herodotus

185. As far as these Atlantians I am able to mention in order thenames of those who are settled in the belt of sand; but for the partsbeyond these I can do so no more. However, the belt extends as far asthe Pillars of Heracles and also in the parts outside them: and thereis a mine of salt in it at a distance of ten days' journey from theAtlantians, and men dwelling there; and these all have their housesbuilt of the lumps of salt, since these parts of Libya which we havenow reached[167] are without rain; for if it rained, the walls beingmade of salt would not be able to last: and the salt is dug up thereboth white and purple in colour.[168] Above the sand-belt, in theparts which are in the direction of the South Wind and towards theinterior of Libya, the country is uninhabited, without water andwithout wild beasts, rainless and treeless, and there is no trace ofmoisture in it.186. I have said that from Egypt as far as the lake Tritonis Libyansdwell who are nomads, eating flesh and drinking milk; and these do nottaste at all of the flesh of cows, for the same reason as theEgyptians also abstain from it, nor do they keep swine. Moreover thewomen of the Kyrenians too think it not right to eat cows' flesh,because of the Egyptian Isis, and they even keep fasts and celebratefestivals for her; and the women of Barca, in addition from cows'flesh, do not taste of swine either. 187. Thus it is with thesematters: but in the region to the West of lake Tritonis the Libyanscease to be nomads, and they do not practise the same customs, nor doto their children anything like that which the nomads are wont to do;for the nomad Libyans, whether all of them I cannot say for certain,but many of them, do as follows:--when their children are four yearsold, they burn with a greasy piece of sheep's wool the veins in thecrowns of their heads, and some of them burn the veins of the temples,so that for all their lives to come the cold humour may not run downfrom their heads and do them hurt: and for this reason it is (theysay) that they are so healthy; for the Libyans are in truth the mosthealthy of all races concerning which we have knowledge, whether forthis reason or not I cannot say for certain, but the most healthy theycertainly are: and if, when they burn the children, a convulsion comeson, they have found out a remedy for this; for they pour upon them thewater of a he-goat and so save them. I report that which is reportedby the Libyans themselves. 188. The following is the manner ofsacrifice which the nomads have:--they cut off a part of the animal'sear as a first offering and throw it over the house,[169] and havingdone this they twist its neck. They sacrifice only to the Sun and theMoon; that is to say, to these all the Libyans sacrifice, but thosewho dwell round the lake Tritonis sacrifice most of all to Athene, andnext to Triton and Poseidon. 189. It would appear also that theHellenes made the dress and the /aigis/ of the images of Athene after