Page:The geography of Strabo (1854) Volume 1.djvu/446

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page needs to be proofread.

432 STRABO. CASAUB. 283. Campania, where it joins the Appian Way ; ! it is longer than those from Brentesium by about three or four days' journey. 8. From Brentesium the sea is traversed by two passages to the opposite coast, one crossing to the Ceraunian 2 Moun- tains and the adjacent coasts of the Epirus and Greece, the other to Epidamnus, 3 which is the longer 4 of the two, being 1800 5 stadia. Still this is habitually traversed, on account of the situation of the city [Epidamnus] being convenient for the nations of Illyria and Macedonia. As we coast along the shore of the Adriatic from Brentesium we come to the city Egnatia, 6 it is the general place to stop at for those tra- velling to Barium, 7 as well by land as by sea. The run is made when the wind blows from the south. The territory of the Peucetii extends as far as this along the coast, in the interior of the land it reaches as far as Silvium. 8 It is through- out rugged and mountainous, and chiefly occupied by the Apennine mountains. It is thought to have been colonized by a party of Arcadians. The distance from Brentesium to Barium is about 700 stadia. [Tarentum] is about equally distant from both. 9 The Daunii inhabit the adjoining dis- trict, then the Apuli as far as the Phrentani. As the in- habitants of the district, except in ancient times, have never been particular in speaking of the Peucetii or Daunii precisely, and as the whole of this country is now called Apulia, the boundaries of these nations are necessarily but ill denned : wherefore we ourselves shall not be very exact in treating of them. 1 At Capua,, now S. Maria di Capua. 2 Eustathius explains that those mountains were called Ceraxmian from the frequent falling of thunderbolts upon them. Td Ktpavvia oorj, . ovTO) KaXov^tva Sid TO GVXVOVQ iictl Tr'nrrtiv KtoavvovQ. 3 Durazzo. 4 It seems as if some words had been skipped in this place, for we should expect to have the distance of the other passage to the Ceraunian Mountains, but Strabo no where mentions it. 5 M. Gossellin seems to think we should here read 800 and not 1800 stadia ; but Kramer reckons it improbable. Groskurd concurs essentially with the opinion of M. Gossellin, and translates it something as follows : " for it is 1000, while the former is 800 stadia across." 6 Now Torre d' Agnazzo. 7 Bari. 8 Silvium was situated on the Appian Way. Holstenius and Pratilli agree in fixing its position at Garagnone, about 15 miles to the south-west of Venosa. Holsten. Adnot. p. 281. Pratilli, Via Appia, 1. iv. c. 7. 9 About 310 stadia.