represents the nymphs of Cyrene spinning Milesian fleeces, dyed of a deep sea-green color:
The nymphs, around her placed, their spindles ply,
And draw Milesian wool, of glassy dye.
Georg. iv. 334.
He also alludes to the high price of Milesian fleeces in the following passage:
Let rich Miletus vaunt her fleecy pride,
And weigh with gold her robes in purple dyed.
Georg. iii. 306.—Sotheby's Translation.
The comment of Servius on the latter passage is as follows:
Milesian fleeces, most valuable wools; for Miletus is a city of Asia, where the
best wools are dyed.
The ancient Greek version of Ezekiel (xxvii. 18.) enumerates
Milesian fleeces among the articles of Tyrian importation.
Columella (vii. 2.) and Pliny (viii. 48.) assert the celebrity of the flocks of Miletus in former times, although in their time they were surpassed by the sheep of some other countries.
In soft Milesian wool as fine as possible.—Hippocrates, vol. i. p. 689. ed. Fœsii.
Ye are hairs of sheep, although Miletus may boast of you, and Italy be in high repute, and though the hairs be guarded under skins.—Clemens Alexandrinus, Pæd. ii. 30.
Lying on Milesian carpets.—Aristoph. Ranæ, l. 548.
Nor do I speak of the sheep of Miletus and Selge and Altinum, nor of those, for which Tarentum and Bætica are famous, and which are colored by nature.—Tertullian de Pallio, 3.
If, from the beginning the Milesians were occupied in shearing sheep, the Seres in spinning the produce of trees, the Tyrians in dyeing, the Phrygians in embroidering, and the Babylonians in weaving.—Tertullian de Habitu Muliebri.
We may now notice Samos, as being near the Ionic coast.
Athenæus (xii. p. 540. D.) cites two ancient authors who assert
that, when Polycrates was introducing into Samos the most excellent
of the different breeds of animals, he chose the dogs of
Laconia and Molossis, the goats of Scyros and Naxos, and the
sheep of Miletus and Attica.
Respecting the breeding of sheep in Samos it may be proper to quote the remark of Ælian (Hist. Anim. xii. 40.), that the
