BOOK III. VI. 83-viii. 86 



by the islands of Caprera, and Fossa,*» from which 

 comes the Greck name of the Straits * themselves, 

 Taphros. 



VII. The east coast of Sardinia is 188 miles long, Sardinia. 

 the west coast 175, the south coast 77 and the north 

 coast 125; its circumference is 565 miles ; and at 

 Cape Carbonara its distance from Africa is 200 

 miles and from Cadiz 1400. It also has two islands 



off Capo Falcone called the Islands of Hercules, 

 one off La Punta delFAlga called Santo Antiocho, 

 and one off Cape Carbonara called Coltelalzo. Near 

 it some authorities also place the island sof BereHs, *■ 

 Callodcs and ihe one called the Baths of Hera. 

 The best-known peoples in Sardinia are the Ilienses, 

 Balari, Corsi (who occupy 18 towns), Sulcitani, 

 Valentini, Neapolitani, Vitenses, Caralitani (who 

 have the Roman citizenship), and the Norenses ; 

 and one colony called At Libiso's Tower. Sardinia 

 itself was called by Timaeus Sandahotis, from the 

 similarity of its shape to the sole of a shoe, and by 

 MjTsihis Ichnusa, from its resemblance to a footprint. 

 Opposite to the Bay of Paestum is La Licosa, called 

 after the Siren buried there ; and opposite Veha 

 are Pontia and Isacia, both included imder the one 

 name of the Oenotrides, which is evidencc that Italy 

 was once in the possession of the Oenotri ; and 

 opposite to Vibo are the small islands called the 

 Isles of Ithaca, from the >vatch-tower '^ of Ulysses 

 that stands there. 



VIII. But before all the islands of the Mediter- sidUj: 

 ranean in renowi stands Sicily, called by Thucydides ^geography; 

 Sicania and by a good many authors Trinacria or 

 Trinacia from its triangular shape. The measure- 



ment of its circuroference, according to Agrippa, is 



63 



