428 
Pliny's natueal histoet. 
[Book V. 
palm-trees, and watered hj numerous springs, and tlioge of 
Emmaiis^ Lydda^, Joppe, Acrabatena^, Grophna^, Thamna^, 
Betlileptephene^, Orina^, in whicli formerly stood Hiero- 
solyma^, by far tlie most famous city, not of Judsea only, 
but of the East, and Herodium^, with a celebrated town 
of the same name. 
(15.) The river Jordanes^*^ rises from the spring of Panias", 
which has given its surname to Csesarea, of which we shall 
palm-grove, which, was presented by Antony to Cleopatra. A Bedouin 
encampment called Kiha is all tliat now occupies its site. ♦ 
1 A city eight or ten miles from the village Emmaiis of the New Tes- 
tament. It was called NicopoHs, in commemoration, it has been sug- 
gested, of the destruction of Jerusalem. Its site is still marked by a 
village called Ammious, on the road from Jerusalem to Jaffa. 
2 So often mentioned in the ISTew Testament. This town lay to the 
S.E. of Joppa, and N.W. of Jerusalem, at the junction of several roads 
which lead from the sea-coast. It was destroyed by the Romans in the 
Jewish war, but was soon after rebuilt, and called Diospohs. A village 
called Lud occupies its site. 
3 So called from Acrabbim, its chief town, situate nine miles from 
!Nicopohs. The toparchy of Acrabbim, which formerly formed part of 
Samaria, was the most northerly of those of J udsea. 
'* Situate in the country of Benjamin. J osephus reckons it second in 
importance only to Jerusalem, from wliich, according to Eusebius, it was 
distant fifteen miles, on the road to the modern IN^ablous. That author 
also identifies it with the Eshcol of Scripture. Its site is marked by a 
small Christian village, called by the natives Jufna. 
^ Like the two preceeluig ones, this toparchy for a long time belonged 
to Samaria. Thamna, or Thamnis, was the Timnath-Serah in Mount 
Ephraim, mentioned in Joshua xix. 50, and xxiv. 30, as the place where 
Joshua was buried. 
^ The toparchy of Bethleptepha of other authors. It appears to 
have been situate in the south of Judsea, and in that part which is by 
Josephus commonly called Idumsea. Keland has remarked, that the 
name resembles Beth-lebaoth, a city of the tribe of Simeon, mentioned 
in Joshua xix. 6. 
Erom the Grreek, meaning the "mountain district," or the "hill 
country," as mentioned in Luke i. 39. 
8 Or " Sacred Solyma." 
9 A fortress of Palsestina, erected by Herod the Glreat, at a distance of 
about sixty stadia from Jerusalem, and not far from Tekoa. Its site has 
been identified by modern travellers with El-Euredis, or the Paradise ; 
probably the same as the spot called the " Frank Mountain," on the 
top of which the ruined walls of the fortress are still to be seen. 
1^ CaUed by the Arabs Bahr-el-Arden. 
Situate on Mount Panias, or Paneas, on the range of Anti-Libanus. 
