Page:The Natural History of Pliny.djvu/459

 Cliap. 14.] ACCOUNT OF COUNTEIES, ETC. 425 bia. (13.) After this, at the point where the Sirbonian Lake^ becomes visible, Idumoea and Pahrstina begin. This lake, which some wi-iters have made to be 150 miles in circum- ference, Herodotus has placed at the foot of Mount Casius ; it is now an inconsiderable fen. The to^^'ns are Ehinocolura^, and, in the interior, Ehaphea^, Gaza, and, still more inland, Anthedon"*: there is rflso Mount Argaris^ Proceeding along the coast we come to the region of Samaria ; Asealo", a free town, Azotus^, the two Jamniae^, one of them in the in- 1 Now called the Sabakat Bardowal. It lay on the coast of Egypt, east of Mount Casius, and it is not improbable that the boundary-line between Egypt and Palsestina or Idumsea ran thi'ough the middle of its waters. It was strongly impregnated with asphaltus, A connection formerly existed between it and the Mediten*anean, but this being stopped up, it gradually grew smaller by evaporation and is now nearly diy. 2 The present Kulat-el-Arich or El Arish, situate at the uiouth of the brook El- Arish, caUed by the Scriptures the " river of Egypt." Its name signifies in Gi-eek, "cutting off' of noses," and is probably derived fi*om the fact of its having been the place of exile for criminals who had been so mutilated, imder the ^Ethiopian kings of Eg;"pt. Poinsinet suggests however that the name means the " to^^^l of the circumcised." 3 The place on its site is still caUed Kefah, but it was really situate on the coast. Gaza has been already mentioned in a Note to C. 12, p. 423. < Anthedon was on the coast of Palestine, although Pluiy says to the contrary. It was situate about three miles to the south-west of Gaza, and was destroyed by ^Uexander Jannaeus. In the time of Julian it was addicted to the worship of Astarte, the Syrian Venus. Accordhig to Dupinet the present name of its site is Daron. 5 Brotier says that this is the same as the Mount Gerizim of Scrip- ture, but that was situate in Samaria, a considerable distance fi-ora the southern coast of Palaestina. Phny is tlic only author that mentions it. ^ The Ascalon of Scripture, one of the five cities of the Philistines, situate on the coast of the Mediterranean, between Gaza and Jamnia. In early times it was the seat of the worship of Derceto, a fish with a woman's head. The ruins, which still bear the name of Askidan, are very extensive, and indicative of great strength. The shalot or scallion was originally a native of this place, and thence derived its name. 7 The Ashdod of Scripture. It was one of the five cities of the Phi- listines and the chief seat of the worsliip of Dagon. Herodotus states that it stood a siege of twenty-nine years from Psammetiehus, king of Egypt. It was afterwards taken and retaken several times. It was eituate between Ascalon and Janmia, and its site is indicated by the ' modem village of Esdad, but no ruins of the ancient city are visible. 8 One of these was a city of the PhiHstines, assigned to the tribe of Judah in the fifteenth Cha))ter of Joshua, iri, uccorduiv to the Septua- gint version, but omitted in the Hebrew, which only mentions it in