Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume I Part 2.djvu/105

 846 EBDINL close of which Hamilcar Barca, finding himself un- able to keep the field against the Bomans, suddenly established himself with his whole army in this mountain fortress, where he maintained himself for nearly three years, in spite of aJl the efforts of the Bomans to dislodge him. A Roman camp was esta- blished about 5 stadia from Panonnus, for the pur- pose of covering that city, which was scarcely more than a mile and a half from the foot of the moun- tain. Hamilcar on his part fortified the only avail- able approach, and skirmishes took place ahnost daily between the two armies. Polybius has left us a detailed and accurate account of the peculiar cha- racter of the locality; but he overrates its extent when he reckons the summit of the mountain as not less than 100 stadia in circuit The upper part of it, he tells us, was capable of cultivation, and pos- sessed abundance of fresh water; while it com- manded a small but secure port, which enabled Hamilcar to carry on his maritime expeditions, with which he ravaged the coasts both of SicUy and Italy. (PoL L 56, 57 ; Diod. xxiii. 20, Exc U. p. 506.) The determination of this port is the only topo- EBETBIA. * graphical difficulty coimected with £itte. (J^ut ofRomej voLiL pu 613) supposea it to hxn been the small bay of Mondello, between Mtmim Pellegrino and Capo di GaUof but this ooold hudlj have been efiectaally commanded from Ercte, and it is more probable that the small cove of Sku Marktf on the £. side of the mountain, is the one meaiiL Polybius speaks of the mountain beiog acceesibfe at three points only ; but two (^ these must have been mere paths, very steep and difficult. Bendes the approach fipom Palermo, there are in f»/A only two breaks in the line of clifi&, one of which leads direeCly down to the cove of Sta. Maria, The accompaayiDg plan (copied from Gapt Smyth's survey), and ontline view, will give a clear idea dt the nature of thii mountain fortress. (Clnver. SidL p. 277 ; Amic ad FaeeU. vii. 6. p. 318; Swiabume's TnoiBk, voL iL p. 209, &C.) Mannert has erroneously transferred the site ef Ercte to the headland now called Cc^ & Viio, nearer to Eiyx and Drepana than to Panonniu; hat Polybius*s testimony to its close proximity to the Utter town is perfectly distinct. [E. H. B.] '^yf-r/ VIEW OP MOUKT BRCTA. ERDINI, in Ireland, mentioned by Ptolemy as occupants c^ the w^tem side of Ireland next to the Yenniani (Donegal), and north - of the Nagn&t (CoTmaught') := the parts about Loch Erne =s Fer- managh, [R« G. L.] EREBINTHODES, an island in the Propontis, which Pliny mentions with Elaea and other unknown islets. [Elaea.] [G. L.] E'RESUS or ERESSUS p^peeros: Elk 'Epwioj, (Steph. B. s. v.) EresBUS, as it is in the text of Strabo (p. 618), was a city of Lesbos, situated on a hill, and reaching down to the sea. From Eressus to Gape Sigrium is 28 stadia, as the MSSb have it, which Gasaubon (ed. Strab.) has changed to 18. It was on the west side of the island, and its ruins are said to be at some little distance firom a place now called Eresao, which is situated on a hill. Eressus joined Mytilene and other towns in Lesbos in the revolt from the Athenians during the Pela^ ponnesian War(B. c. 428); but it was compelled to surrender to Paches, the Athenian commander, shortly after. (Thuc. iii. 25, 35.) There was a fresh revolt from Athens (b. g. 412), and a fresh subjugation. (Thuc. viii. 23.) It revolted a third time shortly after (Thuc viii. 100), and was be- sieged by Thrasybulus with an Athenian force, but he was obliged to give up the siege to follow the Peloponnesians to the Hellespont. In b. a 392 Thrasybulus lost many ships in a storm off Eresus, but he recovered the town, with other places in Lesbos, for the Athenians. (Diod. xiv. 94.) Eresus is mentioned by Pliny (v. 31) as one of the existing cities of Lesbos. Eresus was the birthplace of Tyrtamus, to whom his master Aristotle gave the name of Theophraatas. Phanias, another of Aristotle's pupils, was also a native of Eresus. According to ihe poet Arcfaes- tratus, in his Gastronomia, quoted by Athenaeus (iii. p. Ill), if ever the gods eat fiour, they send Hermes to bay it at Eresus. The name of the town on the coins is said to be always EPESIAN, with one 2. [G. L.] ERETRIA. l.CEp^pto: Eih. 'Eprtw^j, fem. ^Ep€Tpi5,*Ep€Tpidsi Adj. *Ep€rpuc6Sf *EpsTpiaic6s% one of the most ancient, and next to Ghalds the most powerful city in Euboea, was situated upon the western coast of the island, a little south of Chalds, and at the south-western extremity of the extensive and fertile plain of Lelantum. The Eretrians are represented as lonians (Herod, viii. 46), and were supposed to have come from Eretria in Attica. (Strab. viii. p. 447 ; respecting the Attic Eretria, see Athenae, p. 294.) It seems, however, that the population was not pnrely Ionic, and, accord- ingly, some writers related that it had been colonised from the Triphylian Macistus in Elis. (Strab. L e.) Strabo relates that it was formerly called Melaneis and Arotria. At an early period Eretria was one of the diief maritime states in Greece, and attained a high degree of prosperity and power. Andros, Tenoe, and Geos, as well as other islands, were at (me time sub- ject to Eretria. (Strab. viii. p. 448.) According to some accounts, they took part in the colonisation of Gromae [Gromae, p. 716], and they founded some colonies upon the peninsula of Ghalcidice. Eretria is mentioned by Homer. (//. il. 537.) The mSI-
 * Ep€0-i€vs), so called from Eresns the son of Macar.