Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume I Part 1.djvu/141



A'MPELOS, a promontory at the extremity of the peninsula Sithonia in Chalcidice in Macedonia, called by Herodotus the Toronaean promontory. It appears to correspond to the modern C. Kartali, and Derrhis, which is nearer to the city of Torone, to C. Dhrepano. (Herod, vii. 122; Steph. B. s. v.; Ptol. iii. 13. § 12.)

 AMPELU'SIA, or COTES PROM, (, Strab. p. 825;, Ptol. iv. 1. § 2: apparently also the Cotta of Plin. xxxii. 2. s. 6: C. Spartel, or Espartel, a corruption of the Arabic Achbertil, or Chbertil; also Ras- or Tarf- esh- Shakhar), the NW. headland of Maretania Tingitana and of the whole continent of Africa; about 10 miles W. of Tingis (Tangier). Cotes was its native name, of which the Greek Ampelusia (vineclad) was a translation (Strab. l. c.; Plin. v. 1; Mela. i. 5). It is a remarkable object; a precipitous rock of grey freestone (with basaltic columns, according to Drummond Hay, but this is doubtful), pierced with many caves, among which one in particular was shown in ancient times as sacred to Hercules (Mela, l. c.); from these caves mill-stones were and stil1 are obtained. Its height is 1043 feet above the sea. Strabo describes it as an offset of M. Atlas; and it is, in fact, the western point, as is the eastern, of the end of that great NW. spur of the Atlas, which divides the Atlantic from the Mediterranean. The two hills form the extremities of the S. shore of the Fretum Gaditanum (Straits of Gibraltar), the length of the Strait from the one to the other being 34 miles. The W. extremity of the Strait on the European shore, opposite to Ampelusia, at a distance of 22 miles, was Junonis Pr. (C. Trafalgar). Mela is very explicit in drawing the line of division between the Atlantic and the Straits through these points (i. 5, i. 6, iii. 10 his last words are, Ampelusia in nostrum jam fretum vergens, operis hujus atque Atlantici litoris terminus; so Plin. v. 1, Promomtorium Oceani extimum Ampelusia). The erroneous notion of the ancients respecting the shape of this part of Africa (see ) led them to make this promontory the W. extremity of the continent (Strab. l. c.) Scylax (p. 52, p. 123, Gronov.) mentions a large bay called Cotes, between the Columns of Hercules and the promontory of Hermaeum; but whether his Hermaeum is our Ampelusia, or a point farther S. on the W. coast, is doubtful. Gosselin (ap. Bredow, ii. 47), and Ritter (Erdkunde, vol. i. p. 336), regard Ampelusia as identical with the Soloeis of Herodotus (ii. 32) and Hanno (Peripl. p. 2).

 AMPHAXITIS, the maritime part of Mygdonia in Macedonia, on the left bank of the Axius, which, according to Strabo, separated Bottiara from Amphaxitis. The name first occurs in Polybius. No town of this name is mentioned by ancient writers, though the Amphaxii are found on coin. (Pol. v. 97; Strab. p. 330; Ptol. iii. 13. §§ 10, 14; Leake, Northern Greece, vol. iii. p. 449.)

 AMPHEIA. (: Eth. ) a town of Messenia, situated on the frontiers of Laconia, upon a hill well supplied with water. It was surprised and taken by the Spartans at the beginning of the Messenian war, and was made their head-quarters in conducting their operations against the Messenians. Its capture was the first act of open hostilities between the two people. It is placed by Leake at the Hellenic ruin, now called the Castle of Xuria, and by Boblaye on the mountain calledKokala, (Paus. iv. 5. § 9; Leake, Morea, vol. i. p. 461; Boblaye, Recherches, p. 109.)

 AMPHI'ALE. [.]

 AMPHICAEA or AMPHICLEIA (, Herod., Steph. B.;, Paus.: Eth. , ), a town in the N. of Phocis, distant 60 stadia from Lilaea, and 15 stadia from Tithronium. It was destroyed by the army of Xerxes in his invasion of Greece. Although Herodotus calls it Amphicaea, following the most ancient traditions, the Amphictyons gave it the name of Amphicleia in their decree respecting rebuilding the town. It also bore for some time the name of, in consequence of a legend, which Pausanias relates. The place was celebrated in the time of Pausanias for the worship of Dionysus, to which an inscription refers, found at Dhadhi, the site of the ancient town. (Herod. viii. 33; Paus. x. 3. § 2, x. 33. § 9, seq.; Leake, Northern Greece, vol. ii. pp. 75, 86.)

 AMPHI'DOLI, a town in Pisatis in Elis, which gave its name to the small district of Amphidolis or Amphidolia. The town of Marganeae in Margalae was situated in this district. The site of Amphidoli is uncertain, but its territory probably lay to the west of Acroreia. [.] (Xen. Hell. iii 2. § 30; Strab. pp.341, 349; Leake, Pelponnesiaca, p. 219.)

 AMPHIGENEIA (: Eth. ), one of the towns belonging to Nestor (Hom. Il. ii. 593), was placed by some ancient critics in Messenia, and by others in Macistia, a district in Triphylia. Strabo assigns it to Macistia near the river Hypsoeis, where in his time stood a temple of Leto. (Steph. B. s. v.; Strab. p. 349.)

<section end="AMPHIGENEIA" /> <section begin="AMPHILOCHIA" />AMPHILO'CHIA (: Eth. ), a small district at the eastern end of the Ambraciot gulf, bounded on the N. by Ambracia and on the S. by the territory of the Agraei. It did not extend far inland. It is a mountainous district, and the rocks along the coast rise in some parts to 450 or 500 feet high. The Amphilochi were a non-Hellenic tribe, although they were supposed to have derived their name from the Argive Amphilochus, the son of Amphiaraus. Strabo (p. 326) describes them as an Epirot people, but their country is more usually described as a part of Acarnania. (Steph. B. s. v.; Scyl. p 12.) Their lineage, as Grote remarks, was probably something intermediate between the Acarnanians and Epirots. At the time of the Peloponnesian war the Amphilochi were in close alliance with the Acarnanians. After the death of Alexander the Great the Amphilochi were conquered by the Aetolians; and they were at a later time included in the Roman province of Epirus. The only town in their country was Argos, surnamed Amphilochicum, under which the history of the people is more fully given. There were also a few vilifies or fortresses, which owe their importance simply to their connection with the history of Argos, and which are therefore described in that article. [.]

<section end="AMPHILOCHIA" /> <section begin="AMPHIMALLA" />AMPHIMALLA (, Strab. p. 475; Plin. iv. 20;, Steph. B. s. v.), a town in the N. of Crete, situated on the bay named after it (, Ptol. iii. 17. § 7), which corresponds, according to some, to the bay of Armiro, and, according to others, to the bay of Suda.

<section end="AMPHIMALLA" /> <section begin="AMPHIPOLIS" />AMPHI'POLIS (: Eth., Amphipolites: Adj. Amphipolitanus, Just, xiv. sub fin.), a town in Macedonia, situated upon<section end="AMPHIPOLIS" />