Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume II.djvu/972

 952 SEGUSTERO. 357.) Of Segusio as a municipal town we hear little ; but it is mentioned as such both by Pliny and I'tolemy, and its continued existence is proved by inscriptions as well as the Itineraries ; and wc learn that it continued to be a considerable town, and a military post of importance, as commanding the passes of the Alps, until long after the fall of the Western Empire. (I'lin. iii. 17. s. 21; Ptol. iii. 1. § 40; Gruter, Inscr. p. 111. 1; Orell. Insa: 1690, 380.3; Amm. Marc. xv. 10; Itiii. Hier. p. 556; I'. Diac. Hist. Lang. iii. 8; Greg. Tur. iv. 39.) Aminianus tells us that the tomb of Cottius was still visible at Segusio in his time, and was the object of much honour and veneration among the inhabitants (Amm. I. c). A triumphal arch erected by him in honour of Augustus is still extant at Susa ; it enu- merates the names of the " Civitates " which were subject to his rule, and which were fourteen in num- ber, though Pliny speaks of the " Cottianae civitates xii." (Pliu. iii. 20. s. 24; OrelL liiscr. 626.) All these are, however, mere obscure mountain tribes, and the names of most of them entirely unknown. His dominions extended, according to Strabo, across the mountains as far as Ebrodunum in the land of the Caturiges (Strab. iv. p. 179); and this is con- firmed by the inscription which enumerates the Ca- turiges and Medulli among the tribes subject to his authority. These are probably the two omitted by Pliny. Ocelum, in the valley of the Chisone, was comprised in the territory of Cottius, while its hinit towards the Taurini was marked by the station Ad Fines, placed by the Itineraries on the road to Au- gusta Taurinorum. But the distances given in the Itineraries are incorrect, and at variance with one another. Ad Fines may pi-obably be placed at or near AvhjUana, 15 miles from Turin, and 20 from Susa. The mountain tribes called by Pliny the " Cottianae civitates," wlien united with the Roman government, at first received only the Latin franchise (Plin. 7. c); but as Segusio became a Roman municipium, it must have received the full franchise. [E. H. B.] SEGUSTERO, a name which occurs in the Anto- nine Itin. and in the Table, is a town of Gallia Nar- bonensis, and the name is preserved in Sisieron, the chief town of an arrondissemeut in the department of Basses Alpes, on the right bank of the Durance. Roman remains have been found at Sisteron. The name in the Notit. Prov. Galliae is Civitas Segeste- riorum. It was afterwards called Segesterium, and Sistericum, whence the modern name comes. (D'An- ville. Notice, (fc.) [G. L.] SEIR, M. (STjeip, LXX. Saeipa, '2r}eipoi', Joseph). " The land of Seir" is equivalent to " the country of Edom." {Gen. xxxii. 3.) Mount Seir was the dwelling of Esau and his posterity (xxsvi. 8, 9 ; Deut.ii. 4,5), in the possession of which they were not to be disturbe<^l. {Josh. xxiv. 4.) Its general situ- ation is defined in Deuteronomy (i. 2) between Horeb and Kadesh Barnea. The district must have been extensive, for in their retrograde movement from Kadesh, which was in Seir (i. 44), the Israel- ites compassed Mount Seir many days (ii. 1, 3). The original inhabitants of Blount Seir were the Horims ; " but the children of Esau succeeded them, when they had destroyed them from before them, and dwelt in their st«ad" (ii. 12, 22 ; comp. Gen. xiv. 6). It obviously derived its name from " Seir the Horite" (xxxvi. 20, 21), and not, as Josephus erroneously supposes, from the Hebrew T'^tJ' = I'ir- Butus. {.int.. 20. §3.) The range bordering Wadj Araba in maa-ked M. Shekr in some modern maps, SELEUCEIA. but without sufficient authority for the name. Dr. Wilson confines the name to the eastern side -of the Araba, from a little north of Petra to the Gulf of Akabah, which range he names Jebel-esh-Sherah {Lands of the Bible, vol. i. pp. 289, 290, 337, 340); but since Kadesh was in Seir, it is obvious that this name must have extended much more widely, and on both sides the Araba. Mr. Rowlands heard the name Es-Serr given to an elevated plain to the east of Kadesh, which must, he thinks, be the Seir alluded to in Deut. i. 44, where the Israelites were chased before the Amalekites. (Williams's Holy City, vol. i. appendix, p. 465.) [G. W.] SEIRAE. [PsoPHis.] SELACHUSA, an ishmd lying oft' the Argolic promontory of Speiraeum, mentioned only by Pliny (iv. 12. s. 57). SELAH. [Petra.] SELAMBINA (STjAct^gij/a, Ptol. ii. 4. § 7), a town on the coast of Hispania Baetica between Sex and Abdera. (Plin. iii. 1. s. 3.) ¥orez {Esp. Sayr. xii. pp. 3, 6) identifies it with Calabi-ena, but, ac- cording to Ukert (ii. p. i. p. 351), it is to be sought in the neighbourhood of Sorbitan. [T. H. D.] SELAS. [Messenia, p. 342, b.] SELASIA. [Sellasia.] SELEMNUS. [ACH.VLV, p. 13, b. No. 10.] SELENTIS or SELENITIS(2eA6i'Ti's orSeAew- tIs) a district in the south-west part of Cilicia, ex- tending along the coast, but also some distance in the interior ; it derived its name from the town of Selinus. (Ptol. v. 8. §§ 2, 5.) [L. S.] SELENU'SIAE {^€^vovaia,)ov SELENNUTES two lakes formed by the sea, north of the mouth of the Caystrus, and not far from the temple of the Ephesian Artemis. These two lakes, which conmiunicated with each other, were extremely rich in fish, and formed part of the revenue of the temple of Artemis, though they were on several occasions wrested from it. (Strab. xiv. p. 642 ; Plin. v. 31.) The name of the lakes, derived from Selene, the moon-goddess, or Arte- mis, probably arose from their connection with the great goddess of Ephesus. (Comp. Chandler's Travels in Asia Minor, vol. i. p. 162.) [L. S.] SELEUCEIA or SELEUCIA, two towns in Syria. 1. Ad Belum (SeAeweja irphs BijAy), sometimes called Seleucobelus, situated in the district of Cassiotis, placed by Ptolemy in long. 69° 30', lat. 34° 45'. The Belus was a tributary of the Orontes, running into it from the W., and since, as Pococke re- marks, Seleucia was exactly in the same latitude as Paltos, it must have been due E. of it. Now Buldo. the ancient Paltos, lies two hours S. of Jebilee, ancient Gabala, on the coast. Seleucia ad Belum must be looked for 1° 10' to the E., according to Ptolemy's reckoning, who places Paltos in long. 63° 20', lat. 34° 45'. Jlodern conjecture has identified it with Shorjh and Divertigi, which is placed 30 miles E. of Antioch. (Ptol. v. 15. §16; Pococke, Syria. vol. ii. p. 199.) Pliny mentions it with another not elsewhere recognised, in the interior of Syria: " Se- leuci;is praeter jam dictam ( i. e. Pieria), duas, quae ad Euphratem, et quae ad Belum vocantur " (v. 23. § 19)- 2. PiEKIA (SeAeu/ceia Iliepia : Elh. 2eAeu«ei5j), a maritime city of Syria, placed by Ptolemy in long. 68° 36', lat. 35° 26', between Rhossus and the mouths of the Orontes. Its ancient name, according to Strabo, was "Rivers of Water" {"Tdaros ttoto- fxoi), a strong city, called Free by Ponipey (Strab. xvi. 2. § 8). Its position ia fully described by Polybius.