Rutuba

RUTUBA(Roja), a river of Liguria, which rises in the Maritime Alps, near the Col de Tende, and flows into the sea at Vintimiglia(Albium Intemelium). Its name is found in Pliny (Plin. Nat. 3.5. s. 7), who places it apparently to the W. of Albium Intemelium, whereas it really flows on the E. side of that town; Lucan also notices it among the streams which flow from the Apennines (2.422), and gives it the epithet of cavus,from its flowing through a deep bed or ravine. From the mention of the Tiber just after, some writers have supposed that he must mean another river of the name; but there is no reason to expect such strict geographical order from a poet, and the mention of the Macra a few lines lower down sufficiently shows that none such was intended. Vibius Sequester (p. 17) who makes the Rutuba fall into the Tiber, has obviously misunderstood the passage of Lucan.
[E.H.B]