Page:The geography of Strabo (1854) Volume 1.djvu/484

 470 STRABO. CASAUB. 306. stadia up the river. The island of Leuce l is distant from the river's mouth a course of 500 stadia ; it is quite in the sea, and is sacred to Achilles. 17. Next is the Dnieper, 2 a river navigable to the distance of 600 3 stadia, and near to it another river, the Bog, 4 and an island 5 lying before the mouth of the Dnieper, which pos- sesses a haven. After sailing up the Borysthenes 6 200 stadia, you come to the city of like name Avith the river, which is likewise called Olbia ; 7 it is a great emporium and a founda- tion of the Milesians. Of the region lying inland from the coast we have described between the Dnieper and the Danube, the first portion is the Desert of the Getce, then comes the Tyregetse, after them the Jazyges Sarmatas, and the Basilii, who are also called Urgi. 8 Most of these people are nomades. However, a few of them pay attention to agriculture. These are said to inhabit the banks of the Danube, frequently even on both sides of the river. In the inland the Bastarnae dwell, and confine with the Tyregetse and the Germans ; indeed, they may almost be said to be of the German stock. They are divided into many tribes, as some are called Atmoni, some Sidones, those who inhabit the island Peuce 9 in the Danube, Peucini, and the most northern, Roxolani. 10 These latter de- pasture the plains lying between the Don 11 and the Dnieper. 1 Groskurd calls this Ilan-Adassi, or Schlangeninsel. Gossellin like- wise translates Ilan-Adassi as " Isle of Serpents." 2 The ancient Borysthenes. 3 Gossellin considers that Strabo wrote 1600 stadia, for at that distance from the sea there are cataracts which stop the ships that come from the sea. 4 Strabo's word is "YTravig. Gossellin observes that we should look for ih.e"Y7ravig to the east of the Dnieper, while the Bog lies to the west of that river. 5 Gossellin identifies this island with the modern Berezan. 6 Now the Dnieper. 7 Olbia, or Olbiopolis, would, according to this measure, be about the junction of the Bog and Dnieper. 8 Mannert has attempted to read Fewpyoi, because Herodotus, book iv. chap. 18, has so termed those Scythians who cultivated their fields. Is it not possible that the Latin Regii was the word Strabo had in his mind ? 9 Piczina. 10 Some MSS. read this name 'Pwavoi', others 'Pogavoi, and others 'Pb>%oavoi, but whether there is any distinction to be di*awn between these and the 'PwaAavoi of book ii. chap. v. 7, is not to be ascertained. 11 The Tanais.