The Natural History of Pliny, Volume 2 (of 6)Pliny, the Elder
History
The Natural History of Pliny, Volume 2 (of 6)
Pliny, the Elder
Natural history -- Pre-Linnean works
Juba, however, gives another account; he says that there is a city on
Mount Megatichos,[713] which lies between Egypt and Æthiopia, by the
Arabians known as Myrson, after which come Tacompsos, Aramus, Sesamos,
Pide, Mamuda, Orambis, situate near a stream of bitumen, Amodita,
Prosda, Parenta, Mama, Tesatta, Gallas, Zoton, Graucome, Emeus, the
Pidibotæ, the Hebdomecontacometæ,[714] Nomades, who dwell in tents,
Cyste, Macadagale, Proaprimis, Nups, Detrelis, Patis, the Ganbreves,
the Magasnei, Segasmala, Crandala, Denna, Cadeuma, Thena, Batta,
Alana, Mascoa, the Scammi, Hora, situate on an island, and then Abala,
Androgalis, Sesecre, the Malli, and Agole.
On the African side[715] we find mentioned, either what is another
place with the same name of Tacompsos, or else a part of the one
before-mentioned, and after it Moggore, Sæa, Edos, Plenariæ, Pinnis,
Magassa, Buma, Linthuma, Spintum, Sydop, the Censi, Pindicitora,
Acug, Orsum, Sansa, Maumarum, Urbim, the town of Molum, by the Greeks
called Hypaton,[716] Pagoarca, Zmanes, at which point elephants begin
to be found, the Mambli, Berressa, and Acetuma; there was formerly a
town also called Epis, over against Meroë, which had, however, been
destroyed before Bion wrote.
These are the names of places given as far as Meroë; but at the present
day hardly any of them on either side of the river are in existence;
at all events, the prætorian troops that were sent by the Emperor
Nero[717] under the command of a tribune, for the purposes of enquiry,
when, among his other wars, he was contemplating an expedition against
Æthiopia, brought back word that they had met with nothing but deserts
on their route. The Roman arms also penetrated into these regions
in the time of the late Emperor Augustus, under the command of P.
Petronius,[718] a man of Equestrian rank, and prefect of Egypt. That
general took the following cities, the only ones we now find mentioned
there, in the following order; Pselcis,[719] Primis, Abuncis, Phthuris,
Cambusis, Atteva, and Stadasis, where the river Nile, as it thunders
down the precipices, has quite deprived the inhabitants of the power of
hearing: he also sacked the town of Napata.[720] The extreme distance
to which he penetrated beyond Syene was nine hundred and seventy miles;
but still, it was not the Roman arms that rendered these regions a
desert. Æthiopia, in its turn gaining the mastery, and then again
reduced to servitude, was at last worn out by its continual wars with
Egypt, having been a famous and powerful country even at the time of
the Trojan war, when Memnon[721] was its king; it is also very evident
from the fabulous stories about Andromeda,[722] that it ruled over
Syria in the time of king Cepheus, and that its sway extended as far as
the shores of our sea.
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