Читать книгу The Natural History of Pliny (Vol. 1-6) - Pliny the Elder - Страница 205

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On leaving Pelusium we come to the Camp of Chabrias3618, Mount Casius3619, the temple of Jupiter Casius, and the tomb of Pompeius Magnus. Ostracine3620, at a distance of sixty-five miles from Pelusium, is the frontier town of Arabia.

(13.) After this, at the point where the Sirbonian Lake3621 becomes visible, Idumæa and Palæstina begin. This lake, which some writers have made to be 150 miles in circumference, Herodotus has placed at the foot of Mount Casius; it is now an inconsiderable fen. The towns are Rhinocolura3622, and, in the interior, Rhaphea3623, Gaza, and, still more inland, Anthedon3624: there is also Mount Argaris3625. Proceeding along the coast we come to the region of Samaria; Ascalo3626, a free town, Azotus3627, the two Jamniæ3628, one of them in the interior; and Joppe3629, a city of the Phœnicians, which existed, it is said, before the deluge of the earth. It is situate on the slope of a hill, and in front of it lies a rock, upon which they point out the vestiges of the chains by which Andromeda was bound3630. Here the fabulous goddess Ceto3631 is worshipped. Next to this place comes Apollonia3632, and then the Tower of Strato3633, otherwise Cæsarea, built by King Herod, but now the Colony of Prima Flavia, established by the Emperor Vespasianus: this place is the frontier town of Palæstina, at a distance of 188 miles from the confines of Arabia; after which comes Phœnice3634. In the interior of Samaria are the towns of Neapolis3635, formerly called Mamortha, Sebaste3636, situate on a mountain, and, on a still more lofty one, Gamala3637.