SEPTEM FRATRES
SEPTEM FRATRES (
Ἑπτάδελφοι ὄρος,
Ptol. 4.1 § 5), a group of mountains in the northernmost part of Mauritania Tingitana, connected by a tongue of land with the promontory of Abyla (now
Ximiera near
Ceuta), and thus on the narrowest part of the Fretum Gaditanum (
Plin. Nat. 5.1. s. 1;
Solin. 100.28;
Strab. xvii. p.827.) One of these mountains, now called the
Ape Mountains (Graberg Von Hemsö,
Empire of Morocco, Germ. Tr. p. 24), bore, according to Strabo (
l.c.) the name of the Elephant (
Ἐλέφας), probably from the number of elephants which were to be found there. (Plin.
l.c.; Mart. Cap. vi. p. 216.) The Geogr. Rav. (3.11) also mentions in this neighbourhood a town called Septem Fratres, which is perhaps the same place mentioned in the Itin. Ant. (p. 9) as a station between Tingis and Abyle. Procopius also (
B. Vand. 1.1; comp. 2.5, and
de Aed. 6.7) mentions here a castle or fortress called
Σέπτον; and Isidore (
Orig. 15.1) a castle and town called Septa, perhaps the modern
Ceuta. (Comp. Mela, 1.5.5, et ibi Tzschucke.)
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T.H.D]
