Pouqueville, Voyage de la Grèce, 6 vols. 8vo, Paris, 1826.| Rougier, Considerations generales sur l'Histoire, 8vo,
Prescott, Homer the Sleeper in Horace, 8vo, Camb., 1773.
Prichard, Physical History of Mankind, 8vo, 2 vols.,
London, 1826.

Sismondi, Fall of the Roman Empire, 8vo, Philad., 1835. Rome in the Nineteenth Century, 12mo, 2 vols., New-Spangenberg, de veteris Latii religionibus domesticis, York, 1827.

A.

CLASSICAL DICTIONAR Y,

АВА

&c. &c. &c.

ABA

ABE, a city of Phocis, near and to the right of | them by the fore part of their heads. The truth is, they Elatea, towards Opus. The inhabitants had a tradition wore their hair long behind as a badge of valour, and so that they were of Argive descent, and that their city the scholiast on Homer means by dvdpeias xúpiv was founded by Abas, son of Lynceus and Hypermnes- The custom of wearing long hair characterized many, if tra, grandson of Danaus (Paus. 10, 35). It was most not all of the warlike nations of antiquity; it prevailed probably of Thracian, or, in other words, Pelasgic ori- among the Scythians, who were wont also to cut off the gin. Abe was early celebrated for its oracle of Apol- hair of their captives as indicative of slavery (Hesych. lo, of greater antiquity than that at Delphi (Steph.-Bayeri Mem. Scyth. in comment. Acad. Petr. 1732, B). In later days, the Romans also testified respect p. 388); and also among the Thracians, Spartans, for the character of the place, by conceding important Gauls (Galli comati), and the early Romans (intonsi privileges to the Abeans, and allowing them to live Romani). As to the origin of this custom among the under their own laws (Paus. l. c.). During the Persian Spartans, Herodotus (1,82) seems to be in error, in dainvasion, the army of Xerxes set fire to the temple, and ting it from the battle of Thyrea, since Xenophon (Lac. nearly destroyed it; soon after it again gave oracles, Pol. 11, 3) expressly refers it to the time of Lycur though in this dilapidated state, and was consulted for gus (Plut. Vit. Lys. 1). The practice of scalping, that purpose by an agent of Mardonius (Herod. 8, 134). which, according to Herodotus (4, 64), existed among In the Sacred war, a body of Phocians having fled to it the ancient Scythians (Casaub. ad Athen. 524), and for refuge, the Thebans burned what remained of the is still used by the North American Indians, appears temple, destroying, at the same time, the suppliants to owe its origin to this peculiar regard for the hair of (Diod. S. 16,58). Hadrian caused another temple to be the head. The greatest trophy for the victor to gain, built, but much inferior in size. The city possessed also or the vanquished to lose, would be a portion of what a forum and a theatre. Ruins are pointed out by Sir each had regarded as the truest badge of valour, and the W. Gell (Itin. 266) near the modern village of Éxar- skin of the head would be taken with it to keep the hair together. On the other hand, shaving the head was a peaceful and religious custom, directly opposed to that just mentioned. It was an indispensable rite among the priests of Egypt (Herod. 2, 36); and even ABACENUM, a city of the Siculi, in Sicily, situated the deities in the hieroglyphics have their heads withon a steep hill southwest of Messana. Its ruins are out hair. Hence, too, may be explained what is said supposed to be in the vicinity of Tripi. Being an ally of the Argippæi, or Bald-headed Scythians (Herod. 4, of Carthage, Dionysius of Syracuse wrested from it 23). No one offered violence to them; they were acpart of the adjacent territory, and founded in its vicin-counted sacred, and had no warlike weapons. Were ity the colony of Tyndaris (Drod. S. 14, 78, 90). Ptolemy calls this city 'Abúkaiva, all other writers Abaxaivov. According to Bochart, the Punic appellation was Abacin, from Abac, "extollore," in reference to its lofty situation. (Cluver. Sic. Ant. 2, 386.) ABALUS. Vid. Basilia.

AB.EUS, a surname of Apollo, derived from the town of Abe in Phocis, where the god had a rich temple. {Hesych, s. v. "Abat.-Herod. 8, 33.)

they not one of those sacerdotal colonies which, migrating at a remote period from India, spread themselves over Scythia, and a large portion of the farther regions of the West?

ABANTIADES, a masculine patronymic given to the descendants of Abas, king of Argos, such as Acrisius, Perseus, &c. (Ovid, Met. 4, 673.)

ABANTIAS, I. one of the ancient names of Eubœa. (Vid. Abantes.) Strabo (444) calls it Abantis.-II. A female patronymic from Abas, as Danaë, Atalanta, &c.

ABANTIDAS, a tyrant of Sicyon, in the third century B.C. He seized upon the sovereign power, after having slain Clinias, who was then in charge of the administration. Clinias was the father of the celebrated Aratus, and the latter, at this time only seven years of age, narrowly escaped sharing the fate of his parent. (Plut. Vit. Arat. 2.)

ABANTES, an ancient people of Greece, whose origin is not ascertained; probably they came from Thrace, and having settled in Phocis, built the city Abo. From this quarter a part of them seem to have removed to Euboea, and hence its name Abantias, or Abantis (Strabo, 444). Others of them left Euboea, and settled for a time in Chios (Paus. 7, 4); a third band, returning with some of the Locri from the Trojan war, were driven to the coast of Epirus, settled in part of Thesprotia, inhabited the city Thronium, and gave the name Abantis to the adjacent territory (Paus. 5, 22 The Thracian origin of the Abantes is contest- ABANTIS. Vid. Abantias II. ed by Mannert (8, 246), though supported, in some de- ABARIS, I. a Scythian, or Hyperborean, mentioned gree, by Aristotle, as cited by Strabo. They had a by several ancient writers. Iamblichus states that custom of cutting off the hair of the head before, and Abaris was a disciple of Pythagoras, and performed Waffering it to grow long behind (Il. 2, 542). Plutarch many wonders with an arrow received from Apollo. (Vit. Thes. 5) states, that they did this to prevent the (Vit. Pythag., p. 28, ed. Kuster.) Herodotus informs enemy, whom they always boldly fronted, from seizing | us (4, 36) that he was carried on this arrow over the

them, will make Abaris, travelling on his arrow, to be
him that moves rapidly along, Runa, the scribe, prophet,
deliverer; and, at the same time, the personification of
writing, as the source of all knowledge, and of safety to
man. Thus the legend of Abaris may mark the prop-
agation of writing from the summits of Caucasus, for
spreading civilization as well to the Greeks, as the na-
tions of the North. For other speculations, compare
Müller (Dorier, 1, 364) and Schwenk (Etymol.-Myth.
Andeut. 358), who see in Abaris the god himself, Apol-
lo 'Apapevç or 'Apaios, “ luminous," under the Macedo-
nian form 'Abapic, become his own priest (Creuzer, 2, 1.
269).-II. A city of Egypt, called also Avaris ("Abapų,
or Avapis). Manetho places it to the east of the Bu-
bastic mouth of the Nile, in the Saitic Nome (Joseph.
c. Ap. 1, 14). Mannert identifies it with what was
afterward called Pelusium; for the name Abaris dis-
appeared, when the shepherd-race retired from Egypt,
and the situation of Pelusium coincides sufficiently
with the site of Abaris, as far as authorities have
reached us. Manetho, as cited by Josephus, says, that
Salatis, the first shepherd-king, finding the position
of Abaris well adapted to his purpose, rebuilt the city,
and strongly fortified it with walls, garrisoning it with
a force of 240,000 men. To this city Salatis repaired
in summer time, in order to collect his tribute, and
to pay his troops, and to exercise his soldiers with the
view of striking terror into foreign states. Manetho
also informs us, that the name of the city had an an-
cient theological reference (kazovμévηv 8' ¿ñó tivOS
úpxaías dɛoλоyíaç Avapiv). Other writers make the
term Abaris denote "a pass," or "crossing over," a
name well adapted to a stronghold on the borders.
Compare the Sanscrit upari (over, above), the Gothic
ufar, the Old High German ubar, the Persian eber,
the Latin super, the Greek úñép, &c.

whole earth without tasting food. But there are strong doubts as to the accuracy of the text given by Wesseling and Valckenaer. The old editions read wc ròv biσTÒν TEρlépeрe ovdèv oireóμevos, which agrees with the account given in the Fragment of Lycurgus cited by Eudocia (Villois. Anecd. 1, 20), where he is said to have traversed all Greece, holding an arrow as the symbol of Apollo. The time of his arrival in Greece is variously given (Bentl. Phal. 95). Some fix it in the 3d Olympiad (Harpocr.-Suid.), others in the 21st, others much lower. One authority is weighty: Pindar, as cited by Harpocration, states that Abaris came to Greece while Croesus was king of Lydia. An extraordinary occasion caused his visit. The whole earth was ravaged by a pestilence; the oracle of Apollo, being consulted, gave answer that the scourge would only cease when the Athenians should offer up vows for all nations. Another account makes him to have left his native country during a famine (Villois. Anecd. 1. c.). He made himself known throughout Greece as a performer of wonders; delivered oracular responses (Clem. Alex. Str. 399); healed maladies by charms or exorcisms (Plato, Charm. 1, 312, Bekk.); drove away storms, pestilence, and evils. His oracles are said to have been left in writing (Apollon. Hist. Cominent. c. 4. Compare Schol. Aristophan. p. 331, as emended by Scaliger). The money obtained for theso various services, Abaris is said to have consecrated, on his return, to Apollo (Iambl. V. P. 19), whence Bayle concludes, that the collecting of a pious contribution formed the motive of his journey to Greece (Dict. Hist. et Crit. 1, 4). He formed also a Palladium out of the bones of Pelops, and sold it to the Trojans (Jul. Firmicus, 16). Modern opinions vary: Brucker (Hist. Phil. 1, 355.-Enfield, 1, 115) regards him as one who, like Empedocles, Epimenides, Pythagoras, and others, went about imposing on the vulgar by false pretensions to supernatural powers; and Lobeck (Aglaoph. vol. i., p. 313, seq.) is of the same opinion. Creuzer (Symb. 2, 1, 267) considers Abaris as belonging to the curious chain of connexion between the religions of the North, and those of Southern Europe, so distinctly indicated by the customary offerings sent to Delos from the country of the Hyperboreans. The same writer then cites a remarkable passage from the Hral- ABAS, I. or ABUS, a mountain of Armenia Major; marsaga: From Greece came Abor and Samolis, according to D'Anville, the modern Abi-dag, according with many excellent men; they met with a very cor- to Mannert (5, 196), Ararat; giving rise to the southdial reception; their servant and successor was Herse ern branch of the Euphrates. (Vid. Arsanias.)—II. A of Glisisvalr." The allusion here is evidently to river of Albania, rising in the chain of Caucasus, and Abaris and Zamolxis; and if this passage be authen- falling into the Caspian Sea. Ptolemy calls it Albanus. tic, Abaris would have been a Druid of the North, and On its banks Pompey defeated the rebellious Albanians the country of the Hyperboreans the Hebrides. The (Piut. Vit. Pomp. 35).-III. The 12th king of Ardoctrines of the Druids, as well as those of Zamolxis, gos. (Vid. Supplement.)-IV. A son of Metaneira, resemble the tenets of the Pythagorean school, and changed by Ceres into a lizard for having mocked the in this way we may explain that part of the story of goddess in her distress. Others refer this to AscalaAbaris which connects him with Pythagoras (Origen. phus.-V. A Latin chief who assisted Encas against Philos. 882, 906, ed. de la Ruc.-Chardon de la Ro-Turnus, and was killed by Lausus. (Æn. 10, 170, &c.) chette, Melang. de Crit. vol. i., p. 58.) Unfortunate--VI. A soothsayer, to whom the Spartans erected a ly, the Saga of Hialmar is by the ablest critics of the statue for his services to Lysander, before the battle North considered a forgery (Müller's Sagabibl. 2, 663). of Egospotamos. He is called by some writers HaStill, other grounds have been assumed for making Ab- gias ('Ayiaç). aris a Druidical priest; and the opinion is maintained by several writers (Toland's Misc. Works, 1, 181.— Higgins' Celtic Druids, 123-Southern Rev. 7, 21). One argument is derived from Himerius (Phot. Bibl. vol. ii., p. 374, ed. Bekker), that he travelled in Celtic costume; in a plaid and pantaloons. Creuzer, after some remarks on this history, indulges in an ingenious speculation, by which Abaris becomes a personification of writing, and the doctrines communicated by it, as well as the advantages resulting from these doctrines, and from science or wisdom in general. As the Runic characters of the North are here referred to, a part of his argument rests on the etymology of" Runic," rinnen, runen, "to run," "to move rapidly along." This, together with the arrow-like form of most of

ABARNIS, or -Us, I. a name given to that part of Mysia in which Lampsacus was situate. Venus, according to the fable, here disowned (úñŋovýcaro) her offspring Priapus, whom she had just brought forth, being shocked at his deformity. Hence the appellation. The first form Aparnis, was subsequently altered to Abarnis (Steph. B.).—II. A city in the above-mentioned district, lying south of Lampsacus (Steph. B.).

ABASCANTUS. Vid. Supplement.

ABASĪTIS, a district of Phrygia Epictetus, in the vicinity of Mysia; in it was the city of Ancyra, and here, according to Strabo (576), the Macestus or Megistus arose.

ABĂTOS. Vid. Philæ.

ABDALONIMUS, one of the descendants of the kings of Sidon, so poor that, to maintain himself, he worked in a garden. When Alexander took Sidon, he made him king, and enlarged his possessions for his disinterestedness. (Justin, 11, 10.—Curt. 4, 1.) Diodorus Siculus (17, 46) calls him Ballonymus, a corrup tion of the true name as given by Curtius and Justin. Wesseling (ad. Diod. S. 1. c.) considers the word equivalent, in the Phænician tongue, to Abd-al-anim, "Ser