SAMAROBRIV*.
 

SAMNIUM.
 

Ue Syrian kings  and the  Maccabean princes,

we find the name  of Samaria used distinctly as

that  of a province, which consisted ofthe dis¬

trict between Galilee  on the north and Judaea

on the south   In  the persecution of Antiochus

Epiphanes, the Samaritans  escaped by conform¬

ing to the king's edicts and dedicating the tem¬

ple on Mount Gerizim to Jupiter (Zeus) Helle-

nius, B.C. 167.  As the power of the Asmonean

princes increased, they  attacked the Samari- I

ians ; and, about B.C. 129,  John Hyrcanus took

and destroyed the temple on Mount Gerizim and

the city of Samaria.   The latter seems to have

been  soon rebuilt.  Pompey assigned the dis¬

trict  to the province of Syria, and Gabinius for¬

tified the city anew.   Augustus gave the dis !

trict to Herod, who greatly renovated the city •

of Samaria, which he called  Sebaste, in  honor

of his patron.  Still, as the Samaritans contin¬

ued to worship on Mount  Gerizim, even after :

their  temple had been destroyed, the neighbor- '

ing city of Sichem was regarded as their cap- ,

ital, and, as it grew, Samaria declined ; and, by

the fourth century of our era, it had become a !

place of no importance   Its beautiful  site is

now occupied by a poor village, which bears the

Greek name of the city, slightly altered, viz,

Sebustieh.   As a district of Palestine, Samaria

extended from Ginaea (now Jenin) on the north,

toBethhoron, northwest of Gibeon, on thesouth ;

or, along  the coast, from a little south of Caes¬

area on the north, to  a little north of Joppa on

the south.  It was intersected by the mountains

of Ephraitn, running north and south through its

middle, and by their  lateral branches, which

divide the country into beautiful and fertile val¬

leys.   For its political history after the time of

Herod the Great, vid. Pal.>estina.  A remnant

of the ancient Samaritans have remained in the

country to the present day, especially at Nahlous

 the ancient Sichem), and have preserved their

ancient version ofthe Five  Books of Moses, the

only  part of the Old Testament which they ac¬

knowledge.  This version  is  known as the Sa¬

maritan Pentateuch, and is of vast importance

in biblical criticism.

  Samarobriva, afterward  Ambiani (now Ami¬

ens), the  chief town of the Ambiani in Gallia

.Belgica, on the River Samara; whence its name,

which signifies Samara-Bridge.

  Sambana (ZdpBava), a city of Assyria, two

days' journey north of Sittace.   In its  neigh¬

borhood dwelt the people called Sambata; (Sa/i-

6brai).

  Sambastje (Zapfiaa-ral), a people of India intra

Gangem, on the Lower Indus, near the  island

Pattalene.  The fort of Sevistan or  Sehoun in

the same neighborhood has  been thought to pre¬

serve their name,  and is by some identified with

the Brahman city  taken by Alexander.

  [Sambus (2dp6og: now Tschumbul or Sambul),

a tributary of the  Jomanes in India intra Gan¬

gem.]                         . i     ,

  [Sambus (2dp.6og,Arr ; ZdBog, Diod.; SdBBag,

Plut.), an Indian  prince, whose kingdom bor¬

dered on Pattalene.  When Alexander penetrat¬

ed into India, Sambus hastened to make his sub¬

mission to him, and  was accordingly left in  the

possession of his  kingdom ]

  Same or Samos (Sdpn,  Supog), the ancient

 iame of  Cephaller'a.  Vid  Cephallenia.   It
 

was also the name of one ofthe four towns oi

Cephallenia.  The town Same or Samns was

situated on the eastern coast, opposite Ithaca.

and was taken and destroyed by the Ronnana

B.C. 189.

  Samia (Sapia : now Khaiaffa), a town of Elia

in the district Triphylia, south of Olympia, be-

tween Lepreum and the Alpheus, with a citadel

called Samicum (Zaputbv), the same as the Ho

meric Arene.

  [Samioum.   Vid. Samia.]

  Saminthus (SdutvBog: near Phiklia), a placa

in Argolis, on  the western edge of the Argive

plain, opposite Mycenae.

  Samnium (Samnites,  more  rarely Samnltas.

pi), a country in  the centre of Italy, bounded

on the  north by the Marsi, Peligni, and Marru¬

cini, on the west by Latium and Campania, on

the south by Lueania, and on the east by the

Frentani and Apulia.  The Samnites were an

offshoot of the Sabines, who emigrated from

their country between the Nar, the Tiber, and

the Anio,  before the foundation of Rome, and

settled in the country afterward called  Sam¬

nium.   Vid. Sabini.  This country was  at the

time of their migration  inhabited by  Opicans,

whom the Samnites conquered, and whose lan¬

guage they adopted ;  for we find, at a later time,

that the  Samnites  spoke Opican  or Oscan.

Samnium  is a country marked by striking phys¬

ical features  The greater part of it is occupied

by a huge mass of mountains, called at the pres¬

ent day  the Matese, which stands out  from the

central  line  of the  Apennines.  The circum¬

ference  of the Matese is between seventy and

eighty miles, and its greatest height is  six thou

sand feet.  The two most important  tribes of

the Samnites were the Caudini and Pentrt, of

whom the former occupied the southern side.

and the latter the northern side of the Matese.

To the Caudini belonged tbe towns of Allifss,

Telesia, and Beneventum ; to the Pentri, those

of oEsernia, Bovianum, and Sepinum.  Besides

these two chief tribes, we  find menticn  of the

Caraceni, who dwelt north of the Pentri, and

to whom the town of Aufidena belonged ; ana

of the Hirpini, who dwelt southeast of the Cau¬

dini, but who are sometimes mentioned as dis¬

tinct from the Samnites.   The Samnites were

distinguished for their bravery and love of free¬

dom.   Issuing from their mountain fastnesses,

they overran a great part of Campania;  and it

was in consequence of Capua applying  to the

Romans for assistance  against the Samnites

that war broke out between the two nations in

B.C. 343.  The Romans found the Samnites the

most warlike  and formidable enemies  whom

they had yet encountered in Italy ; and the war,

which commenced in 343, was continued with

few interruptions for the  space  of fifty-three

years.   It was not till 290, when all their brav¬

est troops had fallen, and their country had

been repeatedly ravaged in every direction by

the Roman legions, that the Samnites sued foi

peace and submitted to the supremacy  of Rome.

They never, however, lost their love of free¬

dom ; and, accordingly, they not only joined tha

other Italian allies in the war against Rome (90),

but, even after the  other allies had subniittp'1

they still continued in arms.  The civil war bo-

tween Marius and Sulla gave therr hopes of ro