INTROD. dotus therefore included the whole of Russia in Asia CHAP. II. and a large portion of Independent Tartary or Turkestan. Separation of Asia and Libya. In dividing Asia from the continent of Libya,' the great difficulty lay in the fact that the Greeks were ignorant of the real size and extent of the Arabian Gulf, which we call the Red Sea. Herodotus himself was apparently only acquainted with the western arm, which we call the Gulf of Suez, and therefore supposed that the whole sea was equally narrow, and only half a day's sail across. Of the outlet into the Persian Gulf through the Straits of Babel-mandeb he could have had but the vaguest notion, and he regarded the eastern coast of Africa, between the Nile valley and the Red Sea, as belonging to Arabia. Accordingly the Greeks took the river Nile as the line of separation, and generally agreed in dividing Aegypt into two parts, of which the eastern belonged to the Asiatic continent, and the western to the Libyan. The Ionian geographers however entertained the opinion that the Delta alone comprised Aegypt Proper, and that all south of Cercasorus where the Nile divides, belonged partly to Arabia and partly to Libya. But Herodotus rejected this division, and considered that the frontier of Aegypt formed the boundary between the two continents, though he does not say whether he meant that on the eastern or that on the western side. At the same time he jested at the theory of the Ionians, who assigned to a people as ancient as the Aegyptians, a country with an alluvial soil, which could only have Little or sequently universally adopted as the eastern limit of Europe. 1 Libya was a name sometimes applied by Herodotus to western Africa, and sometimes to the entire continent. See Libya. 2 See also the introduction to the geography of Libya. been brought into existence within a comparatively INTROD. recent period.1 Herodotus thus, after many demurs, adopted the threefold division of the earth, viz. 1. Europe, divided from Asia by the river Phasis (or Rhion). 2. Asia, separated from Libya by the frontier of Aegypt. 3. Libya. He thus makes Europe as large, if not larger, than all that was known to him of Asia and Libya put together.2 4 3 CHAP. 11. ing the The various seas navigated by the Greeks Hero- Seas bounddotus describes as far as he is able; but of those vast earth's exwaters which washed the west and southern coasts of tremities. the ancient world, he could know nothing beyond wild traditions, which he cared not to repeat. He passes over with a dignified silence worthy of the historic muse, the fabled isles of Aeolus or of Circe, the Elysian plain, or ever-receding Hesperides, and he contents himself with the barest possible mention of names. The Mediterranean he frequently men- Mediterrations as "this sea ”—ÿòe ÿ Oáλaσoa, but gives no fur- nean. ther account of it whatever; for the ancient Phoenician merchants, and others, who must have explored the whole length of the sea in their voyages to Gades and Tartessus, were induced by commercial jealousy to conceal their discoveries. The Atlantic Atlantic. he also mentions as being the same sea as the Erythraean, or at any rate connected with it. Under the name of the Erythraean or Red Sea, he com- Erythracan prises the whole expanse of waters between Arabia and Africa on the west, and India on the east, including the two great gulfs of Arabia and Persia." The rocks of porphyry on the Aegyptian side of the Arabian Gulf supplied a natural cause for this appellation, throwing out their red colour far into the sea; and the Persians to this day retain the antithesis by calling the Mediterranean the White Sea. There may also be some connexion between the name of Erythraean and that of Edom, which signifies 2 Comp. iv. 42. ii. 17; iv. 41. 3 See Europe, chap. i. 5 i. 202. INTROD. "red," and was applied by the Jews to the counCHAP. II. try bordering on the north of the Arabian Gulf. "And Solomon made a navy of ships. . . on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom." Voyages of 1 In conclusion we may just mention, that, accordSesostrisand ing to the Aegyptian priests, Sesostris was the first who set out with a naval armament from the Arabian Gulf, and conquered the nations on the coast of the Erythraean; but he is said to have been subsequently stopped by shallows and obliged to return.2 The Carthaginians also relate that Sataspes, being ordered by Xerxes, as a punishment, to circumnavigate Libya, sailed through the Pillars of Heracles, and doubled the Libyan cape Soloeis, but his ship was also stopped and he was compelled to return.3 11 Kings ix. 26, quoted by Major Rennell. 2 ii. 102. EUROPE. CHAPTER I. GENERAL SURVEY. Extent of Herodotus's knowledge.-Western Europe.-Region north of the upper course of the Ister.-Region north of the lower course of the Ister.-Caravan route over the Ural.-Nations on the frontier towards Asia.-Nations south of the lower course of the Ister.-Seas of Europe.-Pontus Euxinus.-Palus Maeotis (Maeetis).-Propontis.-Caspian.—Adriatic.—Ionian. knowledge. THE geography of that vast territory which He- EUROPE. rodotus included under the name of Europe, is only CHAP. I. partially described or briefly noticed in his history: Extent of The Alpine mountains, which encompass Italy and Herodotus's the Adriaticin a semicircular bulwark, were unknown to him, as were also the Apennines, which run off through the entire length of the Italian peninsula. At the eastern extremity of the Alps, however, commences the Balkan chain, which extends eastward from the head of the Adriatic to the shore of the Euxine, and is clearly alluded to under the names of Haemus and Rhodope.' Towards the south the Balkan fills part of Thrace, and also Macedonia and Greece, with its numerous ramifications. Northwards of the Balkan Herodotus describes the Ister or Danube, as traversing nearly all Europe from west to east, and separating Thrace from Scythia; whilst still farther to the north and east are the rivers of Scythia and mountains of the Ural and Altai, which all find a place in the geography of our author. 1 iv. 49. CHAP. I. EUROPE. The mapping out of this continent into tracts or countries is a task which properly belongs to the following chapters, but for the sake of clearness it will be advisable to take here a general survey of the whole. Western Of western Europe it is apparent that our author's Europe. knowledge was exceedingly limited, and the region Region upper Ister. 1 is only mentioned in one or two passing observations. In the extreme west, on the coasts of Portugal, were the Cynetae. Along the northern coasts of Spain and France were the Celtae; and along the southern coasts were the Iberians.2 The rocks of Gibraltar and Ceuta were called the Pillars of Heracles. Westward of them was the rich port of Tartessus at the mouth of the Guadalquiver, and also the islands of Erytheia and Gadeira. Along the southern coasts of France and Sardinia were the Elisyci* and the Ligyes, and the Italian peninsula was occupied by the Ombrici and Messapians. 5 From the Celtae rose the river Ister or Danube, north of the which flowed along in an easterly course to the Euxcourse of the ine, and thus cut Europe into two divisions. Northward of its upper course, the country was unknown, and a single nation only is mentioned, namely, the chariot-driving Sigynnes, who declared themselves to be a Medic colony. From the river Eridanus Herodotus had heard that amber was imported, but he says that the very name of this river is Greek, and not barbarian, and it must therefore be the invention of some poet. Of the sea-coast beyond he could learn nothing from eye-witnesses, but only from poetry and hearsay. Of the islands called Cassiterides," (British Isles,) from whence the Greeks 1 ii. 33. 8 2 i. 163. 3 iv. 8, 152. 6 ii. 33. 7 v. 9. 4 v. 9. 5 vii. 165. 8 The name of Eridanus was subsequently applied by the Greeks to the river Po, but Herodotus had evidently heard of some river of Northern Europe. It is idle to attempt to identify this Eridanus of our author. Amber is now found in the greatest quantity at the mouths of the Oder and Vistula. 9 iv. 13. 10 The tin country here alluded to was evidently Cornwall. Had the Phoenicians, who carried on the trade, been more communicative, we |