the history-第68章

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re　keep　them　till　they　are　in　foal；　when　they　bring　them　back　again　into　Elis。　　　　　With　respect　to　the　feathers　which　are　said　by　the　Scythians　to　fill　the　air；　and　to　prevent　persons　from　penetrating　into　the　remoter　parts　of　the　continent；　even　having　any　view　of　those　regions；　my　opinion　is　that　in　the　countries　above　Scythia　it　always　snows…　less；　of　course；　in　the　summer　than　in　the　wintertime。　Now　snow　when　it　falls　looks　like　feathers；　as　every　one　is　aware　who　has　seen　it　come　down　close　to　him。　These　northern　regions；　therefore；　are　uninhabitable　by　reason　of　the　severity　of　the　winter；　and　the　Scythians；　with　their　neighbours；　call　the　snow…flakes　feathers　because；　I　think；　of　the　likeness　which　they　bear　to　them。　I　have　now　related　what　is　said　of　the　most　distant　parts　of　this　continent　whereof　any　account　is　given。　　　　　Of　the　Hyperboreans　nothing　is　said　either　by　the　Scythians　or　by　any　of　the　other　dwellers　in　these　regions；　unless　it　be　the　Issedonians。　But　in　my　opinion；　even　the　Issedonians　are　silent　concerning　them；　otherwise　the　Scythians　would　have　repeated　their　statements；　as　they　do　those　concerning　the　one…eyed　men。　Hesiod；　however；　mentions　them；　and　Homer　also　in　the　Epigoni；　if　that　be　really　a　work　of　his。　　　　　But　the　persons　who　have　by　far　the　most　to　say　on　this　subject　are　the　Delians。　They　declare　that　certain　offerings；　packed　in　wheaten　straw；　were　brought　from　the　country　of　the　Hyperboreans　into　Scythia；　and　that　the　Scythians　received　them　and　passed　them　on　to　their　neighbours　upon　the　west；　who　continued　to　pass　them　on　until　at　last　they　reached　the　Adriatic。　From　hence　they　were　sent　southward；　and　when　they　came　to　Greece；　were　received　first　of　all　by　the　Dodonaeans。　Thence　they　descended　to　the　Maliac　Gulf；　from　which　they　were　carried　across　into　Euboea；　where　the　people　handed　them　on　from　city　to　city；　till　they　came　at　length　to　Carystus。　The　Carystians　took　them　over　to　Tenos；　without　stopping　at　Andros；　and　the　Tenians　brought　them　finally　to　Delos。　Such；　according　to　their　own　account；　was　the　road　by　which　the　offerings　reached　the　Delians。　Two　damsels；　they　say；　named　Hyperoche　and　Laodice；　brought　the　first　offerings　from　the　Hyperboreans；　and　with　them　the　Hyperboreans　sent　five　men　to　keep　them　from　all　harm　by　the　way；　these　are　the　persons　whom　the　Delians　call　〃Perpherees；〃　and　to　whom　great　honours　are　paid　at　Delos。　Afterwards　the　Hyperboreans；　when　they　found　that　their　messengers　did　not　return；　thinking　it　would　be　a　grievous　thing　always　to　be　liable　to　lose　the　envoys　they　should　send；　adopted　the　following　plan：…　they　wrapped　their　offerings　in　the　wheaten　straw；　and　bearing　them　to　their　borders；　charged　their　neighbours　to　send　them　forward　from　one　nation　to　another；　which　was　done　accordingly；　and　in　this　way　the　offerings　reached　Delos。　I　myself　know　of　a　practice　like　this；　which　obtains　with　the　women　of　Thrace　and　Paeonia。　They　in　their　sacrifices　to　the　queenly　Diana　bring　wheaten　straw　always　with　their　offerings。　Of　my　own　knowledge　I　can　testify　that　this　is　so。　　　　　The　damsels　sent　by　the　Hyperboreans　died　in　Delos；　and　in　their　honour　all　the　Delian　girls　and　youths　are　wont　to　cut　off　their　hair。　The　girls；　before　their　marriage…day；　cut　off　a　curl；　and　twining　it　round　a　distaff；　lay　it　upon　the　grave　of　the　strangers。　This　grave　is　on　the　left　as　one　enters　the　precinct　of　Diana；　and　has　an　olive…tree　growing　on　it。　The　youths　wind　some　of　their　hair　round　a　kind　of　grass；　and；　like　the　girls；　place　it　upon　the　tomb。　Such　are　the　honours　paid　to　these　damsels　by　the　Delians。　　　　　They　add　that；　once　before；　there　came　to　Delos　by　the　same　road　as　Hyperoche　and　Laodice；　two　other　virgins　from　the　Hyperboreans；　whose　names　were　Arge　and　Opis。　Hyperoche　and　Laodice　came　to　bring　to　Ilithyia　the　offering　which　they　had　laid　upon　themselves；　in　acknowledgment　of　their　quick　labours；　but　Arge　and　Opis　came　at　the　same　time　as　the　gods　of　Delos；'　and　are　honoured　by　the　Delians　in　a　different　way。　For　the　Delian　women　make　collections　in　these　maidens'　names；　and　invoke　them　in　the　hymn　which　Olen；　a　Lycian；　composed　for　them；　and　the　rest　of　the　islanders；　and　even　the　Ionians；　have　been　taught　by　the　Delians　to　do　the　like。　This　Olen；　who　came　from　Lycia；　made　the　other　old　hymns　also　which　are　sung　in　Delos。　The　Delians　add　that　the　ashes　from　the　thigh…bones　burnt　upon　the　altar　are　scattered　over　the　tomb　of　Opis　and　Arge。　Their　tomb　lies　behind　the　temple　of　Diana；　facing　the　east；　near　the　banqueting…hall　of　the　Ceians。　Thus　much　then；　and　no　more；　concerning　the　Hyperboreans。　　　　　As　for　the　tale　of　Abaris；　who　is　said　to　have　been　a　Hyperborean；　and　to　have　gone　with　his　arrow　all　round　the　world　without　once　eating；　I　shall　pass　it　by　in　silence。　Thus　much；　however；　is　clear：　if　there　are　Hyperboreans；　there　must　also　be　Hypernotians。　For　my　part；　I　cannot　but　laugh　when　I　see　numbers　of　persons　drawing　maps　of　the　world　without　having　any　reason　to　guide　them；　making；　as　they　do；　the　ocean…stream　to　run　all　round　the　earth；　and　the　earth　itself　to　be　an　exact　circle；　as　if　described　by　a　pair　of　compasses；　with　Europe　and　Asia　just　of　the　same　size。　The　truth　in　this　matter　I　will　now　proceed　to　explain　in　a　very　few　words；　making　it　clear　what　the　real　size　of　each　region　is；　and　what　shape　should　be　given　them。　　　　　The　Persians　inhabit　a　country　upon　the　southern　or　Erythraean　sea；　above　them；　to　the　north；　are　the　Medes；　beyond　the　Medes；　the　Saspirians；　beyond　them；　the　Colchians；　reaching　to　the　northern　sea；　into　which　the　Phasis　empties　itself。　These　four　nations　fill　the　whole　space　from　one　sea　to　the　other。　　　　　West　of　these　nations　there　project　into　the　sea　two　tracts　which　I　will　now　describe；　one；　beginning　at　the　river　Phasis　on　the　north；　stretches　along　the　Euxine　and　the　Hellespont　to　Sigeum　in　the　Troas；　while　on　the　south　it　reaches　from　the　Myriandrian　gulf；　which　adjoins　Phoenicia；　to　the　Triopic　promontory。　This　is　one　of　the　tracts；　and　is　inhabited　by　thirty　different　nations。　　　　　The　other　starts　from　the　country　of　the　Persians；　and　stretches　into　the　Erythraean　sea；　containing　first　Persia；　then　Assyria；　and　after　Assyria；　Arabia。　It　ends；　that　is　to　say；　it　is　considered　to　end；　though　it　does　not　really　come　to　a　termination；　at　the　Arabian　gulf…　the　gulf　whereinto　Darius　conducted　the　canal　which　he　made　from　the　Nile。　Between　Persia　and　Phoenicia　lies　a　broad　and　ample　tract　of　country；　after　which　the　region　I　am　describing　skirts　our　sea；　stretching　from　Phoenicia　along　the　coast　of　Palestine…Syria　till　it　comes　to　Egypt；　where　it　terminates。　This　entire　tract　contains　but　three　nations。　The　whole　of　Asia　west　of　the　country　of　the　Persians　is　comprised　in　these　two　regions。　　　　　Beyond　the　tract　occupied　by　the　Persians；　Medes；　Saspirians；　and　Colchians；　towards　the　east　and　the　region　of　the　sunrise；　Asia　is　bounded　on　the　south　by　the　Erythraean　sea；　and　on　the　north　by　the　Caspian　and　the　river　Araxes；　which　flows　towards　the　rising　sun。　Till　you　reach　India　the　country　is　peopled；　but　further　east　it　is　void　of　inhabitants；　and　no　one　can　say　what　sort　of　region　it　is。　Such　then　is　the　shape；　and　such　the　size　of　Asia。　　　　　Libya　belongs　to　one　of　the　above…mentioned　tracts；　for　it　adjoins　on　Egypt。　In　Egypt　the　tract　is　at　first　a　narrow　neck；　the　distance　from　our　sea　to　the　Erythraean　not　exceeding　a　hundred　thousand　fathoms；　in　other　words；　a　thousand　furlongs；　but　from　the　point　where　the　neck　ends；　the　tract　which　bears　the　name　of　Libya　is　of　very　great　breadth。　　　　　For　my　part　I　am　astonished　that　men　should　ever　have　divided　Libya；　Asia；　and　Europe　as　they　have；　for　they　are　exceedingly　unequal。　Europe　extends　the　entire　length　of　the　other　two；　and　for　breadth　will　not　even　（as　I　think）　bear　to　be　compared　to　them。　As　for　Libya；　we　know　it　to　be　washed　on　all　sides　by　the　sea；　except　where　it　is　attached　to　Asia。　This　discovery　was　first　made　by　Necos；　the　Egyptian　king；　who　on　desisting　from　the　canal　which　he　had　begun　between　the　Nile　and　the　Arabian　gulf；　sent　to　sea　a　number　of　ships　manned　by　Phoenicians；　with　orders　to　make　for　the　Pillars　of　Hercules；　and　return　to　Egypt　through　them；　and　by　the　Mediterranean。　The　Phoenicians　took　their　departure　from　Egypt　by　way　of　the　Erythraean　sea；　and　so　sailed　into　the　southern　ocean。　When　autumn　came；　they　went　ashore；　wherever　they　might　happen　to　be；　and　having　sown　a　tract　of　land　with　corn；　waited　until　the　grain　was　fit　to　cut。　Having　reaped　it；　they　again　set　sail；　and　thus　it　came　to　pass　that　two　whole　years　went　by；　and　it　was　not　till　the　third　year　that　they　doubled　the　Pillars　of　Hercules；　and　made　good　their　voyage　home。　On　their　return；　they　declared…　I　for　my　part　do　not　believe　them；　but　perhaps　others　may…　that　in　sailing　round　Libya　they　had　the　sun　upon　their　right　hand。　In　this　way　was　the　extent　of　Libya　first　discovered。　　　　　Next　to　these　Phoenicians　the　Carthaginians；　according　to　their　own　accounts；　made　the　voyage。　For　Sataspes；　son　of　Teaspes　the　Achaemenian；　did　not　circumnavigate　Libya；　though　he　was　sent　to　do　so；　but；　fearing　the　length　and　desolateness　of　the　journey；　he　turned　back　and　left　unaccomplished　the　task　which　had