Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume II.djvu/508

 492 OREUS. O'REUS ('npcJs: Eth. 'npeiTTjs: the territory 'Clpia, Strab. x. p. 445), formerly called HISTIAEA ('IffTiaia, also 'EcTTioia: Eth. 'IffTiaieus), a town in the north of Euboea, situated upon the river Callas, at the foot of Mt. Telethrium, and opposite Antron on the Thessalian coast. From this town the whole northern extremity of Euboea was named Histiaeotis (^lariaiwris, Ion. '(niair)Tis, Herod, vii. 23). Ac- cording to some it was a colony from the Attic demus of Histiaea (Strab. x. p. 445); according to others it was founded by the Thessalian Perrhaebi. (Scymn. Ch. 578.) It was one of the most ancient and most important of the Euboean cities. It oc- curs in Homer, who gives it the epithet of iroKv- <Trd,(pvos {II. ii. 537); and Scylax mentions it as one of the four cities of Euboea (p. 22). After the battle of Artemisium, when the Grecian fleet sailed southwards, Histiaea was occupied by the Persians. (Herod, vii. 23.) Upon the expulsion of the Per- sians from Greece, Histiaea, with the other Euboean towns, became subject to Attica. In the revolt of Euboea from Athens in b. c. 445, we may conclude that Histiaea took a prominent part, since Pericles, upon the reduction of the island, expelled the inha- bitants from the city, and peopled it with 2000 Athenian colonists. The expelled Histiaeans were said by Tiieopompus to have withdrawn to Jlace- donia. (Thuc. i. 114; Diod. xii. 7, 22; Plut. Per. 23; Theopomp. ap. Strab. x. p. 445.) From this time we find the name of the town changed to Oreus, which was originally a demus dependent upon Histiaea. (Strab. /. c; Pans. vii. 26. § 4.) It is true that Thucydides upon one occasion subsequently calls the town by its ancient name (vii. 57); but he speaks of it as Oi-eus, in relating the second revolt of Euboea in b. c. 411, where he says that it was the only town in the island that remained faithful to Athens. (Thuc. viii. 95.) At the end of the Pelo- ponnesian War, Oreus became subject to Sparta; the Athenian colonists were doubtless expelled, and a portion at least of its ancient inhabitants restored; arid accordingly we read that this town remained faithful to Sparta and cherished a lasting hatred against Athens. (Diod. sv. 30.) Neogenes, sup- ported by Jason of Pherae, made himself tyrant of Oreus for a time; but he was expelled by Therip- pidas, the Lacedaemonian commander ; and the Athenian Chabrias endeavoured in vain to obtain possession of the town. (Diod. I. c.) But shortly afterwards, before the battle of Leuctra, Oreus re- volted from Sparta. (Xen. Ilell. v. 4. § 56.) In the subsequent war between Philip and the Athe- nians, a party in Oreus was friendly to Philip; and by the aid of this monarch Philistides became tyrant of the city (Dem. Phil. iii. pp. 119, 127, de Cor. p. 248; Strab. I. c); but the Athenians, at the in- stigation of Demosthenes, sent an expedition against Oreus, which expelled Philistides, and, according to Charax, put him to death. (Dem. de Cor. p. 252; Charax, ap. Steph. s. v. 'Clp^os.') In consequence of its geographical position and its fortifications, Oreus became an important place in the subsequent wars. In the contest between Antigonus and Cassander it was besieged by the latter, who was, however, obliged to retire upon the approach of Ptolemy, the general of Antigonus. (Diod. xix. 75, 77.) In the first war between the Romans and Philip, it was betrayed to the former by the commander of the Macedonian garrison, b. c. 207. (Liv. xxviii. 6.) In the i^econd war it was taken by the Romans by assault, B. c. 200. (Liv. sxxi. 46.) Soon afterwards, in ORICUM. B. c. 196, it was declared free by T. Quinctius Fla- mininus along with the other Grecian states. (Polyb. xviii. 28, 30; Liv. xxxiii. 31, 34.) Pliny mentions it among the cities of Euboea no longer existent in his time (Plin. iv. 21. s. 21), but it still occurs in the lists of Ptolemy, under the corrupt form of 'Scopeos (iii. 15. § 25). Strabo says that Oreus was situated upon a lofty hill named Drymus (x. p. 445). Livy describes it as having two citadels, one overhanging the sea and the other in the middle of the city (xxviii. 6). There are still some remains of the ancient walls at the western end of the bay, which is still called the bay of Oreos. (Stephani, Reise, cfc. pp. 33, seq. ; Leake, Northern Greece, vol. iv. p. 352.) ORGANA. . [Ogykis.] ORGAS ('OpySs), a little tributary of the Mae- ander in Phrygia, flowing into the main river on the south-east of Celaenae (Strab. xii. p. 578; Plin. v. 29, where it is called Orga). It is probably the stream crossed by Mr. Arundell (^Discov.inAs. Min. i. p. 185) between Dineir and the bridge of the Mae- ander near Digetzi; but its modern name is un- known. [L. S.] ORGESSUS, ORGYSUS. [Dassaretae, Vol. L p. 746, a.] ORGIA. [Ilergetes.] ORGOCYNI. [Taurica Chersonesus.] ORIA, ORISIA. [Oretum Germanoru m.'J ORICUM, ORICUS Q^piK6s, Hecat. Fr. 75 ap. Steph. B. s.v.; Herod, ix. 92; Scyl. p. 10; Polyb. vii. 19; Scymn. 440; Eust. ad Dion. 321 ; "ClpiKov, Ptol. iii. 14. § 2; Pomp. Mela, ii. 3. § 12; Plin. iii. 26), a town and harbour of Illyricum, not far from ApoUonia and the mouth of the Aous. Legend ascribes its foundation to the Euboeans on their return from Troy (Scymn. I. c.) ; and Apollonius (^Argon, iv. 1216) speaks of the arrival of a party of Colchians at this port ; and thns Pliny (/. c.) calls it a Colchian colony. Oricum is known in history as a haven frequented by the Romans in their communications with Greece, from its being very conveniently situated for the passage from Brundusium and Hydruntum. b. c. 214, the town was taken by Philip V. of ilacedonia; but it after- | wards fell into the hands of the Romans and M. Valerius Laevinus, who commanded at Brundusium, with a single legion and a small fleet. (Liv. xxiv. 40.) After the campaign of b. c. 167, Aemilius Paulus embarked his victorious troops from Oricum for Italy. (Plut. Aemil. Paul. 29.) Caesar, after he had disembarked his troops at Palaeste (Lucan. iv. 460; comp. Caes. B. C. iii. 6, where the reading Pharsalus or Pharsalia, is a mistake or corruption of the MSS.), or the sheltered beach of Paldsa, surrounded by the dangerous promontories of the Ceraunian mountains, within one day of bis landing marched to Oricum, where a squadron of the Pompeian fleet was stationed. (Caes. B. C. iii. 11; Appian, fi. C. ii. 54.) The Oricii declared their unwillingness to resist the Roman consul; and Torquatus, the governor, delivered up the keys of the fortress to Caesar. The small fleet in which he had brought his forces over was laid up at Oricum, where the harbour was blocked up by sinking a vessel at its mouth. Cnaeus, the son of Pompeius, made a spirited attack on this strong- hold, and, cutting out four of the vessels, burnt the rest. (Caes. B. C. iii. 40.) It continued as an im- portant haven on the Adriatic. (Hor. Car7n. iii. 7. 5; Propert. Eleg. i. 8, 20; Lucan, iii. 187.) The