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 Erissos; 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.