Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume II.djvu/900

 680 SALAFJA. upon, tlie Salapia mentioned by Pliny and Ptolemy as well as Strabo, must have been the new town, and not the original city of the name. (Stmb. vi. p. 284; Plin. iii. 12. s. 17; Ptol. iii. 1. § 16.) The Liber Coloniarum also speaks of it as a colony adjoining the sea-coast, which doubtless refers to the new town of the name. This does not, however, seem to have ever risen into a place of much importance, and the name subsequently disappears altogether. Extensive ruins of Salapia are still visible on the southern shore of the Larjo di Salpi, in a tract of country now almost wholly desolate. They evidently belong to a city of considerable size and importance, and must therefore be those of the ancient Apulian city. This is further confirmed by the circumstance that the coins of Salapia, which of course belong to the period of its independence, are frequently found on the spot. (Swinburne's Travels, vol. i. p. 81.) The site of the Roman town founded by M. Hostilius is said to be indicated by some remains on the sea- sliore, near the Torre di Salpi. (Romanelli, vol. ii. p. 201.) The higune still called the Logo di Salpi is about 12 miles in length by about 2 in breadth. At its eastern extremity, where it communicates with the sea by an artificial cut, are extensive salt-works, which are considered to be the representatives of these noticed in the Itineraries under the name of Salinae. It is by no means certain (though not improbable) that these ancient salt-works occupied the same site as the modern ones ; and the distances given in the Itineraries along this line of coast, being in any case corrupt and confused, afford no clue to their identification. {Ifin. Ant. p. 314; Tah.Peut.) It is probable that the name of Salapia itself is con- nected with sf//, the lagune having always been well adapted for the collection of salt. The coins of Salapia, as well as those of Arpi and Canusium, have Greek legends, and indicate the strong influence of Greek art and civilisation, though apparently at a late period, none of them being of an archaic style. The magistrates' names which occur on them (AAZ02, nTAA02, &c.) are, on the con- trarv, clearly of native origin. (Mommsen, U. I. D. pp. 82, 83.) [E. H. B.] COVS OF SALAPIA. SALA'RIA. 1. (SaAdpia, Ptol. ii. 6. § 61), a town of the Bastitani, in the SE. part of Hispania Tarraconensis. According to Pliny it was a Roman colony. (Colonia Salariensis, iii. 3. s. 4.) Dkert (ii. pt. i. p. 407) identifies it with Sabiote, between Uheda and Eaeza. 2. A town of the Oretani, in the same neigh- bourhood. (Ptol. ii. 6. § 59.) [T. H. D.j SALAS. [Sala.] SALASSI (SaAacrcroi), one of the most powerful of the Alpine tribes in the N. of Italy, who occupied the great valley of the Durias or fJora Baltea, now called the Val d'Aosta, from the jjlains of the Po to the foot of the Graian and Pennine Alps. Their country is correctly described by Strabo as a deep SALASSI. and narrow valley, shut in on both sides by very lofty mountains. (Strab. iv. ]). 205.) This valley, which extends above 60 miles in length from its entrance at Ivrea to its head among the very highest ranges of the Alps, must always have been one of the natural inlets into the heart of those mountains: hence the two passes at its head, now called the Great and Little St. Bernard, seem to have been frequented from a very early period. If we may trust to Livy, it was by the former of these passes, or the Pennine Alps, that the Boii and Lin- gones crossed when they first migrated into the plains of the N. of Italy. (Liv. v. 35.) It was the same pass by •which Hannibal was commonly sup- posed in the days of Livy to have crossed those moun- tains, while Coelius Antipater represented him as passing the Little St. Bernard, an opinion com- monly adopted by modern writers, though still sub- ject to grave difficulties. One of the most serious of these arises from the character of the Salassi them- selves, who are uniformly described as among the fiercest and most warlike of the Aljtine tribes, and of inveterate predatory habits, so that it is difficult to believe they would have allowed an army like that of Hannibal to traverse their country without oppo- sition, and apparently without molestation. (See Arnold's Rome, vol. iii. p. 481.) The Salassi are conmionly reckoned a Gaulish people, yet there are reasons which render it more probable that they were in fact, like their neighbours the Taurini, a Ligurian race. The Ligurians indeed seem, at a very early period, to have spread them- selves along the whole of the western chain of the Alps, and the Gaulish tribes which occupied the plains of the Padus passed through their country. But the ethnical relations of all these Aljjine races are very obscure. No mention of the Salassi is found in history till u. c. 143, when they were at- tacked without provocation by the consul Appius Claudius, who was, however, punished for his aggres- sion, being defeated with the loss of 5000 men. But he soon repaired this disaster, and having in his turn slain 5000 of the mountaineers, claimed the honour of a triumph. (Dion Cass. Fr. 79 ; Liv. Epit. liii.; Oros. v. 4.) From this time they appear to have frequently been engaged in hostilities ■, with Rome, and though nominally tributary to the ' republic, they were continually breaking out into revolt, and ravaging the plains of their neighbour- hood, or plundering the Roman convoys, and haras- sing their troops as they marched through their country. As early as B.C. 100 a Roman colony was established at Eporedia (/t'»'e«), at the mouth of the valley (Veil. Pat. i. 15), with the view of keeping them in check, but it suffered severely from their incursions. Even at a much later period the Salassi plundered the baggage of the dictator Caesar when marching through their country, and com- pelled Decimus Brutus, on his way into Gaul after the battle of Mutina, to purchase a passage with a large sum of money. (Strab. iv. p. 205.) In b. c. 35 they appear to have broken out afresh into revolt, and for some time were able to defy the efforts of Antistius Vetus ; but the next year they were re- duced to submission by Valerius Messula. (Dion Cass. xlis. 34, 38; Appian, Ilhjr. 17.) Still, how- ever, their subjection was imperfect, till in i5. c. 25 Terentius Varro was sent against them, who having compelled the whole nation to lay down their arms, sold them without distinction as slaves. The num- ber of captives thus sold is said to have amounted to