Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume I Part 1.djvu/200

 184 ARACHNAEUM. t^ Canaraugnsta, in Hispania Tarraconensis, at the foot of ihe Pyrene^, 24 M. P. west of Pamplona, on the little river AraqwL (Plin. iii. 3. 8. 4; Itin, Ant. p. 455.) [P. S.] ARACHNAEUM (rb 'Apax»'a«ov 5poj), a moon- tain in Peloponnesus, forming the boundary between the territories of Corinth and Epidaurus. (Pans, ii. 25. § 10; Steph. B. #. v. Hesjch. *. v. htrviKi- vov Leake, Morea^ vol. ii. p. 417, seq., vol. iii. p. 312.) ARACHO'SLA. (t) *Apax<»iria: Eth. Kpax<^ot, Strab. rv. p. 723; Arrian, Anab. vi. 17 ; 'Apax**- Toi, Dion. Perieg. v. 1096, Plin. v. 20. s. 23; Aracho- sii, Plin. vi. 9. s. 21), a province of Eastern Persia, bounded on the N. by the Paryeti M. (JlazdraSy a portion of the chain of the Paropamisus, Hindu- KtuK)^ on the £. by the Indus, on the S. by Gedro- sia, and on the W. by Drangiana. It comprehends the present provinces of tlie N£. part of Baluchistan, Cutchj GandavOf Kandahar, Seweatan, and the SW. portion of K6buUstan. Col. Rawlinson (Joum. Geogr. Soc. vol. xii. p. 113) has supposed the name to be derived from Harakhwati (Stuisc. Saraswati), ' which is also preserved in the Arabic Rakhaj (ap- plied generally to Kandahar), and on the Arghand- ab-river. According to Wilson {Ariana, p. 158), there is a place called Rohaj or RoJduij, on the route from Host to Ghizni. It appears to have been a ridi and thickly peopled province, and acquired early importance as being one of the main routes £rom India to Persia. Its chief mountains were called Paryeti (Hazarai), in- cluding probably part of the Soliman Koh and their SW. branch the Khojeh Amran mountains. It was watered by several streams, of which the principal bore the name of Arachotus [ Arachotus] : and contained the subordinate tribes of ^e Paryeti, Sidri, Rhoplutae, and Eoritae. Its most ancient capital was Arachotus or Arachosia [Arachotus] ; and in later times Alexandreia or AlexandreiopoUs, a name probably given to it subsequently in honour of Alex- ander the Great (Strab. xv. p. 723, seq. ; Arrian, Anab, iii. 28 ; Steph. s. v. ; Ptol. ; Rawlinson, Wilson, //. cc.) [V.] ARACHO'TI FONS. [Arachotus, No. 2.] ARACHOTUS. 1. (Apdx»ros, Ptol. vi 20. §6; Isid. Charax; Plin. vi. 23; Arachoti, "Apaxfl*- Tot, Strab. xi. p. 514; Steph. B ; Arachosia, Plin. vi. 33), the chief city of Arachosia, said to have been founded by Semiramis (Steph. B. s. v.), and to have been watered by a river which flowed from the Indus eastward into a lake called ^Apdxt^os Kpijvij (Ptol. vi. 20. § 2), and by Solinus to have been situated on the Etymander. Some difference of opinion has existed in modem times as to the exact position of this town, and what modem city or ruins can be idendfled with the ancient capital. M. Court (Joum. AsioL Societ.' Beng.) has identified some ruins on the Arghasan river, 4 parasangs from Kan- dahar, on the Toad to Shiharpur, with those of Ara- chotus; but these Prof. Wilson considers to be too much to the S£. Rawlinson (Jowm. Geog. Soc. vol. xii. p. 113) thinks that he has found them at a place, now called U'^m Robot. He states, what is in- deed curious, that the most ancient name of the city, Cophen, mentioned by Stephanns and Pliny, has given rise to the territorial designation of Kipin, applied by the Chinese to the surrounding country. The ruins are of a very remarkable character, and the mea- surements of Strabo, Pliny, and Ptolemy are, he con- siders, decisive as to the identity of the site. Stepha- ARACHTHUS. * nns has apparently contrasted two cities, — Ann chosia, whidi he says is not &r troai the Massagetae, and Arachotus, which he calls a town of India. CoL Rawlinson believes the contiguity of the Massa- getae and Arachosia may be explained by the rap- position that by Massagetae Stephanns meant the Sacae, who colonised the ffaednth Mountami on their way from the Hindu-Kuth to SacaiUm or S^stan. 2. ('Apaxan-d^, Steph. B.; Isid. Charax; Plin. ii. 23), the river of Arachosia, which flowed from the southern part of the Caucasus (Hindu-Ku»h and gave its name to the capital. (Steph. B.) Ptolemy has committed an error in extending this river to the Indus; but he has in part at- tained the truth in connecting it with a lake (Xfjuvi}, ^Jtij KoAcrrai *Apdx«TOj icp^n}, Ptol. ri. 20. § 2 ; " Arachoti Fons," Amm. Maxt^ xxiii. 26: perhaps the modem Dooree). The chief point is to determine what river Ptolemy refers to, as he does not give its name. The Etymander, Hennan- dus, or Eiymanthus (now Helmend), flows from the mountains W. of Kabul into Lake Zarah; and M. Bumouf has supposed this to be the Aracfaotiu, Zend Haraquaiti (Sansc Saraswaii) being a name common to a river, and implying connection with a lake. Wilson considers, however, liie present Ar- kand-Ab, one of the tributaries of the Sebnend^ as answering best to the description of Ptolemy. Another tributary caUed the TumuJs flows through a small bike called Dooree in f Iphinstone's map. It is posdble that the name Arachotus may have been fomierly applied indiscriminately to the three tributaries of the HelmeTid, the Arkand-ab, Tumuk, and Arghasan, which are all rivers of about the same volume. (Wilson, Ariana, pp. 156, 157.) [Y.] ARACHTHUS CApaxBos, Pol. xxii. 9; PtoLiiL 13; Liv. xliii. 22; Plin. iv. 1 ; "Apardos, Strab. pp. 325, 327; *Arare6s, Dicaearch. 42, p. 460, ed. Fulir; "Apcudos, Lycophr. 409 ; Tzetz. ad loc.; Arethon, Liv. xxxviii. 3; respecting the (xtho- gr&ybj, see Kramer, ad Strab. p. 325 : Aria), a river of Epirus, rising in Mount Tymphe and the district Paroraea, and flowing southwards first through the mountains, and then through the plain of Ambracia into the Ambraciot gulf. The town of Ambrada was situated on its left or eastern bank, at the distance of 7 miles from the sea, in a direct line. The Arachthns formed the boundary between ^ellas proper and Epirus, whence Ambracia was reckoned the first town in Hellas. The conntiy near the mouth of the river is full of marshes. The entrance to the present mouth of the Aria, which lies to the £. of tbe ancient mouth, is so obstructed by swamps and shoals as scarcely to be accessible even to boats; but on crossing this bar there are 16 or 17 feet of water, and rarely less than 10 in the channel, for a distance of 6 miles up tlie river. Three miles higher up the river altogether ceases to be navi- gable, not having more than 5 feet in the deepest part, and greatly obstmcted by shoals. The course of the river is very tortuous; and the 9 miles up the river are only about 2 frvm the gulf in a direct line. At the entrance, its width is about 60 yards, but it soon becomes much narrower; and 9 mUes up its width is not more than 20 yards. At Am- brada, however, its bed is about 200 yards across; but the stream in summer is divided by sand-banks into small rivulets, shallow, but rapid, running at least 4 miles an hour. Above Uie town, it appean