Similar to Emesa was Edessa, or more properly Adesa, so named from Hades, the God of light. The emperor Julian styles the region-Iegov

64

65

αιώνος τῳ Ηλιῳ 4 Χωριον. This city was also, from its worship, styled 's Ur, Urhoe, and Urchoë; which last was probably the name of the 66 temple.

There were many places called Arsene, Arsine, Arsinoë, Arsiana. These were all the same name, only varied in different countries; and they were consequently of the same purport. Arsinoë is a compound of arez-ain, Solis fons and most places so denominated will be found famed for some fountain. One of this name was in Syria; 7 Aprivin πολις εν Συρία, επι βενῳ κείμενη, απο δε τε Gava κρηνας

ερεύγεται πλείονας-αφ ̓ ὧν ἡ πολις ωνόμαςαι.

ων

6818

Arsinoë

is a city in Syria, situated upon a rising ground, out of which issue many streams: from hence the city had its name. Arsine and Arsiana in Baby

64 Juliani Oratio in Solem. Orat. 4. p. 150.

Ιερωνται δε αυτοι (Εδεσσηνοι) τῷ θεῷ ἡλιῳ· τε τον γας δι επιχωρίοι σεβεσι, τη Φοινικων φωνῇ Ελαγάβαλον καλουντες. Herodian. I. 3.

65 Edesseni Urchoienses-Urhoë, ignis, lux, &c. Theoph. Sigefredi Bayeri Hist. Osrhoena. p. 4.

66 Ur-choë signifies Ori domus, vel templum; Solis Ædes. Ur in Chaldea is, by Ptolemy, called Orchoe.

67 Etymologicum magnum. The author adds: agoar yag ↑ TOTIσal, as if it were of Grecian original.

TO

lonia had 68 fountains of bitumen.

Arsene in

Armenia was a nitrous lake: 69 Αρσηνη λιμην νιτρι

τις.

Near Arsinoë, upon the Red Sea, were hot streams of bitter 70 waters; and Arsinoë near " Ephesus had waters equally bitter.

There were many people called Hyrcani; and cities and regions, Hyrcania: in the history of which there will be uniformly found some reference to fire. The name is a compound of Urchane, the God of that element. He was worshipped particularly at Ur, in Chaldea: and one tribe of that nation were called Urchani. Strabo mentions them as only one branch of the "literati; but "3 Pliny speaks of them as a people, a tribe of the Chaldeans. Here was the source of fire worship and all the country was replete with bitu

68 Marcellinus. 1. 23. p. 287.

69

Αρσηνη λίμνη, ἣν και Θωνιτιν καλέσιες δε νιτριτις. Strabo. 1. xi. p. 801.

70

Πρωτον μεν απ' Αρσινόης παραθεοντι την δεξιαν ήπειρον θερμα πλειοσιν αυλοις εκ πέτρης ύψηλης εις θαλατταν διηθείται. Agatharchides de Rubro mari. p. 54.

Είτα αλλην πολιν Αρσινόην ειτα θερμων υδατων εκβολας, πικρών και upwv. Strabo. 1. 16. p. 1114.

71 Some make Ephesus and Arsinoë to have been the same. See Scholia upon Dionysius. v. 828.

72 Strabo. 1. 16. p. 1074. See Radicals. p. 50.

73 Pliny. 1.6. c. 27. Euphraten præclusere Orcheni: nec nisi Pasitigri defertur ad mare.

men and fire. There was a region 74 Hyrcania, inhabited by the Medes; which seems to have been of the same inflammable nature. The people were called Hyrcani, and Astabeni: which latter signifies the sons of fire. Cellarius men

tions a city Hyrcania in 75 Lydia. There were certainly people styled Hyrcani; and a large plain called Campus Hyrcanus 76 in the same part of the world. It seems to have been a part of that parched and burning region called xaтaxE xxvμɛv so named from the fires with which it abounded. It was near Hierapolis, Caroura, and Fossa Charonea; all famed for fire.

It may seem extraordinary, yet I cannot help thinking, that the Hercynian forest in Germany was no other than the Hurcanian, and that it was

7+ Ptolemy Geog.

Isidorus Characenus. Geog. Vet. vol. 2. p. 7.

75 Cellarii Geog. vol. 2. p. 80.

76 Strabo. 1. 12. p. 868, 869. and 1. 13. p. 929-932.

Ετι δε επιφάνεια τεφρώδης των πεδίων.

Strabo supposes that the Campus Hyrcanus was so named from the Persians; as also Kupe wɛdiov, near it; but they seem to have been so denominated ab origine. The river Organ, which ran into the Mæander from the Campus Hyrcanus, was properly Urchan. Ancyra was An-cura, so named a fonte Solis xugos yag i

05. All the names throughout the country have a correspondence: all relate either to the soil, or the religion of the natives; and betray a great antiquity.

a

denominated from the God Urcan, who was worshipped here as well as in the east. It is mentioned by Eratosthenes and Ptolemy, under the name of dpuuos Opxuvos, or the forest of 77 Orcun; which is, undoubtedly, the same name as that above. I have taken notice, that the name of the mountain Pyrene signified a fountain of fire, and that the mountain had once flamed. There was a Pyrene among the Alpes 78 Tridentini, and at the foot of it a city of the same 79 name; which one would infer to have been so denominated from the like circumstance. I mention this, because here was the regio Hercynia, where the Hereynian forest so commenced, and from which it received its name. Beatus Rhenanus, in his account of these parts, says, that there was a tradition of this mountain Pyrene once & burning: and, conformably to this notion, it is still distinguished by the name of the great Brenner.

80

81

82

77 Ptolemy. Geog. 1. 2. c. 11 .

78 Mentioned in Pliny's Panegyric: and in Seneca; consolatio ad Helv. 1.6. Aristotle in Meteoris.

79 Here was one of the fountains of the Danube. Ispos re yag ποταμος αρξάμενος εκ Κελτών και Πυρηνης πολιος ρεει, με την σχίζων την Evgernv. Herodotus. 1. 2. c. 33.

so See Cluverii Germania.

82

Beatus Rhenanus. Rerum Germanic. 1. 3.

It is called by the Swiss, Le Grand Brenner: by the other Germans, Der gross Verner.

The country, therefore, and the forest may have been called Orcunian upon this account. For as the worship of the Sun, the Deity of fire, prevailed greatly at places of this nature, I make no doubt but Hercynia, which Ptolemy expresses Ogxua was so named from Or-cun, the God of that element.

We must not be surprised to find Amonian names among the Alpes; for some of that family were the first who passed them. The merit of great performances was by the Greeks generally attributed to a single person. This passage therefore through the mountains is said by some to have been the work of Hercules: by others of Cottus, and Cottius. From hence this particular branch of the mountains had the name of Alpes Cottiæ; and the country was called Regio Cot

83

Mount Cænis, as we term it, is properly Mount Chen-Is, Mons Dei Vulcani. It is called by the people of the country Monte Canise; and is part of the Alpes Cottiæ. Cluver. Ital. vol. 1, 1. 1. c. 32. p. 337. Mons Geneber. Jovij.

83 See Marcellinus. 1. 15. c. 10. p. 77. and the authors quoted by Cluverius. Italia Antiqua above.

They are styled Aλs Extras by Procopius: Rerum Goth. 1. 2. Marcellinus thinks, that a king Cottius gave name to these Alps in the time of Augustus, but Cottius was the national title of the king; as Cottia was of the nation: far prior to the time of Augustus.