Cyrene

Sources from old books

1652. Cosmographie in four bookes by Peter Heylyn. CYRENE.

CYRENE is bounded on the East with Marmarica, on the West with Africa Propria, or the Realm of Tunis, and some part of the Mediterranean, and the Creater Syrtis; on the North with the Mediterranean wholly; on the South with Libya Inferior, or the Desarts of Libya.

It took this name from Cyrene the chief City of it, from whence sometimes also called Cyrenaica; by Plinie and some other Roman Writers it is called Pentapolis, from five chief Cities which were in it, viz 1 Cyrene, 2 Ptolemais, 3 Arsinoe 4 Darnis, 5 Berenice; by Ammianus for the same reason Libya Pentapolis, the name of Libya extending over many of these Roman Provinces. And finally, at the present, it passeth with that last described by the name of Barca, or Barca Marmarica: the whole extent whereof in length from the Greater Syrtis unto Egypt, is no lesse then 13000 miles, but the breadth not above 200.

The Country in the South parts desolate and barren, stored with few Towns, and not many Villages; the People living up and down in scattered houses and at such a distance, as if it were in so many Islands. Destitute not of Springs and Rivers only, but of Rain-water too, the Clouds not very often dropping: if any fell, it was dried up presently by the •ands. But within fifteen miles of the Sea▪ indifferently fruitful, and well inhabited.

The People in old times were said to have been utterly ignorant of buying and selling, of fraud and stealing, not knowing or not caring for the use of money; con•ent with little, not superfluous in their clothes or buildings, their houses for the most part (except only in their greater Cities) made of Osiertwigs. Much altered in the first part of their character, since the coming of the Arabians hither; now a Theevish nation, given wholly to Robbery and spoile. So lazie, that they will not manure or till their Land, but provide themselves with Corn from Sicily, laying their Children to pawn for it, till by their Thieving they can raise a sufficient summe to discharge the debt.

One onely River I find in it, but of fame enough to serve for many; By Ptolomie called Luthon, by Plinie Lethon, by the Poets Lethe. Swallowed by the Earth not far from its first original, it riseth up again about Berenice fained therefore by the Poets to come from Hell, and to create forgetfulnesse in all them that drink of it; it being the condition of the dead to remember nothing. Thence the occasion of the fancie. Some Lakes I find also in it, whereof one occasioned by this River, not far from the Sea; another more within the land (where indeed more necessary) neer Paliurus. With Mountains better stored, (though not much better for them) the principal whereof, 1. Those called Herculis Arenae, the Sands of Hercules, thwarting the Country East and West; 2. Bucolicus, on the South of those; and 3 Volpos, a long ridge of hils; bordering upon Africa Propria.

Cities of most note in it, 1. Apollonia, in the East parts, neer the Promontorie called Zephyrium, in the confines of Libya or Marmarica. 2. Cyrene, in the West of that; once of such power, that it c•ntended with Carthage for some preheminencies: Then the chief Lady of this tract, which it gave this name to. The birth place of Eratosthenes the Mathematician, Callimachus the Poet, and of that Simon of Cyrene▪ whom the Jewes compelled to carry our Saviours Crosse. 3. Ptolemais, betwixt Cyrene and Arsinee, built or repaired by Ptolomie Philadelphus; the Episcopal City of Synesius, a learned and religious Bishop of the Primitive times, as appears by his Epistles extant. 4. Arsinoe, on the East side of the River Lathon, so called in honour of Arsinoe, the sister of Philadelphus, and wife of Magas once King of this Country. 5 Berenice, on the Western bank of the said River; so called from Berenice the mother, or (another of the same name) the daughter of Magas: the furthest Town of all this Country, bordering on the Promontory called Boreum, and the greater Syrtis. This last a Quick sand very dangerous to Mariners, in compasse 635 miles, and by them carefully avoided. 6. Paliurus, more within the land, but on the borders of Liby• or Marmarica, South to Apollonia. 7 Aptungis, now Lungifari, by Ptolomie called Aptuchi Fanum. 8. Herculis Turris, the Tower of Hercules, near the greater Syrtis; erected in the honour of Hercules, his killing of the Dragon▪ and robbing the Orchards of the Hesperides of their golden Apples. Those Hesperides said to be Aegle, Arethusa, and Hesperethusa, the three daughters of Atlas: their Orchard placed by Ptolomie betwixt this Tower and Paliurus; by Pomponius, in the Atlantick Islands; by Virgil, in Mauritania Tingi•ania; by Plinie, both in Mauritania and this Cyrene; and possibly in all alike. 9 Zemythus. 10 Acabis, in the midlands; all worn out of memory. 11 Fessan, of greatest name now, though scarce worth the naming.

The old Inhabitants of this Country, were the Asbetae on the East, the Barcitae near the Greater-Syrtis, the Macatutae and Laganici, near the Mountains of Hercules; all probably descended from Naphtuhim the son of Mizraim, of whom there still remain some footsteps in Aptuchi Fanum, the •ane or Temple of Aptuchus. This Aptuchus by some mistakingly called Autuchus, and by the Grecians said to be the son of Cyrene, and the brother of Aristaeus: who being sent out to seek their fortunes, Aristaeus fell into the Isle named Ceos; and Aptuchus or Autuchus into Libya, both by them first planted. Neptune, the Deity of this Country, by the Egyptians called Neptitim, seems to come from Naphtuhim; most highly worshipped by this people, because he first taught them 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, the Art of training Horses to the Coach or Chariot; in which the Cyreneans after grew so expert, that they could drive their Chariots in a round or circle, and alwayes keep their Chariot-wheels in the self-same tract. Of no great power, till Battus a noble Spartan landing in this Country, had built the City of Cyrene; and founded it in so good a course of life and discipline, that in short time it came to have dominion over the most part of this Country, and to contend with Carthage about their territories. Warred on by Apryes King of Egypt, they sued unto the Greeks •or aid, and by their assistance overcame him. Long after which, falling at odds among themselves, they craved aid of Ptolomie the first of that race, by whom they were finally subdued. Left by him at his death to Magus, a son of his last wife by a former husband, whom he had married to Arsinoe one of his daughters; it came again to the Crown of Egypt, by the marriage of Berenice the daughter and heire of Magus, with the son of Ptolomie Philadelphus. Aliened from which Crown again, for the preserment of some of the younger Princes, and in the end given by one of the Ptolomies, the last king hereof, to the People of Rome. Reduced into the form of a Province by Augustus Caesar, by whom united in one Government with the Isle of Crete; but made a Province of it self by the following Emperours: never since separated from the fortune and affairs of Egypt, to which now we hasten.

That the Kingdom and Nation of Egypt was of great Antiquity, is not a matter to be doubted; the question in this point, betwixt them and the Scythian, being not easily decided. Whether it were so antient, as the Egyptians say, may perhaps be controverted. By them it was affirmed, that they had the memorie and storie of 13000 years, and a succession of 330 Kings in the time of Amasis the second, who was Cotemporary with Cyrus. Which number of years, if understood of Solarie years, measured by the course of the Sun, must not be allowed of, because it maketh them many thousand years older then the Creation: but if of Lunarie, which is most agreeable unto the Accompt of the Egyptians, who reckoned their years by moneths, it will amount unto no more then to 1000 or 1100 years, and so fall answerably to the times following after the Flood. But for their Kings, 330 in their reckonings, and those of 24 or 25 several Dynasti•s, the matter is not so soon made up: For either those Kings, must not be all Kings, or Supreme Lords of Egypt, as the Pharaohs were, but their several Regents or Vicegerents, armed with Regal power; those Dynasties not the successions of so many Regal families, but of their Substitutes and Lieutenants, many of which might live successively under one Supreme: or else we must needs look on Egypt, as distracted in those times into several kingdoms, amongst the Princes of those Dynasties before remembred: or finally, we must look for some of those Kings and Princes before the Flood. By either of these wayes, the business may be well agreed: For if that most of them were but the names of several Regents, (as probable enough it is) there might be many such in the reign of one King; according to the Kings fancie, the merit of particular persons, or the necessities of State: Changes of great Officers, especially if grown too great, are not new nor strange. If they were all Kings or Supreme Rulers, (as is also probable) we find not any thing of moment to perswade the contrary, but that many of them lived and reigned in their several parts (as in other Countries in those times) till the greater had devoured the less. Or if they were the names of such Soveraign Princes as had the sole command of Egypt before the Flood, (as some think they were) they might amount in all to so great a number, and so many Dynasties; the iniquity of those times, the ambition of great persons, and consequently the short lives of the Kings being duely pondered. That Egypt and most part of the world was peopled before the Flood, hath been already proved in our Generall Preface: If peopled, then no question under some form of Government, the names of which Governours (call them Kings, or Rulers, or what else we please) might be preserved in Egypt on pillars of brass or stone, or otherwise transmitted by tradition unto Cham the Father of Mizraim, by whom this Country was first planted after the Confusion of Babel. But that old stock of Kings and People being destroyed in the general Deluge, the Children of Mizraim succeeded next in their desolate dwellings: yet so, that the posterity of Chus and L•habim, two others of the sons of Cham, had their shares therein. From the first of which descended the Inhabitants of those parts of Egypt, which lay along the shores of the Red-Sea, or Golf of Arabia: in which respect not only one of the Nomi or Divisions bordering on the Isthmus, had the name of Arabia; but the people dwelling on those shores, were called Arabes, divided into the Arabes Azarei, and Arabes Adei. And from the other came that mixture of Nations, called Liby-Aegyptii▪ or Libyans and Egyptians intermixt together, inhabiting in Maraeotica and the Western parts. But though these People were derived from several Ancestors, they made one Nation in the totall: Subject to Mizraim as their chief, and after his decease, unto his Successors in the Kingdom of Egypt. Concerning whom we may observe, that in Cham our greatest Antiquaries finde the name of Iupiter Hammon; Mizraim they guess to be Osiris the great God of Egypt. To him succeeded Typhon not by right of blood, but by usurpation. Who dispossed by Lehabim, the brother of Mizraim (whom the Greeks call Hercules Egyptius) the Kingdom was restored to Orus the son of Osiris. During the time of these few Princes hapned all those things which are recorded in the Scriptures concerning Egypt: from the first going down of Abraham in the time of Osiris, to the advancement of Ioseph in the Reign of Orus: in which there passed the 15. 16. & 17. Dynasties of Regal Vice Royes; Lieutenants only, as I take it▪ to those mighty Princes. The Kings themselves called generally by the name of Pharaoh, though they had all their proper and peculiar names: as afterwards their Successors here had the name of Ptolomy, and the Roman Emperours, that of Caesar. Not troubling our selves therefore with their many Dynasties, we will lay down the Succession of their Kings, as well as we can; the disagreement of Historians and Chronologers, touching this Succession, being irreconcileable.