AUTO´LOLES
Eth.
AUTO´LOLES or
AUTOLOLAE (
Αὐτολάλαι,
Ptol. 4.6.17; common reading
Αὐτολάται), a Gaetulian people on the W. coast of Africa, in the “Libya Interior” of Ptolemy, both N. and S. of the Atlas, with a city Autolala, or Autolalae (
Αὐτολάλα, Αὐτολάλαι).
This city is one of Ptolemy's points of astronomical observation, having the longest day 13 1/2 hrs., being distant 3 1/2 hrs. W. of Alexandreia, and having the sun vertical once a year, at the time of the winter solstice. (
Ptol. 4.6.24;
8.16.4.) Reichard takes it for the modern
Agulon, or
Aquilon. (
Kleine Geogr. Schriften, p. 506.) All writers, except Ptolemy, call the people Autololes. (
Plin. Nat. 5.1;
Solin. 24; Lucan.
Phars. 4.677;
Sil. Ital. 3.306; Claudian.
Laud. Stilich. 1.356.)
Ptolemy (
4.6.33) mentions, in the Western Ocean, an island called Autolala, or Junonis Insula (
Ἥρας ἡ καὶ Αὐτολάλα νῆσος), as distinct from the Fortunatae group. Some take it for Madeira, but this is very uncertain.
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