70 EARLY GEOGRAPHICAL SPECULATIONS. [CHAP.

respectively the lands towards the east and towards the west, for
there is no other position on the borders of the two continents
where they could have had that force. Libya, on the other hand,
which, as we have already seen1, is mentioned in the Odyssey,
received its name from the principal native race with which the
Greek settlers were brought into contact, in the same way as
Italy was so called from the tribe of Itali in the southern part of
that country, and Sicily from the Siccls. The name of Africa,
which was given to it by the Romans, was borrowed by them
from the Carthaginians, who thus designated the part of the
continent in which their city was placed.

The knowledge of the world which was possessed by the

1 Hecataeus of I°nians of *'s time was embodied in the work of

Miletus (drc. Hecataeus of Miletus, who was the first person to

Father of GCO- write a treatise on that subject, and for that reason

may rightly be called the Father of Geography, as
Herodotus is termed the Father of History. In the character of
a politician he is conspicuous at the time of the
w?8dom°.Utical Ionian revolt, on account of the prudent and
patriotic advice which he gave to his fellow-country-
men on that occasion. When Aristagoras by specious repre-
sentations tried to induce the lonians to rise against the Persians,
Hecataeus, we are told, stood alone in endeavouring to dissuade
them by pointing out to them the magnitude of the resources of
Darius; and when he failed in this, he urged them to provide
themselves with a naval force, and for this purpose to make use
of the treasures laid up in the temple at Branchidae, which other-
wise would certainly fall into the hands of their opponents*. This
advice also was rejected. Again, when the commencement of the
insurrection was unfavourable to the lonians, and there was a
prospect of the Persian fleet appearing off their coasts, while
Aristagoras was in favour of emigrating to Sardinia or to Myrcinus
in Thrace, Hecataeus advised that they should occupy the
neighbouring island of Leros, and watch from thence the progress
of events; but he was no more successful in inciting them to bold
measures, than he had previously been in restraining their head-
1 supra, p. 26. » Herod. 5. 36.