| Pliny the Elder, Natural History (English) (XML Header) [genre: prose] [word count] [lemma count] [Plin. Nat.]. | ||
| <<Plin. Nat. 3.15 | Plin. Nat. 3.16 (Latin) | >>Plin. Nat. 3.17 |
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. Tarentum [Note] 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 leader [Note]; before which it was called Peucetia, from Peucetius [Note], the brother of Œnotrius, and was comprised in the territory of Salentinum. Between the two promontories [Note] there is a distance of 100 miles. The breadth across the peninsula from Tarentum [Note] to Brundusium by land is 35 miles, considerably less if measured from the port of Sasina [Note]. The towns inland from Tarentum are Varia [Note] surnamed Apulia, Messapia, and Aletium [Note]; on the coast, Senum, and Callipolis [Note], now known as Anxa, 75 miles from
Tarentum. Thence, at a distance of 32 miles, is the Pro- montory of Acra Iapygia [Note], at which point Italy projects the greatest distance into the sea. At a distance of 19 miles from this point is the town of Basta [Note], and then Hydruntum [Note], 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 Apolloniates [Note] 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. Varro [Note], 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 Soletum [Note], then Fratuertium, the Portus Tarentinus, the haven of Miltopa, Lupia [Note], Balesium [Note], Cælia [Note], and then Brundusium [Note], 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 Pediculi [Note]; nine youths and as many maidens, natives of Illyria, became the parents of sixteen nations. The towns of the Pediculi are Rudiæ [Note], Egnatia [Note], and Barium [Note]; 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 Pactius [Note], and the Aufidus, which rises in the Hirpinian mountains and flows past Canusium [Note].
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 Salapia [Note], famous for Hannibal's amour with a courtezan, Sipontum [Note],
Uria, the river Cerbalus [Note], forming the boundary of the Daunii, the port of Agasus [Note], and the Promontory of Mount Garganus [Note], distant from the Promontory of Salentinum or Iapygia 234 miles. Making the circuit of Garganus, we come to the port of Garna [Note], the Lake Pantanus [Note], the river Frento, the mouth of which forms a harbour, Teanum of the Apuli [Note], and Larinum, Cliternia [Note], and the river Tifernus, at which the district of the Frentani [Note] 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 Calchas [Note], and whose country is now possessed by the Atinates. Besides those already mentioned, there are, of the Daunii, the colonies of Luceria [Note] and Venusia [Note], the towns of Canusium [Note] and Arpi, formerly called Argos Hippium [Note] 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
Trica [Note], 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, Beneventum [Note], so called by an exchange of a more auspicious name for its old one of Maleventum; also the Æculani [Note], the Aquilonii [Note], the Abellinates surnamed Protropi, the Compsani, the Caudini, the Ligures, both those called the Corneliani and Bebiani, the Vescellani, the Æclani, the Aletrini, the Abellinates [Note] surnamed Marsi, the Atrani, the Æcani [Note], the Alfellani [Note], the
Atinates [Note], the Arpani, the Borcani, the Collatni, the Cori- nenses, the Cannenses [Note], rendered famous by the defeat of the Romans, the Dirini, the Forentani [Note], the Genusini [Note], the Herdo- nienses, the Hyrini [Note], the Larinates surnamed Frentani [Note], the Merinates [Note] of Garganus, the Mateolani, the Netini [Note], the Ru- bustini [Note], the Silvini [Note], the Strapellini [Note], the Turmentini, the Vibinates [Note], the Venusini, and the Ulurtini. In the interior of Calabria there are the Ægetini, the Apamestini [Note], the Argentini, the Butuntinenses [Note], the Deciani, the Grumbestini,
the Norbanenses, the Palionenses, the Sturnini [Note], and the Tutini: there are also the following Salentine nations; the Aletini [Note], the Basterbini [Note], the Neretini, the Uxentini, and the Veretini [Note].
| Pliny the Elder, Natural History (English) (XML Header) [genre: prose] [word count] [lemma count] [Plin. Nat.]. | ||
| <<Plin. Nat. 3.15 | Plin. Nat. 3.16 (Latin) | >>Plin. Nat. 3.17 |
