Page:History of Greece Vol III.djvu/252

 238 HISTORY OF GREECE. Herakleia, Chersonesus, and Theodosia, on the southern coast and south-western corner of the peninsula, Pantikapneum and the Teian colony of Phanagoria (these two on the European and Asiatic sides of the Cimmerian Bosphorus respectively), and Kepi, Hermonassa, etc. not far from Phanagoria, on the Asi- atic coast of the Euxine : last of all, there was, even at the extremity of the Palus Maaotis (Sea of Azof), the Grecian set- tlement of Tanais. 1 All or most of these seem to have been founded during the course of the sixth century B. c., though the precise dates of most of them cannot be named ; probably sev- eral of them anterior to the time of the mystic poet Aristeas of Prokonnesus, about 540 B. c. His long voyage from the Palus Maeotis (Sea of Azof) into the interior of Asia as far as the country of the Issedones (described in a poem, now lost, called the Arimaspian verses), implies an habitual intercourse between Scythians and Greeks which could not well have existed without Grecian establishments on the Cimmerian Bosphorus. Hekatasus of Miletus, 2 appears to have given much geograph- ical information respecting the Scythian tribes; but Herodotus, who personally visited the town of Olbia, together with the inland regions adjoining to it, and probably other Grecian settle- ments in the Euxine (at a time which we may presume to have been about 450-440 B. c.), and who conversed with both Scy- thians and Greeks competent to give him information, has left 1 Compare Dr. Clarke's description of the present commerce between Taganrock not far from the ancient Greek settlement of Tanais and the Archipelago : besides exporting salt-fish, corn, leather, etc. in exchange for wines, fruit, etc. it is the great deposit of Siberian productions : from Orenburg it receives tallow, furs, iron, etc; this is, doubtless, as old as Herodotus (Clarke's Travels in Russia, ch. xv, p. 330). 3 Hckatsei Fragment. Fr. 153, 168, ed. Klausen. Ilekatajus mentioned the Issedones (Fr. 168; Stcph. Byz. v, 'Jtru^Jovef) ; both he and Damastes seem to have been familiar with the poem of Aristeas : sec Klausen, ad loc.; Steph. Byz. v, '"fireppopeioi. Compare also JEschyl. Promcth. 409, 710, 805. Ilellanikus, also, seems to have spoken about Scythia in a manner gen- erally conformable to Herodotus (Strabo, xii, p. 550). It does little credit to the discernment of Strabo that he treats with disdain the valuable Scythian chapter of Herodotus, anep 'E/Ucm/eof ical 'Hpodorof Kal iuv (/&).