hierocl. p. 673; Strab. xii. p. 576, xiv. p. 663;'Liv. xx.wiii. 15.) [L. S.] METROPOLIS (MrjTpJTToAis, Ptol. iii. 5. § 28), a town of European Sarmatia, on the Borysthenes, near Olbia. [E. B. J.] METKO'POLIS QH-nrpoTToXis : Eth. MrjrpoTro- AiTrjs). 1. A town of Histiaeotis in Thessaly, de- scribed by Stephanus B. {s. f.) as a town in Upper Thessaly. Strabo says (is. p. 438), that Metropolis ■was founded by three insignificant towns, but that a larger number was afterwards added, among which was Ithome. He further says, that Ithome was within a quadrangle, formed by the four cities Tricca, Metropolis, Pelinnaeum, and Gomphi. The position of Metropolis is also determined by its being on Caesar's march from Gomphi to Pharsalus. (Caes. n C. iii. 81; Appian, B. C. ii. 64; Dion Cass, xli. 51.) It was taken by Flamininus on his de- scending into this part of Thessaly, after the battle of the Aous, B.C. 193. (Liv. xxxii. 15.) We learn from an inscription that the territory of Ble- tropolis adjoined that of Cierium (the ancient Arne), and th.at the adjustment of their boundaries was a frequent subject of discussion between the two peoples. [CiERiUJi.] Metropolis is mentioned in the sixth century by Hierocles (p. 642), and con- tinued to exist in the middle ages under the name of Neo-Patrae (Ne'ai ITarpaj, Constant, de Them. ii. p. 50, ed. Bonn). The remains of Metropolis are placed by Leake at the small village of Paleukasiro, about 5 miles SW. of Kardhitza. The city was of MEVANIA. a circular form, and in the centre of the circle are the vestiges of a circular citadel, part of the wall of which still exists in the yard of the village church of Paleokastro, where is a collection of the sculp- tured or inscribed remains found upon the spot within late years. Among other sculptures Leake noticed one in low relief, representing a figure seated upon a rock, in long drapery, and a mountain rising in face of the figure, at the foot of which there is a man in a posture of adoration, while on the top of the mountain there are other men, one of whom holds a hog in his hands. Leake conjectured with great probability that the seated figure represents the Aphrodite of Metropolis, to whom Strabo says (I. c.) that hogs were offered in sacrifice. (Leake, Northern Greece, vol. iv. p. 506.) 2. Another town in Thessaly, which Stephanus B. calls simply a town in Thessaly. This appears to be the Metropolis mentioned by Livy in his ac- count of the campaign of Antiochus, in b. c. 191, where it is related that the Syrian king having landed at Demetrias, first took Pherae, then Crannon, then Cypaera, Metropolis, and all the neighbouring fortresses, except Atrax and Gyrton, and afterwards proceeded to Larissa. (Liv. xsxvi. 10.) F^rom this account it would appear that this Metropolis was in Perrhaebia ; and its site has been discovered by Leake, near that of Atrax, at a place called Kastri, where the name of MTjTpoTroAfTTys occurs in an inscription. (Leake, Northern Greece, vol. iii. p. 371.) 3. {Lycjovitzi), a town in the interior of Acar- nania, S. of Stratus, and on the road from the latter place to Conope in Aetolia. At a later time it fell into the hands of the Aetolians, but was taken and burned by Philip in his expedition against the Aetolians, B.C. 219. It is mentioned as one of the towns of Acarnania, in a Greek inscription found at Actium, the date of which is probably prior to the time of Augustus. (Polyb. iv. 64; Steph. B. s. ».; Bockh, Corpus Inscript. No. 1 793 ; Leake, Northern Gi'eece, vol. iii. p. 576.) 4. A town in Amphilochia, near Olpae. (Thuc. iii. 107.) As to its site, see Argos Ajiphilo- CHICUM. 5. A town of Doris. (Steph. B. s. v.) 6. A town of Euboea. (Steph. B. s. v.) METULUM. [lAPODES, Vol. II. p. 3, b.] MEVA'NIA {U-novavia, Strab., Ptol. : Eth. Jle- vanas, atis: Beva(]na),A considerable city of Umbria, on the Flaminian Way, between Carsulae and Ful- ginium. It w.as situated on the river Tinia, in a broad and fertile valley, which extends from the neighbourhood of Spoletium to the Tiber, separating the main chain of the Apennines from a lateral mass or offshoot of the same range, which extends from Mevania and Spoletium to Tuder and Ameria. It is this valley, about 8 or 10 miles in breadth, watered by the Clitumnus and Tinia, with several tributary streams, the pastures of which were celebrated for their breed of white oxen, the only ones thought worthy to be sacrificed as victims on triumphal and other solemn occasions. Hence their praises are not less frequently associated with the name of Mevania than with that of the Clitumnus. (Colum. iii. 8, Sil. Ital. vi. 647, viii. 458; Lucan, i. 473.) Me- vania appears to have been an important place before the Roman conquest of this part of Italy. In b. C. 308 it was chosen by the Umhrians as the head- quarters of their assembled forces, where they were defeated by Q. Fabius. (Liv. ix. 41.) At a much