EUROPE. CHAP. VIII. The Ibe ri. Ligyes. Italy, singular omission 2 Iberia and the Iberi1 seem to have extended along the south-eastern coasts of Spain. The Ligyes dwelt above Massalia, 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 of Rome. 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 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." Northern Tyrseni. 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.s 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. 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. nies, viz. Many Greek colonies are mentioned as occupying Southern the more southern coasts of Italy. There were the Italy, occupied by towns of Rhegium,' and Taras, afterwards called Greek coloTarentum. Agylla, which joined the Carchedonians Rhegium. and Tyrsenians in devastating the Phocaean terri- Taras Agylla. 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. 6 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.3 EUROPE. Sybaris. 3 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 Seydrus, 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 scer, 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. um. 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." 8 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 also mentioned, and that is all. an Locrians. II. NORTH- II. NORTHERN EUROPE, or the region north of the Region im nes, a chariot driv 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 penetrate 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 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. atic. 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 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. See pages 16, 22, 159. 5 iv. 49. EUROPE. against each other. In other respects their customs CHAP. VIII. resembled those of the Thracians.' Herodotus evi 2. Neuri, occupying Lithuania. dently regarded them as being closely related to the Scythians, and according to a tradition which he preserves, they seem to have been descended from Agathyrsus, the eldest son of Heracles and Echidna.2 We may place this people in modern Transylvania, which is watered by the upper course of the Maris, (or Marosch,) and not very distant from the Thracians. Being separated from Scythia on the east by the Carpathian mountains, they were enabled to refuse the Scythians, who were retreating from before Darius, an entrance into their country. They probably obtained their gold from the Carpathian mountains, but we need not suppose that they were at the trouble of working mines, as the metal was most likely found in the sand washed down by the rivers. 3 2. The Neuri observed Scythian customs. One Poland and generation before the expedition of Darius their land produced so many serpents, and so many more came down from the desert region above, that they were compelled to leave their dwelling and settle amongst the Budini, but appear to have subsequently returned. The men appeared to Herodotus to be magicians, for the Scythians and the Hellenic settlers in Scythia both said, and even supported their assertion by an oath, that once a year every Neurian became a wolf for a few days, and then re-assumed his former shape. Herodotus however refused to believe it. North of the Neuri was a desert." Their territory may be placed in the centre of Poland and Lithuania, bounding the Agathyrsi on the north-east, and separated from them by the Carpathian mountains. 3. Andro phagi, occu 6 3. The Androphagi followed the most savage cuspying Smo- toms, and were without justice and without law. They were nomades, and wore the same costume as lensk. 1 iv. 104. 2 iv. 7-10. 3 iv. 125. 4 iv. 105. 5 iv. 17. Lithuania comprises the modern Russian governments of Grodno, Wilna, and Minsk. |