Читать книгу The Natural History of Pliny (Vol. 1-6) - Pliny the Elder - Страница 137

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At Locri begins the fore-part of Italy, called Magna Græcia, whose coast falls back in three bays1632 formed by the Ausonian sea, so called from the Ausones, who were the first inhabitants of the country. According to Varro it is 86 miles in extent; but most writers have made it only 75. Along this coast there are rivers innumerable, but we shall mention those only that are worthy of remark. After leaving Locri we come to the Sagra1633, and the ruins of the town of Caulon, Mystiæ1634, Consilinum Castrum1635, Cocinthum1636, in the opinion of some, the longest headland of Italy, and then the Gulf of Scylacium1637, and Scylacium1638 itself, which was called by the Athenians, when they founded it, Scylletium. This part of Italy is nearly a peninsula, in consequence of the Gulf of Terinæum1639 running up into it on the other side; in it there is a harbour called Castra Hannibalis1640: in no part is Italy narrower than here, it being but twenty miles across. For this reason the Elder Dionysius entertained the idea of severing1641 this portion from the main-land of Italy at this spot, and adding it to Sicily. The navigable rivers in this district are the Carcines1642, the Crotalus, the Semirus, the Arocas, and the Targines. In the interior is the town of Petilia1643, and there are besides, Mount Clibanus1644, the promontory of Lacinium, in front of which lies the island of Dioscoron1645, ten miles from the main-land, and another called the Isle of Calypso, which Homer is supposed to refer to under the name of Ogygia; as also the islands of Tiris, Eranusa, and Meloessa. According to Agrippa, the promontory of Lacinium1646 is seventy miles from Caulon.

(11.) At the promontory of Lacinium begins the second Gulf of Europe, the bend of which forms an arc of great depth, and terminates at Acroceraunium, a promontory of Epirus, from which it is distant1647 seventy-five miles. We first come to the town of Croton1648, and then the river Neæthus1649, and the town of Thurii1650, situate between the two rivers Crathis and Sybaris, upon the latter of which there was once a city1651 of the same name. In a similar manner Heraclia1652, sometimes called Siris, lies between the river of that name and the Aciris. We next come to the rivers Acalandrus and Casuentum1653, and the town of Metapontum1654, with which the third region of Italy terminates. In the interior of Bruttium, the Aprustani1655 are the only people; but in Lucania we find the Atinates, the Bantini, the Eburini1656, the Grumentini, the Potentini, the Sontini1657, the Sirini, the Tergilani, the Ursentini, and the Volcentani1658, whom the Numestrani join. Besides these, we learn from Cato1659 that Thebes in Lucania has disappeared, and Theopompus informs us that there was formerly a city of the Lucani called Pandosia1660, at which Alexander, the king of Epirus, died.