Here, as Bobrik properly remarks, we must not be europe. too exact about the word "opposite;" for Herodotus, CHAP. VIII. in another place, calls the Messenian Asina " opposite" to the Laconian Cardamyle,' and yet we surely may presume that the true position of both places must have been well known to him.2 tion of He of the Ister, of the Cyne Celtae. Herodotus's description of the Ister is partly based Explanaupon conjecture. He had but little means of know- rodotus's ing anything of its source, and readily adopted the description notion of its rising near the city of Pyrene, by which he doubtless referred to the neighbourhood of the Pyrenees, in order to place the fountain of the Ister somewhat over-against the spot where he considered that the Nile took its rise. His knowledge of the Celtae and Cynetae seems to have been de- and account rived from some Phoenician Periplus of the coasts tae and of France and Spain. The Celtae, or Gauls," may have crossed the Alps, and Celtic tribes might have been found in the heart of Spain; yet they had no connexion with the civilized or commercial world, nor did they join the Carthaginian armies, like the Elisyci, the Ligyes, and the Iberi. It was probably from the Phoenicians, who navigated the Atlantic and Bay of Biscay on their way to the tin mines of Britain, that Herodotus derived his knowledge of their name and situation. The Cynetae must have lived in the extreme west, on the coasts of Portugal, Gallicia, and Asturias; whilst the Celtae occupied the whole northern coast eastward of the Cynetae. 1 viii. 73. 2 Geog. des Herod. § 58. 3 The Ister (or Danube) in reality originates in two streams, Brigen and Pregen, which have their sources on the eastern declivity of the Black Forest in the grand duchy of Baden. These streams unite at Danaueschingen, and some have endeavoured to connect their names with that of Pyrene. See Arnold, Hist. of Rome, vol. i. p. 491. 5 The Celtae and Galatae are undoubtedly only different forms of the same name. The first was the form with which the Greeks were earliest acquainted the second and more correct form, "Galatae," was introduced by the great Gaulish migration of the fourth century before Christ. Many subsequent writers however continued to use the old orthography, and in fact, with the exception of the Galatians of Asia Minor, the other Gauls in all parts of the world are generally called by the Greeks according to their old form of the name, not Galatae, but Celtae. See Arnold, Hist. of Rome, vol. i. p. 522. EUROPE. CHAP. VIII. The Ibe ri. Ligyes. Italy, singular omission of Rome. Northern Tyrseni. Iberia and the Iberi1 seem to have extended along the south-eastern coasts of Spain. The Ligyes dwelt above Massalia,2 which was situated on the site of the modern Marseilles. Between these and the Iberi we ought to place the Elisyci. These three nations appear in the Carthaginian army against the Sicilian Gelon.* Herodotus is more communicative respecting Italy, though he knew but little beyond the southern portion, and, singular to say, makes not the slightest mention of Rome. It is difficult to account for this omission. We have already We have already seen that he joined the colonists who migrated to Thurium about B. C. 444. And though Rome was at that time the scene of continued internal struggles between the patricians and plebeians, yet her arms were kept in constant activity by the wars with Fidenae, and with the Aequians and Veii." Of northern Italy, Herodotus mentions the Ompied by the brici and the Tyrseni. From the Ombrici flowOmbriciand ed the rivers Carpis and Alpis, towards the Ister.8 The Tyrseni were colonists from Lydia, who embarked at Smyrna uuder the guidance of Tyrsenus,' and at last settled amongst the Ombrici. Here they built many towns,10 and carried on 3 Niebuhr places the Elisyci in the middle of Italy, but Herodotus only mentions them in connexion with the Iberi and Ligyes, whilst Hecataeus (Hecat. fragm. 20, ed. Klausen) mentions Narbo (the modern Narbonne) as their chief town. Cf. Bobrik, § 59. 4 vii. 165. 5 i. 24. 6 It is doubtful whether the Roman name was generally known amongst the Greeks prior to the expedition of Alexander, a century after the period of our author. Cf. Arrian, Exped, de Alex. lib. vii. c. i. 7 These two rivers cannot be identified on the modern map. They may refer to the Drave and the Save, but if so the Ombrici must have extended beyond Lombardy and the Julian Alps, which seems doubtful. 8 iv. 49. 9 Atys king of Lydia had two sons, Lydus and Tyrsenus. The former remained in Asia Minor, and gave his name to Lydia. The latter migrated to Italy and gave his name to Tyrsenia. io Herodotus throws a very doubtful light upon the origin of the Etruscan race. A review of the subject would be out of place here, but a summary of the more important hypotheses that have been advanced, and derivations that have been found, for this remarkable people is included in the article on "Etruria," in Dr. Smith's Dict. of Geog. a considerable trade with the Phocaeans, and were EUROPE. dwelling here in the time of Herodotus.' 3 CHAP. VIII. pied by nies, viz. Agylla. Many Greek colonies are mentioned as occupying Southern the more southern coasts of Italy. There were the Italy, occutowns of Rhegium,' and Taras, afterwards called Greek coloTarentum. Agylla, which joined the Carchedonians Rhegium. and Tyrsenians in devastating the Phocacan terri- Taras. tory in Cyrnus. Subsequently the inhabitants of Agylla inquired at Delphi how they should atone for the deed, and were told to institute gymnastic and equestrian contests, which they observed with great magnificence down to the time of Herodotus. In the country of Oenotria some Phocaeans from Hyela in Rhegium had colonized the town of Hyela by the Oenotria, advice of a certain Poseidonian. The town of Cro- Croton. ton was the native place of Democides," the celebrated physician, through whom the Crotonian doctors were considered to be the best in all Hellas, and even to excel those of Cyrene." The Crotonians were the only Hellenic people, westward of the Thesprotians, who joined the allied fleet at Salamis, and they only sent one ship. They were Achaeans by extraction. tium In Metapontium a statue of Apollo was erected in Metaponthe market-place, and next to it was another of Aristeas, the author of the Arimaspea; and laurel trees were planted around the two statues. The Metapontines said that Aristeas himself appeared in their country, and commanded them to erect an altar to Apollo, and to place beside it a statue bearing the name of Aristeas of Proconnesus; for he said that theirs was the only country of all Italy that had been visited by Apollo, and that he himself had then accompanied the god in the form of a raven. After this communication Aristeas was said to have vanished. The Metapontines sent to inquire at Delphi what was meant by the apparition, but were merely ordered to obey it, and accordingly they executed the orders of the poet. 8 1i. 94, 163. 3 i. 24. 7 viii. 47. 4 i. 167. N 5 iii. 125. Sybaris. 3 EUROPE. The town of Sybaris was in a very flourishing CHAP. VIII. condition in the time of Cleisthenes of Sicyon, and was the native place of Smindyrides, the most voluptuous man that ever lived.' It was situated on the river Crathis, which derived its name from a stream in Achaia which flowed near Aegae. In the time of Herodotus the Sybarites were settled in Laos and Scydrus, for their town had been destroyed by the Crotonians. The Sybarites said that the Crotonians were assisted by Dorieus, the Lacedaemonian adventurer; and in proof of their assertion they pointed to the sacred precinct, and temple near the driedup course of the Crathis which was erected by Dorieus, and dedicated by him to the Crastian Minerva after he had assisted in taking the city. On the other hand, the Crotonians said that no foreigner assisted them excepting Callias the Elean seer, and proved their statement by pointing to the several pieces of public land which were given to Callias in return for his assistance, and which were in the possession of his descendants in the time of Herodotus, and of which a great deal more would have been given to Dorieus had he joined them in the war.5 Siris. Iapygia. tim. Hyria. From the town of Siris, Damasus went as a suitor to the court of Cleisthenes at Sicyon. It was to this place that Themistocles threatened the Spartan, Eurybiades, he would sail with all the Athenian fleet, if the other left him at Salamis.' Besides the foregoing we have notices of Iapygia with the port of Brundusium; and of the city Hyria, which was founded by some Cretans who were shipwrecked on the coast. These Cretans changed their name to Messapian Iapygians, and from this point founded other cities which Epizephyri- are not named.10 The Epizephyrian Locrians" are an Locrians. also mentioned, and that is all. II. NORTH ERN EU- II. NORTHERN EUROPE, or the region north of the upper course of the Ister, was unknown to Herodotus. EUROPE. According to the Thracians, the parts beyond the CHAP. VIII. Ister were so infested with bees, that no one could Region impenetrate them. This however appeared impossible penetrable to Herodotus, as bees were known to be very im- or frost. patient of frost. He was more inclined to believe atic. from bees nes, a chariot driv that those regions were uninhabitable through the extremity of the cold,' and therefore he described them as an endless desert. Of one people, how- The Sigynever, beyond the river Herodotus was able to learn Medic coa little. These were the Sigynnes, and their ter- lony fond of ritory extended nearly to the Eneti on the Adri- ing. Their horses were shaggy all over, having hair five digits long; at the same time they were small, flat-nosed, and unable to carry men, but when harnessed to chariots were very fleet, and therefore the Sigynnes were in the constant practice of chariot-driving. The people wore the Medic costume, and said that they were a colony of the Medes, which Herodotus could not comprehend, but, as he says, anything might happen in the course of time. The Ligyes who lived above Massalia called traders Sigynnes, whilst the Cyprians gave the same name to spears. The Hyperboreans in the far north, and the river Eridanus from whence amber came, have already been noticed.* bordering We now reach the nations bordering on Scythia, Nations namely, the Agathyrsi, Neuri, Androphagi, Me- on Scythia. lanchlaeni, Budini and Geloni, and the Sauromatae. 5 si, occupy 1. The Agathyrsi, from whose country the river 1. AgathyrMaris (or Marosch) flowed into the Ister, were a ing Tranmost luxurious people, and wore a profusion of gold. sylvania, They had a community of wives, in order that all the people might regard each other as brethren, and being all of one family, might not entertain hatred 1 v. 10. 2 Some have supposed that the Sigynnes were the forefathers of the modern Zingani or gipsies, called by the Germans, Zigenner. The account of their horses answers to the description of the Swedish ponies, which are still found wild in the woods of Gothland. Cooley, Hist. of Maritime and Inland Discovery, vol. i. p. 29. 3 v. 9. See pages 16, 22, 159. 5 iv. 49. |