102 
pltny's natural histotit. 
[Boolv VT. 
there is a range of mountains, of a red colour, whicli have the 
appearance of being always burning. 
All the country, after we pass Meroe, is bounded by the 
Troglody tae and the Eed Sea, it being three days' journey from 
Napata to the shores of that sea ; throughout the whole of 
this district the rain water is carefully preserved at several 
places, while the country that lies between is extremely pro- 
ductive of gold. The parts beyond this are inhabited by the 
Adabuli, a nation of JEthiopia ; and here, over against Meroe, 
are the Megabarri,^^ by some writers called the Adiabari; they 
occupy the city of Apollo ; some of them, however, are 'No- 
mades, living on the flesh of elephants. Opposite to them, on 
the African side, dwell the Macrobii,^^ and then again, beyond 
the Megabarri, there are the Memnones and the Dabeli, and, at 
a distance of twenty days' journey, the Critensi. Beyond these 
are the Dochi, and then the Gymnetes, who always go naked ; 
and after them the Andet-de, the Mothitse, the Mesaches, and 
the Ipsodorse, who are of a black tint, but stain the body all 
over with a kind of red earth. On the African side again there 
are the Medimni, and then a nation of Nomades, who live on 
the milk of the cynocephalus, and then the Aladi and the 
Syrbotse,^^ which last are said to be eight cubits in height. 
Aristocreon informs us that on the Libyan side, at a dis- 
tance of five days' journey from Meroe, is the town of Tolles, 
and then at a further distance of twelve days' journey, Esar, a 
town founded by the Egyptians who fled from Psamme- 
tichus f he states also that they dwelt there for a period of 
three hundred years, and that opposite, on the Arabian side, 
there is a town of theirs called Daron.^^ The town, however, 
which he calls Esar, is by Bion called Sape, who says that the 
name means the strangers their capital being Sembobitis, 
situate on an island, and a third place of theirs, Sinat in Arabia. 
Between the mountains and the river Mle are the Simbarri, 
the Palugges, and, on the mountains themselves, the Asachae, 
3* Ansart thinks that the country of this people was the modern Kor- 
dofan. This, however, could not be the case, if the Macrobii, opposite to 
them, dwelt on the African side of the river. 
3^ Or " long-livers.'' 
3^ Mentioned again in c. 2 of the next Book. 
^'i Who is mentioned again in B. xxxvi. c. 19. 
Ptolemy, however, speaks of Esar and Daron as the names of to wns 
situate on the island of Meroe, 
