友情提示:如果本网页打开太慢或显示不完整,请尝试鼠标右键“刷新”本网页!阅读过程发现任何错误请告诉我们,谢谢!!
报告错误
the history-第106章
按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页,按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页,按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!
hese; and throughout the whole distance; at the end of every ten days' there is a salt…mine; with people dwelling round it who all of them build their houses with blocks of the salt。 No rain falls in these parts of Libya; if it were otherwise; the walls of these houses could not stand。 The salt quarried is of two colours; white and purple。 Beyond the ridge; southwards; in the direction of the interior; the country is a desert; with no springs; no beasts; no rain; no wood; and altogether destitute of moisture。 Thus from Egypt as far as Lake Tritonis Libya is inhabited by wandering tribes; whose drink is milk and their food the flesh of animals。 Cow's flesh; however; none of these tribes ever taste; but abstain from it for the same reason as the Egyptians; neither do they any of them breed swine。 Even at Cyrene; the women think it wrong to eat the flesh of the cow; honouring in this Isis; the Egyptian goddess; whom they worship both with fasts and festivals。 The Barcaean women abstain; not from cow's flesh only; but also from the flesh of swine。 West of Lake Tritonis the Libyans are no longer wanderers; nor do they practise the same customs as the wandering people; or treat their children in the same way。 For the wandering Libyans; many of them at any rate; if not all… concerning which I cannot speak with certainty… when their children come to the age of four years; burn the veins at the top of their heads with a flock from the fleece of a sheep: others burn the veins about the temples。 This they do to prevent them from being plagued in their after lives by a flow of rheum from the head; and such they declare is the reason why they are so much more healthy than other men。 Certainly the Libyans are the healthiest men that I know; but whether this is what makes them so; or not; I cannot positively say… the healthiest certainly they are。 If when the children are being burnt convulsions come on; there is a remedy of which they have made discovery。 It is to sprinkle goat's water upon the child; who thus treated; is sure to recover。 In all this I only repeat what is said by the Libyans。 The rites which the wandering Libyans use in sacrificing are the following。 They begin with the ear of the victim; which they cut off and throw over their house: this done; they kill the animal by twisting the neck。 They sacrifice to the Sun and Moon; but not to any other god。 This worship is common to all the Libyans。 The inhabitants of the parts about Lake Tritonis worship in addition Triton; Neptune; and Minerva; the last especially。 The dress wherewith Minerva's statues are adorned; and her Aegis; were derived by the Greeks from the women of Libya。 For; except that the garments of the Libyan women are of leather; and their fringes made of leathern thongs instead of serpents; in all else the dress of both is exactly alike。 The name too itself shows that the mode of dressing the Pallas…statues came from Libya。 For the Libyan women wear over their dress stript of the hair; fringed at their edges; and coloured with vermilion; and from these goat…skins the Greeks get their word Aegis (goat…harness)。 I think for my part that the loud cries uttered in our sacred rites came also from thence; for the Libyan women are greatly given to such cries and utter them very sweetly。 Likewise the Greeks learnt from the Libyans to yoke four horses to a chariot。 All the wandering tribes bury their dead according to the fashion of the Greeks; except the Nasamonians。 They bury them sitting; and are right careful when the sick man is at the point of giving up the ghost; to make him sit and not let him die lying down。 The dwellings of these people are made of the stems of the asphodel; and of rushes wattled together。 They can be carried from place to place。 Such are the customs of the afore…mentioned tribes。 Westward of the river Triton and adjoining upon the Auseans; are other Libyans who till the ground; and live in houses: these people are named the Maxyans。 They let the hair grow long on the right side of their heads; and shave it close on the left; they besmear their bodies with red paint; and they say that they are descended from the men of Troy。 Their country and the remainder of Libya towards the west is far fuller of wild beasts and of wood than the country of the wandering people。 For the eastern side of Libya; where the wanderers dwell; is low and sandy; as far as the river Triton; but westward of that the land of the husbandmen is very hilly; and abounds with forests and wild beasts。 For this is the tract in which the huge serpents are found; and the lions; the elephants; the bears; the aspicks; and the horned asses。 Here too are the dog…faced creatures; and the creatures without heads; whom the Libyans declare to have their eyes in their breasts; and also the wild men; and wild women; and many other far less fabulous beasts。 Among the wanderers are none of these; but quite other animals; as antelopes; gazelles; buffaloes; and asses; not of the horned sort; but of a kind which does not need to drink; also oryxes; whose horns are used for the curved sides of citherns; and whose size is about that of the ox; foxes; hyaenas porcupines; wild rams; dictyes; jackals; panthers; boryes; land…crocodiles about three cubits in length; very like lizards; ostriches; and little snakes; each with a single horn。 All these animals are found here; and likewise those belonging to other countries; except the stag and the wild boar; but neither stag nor wild…boar are found in any part of Libya。 There are; however; three sorts of mice in these parts; the first are called two…footed; the next; zegeries; which is a Libyan word meaning 〃hills〃; and the third; urchins。 Weasels also are found in the Silphium region; much like the Tartessian。 So many; therefore; are the animals belonging to the land of the wandering Libyans; in so far at least as my researches have been able to reach。 Next to the Maxyan Libyans are the Zavecians; whose wives drive their chariots to battle。 On them border the Gyzantians; in whose country a vast deal of honey is made by bees; very much more; however; by the skill of men。 The people all paint themselves red; and eat monkeys; whereof there is inexhaustible store in the hills。 Off their coast; as the Carthaginians report; lies an island; by name Cyraunis; the length of which is two hundred furlongs; its breadth not great; and which is soon reached from the mainland。 Vines and olive trees cover the whole of it; and there is in the island a lake; from which the young maidens of the country draw up gold…dust; by dipping into the mud birds' feathers smeared with pitch。 If this be true; I know not; I but write what is said。 It may be even so; however; since I myself have seen pitch drawn up out of the water from a lake in Zacynthus。 At the place I speak of there are a number of lakes; but one is larger than the rest; being seventy feet every way; and two fathoms in depth。 Here they let down a pole into the water; with a bunch of myrtle tied to one end; and when they raise it again; there is pitch sticking to the myrtle; which in smell is like to bitumen; but in all else is better than the pitch of Pieria。 This they pour into a tre
温馨提示: 温看小说的同时发表评论,说出自己的看法和其它小伙伴们分享也不错哦!发表书评还可以获得积分和经验奖励,认真写原创书评 被采纳为精评可以获得大量金币、积分和经验奖励哦!