Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume II.djvu/659

 rOECILASlUM. present PoiuUcherry (wi-itten in the Tamil language Piuluckcheyi/). Ptolemy mentions another place of the same name in the northern part of the i.sland of Taprobane (vii. 4. ij 10). [V.] POECILA'SIU JI, rOECILASSUS (UoiKiAdatov, Ptol. iii. 15.§ 3; llotKia<Taos,Sladiasm.Ma(jniMar. p. 299, ed. Hoffmann), a town on the S. coast of Crete, placed by Ptolemy E. of Tarrha, between this place and the promontory Hermaea ; but in the Stadlasmus W. of Tarrha, between this place and Syia, 60 stadia from the former and 50 from the latter. It is pro- bably represented by the ruins near Tnjpete, situated between the places mentioned iu the Stadiasmus. (Pashley, Crete, vol. ii. p. 264.) POECILE (noiKi'ATj), a rock on the coast of Ci- licia, near the mouth of the Calycadnus, and on the east of Cape Sarpedon, across which a flight of steps cut in the rock led from Cape Zephyrium to Seleuceia. (Strab. xiv. p. 670 ; Stadicism. Mar. M. § 161.) Its distance of 40 stadia from the Calycadnus will place it about Pershendi. Instead of any steps in the rock, Beaufort here found extensive ruius of a walled town, with temples, arcades, aqueducts, and tombs, built round a small level, which had some appearance of having once been a harbour with a narrow opening to the sea. An inscription copied by Beaufort from a tablet over the eastern gate of the ruins accounts for the omission of any notice of this town by Strabo and others ; for the inscrij)tion states it to have been entirely built by Fluranius, archon of the eparchia of Isauria, in the reigns of Valentinian, Valens, and Gratian. [L. S.] POECILUM (noiKiov, Paus. i. 37. § 8). a mountain in Attica, on the Sacred Way. [See Vol. I. p. 328, a.] POEDICULI. [Peucetii.] POE'DICUM (rioiSi/foz'), a place mentioned only by Ptolemy (ii. 14. § 3) as situated in the south- east of Noricum; it is conmionly identified with the modern Adelsberg, on the river Poigk. [L. S.] POEEESSA. [Ckos.] POEiIANE'NUS {UoLtJLa.vr]v6i), a town in the south of Cyzicus, and on the south-west of lake Aphnitis, which is mentioned only by very late authors. It belonged to the territory of Cyzicus, was well fortified, and possessed a celebrated teniple of Asclepius. (Stejili. B. s. v. Uoi/j.duivot' • Nicet. Chon. Chron. p. 296 ; Concil. Constant. III. p. 501 ; Concil. Nicaen. II. p. 572 ; Hierocl. p. 662, where it is called Poemanentus.) Its inhabitants are called Poemaneni (Tioi/xavriuoi, Plin. v. 32). Ha- milton {Researches, ii. p. 108, &c.) identifies it with the modern Maniyas, near the lake bearing the same name. [L. S.l POENI. [Carthago.] POENl'NAE ALPES. [Alpes, p. 108, a.] POETO'VIO. [Petovio.] POGON. [Tkoezen.] POLA (ndAa : Etli. noAarr;? : Pola), one of the princijial towns of Istria, situated near the S. extremity of that peninsula, on a landlocked bay, forming an excellent port, which was called the Sinus Polaticus. (Jlel. ii. 3. § 13.) According to a tradition mentioned by several ancient authors, its foundation was ascribed to a band of Colchians, who had come hither in pursuit of Jledea, and afterwards settled in the country. (Strab. i. p. 46, v. p. 216; Plin. iii. 19. s. 23 ; Mel. I. c; Tzetz. ad Lycophr. 1022.) It is impossible to explain the origin of this talc, which is ahready mentioned by Callimachus {up. Strab. I. c.) ; but it may be received as proving POLA. 643 that the city was considered as an ancient one, and certainly existed before the Koman conquest of Istria in B. c. 177, though its name is not mentioned on that occasion. It was undoubtedly the advantages of its excellent port that attracted the attention of the Romans, and led Augustus to establish a colony there, to which he gave the name of Pietas Julia. (Iel. I. c. ; Plin. iii. 19. s. 23.) Several of the still existing remains prove that he at the same time adorned it with public edifices ; and there is no doubt that under the Roman Empire it became a considerable and flourishing town, and, next to Tergeste {Trieste'), the most important city of Istria. (Strab. I. c. ; Ptol. iii. 1. §27; Gruter, Inscr. p. 263. 7, p. 360. 1, p. 432. 8.) It is mentioned in history as the place where Crispus, the eldest son of Constantine the Great, was put to death by order of his father ; and again, in a. d. 354, the Caesar Gallus underwent the same fate there by order of Constantius. (Ammian. Marc. xiv. 11.) After the fall of the Roman Empire in the West it continued to be a place of importance, and in a. d. 544 it was there that Belisarius assembled the fleet and army with which he was preparing to cross over to Ra- venna. (Procop. B. G- iii. 10.) It probably partook of the prosperity which was enjoyed by all Istria during the period that Ravenna became the seat of empire, and which was continued throughout the period of the Exarchate; we learn from the Itineraries that it was connected by a road along the coast with Tergeste, from wOiich it was 77 miles distant, while the direct communication by sea with ladera {Zara) seems to have been in frequent use, though the passage was 450 stadia, or 56 Roman miles. {liin. Ant. pp. 271,496.) Pola is remarkable for the importance and pre- servation of its ancient remains. Of these by far the most important is the amphitheatre, one of the most interesting structures of the kind still extant, and remarkable especially for the circumstance that the external circumference, usually the part which has suffered the most, is in this case almost entirely perfect. It is built on the slope of a hill, so that on the E. side it has only one row of arcades, while on the opposite side, facing the bay, it has a double tier, with an additional story above. It is 436 English feet in length by 346 in breadth, so that it exceeds in size the amphitheatre oiNismes, though considerably smaller than that at Verona. But its position and the preservation of its more architectural purtioii.s render it far more striking in aspect than either of them. Considerable remains of a theatre were also preserved down to the 17th century, but were destroyed in 1636, in order to make use of the ma- tei-ials in the construction of the citadel. There still remain two temples ; one of which was dedicated to Rome and Augustus, and though of small size, is of very elegant design and execution, corresponding to the Augustan age, at which period it was un- doubtedly erected. It has thence become a favourite model for study with Italian architects from the time of Palladio downwards. The other, which was consecrated to Diana, is in less complete jircservation, and has been converted into a nioilern habitation. Besides these, the Porta Aurca, a kind of triumphal arch, but erected by a private individual of the name of Sergius, now forms the S. gate of the city. Another gate, and several portions of the ancient walls .arc also preserved. The whole of these monu- ments are built of the hard white limestone of the country, closely approBching to marble, which adda T T 2