/ 



146 On the Ancient HELLENES'. 



whence the adjective 'ExXcaria, with the word ya^a. underftood, 

 intimating the Bellopian diftridt. Again, Hellas, originally 

 He Had, as is obvious from the genitive Hellados, is compound- 

 ed of He I, light, fplendonr, &c. and Ad, an original name of 

 the fun *. Hellas is then much the fame with Heliopolis, the 

 city of the fun. I have obferved above, that 'Tmarus or Toma- 

 rus, the mountain overhanging the temple, might fignify a palm- 

 tree ; but it may, with more probability, be compounded of 

 the words T'am, integer, perfeclus, and Or or Ur, heat or light. 

 As it was an univerfal practice among the heathens to confe- 

 crate particular mountains to particular deities, and as the one 

 in queftion lay contiguous to the temple of the fun, there can 

 be no doubt of its being confecrated to that deity. The name 

 Dodona itfelf I take to be a vox hybrida, compounded of the 

 Greek word A*>, domus, and the Phoenician Adon, dominus; fo 

 that Dodona is the fame with Do-Adon, the houfe of the Lord. 

 The prieftelTes of the temple were called veXueu f. The Chal- 

 dean word Peleh fignifies fervivit, coluit, and is upon fome oc- 

 cafions actually employed to intimate the minifters of the houfe 

 of God %. Hesychius informs us, that the word zrsXeia, in the 

 TheOalian tongue (ignified a dove. This bird every body 

 knows was facred to Venus among the Greeks and Romans, 

 and to the Moon among the Syrians. Hence the prieftelTes 

 were called weXsia/, becaufe they miniftered to Dione in the 

 temple of Dodona ; and the pigeon had the fame denomina- 

 tion, becaufe it was facred to the fame deity. The Lacedaemo- 

 nians called the temple of Jupiter in Dodona 'ExXcc §, a term 

 evidently derived from Helj and this was perhaps its original 

 denomination. All thefe names are clearly of Phoenician ex- 

 traction, nor are the etymologies obfcure and equivocal. Eve- 

 ry 



* Macrob. Sat. lib. i. cap 23. f Hesych. in voce. 



X See Ezra vii. 24. et alibi. 



$ Hesych. in vose 'E^tas, xaQetya, hcu Aid? Ispov tv Ao&ovjj. Aaxavs?. 



