MELAS
MELAS (
Μέλας).
1.
A small river of Cappadocia, which had its sources on Mount Argaeus (
Ptol. 5.6.8), and flowed in a north-western direction past the town of Mazaca, frequently overflowing its banks and forming marshes. (
Strab. xii. p.538, &c.)
It emptied itself into the river Halys, opposite the town of Siva. Strabo (
l.c.) erroneously describes the Melas as a tributary of the Euphrates, as has been shown by Hamilton in the
Journal of the Geogr. Society, vol. viii. p. 149 (comp. his
Researches, ii. p. 259, &c.).
The river still bears a
[p. 2.319]name answering to the ancient Melas,
Kara-Su, that is, the Black River.
2.
A navigable river in Pamphylia, flooring in a southern direction from Mount Taurus towards the sea, into which it emptied itself 50 stadia to the east of Side. (
Plin. Nat. 5.22;
Strab. xiv. p.667;
Paus. 8.28.2; Mela, 1.14; Zosim. 5.16, 6.3;
Stadiasm. Mar. Magn. § § 193, 194.) Its modern name is
Menavgat-Su. (Leake,
Asia Minor, p. 196.)
3.
A small river in Pontus Polemoniacus, in the country of the Macrones. (
Plin. Nat. 6.4.) [
L.S]
