Amapola
06-07-2010, 12:38 PM
As I was saying, the first part of Europe is the western, namely, Iberia . Now of Iberia the larger part affords but poor means of livelihood; for most of the inhabited country consists of mountains, forests, and plains whose soil is thin - and even that not uniformly well-watered. And Northern Iberia , in addition to its ruggedness, not only is extremely cold, but lies next to the ocean, and thus has acquired its characteristic of inhospitality and aversion to intercourse with other countries; consequently, it is an exceedingly wretched place to live in. Such, then, is the character of the northern parts; but almost the whole of Southern Iberia is fertile, particularly the region outside the Pillars. This will become clear in the course of my detailed description of Iberia . But first I must briefly describe its shape and give its dimensions.
Now although the Roman historians are imitators of the Greeks, while the fondness for knowledge that they of themselves bring to their histories is inconsiderable; hence, whenever the Greeks leave gaps, all the filling in that is done by the other set of writers is inconsiderable - especially since most of the very famous names are Greek. Take, for example, even Iberia: the historians of former times, it is said, give the name of Iberia to all the country beyond the Rhodanus and that isthmus which is comprised between the two Galatic gulfs, whereas the historians of to-day set the Pyrenees as the limit of Iberia and speak synonymously of this same country as "Iberia" and "Hispania"; but they used to give the name of "Iberia" solely to the country this side the Iberus, although the historians still before that called the inhabitants of this very country "Igletes," who occupy no large territory, as Asclepiades the Myrlean says. But though the Romans called the country as a whole both "Iberia" and "Hispania" synonymously, they spoke of one division of it as "Farther" and of the other as "Hither"; at different times, however, they divide the country in different ways, suiting their government of the country to the requirements of the times.
Strabo on Iberia.
The hispanos (from Hispania) have a body ready for abstinence and fatigue, and the mood for death: hard and austere sobriety in everything (dura omnibus et adstricta parsimonia). [...] For centuries of wars on Rome, they have not had any captain but Viriato, man of such a virtue/power and continence that, after defeating the cosular armies for 10 years, he never meant to be distinguished among his privates.
* Pompeyo Trogo, galo-romanizaded historian.
Now although the Roman historians are imitators of the Greeks, while the fondness for knowledge that they of themselves bring to their histories is inconsiderable; hence, whenever the Greeks leave gaps, all the filling in that is done by the other set of writers is inconsiderable - especially since most of the very famous names are Greek. Take, for example, even Iberia: the historians of former times, it is said, give the name of Iberia to all the country beyond the Rhodanus and that isthmus which is comprised between the two Galatic gulfs, whereas the historians of to-day set the Pyrenees as the limit of Iberia and speak synonymously of this same country as "Iberia" and "Hispania"; but they used to give the name of "Iberia" solely to the country this side the Iberus, although the historians still before that called the inhabitants of this very country "Igletes," who occupy no large territory, as Asclepiades the Myrlean says. But though the Romans called the country as a whole both "Iberia" and "Hispania" synonymously, they spoke of one division of it as "Farther" and of the other as "Hither"; at different times, however, they divide the country in different ways, suiting their government of the country to the requirements of the times.
Strabo on Iberia.
The hispanos (from Hispania) have a body ready for abstinence and fatigue, and the mood for death: hard and austere sobriety in everything (dura omnibus et adstricta parsimonia). [...] For centuries of wars on Rome, they have not had any captain but Viriato, man of such a virtue/power and continence that, after defeating the cosular armies for 10 years, he never meant to be distinguished among his privates.
* Pompeyo Trogo, galo-romanizaded historian.