Page:The Natural History of Pliny.djvu/489

Chap, 28.] ACCOUNT OF COUNTRIES, ETC. 455 CHAP. 28. — LTCIA. In Lycia, after leaving its promontory we come to the town of Simena, Mount Chimfera^, which sends forth flames by night, and the city of Hephaestium^, the heights above which are also frequently on fire. Here too formerly stood the city of Olympus'* ; now we find the mountain places known as Gagae^, Corydalla^, and Khodiopolis. Xear the sea is Limyra' with a river of like name, into which the Aryeandus gives precisely the same representation, with the additional error of making the Ceraunii (i. e. the Caucasus of others) part of the Great Taurus Chain. He seems to apply the name of Caucasus to the spurs which spread out both to the north-east and the south-east from the main chain near its eastern extremity, and which he regarded as a con- tinuous range, bordering the western shores of the Caspian. See B. vi. e. 10." — Dr. SynitKs Dictionary of Ancient Geography. ^ Of CheHdonium, now Khelidonia, formed by the range of Taufus. 2 See B. ii. c. 116. The flame which continually burned on this moun- tain has been examined by Beaufort, the modern traveller. The name of the moimtain is now Yanar : it is formed of a mass of scagUa with ser- pentine. Spratt says that the flame is notliing more than a stream of inflammable gas issuing from a crevice, such as is seen in several places in the Apennines. By Homer it is represented as a fabulous monster, which is explained by Servius, the commentator of Virgil, in the following manner. He says that flames issue from the top of the mountain, and that there are hons in the vicinity ; the middle part abounds ui goats, and the lower part ^^•ith seri^ents. Simena appears to be unknown. 3 So called from "H^atoros, the Greek name of Vulcan. Pliny men- tions this spot also in B. ii. c. 110. The flame probably proceeded from an inflammable gas, or else was ignited by a stream of naphtha. ^ More generally known as Pha?nicus, a flourisliing city on Mount Olympus ; now Yanar Dagh, a volcano on the eastern coast of Lycia, with which it often exchanged names. Having become the head-quarters of the pirates, it was destroyed by the Koman general Servilius Isauricus. Its ruins are to be seen at a spot called Deliktash. 5 Mentioned again in B. xxxvi. c. SI, as the spot whence the qayafes lapis or ' agate ' took its name. The ruins at Aladja are regarded by Leake as marking the site of Gaga> ; but Sir Charles Fellowes identifies the place with the modem village of Hascooe, the vicinity of wlvich is covered with ruins. ^ On the road from Phasehs in Lycia to Patara. Its site is a village called Hadgivella, about sixteen miles south-west of Phaselis. The re- mains are very considerable. 7 The remains of Rhodiopolis were found by Spratt and Forbes in the vicinity of Corydalla. 8 On the Limyrus, probably the modem Phineka ; the ruins to the north of which are supposed to be those of Limyra.