Page:The Natural History of Pliny.djvu/367

 Chap. 26.] ACCOUNT OP COTJlsTKIES, ETC. 333 discliarges itself by a cliannel into the sea. This Biiges is separated by a ridge of rocks ^ from Coretus, a gulf iu the Lake M^eotis ; it receives the rivers Buges'^, Gerriis^, and Hvj^acaris^ which approach it from regions that lie in various directions. For the Gerrus separates the Basilidse from the Xomades, the Ilypacaris flows through the Xo- mades and the Hyla}i, by an artificial channel into Lake Buges, and by its natiu^al one into the Gulf of Coretus : this region bears the name of Scythia Sindice. At the river Carcinites, Scythia Taurica^ begins, which was once covered by the sea, where we now see level plains extended on every side : beyond this the land rises into mountains of great elevation. The peoples here are thirty in nimiber, of which twenty-three dwell in the interior, six of the cities being inhabited by the Orgocyni, the Chara- ceni^, the Lagyrani, the Tractari, the Arsilachitae, and the Caliordi. The Scythotam^i possess the range of moimtains : on the west they are boimded by the Chersonesus, and on the east by the Scythian Satarchse''. On the sliore, after we leave Carcinites, we find the folloAving towns ; Ta- phrae^, situate on the very isthmus of the peninsula, and then ITeraclea Chersonesus^, to which its freedom has been granted'" by the Eomans. This place was formerly called ^ It is rather a ridge of sand, that almost separates it from the waters of the gulf. 2 This river has not been identified by modem geographers. 3 According to Herodotus the Gerrhus or GeiTus fell into the Hypa- caris ; which must be understood to be, not the Kalantchak, but the Outlouk. It is probably now represented by the Moloschnijawoda, which forms a shallow lake or marsh at its mouth. ^ It is most probable that the Pacyris, mentioned above, the Hypa- caris, and the Careuiites, were various names for the same river, gene- rally supposed, as stated above, to be the small stream of Kalantchak. ^ It does not appear that the site of any of these cities has been iden- tified. Cliarax was a general name for a fortified towni. 7 Mentioned again by Pliny in B.vi. c. 7. Sohnus says that in order to repel avarice, the Satarclux' prohibited the use of gold and silver. 8 On the site of the modern Perekop, more commonly ealletl Orkapi. ^ Or Chersonesus of the Ileraoleans. The town of Jvosleve or Eupa- toria is supposed to stand on its site. ^" After the conquest of Mithridatcs, when the whole of these regions fell into the hands of the Romans.
 * Now the Crimea.