Page:The geography of Strabo (1854) Volume 2.djvu/310

 302 STRABO. CASAUB. 553. Bagas, Biasas, JEniates, Rhatotes, Zardoces, Tibius, Gasys, Oligasjs, and Maries. For these names are frequently to be found in the Bamonitis, the Pimolitis, the Gazalu'itis, and Gazacene, and in most of the other districts. Apollodorus himself quotes the words of Homer, altered by Zenodotus ; " from Henete, whence comes a race of wild mules," and says, that Hecataaus the Milesian understands Henete to mean Amisus. But we have shown that Amisus belongs to the Leu co- Syrians, and is situated beyond the Halys. 26. He also somewhere says that the poet obtained his knowledge of the Paphlagonians, situated in the interior, from persons who had travelled through the country on foot, but that he was not acquainted with the sea-coast any more than with the rest of the territory of Pontus ; for otherwise he would have mentioned it by name. We may, on the con- trary, after the description which has just been given of the country, retort and say that he has traversed the whole of the sea-coast, and has omitted nothing worthy of record which existed at that time. It is not surprising that he does not mention Heracleia, Amastris, or Sinope, for they were not founded ; nor is it strange that he should omit to speak of the interior of the country; nor is it a proof of ignorance not to specify by name many places which were well known, as we have shown in a preceding part of this work. He says that Homer was ignorant of much that was re- markable in Pontus, as rivers and nations, otherwise he would have mentioned their names. This may be admitted with respect to some very remarkable nations and rivers, as the Scythians, the Palus Masotis, and the Danube. For he would not have described the Nomades, by characteristic signs, as living on milk, Abii, a people without certain means of sub- sistence, "most just" and "renowned Hippemolgi," (milkers of mares,) and not distinguished them as Scythians, or Sauro- matae, or Sarmatae, if, indeed, they had these names among the Greeks (at that time). Nor in mentioning the Thracians and Mysians, who live near the Danube, would he have passed over in silence the Danube itself, one of the largest rivers, particularly as, in other instances, he is inclined to mark the boundaries of places by rivers ; nor in speaking of the Cimmerians would he have omitted the Bosporus, or the Maaotis.