Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume I Part 2.djvu/112

 EBYX. %Mx> named Eiyz, who wu said to hara reeeiTed iiercnlea on his risit to this part of Sidlj, and oon- tendad with that hero in a wmtling match, but was vaoqaiahed by him. This Efyz was a son dP Aphro- dite and Bates, a king of the coantiy, and is hence npeatedly alladed to bj Virgii as a brother of Aeneas, thooj^h that poet does not refer to him tlie j.^ <7-foandatioa of the citj. (DitKl. iv. 23, 83; Vii^. ^ A9m, ▼. 34, 412, &c.; Senr. ad loe,) 'fh/e legends which connected it with Aeneas and a Txxgan chief named Eljmns evidently pointed to what we learn from Thncjrdides as an historical fiMt,'that Eryx as well as Segesta was a city of the Elymi, a Sicilian iribe, which is represented by afanoat all ancient writers as of Trojan descent (Thoc tl 2; Strab. ziii. p. 608.) It does not appear to have ever re- ceived a Gree^ colony, bnt beciune gradnally Hellen- iaed, like moat other cities of Sicily, to a great extent ; though Thucydides (/. c.) still spmks of the Elynu, including the people of Eryz and Segesta, as bar- barians. Nothing is known of its hktocy previooa to that period, but it seems probable that it followed tar the most part the lead of the more powerful dty of Segesta, and after the fiulure of the Athenian •zpedidoo became a dependent ally of the Cartha- ginians. In B. c. 406, a sea-fight took pUK» be- tween a Carthaginian and a Syracnsan fleet off the neighbourhood of Eryz, in which the latter was Tietorious. (Died, ziii 80.) On occasion of the great expedition of DioDysius to the W. of Sicily, in B. c. 397, Eryz waa one of the cities which joined the Syracnsan despot just befiore the siege of Motya, but it was speedily recovered by Uimilco in the fol- lowing year. (Id. xiv. 48, 55 ) It again fell into the hands of IHonyrins shortly befSoro hbi death (Id. zv. 73), but must have been once more recovered by the Carthaginians, and probably continued subject to theur rule ttU the expedition of Pyrrhus (b. o. 278). On that occasion it was occupied by a strong garrison, which, combined with ita natural strength of position, enabled it to oppoee a vigoroos resistance to the king •f Epeims. It was, however, taken by assault, Pyrrhus himself leading the attack, and taking the opportunity to display his personal prowess as a worthy descendant of Heracles. (Died. zx. 10, Exc H. p. 498.) In the First Punic War we find Eryz again in the hands of the Carthaginians, and in b. c.
 * I60 their general Hamikar destroyed the city, re-

moving the inhabitants to the neighbouring promon- tory c^ Drepanom, where he founded the town of that name. (Id. zziiL 9.) The old site, however, eesTis not to hare been wholly deserted, for a few yean later we are told that the Roman consul L. Junius made himself master by surprise both of the temple and the dty. (Id. zxiv. 1; Pol. L 55; Zonar. viii. 15.) The former seems to have been well fortified, and, from its position on the summit of the mountain, constituted a military post of great strength. Hence probably it was that Hamilcar Barca, suddenly abandoning the singular position he had so kng held on the nnountain of Erote, trans- ferred his forces to Eryx, as being a still more im- pregnable stronghold. But though he surprised and made himself master of the town of Eiyx, which was situated about half-way up the mountain, he was unable to reduce the temple and fortress on the summit, the Soman garrison of which was able to defy all his efforts. Meanwhile Hamilcar main- tained his position in the city, the remaining inha- bitants of which he transferred to Drepana; and tjwogh besieged or bkwkaded in his turn by a Romaa - EfiYX 853 army at the foot of the mountain, he preserved his communications with the sea, and was only com- pelled to abandon posseesion oi Eryz and Drepana when the great naval victory of Lutatius Catnlus over the Carthaginians forced that people to sue for peace, b. c. 241. (Pd. i. 58 ; Died. zziv. 8. p. 509 ; Liv. zzi. 10, zxviii. 41.) From this time the town of Erjrx sinks into insig- nificance, and it may even be doubted whether it was ever restored. Cicero alludes to the temple, but never notices the town ; and Strabo speaks of it as in his day almost uninhabited. Pliny, indeed, enume- rates the Erycini among the municipal communities of Sicily ; but the circumstance mentioned by Tadtua, that it was the Segeetans who applied to Tiberius for the restoration of the temple, would seem to in- dicate that the sanctuary was at that time dependent, in a munidpal sense, on Segesta. (Cic Verr, ii. 8« 47; Strab. v. p. 272; Plin. iiL 8. s. 14; Tac Aim, iv. 43.) No trace of the subsequent existence of the town of Eryx is fonnd; the remaining inhabitants appear to have eettled on the summit of the hill, where the modem town of & Gk t iian o has grown up on the site of the temple. No remains of the an- cient city are extant; bnt it appears to have occu- pied the site now marked by the convent of Sia, iliMia, about half-way down the mountain. (Smyth's SicUy, p. 243.) The temple, as already mentioned, was generally connected by popular legood with the Trojan settle- ments in this part of Sidly; if any value can be attached to theee traditiona, they wonM point to ita bemn: an andent seat ci Pelasgio worahip, rather than of Phoenician origin, as supposed by many writers. Even those authon who represent it as founded before the time of Aeneas relate that It was visited by that hero, who adorned it with splendid offerings. (Diod. iv. 83 ; Dionys. I 53.) It is certain that tiie sanctuary had the good fortune to be regarded with equal reverence by the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Greeks, and Bomans. As early as the time of the Athenian expedition to Sicily (b.o. 415), we learn from ThncycUdes that it was rich in vessels and other offerings of gold and silver, of which the Segeetans made use to delude the Athenian envoys into a belief of then: wealth. (Thuc vi. 46.) The Cartha- ginians appear to have identified the Venus Eiydna with the Phoenidan goddess Astarte, and hence showed her much reverence; while the Romans paid extraordinary honoun both to the goddess and her temple, on account of their supposed connection witii Aeneas. They were, indeed, unable to prevent thdr Gaulish mercenaries from plundering the temple at the time of its capture by Junius (Pol. ii. 7); but this appean to have been tJie only occasion on whidi it suffered, and its losses were quickly repaired, for Diodoms speaks of it as in a flonrishing and wealthy condition. The Roman magistrates appointed to the government of Sidly never foiled to pay a visit of honour to this celebrated sanctuary ; a body of troops was appdnted as a guard of honour to watch over it* and seventeen of the principal dties in Sicily were commanded to pay a yearly sum of gold for its adornment (Diod. iv. 83; Strab. v. p. 272; Cic. Ferr, ii 8.) Notwithstanding this, the deoay of the dty, and declining condition of this part of Sidly generally, appean to have caused the temple also to be neglected : hence in a. d. 25 the Segeetans ap- phed to Tiberius for its restoration, which that em- peror, according to Tacitus, readily undertook ** ut oonsanguineus," bnt did not^ cany into effect, leaving 3i 3