Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume II.djvu/520

 504 OSTIAEI. remains of the port of Claudius are less distinct ; the line of tl:e moles which bounded it may, however, be traced, thouirli they are altogether buried in sand ; the tower of the lighthouse or Pharos was still visible in the 15th century, when the ruins were visited and described by Pope Pius II., but has now entirely di-appeared. A cnnsiderable p.art of the ancient walls with which the city was fortified by Constantine is still visible; they were strengthened with towers, and closely resemble in their style of construction the older portions of those of Rome. Between the site of Ostia and that of Portus is the island, formed by the two branches of the Tiber, wliicb is about •'? miles in length by 2 in breadth. It is commonly known as the Insula Sacka, an appellation first given to it by Procopius, who de- scribi's it in detaij {B. G. i. 26). The origin of the epithet is unknown, but it appears to have been in Chiistian times regarded as consecrated, having been, according to Anastasius, bestowed by Constantine upon the church. It is described in exaggerated terms by a writer of the 5th century (Aethicus, Cosmogr. p. 716, ed. Gronov.) fir its beauty and fertility, whence he says it was termed " Libanus Almae Veneris;" but in spring it is still covered with fine pastures abounding with beautiful flowers. The formation of this island obviously dates only from the construction of the right arm of the Tiber, now- known as II Fhmiicino, which, as already shown, is probably wholly artificial. No writer before the time of the Roman Empire alludes to more than one mouth of the river. The topography of Ostia and Portus, and the vicissitudes and changes which the two ports at the mouth of the Tiber have undergone, are fully traced, and the pxisting ruins described in detail, by Nibby (Dliitornidi Roma, vol ii. p. 426—474.602—660); as well as by Preller, in the Berichte der Sdchsischen Gesellschafi for the year 1849 (pp. 5—38). The preceding plan is copied from one given by the latter writer. [E. H. B.] OSTIAEI, OSTIDAMNII. Stephanus (s. v. 'ntrricofes) has preserved a notice of a Gallic people whom he descrbes '' as a nation on the western Ocean, whom Artemidorus names Cossini, and Py- theas names Ostiaei." Strabo (p. 63) observes of Pyilieas that wliat lie says of the Ostiaei and the parts beyond the Rhine as far as Scythia, is all false. Whether false or true, we learn from Strabo that Pytheas spoke of the Ostiaei of Gallia ; and we can safely infer that Pytheas placed them on the west coast of Gallia opposite to Britain. A passage of Strabo has been cited imder Osismii, in which it is stated of the Osismii that Pytheas named them Timii. Ukert (Gallieii, p. 336) purposes to change oiis Tifxious in this passage of Strabo into ovs 'ncTTialovs. The proposal is reasonable. The text of Strabo is probably corrupt here. These Ostiaei of Pytheas can be no other than the Osismii. Eratosthenes mentioned a people of Gallia named Oslidamnii on the west coast of Gallia. He also spoke (Strab. p. 64) of the promontory of the Os- tidamnii which is called Calbium. It is clear that he is speaking of the peninsula of Brctagne. The Ostiaei, Ostidamnii, Osismii are evidently the same people. [G. L.] OSTIPPO, a free city of Hispania Baetica, in the jurisdiction of Astigi (Plin. iii. 1. s. 3), and on the road from Hispalis to Corduba. (/<ire. Ant. p. 411.) It has not been satisfactorily identified, but, according to Ukert (vol. ii. pt. 1. p. 360), it OTHRYS. must probably be sought in the neighbourhood of the modern Ecija. [T. H. D.] OSTRA QOa-rpa : Eth. Ostranus), a town of Umbria, in the district once occupied by the Senones mentioned both by Pliny and Ptolemy (Plin. iii. 14. s. 19; Ptol. iii. I. § 51), but of very uncertain site. [Umbuia]. [E. H. B.] OSTRACl'NA ('OarpaKivv, Ptol. iv. 5. § 12; Plin. V. 12. s. 14; Ostracena It. Anton, p. 152), was a military station in Lower Aegypt, east of the Delta proper, and situated on the road from Riiino- corura to Pelusium. From the route of Vespasian, on his return from Alexandria to Palestine in A.D. 69, as described by Josephus {B. Jud. iv. 11. § 5), Ostracina appears to have been ore day's march from the temple of Jupiter Casius in the Arabian hills, and about the sanie distance from the lake Serbonis. It was destitute of wells, and sup- plied with water brought by a canal from the Delta. (Comp. Martian. Cap'ella, c. 6. [W. B. D.] OSTRACl'NA, a mountain on ihe road from Mantineia to Wethydrium. [Mantixeia, p. 262, b.] OSTUDIZUS (also written Ostidizus and Ostc dizus, Itin. Ant. pp. 137, 230, 322 ; and in Hilar, viii. p. 1346, Ilstudizum), a town in Tlirace, on the road from Hadrianople to Constantinople. [ T.H.D.] OSTUR. a town of Spain, not mentioned in any indent writer, but which appears ui)on coins. There is still a place called Ostur near Alcora in Valencia, which has some Roman ruins, and which abounds with acorns, — the figure of which also ap- pears upon the coins. (Florez, Med. ii. p. 535, iii. p. 113; Sestini, p. 179; Mionnet, i. p. 47, Suppl. i. p. 95, ap. Ukert. rol.ii. pt. 1. p. 416.) [T.H.D.] OTADINI ('riToSTji'oi, Ptol. ii. 3. § 10), a British tribe on the E. coast of Britannia Barbara, in the province of Valentia, lying S. of the Boderia es- tuary, or Firth of Forth, down to the river Tyne; and therefore inhabiting the counties of Eaddington, Benvick, Roxburgh, and the greater part of North- umberland. Their chief cities were Curia and Bremenium. [T. H. D] OTE'NE ('ar-nvri, Ptol. v. 13. § 9, where the reading MajTTjvr} is incorrect), a canton of Armenia, separated from Atropatene by the river Araxes, (Plin. vi. 16 ) St. Martin {Mem. siir VArmenie. vol. i. p. 86) identifies it with the province known to the native geographers by the name of Oudi, or what is now called Kara-hagh, to the N. of the Araxes. [E. B.J.] OTESIA, a town of Cispadane Gaul, known only from the mention of the Otesini by Pliny (iii. 15. s. 20) among the municiial towns of the Eighth Region. But an inscription given by Cluverius makes mention of the " Respublica Otesinornm;" and it is probable that AiTOKjia and 'Oprio-io, which are found in Phlegon among the towns of the same part of Italv, are only corruptions of the same name. (Phlegon, Macrob. 1; Clnver. Ital. p. 282.) Its site is wholly uncertain. [E. H. B.] OTHRYS (t/ "OOpvs), a lofty chain of mountains, which shuts in the plain of Thessaly from the south. It branches off from Mount Tymphrestus, a sum- mit in the range of Pindus, and runs nearly due east through Phthiotis to the sea coast, thus sepa- rating the waters which flow into the Peneius from those of the Spercheins. (Strab. ix. pp. 432, 433; comp. Herod, vii. 129 ; Plin. iv. 8. s. 15.) On its northern side, many offshoots extend into the plain of Pharsalus. It is lofty and covered with wood, whence the poets give it the epithet of " nivalis"