Page:The geography of Strabo (1854) Volume 2.djvu/315

 B. xii. c. in. 32, 33. PONTUS. 307 Pharnaces." This is also the temple of the moon, like that among the Albani, and those in Phrygia, namely the temple of Men in a place of the same name, the temple of Ascaeus at Antioch in Pisidia, and another in the territory of Antioch. 32. Above Phanaroea is Comana 1 in Pontus, of the same name as that in the Greater Cappadocia, and dedicated to the same goddess. The temple is a copy of that in Cappadocia, and nearly the same course of religious rites is practised there ; the mode of delivering the oracles is the same ; the same respect is paid to the priests, as was more particularly the case in the time of the first kings, when twice a year, at what is called the Exodi of the goddess, (when her image is carried in procession,) the priest wore the diadem of the goddess and received the chief honours after the king. 33. We have formerly mentioned Dorylaus the Tactician, who was my mother's great grandfather ; and another Dorylaus, who was the nephew of the former, and the son of Philetaerus ; I said that, although he had obtained from Mithridates the highest dignities and even the priesthood of Comana, he was detected in the fact of attempting the revolt of the kingdom to the Romans. Upon his fall the family also was disgraced. At a later period however Moaphernes, my mother's uncle, rose to distinction near upon the dissolution of the kingdom. But a second time he and his friends shared in the misfortunes of the king, except those persons who had anticipated the ca- lamity and deserted him early. This was the case with my maternal grandfather, who, perceiving the unfortunate progress of the affairs of the king in the war with Lucullus, and at the same time being alienated from him by resentment for having lately put to death his nephew Tibius, and his son Theophilus, undertook to avenge their wrongs and his own. He obtained pledges of security from Lucullus, and caused fifteen fortresses to revolt ; in return he received magnificent promises.- On the arrival of Pompey, who succeeded Lucullus in the conduct of the war, he regarded as enemies (in consequence of the enmity which subsisted between himself and that general) all those persons who had performed any services that were ac- ceptable to Lucullus. On his return home at the conclusion of the war he prevailed upon the senate not to confirm those honours which Lucullus had promised to some persons of 1 Gumenek. x 2