MOGONTIACUM
 

MONA.
 

 inferior, the former being the western, and the

 ratter the eastern half of the country, and sepa¬

 rated from each other by the River Cebrus or

 Ciabrus, a tributary of the Danube.  When Au¬

 relian surrendered Dacia to the barbarians, and

 removed the inhabitants of that province to the

 south of the Danube, the middle part of Mcesia

 was called Dacia Aureliani; and this new prov¬

 ince was divided into Dacia Ripensis, the district

along tho Danube, and Dacia Interior, the district

south of the latter as  far as the frontiers of Ma¬

cedonia.   In the reign  of Valens, some of the

Goths crossed the Danube and settled in Mcesia.

These Goths are sometimes called Mceso-Goths,

and it was for their use that Ulphilas translated

ihe Scriptures into Gothic about the middle of

the fourth  century.   The original inhabitants

of the country, called  Mcesi by the Romans, and

Mvsi  (Mvaol) by the  Greeks, were a Thracian

race, and were divided into several tribes, such

 as the Tkiballi, Peucini, &c.

  Mogontiacum, Moguntiacum, or  Magontia-

cum (now Mainz or Mayence), a  town on the

left bank of the Rhine, opposite the mouth  of

the River Mcanus (now Main), was situated in

the territory of the Vangiones, and was subse¬

quently the capital of  the province of Germania

Prima.  It was a Roman  municipium, and was

founded, or at least  enlarged and fortified,  by

Drusus.   It was always occupied by  a strong

 Roman garrison, and  continued to the downfall

 of the empire to be one of the chief Roman for¬

 tresses on the Rhine.

  Molione.  Vid Moliones.

  Moliones or Molionid-e (MoXloveg,  MoXiove,

 UoX.wvlbai), that is,  Eurytus and Cteatus,  so

 sailed after their mother Molione.   They are

 also  called Actorida  or Actorione (AKTopiuve),

after their reputed father Actor, the  husband

of Molione, though they were generally regard¬

ed as the  sons  of Neptune  (Poseidon).   Ac¬

 cording to a late tradition, they were  born out

 of an egg; and it is further stated that their

 bodies grew together, so that they had only one

 body, but two heads,  four arms, and four legs.

 Homer mentions none  of these extraordinary

 circumstances ;  and,  according to him, the Mo¬

 liones, when yet, boys, took part  in an expedi¬

 tion cf the Epeans against Neleus and the Pyli-

 ans.   They are represented as nephews of Au¬

 geas, king of the Epeans   When Hercules

 marched  against Augeas, the latter intrusted

 the conduct ol  the war to the Moliones ; but,

 as Hercules was taken ill, he concluded peace

 with Augeas, whereupon his army was attacked

 and defeated by the Molionidae.  In order to

 take vengeance, he afterward slew them  near

 Cleonae, on the frontiers of Argolis, when they

 had been  sent from Elis to sacrifice at the Isth¬

 mian  games on behalf of the town.   The Mo¬

 liones are mentioned as conquerors of Nestor

 m the chariot race, and as having taken part in

 the Calydonian hunt.  Cteatus was the father

 of Amphimachus by Theronice, and Eurytus of

 Thalpius byTheraphone.  Their sons, Amphim¬

 achus and Thalpius, led the Epeans to Troy.

   Molo, surname of Apollonius. the rhetorician

 of Rhodes.  Vid. Apollonius, No. 2.

   Moloohath.   Vid.  Mulcoha.

   [Molo'is (MoXbeig), a little river in Boaotia,

 near Plataeae on the banks  of which  tc d a

        524
 

templfc or the Eleusinian Ceres, alluded to m

the description of the battle of Plataea; ]

  [Moloechus (MoAop^-oc), the mythical found¬

er of Molorchia, near Nemea, entertained Her¬

cules when he went against the Nemean lion.j

  Molossi (MoXooaol), a people in Epirus, whe

inhabited a narrow slip of country,  cal ei after

them Molossia (MoXoaata) or Molossis, which

extended from the  Aous, along the western

bank of the Arachthus, as far as the Ambracian

Gulf.  The Molossi were a Greek people, who

claimed descent from Molossus, the son of Pyr¬

rhus (Neoptolemus) and Andromache, and aic

said to have emigrated fiom  Thessaly into

Epirus, under the  guidance of Pyirhus himself.

In their new abodes they intermingled with the

original inhabitants of the land  and with  the

neighboring  Illyrian tribes, in consequence of

which they were regarded by the other Greeks

as half barbarians.  They were, however,  by

far  the most powerful people in Epirus,  and

their kings gradually extended their dominion

over the whole of the  country.  The first of

their kings, who took the title of King of Epi¬

rus, was Alexander, who perished in Italy B.C.

326.  Vid. Epirus.  The ancient  capital of the

Molossi was Pass aeon, but Ambracia afterward

became their chief town, and the residence of

their kings.   The Molossian hounds were cele¬

brated in antiquity, and were  much prized for

hunting.

  [Molossus (MoXoaabg), son of Pyrrhus  and

Andromache.  Vid  Molossi.]

  [Molpadia (MoXirabia), an Amazon, slew An¬

tiope, another Amazon, who had  married The

seus, and was herself slain by Theseus.]

  [Molus (MbXog), son of Deucalion, and fa tho.

of Meriones  (Horn ): according to a Cretan

legend, son of Minos,  and brother of Deuca¬

lion.]

  Molyceium (MoXixpewv,  also MoXvitpsia, Mo-

XvKpia : MoXvKpwg, MoXvKpievg, MoXvupalog),  p,

town in the most southerly part  of iEtolia, at

the entrance  of the Corinthian Gulf,  gave  the

name of Rhium Molycrium (Ttov MoXviepiov) tc

the neighboring promontory of Antirrhium.   It

was founded by the Corinthians, but was aftei

ward taken possession of by the iEtolians.

  Momemphis (Mapepijsig : now Panouf-Kkct, or

Manouf-el- Sejjli, i. e., Lower Memphis), the cap¬

ital  of the  Nomos Momemphites in Lower

Egypt, stood  on the  eastern side of  the Lake

Mareotis.

  Momus (Mapog), the god of mockery and cen¬

sure, is not mentioned by Homer, but is called

in Hesiod the son of Night.  Thus he is said to

have censured in the man formed by Vulcan

(Hephaastus), that a little door had not been  left

in his  breast, so as to enable one to  look into

his secret thoughts.

  Mona (now Anglesey), an island off the coast

of  the Ordovices  in Britain,  was one  of  the

chief seats of the Druids.   It was invaded by

Suetonius Paulh us A.D. 61, and  was conquer¬

ed  by Agricola, 78.   Caesar (B. G , v , 13) er¬

roneously describes  this island as half way be¬

tween Britannia  and Hibernia.   Hence it  has

been supposed by some critics that the  Mona

of  Caesar is  the Isle of Man; but it is  more

probable that he received a false report respect¬

ing the real position of Mo:^  especially sines