Achilla

ACHILLA, ACHOLLA, or ACHULLA (Ἀχόλλα : Eth. Ἀχολλαῖος, Achillitānus: El Aliah, large Ru.), a town on the sea-coast of Africa Propria (Byzacena), a little above the N. extremity of the Lesser Syrtis, and about 20 G. miles S. of Thapsus. It was a colony from the island of Melita ( Malta), the people of which were colonists from Carthage. Under the Romans, it was a free city. In the African war, B.C. 46, it submitted to Caesar, for whom it was held by Messius; and it was in vain besieged by the Pompeian commander Considius. Among its ruins, of a late style, but very extensive, there has been found an interesting bilingual inscription, in Phoenician and Latin, in which the name is spelt Achulla (Steph. B. s. v.;Strab. p. 831; Liv. 33.48; Appian. Pun. 94; Hirtius, Bell. Afric. 33--43; Plin. Nat. 5.4; Ptol.; Tab. Peut., name corrupted into Anolla; Shaw's Travels, p. 193; Barth, Wanderungen, &c. vol. 1. p. 176; Gesenius, Monum. Phoenic. p. 139.)