Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume I Part 1.djvu/739

 CUSA. CUSA (Ko^a), a river on the W. ooa&t of Man- fetaou Tiogitana, S. of Atlas Minor and N. of the imr Asania. (PtoL ir. 1. § 2.) [P. S.] CUSAE (Xnuaw, Aelian, 27. ^In. x. 27 ; Kdiros or 'Axo^oo'a, Hierocles, p. 790), the modern Ktuieh, was a town in the Lycopolite nome of the Thebaid. In the Notitia Imperii it is noted as the head-qnarters oftheLegioII. ConstantiaThebaeonim. The goddess Aphrodite Onrania was held in especial reverence at Gnsae nnder the symbol of a white cow. (Aelian, I c.) At a later period it was an episcopal city. There appears to have been another town of this name in the Hennopolite nome of the Heptanomis. [W. B. D.] GUSH, the Scripture name fer Arabia, nsnallj rendered bj the LXX. AtBunrieiy as e. g. Numb. ziL l;/«aMA,zi.ll;£ra6ajb.iiL7,&c [G.W.] CU'SIBI. [OUBTAHI-] CUTATISIUM (KmnarUrtop, Procop. B, G. iv. 13, 14), a small town in Colchis, on the river Phasis, now KchUau or Kutaii. It was identified with the mythical Cytae or Cytaea, said to have been the birthplace of Medea (Steph. B. s. v.; PKn. It. 12. s. 26), whence the adjectives Gytaeaeus and Gytaens, nsed in reference to Medea and Colchis rPropert. L 24; Val. FUu!C vi 693). Scylax, on tiie other hand, states that Mala, on the same river, was entitled to tbat hononr. [V.] CUTFLIAE (KoTvAia), a town of the Sabines, between Beate and Interocrea, situated in the im- mediate neighbourhood of a small lake, which bore the name of GumjAs Lacos (Plin. iiL 12. s. 17), or Lacus Gatiliensis (Varr. X*. J^ t. 71 ; Macrob. Sat L 7). This was in (act a mere pool, — according to Dionysros it was only 400 feet in diameter, but of great depth; and it derived great celebrity from the drcumstanoe of its having a floating island on its suHaoe. This phenomenon, which is the subject of great ex a ggeration with many ancient writers, is well described by Dionysius, who tells us that **- the island is abont 50 feet in diameter, and it rises to the height of about a foot above the water: it is not fixed, uid floats about in difierent directions, as the wind drives it, sometimes one way, sometimes another. There grow on it a kind of rushes, and a few hashes of small size." (Dionys. i. 15 ; Plin. ii 95; Seneo. Nat, (^ iiL 25; Sotion. di Mir. Font 37; Macrob. te.) It is evident that this marvel arose from the incrustations of carbonate of lime formed by the waters of the lake, fragments of which might from time to time be detached from the overhanging cmst thus formed on the banks: the same pheno- mensn occun, though on a smaller scale, at the Aqnae Albulae near Tibur. (Gell, Top. ofRomSj f. 41.) According to Dionysius the lake was con- •ecrated to Victory, "Mwming probably the Sabine goddess Vacuna, and was regarded as so sacred that M> one was allowed to approach its banks, except on oertain festivals. The Cntilian Lake still exists under the name of Poteo di RaHgnano or Latignano^ though apparently reduced in size by the continual iDcrustatian of its banks; but the floating island has disappeared. The lake is situated in the level valley of the VelmOf at the feot of the hill on which stands the modem village of PeUemo. In its immediate neighbourhood are numerous other springs, some hot mnd some oold, and varying in their mineral qualities, but mostly of a sulphureous character. These are tiia AguAE Cutiliab (rh iy KurtXiois ^XP^ Mrra, Strab. v. p. 228), mentioned by Strabo and other writers, and which appear to have been much sesorted to by the Romans for their medical pro- TOL. I. GYANE. 721 I peities. (Gels, de Mtd. iv. 6.) Among other instancea we learn that Vespasian was in the habit of visiting them every year; and it was while residing here for the purpoee of using them, that his death took pUoe, A. D. 79. (Suet Vup. 24; Dion Cass. Ixvi. 17.) There still exist some fine ruins of Boman baths, at a short distance from the Udce; and the basin of one of the springs is surrounded with marble steps. (E. Craven, Jfrrum, vol. L pp. 231—235; Chaupy, Maiton ^Horace, vol. iii. pp. 102, 103.) It is probable that there grew up something of a town around the mineral springs of Gutilia, and hence we find the name of Cntiliae, as that of a town or village, both in the Itineraries, and even in Livy, where he is describing the route of Hannibal from Amitemum to Rome. (Liv. xxvL 1 1 ; Itin. Ant p^ 107. The Tab. Pent., however, marks the spot as the Aquae Cutiliae.) But there was never, in the Bonum times at least, a municipal town of the name, and the lake and springs of Cutilia were included in the territory of Reate. (Plin. iii 12. s. 17; Suet. Vetp. 24.) Dionysius indeed ssserts that there was in early times ^* a considerable city " (w^is irt^ y^s), to which he gives the name of Cotylia, and the foundation of which he ascribes to the Aborigines (L 15. 19); but if there ever was a city of the name, all trace of it must have disappeared at a very early period. The Itinerary places Cutiliae 8 M. P. from Beate, and 6 from Interocrea; which are jnst about the true distances: the Tabula gives 9 fer the one and 7 for the other. Varro terms the Cutilian Lake the ^ Umbilicus Italiae " because it was exactly in the centre of the peninsula. It is in fact just about half way between the two seas. (Varr. ap. Plin. iii. 12. s. 17; D'Anville, AnaL Gtogr. de VltatU^ p. 165.) This circumstance has led some writers to confound it with the Amsanctus of Viigil, which he places ** Italiae in medio" {Am. vii 563); but the position of the latter in the region of the Hirpini is clearly established. [Amsamcti Vauj&] [E.H.B.] CUTINA, a town of the Vestini, mentioned only by Livy (viiL 29). [Cxnoiua.] CYAIIE (Kvciyi}), a fountain and river in the neighbourhood of Syracuse, flowing into the Anapus. According to a legend preserved by several ancient writers, it was the spot where Pluto descended to the infernal regions with Proserpine, after he had carried her off near Enna. According to Ovid, the tutehry nymph of the fountain, Gyane, who is represented as the bride of Anapus, in vain endeavoured to oppose Pluto, and was in consequence herself changed into & fountain. (Ovid, i/et v. 409— 437,465; Claudian^ de Rapt. Proterp. iiL 246; Died. v. 4; Cic Verr. iv. 48.) The extreme beauty and clearness of ita waters (firom the deep blue colour of which its name was obviously derived) would naturally lead to the worship of its tuteUuy nymph; and we accord- ingly find tbat there was a shrine or temple of Cyane in the immediate neighbourhood of the foun- tain, where an annual festival was held, the institu- tion of which was ascribed to Hercules. (Diod. iv. 23, v. 4, xiv. 72; AeL V. H. ii. 33.) The source of the Cyane, now called La Pitmoy is situated in low marshy ground, at the foot of the limestone hills due W. from the great harbour of Syracuse, from which it is distant about two miles. It is a beau- tiful circular basin, of about 50 feet in diameter, and 20 or 30 deep : its pellucid blue waters well up with a strong spring, and form at once a considerable river, which flows with a deep and tranqnil current 3a