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SOLI (Ancient city) TURKEY
Soli (Soloi: Eth. Soleus or Solios), an important town on the coast
of Cilicia, between the mouths of the rivers Lamus and Pyramus, from each of which
its distance was about 500 stadia. (Strab. xiv. p. 675; Stadiasm. Mar. May. §
170, &c.) The town was founded by Argives joined by Lindians from Rhodes. (Strab.
xiv. p. 671; Pomp. Mela, i. 13; Liv. xxxvii. 56.) It is first mentioned in history
by Xenophon (Anab. i. 2. § 24) as a maritime town of Cilicia; it rose to such
opulence that Alexander the Great could fine its citizens for their attachment
to Persia with 200 talents. (Arrian, Anab. ii. 5. § 5; Curt. iii. 17.) During
the Mithridatic War the town of Soli was taken and destroyed by Tigranes, king
of Armenia, who probably transplanted most of its inhabitants to Tigranocerta.
(Dion Cass. xxxvi. 20; Plut. Pomp. 28; Strab. xi. p. 532.) But the place was revived
by Pompey, who peopled it with some of those pirates who had fallen into his hands,
and changed its name into Pompeiupolis. (Pompeioupolis, Plut. l. c.; Strab. xiv.
p. 671; Appian, Mithr. 105; Ptol. v. 8. § 4; Plin. v. 22; Steph. B. s. v.; Tac.
Ann. ii. 58; Hierocl. p. 704.) Soli was the birthplace of Chrysippus the philosopher,
and of two distinguished poets, Philemon and Aratus, the latter of whom was believed
to be buried on a hill near the town. The Greek inhabitants of Soli are reported
to have spoken a very corrupt Greek in consequence of their intercourse with the
natives of Cilicia, and hence to have given rise to the term solecism (soloikismos),
which has found its way into all the languages of Europe; other traditions, however,
connect the origin of this term with the town of Soli, in Cyprus. (Diog. Laert.
i. 2. § 4; Eustath. ad Dion. Per. 875; Suid. s. v. Soloi) The locality and the
remains of this ancient city have been described by Beaufort (Karamania, p. 261,
foil.). The first object that presented itself to us on landing, says he, was
a beautiful harbour or basin, with parallel sides and circular ends; it is entirely
artificial, being formed with surrounding walls or moles, which are 50 feet in
thickness and 7 in height. Opposite to the entrance of the harbour a portico rises
from the surrounding quay, and opens to a double row of 200 columns, which, crossing
the town, communicates with the principal gate towards the country. Of the 200
columns no more than 42 are now standing; the remainder lie on the spot where
they fell, intermixed with a vast assemblage of other ruined buildings which were
connected with the colonnade. The theatre is almost entirely destroyed. The city
walls, strengthened by numerous towers, entirely surrounded the town. Detached
ruins, tombs, and sarcophagi were found scattered to some distance from the walls,
on the outside of the town, and it is evident that the whole country was once
occupied by a numerous and industrious people. The natives now call the place
Mezetlu. (Comp. Leake, Asia Minor, p. 213, foll.) The little river which passed
through Soli was called Liparis, from the oily nature of its waters. (Vitruv.
viii. 3; Antig. Caryst. 150; Plin. l. c.) Pliny (xxxi. 2) mentions bituminous.
springs in the vicinity, which are reported by Beaufort to exist at Bikhardy,
about six hours' walk to the north-east of Mezetlu.
This text is from: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854) (ed. William Smith, LLD). Cited September 2004 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
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