Page:The Natural History of Pliny.djvu/462

 428 Pliny's natueal histort. [Book V. palm-trees, and watered by numerous springs, and thoee of Emmaiis^ Lydda-, Joppe, Acrabatena^ Gophna^ Thamna^ Bethleptephene*', Oriua^ in which formerly stood Hiero- solyma^ by far the most famous city, not of Judaea only, but of the East, and Herodium^, with a celebrated town of the same name. (15.) The river Jordanes^*^ rises from the spring of Panias", which has given its surname to Csesarea, of which we shall pakn-grove, which was presented by Antony to Cleopatra. A Bedomn encampment called Eiha is all that now occupies its site. 1 A city eight or ten miles from the village Emmaiis of the New Tes- tament. It was called NicopoHs, in commemoration, it has been sug- gested, of the destruction of Jerusalem. Its site is still marked by a village called Ammious, on the road from Jerusalem to Jaffa. 2 So often mentioned in the New Testament. Tliis town lay to the S.E. of Joppa, and N.W. of Jerusalem, at the junction of several roads which lead Irom the sea-coast. It was destroyed by the Komans in the Je^vlsh war, but was soon after rebuilt, and caUed Diospohs. A village called Lud occupies its site. 3 So caUed from Acrabbim, its chief town, situate nine mHes from JNicopohs. The toparchy of Acrabbim, which formerly formed part of Samaria, was the most northerly of those of Juda?a. _ * Situate in the country of Benjamui. Josephus reckons it second in miportance only to Jerusalem, from which, according to Eusebius, it was distant fifteen miles, on the road to the modern Nablous. That author also identifies it with the Eshcol of Scriptm-e. Its site is marked by a small Christian village, called by the natives Jufna. 5 Like the two precetling ones, this toparchy for a long time belono-ed to Samaria. Thamna, or Thamnis, was the Thnnath-Serah in Momit Ephraim, mentioned in Joshua xix. 50, and xxiv. 30, as the place where Joshua was buried. 6 The toparchy of Bethleptepha of other authors. It appears to have been situate m the south of Judaea, and in that part which is br Josephus commonly caUed Idumcea. Eeland has remarked, that the name resembles Beth-lebaoth, a city of the tribe of Shneon, mentioned m Joshua xix. 6. From the Greek, meaning the "mountain district," or the "hill country," as mentioned in Luke i. 39. 8 Or " Sacred Solyma." 9 A fortress of Palsestina, erected by Herod the Great, at a distance of about sixty stadia from Jerusalem, and not far from Tekoa. Its site has been identified by modern traveUers ^^-ith El-Furedis, or the Paradise • probably the same as the spot caUed the "Frank Mountain," on the top oi which the ruined waUs of the fortress are still to be seen. ^" Called by the Arabs Bahr-el-Arden. " Situate on Mount Panias, or Paneas, on the range of Anti-Libanus.