Encyclopaedia Britannica > Volume 3, Anatomy-Astronomy

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A R A
Aras canic mountain; but there was no record of an eruption until
!l 1840, when a vast column of vapour, mingled with dark
Aratus. smoke, was observed to proceed from a chasm on its flank
to a great height; the atmosphere was loaded with the odour
of sulphur; and an undulating motion of the earth, lasting
only about two seconds, rolled from the mountain to the east
and south-east, causing great destruction to the neighbour¬
ing districts. The village of Arguri and the monastery of
St James, with their inhabitants, were buried under the mass
of stones and mud that was thrown out. The mountain
is generally supposed to have been the place where Noah
landed from the Ark after the waters of the Flood had abated,
but that he landed on the summit of such a mountain is very
improbable. All the Bible says is that “ the ark rested upon
the mountains of Ararat;” but it nowhere tells us where
Ararat was ; and, consequently, learned men have conceived
themselves at liberty to seek for it wherever their fancy might
lead them. The Jews, indeed, in the first century of the
Christian era, identified the Ararat of Genesis with Armenia.
The Armenians revere Mount Massis as the place of descent,
and the Persians call it Koh-i-Nuh, or Noah’s Mountain.
The height of Ararat above given is from barometric ob¬
servation ; but the more recent trigonometric measurement
of Fedovow reduces its height to 15,842 feet. (t.s.t.)
ARAS, the ancient Araxes, a large river of Armenia,
rises near the city of Erzeroum, and the sources of the Phrat
or western branch of the Euphrates, and flows eastward for
about 500 miles, when it joins the Kur. It is a very rapid
and muddy river, with steep banks that prevent its waters
being used for the purpose of irrigation. About 200 miles
from its source it is joined by the Arpa-chai.
AHATUS, the son of Clinias, was born at Sicyon about
271 b.c. On the murder of his father by Abantidas, he was
rescued from a similar fate by the care of a relative Avho con¬
veyed him to Argos. At the age of twenty, with the assistance
of some Argians, he deposed the tyrant Nicocles, and thus,
without bloodshed, restored freedom to his native Sicyon.
In 245 he was elected chief of the Aclucan League, which
office he frequently held in subsequent years; and he was
mainly instrumental in confirming that great confederation
which restored the liberties of Greece. (See Acieeans.)
In Aratus were combined many private virtues with splendid
abilities; but he was more eminent as a statesman than as
a general; for in his wars with the Altolians and Spartans
he was frequently unsuccessful. He died at the age of 58, as
commonly reported by poison administered to him by the
order of Philip of Macedon ; but the symptoms of 'his dis¬
order afford no certain grounds for such an assumption. His
countrymen paid divine honour to his memory ; and two
yearly festivals (Arateia), were celebrated at Sicyon, one to
commemorate his birth, the other his deliverance of the city
from tyranny.—Plutarch, Aratus and Agis ; Polybius ii. iv.
vii. viii.
Aratus, a Greek poet, born at Soli, or Solse, a town in
Cilicia, which afterwards changed its name, and was called
Pompeiopolis in honour of Pompey the Great. He flou¬
rished about the 124th, or, according to some, the 126th
Olympiad, in the reign of Ptolemy Philadelphus, king of
Egypt. He discovered in his youth a remarkable poignancy
of wit, and capacity for improvement; and having received
his education under Dionysius Heracleotes, a Stoic philo¬
sopher, he espoused the principles of that sect. Aratus was
physician to Antigonus Gonatas, the son of Demetrius Po-
liorcetes, king of Macedon. His poem, entitled Qawogeva,
describes the nature and motion of the fixed stars, and shows
the particular influences of the heavenly bodies, with their
various dispositions and relations. He wrote this poem in
Greek verse. It was translated into Latin by Cicero, who
tells us, in his first book De Orators, that the verses of Ara¬
tus are very noble. This piece was translated by others as
A R A 395
well as Cicero, there being a translation by Germanicus Arau-
Caesar, and another into elegant verse by Festus Avienus. cania-
An edition of the Ptmnomena was published by Grotius at
Leyden, in quarto, in 1600, in Greek and Latin, with the
fragments of Cicero s version, and the translations of Ger-
mameus and Avienus; all which the editor has illustrated
u ith curious notes. A valuable edition was published at Ox-
foid, by Fell, in 1672, in 8vo ; but the most complete is that
of Buhle, published at Leipsic in 1801, in 2 vols. 8vo. There
were several other works ascribed to Aratus, none of which
have come down to us: Hymns to Pan ; Astrology and
Astrothesy ; a composition of Antidotes; an ’EttiAvtikoV on
Theopropus; an ThWoid on Antigonus; an Epigram on
Phila, the daughter of Antipater and wife of Antigonus; an
Epicedium of Cleombrotus ; a Correction of the Odyssey ;
and some Epistles in prose. Virgil, in his Georgies, has imi¬
tated or translated many passages from this author ; and St
Paul has quoted a passage of Aratus. It is in his speech to
the Athenians (Acts xvii. 28), wherein he tells them that
some of their own poets have said, Tow yap koli yivos lagiv,
For we are also his offspring. These words are the begin¬
ning of the fifth line of the Phcsnomena.
ARAU CANIA, an independent territory of South Ame¬
rica, between Lat. 37. and 39. 50. S. and Long. 70. and 75.
20. W. It is bounded on the north by the river Biobio,
which separates it from Chili, south by the Valdivia, east by
the Andes, and west by the Pacific Ocean.
The Araucanians are remarkable for the fierce and almost
uninterrupted struggle they have maintained for upwards of
300 years against the encroachments of the Spaniards on
their territory. They are of moderate stature, strong, mus¬
cular, and well-built, with a light copper complexion, lank
hair, oval faces, prominent cheek-bones, the nose somewhat
flat, the eyes small, and expressive of vivacity. Their gene¬
ral aspect indicates some degree of sternness and resolution;
they are bold and intrepid in war, patiently enduring fatigue,
and fearlessly exposing their lives.
The country is divided into four tetrarchies, each governed
by a Toqui. Each tetrarchy is divided into five provinces,
governed by an Apo-ulmen, and each of the provinces is sub¬
divided into nine districts, severally presided over by an Ul-
men. The Toquis are independent of each other, but form
a federal union for the public welfare. They have no main¬
tenance from the state, nor are their subjects bound to
render them any kind of personal service, except ;n time
of war. A great council, composed of Toquis, Apo-ulmens,
and Ulmens is convened upon any emergency. In time
of war, a commander-in-chief is chosen, generally from the
Toquis, but should none of them possess the requisite quali¬
fications, one of the inferior rulers is elected. The others
swear obedience to him, and furnish him with their contin¬
gent of men. Before the arrival of the Spaniards their army
of course consisted of infantry only; but they soon saw the
value of cavalry, and in a short time they could muster a
considerable body of horse. The cavalry are armed with
lances and swords; the infantry with pikes and clubs mounted
with iron. Formerly they used the sling and bow, but these
were soon laid aside. Every soldier is the rightful posses¬
sor of the booty he can seize ; but a fair division is made of
the plunder taken in common, the toqui himself receiving
no larger share than a private soldier.
Their religious system is somewhat similar to their poli¬
tical government. They believe in a supreme Being, whom
they call the Spirit of Heaven, and who is the great toqui
of the universe. Under this spirit there are apo-ulmens, or
inferior deities, and in the lowest rank are ulmens or genii.
They have no temples, idols, or priests, and only sacrifice on
solemn occasions. They believe in the immortality of the
soul. Polygamy prevails among them ; a man being al¬
lowed as many wives as he can purchase. 1 heir principal