towns of Phoenicia known to the Assyrians,[467] but unmentioned by any
Greek author. The situation was a promontory, which runs out towards the
north-west, in Lat. 34º 27´ nearly, for the distance of a mile, and
is about half a mile wide. The site is "well adapted for a haven, as
a chain of seven small islands, running out to the north-west, affords
shelter in the direction from which the most violent winds blow."[468]
The remotest of these islands is ten miles distant from the shore.[469]
We are told that the colonists who founded Tripolis did not intermix,
but had their separate quarters of the town assigned to them, each
surrounded by its own wall, and lying at some little distance one from
the other.[470] There are no present traces of this arrangement, which
seems indicative of distrust; but some remains have been found of a wall
which was carried across the isthmus on the land side.[471] Tripolis is
now Tarabolus.

Aphaca, the only inland Phoenician town of any importance, is now Afka,
and is visited by most travellers and tourists. It was situated in a
beautiful spot at the head of the Adonis river,[472] a sacred stream
fabled to run with blood once a year, at the festival which commemorated
the self-mutilation of the Nature-god Adonis. Aphaca was a sort of
Delphi, a collection of temples rather than a town. It was dedicated
especially to the worship of the Syrian goddess, Ashtoreth or
Venus, sometimes called Beltis or Baaltis, whose orgies were of so
disgracefully licentious a character that they were at last absolutely
forbidden by Constantine. At present there are no remains on the
ancient site except one or two ruins of edifices decidedly Roman in
character.[473] Nor is the gorge of the Adonis any richer in ancient
buildings. There was a time when the whole valley formed a sort of
"Holy Land,"[474] and at intervals on its course were shown "Tombs of
Adonis,"[475] analogous to the artificial "Holy Sepulchres" of many