TAUROEIS, TAUROE´NTIUM(Ταυρόεις, Ταυροέντιον: Eth. Ταυροέντιος). Steph. B. (s. v.Ταυρόεις), who calls it a Celtic town and a colony of the Massaliots, quotes the first book of Artemidorus' geography for a foolish explanation of the origin of the name. The place is mentioned by Caesar ( B.C. 2.4), who says Tauroenta quod est castellum Massiliensium perveniunt;by Strabo (iv. pp. 180, 184), by Scymnus Chius, and by Ptolemy (Ptol. 2.10.8), who places it between Massilia and Citharistes Promontorium. D'Anville erroneously supposes that Caesar uses Tauroenta for the plural number; but it is the accusative of Tauroeis. Strabo (4. p. 184) enumerates the Massaliot settlements between Massilia and the Varus in this order: Tauroentium, Olbia, Antipolis, Nicaea. Mela (2.5) enumerates the places on this coast in a different order from east to west: Athenopolis, Olbia, Taurois, Citharistes, and Lacydon Massiliensium portus.Ptolemy, as we have seen, places Tauroeis between Massilia and Citharistes. In the Maritime Itin. the positions between Telo Martius ( Toulon) and Immadrus seem to be out of order [IMMADRUS]; and they are to be placed thus—Aemines ( Embiez), Tauroeis ( Taurenti), Citharista [CITHARISTA], Carsici (Cassis), Immadrus, Massilia. Geographers have been much divided in opinion on the site of Tauroeis, but the modern name seems to determine the place to be at the right of the entry of the bay of Ciotat.
[G.L]