in contact both with the Ancient World and the Modern, none could be
more suitably named than the life of Cassiodorus.


NOTE ON THE TOPOGRAPHY OF SQUILLACE.

The chief conclusions which Mr. Evans came to after his two days'
study of the country about Squillace are these:--

[Sidenote: Position of Scylacium.]

I. The Scylacium or Scolacium of Roman times, the city of Cassiodorus,
is not to be looked for at the modern Squillace, but at the place
called Roccella in the Italian military map, which Lenormant and Evans
know as _La Roccelletta del Vescovo di Squillace_.

[Illustration: [map] _Oxford University Press_]

This place, which is about ten kilometres north-east of modern
Squillace, is on a little hill immediately overhanging the sea, while
Squillace is on a spur of the Apennines three or four miles distant
from the sea. Mr. Evans' chief reasons for identifying Roccella with
Scylacium are (1) its position, 'hanging like a cluster of grapes on
hills not so high as to make the ascent of them a weariness, but high
enough to command a delightful prospect over land and sea.' This
description by Cassiodorus exactly suits Roccella, but does not suit
Squillace, which is at the top of a conical hill, and is reached only
by a very toilsome ascent. 'With its gradual southern and eastern
slope and its freedom from overlooking heights (different in this
respect from Squillace),' says Mr. Evans, 'Roccella was emphatically,