Soli
- A town of Cilicia, afterwards called Pompeiopolis, now Mezetli, Cic. Leg. 2, 16, 41; Liv. 33, 20, 4; 37, 56, 8.
- —Hence, Sŏleus, ei, m., = Σολεύς, of Soli: Milon, Plin. 35, 11, 40, § 146.—
- II A town of Cyprus, now Solia, Plin. 5, 31, 35, § 130 (Jan. Soloe).
SOLI(Σόλοι: Eth. Σολεύςor Σόλιος), an important town on the coast of Cilicia, between the mouths of the rivers Lamus and Pyramus, from each of which its distance was about 500 stadia. (Strab. 14. p. 675; Stadiasm. Mar. May. § 170, &c.) The town was founded by Argives joined by Lindians from Rhodes. (Strab. 14. p. 671; Pomp. Mela, 1.13; Liv. 37.56.) It is first mentioned in history by Xenophon (Xen. Anab. 1.2.24) as a maritime town of Cilicia; it rose to such opulence that Alexander the Great could fine its citizens for their attachment to Persia with 200 talents. (Arrian, Arr. Anab. 2.5.5; Curt. 3.17.) During the Mithridatic War the town of Soli was taken and destroyed by Tigranes, king of Armenia, who probably transplanted most of its inhabitants to Tigranocerta. (Dio Cass.; Plut. Pomp. 28; Strab. 11. p. 532.) But the place was revived by Pompey, who peopled it with some of those pirates who had fallen into his hands, and changed its name into Pompeiupolis. (Πομπηϊούπολις, Plut. l. c.;Strab. 14. p. 671; Appian, Mithr. 105; Ptol. 5.8.4; Plin. Nat. 5.22; Steph. B. s. v.;Tac. Ann. 2.58; Hierocl. p. 704.) Soli was the birthplace of Chrysippus the philosopher, and of two distinguished poets, Philemon and Aratus, the latter of whom was believed to be buried on a hill near the town. The Greek inhabitants of Soli are reported to have spoken a very corrupt Greek in consequence of their intercourse with the natives of Cilicia, and hence to have given rise to the term solecism (σολοικισμός), which has found its way into all the languages of Europe; other traditions, however, connect the origin of this term with the town of Soli, in Cyprus. (Diog. Laert.; Eustath. ad Dion. Per.875; Suid. s. v. Σόλοι) The locality and the remains of this ancient city have been described by Beaufort ( Karamania, p. 261, foil.). The first object that presented itself to us on landing,says he, was a beautiful harbour or basin, with parallel sides and circular ends; it is entirely artificial, being formed with surrounding walls or moles, which are 50 feet in thickness and 7 in height. Opposite to the entrance of the harbour a portico rises from the surrounding quay, and opens to a double row of 200 columns, which, crossing the town, communicates with the principal gate towards the country. Of the 200 columns no more than 42 are now standing; the remainder lie on the spot where they fell, intermixed with a vast assemblage of other ruined buildings which were connected with the colonnade. The theatre is almost entirely destroyed. The city walls, strengthened by numerous towers, entirely surrounded the town. Detached ruins, tombs, and sarcophagi were found scattered to some distance from the walls, on the outside of the town, and it is evident that the whole country was once occupied by a numerous and industrious people.The natives now call the place Mezetlu. (Comp. Leake, Asia Minor, p. 213, foll.) The little river which passed through Soli was called Liparis, from the oily nature COIN OF SOLI.
of its waters. (Vitr. 8.3; Antig. Caryst. 150; Plin. l. c.) Pliny (Plin. Nat. 31.2) mentions bituminous. springs in the vicinity, which are reported by Beaufort to exist at Bikhardy, about six hours' walk to the north-east of Mezetlu.
[L.S]SOLIor SOLOE(Σόλοι, Ptol. 5.14.4), an important seaport town in the W. part of the N. coast of Cyprus, situated on a small river. (Strab. 14. p. 683.) According to Plutarch (Plut. Sol. 26) it was founded by a native prince at the suggestion of Solon and named in honour of that legislator. The sojourn of Solon in Cyprus is mentioned by Herodotus (Hdt. 5.113). Other accounts, however, make it an Athenian settlement, founded under the auspices of Phalerus and Acamas (Strab. l. c.), or of Demophon, the son of Theseus (Plut. l. c). We learn from Strabo (l. c.) that it had a temple of Aphrodite and one of Isis; and from Galen ( de Simp. Med. 9.3, 8) that there were mines in its neighbourhood. The inhabitants were called Solii (Σόλιοι), to distinguish them from the citizens of Soli in Cilicia, who were called Σολεῖς (Diog. Laert. V. Solon, 4). According to Pococke (2. p. 323), the valley which surrounded the city is still called Solea;and the ruins of the town itself may be traced in the village of A Aligora. (Comp. Aesch. Pers. 889; Scyl. p. 41; Stadiasm. M. Magni, § 295, seq.; Const. Porphyr. de Them. 1. p. 39, Lips.; Hierocl. p. 707, &c.).
[T.H.D]or Soloe (Σόλοι). (1) A city on the coast of Cilicia, between the rivers Lamus and Cydnus, said to have been colonized by Argives and Lydians from Rhodes. Pompey restored the city, which had been destroyed by Tigranes, and peopled it with the survivors of the defeated bands of pirates; and from this time forth it was called Pompeiopŏlis. It was celebrated in literary history as the birthplace of the Stoic philosopher Chrysippus, of the comic poet Philemon, and of the astronomer and poet Aratus. Its name survives in the linguistic term “solecism” (soloecismus), which is said to have been first used because of the bad Greek spoken by the people of this city. (See Diog. Laert. i. 2, 4; Strabo, p. 683; Suid. s. v. Σόλοι; Gell.i.7.3).
(2) Now Aligora, in the valley of Solea, a considerable seaport town in the western part of the north coast of Cyprus. Here were temples of Isis and Aphrodité.
- its part in the Cyprian revolt: Hdt. 5.110
- siege and capture by the Persians: Hdt. 5.115
- Chrysippus of: Paus. 1.17.2, Paus. 1.29.15