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A CLASSICAL DICTIONARY
A CLASSICAL DICTIONARY
Transcriber’s Notes The cover image was provided by the transcriber and is placed in the public domain. Punctuation has been standardized. To facilitate usage by modern readers, most abbreviated Latin words and names have been expanded to their common non-abbreviated form. (Example: Hom. expanded to Homer; Hor. expanded to Horace.) Also, labels have been added to references for book (bk.), chapter (ch.), line (li.), and letter (ltr.) for clarity. This book was written in a period when many words
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PREFACE TO THE ORIGINAL EDITION.
PREFACE TO THE ORIGINAL EDITION.
FROM THE CREATION OF THE WORLD TO THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE IN THE WEST, AND IN THE EAST ¹ In the following table, I have confined myself to the more easy and convenient eras of before (B.C.) and after (A.D.) Christ. For the sake of those, however, that do not wish the exclusion of the Julian period, it is necessary to observe that, as the first year of the christian era always falls on the 4714th of the Julian years, the number required either before or after Christ will easily be discovered
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A CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE
A CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE
♦ ‘Athemius’ replaced with ‘Anthemius’ ♦ ‘Theopana’ replaced with ‘Theophana’ ♦ ‘Trisingensis’ replaced with ‘Frisingensis’ ♦ ‘1337’ replaced with ‘1327’ ABA and Abæ , a town of Phocis, famous for an oracle of Apollo, surnamed Abæus. The inhabitants, called Abantes, were of Thracian origin. After the ruin of their country by Xerxes, they migrated to Eubœa, which from them was called Abantis. Some of them passed afterwards from Eubœa into Ionia. Herodotus , bk. 8 , ch. 33 .— Pausanias , bk. 10 ,
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A
A
Abantis , or Abantias , an ancient name of the island of Eubœa, received from the Abantes, who settled in it from Phocis. Pliny , bk. 4 , ch. 12 .——Also a country of Epirus. Pausanias , bk. 5 , ch. 22 . Abarbarea , one of the Naiades, mother of Æsepus and Pedasus by Bucolion, Laomedon’s eldest son. Homer , Iliad , bk. 6 , li. 23 . Abarīmon , a country of Scythia, near mount Imaus. The inhabitants were said to have their toes behind their heels, and to breathe no air but that of their native coun
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B
B
Bacchanālia , festivals in honour of Bacchus at Rome, the same as the Dionysia of the Greeks. See: Dionysia . Bacchantes , ♦ priestesses of Bacchus, who are represented at the celebration of the orgies almost naked, with garlands of ivy, with a thyrsus, and dishevelled hair. Their looks are wild, and they utter dreadful sounds, and clash different musical instruments together. They were also called Thyades and Menades. Ovid , Metamorphoses , bk. 6 , li. 592 .— Horace , bk. 3 , ode 25.— Propertiu
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C
C
Cabarnos , a deity worshipped at Paros. His priests were called Cabarni. Cabassus , a town of Cappadocia.——A village near Tarsus. Cabīra , a wife of Vulcan, by whom she had three sons.——A town of Paphlagonia. Cabīri , certain deities held in the greatest veneration at Thebes, Lemnos, Macedonia, and Phrygia, but more particularly in the islands of Samothrace and Imbros. The number of these deities is uncertain. Some say there were only two, Jupiter and Bacchus; others mention three, and some four
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D
D
Dædălus , an Athenian, son of Eupalamus, descended from Erechtheus king of Athens. He was the most ingenious artist of his age, and to him we are indebted for the invention of the wedge, the axe, the wimble, the level, and many other mechanical instruments, and the sails of ships. He made statues, which moved of themselves, and seemed to be endowed with life. Talus, his sister’s son, promised to be as great as himself, by the ingenuity of his inventions; and therefore, from envy, he threw him do
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E
E
Eburōnes , a people of Belgium, now the country of Liege . Cæsar , Gallic War , bk. 2 , ch. 4 ; bk. 6 , ch. 5 .——The Eburovices Aulerci were the people of Evreux in Normandy. Cæsar , Gallic War , bk. 3 , ch. 17 . Ebŭsus , one of the Baleares, 100 miles in circumference, which produces no hurtful animals. It is near the coast of Spain in the Mediterranean, and now bears the name of Yvica , and is famous for pasturage and figs. Pliny , bk. 3 , ch. 5 .——A man engaged in the Rutulian war. Virgil , Æ
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F
F
Fabrĭcius , a Latin writer in the reign of Nero, who employed his pen in satirizing and defaming the senators. His works were burnt by order of Nero.——Caius Luscinus, a celebrated Roman who, in his first consulship, obtained several victories over the Samnites and Lucanians, and was honoured with a triumph. The riches which were acquired in those battles were immense, the soldiers were liberally rewarded by the consul, and the treasury was enriched with 400 talents. Two years after, Fabricus wen
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G
G
Gabiniānus , a rhetorician in the reign of Vespasian. Găbīnius , a Roman historian.——Aulus, a Roman consul, who made war in Judæa, and re-established tranquillity there. He suffered himself to be bribed, and replaced Ptolemy Auletes on the throne of Egypt. He was accused, at his return, of receiving bribes. Cicero, at the request of Pompey, ably defended him. He was banished, and died about 40 years before Christ, at Salona.——A lieutenant of Antony.——A consul, who behaved with uncommon rudeness
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H
H
Hagno , a nymph.——A fountain of Arcadia. Pausanias , bk. 8 , ch. 38 . Hagnagora , a sister of Aristomenes. Pausanias. Halæsus and Halēsus , a son of Agamemnon by Briseis or Clytemnestra. When he was driven from home, he came to Italy, and settled on mount Massicus in Campania, where he built Falisci, and afterwards assisted Turnus against Æneas. He was killed by Pallas. Virgil , Æneid , bk. 7 , li. 724 ; bk. 10 , li. 352 .——A river near Colophon in Asia Minor. Pliny , bk. 5 , ch. 29 . Halala , a
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I [& J]
I [& J]
Iamenus , a Trojan killed by Leonteus. Homer , Iliad , bk. 12 , lis. 139 & 193. Iamĭdæ , certain prophets among the Greeks, descended from Iamus, a son of Apollo, who received the gift of prophecy from his father, which remained among his posterity. Pausanias , bk. 6 , ch. 2 . Janĭcŭlum and Janicularius mons , one of the seven hills at Rome joined to the city by Ancus Martius, and made a kind of citadel, to protect the place against an invasion. This hill [ See: Janus ], which was on the
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L
L
Lăbĕrius J. Decimus , a Roman knight famous for his poetical talents in writing pantomimes. Julius Cæsar compelled him to act one of his characters on the stage. The poet consented with great reluctance, but he showed his resentment during the acting of the piece by throwing severe aspersions upon Julius Cæsar, by warning the audience against his tyranny, and by drawing upon him the eyes of the whole theatre. Cæsar, however, restored him to the rank of knight which he had lost by appearing on th
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M
M
Macedonĭcum bellum , was undertaken by the Romans against Philip king of Macedonia, some few months after the second Punic war, B.C. 200. The cause of this war originated in the hostilities which Philip had exercised against the Achæans, the friends and allies of Rome. The consul Flaminius had the care of the war, and he conquered Philip on the confines of Epires, and afterwards in Thessaly. The Macedonian fleets were also defeated; Eubœa was taken; and Philip, after continual losses, sued for p
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N
N
Cnæus Nævius , a Latin poet in the first Punic war. He was originally in the Roman armies, but afterwards he applied himself to study and wrote comedies, besides a poetical account of the first Punic war, in which he had served. His satirical disposition displeased the consul Metellus, who drove him from Rome. He passed the rest of his life in Utica, where he died, about 203 years before the christian era. Some fragments of his poetry are extant. Cicero , Tusculanæ Disputationes , bk. 1 , ch. 1
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O
O
Oceănĭdes and Oceanītĭdes , sea nymphs, daughters of Oceanus, from whom they received their name, and of the goddess Tethys. They were 3000 according to Apollodorus, who mentions the names of seven of them: Asia, Styx, Electra, Doris, Eurynome, Amphitrite, and Metis. Hesiod speaks of the eldest of them, and reckons 41: Pitho, Admete, Prynno, Ianthe, Rhodia, Hippo, Callirhoe, Urania, Clymene, Idyia, Pasithoe, Clythia, Zeuxo, Galuxaure, Plexaure, Perseis, Pluto, Thoe, Polydora, Melobosis, Dione, C
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P
P
Pactyes , a mountain of Ionia, near Ephesus. Strabo , bk. 14 . Pācŭvius Marcus , a native of Brundusium, son of the sister of the poet Ennius, who distinguished himself by his skill in painting, and by his poetical talents. He wrote satires and tragedies which were represented at Rome, and of some of which the names are preserved, as Peribœa, Hermione, Atalanta, Ilione, Teucer, Antiope, &c. Orestes was considered as the best finished performance; the style, however, though rough and with
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Q
Q
Quiētis fanum , a temple without the walls of the city of Rome. Quies was the goddess of rest. Her temple was situate near the Colline gate. Livy , bk. 4 , ch. 4 .— Augustine , City of God , bk. 4 , ch. 16 . Lucius Quiētus , an officer under the emperor Trajan, who behaved with great valour in the expeditions which were undertaken by the army which he commanded. He was put to death by Adrian. Quinctia prata. See: Quintia . Quinctiānus , a man who conspired against Nero, for which he was put to d
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R
R
Ravenna , a town of Italy on the Adriatic, which became celebrated under the Roman emperors for its capacious harbour, which could contain 250 ships, and for being for some time the seat of the western empire. It was difficult of access by land, as it stood on a small peninsula; and so ill supplied with water, that it was sold at a higher price than wine, according to Martial. The emperors kept one of their fleets there, and the other at Misenum, on the other side of Italy. It was founded by a c
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S
S
Sabella , the nurse of the poet Horace, bk. 1 , satire 9, li. 29 . Sabelli , a people of Italy, descended from the Sabines, or, according to some, from the Samnites. They inhabited that part of the country which lies between the Sabines and the Marsi. Hence the epithet of Sabellicus . Horace , bk. 3 , ode 6.— Virgil , Georgics , bk. 3 , li. 255 . Sabellus , a Latin poet in the reign of Domitian and Nerva. Julia Sabīna , a Roman matron, who married Adrian by means of Plotina the wife of Trajan. S
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T
T
Tacatua , a maritime town of Numidia. Tacfarīnas , a Numidian who commanded an army against the Romans in the reign of Tiberius. He had formerly served in the Roman legions, but in the character of an enemy, he displayed the most inveterate hatred against his benefactor. After he had severally defeated the officers of Tiberius, he was at last routed and killed in the field of battle, fighting with uncommon fury, by Dolabella. Tacitus , Annals , bk. 2 , &c. Tachampso , an island in the Ni
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U & V
U & V
Vagēni , or Vagienni , a people of Liguria, at the sources of the Po, whose capital was called Augusta Vagiennorum . Silius Italicus , bk. 8 , li. 606 . Vahālis , a river of modern Holland, now called the Waal . Tacitus , Annals , bk. 2 , ch. 6 . Vala Caius Numonius , a friend of Horace, to whom the poet addressed bk. 1 , ltr. 15 . Valens Flavius , a son of Gratian, born in Pannonia. His brother Valentinian took him as his colleague on the throne, and appointed him over the eastern parts of the
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X
X
Xantippe , a daughter of Dorus, who married Pleuron, by whom she had Agenor, &c. Apollodorus , bk. 1 , ch. 7 .——The wife of Socrates, remarkable for her ill humour and peevish disposition, which are become proverbial. Some suppose that the philosopher was acquainted with her moroseness and insolence before he married her, and that he took her for his wife to try his patience, and inure himself to the malevolent reflections of mankind. She continually tormented him with her impertinence;
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Z
Z
Zaleucus , a lawgiver of the Locrians in Italy, and one of the disciples of Pythagoras, 550 B.C. He was very humane, and at the same time very austere, and he attempted to enforce his laws more by inspiring shame than dread. He had wisely decreed that a person guilty of adultery should lose both his eyes. His philosophy was called to a trial when he was informed that his son was an adulterer. He ordered the law to be executed; the people interfered, but Zaleucus resisted, and rather than violate
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