Syracosia, festivals at Syracuse celebrated during 10 days, in which women were busily employed in offering sacrifices.——Another yearly observed near the lake of Syracuse, where, as they supposed, Pluto had disappeared with Proserpine.
Syracūsæ, a celebrated city of Sicily, founded about 732 years before the christian era by Archias, a Corinthian, and one of the Heraclidæ. In its flourishing state it extended 22½ English miles in circumference, and was divided into four districts, Ortygia, Acradina, Tycha, and Neapolis, to which some add a fifth division, Epipolæ, a district little inhabited. These were of themselves separate cities, and were fortified with three citadels, and three-folded walls. Syracuse had two capacious harbours separated from one another by the island of Ortygia. The greatest harbour was about 5000 paces in circumference, and its entrance 500 paces wide. The people of Syracuse were very opulent and powerful, and though subject to tyrants, they were masters of vast possessions and dependent states. The city of Syracuse was well built, its houses were stately and magnificent; and it has been said, that it produced the best and most excellent of men when they were virtuous, but the most wicked and depraved when addicted to vicious pursuits. The women of Syracuse were not permitted to adorn themselves with gold, or wear costly garments, except such as prostituted themselves. Syracuse gave birth to Theocritis and Archimedes. It was under different governments; and after being freed from the tyranny of Thrasybulus, B.C. 446, it enjoyed security for 61 years, till the usurpation of the Dionysii, who were expelled by Timoleon, B.C. 343. In the age of the elder Dionysius, an army of 100,000 foot and 10,000 horse, and 400 ships, were kept in constant pay. It fell into the hands of the Romans, under the consul Marcellus, after a siege of three years, B.C. 212. Cicero, Against Verres, bk. 4, chs. 52 & 53.—Strabo, bks. 1 & 8.—Cornelius Nepos.—Mela, bk. 2, ch. 7.—Livy, bk. 23, &c.—Plutarch, Marcellus, &c.—Florus, bk. 2, ch. 6.—Silius Italicus, bk. 14, li. 278.
Syria, a large country of Asia, whose boundaries are not accurately ascertained by the ancients. Syria, generally speaking, was bounded on the east by the Euphrates, north by mount Taurus, west by the Mediterranean, and south by Arabia. It was divided into several districts and provinces, among which were Phœnicia, Seleucis, Judæa or Palestine, Mesopotamia, Babylon, and Assyria. It was also called Assyria; and the words Syria and Assyria, though distinguished and defined by some authors, were often used indifferently. Syria was subjected to the monarchs of Persia; but after the death of Alexander the Great, Seleucus, surnamed Nicator, who had received this province as his lot in the division of the Macedonian dominions, raised it into an empire, known in history by the name of the kingdom of Syria or Babylon, B.C. 312. Seleucus died after a reign of 32 years, and his successors, surnamed the Seleucidæ, ascended the throne in the following order: Antiochus, surnamed Soter, 280 B.C.; Antiochus Theos, 261; Seleucus Callinicus, 246; Seleucus Ceraunus, 226; Antiochus the Great, 223; Seleucus Philopator, 187; Antiochus Epiphanes, 175; Antiochus Eupator, 164; Demetrius Soter, 162; Alexander Balas, 150; Demetrius Nicator, 146; Antiochus VI., 144; Diodotus Tryphon, 147; Antiochus Sidetes, 139; Demetrius Nicator restored, 130; Alexander Zebina, 127, who was dethroned by Antiochus Grypus, 123; Antiochus Cyzicenus, 112, who takes part of Syria, which he calls Cœlesyria; Philip and Demetrius Eucerus, 93, and in Cœlesyria, Antiochus Pius; Aretas was king of Cœlesyria, 85; Tigranes, king of Armenia, 83; and Antiochus Asiaticus, 69, who was dethroned by Pompey, B.C. 65; in consequence of which Syria became a Roman province. Herodotus, bks. 2, 3 & 7.—Apollodorus, bk. 1, Argonautica.—Strabo, bks. 12 & 16.—Cornelius Nepos, Datames.—Mela, bk. 1, ch. 2.—Ptolemy, bk. 5, ch. 6.—Curtius, bk. 6.—Dionysius Periegetes.
Syriăcum mare, that part of the Mediterranean sea which is on the coast of Phœnicia and Syria.
Syrinx, a nymph of Arcadia, daughter of the river Ladon. Pan became enamoured of her, and attempted to offer her violence; but Syrinx escaped, and at her own request was changed by the gods into a reed called Syrinx by the Greeks. The god made himself a pipe with the reeds, into which his favourite nymph had been changed. Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 1, li. 691.—Martial, bk. 9, ltr. 63.
Syrophœnix, the name of an inhabitant of the maritime coast of Syria. Juvenal, satire 8.
Syros, one of the Cyclades in the Ægean sea, at the east of Delos, about 20 miles in circumference, very fruitful in wine and corn of all sorts. The inhabitants lived to a great old age, because the air was wholesome. Homer, Odyssey, bk. 15, li. 504.—Strabo, bk. 10.—Mela, bk. 2, ch. 7.——A town of Caria. Pausanias, bk. 3, ch. 26.
Syrtes, two large sand-banks in the Mediterranean on the coast of Africa, one of which was near Leptis, and the other near Carthage. As they often changed places, and were sometimes very high or very low under the water, they were deemed most dangerous in navigation, and proved fatal to whatever ships touched upon them. From this circumstance, therefore, the word has been used to denote any part of the sea of which the navigation was attended with danger, either from whirlpools or hidden rocks. Mela, bk. 1, ch. 7; bk. 2, ch. 7.—Virgil, Æneid, bk. 4, li. 41.—Lucan, bk. 9, li. 303.—Sallust, Jugurthine War.
Syrus, an island. See: [Syros].——A son of Apollo by Sinope the daughter of the Asopus, who gave his name to Syria. Plutarch, Lucullus.——A writer. See: [Publius].
Sysigambis, the mother of Darius. See: [Sisygambis].