Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume II.djvu/571

 rARYETAE. when pursued by Pompej', concealed himself in its fastnesses. In a climatic point of view the mountain divides Pontus into two distinct regions ; for while the north side is stern and cold, its southern side is delightfully warm. Hence the ancients called the point of transition in a pass between Trapezus and Satale, the Fri£;idarium. The modern name of the mountain is generally Kuttag, but it is also called Kara Bel. (Tournefort, Voyage i. lettre 18. p. 107.) [L. S.] PARYE'TAE. [Pargyetae.] PASA'RGADAE {Uaaafyyabai), according to He- rodotus, one of the three chief tribes of the ancient Persians (i. 125); according to other writers, a people of the adjoining province of Carmania (Ptol. vi. 8. § 12; Dionys. v. 1069). The probability is, that they were the inhabitants of Pasargadae in Persis. [V.] PASA'RGADAE (Uaaapyd^at, Strab. xv. 730), a great city of the early Persians, situated, accord- ing to the best authorities, on the small river Cyras (now Kur), in a plain on all sides surrounded by mountains. It contained, according to Strabo, a palace, the treasures, and other memorials of the Persian people, and though not so magnificent as Persepolis, was highly esteemed by that people for its antiquity (xv. 728). In another place the same geographer states that the most ancient palace was at Pasargadae ; and in its immediate neighbourhood the tomb of Cyrus, who had a regard for the spot, as that on which he finally overthrew Astyages the Mede (xv. 730). It is by the notice of the tomb of Cyrus in Strabo (/. c), and more fully in Arrian (vi. 29), that we are now enabled to identify the site of the ancient Pasargadae with the modern Murghdh. At Murghdb a building has been noticed by many modern travellers, and especially by Jlorier and Ker Porter, which corresponds so well with the description in ancient authors that they have not hesitated to pronounce it the tomb of Cyrus ; and the whole adjoining plain is strewed with relics of the once great capital. Among other monuments still re- maining is a great monolith, on which is a bas-relief, and above the relief, in cuneiform characters, the words " I am Cyrus, the king, the Achaemenian." The same inscription is found repeated on other stones. (Morier, Travels, i. p. 30, pi. 29 ; Ker Porter, i. p. .500; Lassen, Zeitschrift, v. p. 152; Burnouf, Memoire, p. 169; Ouseley, Travels, ii. pi. 49.) The name of the place is found in differ- ent authors differently written. Thus Pliny writes " Passagarda " (vi. 26. s. 29), Ptolemy " Pasar- gada "(vi. 4. § 7). Sir W. Ouseley Q. c.) thinks that the original name was Parsagarda, the habita- tion of the Persians, on the analogy Dakdb-gerd, Firuz-gerd, &c. [V.] PASIDA (UdaiSa), a small port on the coast of Caramania, mentioned by Marcian (Peripl. § 28). Forbiger thinks that it is the same as that called in some editions of Ptolemy Magida, in others, Masin (vi- 8. § 7). [V.] PASINUM, PASINUS. [Liburni.] PASIRA (to. Xlaffipd, Arrian, Ind. c. 25), a place mentioned by Arrian in Gedrosia, as touched at by Nearchus in his voyage. It is doubtful whether it is to be considered as distinct from another place he has mentioned just before, Bagisara. Kemp- tliorne has identified the latter with a locality now known by the name of Arabah or Hurmarnh bay, and thinks that a large fishing village in the imme- diate neighbourhood may be that called by Nearchus, PATARA. 555 Pasira The inhabitants were called Pasirae or Pa- sirees. Pliny places the Pasirae along the river Tomberon or Tomerus (vi. 25. s. 27). Nearchus, however, makes the Tomerus flow at a distance of 900 stadia from Pasira. It is probable that the Rhajiraua of Ptolemy refers to Bagisaura or Pasira (vi. 21. § 2). [V.] PASITIGRIS. [Tigris.] PASSALAE (nao-o-aAai, Ptol. vii. 2. § 15), a tribe in India extra Gangem, placed by Ptolemy between the Imaus and the M. Bepyrrhus. They must therefore have occupied some of the mountain- valleys on the eastern side of Tibet. Pliny mentions them also (vi. 19. s. 22^ [V.] PASSARON (JYaaaaocov), the ancient capital of the Molossi in Epeirus. where the kings and as- sembled people were accustomed to take mutual oaths, the one to govern according to the laws, tha other to defend the kingdom. (Plut. Pyrrh. 5.) The town was taken by the Roman praetor L. Ani- cius Gallus in b. c. 167. (Liv. xlv. 26, 33, 34.) Its site is uncertain, but it was apparently on the sea-coast, as Anna Comnena mentions (vi. 5, p. 284, ed. Bonn)' a harbour called Passara on the coast of Epeirus. If this place is the same as the older Passaron, the ruins at Lhramisius, which lie inland in a SSW. direction from lodn- nina, cannot be those of the ancient capital of the Molossi. Those ruins are very considerable, and contain among other things a theatre in a very fine state of preservation. (Leake, Northern Greece, vol. iv. p. 81.) PATARA (ndrapa : Eth. Uarapivs, Patarensis or Pataranus). 1. A small town in Cappadocia or Armenia Minor. ( Tab. Pent.) 2. A flourishing maritime and commercial city on the south-west coast of Lycia. The place was large, possessed a good harbour, and was said to have been founded by Patarus, a son of Apollo. (Strab. xiv. p. 666 ; Steph. B. s. v.) It was situated at a dis- tance of 60 stadia to the south-east of the mouth of the river Xanthus. {Stadiusm. Mar. Mag. § 219.) Patara was most celebrated in antiquity for its temple and oracle of Apollo, whose renown was in- ferior only to that of Delphi ; and the god is often mentioned with the surname Patareus (Uarap^vs, Strab. I.e.; Lycoph. 920; Horat. Carm. iii. 4. 64; Stat. T/ieb. i. 696; Ov. Met. i. 515; Virg. Aen. iv. 143; Pomp. Jlela, i. 15.) Herodotus (i. 182) says that the oracle of Apollo was delivered by a priestess only during a certain perSd of the year; and from Servius {ad Aen. I.e.) we learn that this period was the six winter months. It has been sujipo.>-ed that the town was of Phoenician or Semitic origin; but whatever may be thought on this point, it seem.s certain that at a later period it received Dorian settlers from Crete; and the worship of Apollo was certainly Dorian. Strabo informs us that Ptolemy Philadelphus of Egypt, who enlarged the city, gave it the name of Arsinoe, but that it nevertheless con- tinued to be called by its ancient name, Patara. The place is often noticed by ancient writers as one of the principal cities of Lycia, as byLivy, xxxiii.41,xxxvii. 15 — 17, xxxviii. 39; Polyb. xxii. 26; Ck. p. Flacc. 32; Appian, B. C. iv. 52,81, Mithr. 27; Phn. ii.ll2, v. 28; Ptol. V. 3. § 3, viii. 17. § 22; Dionys. Per. 129, 507. Patara is mentioned among the Lyciaii bishoprics in the Acts of Councils (Hierod. p. 684), and the name Patera is still attached to its nume- rous ruins. These, according to the survey of Capt. Beaufort, are situated on the sea-shore, a litt'e to