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PTOLEMAIS

Volume 17 · 217 words · 1815 Edition

in Ancient Geography; the port of Arsinoë, situated on the west branch of the Nile, which concurs to form the island called Nemos Heraclætus, to the south of the vertex of the Delta.

(Strabo); the largest and most considerable town of the Thebais, or Higher Egypt, and in nothing short of Memphis; governed in the manner of a Greek republic; situated on the west side of the Nile, almost opposite to Coptos. This town, which was built by Ptolemy Philadelphus, is now known by the name of Ptolemaia. The walls and gates are still entire, and there are a vast number of Greek inscriptions, but only a few columns of the portico remain. There is likewise an Ionic temple done in the most ancient manner of executing that order, of which Mr. Bruce took a drawing, which is preserved in the king's collection.

Another, of Cyrenaica, anciently called Barce. A third of the Troglodytes, farnamed Epitheras, from the chase of wild beasts, as elephants; lying in the same parallel with Meroe (Strabo); on the Arabian gulf (Pliny); 4820 stadia to the south of Berenice. A fourth, of Galilee, anciently called Asa, or Accon; made a Roman colony under the emperor Claudius (Pliny). A fifth of Pamphylia; situated near the river Melas, on the borders of Cilicia Aspera.