Travels in Syria and the Holy Land | Page 4

Petra.[Euseb. et Hieron.
Onomast. in Greek text]. Joseph. Ant. Jud.l.4.c.4.] For hence, it seems
evident, that the present object of Musulman devotion, under the name
of the tomb of Haroun, stands upon the same spot which has always
been regarded as the burying-place of Aaron; and there remains little
doubt, therefore, that the mountain to the west of Petra, is the Mount
Hor of the Scriptures, Mousa being, perhaps, an Arabic corruption of
Mosera, where Aaron is said to have died. [Deuter.c.x.v.6. In addition
to the proofs of the site of Petra, just stated, it is worthy of remark that
the distance of eighty-three Roman miles from Aila, or AElana, to
Petra, in the Table (called Theodosian or Peutinger,) when compared
with the distance on the map, gives a rate of about 7/10 of a Roman
mile to the geographical mile in direct distance, which is not only a
correct rate, but accords very accurately with that resulting from the
other two routes leading from Aila in the Table, namely, from Aila to
Clysma, near the modern Suez, and from Aila to Jerusalem. Szadeka,
which Burckhardt visited to the south of Wady Mousa, agrees in
distance and situation as well as in name with the Zadagasta of the
Table, or Zodocatha of the Notitiae dignitatum Imperii. See Reland
Palaest. p. 230. Most of the other places mentioned on the three roads
of the Table are noticed by Ptolemy or in the Notitiae.

And here, the Editor may be permitted to add a few words on a third
Roman route across these deserts, (having travelled the greater part of it
three times,) namely, that from Gaza to Pelusium. In the Itinerary of
Antoninus, the places, and their interjacent distances are stated as
follows, Gaza, 22 M.P. Raphia, 22 M.P. Rhinocolura, 26 M.P.
Ostracine, 26 M.P. Casium, 20 M.P. Pentaschoenus, 20 M.P. Pelusium.
The Theodosian Table agrees with the Itinerary, but is defective in
some of the names and distances; Gerrhae, placed by the Table at 8
M.P. eastward of Pelusium, is confirmed in this situation by Strabo and
Ptolemy. Strabo confirms the Itinerary in regard to Raphia, omits to
notice Ostracine, and in placing Casium at three hundred stades from
Pelusium, differs not much from the 40 M.P. of the Itinerary, or the ten
schoenes indicated by the word Pentaschoenus, midway.
The name of Rafa is still preserved near a well in the desert, at six
hours march to the southward of Gaza, where among many remains of
of ancient buildings, two erect granite columns are supposed by the
natives to mark the division between Africa and Asia. Polybius remarks
(l.5,c.80), that Raphia was the first town of Syria, coming from
Rhinocolura, which was considered an Egyptian town. Between Raphia
and the easternmost inundations of the Nile, the only two places at
which there is moisture sufficient to produce a degree of vegetation
useful to man, are El Arish and Katieh. The whole tract between these
places, except where it has been encroached upon by moving sands, is a
plain strongly impregnated with salt, terminatig towards the sea in a
lagoon or irruption of the sea anciently called Sirbonis. As the name of
Katieh, and its distance from Tineh or Pelusium, leave no doubt of its
being the ancient Casium, the only remaining question is, whether El
Arish is Rhinocolura, or Ostracine? A commentary of St. Jerom, on the
nineteenth chapter of Isaiah, v.18, suggests the possibility that the
modern name El Arish may be a corruption of the Hebrew Ares, which,
as Jerom observes, means [Greek text], and alludes to Ostracine. Jerom
was well acquainted with this country; but as the translators of Isaiah
have supposed the word not to have been Ares, and as Jerom does not
state that Ares was a name used in his time, the conjecture is not of
much weight. It is impossible to reconcile the want of water so severely
felt at Ostracine (Joseph. de Bel. Jud. l.4, ad fin. Plutarch, in M. Anton.

Gregor. Naz. ep. 46.), with El Arish, where there are occasional torrents,
and seldom any scarcity of well water, either there or at Messudieh,
two hours westward. Ostracine, therefore, was probably near the
[Greek text] of the lagoon Sirbonis, about mid-way between El Arish
and Katieh, on the bank described by Strabo (p. 760), which separates
the Sirbonis from the sea. This maritime position of Ostracine is
confirmed by the march of Titus, (Joseph. ibid.) Leaving the limits of
the Pelusiac territory, he moved across the desert on the first day, not to
the modern Katieh, but to the temple of Jupiter, at Mount Casium, on
the sea shore, at the Cape now called Ras Kasaroun; on the second day
to Ostracine; on the third to Rhinocolura; on the fourth to Raphia;