ANCIENT LIBYA

Evening Star, Issue 23817, 22 February 1941, Page 3

ANCIENT LIBYA

MINES, DIGGERS, AND LOTOS' EATERS [By Hr H. Lawson, Professor of Education.] Libya was little more than a name to most .people before the thrilling events of the past few weeks. Vet tins region has a Instore that goes baek at least as far as the time of David and Solomon in Jenisaieiu, and perhaps further still. For the first, ol European poets, describing the return of one of the Creek leaders from Troy, which was captured in the twelfth century, n.c;., makes him tell how in Jiis eight years’ voyaging baek to Greece he visited Sidon, Kgypt, Cyprus, -Ethiopia, and finally “ Libya, too, when: lambs from tbeii; birth bear horns on the forehead. There do the Hocks thrice yean in each revolving year. Never there laeketh abundance to any—to lord or to shepherd—either of sweet white milk, or of tlesii tor the table, or cheeses, .such an unfailing supply is afforded by (locks to the milker.”

It is not to be wondered at that in this region, somewhere near Cyrene, the Greek myth-makers had imagined the existence of the islands of Hesperides, where grow the golden apples guarded by the hundred-headed dragon that was slain by Heracles when he carried off the apples. All these marvels belong to the “ heroic” ago of Greece—i.e., the age of the heroes and demi-gods. Yet it is obvious that even then there was current a belief in the prodigious fertility of some parts of northern Africa. Some centuries later the (Leeks began their planting of colonies ail round the Mediterranean—Marseilles, for instance, about (j()(.( n.c., and Cyrene. probably 50 years earlier. The, Greeks’ curiosity and love of adventure made them seek out new lauds for sett lenient. A certain king consulted the oracle at Delphi about an impediment in bis speech, and the pythoness, or priestess, bade him establish a city in Libya. Several times the Greeks tried to make a settlement near or at Gyrene, each time under an oracle from the pythoness. But illluck attended their eflorts until the Libyans brought them to a spring called Apollo’s Fountain, saying; “ Here, Grecians, is the place that invited vou to make your home; for here the sky leaks.” The natives of Cyrene reailily welcomed strangers then, even as now the inhabitants are said to he welcoming British troops. The pythoness had again uttered a prophecy at Delphi: “He that is backward to share in the beautiful Libyan acres, sooner or later, I. warn him, will feel regret at his folly. And so a great multitude canto to Cyrene, with the inevitable result that tlie Libyans found themselves stripped of large portions of their land—exactly as in our own time the dwellers in that region were ousted by the Italians. One part of this fertile region was inhabited by the Lotophagi (lotoseaters). where grew the enchanter! lotos plant. blesses, with his comrades, as the red suit sank, drew nigh to this land :

And round about the keel with faces pale, Hark faces pale against that rosy llanio, The mild-eyed melancholy Lotoseaters came. Hraiiches they bore of that enchanted stem, Laden with fruit and flower, whereof they gave . To each, but whoso did receive ol them And taste, to him the gushing ol the wave Far. far away did seem to mourn and rave On alien shores; and il his lellow spake, His voice was thin, as voices from the grave; And deep asleep lie seemed, yet all awake, And music in his oars his heating heart did make.

Rut the Greek was no lotos-eater; his mind was too active tor that; lie wanted to louud cities —Cyreue, Barca, Benghazi, earlier Berenice. Of course, tile region of Libya was celebrated not only lor its fertility; it was the land also of desert and oasis. The father of history, Herodotus, visiting these parts of the ancient world about 45U me., has left the most fascinating account of them. Indeed, tie depicts the ancient world from Persia to Gibraltar in language that defies translation, it has such lucidity, such charm, such picturesqueuess. He speaks of the sand storms, even as the British troops do now. One tribe, for instance, went forth and reached the desert, “ hut there the south wind rose and buried them under heaps of sand.’ Yet, despite this. Herodotus several times declares that the Libyans are the healthiest of all peoples in the world; fhe Egyptians rank next. The Libyans themselves toJd Herodotus that they attributed their good health to the practice of burning the veins at tlie top of the children s heads at the age of four years 1 Herodotus, however, was a wise gentleman, so after relating this novel health exercise, he adds;/ 1 In all this I only repeat what is said by the Lillians. But he makes other statements about them which, if true, show' /hat the> made a contribution to civilisation; “ The loud cries uttered in our sacred rites conic from there. Likewise the Greeks learnt from the Libyans to yoke four horses to a chariot.” It seems strange to think that the cries which still occur in religious revivals have their prototvpe in the rites of Libya Antiqmi, and that the dashing four-in-hand is a product of Africa. Truly civilisation comes from the Mediteiraneanl , ~ It was at Cyreno that the Egyptians first made trial of the prowess of the Greeks, holding them in disdain; but the Greeks showed they were men of mettle and sent the Egyptians scurrying from the field—-or, rather, the tew ot them that survived. Of course, the great days of the Pharaohs were then swallowed up in the vast abysm of time- Egypt was overrun liy the Persian monarch, the Great King, as he was called. We regard the use of mines on land, and the name “diggers” for soldiers us being peculiarly modern—indeed, “ digger ” is practically synonymous with “ Anzac.” Yet these are old things from Libya. Herodotus tells how thc°King of Barca, near Cyrouc, had’been killed by some Cyreneans. The king’s mother, Pheretima, asked for Persian aid from Egypt to punish the murderers. “ So the Persians did beleaguer Barca for nine months, in the course of which, they dug several mines from their own lines to Hie walls. But their mines were discovered by a man who was a worker in brass, who went all about the fortress with a brazen shield, and laid it on the ground in many places within the city. Now. in some places the shield, when he laid it down, was quite dumb ; hut yet again, when the mine was below the ground, there

tlic ' brass of tho shield gave forth a sound. Here, therefore, the men of Barca countermined and slew the Persian diggers.” The rest; of the .story is worth telling. Plieretinia was evidently a she-devil. She had the Bareaean prisoners nailed to crosses all round the walls of the city. She also “ cut off the breasts of their wives and likewise fastened them about this walls.” But Herodotus is not only an historian—he has a belie!— the divine oversight which does not pass by wrongdoing. His concluding paragraph on Libya runs: “ Nor did Plieretinia herself end her days in happiness. Lor on returning to Egypt she was straightway overtaken by a most horrid death. Her body swarmed with worms, which ate her flesh while she was still alive. Thus do men, by overharsh punishments, draw down upon themselves the anger of the gods.” Bible readers will recall how Herod Agrippa died. “ The angel of the Lord smote him . . . and he was eaten of worms and gave up the ghost,” Plieretinia has passed into oblivion, the Golden Apples and the Lotoplagi remain as two pretty Greek myths, but old Libya —Libya Antiqna—remains a land of great fertility, a land of desert, and stilT a land of war. Perhaps one day a now Libya—Libya Felix—will arise, where war will he unknown. But the desert will remain.