Cliap. 5.] ACCOUNT OP COUNTEIES, ETC. 397 Greeks, Avliicli very often change tlieir localities. Not far from tlie city, and running before it, is the river Lethon, and with it a sacred grove, where the gardens of the Hes- perides are said to have formerly stood ; this city is distant from Leptis 375 miles. Prom Berenice to Arsinoe, com- monly called Teuchii'a, is forty-three miles ; after which, at a distance of twenty-two, we come to Ptolemais, the ancient name of which was Barce ; and at a distance of forty miles from this last the Promontory of Phycus which extends far away into the Cretan Sea, being 350 miles distant from Taena- rum-, the promontory of Laconia, and from Crete 225. After passing tliis promontory we come to Cyreue, which stands at a distance of eleven miles from the sea. Prom Phycus to ApoUonia^ is twenty-four miles, and from thence to the Chersonesus^ eighty-eight ; from which to Catabathmos^ is a distance of 216 miles. The Marmarida^'^ inhabit this coast, extending from almost the region of Para^tonium^ to the Greater Syrtis ; after them the Ararauceles, and then, upon the coasts of the Syrtis, the Nasamones^, whom the Greeks ^ IS'ow called Eas-Sem or Eas-El-Kazat. It is situate a little to the west of Apolloilia and N.W. of Cyrene. " According to Ansart, 264 miles is the real distance between Capes Bas-Sem and Tsenarum or Matapan. 3 As ah'eady mentioned, Apollonia formed the harbour of Cyrene. ^ This was called the Chersonesus Magna, being so named in contra- chstmction to the Chersonesus Parva, on the coast of Egypt, about thirty- five miles west of Alexandria. It is now called Kas-£1-Tm, or more commonly Raxatin. ^ So called from the pecuhar features of the locahty, the Greek word KaTa(ia9ixus, signifying "a descent." A deep valley, bounded east! and west by ranges of liigh hills, runs from this spot to the frontiers of Egypt. It is again mentioned by Phny at the end of the present Chapter. The spot is still known by a similar name, being called JMarsa Sollem, or the " Port of the Ladder." In earlier times the Eg}ptian territory ended at the Gulf of Plinthinethes, now Lago Segio, and did not extend so far as Catabathmos. 6 This name was unknown to Herodotus. As Marcus observes, it was probably of Phoenician origin, signifying " leaduig a wandermg life," like the term " nomad," derived from the Greek. " Now called El Bareton or Marsa-Labeit. This city was of consi- derable importance, and belonged ]>roperly to Marmaria, but was included politically in the Nomos Libya of Egypt. It stood i^oar the promontory of Artos or Pythis, now Ras-El-IIazeit. 8 So called from the words Maid-Ammon; " the tribe of Amnion,'* ac-
