Histories

Herodotus

Herodotus. Godley, Alfred Denis, translator. Cambridge, MA; London: Harvard University Press; William Heinemann, Ltd., 1920-1925 (printing).

There, the Theraeans shot at them as they came to land and would not let the ship put in, telling them to sail back; which they did under constraint of necessity, and planted a colony on an island off the Libyan coast called (as I have said already) Platea. This island is said to be as big as the city of Shahhat [21.866,32.833] (inhabited place), Al Jabal al Akhdar, Libya, AfricaCyrene is now.

Here they lived for two years; but as everything went wrong, the rest sailed to Delphi [22.5167,38.4917] (Perseus) Delphi leaving one behind, and on their arrival questioned the oracle, and said that they were living in Libya [17,25] (nation), AfricaLibya, but that they were no better off for that.

Then the priestess gave them this reply:

  1. “If you know Libya [17,25] (nation), AfricaLibya nurse of sheep better than I,
  2. Though I have been there and you have not, then I am very much astonished at your knowledge.”
Hearing this, Battus and his men sailed back again; for the god would not let them do anything short of colonizing Libya [17,25] (nation), AfricaLibya itself;

and having come to the island and taken aboard the one whom they had left there, they made a settlement at a place in Libya [17,25] (nation), AfricaLibya itself, opposite the island which was called Aziris. This is a place enclosed on both sides by the fairest of groves, with a river flowing along one side of it.

Here they dwelt for six years; but in the seventh, the Libyans got them to leave the place, saying that they would lead them to a better;

and they brought the Greeks from Aziris and led them west, so calculating the hours of daylight that they led the Greeks past the fairest place in their country, called Irasa, at night, lest the Greeks see it in their journey.