VOYAGE DOWN THE DON, 
endeavoured to delineate a remarkable groupe 
of them, consisting of five tombs, much larger 
than any of the others near the river; these 
have always borne the appellation of The Five 
Brothers. They are upon the European side. 
If Ptolemy's position of the Jlexion of the Tanais 
can be reconciled with the site of that remark- 
able deviation of the river which is called the 
“ Dead Danaetz," these tombs might be con- 
sidered as the actual monuments alluded to by 
him', under the name of the Altars of Alex- 
ander. The /3 u[xo\, or Altars of the Greeks, 
were called Sharia by the Romans, ab altitudine, 
from their being raised high above the ground*. 
In low flat countries, where there were nei- 
ther mountains nor hills, they raised artificial 
ascents for their altars. But sacrifices were 
offered upon the sepulchres of the dead, as upon 
altars; and, consistently with this practice, 
Alexander paid his vows, and performed rites, 
upon the tombs of Achilles and of Ajax', when 
he invaded Asia, and landed upon the Plain of 
Troy ; anointing with perfumes the 'IrrPka.i 
placed upon them, according to the custom of 
the age. The same geographer places the 
(1) 'Terri Si nv ’F.mlTI’O'l’HN mu Tctmi'hs mre.ft.oZ it rs ‘ AX tie, - 
BH. MO I. Ptolem. Geogr. lib. iii. o. 5. 
(2) “ Altaria ab altitudine dicta sunt, quiid Antiqui diis superis in 
a'dificiis k tcriA exaltatis sacra faciebant.” Sext. Pomp ■ Fest. de 
Verb, significationc. 
(3) Diodor. Sic. lib. xvii. See also Chandler’s Ilium, p. 70. 
