ASCA´NIA LACUS
ASCA´NIA LACUS or
ASCA´NIUS (
Ἀσκανία:
Isnik), a large lake in Bithynia, at the east extremity of which was the city of Nicaea. (Strab. p. 565, &c.) Apollodorus, quoted by Strabo (p. 681), says that there was a place called Ascania on the lake.
The lake “is about 10 miles long and 4 wide, surrounded on three sides by steep woody slopes, behind which rise the snowy summits of the Olympus range.” (Leake,
Asia Minor, p. 7.) Cramer refers to Aristotle (
Mirab. Ausc. c. 54) and Pliny (
31.10), to show that the waters of this lake are impregnated with nitre; but Aristotle and Pliny mean another Ascania.
This lake is fresh; a river flows into it, and runs out into the bay of Cios.
This river is the Ascanius of Pliny (
5.32) and Strabo.
The Ascanius of Homer (
Hom. Il. 2.862) is supposed to be about this lake of Strabo (p. 566), who attempts to explain this passage of the
Iliad. The country around the lake was called Ascania. (Steph. s. v.
Ἀσκανία.）
The salt lake Ascania, to which Aristotle and Pliny refer, is a lake of Pisidia, the lake of
Buldur or
Burdur. The salt lake Ascania of Arrian (
Arr. Anab. 1.29) is a different lake [ANAYA].
[
G.L]
