PARAETO´NIUM
PARAETO´NIUM (
Παραιτόνιον, Scyl. p. 44;
Strab. xvii. p.799; Pomp. Mela, 1.8.2;
Plin. Nat. 5.5;
Ptol. 4.5.4; Steph.: B.; Itin. Anton.; Hierocles), a town of Marmarica, which was also called AMMONIA. (
Ἀμμωνία, Strab.
l.c.) Its celebrity was owing to its spacious harbour, extending to 40 stadia (Strab.
l.c.; comp.
Diod. 1.31), but which appears to have been difficult to make. (Lucian,
Quomodo historic sit, conscribenda, 62.) Paraetonium was 1300 stadia (Strab.
l.c.; 1550 stadia,.
Stadiasm. § 19) from Alexandreia. From this point Alexander, B.C. 332, set out to visit the oracle of Ammon. (Arrian,
Arr. Anab. 4.3.3.) When the “world's debate” was decided at Actium, Antonius stopped at Paraetonium, where some Roman troops were stationed under Pinarius for the defence of Aegypt. (
Plut. Ant. 70;
Flor. 4.11.)
The name occurs in Latin poetry. (Ovid,
Ov. Met. 9.772,
Amores, 2.13. 7;
Lucan 3.295.) Justinian fortified it as a frontier fortress to protect Aegypt from attacks on the W. (Procop.
de Aed. 6.2.)
An imperial. coin of the elder Faustina has been assigned to this place, but on insufficient grounds. (Eckhel, vol. iv. p. 116.) When the
Aoulad Aly were sovereigns over this district, the site, where there were ancient. remains, retained the name of
Baretoun; but after their expulsion by the pasha, of Aegypt, it was called
Berek Marsah. (Pacho,
Voyage dans la: Marmarique, p. 28.)
[
E.B.J]
