Page:The geography of Strabo (1854) Volume 1.djvu/448

434 STRABO. CASAUB. 284. it is distant from Salapia about 140 stadia, and was called by the Greeks Sepius, from the numbers of cuttle fish ' thrown up by the sea along its shore. Between Salapia and Sipus is a navigable river, and a considerable estuary ; by both of these channels the merchandise, and wheat especially, of Sipus is conveyed to the sea. Two heroa or shrines are shown on a hill of Daunia, called Drium, one on the very brow of the hill sacred to Calchas, those who are about to inquire of the oracle offer a black ram to him, and sleep upon the fleece, the other below near the foot of the hill is dedicated to Poda- lirius, it is about a hundred stadia distant from the sea ; from this hill also flows a stream, 2 which is a potent cure for all manner of diseases among cattle. 3 The promontory of Gar- ganum 4 running into the sea, juts out from this bay about 300 stadia. 5 As you turn the point you perceive the town of Urium, 6 while off the headland are seen the Diomedean islands. All this coast produces everything in great abundance, it is exceedingly well adapted for horses and sheep, and the wool is finer than that of Tarentum, but less glossy. The district is mild on account of the cup-like situation of the plains. There are some who report that Diomed attempted to cut a canal to the sea, but being sent for to return home, where he died, left it incomplete, as well as other undertakings. This is one account of him : another makes him abide here till the end of his days ; a third is the fable I have already noticed, that he vanished in the island [of Teutria], and one might reckon as a fourth that of the Heneti, 7 for they somehow make out that* he finished his career among them, as they 1 Sestini describes a gold coin belonging to this city, on which the emblem of a cuttle fish in Greek, <rr]Tria, is apparent. The legend is 2i7ro. Sestini descrizione d' una Med. p. 16. 2 Lycophron calls this stream by the name of Altheenus. 3 Groskurd is of opinion that some words to the following effect have been accidentally lost from this place, viz. " The coast of Daunia forms an extensive bay about these parts." 4 Now Punta di Viesti. Strabo seems to have considered the whole of the extensive neck of land lying between the bay of Rodi and that of Manfredonia, as the Garganum Promontorium. Lucan, v. 380, thus describes its prominence, Apulus Hadriacas exit Garganus in undas. 5 About 37 miles towards the east. c Rodi. 7 See book v. c. i. 9, p. 320.