437 



ARBE. 



ARCADIA. 



438 



ARBE, ail island in the gulf of Quarnero in the Adriatic, is 

 separated from the mainland of Dalmatia by the Morlacca Channel, 

 and is situated between the islands of Veglia and Pago in 44 47 

 N. lat., 14 51' E. long. The island belongs to Dalmatia and forms a 

 district in the circle of Zara. The surface which is generally rocky 

 and barren measures 32 square miles ; there are however four valleys 

 which have a productive soil, yielding wine, olives, figs, and corn. The 

 island is greatly exposed to the north-east wind called Bora, which 

 in winter especially sweeps over it with great violence, rendering 

 the climate extremely cold and rude. The population numbers aboul 

 4000, some of whom occupy themselves with fishing and making salt. 

 The chief town, also called Arbe, is situated on the south coast on a 

 promontory between two tolerable harbours, and has about 120C 

 inhabitants. It gives title to a bishop. In the cathedral is preserved 

 a copy of an agreement made by the island, A.D. 1018, to pay to the 

 Republic of Venice a tribute of lOlbs. of silk annually, or in default 

 5 Ibs. of pure gold. It would appear from this that silk-worms were 

 reared thus early in Dalmatia. The agreement is also mentioned by 

 the historian Lucio, lib. ii. c. 8. In the interior is a market-town 

 called Barbado a name which has been sometimes extended to the 

 whole island. (Sir J. G. Wilkinson's Dalmatia and Montenegro.) 



ARBE'LA, now Arbil or Erbil, a miserable village, which lies on 

 the ordinary route from Bagdad to Mosul, in about 36 8' N. lat., 

 44 6' E. long., between the Greater Zab (the Lycus), and the Lesser 

 Zab (the Caprus), in a hilly and tolerably fertile district. Arbela was 

 once in possession of a hereditary race of Mohammedan princes, 

 whose dominion extended to Tabreez in Azerdbijau, and it was then 

 a large city, defended by a castle situated on a hill of a conical shape. 

 Arb'-la is best known for having given name to the last great battle 

 between Alexander and Darius, B.C. 331. The battle was not fought 

 hut at a spot called Gaugamela, now Karmelis, a little 

 place about 20 miles N.W. from Arbela on a small stream called the 

 Klmzir, the Bumadus or Bumelus of Arrian. (' Anab.' iii. 8.) After 

 the battle, Alexander in his pursuit of Darius crossed the Lyous 

 and arrived at Arbela, where Darius had left his baggage and 

 treasures. 



ARBOIS. [JURA.] 

 ARBROATH. [ABERBROTHWICK.] 

 ARC. [VAR.] 



ARCACHON BAY. [GIBONDE.] 



ARCA'DIA, the central province of the Peloponnesus (Morea), 

 extended from about 37 15' to 38 N. lat, and from 21 52' to 22 36' 

 E. long. Its greatest length from KaUvryta, the ancient Cynactha in 

 the north to Samani in the south, was about 50 miles ; its breadth 

 varied from 85 to 41 miles ; and its area was about 1700 square miles. 

 On the north and north-west it was separated from Achaia and 

 Elis by a range of mountains, which branching off from Cyllene (now 

 Zyria, 7788 feet high), the highest point of the Peloponnesus, ran in a 

 westerly direction, and was known by the several appellations of 

 AroauinH, Lampeia, Erymanthus and Pholoe. On the west it was 

 separated from Triphylia by mountains which are a southerly 

 continuation of Pholoe, but the names of which have not been 

 transmitted to us : on the south, its boundary towards Laconia may 

 be considered the high-laud that forms the watershed between the 

 Eurotas and the Alpheius. Its separation from Messeuia was the 

 high-land west of Lycosura, running between the bed of the Neda and 

 the sources of the Pamisus, and containing the great mountain Tetrazi 

 (Cerausium), a part of Lycteum. On the east it was separated from 

 Argolis by the ridge known under the several appellations of 

 Parthenium, Artemisium, and Trachy. 



Arcadia may be regarded as the Switzerland of Greece, though its 

 mountains are of much less elevation. The centre of the Morea may 

 be considered as a high table-land, which is traversed by numerous 

 ridges of hills : the valleys of Tegca, Mantineia, Orchomenus, and 

 Caphyee, which run from south to north on the east side of Arcadia, 

 are of considerable extent when compared with others in the Morea, 

 and show the general level of the eastern side of this table-land. From 

 the west side of these valleys the long slope lies westward, as we see 

 by the course of the Alpheius and its tributaries ; that to the eastern 

 coast is more steep and shorter. The plains of Caphyse, Tegea, 

 Mantineia, and Orchomenus, which last is only separated from that 

 ntineia by a low narrow ridge, may be considered as one : its 

 length is about 25 miles, with a breadth varying from 1 to 8 miles. 

 The modern town of Tripolitzi (probably on the site of Pallantium), 

 is on this elevated plain, where in the month of March the ground is 

 often covered with snow, while the sea-coast enjoys warm and pleasant 

 weather. These eastern valleys have a very peculiar appearance, from 

 being so inclosed by mountains that the water is often unable to find 

 an outlet At the lowest parts of them small lakes and marshes are 

 formed, though sometimes the water is carried off by subterranean 

 tunnels. Such phenomena are of frequent occurrence in this part of 

 Arcadia, which is a limestone country : these high valleys, in fact, 

 belong neither to the water system of the Alpheius nor to that of the 

 small streams which enter the sea on the east coast Being now 

 entirely deprived of wood and of ita three great cities, Tegea, 

 Mantineia, and Orchomenus, the extensive plain of Tripolitzd presents 

 one dull, uninteresting level. In the south and west, along the 

 valleys of the Alphciue, the Arcadian scenery exhibits its most 



picturesque features, recalling to our recollection all the beautiful 

 descriptions of the poets. The valley of Megalopolis still abounds 

 in delightful scenery. The sides of the majestic mountains are 

 covered with oaks, chestnuts, and plane-trees, while the lower hills 

 are clothed with underwood, and refreshed by numerous rivulets. 

 The principal river of Arcadia was the Alpheius [ALPHEIUS]. The 

 Eurotas [LACONIA], the Erasmus [ARGOLIS], and the Styx rise in 

 Arcadia. In the mountains in the eastern part of the province are 

 several small lakes, the most celebrated of which was that of 

 Stymphalus. The inhabitants were shepherds and hunters. Game 

 abounded in the forests, which, especially in the west, were also the 

 haunts of the bear and the wild boar. The country was famous for 

 its asses, which were in demand all over Greece. These with hogs 

 and sheep were the principal source of wealth in the country. The 

 shepherd part of the population occupied the more level parts of the 

 country ; they were noted for the simplicity of their manners, and 

 also for their stupidity. They worshipped Hermes or Mercury, who 

 was said to have been bom on Mount Cylleue ; Pan, the inventor of 

 the Syrinx and the protector of the flocks; Artemis or Diana, the 

 goddess of the chase ; and the Lycaean Zeus, to whom human sacrifices 

 were offered down to a late period. 



The Arcadians were divided into many independent states, and 

 each of these contained several inferior towns or villages. Of their 

 number some idea may be formed from the fact that the inhabitants 

 of 40 of them were transferred, B.C. 871, to form the new state of 

 Megalopolis, which was founded near the frontiers of Laconia, and 

 which seems to have had a territory assigned to it more extensive 

 than that of any other Arcadian state, and running northward for 

 about 23 miles. ('Pausan. viii. 27, 5, 35, 5, 36, 2). At the time 

 when Strabo wrote, about A.D. 14, he tells us that there was scarcely 

 a city in the whole extent of its territory, and that even Megalopolis 

 had been reduced almost to a desert. There are now a number of 

 insignificant villages in Arcadia, but the only place of any importance 

 is Tripolitzd, which during the existence of Turkish oppression in 

 this unfortunate country was the chief residence of the pasha. We 

 may mention a few of the principal ancient cities, though the sites of 

 some of them are unknown, or at least doubtful. In the north lay 

 Psophis, near the modern Khan of Tripotamo, on the banks of the 

 river Erymanthus, remarkable for the strength and singularity of its 

 site : Cynactha, probably KalaVryta, whose inhabitants were dis- 

 tinguished from the rest of the Arcadians by the peculiar savageuess 

 and ferocity of their disposition qualities which Polybius (iv. 21) 

 attempts to prove arose from their hatred of music, which was 

 particularly cultivated by their fellow-countrymen : Stymphalus, the 

 remains of which are found about an hour W.S.W. of the village of 

 Zaraka, on the banks of the Palus Styuiphalia, once the fabled haunt 

 of the birds called Styraphalides : Caphya;, the remains of which are 

 found at Khotusa, celebrated for the defeat of Aratus and the Achteans 

 by the ^Etoliaus in the Social War : Orchomeuus, at Kalpiiki, under 

 which is a plain in a great measure occupied by a small 'lake formed 

 from the rain-water which descends from the surrounding hills : on 

 the east lay the important city of Mautineia, at the site of Paleopoli, 

 celebrated for the death of Epaminondas in the great battle between 

 the Thebans and Lacedaemonians, B.C. 362 ; Tegea, at Paleo Episcopi, 

 once one of the most powerful states of Arcadia. On the weat there 

 were no cities of any great importance. 



The Arcadians according to their own account had occupied the 

 central parts of the Peloponnesus from time immemorial. That they 

 were a branch of the great Pelasgic nation which appears to have 

 extended, at one tune, nearly in a continued line from the Italian 

 peninsula to Asia Minor, seems undeniable from the number of 

 specimens furnished by the country of ancient polygonal walls (such 

 as at Mantineia, and at Lycosura) a species of architecture supposed 

 to be peculiar to the Pelasgi; their first king is reported to have 

 been the earth-born Pelasgus. Pausanias, in his account of the early 

 history of Arcadia, presents us only with fable ; it is therefore 

 unnecessary to enumerate the names of the kings, which he pretends 

 to have learned from diligent investigation. 



The Arcadians seem from an early period to have been divided into 

 several petty independent states ruled by the descendants of Areas, 

 she eponymous ancestor of the nation, who was fabled to be son of 

 Zeus. In the catalogue of the ships in the second book of the Iliad ' 

 only one Arcadian king, Agapenor, is mentioned, who sailed with 

 lis Arcadians against Troy in 60 ships furnished by Agamemnon. 

 Before the Trojan war Arcadian colonies are said to have been sent 

 M Italy, the most famous of which was the one led by Evander, who it 

 s pretended settled on the banks of the Tiber and built Pallantium 

 so named after his native city on part of the site on which Rome 

 was afterwards built. 



On the invasion of the Peloponnesus by the Dorians the Arcadians 

 maintained their independence. The Spartans attempted to subjugate 

 several of their towns ; accordingly we find the Arcadians aiding the 

 tfessenians in their wars with Sparta. 



In the second Messenian war the Arcadians stoned Aristocrates 

 ung of Orchomeuus to death, on account of his treacherous behaviour 

 to the Messeniaifs. Herodotus (vii. 202) tells us that they took part 

 with their countrymen against Xerxes, B.C. 480, and that they ent 

 o Thermopylae a body of 2120 men to oppose that monarch. In the 



