Capisa

CAPISA (Κάπισα or Κάτισα, Ptol. 6.18.4; Capissa, Plin. Nat. 6.23. s. 25), a city of a district probably named after it, CAPISSENE and included in the wider district of the Paropamisus or Hindu Kush mountains. According to Pliny, it was destroyed by Cyrus; but we have no reason for supposing that Cyrus ever got so far NE., and, if it had been, it would hardly have been noticed by Ptolemy. It is probably the same as the Caphusa of Solinus (Solin. 100.54), which was near the Indus. It has been suspected that Capissene represents the valley of the Kábul river, and Capisa the town on the Indus now called Pesháwar. It is not Kábul, which has been satisfactorily proved by Professor Wilson to occupy the site of the ancient Ortospanum. Lassen (Zur Gesch. d. Kon. Bactr. p. 149) finds in the Chinese annals a kingdom called Kiapiche in the valley of Ghurbend, to the E. of Bamian. It is very probable that Capisa and Kiapiche are identical.