ACANTHOS, ACANTHUS, a town of Egypt, near Memphis, (Pliny); now Bisalta. Also a maritime town of Macedonia, to the west of Mount Athos; a colony of Andrians (Thucydides, Ptolemy); now Eriffo; near which was shown Xerxes's ditch, of seven stadia, in order to separate Mount Athos from the continent, and convey his ships, without doubling Athos, into the Singitic bay. Acanthos is also a town of Epirus.