Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume I Part 2.djvu/335

This page needs to be proofread.

1076 HtSPANIA. From these fragmentarj notices we pass on to the first writer who gives us a systematic account of any portion of the country,— namely Hbcataeus of Miletus (about b.c.^00); for wc have no remains of the earlier work of Charon of Lampsacns, which contained a Periplns of the coast outside of the Pillars of Hercules. (Endoc, Violar. p. 435.) The Greeks of this period seem to have beenacquainted with the S. coast su far as to know the names of a number of places along it, but not so as to form any accurate idea of it as a whole. From the few extant frag- ments of Hecataeos, and from the passages in which Festns Avienos follows his authority, Ukert deduces the following results: — ^West of the Straits, which he makes scarcely 7 stadia in width, dwelt the Tar- TiESSii (Avien. Or. Mar. 370), among whom was the town of Eubyrob (Steph. B. 8. v. *Et€upyrf)^ which no other ancient writer names, but which the moderns have sought to identify, on account of the resemblance in the names only, with Ilx.i- BEius or Illitukgis. East of the Pillars dwelt the Mastiami, with the capital, Mastia : a people and city long after mentioned also by Polybins (iii. 24): they had also the cities of Syalis [Surl], MainoboTB [Maenoba], Sizos [Saxeta- num], Molybdana, and Culathe (Steph. B. t. w.). Further to the E. the country began to be called Iberia, and was inhabited by numerous peoples; among whom were the Ilaraugatae, on a river of the same name (Steph. B. f . v. *lapavyarcd)f who seem to be the llurgetae or Ileeoetae of later writers; and the Misgetes (Steph. B. t.v. MiayriTts). Among the cities of Iberia are mentioned Crabasia and Hyops, with a river Lesyros near the latter. (Steph. B. f. V. *T6^.) Hecataeus also mentions the town of Sicaoe (Steph. B. s. v, Xucdyif)^ a name of much interest, as showing the existence of Sicanians in Spain, which is also asserted by Thucydides, who makes them dwell upon a river Sicanus, next the Ligyes who expelled them thence to Sicily. (Thoc vi. 2 ; Strab. iii. p. 270 ; Sicani.) Two islands, Cromyusa and Melnssa, are mentioned by Hecataeus as belonging to Iberia. (Steph. B. 8. w.) 5. Heroekxtus touches oo the W. of Europe only incidentally, as but very distantly related to his main subject. In one passage, when speaking of the ex- treme regions of the earth, he pfaunly states that he has nothing certain to say of the western parts of Europe : and he even doubts the existence of the river Eridanus and the islands Gassiterides (iii. 115); and elsewhere he mentions the belief of the Persians that there were no countries of any great importance W. of Greece (vii. 8). His views may be summed up as follows: — Beyond the Pillars of Hercules lay Gadeira, and near it the ishmd of Eiytheia (iv. 8). Elsewhere he mentions the Ctkksii or Ctnetes as the westernmost people of Europe (ii. 33 ; iv. 49) ; and next to them the great nation of the Celtae, whose country is remarkable for its precious metals, and for the long life of the hihabitants (i. 163; iv. 49, 152, 192: comp. Strab. iii. pp. l.'^O, 151 ; Lu- cian, Macrob. 10; Phlegoo. de Longaev. 4; Cic. de SenecL 19; Plin.vii.48; yal.Max.viii. 13). Among the Celtae were the sources of the river Ister, in the neighbourhood of a dty called Pyrene. (Herod, ii. 33; iv. 49.) It is important to remember that this statement respecting the source of the Ister is connected with a theory entertained by Herodotus, — that the two great rivers of Libya and Europe, the Nile and the Ister, followed courses right through the respective continents, from V. to £., almost ex- filSPANIA. actly parallel and equal to each other : the iotro* ductionof the name Pyrene is discuased in its profer pUu». [Ptrenaei Montes.] The name of Iberia is mentioned by him twice. The one passage b tkst already cited respecting the discoveries of the Ffe>- caeans, where the relation in which it stands te Tyrrfaenia suggests that it signi6es the peninsnla <f Spain, so far at it was known bjf maritime diaeeverg (i. 163). In the other psbsage be mentioos the Iberians in the army of Hamilcar in Sicilj; and m connects them with the Ligyes in such a ma mer ss to suggest the inference, that the name was appied to the whole Mediterranean coast, froni the Stniu ts the Gulf of Lyon (vii. 165). In the former of these passages, again, be mentions Tastesus in dose connection with Iberia, and describes the Phocasans as holding most friendly interooaree with Argaatfa»- nius, the king of the Tartei>ii (i. 163); and be speaks elsewhere of the wealth and oosnmenaal im- portance of Tartesus [Tartessus]. These seven! views seem to liave had Uttle more comiectioii in the mind of the historian than the passages refemag ta them have in his works ; but, on comparing thai with the actual facts, and having regard to kb probable sources of infonnation,something likeawbde may be made out. On the S. coast, his knowledge, derived from Phoenician and Phocaean sources, secoa to have extended as far as the SW. point of the peninsula, the Sacrum Promontoriux {Cape Sl Vincent)^ whidi long remained the westemmosi liait of ancient maritime dbicoveiy; if, at least, hb Cfaj- netes are the Conii of other writere — that is, the Inhabitants of the southern projection of Ports^sl, called CuNEUS. Justin (xliv. 43) mentioBS Conetei in the mountains of the Tartessii ; a oonfinnataao of the hint given under CoKii, that the name is traly ethnic, and that its resemblance to the Roman chkbi^ which so well describes the name of the district, is merely an accidental coincidence. Next, the great colony of Gades was a subject of v4iicb he would hear much from the Phoenidans; asd separate accounts respecting Tartessus and the sv- rounding countiy would be obtained from the tarn people, who had long traded to it under tiie Bme of Tarshish, and ftSna. the Phocaeans, as we bafe seen. The name Iberia seems to have been derivel exclusively from the Phocaeans. Lastlj, apart bmt these results of maritime discovery, he had Hrt n ii i ri from the Phocaeans and other sources the impRssiaa that the great Celtic race overspread pretty w^ the whole interior of Western Europe ; a region, however, of which he possessed scarcely one detul of aecarste knowledge. 6. The historians, geographers of the oentoxy aftv Herodotus had obtained a larger amount of ma- terials, but without a corresponding imiwovemeDt io the accuracy of their knowledge. The wide extrat of the Celtic name, and the confosion between Cdtsaad Iberians, are found still prevalent; and the eomaes o the great rivers of W. Europe are very imper- fectly known. Thus, EtJDOxus of Cnidos (aboot B. c 380 — 360), of who^e geographical work Aris- totle made great use, mentions the mountain Pyme in Celtics, towards the W. extremity of the equi- noctial line (jrphs Simt/iaV *^iU*fp"^t'^^ ss oontainix^ the sources (k the riven Ister and Tartesana, of which the latter flowed outside of the Pillars, ssd the former through all Europe. (Aristot. Ifeteor. L 13.) He places Iberia & ot Celtica, and describei its shores towards the ocean as high and rocky, with promontories running far out into the sea. (Strdb.