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Cabales, a small nation, dwell, extending to Tauchira, a city of Barcæa. They observe the same customs as those who dwell above Cyrene. 172. The Nasamones, a very numerous people, adjoin these Auschise westward. In summer they leave their cattle on the coast, and go up to the region of Augila, in order to gather the fruit of the palm-trees, which grow in great numbers and of a large size, and are all productive. When they have caught locusts, they dry them in the sun, reduce them to powder, and sprinkling them in milk, drink them. Every man, by the custom of the country, has several wives, and they have intercourse with them in common; and much the same as the Massagetæ, they have intercourse when they have set up a staff before them. When a Nasamonian first marries, it is the custom for the bride on the first night to lie with all the guests in turn, and each, when he has intercourse with her, gives her some present which he has brought from home. In their oaths and divinations they observe the following custom : they swear, laying their hands on the sepulchres of those who are generally esteemed to have been the most just and excellent persons among them: and they divine, going to the tombs of their ancestors, and after having prayed, they lie down to sleep, and whatever dream they have, this they avail themselves of. In pledging their faith they observe the following method: each party gives the other to drink out of his hand, and drinks in turn from the other's hand; and if they have no liquid, they take up some dust from the ground and lick it.

173. The Psylli border on the Nasamonians; these perished in the following manner: the south wind blowing upon them dried up all their water tanks, and the whole country within the Syrtis was dry; they therefore, having consulted together, with one consent determined to make war against that wind; (I only repeat what the Libyans say ;) and when they arrived at the sands, the south wind blowing covered them over: and when they had perished the Nasamonians took possession of their territory. 174. Above these to the north, in a country abounding with wild beasts, live the Garamantes, who avoid all men and the society of any others: they do not possess any warlike weapon, nor do they know how to defend themselves. 175. These then live above the Nasamonians; and the Macæ adjoin them on the sea-coast, westward; these shave their heads so as to

leave a tuft, and allowing the middle hair to grow, they shave both sides close to the skin; in war they wear the skins of ostriches for defensive armour. The river Cinyps, flowing through their country from a hill called the Graces, discharges itself into the sea. This hill of the Graces is thickly covered with trees, though all the rest of Libya above mentioned is bare. From the sea to this hill is a distance of two hundred stades. 176. The Gindanes adjoin these Macæ; their women wear bands of leather round their ancles, each several on the following account, as is said; she binds round a band for every man that has intercourse with her; and she who has the most is most esteemed, as being loved by the greatest number of men. 177. The Lotophagi occupy the coast that projects to the sea in front of these Gindanes; they subsist only on the fruit of the lotus; and the fruit of the lotus is equal in size to the mastic berry, and in sweetness it resembles the fruit of the palm-tree. The Lotophagi make wine also from this fruit.

178. The Machlyes, who also use the lotus, but in a less degree than those before mentioned, adjoin the Lotophagi on the sea-coast. They extend as far as a large river called Triton; and this river discharges itself into the great lake Tritonis; and in it is an island named Phla. They say that the Lacedæmonians were commanded by an oracle to colonize this island. 179. The following story is also told; that Jason, when the Argo was finished building at the foot of Mount Pelion, having put a hecatomb on board, and moreover a brazen tripod, sailed round the Peloponnesus, purposing to go to Delphi ; and as he was sailing off Malea, a north wind caught him and drove him to Libya; and before he could discern the land, he found himself in the shallows of the lake Tritonis: and as he was in doubt how to extricate his ship, the story goes that a Triton appeared to him, and bid Jason give him the tripod, promising that he would both show them the passage, and conduct them away in safety. When Jason consented, the Triton thereupon showed them the passage out of the shallows, and placed the tripod in his own temple; then pronouncing an oracle from the tripod, he declared to Jason and his companions all that should happen, that "when one of the descendants of those who sailed with him in the Argo should carry away the tripod, then it was fated that a hundred Grecian

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cities should be built about the lake Tritonis:" the neighbouring nations of the Libyans, when they heard this, concealed the tripod. 180. The Auses adjoin these Machlyes; they, as well as the Machlyes, dwell round the lake Tritonis, and the Triton forms the boundary between them. The Machlyes let the hair grow on the back of the head, and the Auses on the front. At the annual festival of Minerva, their virgins, dividing themselves into two companies, fight together with stones and staves, affirming that they perform the ancient rites to their native goddess, whom we call Minerva: and those of the virgins who die from their wounds they call false virgins. But before they leave off fighting, they do as follows; with one consent they on each occasion deck the virgin that excels in beauty, with a Corinthian helmet, and a suit of Grecian armour, and having placed her in a chariot, conduct her round the lake. In what way they formerly decorated the virgins before the Grecians settled in their neighbourhood, I am unable to say; but I conjecture that they were decked in Egyptian armour, for I am of opinion, that the shield and helmet were brought from Egypt into Greece. They say, that Minerva is the daughter of Neptune and the lake Tritonis; and that she being for some reason offended with her father, gave herself to Jupiter, and that Jupiter adopted her as his own daughter: this they say. They have promiscuous intercourse with the women, and do not cohabit, and associate like beasts. The men meet together every third month, and when a woman has a child grown up, he is considered to be the son of that man whom he most resembles.

181. Those then of the Libyan nomades who live on the sea-coast have been mentioned. Above these, inland, Libya abounds in wild beasts; and beyond the wild beast tract is a ridge of sand, stretching from the Egyptian Thebes to the columns of Hercules. At intervals of a ten days' journey in this ridge, there are pieces of salt in large lumps on hills; and at the top of each hill, from the midst of the salt, cold and sweet water gushes up; and around it dwell people the farthest towards the desert, and beyond the wild-beast tract. The first after a ten days' journey from Thebes are the Ammonians, who have a temple resembling that of Theban Jupiter. For, as I said before, the image of Jupiter at Thebes has the head of a ram.

They have also another kind of spring water,

which in the morning is tepid, becomes colder about the time of full forum, and at mid-day is very cold; then they water their gardens. As the day declines it gradually loses its coldness, till the sun sets, then the water becomes tepid again, and continuing to increase in heat till midnight, it then boils and bubbles up; when midnight is passed, it gets cooler until morning. This fountain is called after the sun. 182. Next to the Ammonians, along the ridge of sand, at the end of another ten days' journey, there is a hill of salt, like that of the Ammonians, and water, and men live round it: the name of this region is Augila; to this place the Nasamonians go to gather the dates. 183. From the Augile at the end of another ten days' journey is another hill of salt and water, and many fruit-bearing palm-trees, as also in the other places; and men inhabit it who are called Garamantes, a very powerful nation; they lay earth upon the salt, and then sow their ground. From these to the Lotophagi the shortest route is a journey of thirty days: amongst them the kine that feed backwards are met with; they feed backwards for this reason: they have horns that are bent forward, therefore they draw back as they feed; for they are unable to go forward, because their horns would stick in the ground. They differ from other kine in no other respect than this, except that their hide is thicker and harder. These Garamantes hunt the Ethiopian Troglodytes in four-horse chariots; for the Ethiopian Troglodytes are the swiftest of foot of all men of whom we have heard any account given. The Troglodytes feed upon serpents and lizards, and such kind of reptiles: they speak a language like no other, but screech like bats.

184. At the distance of another ten days' journey from the Garamantes, is another hill of salt, and water, and men live round it who are called Atarantes; they are the only people we know of who have not personal names. For the name Atarantes belongs to them collectively, but to each one of them no name is given. They curse the sun as he passes over their heads, and moreover utter against him the foulest invectives, because he consumes them by his scorching heat, both the men themselves and their country. Afterwards, at the end of another ten days' journey, there is another hill of salt, and water, and men live round it; and near this salt is a mountain, which is called Atlas; it is narrow and circular on

all sides, and is said to be so lofty, that its top can never be seen; for it is never free from clouds, either in summer or winter. The inhabitants say that it is the Pillar of Heaven. From this mountain these men derive their appellation, for they are called Atlantes. They are said neither to eat the flesh of any animal, nor to see visions. 185. As far, then, as these Atlantes I am able to mention the names of the nations that inhabit this ridge, but not beyond them. This ridge, however, extends as far as the pillars of Hercules, and even beyond them; and there is a mine of salt in it at intervals of ten days' journey, and men dwelling there. The houses of them all are built of blocks of salt, for in these parts of Libya no rain falls; for walls being of salt could not stand long if rain did fall. The salt dug out there is white and purple in appearance. Above this ridge, to the south and interior of Libya, the country is desert, without water, without animals, without rain, and without wood; and there is no kind of moisture in it.

186. Thus, then, as far as the lake Tritonis from Egypt, the Libyans are nomades, eat flesh, and drink milk, but they do not taste the flesh of cows, for the same reason as the Egyptians, nor do they breed swine. Indeed, not only do the women of the Cyrenæans think it right to abstain from the flesh of cows, out of respect to Isis in Egypt, but they also observe the fasts and festivals in honour of her: and the women of the Barcæans do not taste the flesh of swine in addition to that of cows. These things, then, are so. 187. Westward of the lake Tritonis, the Libyans are no longer nomades, nor do they follow the same customs, nor do they do with respect to their children what the nomades are accustomed to do: for the nomadic Libyans, whether all I am unable to say with certainty, but many of them do as follows: when their children are four years old, they burn the veins on the crown of their heads, with uncleaned sheep's wool; and some of them do it on the veins in the temples; to the end that` humours flowing down from the head may not injure them as long as they live: and, for this reason, they say they are so very healthy, for the Libyans are in truth the most healthy of all men with whom we are acquainted; whether from this cause, I am unable to say with certainty: however, they are the most healthy. But if convulsions seize the children when

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