§2.5.33μετὰ δὲ τὴν Ἀσίαν ἐστὶν ἡ Λιβύη συνεχὴς οὖσα τῇ τε Αἰγύπτῳ καὶ τῇ Αἰθιοπίᾳ, τὴν μὲν καθʼ ἡμᾶς ᾐόνα ἐπʼ εὐθείας ἔχουσα, σχεδόν τι μέχρι στηλῶν ἀπὸ Ἀλεξανδρείας ἀρξαμένην, πλὴν τῶν Σύρτεων καὶ εἴ πού τις ἄλλη κόλπων ἐπιστροφὴ μετρία καὶ τῶν ταύτην ποιούντων ἀκρωτηρίων ἐξοχή· τὴν δὲ παρωκεανῖτιν ἀπὸ τῆς Αἰθιοπίας μέχρι τινός, ὡς ἂν παράλληλον οὖσαν τῇ προτέρᾳ, μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα συναγομένην ἀπὸ τῶν νοτίων μερῶν εἰς ὀξεῖαν ἄκραν, μικρὸν ἔξω στηλῶν προπεπτωκυῖαν καὶ ποιοῦσαν τραπέζιόν πως τὸ σχῆμα.
After Asia is Libya, which is continuous with both Egypt and Ethiopia, having on the one hand its shoreline along our sea in a straight line, beginning from Alexandria and extending almost to the Pillars, except for the Syrtes and any other moderate indentation of gulfs and the projection of the promontories that form them; and on the other hand, its ocean coastline, extending from Ethiopia to a certain point, being as it were parallel to the former, but after this drawing together from the southern parts to a sharp cape, projecting a little beyond the Pillars, and making its shape somewhat like a trapezoid.
ἔστι δʼ, ὥσπερ οἵ τε ἄλλοι δηλοῦσι καὶ δὴ καὶ Γναῖος Πείσων ἡγεμὼν γενόμενος τῆς χώρας διηγεῖτο ἡμῖν, ἐοικυῖα παρδαλῇ· κατάστικτος γάρ ἐστιν οἰκήσεσι περιεχομέναις ἀνύδρῳ καὶ ἐρήμῳ γῇ· καλοῦσι δὲ τὰς τοιαύτας οἰκήσεις αὐάσεις οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι.
And it is, as others declare and indeed as Gnaeus Piso, who became governor of the country, used to relate to us, like a leopard; for it is spotted with habitations surrounded by waterless and desert land; and the Egyptians call such habitations 'oases'.
τοιαύτη δὲ οὖσα ἔχει τινὰς ἄλλας διαφορὰς τριχῆ διαιρουμένας· τῆς μὲν γὰρ καθʼ ἡμᾶς παραλίας εὐδαίμων ἐστὶν ἡ πλείστη σφόδρα, καὶ μάλιστα ἡ Κυρηναία καὶ ἡ περὶ Καρχηδόνα Μαυρουσίων καὶ τῶν Ἡρακλείων στηλῶν· οἰκεῖται δὲ μετρίως καὶ ἡ παρωκεανῖτις, ἡ δὲ μέση φαύλως ἡ τὸ σίλφιον φέρουσα, ἔρημος ἡ πλείστη καὶ τραχεῖα καὶ ἀμμώδης.
Being of such a character, it has certain other differences which are divided into three parts; for of the coast along our sea, the greatest part is extremely fertile, and especially the Cyrenaica and the region around Carthage as far as the Maurusians and the Pillars of Heracles; and the ocean coast also is moderately inhabited, but the middle part, which produces silphium, is poorly inhabited, the greatest part being desert, rugged, and sandy.
τὸ δʼ αὐτὸ πέπονθε καὶ ἡ ἐπʼ εὐθείας ταύτῃ διά τε τῆς Αἰθιοπίας διήκουσα τῆς τε Τρωγλοδυτικῆς καὶ τῆς Ἀραβίας καὶ τῆς Γεδρωσίας τῆς τῶν Ἰχθυοφάγων.
And the region extending in a straight line with this through Ethiopia, the Troglodyte country, Arabia, and Gedrosia of the Ichthyophagi has suffered the same fate.
νέμεται δʼ ἔθνη τὴν Λιβύην τὰ πλεῖστα ἄγνωστα· οὐ πολλὴν γὰρ ἐφοδεύεσθαι συμβαίνει στρατοπέδοις οὐδʼ ἀλλοφύλοις ἀνδράσιν, οἱ δʼ ἐπιχώριοι καὶ ὀλίγοι παρʼ ἡμᾶς ἀφικνοῦνται πόρρωθεν, καὶ οὐ πιστὰ οὐδὲ πάντα λέγουσιν· ὅμως δʼ οὖν τὰ λεγόμενα τοιαῦτά ἐστι.
The nations that inhabit Libya are for the most part unknown; for it does not happen that much of it is traversed by armies or by foreign men, and the natives, few of whom reach us from afar, tell things that are neither credible nor complete; nevertheless, what is related is as follows.
τοὺς μὲν μεσημβρινωτάτους Αἰθίοπας προσαγορεύουσι, τοὺς δʼ ὑπὸ τούτοις τοὺς πλείστους Γαράμαντας καὶ Φαρουσίους καὶ Νιγρίτας, τοὺς δʼ ἔτι ὑπὸ τούτοις Γαιτούλους, τοὺς δὲ τῆς θαλάττης ἐγγὺς ἢ καὶ ἁπτομένους αὐτῆς πρὸς Αἰγύπτῳ μὲν Μαρμαρίδας μέχρι τῆς Κυρηναίας, ὑπὲρ δὲ ταύτης καὶ τῶν Σύρτεων Ψύλλους καὶ Νασαμῶνας καὶ τῶν Γαιτούλων τινάς, εἶτʼ Ἀσβύστας καὶ Βυζακίους μέχρι τῆς Καρχηδονίας.
They call the southernmost people Ethiopians, and those below them, for the most part, Garamantes, Pharusii, and Nigritae, and those still below these, Gaetulians; and those near the sea or even touching it, on the side of Egypt as far as Cyrenaica, are the Marmaridae, and beyond this and the Syrtes, the Psylli, Nasamones, and some of the Gaetulians, then the Asbystae and Byzacii as far as the territory of Carthage.
πολλὴ δʼ ἐστὶν ἡ Καρχηδονία· συνάπτουσι δʼ οἱ νομάδες αὐτῇ· τούτων δὲ τοὺς γνωριμωτάτους τοὺς μὲν Μασυλιεῖς τοὺς δὲ Μασαισυλίους προσαγορεύουσιν· ὕστατοι δʼ εἰσὶ Μαυρούσιοι.
The territory of Carthage is extensive; and the nomads border upon it; and of these, they call the most well-known on the one hand Massylians, and on the other Masaesylians; and last of all are the Maurusians.
πᾶσα δʼ ἡ ἀπὸ Καρχηδόνος μέχρι στηλῶν ἐστιν εὐδαίμων, θηριοτρόφος δέ, ὥσπερ καὶ ἡ μεσόγαια πᾶσα.
And the whole region from Carthage to the Pillars is fertile, but productive of wild beasts, just as is also the whole of the interior.
οὐκ ἀπεικὸς δὲ καὶ νομάδας λεχθῆναί τινας αὐτῶν, οὐ δυναμένους γεωργεῖν διὰ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν θηρίων τὸ παλαιόν· οἱ δὲ νῦν ἅμα τῇ ἐμπειρίᾳ τῆς θήρας διαφέροντες, καὶ τῶν Ῥωμαίων προσλαμβανόντων πρὸς τοῦτο διὰ τὴν σπουδὴν τὴν περὶ τὰς θηριομαχίας, ἀμφοτέρων περιγίνονται καὶ τῶν θηρίων καὶ τῆς γεωργίας.
And it is not unlikely that some of them were called Nomads because they were unable to farm in ancient times due to the multitude of wild beasts; but today, outstanding as they are in their experience of hunting, and with the Romans assisting them in this because of their zeal for beast-fights, they prevail over both the wild beasts and agriculture.
τοσαῦτα καὶ περὶ τῶν ἠπείρων λέγομεν.
Let this much be said also concerning the continents.