BABYTACE
BABYTACE (
Βαβυτάκη : Eth.
Βαβυτακηνός,
Steph. B. sub voce Plin. Nat. 6.27), according to Stephanus a city of Persis, according to Pliny on the Tigris, 135 M. P. from Susa.
The place appears to have been variously written in the MSS. of Pliny, but the most recent editor (Sillig, 1851) retains the above reading.
It appears, from Pliny's description, that he considered it to be a town of Susiana.
He states that it was “in septentrionali Tigridis alveo.” It has been conjectured by Forbiger (vol. ii. p. 586) that it is the same place as Badaca (
Diod. 19.19), but this place was probably much nearer to Susa. (Rawlinson,
Journ. Roy. Geogr. Soc. vol. ix. p. 91; see also Layard,
ibid. vol. xvi. p. 92.) [
V]
BACAS-CHAMIRI or BACASCAMI, one of the three towns of the Zamareni, a tribe of the interior of Arabia, mentioned by Pliny without any clue to their geographical position (6.28. s. 32).
It is a probable conjecture of Forster that Chamari points to
Gebel Shammar, a mountain to the north of the peninsula, and that the Zamareni are identical with the
Beni Shammar of Burckhardt, whom he further identifies with the Saraceni of Ptolemy. (
Geog. of Arabia, vol. ii. p. 241.)
[
G.W]
