100 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book YI. 



who travelled a considerable distance beyond Meroe, and after 

 him by Aristocreon and Basilis, as well as the younger Simo- 

 nides, who made a stay of five years at Meroe, 27 when he 

 wrote his account of ^Ethiopia. Timosthenes, however, the 

 commander of the fleets of Philadelphus, without giving any 

 other estimate as to the distance, says that Meroe is sixty 

 days* journey from Syene ; while Eratosthenes states that the 

 distance is six hundred and twenty-five miles, and Artemi- 

 dorus six hundred. Sebosus says that from the extreme point 

 of Egypt, the distance to Meroe is sixteen hundred and 

 seventy-five miles, while the other writers last mentioned 

 make it twelve hundred and fifty. All these differences, how- 

 ever, have since been settled ; for the persons sent by Nero 

 for the purposes of discovery have reported that the distance 

 from Syene to Meroe is eight hundred and seventy-one 

 miles, the following being the items. From Syene to Hiera 

 Sycaminos 2 * they make to be fifty-four miles, from thence 

 to Tama seventy-two, to the country of the Evonymitae, 29 

 the first region of ^Ethiopia, one hundred and twenty, to 

 Acina fifty-four, to Pittara twenty-five, and to Tergedus 

 one hundred and six. They state also that the island of 

 Gagaudes lies at an equal distance from Syene and Meroe, 

 and that it is at this place that the bird called the parrot was 

 first seen ; while at another island called Articula, the animal 

 known as the sphingium 30 was first discovered by them, and 

 after passing Tergedus, the cynocephalus. 31 The distance from 

 thence to Napata is eighty miles, that little town being the 

 only one of all of them that now survives. From thence to 

 the island of Meroe the distance is three hundred and sixty 

 miles. They also state that the grass in the vicinity of Meroe 

 becomes of a greener and fresher colour, and that there is some 

 slight appearance of forests, as also traces of the rhinoceros and 

 elephant. They reported also that the city of Meroe stands 

 at a distance of seventy miles from the first entrance of the 

 island of Meroe, and that close to it is another island, Tadu 

 by name, which forms a harbour facing those who enter the 



37 See B. v. c. 10, where Meroe is also mentioned. 



28 Or the sacred " sycamore tree." 



29 Situate beyond the Great Cataract, and on the western bank. 

 *> See the Notes to the preceding Chapter, in p. 95. 



31 Or dog's-headed ape, described in B. viii. c. 80. It is supposed to be 

 the baboon. 



