BOOK IV. XII. 89-91 



blissful. Some authorities have placed these people 

 not in Europe but on the nearest part of the coasts of 

 Asia, because there is a race there with similar customs 

 and a similar location, named the Attaci ; others 

 have put them midway between the two suns, the 

 sunscts of the antipodes and our sunrise, but this 

 is quite impossible because of the enormous expanse 

 of sea that comes between. Those who locate them 

 merely in a region having six months of dayhght 

 have recorded that they sow in the morning periods, 

 reap at midday, pluck the fruit from the trees at 

 sunset, and retire into caves for the night. Nor is it 

 possible to doubt about this race, as so many authori- 

 ties " state that tliey regularly send the first fruits of 

 their harvests to Dclos as offerings to Apollo, whom 

 they specially worship. These offerings used to be 

 brought by virgins, who for many years were held 

 in veneration and hospitably entertained by the 

 nations on the route, until because of a violation of 

 good faith they instituted the custom of depositing 

 their offerings at the nearest frontiers of the neigh- 

 bouring people, and these of passing them on to 

 their neighbours, and so till they finally reached 

 Delos. Later this practice itself also passed out of 

 use. 



The territories of Sarmatia, Scythia and Taurica, Measure- 

 and the whole region from the river Dnieper are ??^'"'-^ 

 stated by Marcus Agrippa to mcasure 980 miles in 

 length and 716 in breadth ; but for my own part 

 I consider that in this part of the world estimates of 

 measurement are uncertain. 



But in conformity with the plan set out the remain- 

 ing features of this gulf must be stated. Its seas 

 we have specified. § 75/. 



189 



