Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume I Part 1.djvu/241

 ARSINABIUM. ARSIXAHIUM PR. QApiTO'dpioy &cpov% a hcadkod on the W. coast of Libya Interior, placed by Ptoleiny (iv. 6. § 6) in 8° long., and 12° N. lat, between the two great rivers Daradus (Sbiej^oQ and Stachetr (^Gambia); a position exactly answering to that of C. Verde, the westernmost point of the whole coQlisieat of Africa. It is true that Ptolemy gives points on the W. coast of Africa more to the W., his vesteramoft point being the Pr. Cotes, at the mouth of the Straits, which he places in long. 6° [Ampe- LrsiA]; for he mistook the whole shape of this ojast, especially in its N. portion. But still his Pr. Arsinariom is the vrestemmost point of the coast for a kag distance on botli sides of it. The geogra- pfaen who place this cape N. of C. Blanco have not given Ptolemy sufficient credit for the accuracy of Jus kngitndea. [P. S.] ABSrXOE {jApau^t Strab. p. 804; Plin. v. 11. s. 12, vi 29. s. 33; Stef^L B. p. 126; Mart. Capell. 6. § 677 : JStL ^Apatpotnis, or ^Aptrivo*^), the aanae of sereral cities which derived their appellation from Arsiiioe, the fiivonrite sister of Ptolemy Phila- ddphos, who erected or extended and beautified them, and dedicated them to her honour or memory. Their erection or improvement ocmsequently dates between B.C. 284 — ^246. Each of these cities apparently oecopied the site of, or included, previously existing ARSINOE. 225 1. A city at the northern extremity of the Heroo- poGte golf, in the Bed Sea. It a the capital of the Heroopolite Dome, and one of the principal harbours beknging to Egypt. It appears to have been also de- wnminitrd Cleopatris (Strab. p. 780) and Arsinoites (PEc.T. 9. § 9; Orelli, Iwcr, 516). It is also con je c tu red to hare stood (m the site of the ancient Khadiiroth {ImmL xil. 2, 9; Numb, xxxiii. '7; Wiaer, JBUJioih. Jiealwarterb, iL p. 309). The Bodeni Ardeckeruti, a village near Suez, corresponds lo this Azainoe. It was seated near the eastern ter- maarinn of the Boyal canal which communicated with the Pdasiac branch of the Nile, and which Ptolemy Philaddphus carried on firom the Bitter Lakes to the head of the Heroopolite bay. Arsinoe (Plin. T. 12) was 125 miles from Pelusinm. The reremiea of the Andnoite m»ne were presented by that isiaoanrh to his sister, and remained the property of soooesaive queens or princesses of the Lagid lunfly. The shortness of the road across the eastern deanrt and its position near the canal wore the prin- cipal advantages of Arsinoe as a staple of trade. Bat although it possessed a capacious bay, it was exposed to the south wind, and the difficulties which afai|is eocoontered £ram reefs in working up the gulf were coosaderabk. Arsinoe, accordingly, was less digibly situated for the Indian traffic than either Siyos Hormoe or Berenice. In common, however, with other ports on the Red Sea Arsinoe improved ia its conmierce after the owquest of Egypt by the KoeaaiBi. One hundred and twenty vessels annuaUy sailed from Egyptian havens to bring ihim western India silk, precious stones, and aroroatics (Gibbon, D,amiF. dL vi). 2. In the Heptanomis, was the capital of the Bone AxiinoRes, and was seated on the western bank cf the Kile, between the river and the Lake Moeris, sAoth-west of Memphis, in lat 29° N. In tho Phareonic era Aninoe was denominated tho city of Crocodiles (^KpoKobtlXwy v6is)j from the peculiar nftrreace paid by its inhabitants to that animal. The repon in which AiBinoe stood — the modem El- F^oom — was the most fertile in Egypt. Besides corn and the usual cereals and vegetables of the Nile valley, it abounded in dates, figs, roses, and its vineyards and gardens rivalled those in the vicinity of ^exandria. Here too alone the olive repaid cul- tivation. The Arsinoite nome was bounded to the west by the Lake Moeris (JBerket el kerun) watered by the Canal of Joseph {BahrJutuf)^ and contained, besides various pyramids, the necropolis of the city of Crocodiles, the celebrated labyrinth, which to- gether with the Lake are described under Moeris. Extensive mocmds of ruins at Medinet-el-Fyoom^ or el'Faru represent the site of Arsmoe, but no remains of any remarkable antiquity, except a few sculptured blocks, hate hitherto been found Uiere. In the later periods of the Boman empire Arsinoe was annexed to the department of Arcadia, and became the chief town of an episcopal see. (Strab. xvii. p. 809, seq.; Herod, ii. 48; Died. i. 89; Aelian. U,A, x. 24; Plin. V. 9. s. 11, xxxvi. 16 ; Mart Capell. vi. 4 ; Belzoni's TravelSy vol. ii. p. 162 ; Champollion, VEgypUy vol. i. p. 323, seq.) 3. A city in the Regio Troglodytica upon the western coast of the Red Sea between Philoteras {Kosseir) and Myos Hormoe. (Strab. xvi. p. 769.) It was previously called Olbia (Steph. B. t. v, 'Ap« ffiv&n)' According to Agatharchides {de Hvb. Afar, p. 53), there were hot springs in its neighbourhood. Arsinoe stood nearly at the point where the limestone range of the Arabian hills joins the Mons Porphy- rites, and at the southern entrance of the Heroo- polite Gulf. 4. A city in Aethiopia, north of Dir& Berenices, and near the entrance of the Red Sea {Bab-el- Mandeb), (Strab. xvi. p. 773; Mela, iii. 8; Plin. vi. 34; Ptol. iv. 5. § 14.) [W. B. D.] 5. A town of Crete assigned to Lyctus. (Steph. B.) Berkelius {ad loc.) supposes that an error had crept into the text, and that for Avktov we should read Avxlas. Its existence has been confirmed by some coins with the types and emblems peculiar to the Cretan mints. (Eckhel, vol. ii. p. 304.) 6. A town in the E. of Cyprus, near the pro- montory of Acamas (Strab. xiv. p. 682 ; Ptol. v. 14. § 4), formerly called Marion (Mdpfoi^ ; Steph. B. «. r.; comp. Scylax, s.v. Cyprus), Ptolemy Soter destroyed this town, and removed the inhabitants to Paphos (Diod. xix. 89). For coins of l^iarion see Eckhel, vol. iiu p. 86. The name of Arsinoe was given to it in honour of the Aegyptian princess of that name, the wife and sister of Ptolemy Philadel- phus. Hierocles and Const Porphyr. {Thevi. i. 15) place it between Paphos and Soloi. The modem ' name is Polikrutoko or CrisopKoUy from the gold mines in the neighbourhood. According to Strabo / / J (/. c.) there was a grove sacred to Zeus. Cyprus, ' from its subjection to the kings of the Lagid family, bad more than one city of this name, which was common to several princesses of that house. Another Arsinoe is placed near Ainmochostus to ' the N. of the island (Strab. p. 683j). A third city of the same name appears in Strabo (2. c), with a harbour, temple, and grove, and lies between Old and New Paphos. The ancient name survives in the present Arschdia (D'Anville, Mem, de VAcad, dee Irucrip. vol. xxxii. pp. 537, 545, 551, 554 ; Engel, KyproBy vol. i. pp. 73, 97, 137; Marati, Viaggi^ vol. i. p. 200). [E. B. J.] 7. One of the five cities of the Libyan Penta- polis in Cyrenaica: so called under the Ptolemies; Q