A Geographical and Historical Disquisition Touching Asia, Chapter 1
CHAP. I. Of the Asia which by the Romanes was first properly so called; and the severall members thereof.
AS the lesser Asia (now called Natolia or Anatolia) was a part of the great, and Asia properly so called a part of that lesser; so the Lydian Asia was a parcell of that Asia which was properly so called. For the fuller understanding whereof, we are to call to mind, that the Romanes having possessed themselves of the Countreyes which had formerly belonged unto the Pergamen Kings, reduced them into the forme of a Province; which they called, aforeign. Strabo, Geograph. lib. 13 pag 624. (edit. Graeco. latin. an 1620)by the name of the great Continent, Asia.
This is by CicerobNamque, …t opinor, Asia vestra constat ex Phrygiâ, Mysiâ, Ca…iâ, Lydiâ. Cicero, in orat. pro Flacco: ad ipsos Asianos ve…ba facien…. distinguished into foure members: Phrygia, Mysia, Caria, and Lydia. The first whereof is by Dionysius Afer, cStrabo, lib. 12 pag. 571.Strabo, dPtolem, Geograph. lib. 5. cap. 2.Ptolemy and others, divided into the greater and the lesser Phrygia. Within the greater those two Phrygia's were comprehended, which in after ages, were knowne by the names of Pacatiana and Salutaris: the former of which (mentioned in the subscription, added by the Greeke Church unto the former Epistle of S. Paul unto Timothy) being the more Southerne part of the greater Phrygia, is thought to have received that appellation from Pacatianus: who in the dayes of Constantine the great, bore the office of the eCod. Theod. lib. 10. tit 15. de advocato fisci. l. 2.Prefect of the Praetorium of the East, having not long before beene at the same time fIbid. l 3. tit. 5. de sponsal. l. 4.both Consul and Prefect of the City of Constantinople; and (as it may seeme) diverse yeares before that, began his preferments here in the West, with the *Vid. Cod Theod. l 11. tit 7 de exact. leg. 2. ad Pacatianum Vicarium Britannia…um.Lieutenantship of our Brittaine.
Of the latter, there is mention made in a certaine gL. Cum appellatio. C. de appellationib.Constitution of Constantius the sonne of Constantine, and in the Subscriptions both of the fourth generall Councell held at Chalcedon, and of the fifth held at Constantinople; in which last hSeverus Episcopus Synnadensium, Metropoleos Phrygiae Salutaris. Concil. 5. Collat. 8.Severus subscribeth as Bishop of Synnada, the Metropolis of Phrygia Salutaris, (however iSocrat. Histor. Ecclesiastic. lib. 7. cap. 3.Socrates, by some lapse of memory, and kNicephor. Callist. histor. lib. 14. cap. 11.Nicephorus blindly following him, have made this to be a City of Phrygia Pacatiana:) as in that of Chalcedon, lforeign. Concil Chalcedon. Act. 16.Abercius, as Bishop of Hierapolis, a Citie of the same Phrygia Salutaris. Where it may be noted; first, that besides that more knowne Hierapolis in Phrygia Pacatiana (of which we shall have occasion to speake hereafter) there was another of lesse note in Phrygia Salutaris: the one whereof in mPlin. Histor. natural. l. 5. c. 29. & 30.Pli…yes dayes (before this new distinction of the parts of the greater Phrygia was brought in) belonged to the Laodicean, the other to the Pergamen jurisdiction. Secondly, that before this Abercius, who was present at the Councell of Chalcedon; there were two other Bishops of the same name, who succeeded one another in the same See, about the time of the Emperour Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, whose Episcopall seat is by nforeign. & post. foreign. Metaphrast. in Actis Abercii, Octob. 22. (M…. in Bibl. other. Colleg. Corp. Christi, Oxon.)Symeon Metaphrastes placed in that little Phrygia, whereof Synnada was the Metropolis: whereas the other Greekes more consonantly to the truth do relate, that oforeign. Menaun…· Graec. MS. O…tob. 22.Abercius was Bishop of Hierapolis in Phrygia Salutaris.
For the greater Phrygia (whereof this Salutaris was a part) both by the forenamed Geographers, and by pforeign. Diodor. Sic lib. 18.Diodorus Siculus and qIn Asiâ Phrygiam utramque, alteram ad Hellespontum, majorem alier…m vocant, Liv. lib. 38.Livy, is opposed to that which lay upon the Hellespont: and had in it the Cities of Ilium (called by rHerodot. lib. 7.Herodotus, the Pergamus of Priamus, upon the river Seamander) and of Troas; which is often mentioned in the sAct 16.8, 11. et 20 …, 6. 2 …or. 2 12. 2 Tim. 4.12.New Testament, and by others named tT…oi…, Antigonia dicta, nunc Alexand… a Col…nia Rom Pl…n. lib. 5. cap 30Antigonia, Alexandria, and the uforeign Strabo, lib. 13. pag. 581. Ptolem lib. 5. c…p. 2. Galen. de simplic medic…m facul…. lib. 9.Alexandrian Troas: from whence the whole Countrey retained the name of Troas; aswell as the other appellations of xStrabo, lib. 2 pag. 129 & lib. 12. pag. 563.571.Epictetus, the Hellespontian and the lesser Phrygia: beginning northward, yVid. Strabon. li. 13. pag. 582, 583, 586.according to Homer, from the river Aesepus, or zIbid pag. 583. init:according to Damastes from the city Parium, not far from thence, and, according to both, extending it self from thence, along the water si…e, Southward unto the Promontory Lectum.
Betwixt this lesser and the greater Phrygia was Mysia interposed: the borders of each other being so confusedly intermingled together, aId. lib. 12. p…g. 571, 572.that it was a very difficult matter to distinguish them. And as the lesser Phrygia was called the Hellespontian, and a difference thereby put betwixt it and the greater: so this Mysia likewise, being in the countrey (although further removed from the Fretum or Strait) of Hellespont, had the like name of the Hellespontian Mysia given unto it; thereby to discriminate it from the …strian *De qua Macer l C. est capi cudus, in D. de offic. adsessor l. 3. & Ulp…anus in D. de captiv. & postlimin. & redempt. l. 9 Vid. et Strabonem, l. 12 p…g. 57l. ex Arte midoroMysia or Moesia: the Hellespontian Mysia and Phrygia joyntly making up that intire Province, which in the division of the Empire made by Constantine (because it was setled under the government of a bNoritia utriusque Imperii.Consular President) had the name of the cL Offic. H…llesponti. C. de offic. com. sacr. patrimon. vel potiùs … proconsulis & legati.Consular Hellespont bestowed upon it.
Thus Galen, having occasion to prescribe the use of Mysian Wine, declareth that he meant thereby, dforeign. Galen. de sanitat, tuend. lib. ….not that which was from the Mysia about the river Ister, but from that which is named the Hellespontian; which (saith he) is about our Asia, and conterminous unto Pergamus. For that the greater Mysia reached Southward unto the Pergamen Territory, and the plaine of Caïcus, is by cforeign, Herodot. lib. 6. §. 28. foreign. Id. lib. 7 §. 42.Herodotus and fforeign. S…rabo. lib. 12. pag. 576. foreign. Id ibid. pag. 571. foreign, &c. Ibid. Et adde ex Pausama in Atticis (pag. 4. et 10.) ips…m u…bem Pergamenam d…ctam fuisse olim Teuthraniam.Strabo in like sort testifyed: as it reached from thence Northward unto the Mountaine Olympus; which from the Mysians was called gMons Olympus, Moesius (al. Mysius) dictus; civitas Oly…pena. Plin lib. 5. cap. 32.Moesius or Mysius, and the hforeign. Herodot. lib. 7. §. 74. vid. Strabon. lib. 12. pag. 571.574.576Mysians from it again received the surname of Olympeni. that which iforeign Iem. lib 5. cap 2.Ptolemy calleth the lesser Mysia (the chiefe Citie whereof was Cyzicus) reaching from that mountaine westward unto the river Aesepus, and there joyning with the Northern part of Epictetus or the lesser Phrygia.
Caria was parted from Lydia by the winding currents Maeander: from the receiving of the river Lycus into it, unto the emptying of it selfe into the Myrtoan sea. For howsoever Ptolemy taketh all that lyeth betwixt this and the river Cayster from Lydia, and addeth it unto Caria: yet kforeign. Strab. lib. 12▪ pag. 517.Strabo maketh Maeander to be the limit betwixt those Provinces; and aswell by Scylax Caryandensis in his Periplus, as by lLydia perfusa flexu… si amnti Maeandr… recursibus, super Ioniam proced…r.. Plin l. 5. cap. 29▪Pliny, mforeign. Maxim. Tyr. disse…t. 38.Maximus Tyrius, and nforeign. Stephan. de Vrbib.Stephanus Byzantinus, it is reckoned among the rivers of Lydia.
Lydia contained, beside the inland region, commonly knowne by that name, the adjoyning countries also, aswell of Ionia, lying on the Sea side betwixt the mouthes of the river Hermus and Maeander, as of Aeolis, reaching up from Hermus, either unto the River Caicus as Ptolemy, or, as Strabo would have it, unto the very Promontory of Lectum, the ancient bound betwixt Troas and the Sea-coast of the greater Mysia. For that Mysia reached unto the mouth of Caïeus, is acknowledged not only by oPtolem· lib. 5. cap. 2. cujus Graecus tamen textus in mari…ima hujus orae descriptione manifesto librarii errore, foreign nomen habe…, pro foreign.Ptolemy, but also by pStrabo. lib. 12. pag. 571.Strabo himselfe: and yet, because that in his time it was possessed by the Aeolians, he declareth withall, that qforeign. Id. lib. 13. pag. 586.Aeolis, then properly so called, did extend from Hermus unto Lectum, and that rforeign. Id. i…id. pag. 605.when one turneth about from Lectum, the renowned Cities of the Aeolians, and the Adramyttian bay, doe receive him.
So doth Pliny likewise affirme, that sPromontariam Lecton disterminan… Ae…lida & Troada. Plin. lib. 5: …ap. 30.the promontory Lectum did disterminate Aeolis and Troas: although elsewhere, following other Authors, he placeth Assos (the first City that occurreth after the doubling of the Cape of Lectum, and whereof there is mention made Acts 20.13, 14.) in tId. lib. 2. cap. 96. & lib. 36. cap. 17.Troas, as Ptolemy doth. But uforeign. Strab. lib. 15 pag. 7…5.Strabo, and xforeign. Id. lib. 13. pag. 610.Hellanicus before him, maketh it a city of Aeolis: as Stephanus Byzantinus after them, where he saith, it yforeign. Stephan. in foreign.is a City of Aeolis about the Hellespont: from which the authority of Alexander Cornelius (subjoyned hereunto by him) saying that Assos in Mysia was a Colony of the Mitylenaeans (in the Island of Lesbus, which lay next opposite unto this Mysia) swarveth little or nothing at all: Mysia, after it came unto the possession of the Aeolians, having gotten the name of Aeolis; as by zEx quo ab Aeolus incoli coepit, Aeolis facta. Pompon. M…la. …ib. 1. cap. 18.Mela and aAeolis proxima est, quondam Mysia appellata. Plin. lib. 5 cap. 30.Pliny is fully testified. The not observing whereof caused Stephanus to make the Assos of Aeolis a different city from the Assos of Mysia neer unto Antandrus: for so do I read the place in him; foreign. and not, as the vulgar books have it; foreign.
The principall sea-townes of this part of Mysia or Aeolis bforeign. Strabo, lib. 13. p…g. 581.from Lectum to Caïcus, over against Lesbus, are by Strabo reckoned in this order: Assos, Adramyttium, Atarnus and Pitane. That Adramyttium (mentioned in Act. 27.2) was cforeign. Stephan.a city of that Mysia which is by Caïcus, and dforeign. Id.Atarna a city betwixt Mysia and Lydia, neere unto Lesbus; and eforeign. Id.Pitane a city of Aeolis, is affirmed by Stephanus. So as, reckoning Atarna it selfe (as fforeign. He…odot. lib. 1.Herodotus doth) among the cities of Mysia, the rest of Aeolis downward will fall within the limits of Lydia. wherein we finde, that aswell gforeign. Id. ibid.Phocaea (which is within Aeolis) as Ephesus, Colophon, Lebedus, Teos and Clazomenae, the most knowne cities of Ionia, are expresly placed by Herodotus. Neither is there any reason to be given, why Cicero in his enumeration of the countries of Asia, should wholly praetermit the mention of Aeolis and Ionia; but that he comprehended them under the names of Mysia and Lydia: in which we see Adramyttium, and all the other cities downeward unto Ephesus, to be placed by Scylax in his Periplus.