Hipponiates Sinus

Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography

HIPPONIA´TES SINUS(Ἱππωνιάτης κόλπος. Strab. vi. pp. 255. 261; Ptol. 3.1.9), a gulf or bay on the W. side of the Bruttian peninsula, so called from the city of Hipponium, near its southern extremity. It was however known also by various other names: thus Thucydides calls it the Terinaean Gulf (Τεριναῖος κόλπος, Thuc. 6.104), and Pliny also names it the SINUS TERINAEUS,though he mentions also, as if it were a differentbay (which is certainly a mistake), the SINUS VIBONENSIS(Plin. Nat. 3.5. s. 10). The latter name is used also by Cicero ( ad Att. 16.6). But besides these, we find that it was called the SINUS NAPETINUS or NAPITINUS by Antiochus of Syracuse (ap. Strab. 6. p. 255; Dionys. 1.35), and LAMETINUS by Aristotle (Pol. 7.10). The last name was evidently. derived from a town named Lametium or Lametini, situated at the mouth of the river Lametus ( Lamato), which flows into the gulf in question [LAMETUS]:and the name of Napetinus would seem. to point in like manner to the existence of a town called Napetium, though we have no other authority for this fact. The gulf itself, which is now known as, the Golfo di Sta. Eufemia, from a village of that name, deeply indents the coast of Bruttium on the W., as the Golfo di Squillace, or Scylleticus Sinus, does on the E.: the neck of land between them is composed only of low hills of tertiary strata, presenting a striking contrast to the lofty masses of the Apennines, which rise abruptly on the N. and S. of this isthmus. [BRUTTII] The northern limit of the Gulf of Sta. Eufemiais formed by the point called Capo Suvero, probably the promontory called by Lycophron Lampetes [CLAMPETIA]: and its southern by the bold projecting headland now called Capo Vaticano;but there is no authority for supposing this name to be ancient.
[E.H.B]

Related Words