Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume I Part 2.djvu/107

 84S ERETUM. any praminent parfc in histoiy, though from its po- sition near the frontiers of the Sahine and Roman territories, and on the line by which the former people must advance upon Rome, it was the scene of repeated conflicts between the two nations. The first of these occurred in the reign of Tnllns Hos- tilius, during the war of that monarch with the Sabines (Dionys. iii. 32); his successor Tarquinius Priscus also defeated the Etruscans, who had taken advantage of the friendly disposition of the Sabines to advance through their territory, at Eretum (Id. iii. 59, iv. 3); and Tarquinius Superbus gained a de- cisive victory over the Sabines in the same neigh- bourhood. (Id. iv. 51.) Under the Roman republic also we find two victories recorded over the Sabines at the same place, the one by the consuls Postumius and Menenius in b.c. 503, the other by C. Nautius in B. c 458. (Id. v. 46 ; Liv. iii. 29.) During the deoemvirate also the Sabines established their head- quarters at Eretum, from whence they ravaged the Roman territory. (Liv. iii. 38 ; Dionys. xi. 3.) It is again mentioned in the Second Panic War as the place from whence Hannibal diverged to attack the shrine of Feronia in Etruria, during his advance on Rome (or, according to others, on his retreat) by the Salarian Way. (Liv. xxvL 11.) fiut though its position thus brings it frequently into notice, it is clear that it was, under the Roman dominion at least, a very inconsiderable place. Strabo says it was little more than a vilhige, and Valerius Maximus terms it ** vicus Sabinae regionis." Pliny does not even mention it among the towns of the &ibinra, nor is its name found in the Liber Goloniarum: hence it is almost certain that it did not enjoy municipal privileges, and was dependent on one of the neigh- bouring towns, probably Nomentum, But its name 18 still found in the Itineraries as a station on the Salarian Way, and it must therefore have continued to exist as late as the fourth century. From this time all trace of it disappears. (Strab. v. p. 228 ; Val. Max. ii. 4. § 5; Itm. Ant. p. 306; Tab. Pent.) The position of Eretum has been a subject of much dispute, though the data furnished by ancient autho- rities are sufficiently precise. The Itineraries place it 18 miles from Rome; and Dionysius in one passage (xi. 3) calls it 140 stadia (17^ miles) from the city, though in another place (iii. 32) he gives the same distance at only 107 staidia. Strabo adds that it was situated at the point of junction of the Via Salaria and Via Nomentana; a circumstance which could leave no doubt as to its position, but that there is some difficulty in tracing the exact course of the Via Salaria, which appears to have undergone re- peated changes in ancient times. [Via Salaria.] Hence Ghaupy was led to fix the site of Eretum at a place called Rimane, where there were some Roman ruins near a bridge called the Ponte di Ccua CoUa^ but this spot is not less than 21 miles from Rome; on the other hand, Monte RoUmdo^ the site chosen by Oluverius, is little more than 15 miles from Rome, and could never by possibility have been on the ^^ Nomentana. The hill now known as Grotta Marozza^ on the left hand of the Via Nomentana, rather more than 3 miles beyond Nomentum, has therefore decidedly the best chum: it is, according to Nibby, by actual measurement T^ miles from Rome, and it is probable that the ancient Via Sa- laria did not follow the same line with the modem road of that name, but quitted the valley of the Tiber near Monte HoUmdOj and joined the Via Nomentana near the spot above indicated. There ERIfiOLUH. are no ruins at Grotta Marozza, but the site is de- scribed as well-adapted for that of a town of small extent (Gluver. ItctL p. 667 ; Ghaupy, Maimm dHoracey vol. iii. pp. 85 — 92; Nibby, DvUond di Romaf vol. ii. pp. 143 — 147; Cell, Tap. of iZoine, p. 202.) At a short distance from this hill are some sulphureous springs now known as the Bagni di Grotta Marozza, which are in all prababtUtj those anciently known as the Aquae Labanak, tto Aagavh SSora of Strabo, who describes them as situ- ated in the neighbourhood of Eretum. (Strab. t. p. 238.) [E. H. B.] ERE'ZII, are placed by Pliny (v. SO) in Mysia, and thus mentioned: " Apolloniatae a Hhyndaeo amne, Erezii, Miletopolitae ;** from which we con- elude that the place was about ApoUonia and MOeto- polls. It is remarked (Plin. H. N. ed. Hard. Xotae, &c. ad lib. V. no. Ixxxiv.) that all the MS& of Ptinj have Eresii. The correction seems probable enongfa, for the reasons there given. The Table has a name Argesis on the road from Peigamum to Cyzicas, and 35 from Pergamum. Gramer (^Aaia Mmor, vol. i. p. 58) considers this the same place as the Argiza of Hierodes (Synecd. p. 663), which seems probable. He would also identify it with Pliny's Erezii, which may be true, but is not quite so certain. [G. LJJ ERG A. [Ileroetes.] ERGASTE'RIA, a phice in Mysia, on the road from Pergamum to Gyzicus, and 440 stadia from Pergamum. " Galen, in proceeding to Ergasteria from Pergamum, remarked a great quantity of me- tallic substance, which he calls molybdaena, Galen, de Medioam. Smp. ix. 22." (Leake, Atia Minor, p. 271.) [G. L.] ERGAVI'GA. [Geltiberia.] ERGE'TIUM CEpyiriov : Eth, 'Zfrfrnwiy, a city of Sicily, mentioned by Stephanos of Byzantinm (js. 9.) on the authority of Philistus. No mention of it is found in history, but the Ergetini are ennme* rated by Pliny among the inland towns of Sicily of stipendiary condition. (Plin. iii. 8. s. 14.) It is evidently the same place called by Silius Italicoa (xlv. 250) ErgStum, where the MSS. give the varia- tions Ergentum and Hergentum, and this renders it probable that the Sergentiam (^eprfivrwv) of Pto- lemy (iii. 4. § 1 3) is only another form of the same name. The site assigned by this last author would a^ree £sirly well with that of a plaos called La CittadeUa^ at the foot of the lofty hill now crowned by the town of Aidone. According to Fazello, oon- siderable ruins of an ancient city were in his time visible on this spot, which he erroneously identifies with those of Herbita. (Fazell. z. 2. p. 445 ; Gluver. Sicil. p. 338.) [E. H, B.] ERGI'NUS CEpytvos), a tributary of the river Hebrus in Thrace, the modem Erhene. (Apolkn. Rhod. i. 217; Pomp. Mel. ii. 2; Plin. iv. 18.) This seems to be the same river as the one called by some authors Regina (yrryam; Leo Armen. p. 434; oompu also Strab. vii. p. 331). [L. S.] ERGISGE (^Eftylaicri), a town of Thnhce, ap- parently in the neighbourhood of Doriscns, but ita site is unknown. (Aeschin. in Ctea, p. 396, ed. Reiske ; Dem. de Cor, p. 234, de Hahn. p. 85.) ERIBOEA. [Eribolum.] ERIBOLUM or ERIBOLUS QZpieoP^ov, Dioa Gass.; 'ZpiSola^ Ptol. v. 1) is placed by the Table, under the name of Eribulo, south of the bay of As- tacus, with the numeral XII., and north of Nicaea. It is Hyribolum in the Jerusalem Itin. Leake, ia