450 
ITALY. 
and, that the Chalcidians of Naxos, having gained fome 
advantage over the Siculi, built the cities of Catania and 
I.eontium, now called Lentini, in the Val di Noto. About 
the time of the foundation-of Catania, Lamis, who came 
from Megara, on the frontiers of Attica, having attacked 
the Leontines, was defeated and flain in the engagement; 
on which his followers, who were obliged to betake them- 
felves to flight, built the city of Megara, on the fpot now 
called Penifola delli Manghifi. This city foon became fo 
populous, that one hundred years after its erection, its 
inhabitants laid the foundation of Selinuntum on the 
fonthern coaft of the ifland, to the eaft of the promontory 
of Lilybaeum, and at the mouth of the little river Salinos. 
This city no longer exifts; but its ruins excite a high 
idea of its ancient fplendour. 
Gela was founded by Antiphemos of Rhodes, and En- 
timos of Crete, forty-flve years after Syracufe, not far 
from the mouth of the river Gelas, now called Fiume di 
Ten-a Nuova. No traces of it are left, and it is even a 
difputed point where it flood. Diodorus Siculus relates, 
that Phintias, tyrant of Agrigentum, removed its inhabi¬ 
tants to Phintiade, a city which he had built and named 
after himfelf; and that, having demolilhed the houfes of 
Gela, he employed the materials in the conftruftion of 
the edifices which he erected in his new city. The inha¬ 
bitants of Phintiade, fituated on the river Himera, fome- 
times gave it the name of Gela, and called themfelves 
Gelenles, which has led fome of the moderns into an er¬ 
ror, and among others Chiaranda, who afierts, that, on the 
death of the tyrant, a great number of the inhabitants of 
Phintiade rebuilt Gela. Strabo, who lived during the 
reign of Augufius, pofitively afierts, that in his time 
Gela was not in exiftence. The inhabitants of Gela, one 
hundred and eight years after its foundation, fent out a 
colony, which built the city of Agrigentum, the modern 
Girgenti. 
Cafmenes, Plimera, and Camarina, were colonies of Sy¬ 
racufe; thefe cities no longer exift. Cafmenes was found¬ 
ed ninety years after Syracufe. Its fite is not known; 
but it is fuppofed to have been between Motyca, now 
Modica, and Neaeteum, the modern Noto, nearly at an 
equal diftance from both. Hymera was fituated on the 
north coaft of the ifland, at the mouth of the river of the 
lame name. Diodorus Siculus relates, that it was de¬ 
ftroyed by the Carthaginians. Termini, celebrated for its 
hot fprings, ftands upon its ruins. Camarina was built 
about one hundred and thirty-five years after Syracufe, 
between the mouths of two rivers, one of which on the 
weft, formerly called Hypparis, is the prefent Camarana ; 
and the other, on the weft, denominated Oanus, is the 
modern Frafcolari. Camarina was feveral times deftroyed 
and rebuilt: its ruins are ftill to be leen near a tower on 
the coaft called Torre di Camarana. 
Syracufe was the moft celebrated of the ancient cities 
of Sicily, and has retained its original name. It ftands 
on the north fide of the river Anapos. 
Gelon, tyrant of Gela, who obtained the principal au¬ 
thority in Syracufe near five hundred years before the 
Chriftian sera, deftroyed the cities of Camarina and Me¬ 
gara. So confiderable was his power, that the Greeks, 
when threatened by Xerxes, implored his afliftance. He¬ 
rodotus relates that he refufed to grant them any fuc- 
cours, unlefs they would appoint him to the chief com¬ 
mand of the confederate forces. The Greeks were fear¬ 
ful of giving themfelves a matter, if they fiiould eleft fo 
dangerous a chief. The politic Gelon, waiting to fee what 
turn things would take, remained a quiet fpeftator of that 
memorable war. 
The Greeks, long before their lettlement in Sicily, had 
founded colonies in that part of Italy, which thence re¬ 
ceived the appellation of Magna Gracia. 
Dionyfius of Halicarnaflus, devotes the firft book of his 
Hiftory to an account of the antiquities of Italy, and the 
origin of the different nations by which it was inhabited 
prior to the foundation of Rome. In this part of his 
work, which difplays moft erudition, and would be the moft 
interefting had it been well executed, he fays nothing, or 
next to nothing, of the Celtic and Illyrian colonies which 
penetrated into Italy, by way of the Alps, at different 
periods, and whole fettlements flourifhed when the Greeks 
arrived by fea on the eaftern coafts; but treats very cir- 
cumftantially of the Greek cities, which he confidered as 
the cradle of the Romans, whole hiftory he was writing. 
The eftablilhment of the Greeks in that part of Italy 
called Magna Grsecia is a certain fadf, though the date 
and the principal circumftances of that irivafion are not 
known. Dionyfius of Halicarnaflus fuppofes two princi¬ 
pal expeditions, that of the Aborigines and that of the 
Pelalgi, to have arrived at different times ; the Aborigines 
having come, according to him, by fea, from Arcadia, 
under the conduct of Peucetius and ASnotrus, fons of Ly- 
caon, fix hundred years prior to the arrival of Cecrops, 
who arrived in Attica feventeen hundred years before 
the Chriftian sera. Peucetius landed above the promon¬ 
tory of Japygia. He gave the name of Peucetians to his 
followers. The extent of the country occupied by thefe 
people cannot be determined ; but, the Peucetians being de¬ 
ftroyed or incorporated with the neighbouring tribes, the 
diftrifl in which they had fettled was known in the fequel 
by the name of Apulia. ./Enotrus had under his com¬ 
mand a more confiderable force than Peucetius ; he land¬ 
ed at the bottom of the Aufonian Gulf, drove back tire 
Aufonians, and made himfelf inafter of the ifthmus be¬ 
tween this gulf- and that of Scylaceus. Thefe cdlonifts 
afterwards extended themfelves to Metapontum, Taren- 
tum, and Pofiidonia. They advanced into Latium, and 
forced part of the inhabitants to abandon that country, 
and feek a refuge in Sicily. 
Several generations after the arrival of this colony, the 
Aborigines were joined by the Pelafgi, who, like them¬ 
felves, were of Arcadian extra&ion, but who came from 
Theffaly, whence they were expelled by Deucalion. The 
reign of this prince, as is well known, was anterior to the 
arrival of Cadmus in Greece. Dionyfius of Halicarnaflus 
details the particulars of this voyage, as if he were relating 
from contemporary narratives an event that had happened 
not long before his own time. He afierts that the greater 
part of the Pelafgi repaired toEpirus; but, finding themfelves 
ftraitened for room, and burdenfome to the ancient inha¬ 
bitants, thefe colonifls refolved to feek a new abode. The 
oracle of Dodona, being confulted by their chiefs, direct¬ 
ed them to Italy, by the appellation of the country of Sa¬ 
turn. The Pelafgi immediately built a numerous fleet, in 
which they embarked, and were wafted by the winds into 
the Adriatic Sea to the mouths of the Po. They there 
founded the city of Spina, which gave its name to one of 
the mouths of the river. This city was afterwards de¬ 
ftroyed by the Gauls. Advancing from Spina into the 
interior of the country, the Greeks proceeded acrofs Um¬ 
bria to join their countrymen the Aborigines. Thefe two 
tribes expelled or l'ubdued the Siculi and the neighbour¬ 
ing nations ; but, neglefting to fulfil a vow, they incurred 
the wrath of Jupiter, and an epidemic dil'eafe almoft en¬ 
tirely deftroyed them both. Some, in order to avoid the 
effects of this fatal fcourge, returned to Greece, and the 
remainder incorporated themfelves with the Lucanians. 
This cataftrophe is -placed by the Greek author in the 
time of Hercules and the Argonauts. 
Evander, another warrior of Arcadia, having been van- 
quifhed by his enemies, formed a fettlement in Greece 
about this period, when, according to Paufanias and Di¬ 
onyfius of Halicarnaflus, Faunus was king of the Abori¬ 
gines. He permitted the Arcadians to fettle in his domi¬ 
nions. They built a city on the banks of the Tiber, and 
called it Pallantium, after a town in Arcadia of which 
they were natives. Aurelius Vi&or fixes this emigration 
at the 6oth year before the fiege of Troy. The Romans, 
in the lequel, changed the name of Pallantium into Pala- 
tium. Strabo deems this account fabulous; but the Ro¬ 
mans were not of the fame opinion; for Antonins Pius, 
3 tlefirous 
