The term As, in fact, appears to have been
an old appellation for deity, and meets us in numerous
quarters, under various though not very dissimilar
forms.
an old appellation for deity, and meets us in numerous
quarters, under various though not very dissimilar
forms.
Charles - 1867 - Classical Dictionary
A lake in the western part of Bithynia,
near the head waters of the Sinus Cianus. At its
eastern extremity stood the city of Nicsa. Aristotle
observes, that the waters of this lake were so im-
pregnated with nitre, as to cleanse the clothes dipped
into them. (Mirab. Auscult. , c. 54. -- Plin. , 31, 10. )
According to Colonel Leake, the Ascanian Lake is
about ten miles long and four wide, surrounded on
three sides by steep woody slopes, behind which rise
the snowy summits of the range of Olympus. (Leake's
Asia Minor, p. 7. -- Cramer's Asia Minor, vol. 1, p.
180. )
Asclepiea ('AoK%7iTritia), a festival in honour of
. ? Esculapius (XokXttkioc), celebrated in several parts
of Greece, but nowhere with so much solemnity as at
Epidaurus. One part of the celebration, as we learn
from Plato, consisted of contests in poetry and music.
(Plat. , Ion. init. Jul. Poll. , 1, 37. -- Pausanias, 2,
26, 7. ) Another form of the name is Asclcpca ('Ao-
K/. ;;T/. ia), respecting which, consult the remarks of
Siebelis (ad Pausan. , I. c).
AsclepiIoes, I. the reputed descendants of >Escu-
Iapius ('Xan'/tj-inr), consisting of several families
spread over Greece, and professing to have among
them certain secrets of the healing art handed down to
them from their great progenitor. The Asclepiadcs of
Epidaurus were among the most famous of the name.
The Asclepiadcs compelled all who were initiated
into the mysteries of their science, to swear by Apol-
lo, -Esculapius, Hygiea, Panacea, and all the other
gods and goddesses, that they would not profane
the secrets of the healing art, but would only unfold
them to the children of their masters, or to those who
should have bound themselves by the same oath.
(Consult Hippocr. , bpnoc illustralus a Mcibomio, 4to,
L. B. , 1643. ) We may, in this point of view, regard
as a locus classicus a passage of Galen, wherein he
states that medical knowledge was at first hereditary,
and that parents imparted it to their offspring as a
kind of family prerogative or possession. This usage,
however, became in process of time more relaxed, and
then medical secrets began to be imparted to stran-
gers who had gone through the forms of initiation
(refetoi uvipec), and were in this way rendered less
exclusive in their character. (Galen, Administr.
Anatom. , lib. 2, p. 128. ) It is for this reason that
Aristides, in a later age, remarks, that a knowledge of
medicine was for a long time regarded as the attribute
of the family of the Asclepiadcs. (Oral. Sacr. , vol.
1, p. 80. ) And hence, too, Lucian makes a physician
say, "My sacred and mysterious oath compels me to
be silent. " (Tragopod. , p. 818. ) The theurgic phy-
sicians of the Alexandrcan school re-established, at a
subsequent period, this ancient custom, in order to im-
part, by the obligation of religious silence, a greater
degree of consideration to their superstitious practices.
(Alex. Trail. , lib. 10, p. 593, cd. Guinth. Andernac. )
The Asclepiadcs appear to have established, among
? ? their disciples and in their manner of instructing,
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? ASC
accident that befell him. Wc have some fragments
of his writings remaining, an edition of which was
given by Gumpert, with a preface by Griiner, Vimar. ,
1794, 8vo. Asclepiades was the founder of a school,
which enjoyed groat celebrity among the ancients.
Stephanus of Byzantium gives the names of several
of his pupils (s. v. Av/tftxiov). A scholar of his,
not mentioned by the latter, namely, Themisto, was
the chief of the sect of the Methodists, as they were
termed. (Biosrr. Univ. , vol. 2, p. 564. -- Sprcngcl,
Hist. Med. , 2,"p. 3, seqq. )
Asclepiodorus, I. an Athenian painter, contempora-
ry with Apelles, who praised the former for the symme-
try of his productions, and yielded him the palm in delin-
eating the relative distances of objects. Mnaso, a tyrant
of antiquity, employed him to paint the twelve deities
(Dii majores), and paid him 300 minas (over 85277)
for each. (Pliny, 35, 10. ) -- II. A statuary, one of
those, according to Pliny (34, 8), who excelled in rep-
resenting the philosophers. (Sillig, Diet. Art. , s. v. )
Asclepiodotus, a native of Alexandres, the disci-
ple of Jacobus in medicine and of Proclus in eclectic
philosophy, in both of which he acquired a distinguish-
ed reputation. Damascius gave a long account of him
in the Life of Isidorus, of which Suidas and Photius
have preserved fragments. In medicine he surpassed
bis instructer, and is said to have re-established the
use of white hellebore, with which he made some very
successful cures. He was well acquainted also with
the virtues of plants, and with the history of animals;
and made great progress also in the musical art.
Some wonderful stories are likewise related of him,
which would seem to place him in a class of Thau-
maturgists. He wrote a commentary on the Timreus
of Plato, which is now lost. (Photius, Cod. , 242, vol.
2, p. 343, seqq. )
Ascolia, a festival in honour of Bacchus, celebrated
by the Athenian husbandmen, who generally sacrificed
a goat to the god, because that animal is a great enemy
to the vine. They made a bottle or bag with the skin
of the victim, which they filled with wine, smearing
tt the same time the outer surface with oil. On this
they endeavoured to leap with one foot, and he that
first fixed himself was declared victor, and received
the bottle as a reward. This was called donuTiiu^eiv,
Tapti tov izrl rov duKdv u? i/. ecr$ai, from leaping upon
tie bottle, whence the name of the festival is derived.
It was also introduced into Italy under the name of
Vinalta, on which occasion the rustics put on hideous
maaks of bark, and invoked Bacchus in joyful strains.
They also hung up, at the same time, little images on
a lofty pine These images they called Oscilla.
(Sclwl. ad Arutoph. , Plut. , 1129. --Virg. , Georg. , 2,
337, teqj. ) Spence gives engravings from several
gems, on which figures are represented, called oscilla
or aiufvu. They are found also in the paintings at
Herculaneum, and in Mercurialis (Art. Gymn. , 3, 8, p.
217). Spence attributes the origin of this rite to the
popular belief, that when Bacchus turned his face to-
wards the fields, their fertility was assured. Hence
they exposed these small figures to the winds, that
they might be free to turn in any direction. Some
writers think that the oscilla were the same with phal-
lic symbols (compare Scrv. ad Virg. , 1. c. ), but this
opuwm now finds few, if any, supporters. (Turneb. ,
Adz. , 3, 20. -- Rolle, Rechcrches sur le culte de Bac-
chus, vol. 1, p. 312. ) The Athenians had their festi-
val of oscilla, which they termed alupai, and which
? ? was said to have been instituted in memory of Eri-
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? ASI
ASI
incut forty stadia from Thcspis. (Cramer'* Ancient
Greece, vol. 2, p. 207, seqq. )
Asculum, I. Picenum, a city of Piccnum, so named
to distinguish it from the Asculum of Apulia. It was
situate in the interior, on the river Truentus, and some
distance to the southwest of Finnum. Strabo de-
scribes it as a place of great strength, surrounded by
walls and inaccessible heights. It was the first city
to declare against the Romans when the Social war
broke out, and its example was followed by the whole
of Picenum. Asculum sustained, in the course of
that war, a long and memorable siege against Pompcy,
who finally, however, compelled the place to surren-
der, and caused several of the chiefs of" the rebels to be
beheaded. (Lin. , Epit. , 76. -- Veil. Paterc, 2, 21. --
Floras, 3, 18. --Apjnan, Bell. Civ. , 1, 38-- Plut. , Vit.
Pomp. ) We leam from Pliny (3, 13) that Asculum
was a Roman colony, and regarded as the chief city
of the province. It is now Ascoli. -- II. Apulum, a
city of Apulia, to which the epithet Apulum was at-
tached to distinguish it from Asculum in Piccnum.
It was situate in the interior of Daunia, near the con-
fines of Samnium, and is supposed to be represented
by the modern town of Ascoli, which is about six miles
to the southwest of Ordona. It was under the walls
of this place that Pyrrhus encountered a second time
the Roman army, after having gained a signal victory
in Lucania. The action was attended with no advan-
tage to either side. (Floras, 1, 18. -- Plut. , Vit.
Pyrrh. -- Frontin. , Stratcg. , 1, 3. ) Frontinus, who
classes it among the colonies of Apulia, terms it Aus-
clum. This is probably the correct orthography, as
may be seen from coins, the inscription on which is
AYCAlflN, and ATCKA. (Cramer'* Ancient Italy,
vol. 2, p. 288. )
Asdbudal. Vid. Hasdrubal.
Asi, or Abj<< (in the old Scandinavian Msir or Esir,
the plural form of As), a general appellation given,
in the mythology of northern Europe, to the deities
that came in with Odin from the East. Including this
latter divinity they were twelve in number, according
to some, thirteen (Magnuscn, Boreal. Mythol. Lex. ,
p. 720), and there was the same number of female dei-
ties or Asynia. -- While some are inclined to sec in
the Asi merely an Asiatic colony, wandering in from
the vicinity of the Don, others, with much more propri-
ety, find in the name a curious chain of connexion be-
tween the early religions of the Eastern and European
worlds.
The term As, in fact, appears to have been
an old appellation for deity, and meets us in numerous
quarters, under various though not very dissimilar
forms. Thus, in the Coptic, Os is said to signify
"Lord" or " Deity ;" in the old Persian, good deities
or spirits were called Izr. il, while by Berosus the gods
are termed lsi. (Kanne, System der Ind. Myth. , p.
228. ) Again, in Sanscrit we have Isha, "a lord"
or "master," the feminine of which, Ishana, reminds
us at once of Asynia, a female deity, or Asa. Among
the ancient Gauls, the supreme Deing was denominated
Esus or Hcsus, a name that connects the Druidical
worship with the East; while among many nations of
Finnish origin, in Asiatic Russia, we have such terras
for deity as Eis, Ess, Essi, and Oss. (Magnuscn,
p. 719, note. -- Heyd, Etymol. Vcrsuch. , Tubingen,
1824. ) It is curious to connect with this the account
given by the Roman writers, that in the Etrurian lan-
guage Msar signified " God. " (Sueton. , Aug. , 97. --
? ? Dio Cass. , 56, 29. -- Hesych. , s. v. Aiaoi. -- Miillcr,
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? ASIA.
north to south; the Euphrates and Tigris into the
Persian Gulf, the Indus and Ganges into the Indian
Sea: two flow from east to west, the Oxus, now Gi-
hon. and the Iaxartes, now Sirr. Asia may therefore
be divided into Northern Asia, the country north of
the Altai range: Middle Asia, the country between
the ranges of Altai and Taurus: and Southern Asia,
the country south of Taurus--Northern Asia lies be-
tween 76? and 50? of latitude (Asiatic Russia and
SiAerui). This in antiquity was very little known, yet
not entirely unknown. Darx but true traditions re-
specting it may be found in the father of history, He-
rodotus. --Middle Asia, the country between 50? and
40a north latitude, comprehending Scythia and Sar-
matia Asiatics (the Great Turtary and Mongolia), is
almost one immeasurable unproductive prairie, with-
out agriculture and forests, and, therefore, a mere pas-
ture-land. The inhabitants leading pastoral lives (No-
mades). are without cities and fixed places of abode;
and therefore, instead of political union, have merely
the constitution of tribes. --Southern Asia, comprising
the lands from 40? north latitude to near the equator,
is entirely different in its character from the countries
of Middle Asia: it is, both in soil and climate, pos-
sessed of advantages for agriculture, and, in compari-
son with the other countries of the earth, it is rich in
the costliest and most various products. --The early
commerce of the world, especially of the east, was
originally through Asia. The natural places of de-
put in the interior were on tho banks of the large
rivers; on the Oius, in Bactria; on the Euphrates,
at Babylon. The natural places of depot on the coast
were the western coast of Asia Minor and Phoenicia,
where arose the series of Grecian and Phoenician cit-
ies. --Asia from the first, as at present, contained in
its interior empires of immense extent, by which they
are distinguished from those of cultivated Europe, as
well as by their constitution. They often underwent
revolutions, but their form remained the same. For
this causes must have existed, lying deep and of wide
influence, and which, notwithstanding these frequent
revolutions, still continued to operate, and always gave
to the new empires of Asia the organization of the
old ones. The great revolutions of Asia (with the
exception of that of Alexander) were occasioned by
the numerous and powerful nomadic nations which oc-
cupied a great part of that continent. Compelled by
accident or necessity, they left their places of abode,
and founded new empires, while they passed through
and subjected the fruitful and cultivated countries of
Southern Asia, until, unnerved by luxury and effemi-
nacy, consequent on the change in their habits of life,
they in their turn were in like manner subjected.
From this common origin may be explained in part
the great extent, in part the rapid rise and the usually
short continuance of these empires. The develop-
ment of their national form of government must, for
the same reason, have had great resemblance; and
the constant reappearance of despotism in them is to
be explained partly from the rights of conquerors, and
partly from their great extent, which rendered a gov-
ernment of satraps necessary. To this we must add,
that the custom of polygamy, prevailing among all the
great nations of inner Asia, mined the mutual rela-
tions and obligations of domestic life, and thus ren-
dered a good constitution impossible. For a domes-
tic tyrant is formed instead of a father of a family,
and despotism at once gains its foundation in private
? ? hfe. (Heeren'm History of the States of Antiquity,
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? ASI
ASP
meant by Asia in the legal sense of the term as em-
ployed by the Romans, and is the same with what the
Greek writers of the Roman era call Asia Proper, or
V liiuc Katov/Uvti 'kaia (Strab. , 626), in which sense
wc find the word Asia used in the New Testament.
(Acts, 2, 9. ) In another passage, however (Acts, 16,
6), we find a distinction made between Phrygia and
Asia. So, again, in the Book of Revelations, which
is addressed to the seven churches of Asia, the name
appears to be confined to that portion of ancient Lydia
which contained Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamus, Sardis,
&c. (Ccllarius, de Sept. Ecclcs. Asia, inter Dis-
sert. Acad. , p. 412. -- Cramer's Asia Minor, vol. 1,
p. 3. )--III. One of the Occanides. She married Iap-
etus, and became by him the mother of Atlas, Pro-
metheus, Epimetheus, and Mcncctius. (Apollod. , 1,
%. --Heyne, ad he. )
Asia Palus (the "\aioc /. ti/iuv of Homer), a marsh
in Lydia, formed by the river Cayster, near its mouth.
It was the favourite haunt of swans and other water-
fowl. (Horn. , II. , 2, 470. --Virg. , Georg. , 1, 483. --
Id. , &n. , 7, 699. --Ovid, Met. , 5, 386. ) Near it was
another marsh or lake, formed in like manner by the
river, and called Sclinusia Palus. Both belonged to
the temple of Ephesus, and were a source of consid-
erable revenue. (Cramer's Asia Minor, vol. 1, p.
<<M. )
Asia. va, one of the later divisions of Asia Minor.
Towards the decline of the Roman empire, Asia Minor
was divided into two dioceses or provinces, called
Asiana and Pontica, each governed by a lieutenant
named Vicaritu. (Notil. Imper. , 1. --Cod. Thcod. , 5,
tit. 2. )
AsiatTcu8, I. the surname of one of the Scipios
(Lucius Cornelius), obtained by him for his conquests
in Asia. (Yid. Scipio V. ) -- II. A senator, put to
death by Claudius, on a false charge made at the in-
stigation of Messalina, who was desirous of seizing
upon the gardens of Lucullua, which were in his pos-
session. (Tac, Ann. , 11, 1, seqq. )
Asinarus, a river of Sicily, running into the sea to
the north of Helorum. It is now called Fiume di
Noti, from the little town of Nolo on its northern
bank. (Mannert, Geogr. , vol. 9, pt. 2, p. 240. )
Asine, I. a town of Argolis, northwest of Her-
mione, on the Sinus Argolicus, or Gulf of Nauplia.
-- II. Another in Messcuia, southwest of Messene,
founded by the inhabitants of the former place, when
driven from their city by the Argives.
Asinius, I. Pollio. (Vid. Pollio. )--II. Gallus, son
of Asinius Pollio, was consul A. U. C. 748. He mar-
ried Vipsania, the repudiated wife of Tiberius, a step
which gave rise to a secret enmity on the part of the
latter towards him. He starved himself to death, ci-
ther voluntarily, or, what is more probable, having
been ordered by the emperor to destroy himself.
Asinius published in his lifetime a parallel between
his father and Cicero, in which he assigned to the for-
mer a marked superiority over the latter. (Tac, Ann ,
1, 76-- Id. ib. , 6, 23-- Plin. , Ep. , 7, 4. )--III. Quad-
ratus, an historian of the third century of our era, who
wrote a history of the Greeks, Romans, and Par-
thians, down to the time of Philip the Arabian, under
whose reign he lived. -- IV. Capito, a grammarian,
who wrote a book of Epistles. Some read Smnius
for Asinius. (Aul. Gell. , 5, 20. )
Asius, I. a son of Dvmas, brother of Hecuba. He
? ? assisted Priam in the Trojan war, and was slain by
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? ASPASIA.
u t against Pericles, this is that which it is the
most difficult clearly to refute. But we are inclined
lo believe that it may have arisen from the peculiar
niture of Aspasia's private circles, which, with a bold
neglect of established usage, were composed not only
of the most intelligent and accomplished men to be
fund at Athens, but also of matrons, who, it is said,
wtre brought by their husbands to listen to her con-
versation. This must have been highly instructive
as well as brilliant, since Plato did not hesitate to de-
scribe her as the preceptress of Socrates, and to as-
sert that she both formed the rhetoric of Pericles, and
composed one of his most admired harangues, the
celebrated funeral oration. (Plot. , Menez. , 4--vol. 6,
p. 148. ti. Bekk. ) The innovation, which drew wom-
en of free birth and good condition into her company
for such 3 purpose, must, even where the truth was
understood, have surprised and olfended many; and
it was liable to the grossest misconstruction. And if
her female friends were sometimes seen watching the
progress of the works of Phidias, it was easy, through
his intimacy with Pericles, to connect this fact with a
calumny of the same kind. There was another ru-
mour still more dangerous, which grew out of the
character of the persons who were admitted to the so-
ciety of Pericles and Aspasia. No persons were more
welcome at the house of Pericles than such as were
distinguished by philosophical studies, and especially
by the profession of new philosophical tenets. The
mere presence of Anaxagoras, Zeno, Protagoras, and
other celebrated men, who were known to hold doc-
trines very remote from the religious conceptions of
the vulgar, was sufficient to make a circle in which
they were familiar pass for a school of impiety. Such
were the materials out of which the comic poet Her-
mippus. laving aside the mask, formed a criminal pros-
ecution against Aspasia. His indictment included
two heads: an offence against religion, and that of
corrupting Athenian women to gratify the passions
of Pericles. The danger was averted; but it seems
that Pericles, who pleaded her cause, found need of
his mwt strenuous exertions to save Aspasia, and
that he even descended, in her behalf, to tears and en-
treaties, which no similar emergency of his own could
ever draw from him. (Athen. , 12, p. 589. )--After the
death of Pericles, Aspasia attached herself to a young
man of obscure birth, named Lysicles, who rose
through her influence in moulding his character to
some of the highest employments in the republic.
( T/urlitilCs Greece, vol. 3, p. 87, seqq. -- Compare
Ptut. , Vit Pencl. -- Xen. , Mem. , 2, 6 --Max.
near the head waters of the Sinus Cianus. At its
eastern extremity stood the city of Nicsa. Aristotle
observes, that the waters of this lake were so im-
pregnated with nitre, as to cleanse the clothes dipped
into them. (Mirab. Auscult. , c. 54. -- Plin. , 31, 10. )
According to Colonel Leake, the Ascanian Lake is
about ten miles long and four wide, surrounded on
three sides by steep woody slopes, behind which rise
the snowy summits of the range of Olympus. (Leake's
Asia Minor, p. 7. -- Cramer's Asia Minor, vol. 1, p.
180. )
Asclepiea ('AoK%7iTritia), a festival in honour of
. ? Esculapius (XokXttkioc), celebrated in several parts
of Greece, but nowhere with so much solemnity as at
Epidaurus. One part of the celebration, as we learn
from Plato, consisted of contests in poetry and music.
(Plat. , Ion. init. Jul. Poll. , 1, 37. -- Pausanias, 2,
26, 7. ) Another form of the name is Asclcpca ('Ao-
K/. ;;T/. ia), respecting which, consult the remarks of
Siebelis (ad Pausan. , I. c).
AsclepiIoes, I. the reputed descendants of >Escu-
Iapius ('Xan'/tj-inr), consisting of several families
spread over Greece, and professing to have among
them certain secrets of the healing art handed down to
them from their great progenitor. The Asclepiadcs of
Epidaurus were among the most famous of the name.
The Asclepiadcs compelled all who were initiated
into the mysteries of their science, to swear by Apol-
lo, -Esculapius, Hygiea, Panacea, and all the other
gods and goddesses, that they would not profane
the secrets of the healing art, but would only unfold
them to the children of their masters, or to those who
should have bound themselves by the same oath.
(Consult Hippocr. , bpnoc illustralus a Mcibomio, 4to,
L. B. , 1643. ) We may, in this point of view, regard
as a locus classicus a passage of Galen, wherein he
states that medical knowledge was at first hereditary,
and that parents imparted it to their offspring as a
kind of family prerogative or possession. This usage,
however, became in process of time more relaxed, and
then medical secrets began to be imparted to stran-
gers who had gone through the forms of initiation
(refetoi uvipec), and were in this way rendered less
exclusive in their character. (Galen, Administr.
Anatom. , lib. 2, p. 128. ) It is for this reason that
Aristides, in a later age, remarks, that a knowledge of
medicine was for a long time regarded as the attribute
of the family of the Asclepiadcs. (Oral. Sacr. , vol.
1, p. 80. ) And hence, too, Lucian makes a physician
say, "My sacred and mysterious oath compels me to
be silent. " (Tragopod. , p. 818. ) The theurgic phy-
sicians of the Alexandrcan school re-established, at a
subsequent period, this ancient custom, in order to im-
part, by the obligation of religious silence, a greater
degree of consideration to their superstitious practices.
(Alex. Trail. , lib. 10, p. 593, cd. Guinth. Andernac. )
The Asclepiadcs appear to have established, among
? ? their disciples and in their manner of instructing,
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? ASC
accident that befell him. Wc have some fragments
of his writings remaining, an edition of which was
given by Gumpert, with a preface by Griiner, Vimar. ,
1794, 8vo. Asclepiades was the founder of a school,
which enjoyed groat celebrity among the ancients.
Stephanus of Byzantium gives the names of several
of his pupils (s. v. Av/tftxiov). A scholar of his,
not mentioned by the latter, namely, Themisto, was
the chief of the sect of the Methodists, as they were
termed. (Biosrr. Univ. , vol. 2, p. 564. -- Sprcngcl,
Hist. Med. , 2,"p. 3, seqq. )
Asclepiodorus, I. an Athenian painter, contempora-
ry with Apelles, who praised the former for the symme-
try of his productions, and yielded him the palm in delin-
eating the relative distances of objects. Mnaso, a tyrant
of antiquity, employed him to paint the twelve deities
(Dii majores), and paid him 300 minas (over 85277)
for each. (Pliny, 35, 10. ) -- II. A statuary, one of
those, according to Pliny (34, 8), who excelled in rep-
resenting the philosophers. (Sillig, Diet. Art. , s. v. )
Asclepiodotus, a native of Alexandres, the disci-
ple of Jacobus in medicine and of Proclus in eclectic
philosophy, in both of which he acquired a distinguish-
ed reputation. Damascius gave a long account of him
in the Life of Isidorus, of which Suidas and Photius
have preserved fragments. In medicine he surpassed
bis instructer, and is said to have re-established the
use of white hellebore, with which he made some very
successful cures. He was well acquainted also with
the virtues of plants, and with the history of animals;
and made great progress also in the musical art.
Some wonderful stories are likewise related of him,
which would seem to place him in a class of Thau-
maturgists. He wrote a commentary on the Timreus
of Plato, which is now lost. (Photius, Cod. , 242, vol.
2, p. 343, seqq. )
Ascolia, a festival in honour of Bacchus, celebrated
by the Athenian husbandmen, who generally sacrificed
a goat to the god, because that animal is a great enemy
to the vine. They made a bottle or bag with the skin
of the victim, which they filled with wine, smearing
tt the same time the outer surface with oil. On this
they endeavoured to leap with one foot, and he that
first fixed himself was declared victor, and received
the bottle as a reward. This was called donuTiiu^eiv,
Tapti tov izrl rov duKdv u? i/. ecr$ai, from leaping upon
tie bottle, whence the name of the festival is derived.
It was also introduced into Italy under the name of
Vinalta, on which occasion the rustics put on hideous
maaks of bark, and invoked Bacchus in joyful strains.
They also hung up, at the same time, little images on
a lofty pine These images they called Oscilla.
(Sclwl. ad Arutoph. , Plut. , 1129. --Virg. , Georg. , 2,
337, teqj. ) Spence gives engravings from several
gems, on which figures are represented, called oscilla
or aiufvu. They are found also in the paintings at
Herculaneum, and in Mercurialis (Art. Gymn. , 3, 8, p.
217). Spence attributes the origin of this rite to the
popular belief, that when Bacchus turned his face to-
wards the fields, their fertility was assured. Hence
they exposed these small figures to the winds, that
they might be free to turn in any direction. Some
writers think that the oscilla were the same with phal-
lic symbols (compare Scrv. ad Virg. , 1. c. ), but this
opuwm now finds few, if any, supporters. (Turneb. ,
Adz. , 3, 20. -- Rolle, Rechcrches sur le culte de Bac-
chus, vol. 1, p. 312. ) The Athenians had their festi-
val of oscilla, which they termed alupai, and which
? ? was said to have been instituted in memory of Eri-
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? ASI
ASI
incut forty stadia from Thcspis. (Cramer'* Ancient
Greece, vol. 2, p. 207, seqq. )
Asculum, I. Picenum, a city of Piccnum, so named
to distinguish it from the Asculum of Apulia. It was
situate in the interior, on the river Truentus, and some
distance to the southwest of Finnum. Strabo de-
scribes it as a place of great strength, surrounded by
walls and inaccessible heights. It was the first city
to declare against the Romans when the Social war
broke out, and its example was followed by the whole
of Picenum. Asculum sustained, in the course of
that war, a long and memorable siege against Pompcy,
who finally, however, compelled the place to surren-
der, and caused several of the chiefs of" the rebels to be
beheaded. (Lin. , Epit. , 76. -- Veil. Paterc, 2, 21. --
Floras, 3, 18. --Apjnan, Bell. Civ. , 1, 38-- Plut. , Vit.
Pomp. ) We leam from Pliny (3, 13) that Asculum
was a Roman colony, and regarded as the chief city
of the province. It is now Ascoli. -- II. Apulum, a
city of Apulia, to which the epithet Apulum was at-
tached to distinguish it from Asculum in Piccnum.
It was situate in the interior of Daunia, near the con-
fines of Samnium, and is supposed to be represented
by the modern town of Ascoli, which is about six miles
to the southwest of Ordona. It was under the walls
of this place that Pyrrhus encountered a second time
the Roman army, after having gained a signal victory
in Lucania. The action was attended with no advan-
tage to either side. (Floras, 1, 18. -- Plut. , Vit.
Pyrrh. -- Frontin. , Stratcg. , 1, 3. ) Frontinus, who
classes it among the colonies of Apulia, terms it Aus-
clum. This is probably the correct orthography, as
may be seen from coins, the inscription on which is
AYCAlflN, and ATCKA. (Cramer'* Ancient Italy,
vol. 2, p. 288. )
Asdbudal. Vid. Hasdrubal.
Asi, or Abj<< (in the old Scandinavian Msir or Esir,
the plural form of As), a general appellation given,
in the mythology of northern Europe, to the deities
that came in with Odin from the East. Including this
latter divinity they were twelve in number, according
to some, thirteen (Magnuscn, Boreal. Mythol. Lex. ,
p. 720), and there was the same number of female dei-
ties or Asynia. -- While some are inclined to sec in
the Asi merely an Asiatic colony, wandering in from
the vicinity of the Don, others, with much more propri-
ety, find in the name a curious chain of connexion be-
tween the early religions of the Eastern and European
worlds.
The term As, in fact, appears to have been
an old appellation for deity, and meets us in numerous
quarters, under various though not very dissimilar
forms. Thus, in the Coptic, Os is said to signify
"Lord" or " Deity ;" in the old Persian, good deities
or spirits were called Izr. il, while by Berosus the gods
are termed lsi. (Kanne, System der Ind. Myth. , p.
228. ) Again, in Sanscrit we have Isha, "a lord"
or "master," the feminine of which, Ishana, reminds
us at once of Asynia, a female deity, or Asa. Among
the ancient Gauls, the supreme Deing was denominated
Esus or Hcsus, a name that connects the Druidical
worship with the East; while among many nations of
Finnish origin, in Asiatic Russia, we have such terras
for deity as Eis, Ess, Essi, and Oss. (Magnuscn,
p. 719, note. -- Heyd, Etymol. Vcrsuch. , Tubingen,
1824. ) It is curious to connect with this the account
given by the Roman writers, that in the Etrurian lan-
guage Msar signified " God. " (Sueton. , Aug. , 97. --
? ? Dio Cass. , 56, 29. -- Hesych. , s. v. Aiaoi. -- Miillcr,
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? ASIA.
north to south; the Euphrates and Tigris into the
Persian Gulf, the Indus and Ganges into the Indian
Sea: two flow from east to west, the Oxus, now Gi-
hon. and the Iaxartes, now Sirr. Asia may therefore
be divided into Northern Asia, the country north of
the Altai range: Middle Asia, the country between
the ranges of Altai and Taurus: and Southern Asia,
the country south of Taurus--Northern Asia lies be-
tween 76? and 50? of latitude (Asiatic Russia and
SiAerui). This in antiquity was very little known, yet
not entirely unknown. Darx but true traditions re-
specting it may be found in the father of history, He-
rodotus. --Middle Asia, the country between 50? and
40a north latitude, comprehending Scythia and Sar-
matia Asiatics (the Great Turtary and Mongolia), is
almost one immeasurable unproductive prairie, with-
out agriculture and forests, and, therefore, a mere pas-
ture-land. The inhabitants leading pastoral lives (No-
mades). are without cities and fixed places of abode;
and therefore, instead of political union, have merely
the constitution of tribes. --Southern Asia, comprising
the lands from 40? north latitude to near the equator,
is entirely different in its character from the countries
of Middle Asia: it is, both in soil and climate, pos-
sessed of advantages for agriculture, and, in compari-
son with the other countries of the earth, it is rich in
the costliest and most various products. --The early
commerce of the world, especially of the east, was
originally through Asia. The natural places of de-
put in the interior were on tho banks of the large
rivers; on the Oius, in Bactria; on the Euphrates,
at Babylon. The natural places of depot on the coast
were the western coast of Asia Minor and Phoenicia,
where arose the series of Grecian and Phoenician cit-
ies. --Asia from the first, as at present, contained in
its interior empires of immense extent, by which they
are distinguished from those of cultivated Europe, as
well as by their constitution. They often underwent
revolutions, but their form remained the same. For
this causes must have existed, lying deep and of wide
influence, and which, notwithstanding these frequent
revolutions, still continued to operate, and always gave
to the new empires of Asia the organization of the
old ones. The great revolutions of Asia (with the
exception of that of Alexander) were occasioned by
the numerous and powerful nomadic nations which oc-
cupied a great part of that continent. Compelled by
accident or necessity, they left their places of abode,
and founded new empires, while they passed through
and subjected the fruitful and cultivated countries of
Southern Asia, until, unnerved by luxury and effemi-
nacy, consequent on the change in their habits of life,
they in their turn were in like manner subjected.
From this common origin may be explained in part
the great extent, in part the rapid rise and the usually
short continuance of these empires. The develop-
ment of their national form of government must, for
the same reason, have had great resemblance; and
the constant reappearance of despotism in them is to
be explained partly from the rights of conquerors, and
partly from their great extent, which rendered a gov-
ernment of satraps necessary. To this we must add,
that the custom of polygamy, prevailing among all the
great nations of inner Asia, mined the mutual rela-
tions and obligations of domestic life, and thus ren-
dered a good constitution impossible. For a domes-
tic tyrant is formed instead of a father of a family,
and despotism at once gains its foundation in private
? ? hfe. (Heeren'm History of the States of Antiquity,
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? ASI
ASP
meant by Asia in the legal sense of the term as em-
ployed by the Romans, and is the same with what the
Greek writers of the Roman era call Asia Proper, or
V liiuc Katov/Uvti 'kaia (Strab. , 626), in which sense
wc find the word Asia used in the New Testament.
(Acts, 2, 9. ) In another passage, however (Acts, 16,
6), we find a distinction made between Phrygia and
Asia. So, again, in the Book of Revelations, which
is addressed to the seven churches of Asia, the name
appears to be confined to that portion of ancient Lydia
which contained Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamus, Sardis,
&c. (Ccllarius, de Sept. Ecclcs. Asia, inter Dis-
sert. Acad. , p. 412. -- Cramer's Asia Minor, vol. 1,
p. 3. )--III. One of the Occanides. She married Iap-
etus, and became by him the mother of Atlas, Pro-
metheus, Epimetheus, and Mcncctius. (Apollod. , 1,
%. --Heyne, ad he. )
Asia Palus (the "\aioc /. ti/iuv of Homer), a marsh
in Lydia, formed by the river Cayster, near its mouth.
It was the favourite haunt of swans and other water-
fowl. (Horn. , II. , 2, 470. --Virg. , Georg. , 1, 483. --
Id. , &n. , 7, 699. --Ovid, Met. , 5, 386. ) Near it was
another marsh or lake, formed in like manner by the
river, and called Sclinusia Palus. Both belonged to
the temple of Ephesus, and were a source of consid-
erable revenue. (Cramer's Asia Minor, vol. 1, p.
<<M. )
Asia. va, one of the later divisions of Asia Minor.
Towards the decline of the Roman empire, Asia Minor
was divided into two dioceses or provinces, called
Asiana and Pontica, each governed by a lieutenant
named Vicaritu. (Notil. Imper. , 1. --Cod. Thcod. , 5,
tit. 2. )
AsiatTcu8, I. the surname of one of the Scipios
(Lucius Cornelius), obtained by him for his conquests
in Asia. (Yid. Scipio V. ) -- II. A senator, put to
death by Claudius, on a false charge made at the in-
stigation of Messalina, who was desirous of seizing
upon the gardens of Lucullua, which were in his pos-
session. (Tac, Ann. , 11, 1, seqq. )
Asinarus, a river of Sicily, running into the sea to
the north of Helorum. It is now called Fiume di
Noti, from the little town of Nolo on its northern
bank. (Mannert, Geogr. , vol. 9, pt. 2, p. 240. )
Asine, I. a town of Argolis, northwest of Her-
mione, on the Sinus Argolicus, or Gulf of Nauplia.
-- II. Another in Messcuia, southwest of Messene,
founded by the inhabitants of the former place, when
driven from their city by the Argives.
Asinius, I. Pollio. (Vid. Pollio. )--II. Gallus, son
of Asinius Pollio, was consul A. U. C. 748. He mar-
ried Vipsania, the repudiated wife of Tiberius, a step
which gave rise to a secret enmity on the part of the
latter towards him. He starved himself to death, ci-
ther voluntarily, or, what is more probable, having
been ordered by the emperor to destroy himself.
Asinius published in his lifetime a parallel between
his father and Cicero, in which he assigned to the for-
mer a marked superiority over the latter. (Tac, Ann ,
1, 76-- Id. ib. , 6, 23-- Plin. , Ep. , 7, 4. )--III. Quad-
ratus, an historian of the third century of our era, who
wrote a history of the Greeks, Romans, and Par-
thians, down to the time of Philip the Arabian, under
whose reign he lived. -- IV. Capito, a grammarian,
who wrote a book of Epistles. Some read Smnius
for Asinius. (Aul. Gell. , 5, 20. )
Asius, I. a son of Dvmas, brother of Hecuba. He
? ? assisted Priam in the Trojan war, and was slain by
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? ASPASIA.
u t against Pericles, this is that which it is the
most difficult clearly to refute. But we are inclined
lo believe that it may have arisen from the peculiar
niture of Aspasia's private circles, which, with a bold
neglect of established usage, were composed not only
of the most intelligent and accomplished men to be
fund at Athens, but also of matrons, who, it is said,
wtre brought by their husbands to listen to her con-
versation. This must have been highly instructive
as well as brilliant, since Plato did not hesitate to de-
scribe her as the preceptress of Socrates, and to as-
sert that she both formed the rhetoric of Pericles, and
composed one of his most admired harangues, the
celebrated funeral oration. (Plot. , Menez. , 4--vol. 6,
p. 148. ti. Bekk. ) The innovation, which drew wom-
en of free birth and good condition into her company
for such 3 purpose, must, even where the truth was
understood, have surprised and olfended many; and
it was liable to the grossest misconstruction. And if
her female friends were sometimes seen watching the
progress of the works of Phidias, it was easy, through
his intimacy with Pericles, to connect this fact with a
calumny of the same kind. There was another ru-
mour still more dangerous, which grew out of the
character of the persons who were admitted to the so-
ciety of Pericles and Aspasia. No persons were more
welcome at the house of Pericles than such as were
distinguished by philosophical studies, and especially
by the profession of new philosophical tenets. The
mere presence of Anaxagoras, Zeno, Protagoras, and
other celebrated men, who were known to hold doc-
trines very remote from the religious conceptions of
the vulgar, was sufficient to make a circle in which
they were familiar pass for a school of impiety. Such
were the materials out of which the comic poet Her-
mippus. laving aside the mask, formed a criminal pros-
ecution against Aspasia. His indictment included
two heads: an offence against religion, and that of
corrupting Athenian women to gratify the passions
of Pericles. The danger was averted; but it seems
that Pericles, who pleaded her cause, found need of
his mwt strenuous exertions to save Aspasia, and
that he even descended, in her behalf, to tears and en-
treaties, which no similar emergency of his own could
ever draw from him. (Athen. , 12, p. 589. )--After the
death of Pericles, Aspasia attached herself to a young
man of obscure birth, named Lysicles, who rose
through her influence in moulding his character to
some of the highest employments in the republic.
( T/urlitilCs Greece, vol. 3, p. 87, seqq. -- Compare
Ptut. , Vit Pencl. -- Xen. , Mem. , 2, 6 --Max.
