PHAROS
PHAROS (
Φάρος, Ephorus, ap.
Steph. B. sub voce,
Fr. 151; Scyl. p. 8;
Scymn. p. 427 ;
Diod. 15.13 ;
Strab. vii. p.315), an island off the coast of Illyricum, which was colonised by Greek settlers from Paros, who, in the first instance, gave it the name of their own island, which was afterwards changed to Pharos.
In this settlement, which took place B.C. 385, they were assisted by the elder Dionysius. When the Romans declared war against the Illyrians B.C. 229, Demetrius, a Greek of Pharos, betrayed his mistress, Queen Teuta, for which he was rewarded with the greater part of her dominions. (
Plb. 2.11.)
The traitor, relying on his connection with the court of Macedon, set the Romans at defiance ; he soon brought the vengeance of the republic upon himself and his native island, which was taken by L. Aemilius in B.C. 219. (
Plb. 3.16 ;
Zonar. 8.20.) Pliny (
3.30) and Ptolemy (
2.17.14) speak of the island and city under the same name, PHARIA (
Φαρία), and Polybius (
l.c.) says the latter was strongly fortified.
The city, the ancient capital, stood at
Stari Grad or
Citta Vecchia, to the N. of the island, where remains of walls have been found, and coins with the legend
ΦΑΡΙΩΝ. After the fall of the Roman Empire the island continued for a long time in the hands of the Narentine pirates. Its Slavonic name is
Hvar, a corruption of Pharos; and in Italian it is called
Lésina or
Liesina. For coins of Pharos see Eckhel, vol. ii. p. 160 ; Sestini,
Monet. Vet. p. 42; Mionnet, vol. ii. p. 46. (Wilkinson,
Dalmatia, vol. i. pp. 243--251; Neigebaur,
Die Sud-Slaven, pp. 107--111.)
[
E.B.J]
