Maeotae
- a Scythian people on Lake Maeotis, Plin. 4, 12, 26, § 88.—Hence,
- A Maeōtĭcus, a, um, adj., = Μαιωτικός, of or belonging to Lake Maeotis, Maeotic: palus, Lake Maeotis, Plin. 2, 67, 67, § 168: glacies, Juv. 4, 42: pisces, Plin. 32, 11, 53, § 146.—Plur. subst.: Mae-ōtĭci, ōrum, m., the people living around Lake Maeotis (for Maeotae), Mel. 1, 2, 6; 1, 19, 17; Plin. 6, 7, 7, § 19.—
- B Maeōtĭ-dae, ārum, m., Maeotic tribes, dwellers around Lake Maeotis, Vop. Aur. 16; id. Tac. 13.—
- C Maeōtis, ĭdis (dos and is), adj., f., = Μαιῶτις, Maeotic.—Transf., poet. for Scythian, Tauric, etc.: ora, of Lake Maeotis, Ov. P. 3, 2, 59: hiems, i. e. Scythian, id. Tr. 3, 12, 2: ara, i. e. Tauric, Juv. 15, 115: Penthesilea, from the region about Lake Maeotis, Prop. 4, 10, 14.—Esp.: Palus Maeotis, Lake Maeotis, now the Sea of Azov, Plin. 10, 8, 10, § 23; also: Lacus Maeotis, id. 4, 12, 24, § 76; 6, 7, 6, § 18; and absol.: Maeotis, id. 4, 12, 24, § 75; 4, 12, 26, § 84; 5, 9, 9, § 47: supra Maeoti' paludes, Enn. ap. Cic. Tusc. 5, 17, 49 (Epigr. v. 7 Vahl.).—In plur. subst.: Maeotides peltiferae, i. e. the Amazons, women dwelling on the Maeotis, Sabin. Ep. 2, 9.—
- D Maeōtĭus, a, um, adj., Maeotian: tellus, Verg. A. 6, 799: unda, id. G. 3, 349: palus, Plin. 4, 12, 24, § 76.
MAEO´TAE(Μαιῶται, Scyl. p. 31; Strab. xi. pp. 492, 494; Plin. Nat. 4.26; Maeotici, Pomp. Mela, 1.2.6, 1.19.17; Plin. Nat. 6.7), a collective name which was given to the peoples about the Palus Maeotis as early as the logographer Hellanicus (p. 78), if we read with his editor Sturz (for Μαλιῶται), Μαιῶται.According to Strabo (l. c.) they lived partly on fish, and partly tilled the land, but were no less warlike than their nomad neighbours. He enumerates the following subdivisions of the Maeotae: Sindi, Dandarii, Toreatae, Agri, Arrechi, Tarpetes, Obidiaceni, Sittaceni, Dosci, and many others. These wild hordes were sometimes tributary to the factory at the Tanais, and at other times to the Bosporani, revolting from one to the other. The kingdom of the Cimmerian Bosporus in later times, especially under Pharnaces, Asander, and Polemon, extended as far as the Tanais.
[E.B.J](Μαιῶται). See Maeotis Palus.