CYTO´RUS
CYTO´RUS and CYTO´RUM (
Κύτωρος: Eth.
Κυτωριεύς, fem. Κυτωριάς: there is also
Κυτωρίτης, Steph. s. v.).
It appears that the name was also Cydorus. (Steph. s. v. ed. Meinecke, note.) Its mythical founder was Cytorus, the son of Phrixus, according to Ephorus. (Strab. p. 544.) Strabo and Ptolemy name the place Cytorum; and Scylax, Cytoris.
It was between Amastris and Cape Carambis; and according to Strabo once a trading place of the Sinopeis.
The name Cytorus occurs in the Iliad (
2.853) together with Sesamus. [
AMASTRIS] There are said to be remains of Cytorus at a place called
Kidras or
Kidros, which is the ancient name.
The mountains at the back of Cytorus were covered with box trees. “Et juvat undantem buxo spectare Cytorum.”
(Virg.
Geog. 2.437.) Apollonius (
Arg. 2.944) whom Virgil may have imitated, calls it “wooded Cytorus.” The box forests extended from Amastris to Cytorus. Pliny (
6.2) mentions “Mons Cytorus,” which he places 63 M. P. east of Tium, and Tium is near the mouth of the Billaeus.
Leake (
Asia Minor, p. 307) has pointed out a singular blunder in the Table.
The places that are marked on the Table between Amasia and Sinope are--Cromen, Cythero, e Egilan, Carambas, Stefano, Syrtas, which “are evidently intended for Cromna, Cytorum, Aegiali, Carambis, Stefane, Syrias; the sum of the distances 149 M.P. is tolerably correct.” He supposes that the author was misled by the similarity of the name of Amastris, written Mastrum in the Table, with that of Amasia; but this supposition does not seem to explain the origin of the blunder satisfactorily.
The places that the Table gives between Mastrum (Amastris) and Sinope, are unknown. Forbiger (
Geog. vol. ii. p. 436) takes all these names on the Table between Amasia and Sinope to be genuine names; and so he has Cromen, Cytherum, &c., as places on the road from Amasia to Sinope: but this is certainly not so.
There is a place on the Table, named Thomia, between Stefane and Syrtas, which Leake does not mention.
But whatever difficulty there may be about this one name, the blunder in the Table is manifest.
[
G.L]
