Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume II.djvu/517

 OSSIGERDA. (Florez, Enp. S. is. p. 106, Med. ii. p. 528; Mion- net, i. p. 25; Sestini, Med. Isp. p. 79.) [T. H. D.] OSTIA. 501 COIN OF OSSET. OSSIGERDA or OSICERDA ( OaiKfpBa, Ptol. ii. 6. § 63), a town of the Edetaiii in Hispania Tarra- conensis. It was a municipium in the jurisdiction of Caesarauj^usta. (Plin. iii. 3. s. 4, who calls the inhabitants Ossigerdenses.) It had a mint. (Florez, 3Ied. ii. p. 532, iii. p. 109 ; Mionnet, i. p. 47, Suppl. i. p. 95; Sestini, p. 177.) Ukert (vol. ii. pt. 1. p. 417) identifies it with Ossera, near Saragossa. ' [ T. H. D.] OSSIGI LACO'NICUM,a town on the borders of Hi^spania Baetica, at the place where the Baetis enters that country (Plin. iii. 3); now Marquiz, where there are Roman niins and inscriptions. (Flo- rez, Esp. S. xii. 367, V. 24.) [T. H. D.] OSSO'NOBA (^OcaovoSa, Ptol. ii. 5. §3), a town of the Turdetani in Lusitania, between the rivers Tagus and Anas, on the road from Esuris to Ebora and Pax Julia. {Itin. Ant. pp. 418, 426.) [Lusitania, p. 220, a.] It is the same town mentioned by Strabo in a corrupt passage (iii. p. 143), by Mela (iii. 1. § 6), Pliny (iv. 21. s. 35), and others. Commonly identified with Estoy, lying a little N. of Faro, near the mouth of the Silves, where Roman ruins and inscriptions are still found. One of the latter has kesp. osson. (Ukert, vol. ii. pt. 1. p. 587.) [T. H. D.J OSTEO'DES ('OffTctiSTjs), a small island in the Tyrrhenian sea, lying off the N. coast of Sicily, and W. of the Aeolian Islands. Diodoras tells us that it derived its name (the Bone I.sland) from the circum- stance of the Carthaginians having on one occasion got rid of a body of 6000 turbulent and disaffected mercenaries by landing them on this island, which was barren and uninhabited, and leaving them there to perish. (Diod. v. 11). He describes it as situated in the open sea, to the west of the Liparaean or Aeolian Islands; a description which applies only to the ishind now called Ustica. The difficulty is, that both Pliny and Ptolemy distinguish Ustica (Ou- tniKo) from Osteodes, as if they were two separate islands (Plin. iii. 8. s. 14; Ptol. iii. 4. § 17). The former writer says, " a Solunte Ixxv. JI. Osteodes, contraque Paropinos Ustica." But as there is in fact but one island in the open sea W. of the Lipari Islands (all of which are clearly identified), it seems certain that this must have been the Osteodes of the Greeks, which was afterwards known to the Romans as Ustica, and that the existence of the two names led the geographers to suppose they were two distinct islands. Mela does not mention Ustica, but notices Osteodes, which he reckons one of the Aeolian group; and its name is found also (corruptly written Ostodis) in the Tabula, but in a manner that affords no real clue to its position. (Mel. ii. 7. § 18; Tab. Pent.) Ustica is an island of volcanic origin, about 10 miles in circumference, and is situated about 40 miles N. of the Capo di Gallo near Palermo, and 60 miles W. of Alicudi, the westernmost of the Lipari Islands. It is at this day well inhabited, and existing remains show that it must h:ive been so in the time of the Romans also. (Smyth's S/c%, p. 279.) [E. H. B.j 'STIA ('n<rTia : £•?/». Ostiensis: as^/n), a city of Latiuni, situated at the mouth of the Tiber, frotn which position it derived its name. It was on the left bank of the river, at a distance of 16 miles from Rome, by the road which derived from it the name of Via Ostiensis. (^Itin. Ant. p. 301.) All an- cient writers agree in representing it as founded by the Roman king Ancus Marcius ; and it seems certain that it always retained the position of a col<my of Rome, and was at no period independent. From its position, indeed, it naturally became the port of Rome, and was essential to that city, not only fn' the purpose of maintaining that naval su- premacy which it had establi^hed before the close of the regal period, but for securing its supplies of corn and other imported produce which was carried up the Tiber. Ancns Marcius at the same time es- tablished salt-works on the site, which for a hmg time continued to supply both Rome itself and the neighbouring country in the interior with that ne- cessary article. (Liv. i. 33; Dionys. iii. 44; Cic. de Rep. ii. 3, 18; Strab. v. p. 232; Flor. i. 4; Eutrop. i 5; Fest. p. 197.) Tlierecan be no doubt that the importance of Ostia must have coiiiiinied to increase with the growing prosperity and power of Rome; but it is remarkable that we meet with no mention of its name in history until the jieriod of the Second Punic War. At that time it appears as a commercial and naval station of the utmost im- portance; and was not only the port to which the corn from Sicily and Sardinia was brought for the supply of Rome itself, as well as of the Rmnan legions in the field, but was the permanent station of a Roman fleet, for the protection both of the capital, and the neighbouring shores of Italy. (Liv. xxii. 1 1, 37, 57, xxiii. 38, xxv. 20, xxvii. 22.) It was at this time still reckoned one of the '" colo- niae maritimae;" but on account of its peculiar im- portance in relation to Rome, it enjnyed special privi- leges; so that in B.C. 207, when the otluM- maritime colonies endeavoured to establish a claim to ex- emption from levies for military service, this w.i<i allowed only in the case of Ostia and Antium ; tlib citizens of which were at the same lime compelled to be constantly present as a garrison within thi'ir own walls. (Liv. xxvii. 38.) On a subsequent occa- sion (b. c. 191) they attempted to extend this ex- emption to the naval service also; but their claim was at once disallowed by the senate. (/(/. xxxvi. 3.) Even after the complete establishment of the naval power of the Roman Republic, Ostia seems to have continued to be 'he usual station of a Roman fleet: and in b. c. 67 it was there that a squadron, which had been assembled for the repression of the Cilician pirates, was attacked by the pirates them- selves, and the ships either destroyed or taken. {Cic IJ7-0 Leg. Manil. 12; Dion Cass, xxxvi. 5.) Ostia itself also suffered severely during the civil wars of Sulla and Marius, having been taken by the latter in b. c. 87, and given up to plimder and devastation by his soldiers. (Appian, B. C. i. 67; Liv. Epit. Ixxix ; Oros. v. 19; Flor. iii. 21. § 12.) But its position at the mouth of the Tiber, as the port of Rome, secured it from dec.iy: and so iin- K K 3