Eryx (Greek: Ἔρυξ), was an ancient city and a mountain in the west of Sicily, about 10 km from Drepana (modern Trapani), and 3 km from the sea-coast. It was located at the site of modern Erice. Sicily (Sicilia in Italian and Sicilian) is an autonomous region of Italy and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with an area of 25,708 km² (9,926 sq. ... km redirects here. ... Torre della Colombaia Trapani (2004 population 67,456) is a city in the west coast of Sicily in Italy. ... Erice is a historical city in the mountains close to Trapani in Sicily, Italy. ...

The mountain

The mountain ("Mons Eryx", Plin. iii. 8. s. 14; but "Mons Erycus", Cic. Verr. ii. 4. 7; Tac. Ann. iv. 43), now called Monte San Giuliano, is a wholly isolated peak, rising in the midst of a low undulating tract, which causes its elevation to appear much more considerable than it really is, so that it was regarded in ancient as well as modern times as the most lofty summit in the whole island next to Aetna (Pol. i. 55; Mel. ii. 7. § 17; Solin. 5. § 9), though its real elevation does not exceed 2184 English feet. (Smyth's Sicily, p. 242.) Hence we find Eryx alluded to by Virgil and other Latin poets as a mountain of the first order of magnitude, and associated with Athos, Aetna, etc. (Virg. Aen. xii. 701; Val. Flacc. ii. 523.) On its summit stood a celebrated temple of Venus or Aphrodite, founded, according to the current legend, by Aeneas (Strabo xiii. p. 608; Virg. Aen. v. 759), from whence the goddess derived the surname of Venus Erycina, by which she is often mentioned by Latin writers. (Hor. Carm. i. 2. 33; Ovid, Heroid. 15. 57, etc.) Pliny the Elder: an imaginative 19c portrait. ... Cicero at about age 60, from an ancient marble bust Marcus Tullius Cicero (IPA:Classical Latin pronunciation: , usually pronounced in English; January 3, 106 BC – December 7, 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, political theorist, philosopher, widely considered one of Romes greatest orators and prose stylists. ... Gaius Cornelius Tacitus Publius (or Gaius) Cornelius Tacitus (c. ... Mount Etna (also known as Mongibeddu in Sicilian and Mongibello in Italian, a combination of Latin mont- and Arabic jebel, both meaning mountain) is an active volcano on the east coast of Sicily, close to Messina and Catania. ... A bust of Virgil, from the entrance to his tomb in Naples, Italy. ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in Latium, the region immediately surrounding Rome. ... Capital Karyes Languages Koine Greek, Church Slavonic (both liturgical), as well as Modern Greek, Russian, Serbian, Georgian, Bulgarian, Romanian (civil) Head of State Greek Minister of For. ... The Aeneid is a Latin epic written by Vergil in the 1st century BC that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Trojan who traveled to Italy where he became the ancestor of the Romans. ... Adjectives: Venusian or (rarely) Cytherean Atmosphere Surface pressure: 9. ... The Birth of Venus, (detail) by Sandro Botticelli, 1485 Aphrodite (Greek: Αφροδίτη; Latin: Venus) (IPA: English: , Ancient Greek: , Modern Greek: ) was the Greek goddess of love, lust, and beauty. ... Aeneas flees burning Troy, Federico Barocci, 1598. ... The Greek geographer Strabo in a 16th century engraving. ... Horace, as imagined by Anton von Werner Quintus Horatius Flaccus, (December 8, 65 BC - November 27, 8 BC), known in the English-speaking world as Horace, was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus. ... Engraved frontispiece of George Sandyss 1632 London edition of Publius Ovidius Naso (Sulmona, March 20, 43 BC – Tomis, now ConstanÅ£a AD 17), a Roman poet known to the English-speaking world as Ovid, wrote on topics of love, abandoned women and mythological transformations. ...

Foundation legends

Another legend, followed by Diodorus, ascribed the foundation both of the temple and city to an eponymous hero named Eryx, who was said to have received Hercules on his visit to this part of Sicily, and contended with that hero in a wrestling match, but was vanquished by him. This Eryx was a son of Aphrodite and Butes, a king of the country, and is hence repeatedly alluded to by Virgil as a brother of Aeneas, though that poet does not refer to him the foundation of the city. (Diod. iv. 23, 83; Virg. Aen. v. 24, 412, &c.; Serv. ad loc.) The legends which connected it with Aeneas and a Trojan chief named Elymus evidently pointed to what we learn from Thucydides as an historical fact, that Eryx as well as Segesta was a city of the Elymi, a Sicilian tribe, which is represented by almost all ancient writers as of Trojan descent. (Thuc. vi. 2; Strab. xiii. p. 608.) Diodorus Siculus was a Greek historian, born at Agyrium in Sicily (now called Agira, in the province of Enna). ... ERYX Type anti-tank Nationality France Era Cold War, modern Launch platform Individual, Vehicle Target Vehicle, Fortification History Builder MBDA Date of design Production period 1989 Service duration 1994 Operators Canadian, French, Norwegian armies Variants Number built Specifications Type Diameter 0. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Heracles. ... In Greek mythology, the name Butes referred to four different people. ... Troy or Ilion, see Troy (disambiguation) and Ilion (disambiguation). ... In Greek mythology, Elymus (or Elumos) was the mythical ancestor of the Elymi, natives of Sicily. ... Segesta was the political center of the Elymian people. ... The Elymian people (Greek Elymoi, Latin Elymi) were an ancient civilization located in Sicily. ...

History

It does not appear to have ever received a Greek colony, but became gradually Hellenized, like most other cities of Sicily, to a great extent; though Thucydides (l. c.) still speaks of the Elymi, including the people of Eryx and Segesta, as barbarians. Nothing is known of its history previous to that period, but it seems probable that it followed for the most part the lead of the more powerful city of Segesta, and after the failure of the Athenian expedition became a dependent ally of the Carthaginians. In 406 BCE, a sea-fight took place between a Carthaginian and a Syracusan fleet off the neighborhood of Eryx, in which the latter was victorious. (Diod. xiii. 80.) On occasion of the great expedition of Dionysius I of Syracuse to the west of Sicily, in 397 BCE, Eryx was one of the cities which joined the Syracusan despot just before the siege of Motya, but it was speedily recovered by Himilco in the following year. (Id. xiv. 48, 55 ) It again fell into the hands of Dionysius shortly before his death (Id. xv. 73), but must have been once more recovered by the Carthaginians, and probably continued subject to their rule until the expedition of Pyrrhus (278 BCE). On that occasion it was occupied by a strong garrison, which, combined with its natural strength of position, enabled it to oppose a vigorous resistance to the king of Epirus. It was, however, taken by assault, Pyrrhus himself leading the attack, and taking the opportunity to display his personal prowess as a worthy descendant of Heracles. (Diod. xx. 10, Exc. H. p. 498.) Athens (Greek: Αθήνα - Athína) is the largest city and capital of Greece, located in the Attica periphery of Southern Greece. ... Carthage (Greek: , from the Phoenician Kart-hadasht meaning new town, Arabic: ‎, Latin: ) refers both to an ancient city in North Africa located in modern day Tunis and to the civilization that developed within the citys sphere of influence. ... Centuries: 6th century BC - 5th century BC - 4th century BC Decades: 450s BC 440s BC 430s BC 420s BC 410s BC - 400s BC - 390s BC 380s BC 370s BC 360s BC 350s BC Years: 411 BC 410 BC 409 BC 408 BC 407 BC - 406 BC - 405 BC 404 BC... Map of central Mediterranean Sea, showing location of Syracuse on the island of Sicily. ... Headline text 1649874 Dionysius I or Dionysius the Elder (c. ... Centuries: 5th century BC - 4th century BC - 3rd century BC Decades: 440s BC 430s BC 420s BC 410s BC 400s BC - 390s BC - 380s BC 370s BC 360s BC 350s BC 340s BC Years: 402 BC 401 BC 400 BC 399 BC 398 BC - 397 BC - 396 BC 395 BC... The Phoenician town Motya, founded in the eighth century BCE as a commercial center, is situated on a small island in a lagoon on the most western part of Sicily. ... Himilco is a name that can refer to the following entities: Himilco the Navigator , Carthaginian navigator and explorer Himilco (general) (?-396 BC(?)), Carthaginian general Himilco was a very common name in Punic Carthage. ... Pyrrhus can be: Pyrrhus or Neoptolemus, son of Achilles Pyrrhus of Epirus, king of Epirus in the 3rd century BC This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Centuries: 4th century BC - 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC Decades: 320s BC 310s BC 300s BC 290s BC 280s BC - 270s BC - 260s BC 250s BC 240s BC 230s BC 220s BC 283 BC 282 BC 281 BC 280 BC 279 BC - 278 BC - 277 BC 276 BC 275... Epirus (Greek Ήπειρος, Ípeiros; see also List of traditional Greek place names), is a province or periphery in northwestern Greece, bounded by West Macedonia and Thessaly to the east, by the province of Sterea Ellada (Central Greece) to the south, the Ionian Sea and the Ionian Islands to the west and...

In the First Punic War we find Eryx again in the hands of the Carthaginians, and in 260 BCE their general Hamilcar destroyed the city, removing the inhabitants to the neighboring promontory of Drepanum, where he founded the town of that name. (Id. xxiii. 9.) The old site, however, seems not to have been wholly deserted, for a few years later we are told that the Roman consul L. Junius made himself master by surprise both of the temple and the city. (Id. xxiv. 1; Pol. i. 55; Zonar. viii. 15.) The former seems to have been well fortified, and, from its position on the summit of the mountain, constituted a military post of great strength. Hence probably it was that Hamilcar Barca, suddenly abandoning the singular position he had so long held on the mountain of Ercte, transferred his forces to Eryx, as being a still more impregnable stronghold. But though he surprised and made himself master of the town of Eryx, which was situated about half-way up the mountain, he was unable to reduce the temple and fortress on the summit, the Roman garrison of which was able to defy all his efforts. Meanwhile Hamilcar maintained his position in the city, the remaining inhabitants of which he transferred to Drepanum; and though besieged or blockaded in his turn by a Roman army at the foot of the mountain, he preserved his communications with the sea, and was only compelled to abandon possession of Eryx and Drepanum when the great naval victory of Gaius Lutatius Catulus over the Carthaginians forced that people to sue for peace, 241 BCE. (Pol. i. 58; Diod. xxiv. 8. p. 509; Livy xxi. 10, xxviii. 41.) Combatants Roman Republic Carthage Commanders Marcus Atilius Regulus Gaius Lutatius Catulus Gaius Duilius Hamilcar Barca Hanno the Great Hasdrubal Xanthippus The First Punic War (264 to 241 BC) was the first of three major wars fought between Carthage and the Roman Republic. ... Centuries: 4th century BC - 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC Decades: 310s BC 300s BC 290s BC 280s BC 270s BC - 260s BC - 250s BC 240s BC 230s BC 220s BC 210s BC Years: 265 BC 264 BC 263 BC 262 BC 261 BC - 260 BC - 259 BC 258 BC... Hamilcar was a general who succeeded to the command of the Carthaginians in the First Punic War, and after successes at Therma and the Battle of Drepanum was defeated at Ecnomus (256 BC). ... Area under Roman control  Roman Republic  Roman Empire  Western Empire  Eastern Empire Ancient Rome was a civilization that grew from a city-state founded on the Italian Peninsula circa the 9th century BC to a massive empire straddling the Mediterranean Sea. ... Hamilcar Barca or Barcas (~270 – 228 BC) was a Carthaginian general and statesman, leader of the Barcid family, and father of Hannibal. ... Temple to Juturna, built by Catulus to celebrate his victory at . ... Centuries: 4th century BC - 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC Decades: 290s BC 280s BC 270s BC 260s BC 250s BC - 240s BC - 230s BC 220s BC 210s BC 200s BC 190s BC 246 BC 245 BC 244 BC 243 BC 242 BC - 241 BC - 240 BC 239 BC 238... A portrait of Titus Livius made long after his death. ...

From this time the town of Eryx sinks into insignificance, and it may even be doubted whether it was ever restored. Cicero alludes to the temple, but never notices the town; and Strabo speaks of it as in his day almost uninhabited. Pliny, indeed, enumerates the Erycini among the municipal communities of Sicily; but the circumstance mentioned by Tacitus, that it was the Segestans who applied to Tiberius for the restoration of the temple, would seem to indicate that the sanctuary was at that time dependent, in a municipal sense, on Segesta. (Cic. Verr. ii. 8, 47; Strab. v. p. 272; Plin. iii. 8. s. 14; Tac. Ann. iv. 43.) No trace of the subsequent existence of the town of Eryx is found; the remaining inhabitants appear to have settled on the summit of the hill, where the modern town of Erice has grown up on the site of the temple. No remains of the ancient city are extant; but it appears to have occupied the site now marked by the convent of Santa Anna, about half-way down the mountain. (Smyth's Sicily, p. 243.) Cicero at about age 60, from an ancient marble bust Marcus Tullius Cicero (IPA:Classical Latin pronunciation: , usually pronounced in English; January 3, 106 BC – December 7, 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, political theorist, philosopher, widely considered one of Romes greatest orators and prose stylists. ... The Greek geographer Strabo in a 16th century engraving. ... Pliny the Elder: an imaginative 19c portrait. ... Gaius Cornelius Tacitus Publius (or Gaius) Cornelius Tacitus (c. ... Tiberius Caesar Augustus, born Tiberius Claudius Nero (November 16, 42 BC – March 16 AD 37), was the second Roman Emperor, from the death of Augustus in AD 14 until his own death in 37. ... Erice is a historical city in the mountains close to Trapani in Sicily, Italy. ...

The temple, as already mentioned, was generally connected by popular legend with the Trojan settlements in this part of Sicily; if any value can be attached to these traditions, they would point to its being an ancient seat of Pelasgic worship, rather than of Phoenician origin, as supposed by many writers. Even those authors who represent it as founded before the time of Aeneas relate that it was visited by that hero, who adorned it with splendid offerings. (Diod. iv. 83; Dionys. i. 53.) It is certain that the sanctuary had the good fortune to be regarded with equal reverence by the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Greeks, and Romans. As early as the time of the Athenian expedition to Sicily (415 BCE), we learn from Thucydides that it was rich in vessels and other offerings of gold and silver, of which the Segestans made use to delude the Athenian envoys into a belief of their wealth. (Thuc. vi. 46.) The Carthaginians appear to have identified the Venus Erycina with the Phoenician goddess Astarte, and hence showed her much reverence; while the Romans paid extraordinary honors both to the goddess and her temple, on account of their supposed connection with Aeneas. They were, indeed, unable to prevent their Gaulish mercenaries from plundering the temple at the time of its capture by Junius (Pol. ii. 7); but this appears to have been the only occasion on which it suffered, and its losses were quickly repaired, for Diodorus speaks of it as in a flourishing and wealthy condition. The Roman magistrates appointed to the government of Sicily never failed to pay a visit of honor to this celebrated sanctuary; a body of troops was appointed as a guard of honor to watch over it, and seventeen of the principal cities in Sicily were commanded to pay a yearly sum of gold for its adornment. (Diod. iv. 83; Strab. v. p. 272; Cic. Verr. ii. 8) Notwithstanding this, the decay of the city, and declining condition of this part of Sicily generally, appears to have caused the temple also to be neglected: hence in 25 the Segestans applied to Tiberius for its restoration, which that emperor, according to Tacitus, readily promised to undertake, but did not carry into effect, leaving it to Claudius to execute at a later period. (Tac. Ann. iv. 43; Suet. Claud. 25.) This is the latest mention of it that occurs in history; and the period of its final decay or destruction is unknown. Ancient Greek writers used the name Pelasgian to refer to groups of people who preceded the Greeks and dwelt in several locations in mainland Greece, Crete, and other regions of the Aegean as neighbors of the Hellenes. ... Phoenician can mean: The Phoenician ancient civilization The Phoenician alphabet The Phoenician languages This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Centuries: 6th century BC - 5th century BC - 4th century BC Decades: 460s BC 450s BC 440s BC 430s BC 420s BC - 410s BC - 400s BC 390s BC 380s BC 370s BC 360s BC Years: 420 BC 419 BC 418 BC 417 BC 416 BC - 415 BC - 414 BC 413 BC... Astarte on a car with four branches protruding from roof. ... Map of Gaul circa 58 BC Gaul (Latin: ) was the name given, in ancient times, to the region of Western Europe comprising present-day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western Switzerland and the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the west bank of the Rhine river. ... Events Han dynasty was restored in China as Liu Xiu proclaimed himself emperor, start of jiangwu era (->56). ... For other persons named Claudius, see Claudius (disambiguation). ... Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus ( 69/75 - after 130), also known as Suetonius, was a prominent Roman historian and biographer. ...

Site

By the 19th century, the site was occupied by a castle, converted into a prison; a small portion of the substructions, built of very large and massive stones (whence they have been erroneously called Cyclopean), is all that remains of the ancient edifice; but some fine granite columns, still existing in other parts of the town, have doubtless belonged originally to the temple. It has been already mentioned that the temple itself was surrounded by fortifications, so as to constitute a strong fortress or citadel, quite distinct from the city below: a coin struck by C. Considius Nonianus (in the [[first century BC|first century BCE}}) represents the temple itself, with this fortified peribolus, enclosing a considerable portion of the mountain on which it stands; but little dependence can be placed on the accuracy of the delineation. There was also a temple at Rome dedicated to Venus Erycina, which stood just outside the Colline Gate (Strab. v. p. 272); but the representation on the coin just cited is evidently that of the original Sicilian temple. The coins of the city of Eryx have types allusive to the worship of Venus, while others present a close analogy to those of Agrigentum (modern Agrigento), indicating a connection between the two cities, of which we find no explanation in history. (Eckhel, vol. i. p. 208; Torremuzza, Num. Sic. pl. 30.) Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Cyclopean is a descriptor applied to the characteristic wall-building method of the Mycenaean culture. ... Nickname: The Eternal City Motto: SPQR: Senatus PopulusQue Romanus Location of the city of Rome (yellow) within the Province of Rome (red) and region of Lazio (grey) Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Founded 21 April 753 BC  - Mayor Walter Veltroni Area    - City 1285 km²  (580 sq mi)  - Urban... San Lorenzo. ...

References

• This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography by William Smith (1857).