Interamna, an ancient city of Umbria, the birthplace of the historian Tacitus, and of the emperor of the same name. It is situate between two branches of the Nar (interamnes), whence its name. Varro, de Lingua Latina, bk. 4, ch. 5.—Tacitus, Histories, bk. 2, ch. 64.——A colony on the confines of Samnium, on the Liris.
Intercatia, a town of Spain.
Interrex, a supreme magistrate at Rome, who was intrusted with the care of the government after the death of a king, till the election of another. This office was exercised by the senators alone, and none continued in power longer than five days, or, according to Plutarch, only 12 hours. The first interrex mentioned in Roman history, is after the death of Romulus, when the Romans quarrelled with the Sabines concerning the choice of a king. There was sometimes an interrex during the consular government; but this happened only to hold assemblies in the absence of the magistrates, or when the election of any of the acting officers was disputed. Livy, bk. 1, ch. 17.—Dionysius of Halicarnassus, bk. 2, ch. 15.
Inui castrum. See: [Castrum Inui]. It received its name from Inuus, a divinity supposed to be the same as the Faunus of the Latins, and worshipped in this city.
Inȳcus, a city of Sicily. Herodotus.
Io, daughter of Inachus, or, according to others, of Jasus or Pirenes, was priestess of Juno at Argos. Jupiter became enamoured of her; but Juno, jealous of his intrigues, discovered the object of his affections, and surprised him in the company of Io, though he had shrouded himself in all the obscurity of clouds and thick mists. Jupiter changed his mistress into a beautiful heifer; and the goddess, who well knew the fraud, obtained from her husband the animal whose beauty she had condescended to commend. Juno commanded the hundred-eyed Argus to watch the heifer; but Jupiter, anxious for the situation of Io, sent Mercury to destroy Argus, and to restore her to liberty. See: [Argus]. Io, freed from the vigilance of Argus, was now persecuted by Juno; who sent one of the furies, or rather a malicious insect, to torment her. She wandered over the greatest part of the earth, and crossed over the sea, till at last she stopped on the banks of the Nile, still exposed to the unceasing torments of Juno’s insect. Here she entreated Jupiter to restore her to her ancient form; and when the god had changed her from a heifer into a woman, she brought forth Epaphus. Afterwards she married Telegonus king of Egypt, or Osiris, according to others, and she treated her subjects with such mildness and humanity, that after death she received divine honours, and was worshipped under the name of Isis. According to Herodotus, Io was carried away by Phœnician merchants, who wished to make reprisals for Europa, who had been stolen from them by the Greeks. Some suppose that Io never came to Egypt. She is sometimes called Phoronis, from her brother Phoroneus. Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 1, li. 748.—Pausanias, bk. 1, ch. 25; bk. 3, ch. 18.—Moschus.—Apollodorus, bk. 2, ch. 1.—Virgil, Æneid, bk. 7, li. 789.—Hyginus, fable 145.
Iobates and Jobates, a king of Lycia, father of Stenobœa, the wife of Prœtus king of Argos. He was succeeded on the throne by Bellerophon, to whom he had given one of his daughters, called Philonoe, in marriage. See: [Bellerophon]. Apollodorus, bk. 2, ch. 2.—Hyginus, fable 57.
Iobes, a son of Hercules by a daughter of Thespius. He died in his youth. Apollodorus, bk. 2, ch. 7.
Jocasta, a daughter of Menœceus, who married Laius king of Thebes, by whom she had Œdipus. She afterwards married her son Œdipus, without knowing who he was, and had by him Eteocles, Polynices, &c. See: [Laius], [Œdipus]. When she discovered that she had married her own son, and had been guilty of incest, she hanged herself in despair. She is called Epicasta by some mythologists. Statius, Thebiad, bk. 8, li. 42.—Seneca & Sophocles, Œdipus.—Apollodorus, bk. 3, ch. 5.—Hyginus, fable 66, &c.—Homer, Odyssey, bk. 11.
Iolaia, a festival at Thebes, the same as that called Heracleia. It was instituted in honour of Hercules and his friend Iolas, who assisted him in conquering the hydra. It continued during several days, on the first of which were offered solemn sacrifices. The next day horse-races and athletic exercises were exhibited. The following day was set apart for wrestling; the victors were crowned with garlands of myrtle, generally used at funeral solemnities. They were sometimes rewarded with tripods of brass. The place where the exercises were exhibited was called Iolaion, where there were to be seen the monument of Amphitryon, and the cenotaph of Iolas, who was buried in Sardinia. These monuments were strewed with garlands and flowers on the day of the festival.