Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume I Part 1.djvu/205

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ARBEJA.
ARCADIA.
189

gained a victory, but its position is quite uncertain. (Plin. xi. 18; Ukert, vol. iii. pt. i. p. 434.)

ARBEJA, occurs in the Notitia Dignitatum. Name for name it coincides with Ireby in Cumber- land; but those who lay much stress on the negative evidence of the absence of Roman remains at Ireby prefer Moresby in the same county. Now, the -by in each of these words is Danish; and Arbeja is one of the forms, which have been quoted in favour of the doctrine of Danish Settlements in Great Britain, anterior to the Saxon invasion, held by more than one competent investigator. [R. G. L] ARBELA. 1. (rà "Apénλa: Eth. 'Apendiras, Strab. xi. p. 737; Diod. xvii. 53; Arrian, Anab. iii. 8. 15; Curt. iv. 9; Amm. Marc. xxiii. 6), a town of eastern Adiabene, one of the provinces of Assyria, be- tween the Lyens (the greater Záb) and the Caprus (the lesser Záb). Its present name is Arbil (Nie- bahr, Voy. vol. ii. p. 277). Strabo states that it was in Aturia, and belonged to Babylonia; which is true, if we suppose that the Lycus was the boundary between Babylonia and Assyria Proper. Arbela has been celebrated as the scene of the last conflict be- tween Dareins and Alexander the Great. The battle, however, really took place near the village of Gangamela ("the camel's house," Strab. xvii. p. 737), on the banks of the Bumodus, a tributary of the Lycus, about 20 miles to the NW. of Arbela. (Thirlwall, Hist. of Greece, vol. vi. p. 217.) Dareius left his baggage and treasures at Arbela, when he advanced to meet Alexander.

[V.]

2. (Külat Ibn Ma'an), a village in Galilee, in the neighbourhood of which were certain fortified caverns. This Arbela of Galilee was probably the Beth-Arbel of the prophet Hosea (x. 14). The caverns are first mentioned in connection with the march of Bacchides into Judaea; they were then occupied by many fugitives, and the Syrian general encamped at Arbela long enough to make himself master of them. (Joseph. Ant. xii. 11. § 1.) This is probably the same event as that recorded (1 Macc. ix. 2), where Bacchides is said to have subdued Messaloth in Arbela. The word Messaloth (Messa), probably meaning steps, stories, ter- When Herod the Great took Sepphoris these caverns were occupied by a band of robbers, who ecommitted great depredations in that quarter, and were with difficulty exterminated by Herod. After defeating the robbers, Herod laid siege to the caverns; but as they were situated in the midst of steep cliffs, overhanging a deep valley with only a narrow path leading to the entrance, the attack was very difficult. Parties of soldiers were at length let down in large bates, suspended by chains from above, and attacked those who defended the entrance with fire and sword, or dragged them out with long hooks, and dashed them down the precipices. (Joseph. Ant. xiv. 15. §§ 4, 5, B. J. i. 16. §§ 2-4). The same caverns were afterwards fortified by Josephus himself during his command in Galilee against the Romans; in one place he speaks of them as the caverns of Arbela (Vita. § 37), and in another as the caverns near the lake of Gennesareth (B. J. ii. 20. § 6). According to the Talmud Arbela lay between Sepphoris and Tiberias. (Lightfoot, Chorog. Cent. c. 85.) For these reasons Robinson identifies the Arbela of Ga- Wee and its fortified caverns with the present Kül'at Ibn Ma'an, and the adjacent site of Mins, now known as Irbid, a name which is apparently a cor- ruption of Irbil, the Arabic form of Arbela. These singular remains were first mentioned by Pococke (ii. p. 67), who describes them under the name of Baitsida. They have been visited and described by Irby and Mangles, who write the name Erbed. (Trav. p. 299.) Burckhardt's account (Trav. p. 331) agrees remarkably with that given by Jo. sephus. He describes them as natural caverns in the calcareous rock, with artificial passages cut in them, and fortified; the whole affording refuge to about six hundred men.

There was another Arbela, a large village in Gadara, E. of the Jordan (Euseb. et Hieron. Ono mast. s. v.), now called Irbid or Erbad (Burkhardt, (Trav. pp. 268, 269; Winer, Real Wört. s. v.; Robinson, Palestine, vol. iii. pp. 251, 279). [E.B.J.]

ARBELITIS ('Apenλiris xúpa, Ptol. vi. 1. § 2), the district around Arbela, which Pliny (vi. 13. s. 16) calls a part of Adiabene. In Strabo (xvi. p. 788) the district around Arbela is called ARTACENE ('Apranny), a name otherwise quite unknown. Scaliger (ad Tibull. iv. 1. 142) connects the name with the ERECH of Scripture (Gen. x. 10), and therefore proposes to read ARACTENE ('Apaktnvń); but Erech was not in this position; and we ought probably to read ARBELENE in Strabo. (See Groskurd's Strabo, vol. iii. p. 208.) [V.]

A'RBITI MONTES. [ARABIS.]

ARBOCALA, ARBUCĀLA. [ALBUCELLA.]

ARCA ("Apin, "Apkal, Steph. B. s. v.; Ptol. v. 15: Arca, Plin. v. 16: Eth. 'Apkaîos, Arcenus: Arkite, Gen. x. 17; 1 Chron. i. 15: LXX. (Symbol missingGreek characters)), a town of Phoenicia, situated between Tripolis and Antaradus, at the NW. foot of Libanus. (Joseph. Antiq. i. 6. § 2; Hieronym. in Gen. x. 15) It lay a parasang from the sea (Abulf. Tab. Syr. p. 11), and is often mentioned by the Arabic writers. (Michaelis, Spicil. ii. 23; Schultens, Vita Saladini.) It became famous for the worship paid by its inhabitants to Aphrodite or Astarte. (Macrob. Saturn. i. 21.) After the Macedonian conquest a temple was erected to Alexander the Great. The emperor Alexander Severus was born in this temple, to which his parents had repaired during a festival,A.D. 205. (Aurel. Vict. de Caes. xxiv. 1.) In consequence of this event its name was changed to Caesarea (Lamprid. Alex. Sev.). It was fortified by the Arabs after their conquest of Syria. In a. d. 1099 it sustained a long siege from the first Crusaders (Wilken, die Kreuzz. vol. ii. p. 259), but was not taken. Nor was it captured till the reign of Baldwin I., second king of Jerusalem, by William Count of Sartanges. (Albert. Aquens. xi. 1; Wilken, ii. p. 673.) The Memlooks, when they drove the Christians out of Syria, destroyed it. Burkhardt (Syria, p. 162) fixes the site at a hill called Tel-Arka, 4 miles S. of the Nahr-El-Kebir (Eleutherus). (Comp. Shaw, Observat. p. 270; for present condition see Bibliotheca Sacra (American), vol. v. p. 15.) [E.B.J.]

ARCA'DIÀ ((Symbol missingGreek characters); (Symbol missingGreek characters), Steph. B. probably Eth.), a city of Crete, which in Hierocles is placed between Lyctus and Cnossus; but in Kiepert's map appears on the coast of the gulf of Didymoi Kólpoi. It disputed the claims of Mt. Ida to be the birthplace of Zeus. The Arcadians were first allies of Cnossus, but afterward joined Lyctus. (Pol. iv. 53.) According to Theophrastus, when the town fell into the hands of enemies the springs ceased to flow; when recovered by the inhabitants they re- sumed their course (Senec. Quaest. Nat. iii. 2; Plin. xxxi. 4).

[E. B. J.]

ARCADIA ('Αρκαδία: Eth. 'Αρκάς, pl. Αρκάδες, Arcas, pl. Arcades), the central country of Pelopon-