AULOCRENAE
AULOCRENAE “a valley ten Roman miles from Apamia (Cibotus) for those who are going to Phrygia.” (
Plin. Nat. 5.29.) “The Marsyas,” says Pliny, “rises and is soon hidden in the place where Marsyas contended with Apollo on the pipe in Aulocrenae;” whence, perhaps, the place derives its name from the legend of Apollo and Marsyas, as it means the fountains of the pipe. Strabo describes the Marsyas and Maeander as rising, according to report, in one lake above Celaenae, which produces reeds adapted for making mouth-pieces for pipes; he gives no name to the lake. Pliny (
16.44) says, “We have mentioned the tract (regio) Aulocrene, through which a man passes from Apamia into Phrygia; there a plane tree is shown from which Marsyas was suspended, after being vanquished by Apollo.” But Pliny has not mentioned the “regio Aulocrene” before; and the passage to which he refers (5.29), and which is here literally rendered, is not quite clear.
But he has mentioned, in another passage (5.29), a lake on a mountain Aulocrene, in which the Maeander rises. Hamilton (
Researches, &c. vol. i. p. 498) found near
Denair (Apameia Cibotus), a lake nearly two miles in circumference, full of reeds and rushes, which he considers to be the source of the Maeander, and also to be the lake described by Pliny on the Mons Aulocrene.
But the Aulocrenae he considers to be in the plain of
Dombai. Thus Pliny mentions a “regio Aulocrene,” a “mons Aulocrene,” and a valley (convallis) Aulocrenae. [
MAEANDER]
[
G.L]
