Listed 25 sub titles with search on: Various locations for wider area of: "ARMENIA Country EAST EUROPE" .
ARMENIA (Ancient country) ARMENIA
In Armenia, rising in Mt. Aba or Abus, joining the Cyrus, and falling with it into the Caspian Sea. The Araxes was proverbial for the force of its current.
The Araxes is said by some to be greater and by some to be less than the Ister. It is reported that there are many islands in it as big as Lesbos, and men on them who in summer live on roots of all kinds that they dig up, and in winter on fruit that they have got from trees when it was ripe and stored for food; and they know (it is said) of trees bearing a fruit whose effect is this: gathering in groups and kindling a fire, the people sit around it and throw the fruit into the flames; then the fumes of it as it burns make them drunk as the Greeks are with wine, and more and more drunk as more fruit is thrown on the fire, until at last they rise up to dance and even sing. Such is said to be their way of life.
The Araxes flows from the country of the Matieni (as does the Gyndes, which Cyrus divided into the three hundred and sixty channels) and empties itself through forty mouths, of which all except one issue into bogs and swamps, where men are said to live whose food is raw fish, and their customary dress sealskins.The one remaining stream of the Araxes flows in a clear channel into the Caspian sea. This is a sea by itself, not joined to the other sea. For that on which the Greeks sail, and the sea beyond the pillars of Heracles, which they call Atlantic, and the Red Sea, are all one:
As for the Araxes, it first flows towards the east as far as Atropatene, and then bends towards the west and towards the north and flows first past Azara and then past Artaxata, Armenian cities, and then, passing through the Araxene Plain, empties into the Caspian Sea.In Armenia itself there are many mountains and many plateaus, in which not even the vine can easily grow; and also many valleys, some only moderately fertile, others very fertile, for instance, the Araxene Plain, through which the Araxes River flows to the extremities of Albania and then empties into the Caspian Sea. After these comes Sacasene, this too bordering on Albania and the Cyrus River; and then comes Gogarene.
Araxes river: Perseus Project
Araxes. (Eraskh, Rakhsi, Aras, Ras), a large river of Armenia, which
takes its rise from a number of sources in Mt. Abus (Bin Gol) (Steph. B. s. v.;
Strab. p. 531; Plin. vi. 10; Ptol. v. 13. § § 3, 6, 9), nearly in the centre of
the space between the E. and W. branches of the Euphrates. The general course
may be described as E., then SE., and after flowing in a NE. direction, it resumes
its SE. course, and after its junction with the Cyrus (Kur), discharges itself
into the Caspian Sea. (Col. Monteith, in London Geog. Journ. vol. iii., with accompanying
Map.) Of its numerous tributaries, Pliny (l. c.) only mentions one, the Musus
(Mwrts). The ancient geography of this river is involved in much obscurity. Herodotus
(i. 202, iv. 40) describes the Araxes as flowing E. from the country of the Matieni;
as it approached the Caspian, it divided into 40 channels, only one of which made
its way clear to the lake, the rest were choked up, and formed swamps. If this
statement be compared with that of Strabo (l. c.), there can be little doubt but
that the Araxes of Herodotus must be identified with the river of Armenia. If
this supposition does not remove all difficulties, which it does not, we must
remember that Herodotus was generally unacquainted with the countries bordering
on the Caspian. (For a full discussion on this question, the reader is referred
to Tzchucke, in Pomp. Mela, iii. 5. § 5, and Mem. de l'Acad. des Inscript. vol.
xxxvi. pp. 69, seq.) hitter (Erdkonde, vol. x. p. 389) identifies the Phasis of
Xenophon (Anab. iv. 6. § 4; comp. Kinneir, Travels in Armenia, p. 489) with the
Araxes; on the other hand, the Araxes of the same author (Anab. i. 4. § 19) is
held to be the Khabur, an affluent of the Euphrates. The description of the course
of the Araxes in Pomp. Mela (iii. 5) has much picturesque merit, and in the main
agrees with the accounts of modem travellers. The pontem indignatus Araxes of
Virgil (Aen. viii. 728; comp. Patiens Latii jam pontis Araxes of Statius, Silv.
i. 4. § 79) now endures four bridges; and the ruined remains of others are still
found on its banks. The fall in the river of not more than six feet high, which
occurs at the great break in the mountain chain, about 40 miles below Djzlfa (Erespar
or Arasbar), must be the same as the cataract to which Strabo (l. c.) alludes,
though the ancient author assigns to it so much larger proportions. Strabo (l.
c.), in accordance with the national custom of referring foreign names to a Greek
origin, connects the word Araxes with arasso, and adds that the Peneus was once
called Araxes, on account of its having separated Ossa from Olympus at the gorge
of Tempe. The remark in itself is of no importance; but it is curious to observe
the various rivers and places in remote countries which bore this name. Besides
the one in Mesopotamia already mentioned, we read of another Araxes, which flowed
through mountainous Persia, and entered the lake of Bakhtegan.
Like the Celtic Avon, Araxes was probably an appellative name. According
to Rennel (Geog. Herod. p. 205) the Araxes is the Jaxartes; the Jaxartes and Oxus
(Sirr and Jihon) are confounded together; and the particulars which refer to both
rivers are applied to one. The account Herodotus gives of its origin and course
has served to identify it with the Armenian river. Some have supposed it to be
the Volga or Rha. M. de Guignes holds that the Araxes of the 4th book is indisputably
the Armenian Araxes, but distinguishes it from the one mentioned in the 1st book.
M. de la Nauze argues in favour of the view advocated here. Full particulars as
to all the rivers bearing this name will be found in D'Anville Mem. de l'Acad.
des Inscript. vol. xxxvi. p. 79; St. Martin, Mem. sur l'Armenie, vol. i. p. 38;
Chesney, Exped. Euphrat. vol. i. pp. 9, 96, 210; 219.
This text is from: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854) (ed. William Smith, LLD). Cited September 2004 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
A river of Armenia Maior, flowing south into the Araxes.
a district of Great Armenia, between the rivers Cyrus and Araxes
Arethusa (Zazuk), a lake of Armenia, through which the Tigris flows, according
to Pliny (vi. 31). He describes the river as flowing through the lake without
any intermixture of the waters. Bitter (Erdkunde, vol. x. pp. 85, 90, 101; comp.
Kinneir, Travels, p. 383) identifies it with the lake Nazuk, which is about 13
miles in length, and 5 in breadth at the centre. The water is stated to be sweet
and wholesome; which does not correspond with the account of Pliny.
Armeniae Pylae (Armenion Pulai), the Armenian gates of Eratosthenes (Strab. ii. p. 80), are identified by modern geographers with Gergen Kal'ah-si, at the foot of the Taurus. The Euphrates, sweeping round through Mount Taurus, a few miles above Dirisko, attains at that point its most easterly curve, rolls over rapids immediately above the village so named, and then turning again below the cliff of the castle of Gergen, passes through a very narrow gorge above 400 feet in depth. This is the second repulse the river meets with, as the first is placed at Tomisa (Tokhma-Su). (Ritter, Erdkunde, vol. x. p. 985.) The beds in the lower valley consist of red sandstone and sandstone conglomerate supporting limestone. (Ainsworth, London Geog. Journal, vol. x. p. 333; Chesney, Exped. Euphrat. vol. i. pp. 70, 71, 293, 350.)
This text is from: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854) (ed. William Smith, LLD). Cited September 2004 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
Armosota or Arsamosota (Armosota, Polyb. viii. 25; Apoauoosota, Ptol. v, 13; Armosota, Plin. vi. 9; Arsamosata, Tac. Anal. xv. 10; Spanheim, de Usu Numm. p. 903, has a coin of M. Aurelius, with the epigraph APMAXAITTENON), a town of Armenia, situated near the Euphrates. (Plin. l. c.) In the times of the emperors of the East, it formed the thema or military district of Asmosat, which was in the neighbourhood of Handsith or Chauzith. (Const. Porph. de Admin. Imp. c. 50, p. 182, ed. Meurs.) Ritter (Erdkunde, vol. xi. p. 107) places it in Sophene (Kharpat), and considers that it may be represented by the modern Se'rt, -the Tigranocerta of D'Anville. (Lieut. Col. Sheil, London Geog. Soc. vol. viii. p. 77; St. Martin, Mem. sur l'Armenie, vol. i. p. 106.)
This text is from: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854) (ed. William Smith, LLD). Cited September 2004 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
Arsene (*arsene: Van), a large lake situated in the S. of Armenia. Strabo (xi. p. 529) says that it was also called Thonitis (Xonitis), which Groskurd corrects to Thospitis (Xospitis, comp. Ptol. v. 13. § 7; Plin. vi. 27. s. 31). The lake Arsissa, which Ptolemy (l. c.) distinguishes from Thospitis has been identified with Arsene, and the name is said to survive in the fortress Arjish, situated on the N. of the lake (St. Martin, Mem. sur l'Armenie, vol. i. p. 56). On the other hand, Ritter (Erdckunde, vol. ix. p. 786) identifies Arsissa with the Mantiane of Strabo, and Lake Van. It must be recollected that till lately this district has been a terra incognita, and but little yet has been done for the illustration of ancient authors. Till further evidence therefore has been collected, it would be premature to come to any distinct conclusion on these points. Strabo (l. c.) describes Arsene as abounding in natron, so much so as to remove stains from cloth: the water was undrinkable. The Tigris, he adds, flows through it with such rapidity that the waters do not commingle; hence it has been inferred that Arsene is the same as the Arethusa of Pliny (vi. 31, comp. Bitter, Erdkunde, vol. x. p. 90; Ersch and Gruber's Encyclopaedia). Lake Van is of an irregular shape, in extreme length from NE. to SW. about 70 miles, and in extreme breadth from N. to S. about 28 miles. The level is placed at 5467 feet above the sea. The water is brackish, but cattle will drink it, particularly near the rivers. (Kinneir, Travels, p. 384; London Geog. Journ. vol. iii. p. 50, vol. x. pp. 391, 398, 410.)
This text is from: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854) (ed. William Smith, LLD). Cited September 2004 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
Artagera (Artagerai, Strab. xi. p. 529; Artageira, Zon. x. 36; Artagera,Vell.
Pat. ii. 102), a town of Armenia, supposed to be the same as the Artagigarta of
Ptolemy (Artagigarta, v. 13. § 22) and the Artogerassa of Amm. Marcellinus (xxvii.
12). It is called by the Armenian writers Artager (Ardakers) (St.Martin, Mem.
sur l'Armenie, vol. i. p. 122.) Before the walls of this city C. Caesar, grandson
of Augustus, received the wound from the effects of which he died. The site would
appear to have been between Arsamosata and Tigranocerta, if it be assumed that
it is the same place as the Artagigarta of Ptolemy.
Artemita (Van), a town of Armenia (Ptol. v. 13. § 21), founded, according to the national traditions, by Semiramis. A canal, which in some maps has been converted into a river, under the name of Sheniram Su, is attributed to this reputed foundress of Van. Mr. Brant (London Geog. Journal, vol. x. p. 389) speaks of a small village of the name of Artemid, at no great distance from Van. He was told that no inscriptions were to be found, nor were there traces of any buildings of antiquity. D'Anville (Geog. Anc. vol. ii. p. 324; comp. Kinneir, Trav. p. 385) has identified it with the large and important town of Van, which St. Martin (Mem. sur l'Armenie, vol. i. p. 138) considers to be the same as the Buana (Bouana) of Ptolemy (v. 13. § 21). Van was considered one of the strongest places in Armenia, and is frequently mentioned by the native chroniclers in connection with their history. (St. Martin, l. c.)
This text is from: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854) (ed. William Smith, LLD). Cited September 2004 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
Arzen (Artze, Cedren. Hist. Comp. vol. ii. p. 722), a town of Armenia to the E.
of Theodosiopolis (Erzrum). According to native writers it contained 800 churches,
A.D. 1049. It was taken by the Seljuk Turks, and the inhabitants retired to Theodosiopolis.
No remains of this city are to be found now. (St. Martin, Mem. sur l'Armenie,
vol. i. p. 68.)
Arzanene (Arzanene, also Arxane, Procop. de Aedif. iii. 2), a province
in the S. of Armenia, situated on the left bank of the Tigris, extending to the
E. as far as the valley of Bitlis, and bounded on the S. and W. by Mesopotamia.
It derived its name from the lake Arsene, or the town Arzen, situated on this
lake. Its name frequently occurs in the writers of the Lower Empire. (Eutrop.
vi. 7; Amm. Marc. xxv. 7, 9; Procop. B. Pers. i. 8.) Ptolemy calls the district
Thospitis (Xospitis, v. 13. § 18), a name which he also gives to the lake Arsene
(v. 13. § 7). The district Arrhene in Pliny (vi. 31) is probably the same as Arzanene.
This province was the subject and the theatre of continual wars between
the emperors of Constantinople and the kings of Persia. It is now comprehended
in the Pashalik of Dyar Bekr.
This text is from: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854) (ed. William Smith, LLD). Cited September 2004 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
Aza a town of Armenia, mentioned by Pliny (vi. 10). According to the Anton. Itinerary it was 26 M. P. from Satala; it is conjectured to be the same place as the Hassis of the Peutinger Tables, which is distant from Satala 25 M. P.
Aziris (Aziris, Ptol. v. 7. § 2), a town of Armenia Minor, which, if we identify with Arsingan, or Arzindjan, as Mannert (Geogr. vol. vi. pt. 2. p. 308) does, must be placed to the W. of the Euphrates. Abulfeda (Tab. Syr. p. 18) fixes this place on the road between Sivas and Arzrum. According to the Armenian chroniclers it was famous for the worship of the goddess Anahid, and was decorated with many temples by Tigranes II. After the establishment of Christianity it remained an important place, but attained its highest distinction under the Mussulman princes of the Seljuk dynasty. (St. Martin, Mem. sur l'Armenie, vol. i. p. 71; Forbiger, vol. ii. p. 312; Ritter, Erdkunde, vol. x. p. 270.)
This text is from: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854) (ed. William Smith, LLD). Cited September 2004 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
Niphates (ho Niphates, Strab. xi. pp. 522, 523, 527, 529; Ptol. v.
13. § 4, vi. 1. § 1; Mela, i. 15. § 2; Plin. v. 27; Amm. Marc. xxiii. 6. § 13;
Virg. Geog. iii. 30; Horat. Carm. ii. 9. 20: the later Roman poets, by a curious
mistake, made Niphates a river; comp. Lucan iii.245; Sil. Ital. xiii. 775; Juven.
vi. 409), the snowy range of Armenia, called by the native writers Nebad or Nbadagan
(St. Martin, Mem. sur l'Armenie, vol. i. p. 49). Taurus, stretching E. of Commagene
(Ain Tab) separates Sophene (Kharput Dawassi), which is contained between Taurus
and Anti-Taurus (Strab. xi. p. 521), from Osroene (Urfah), and then divides itself
into three portions. The most northerly, and highest, are the Niphates (Asi Kur)
in Acilisene the bleachers and glassmakers of Aegypt. Parallel with the Natron
Lakes, and separated from them by a narrow ridge, is the Bahr-be-la-Ma, or Waterless
River, a name given by the Arabs to this and other hollows which have the appearance
of having once been channels for water. It has been surmised that the lake Moeris
(Birket-el-Keroum) may have been connected with the Mediterranean at some remote
period by this outlet. The Bahr-be-la-Ma contains agatised wood. (Wilkinson, Mod.
Egypt and Thebes, vol. i. p. 300.)
The valley in which the Natron Lakes are contained, was denominated
the Nitriote nome (nomos Nitriotis or Nitriotes, Strab. xvii. p. 803; Steph. B.
s. v. Nitriai). It was, according to Strabo, a principal seat of the worship of
Serapis, and the only nome of Aegypt in which sheep were sacrificed. (Comp. Macrob.
Saturn. i. 7.) The Serapeian worship, indeed, seems to have prevailed on the western
side of the Nile long before the Sinopic deity of that name (Zeus Sinopites) was
introduced from Pontus by Ptolemy Soter, since there was a very ancient temple
dedicated to him at Rhacotis, the site of Alexandreia (Tac. Hist. iv. 83), and
another still more celebrated outside the walls of Memphis. The monasteries of
the Nitriote nome were notorious for their rigorous asceticism. They were many
of them strong-built and well-guarded fortresses, and offered a successful resistance
to the recruiting sergeants of Valens, when they attempted to enforce the imperial
rescript (Cod. Theodos. xii. tit. 1. lex. 63), which decreed that monastic vows
should not exempt men from serving as soldiers. (Photius, p. 81, ed. Bekker; Dionys.
Perieg. v. 255; Eustath. ad loc; Pausan. i. 18; Strab. xvii. p. 807; Clem. Alex.
Strom. i. p. 43.)
This text is from: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854) (ed. William Smith, LLD). Cited August 2004 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
Zagrus Mons (ho Zagros, to Zagron oros, Polyb. v. 44; Ptol. vi. 2. § 4; Strab. xi. p. 522), the central portion of the great chain of mountains which, extending in a direction nearly N. and S. with an inclination to the W. at the upper end, connects the mountains of Armenia and the Caucasus with those of Susiana and Persis. It separates Assyria from Media, and is now represented by the middle and southern portion of the mountains of Kurdistan, the highest of which is the well known Rowandiz. Near this latter mountain was the great highroad which led from Assyria and its capital Nineveh into Media, and, at its base, was in all probability the site of the pass through the mountains, called by Ptolemy hai tou Zagrou pulai (vi. 2. § 7), and by Strabo, he Medike pule (xi. p. 525). Polybius notices the difficulty and danger of this pass (v. 44), which, from Colonel Rawlinson's narrative, would seem to have lost none of its dangers (Rawlinson, in Trans. Geogr. Soc. vol. x., Pass and Pillar of Keli-Shin.
This text is from: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854) (ed. William Smith, LLD). Cited September 2004 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
Camacha (Kamacha: Kemakh), a strong fortress of Armenia, called in Armenian Gamakh, and also Ani, was well known in history, but it was not till lately that its site could be identified. Mr. Brant (Journ. Geog. Soc. vol. vi. p. 203) places it at about 26 miles SW. from Ersingan, on the left bank of the W. Euphrates (Kara-Su). It is a singular place; an elevated portion of the town is within a wall of very ancient structure, but commanded by mountains rising close to it. The remainder is situated on a slope amidst gardens ascending from the river bank. It enclosed a celebrated temple of the god Aramazd, containing a great number of literary monuments, which were destroyed by the orders of St. Gregory of Armenia. Here were deposited the treasures of the Armenian kings, as well as many of their tombs: hence the name, the word Gamackh signifying a corpse. The Byzantine emperors kept a strong garrison here to defend the eastern part of their empire from the attacks of the Moslems, up to the commencement of the 11th century.
This text is from: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854) (ed. William Smith, LLD). Cited August 2004 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
(Luchnitis; comp. Steph. B. s. v. Luchnidos), a lake of the Greater Armenia, which Ptolemy (v. 13. § 8) places in long. 78' and lat. 43' 15?. It has been identified with the lake Gokdje Deniz, or Sevanga to the NW. of Erivan, the true position of which is lat. 40' 37'. The river Zengue, which flows out of the lake and communicates with the Araxes, is not mentioned by Ptolemy. (Dubois de Montpereux, Voyage Autour du Caucase, Atlas, pt. i. pl. vii. vol. iii. pp. 299--311; St. Martin, Mem. sur l'Armenie, vol. i. p. 61; Journ. Geog. Soc. vol. iii. pp. 40-43; Ritter, Erdkunde, vol. ix. p. 786.)
This text is from: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854) (ed. William Smith, LLD). Cited September 2004 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
Sophene (Sophene, Strab. et alii; Sophanene, Dion Cass. xxxvi. 36; Procop. de Aedif. iii. 2, B. Pers. i. 21: Eth. Sophenos), a district of Armenia, lying between Antitaurus and Mount Masius, separated by the Euphrates from Melitene in Armenia Minor, and by Antitaurus from Mesopotamia. Its capital was Carcathiocerta. (Strab. xi. pp. 521, 522, 527.) It formed at one time, with the neighbouring districts, a separate west Armenian kingdom, governed by the Sophenian Artanes, but was annexed to the east Armenian kingdom by Tigranes. Sophene was taken away from Tigranes by Pompey. (Strab. xi. p. 532; Dion Cass. xxxvi. 26; Plut. Lucull. 24, Pomp. 33.) Nero gave Sophene as a separate kingdom to Sohaemus. (Tac. Ann. xiii. 7.)
This text is from: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854) (ed. William Smith, LLD). Cited September 2004 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
Receive our daily Newsletter with all the latest updates on the Greek Travel industry.
Subscribe now!
