A´LBIUM INGAUNUM
A´LBIUM INGAUNUM or
ALBINGAUNUM (
Ἀλβίγγαυνον, , Strab., Ptol.:
Albenga), a city on the coast of Liguria, about 50 miles SW. of Genua, and the capital of the tribe of the Ingauni.
There can be no doubt that the full form of the name, Albium Ingaunum (given by Pliny,
3.5. s. 7, and Varro,
de R. R. 3.9.17), is the correct, or at least the original one: but it seems to have been early abbreviated into Albingaunum, which is found in Strabo, Ptolemy, and the Itineraries, and is retained, with little alteration, in the modern name of
Albenga. Strabo places it at 370 stadia from Vada Sabbata (
Vado), which is much beyond the truth: the Itin. Ant. gives the same distance at 20 M. P., which is rather less than the real amount. (Strab. p. 202;
Ptol. 3.1.3; Itin. Ant. p. 295; Itin. Marit. p. 502; Tab. Peut.)
It appears to have been a municipal town of some importance under the Roman empire, and was occupied by the troops of Otho during the civil war between them and the Vitellians. (
Tac. Hist. 2.15.)
At a later period it is mentioned as the birthplace of the emperor Proculus. (Vopise.
Procul. 12.)
The modern city of
Albenga contains only about 4000 inhabitants, but is an episcopal see, and the capital of a district. Some inscriptions and other Roman remains have been found here: and a bridge, called the
Ponte Lungo, is considered to be of Roman construction.
The city is situated at the mouth of the river
Ceuta, which has been erroneously supposed to be the
MERULA of Pliny: that river, which still retains its ancient name, flows into the sea at
Andora, about 10 m. further S. Nearly opposite to
Albenga is a little island, called
GALLINARIA INSULA from its abounding in fowls in a half-wild state: it still retains the name of
Gallinara. (Varr.
l.c.; Columell. 8.2.2.)
[
E.H.B]
