Page:The Natural History of Pliny.djvu/245

 Chap. 11.] ACCOUNT OF COUNTEIES, ETC. 211 the two to which the Greeks have given the name of Pityiissae', from the pine-tree^, which they produce. These islands now bear the name of Ebusus, and form a federate state. They are separated by a narrow strait^ of the sea, and are forty-six* miles in extent. They are distant from Dianium^ 700 stadia, Dianium being by land the same distance'' from New Car- thage. At the same distance'' from the Pitj^ssae, lie, in the open sea, the two Baleares, and, over against the river Sucro^, Colubraria^. The Baleares^", so formidable in war vrith their slingers^ have received from the Greeks the name of Gymnasiae. The larger island is 100^- miles in length, and 475 in cir- cumference. It has the following towns ; Palma^^ and Pol- lentia^^, enjoying the rights of Eoman citizens, Cinium^^ and Tucis, with Latin rights : Bocchorum, a federate to^vn, is no longer in existence. At thirty miles' distance is the ^ The modern Iviza and Fonnentera. 2 The Grreek for which is irirvs. '^ Less than two leagues in width. •* The real distance is 34 miles from the northern point of Iviza, called Punta de Sen-a, to the southern point of Formentera, namely — across Iviza 22 miles, across the sea 5, and across Formentera 7. ' Now Denia. ^ This is not correct : the distance is but 45 miles. ^ This is incorrect : taken at the very greatest, the distance is only 522 stadia, eight to the mile. ^ The Xucar in Spain. ^ We more generally find it stated that the isle of Formentera, one of the Pityussae, was called Colubraria. He probably refers to the islands of the group about twenty leagues from the coast of Spain, now knov^^^ by the name of Columbrete ; but they are not near the Xucar, from wliich, as well as from the Pityussae, they are distant about seventy miles. The latter islands are now generally considered as part of the group of the Baleares. ^^ Now Majorca and Minorca, with the ancient Pityussae. " They served as mercenaries, first under the Carthaginians and after- wards under the Romans. The ancient writers generally derive the name of the people from thefr skill as archers — (iaXeapel?, from /3aXXw, "to throw " ; but Strabo assigns to the name a Phtpnician origin, as being equivalent to the Greek yvyivi]Tai, " light-armed soldiers." It is probably from their hght equipment that the Greeks gave to the islands the nanie of Tvixvriaiai. Livy says that they used to go naked during the summer. '^ Seventy miles is the real length of Majorca, and the cfrcumference is barely 250 miles. '^ StiU called Palnia. This and Pollentia were Roman colonies settled by MeteUus. " Now Pollenza. ^' Now Sineu on the Borga. p2