Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume II.djvu/598

 5S2 PETAVONIUM. PETAVO'NIUJI (neravoviov, Ptol. ii. 6. § 35), a town of the Superatii in Hispania Tarraconensis. SE. of Asturica. (hin. Ant. p. 423.) [T.H.D.] ' PETE'LIA or PETI'LIA (nerrjAi'a : Eth. ner?;- XTfos, Petelinus : Strunr/oli), an ancient city of Brnttium, situated about 12 miles N. of Crotona, and 3 miles from the E. coast of the peninsula. Accordins; to the Greek traditions it was a very ancient city, founded by Philoctetes after the Trojan War. (Strab. vi. p. 254; Virg. Aen. iii. 401 ; Serv. ad loc.) This legend probably indicates that it was really a town of the Chones, an Oenotrian tribe; as the foundation ofChone, in the same neiglibourhood, was al^o ascribed to Philoctetes. It was only a small place (Virg. I. c), but in a strong situation. We have no account of its receiving a Greek colony, nor is its name ever mentioned among the Greek cities of this part of Italy; but, like so many of the Oenotrian towns, became to a great extent Hel- lenised or imbued with Greek culture and manners. It was undoubtedly for a long time subject to Crotona, and comprised within the ten-itory of that city ; and probably for this reason, its name is never mentioned during the early liistory of Magna Graecia. But after the irruption of the Lucanians, it fell into the hands of that people, by whom it was strongly fortified, and became one of their mo.st important strongholds. (Strab. I. c.) It is ap- parently on this account, that Strabo calls it " the metropolis of the Lucaninns," though it certainly was not included in Lucania as the term was understood in his day. Petelia first became con- spicuous in history during the Second Punic War, when its citizens remained faithful to the Roman alliance, notwithstanding the general defection of the Bruttians around them, b. c. 216. They were in Consequence besieged by the Bruttians as well as by a Carthaginian force under Himilco : but though abandoned to their fate by the Eoman senate, to whom they had in vain sued for assistance, they made a desperate resistance ; and it was not till after a siege of several months, in which they had suf- fered the utmost extremities of famine, that they were at length compelled to surrender. (Liv. sxiii. 20,30; Polyb. vii. 1; Appian, .4?(ni6. 29; Frontin. Strat. iv. 5. § 18 ; Val. Mux. vi. 6, ext. § 2; Sil. Ital. xii. 431.) The few inhabitants who escaped, were after the close of the war restored by the Romans to their native town (Appian, I. c), and were doubtless treated with especial favour; so that Petelia rose again to a prosperous condition, and in the days of Strabo was one of the few cities of Brnttium that was still tolerably flourishing and populous. (Strab. vi. p. 254.) We learn from inscriptions that it still continued to be a flourishing municipal town under the Roman Empire (Orell. Jnscr. 137, 3678, 3939 ; Mommsen, Inscr. R. N. pp. 5, 6) : it is mentioned by all the geogra- phers and its name is still found in the Tabula, wiiich places it on the road from Thurii to Crotona. (Mel. ii. 4. § 8 ; Plin. iii. 10. s. 15 ; Ptol. iii. 1. § 75 ; Tab. Pent.') But we are unable to trace its history further: its identification with StronrjoU is, however, satisfactorily made out by the inscriptions which have been found in the latter city. StronyoU is an episcopal see, with about 7000 inhabitants: its situation on a lofty and rugged hill, commanding the plain of the Nieto (Neaethus), corresponds with the accounts of Petelia, which is represented as occupying a position of great natural strength. There are no ruins of the ancient city, but numerous PETRA. minor objects of antiquity have been found on the spot, besides the inscriptions above referred to. The existence of a second town of the name of Petelia in Lucania, which has been admitted by several writers, rests mainly on the passage of Strabo where he calls Petelia the metropolis of Lucania; but he is certainly there speaking of the well-known city of the name, which was undoubtedly in Brnttium. The inscriptions published by Antonini, to prove that there was a town of this name in the mountains near Velia, are in all probability spurious (Jlommsen, /. R. N. App. p. 2), though they have been adopted, and his authority followed by Ronia- nelli and Cramer. (Romanelli, vol. i. p. 348 ; Cramer's Italy, vol. ii. p. 367.) The Pktelisi Montes (to TliT-f~Lva opri), men- tioned by Plutarch (^Crass. 11), to which Spartacus retired after liis defeat by Crassus, are evidently the rugged group of the Apennines S. of the Crathis, between Petelia and Consentia. [E. H. B.] PE'TEON (neVecoi' : Eth. IliTeiivios), a town of Boeotia, mentioned by Homer (/^. ii. 500), was situated near the road from Thebes to Anthedon. (Strab. ix. p. 410.) Strabo contradicts himself in the course of the same page {I. c), in one passage placing Peteon in the Thebais, and in another in the Haliartia. (Comp. Plut. Narr. Am. 4 ; Plin. iv. 7. s. 12; Steph. B. s.v.') The position of Peteon is uncertain. Leake supposes it may be represented by some ancient remains at the southern extremity of the lake Paralimni. {Northern Greece, vol. ii. p. 320.) PETINESCA, in the country of the Helvetii, is placed in the Itins. between Aventicum {Avenches) and Salodurum {Sohthurn'); at the distance of xiii. in the Anton. Itin. from Aventicum ana xiiii. in the Table ; and at the distance of x. from Salodurum in both the Itineraries. Some geographers have placed Petinesca at a place named Biiren; but the distance does not agree with that given by the Itins. between Petinesca and Salodunim, as D'AnviUe observes, who also says that the position of Bienne {Biel) cori'e- sponds to the ancient numbers, if we take them to indicate Gallic leagues. Cluver also placed Peti- nesca at Biel. [G. L.] PETITARUS. [AcHELou.s.] PETOVIO {Uor6§iov, or Uaraviov, Ptol. ii. 15. § 4 : Fettau), also called Poetovio {Itin. Ant. p. 262; and in inscriptions ap. Orelli, n. 3592), Pa^- tavio, and Petaviona, was an important town in Upper Pannonia, on the river Dravus and the fron- tiers of Noricum. In inscriptions it is called a Ro- man colony, and bears the surname of Ulpia; whence it may be inferred that it received Roman colo Lists from either Trajan or Hadrian, who probably also extended the place. Its importance is sufficiently attested by the fact that it was the station of the Legio XIII. Gemina, and that an imperial palace existed outside its walls. (Tac. Hist. iii. 1 ; Amm. Marc. xiv. 37 ; It. Hieros. p. 561 ; Geogr. Rav. iv. 19.) The modern town of Fettau is situated on the left bank of the Brave ; and as coins, inscrip- tions, and other ancient remains are found only on the opposite side, it is probable that the ancient Pe- tuvio was situated on the right bank opposite to the modern Fettau. (Comp. K. JIayer, Versuch iiher Sttyeryndrkische Alterthilmer, Graz, 1782, 4to.; !Muchar, Noricum, i. p. 364.) [L. S.] PETRA (rieVpa), " rock," the name of several towns. I. In Europe. 1. Petea Pertusa, in Umbria. [I.ntekcisa.]