Читать книгу The Natural History of Pliny (Vol. 1-6) - Pliny the Elder - Страница 138

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Adjoining to this district is the second region of Italy, which embraces the Hirpini, Calabria, Apulia, and the Salentini, extending a distance of 250 miles along the Gulf of Tarentum, which receives its name from a town of the Laconians so called, situate at the bottom of the Gulf, to which was annexed the maritime colony which had previously settled there. Tarentum1661 is distant from the promontory of Lacinium 136 miles, and throws out the territory of Calabria opposite to it in the form of a peninsula. The Greeks called this territory Messapia, from their leader1662; before which it was called Peucetia, from Peucetius1663, the brother of Œnotrius, and was comprised in the territory of Salentinum. Between the two promontories1664 there is a distance of 100 miles. The breadth across the peninsula from Tarentum1665 to Brundusium by land is 35 miles, considerably less if measured from the port of Sasina1666. The towns inland from Tarentum are Varia1667 surnamed Apulia, Messapia, and Aletium1668; on the coast, Senum, and Callipolis1669, now known as Anxa, 75 miles from Tarentum. Thence, at a distance of 32 miles, is the Promontory of Acra Iapygia1670, at which point Italy projects the greatest distance into the sea. At a distance of 19 miles from this point is the town of Basta1671, and then Hydruntum1672, the spot at which the Ionian is separated from the Adriatic sea, and from which the distance across to Greece is the shortest. The town of the Apolloniates1673 lies opposite to it, and the breadth of the arm of the sea which runs between is not more than fifty miles. Pyrrhus, king of Epirus, was the first who entertained the notion of uniting these two points and making a passage on foot, by throwing a bridge across, and after him M. Varro1674, when commanding the fleet of Pompey in the war against the Pirates. Other cares however prevented either of them from accomplishing this design. Passing Hydruntum, we come to the deserted site of Soletum1675, then Fratuertium, the Portus Tarentinus, the haven of Miltopa, Lupia1676, Balesium1677, Cælia1678, and then Brundusium1679, fifty miles from Hydruntum. This last place is one of the most famous ports of Italy, and, although more distant, affords by far the safest passage across to Greece, the place of disembarkation being Dyrrachium, a city of Illyria; the distance across is 225 miles.

Adjoining Brundusium is the territory of the Pediculi1680; nine youths and as many maidens, natives of Illyria, became the parents of sixteen nations. The towns of the Pediculi are Rudiæ1681, Egnatia1682, and Barium1683; their rivers are the Iapyx (so called from the son of Dædalus, who was king there, and who gave it the name of Iapygia), the Pactius1684, and the Aufidus, which rises in the Hirpinian mountains and flows past Canusium1685.

At this point begins Apulia, surnamed the Daunian, from the Daunii, who take their name from a former chief, the father-in-law of Diomedes. In this territory are the towns of Salapia1686, famous for Hannibal’s amour with a courtezan, Sipontum1687, Uria, the river Cerbalus1688, forming the boundary of the Daunii, the port of Agasus1689, and the Promontory of Mount Garganus1690, distant from the Promontory of Salentinum or Iapygia 234 miles. Making the circuit of Garganus, we come to the port of Garna1691, the Lake Pantanus1692, the river Frento, the mouth of which forms a harbour, Teanum of the Apuli1693, and Larinum, Cliternia1694, and the river Tifernus, at which the district of the Frentani1695 begins. Thus there were three different nations of the Apulians, [the Daunii,] the Teani, so called from their leader, and who sprang from the Greeks, and the Lucani, who were subdued by Calchas1696, and whose country is now possessed by the Atinates. Besides those already mentioned, there are, of the Daunii, the colonies of Luceria1697 and Venusia1698, the towns of Canusium1699 and Arpi, formerly called Argos Hippium1700 and founded by Diomedes, afterwards called Argyrippa. Here too Diomedes destroyed the nations of the Monadi and the Dardi, and the two cities of Apina and Trica1701, whose names have passed into a by-word and a proverb.

Besides the above, there is in the interior of the second region one colony of the Hirpini, Beneventum1702, so called by an exchange of a more auspicious name for its old one of Maleventum; also the Æculani1703, the Aquilonii1704, the Abellinates surnamed Protropi, the Compsani, the Caudini, the Ligures, both those called the Corneliani and Bebiani, the Vescellani, the Æclani, the Aletrini, the Abellinates1705 surnamed Marsi, the Atrani, the Æcani1706, the Alfellani1707, the Atinates1708, the Arpani, the Borcani, the Collatini, the Corinenses, the Cannenses1709, rendered famous by the defeat of the Romans, the Dirini, the Forentani1710, the Genusini1711, the Herdonienses, the Hyrini1712, the Larinates surnamed Frentani1713, the Merinates1714 of Garganus, the Mateolani, the Netini1715, the Rubustini1716, the Silvini1717, the Strapellini1718, the Turmentini, the Vibinates1719, the Venusini, and the Ulurtini. In the interior of Calabria there are the Ægetini, the Apamestini1720, the Argentini, the Butuntinenses1721, the Deciani, the Grumbestini, the Norbanenses, the Palionenses, the Sturnini1722, and the Tutini: there are also the following Salentine nations; the Aletini1723, the Basterbini1724, the Neretini, the Uxentini, and the Veretini1725.