Nature, in her ingenuity, has created all these marvels in the human race, with others of a similar nature, as so many amusements to herself, though they appear miraculous to us. These people, he says, dwell not very far from the Troglodytæ to the west of whom again there is a tribe who are without necks, and have eyes in their shoulders. The same people are also called Sciapodæ,: because they are in the habit of lying on their backs, during the time of the extreme heat, and protect themselves from the sun by the shade of their feet. He speaks also of another race of men, who are known as Monocoli, who have only one leg, but are able to leap with surprising agility. According to the story, as given by Ctesias, the number of these people is more than a hundred and twenty thousand: and the same author tells us, that there is a certain race in India, of which the females are pregnant once only in the course of their lives, and that the hair of the children becomes white the instant they are born. Instead of speaking, they bark and, furnished with claws, they live by hunting and catching birds. On many of the mountains again, there is a tribe of men who have the heads of dogs, and clothe themselves with the skins of wild beasts. This race is said to carry on a perpetual warfare with the Griffins, a kind of monster, with wings, as they are commonly represented, for the gold which they dig out of the mines, and which these wild beasts retain and keep watch over with a singular degree of cupidity, while the Arimaspi are equally desirous to get possession of it. In the vicinity also of those who dwell in the northern regions, and not far from the spot from which the north wind arises, and the place which is called its cave, and is known by the name of Geskleithron, the Arimaspi are said to exist, whom I have previously mentioned, a nation remarkable for having but one eye, and that placed in the middle of the forehead. What do you think the following extract from Pliny’s Natural History tells us about the Roman’s view of the world? Sea Monster, Sala Rotunda, Vatican Museums, Rome. (Athenaeus, The Deipnosophists, 1.36, click for link) And not only one day, but all the days in an entire year, would be too short for a man who should attempt to enumerate all the cities which might be enumerated as discernible in that uranopolis of the Romans, the city of Rome so numerous are they.-For indeed some entire nations are settled there, as the Cappadocians, the Scythians, the people of Pontus, and many others.
And he will not be far out who pronounces the city of the Romans an epitome of the whole earth for in it you may see every other city arranged collectively, and many also separately for instance, there you may see the golden city of the Alexandrians, the beautiful metropolis of Antioch, the surpassing beauty of Nicomedia and besides all these that most glorious of all the cities which Jupiter has ever displayed, I mean Athens. Rome may fairly be called the nation of the world. How many nationalities are present in Rome according to Athenaeus? Can you locate these places on a modern day map? Which nationality does Athenaeus say is the best? Can you guess the nationality of Athenaeus? This is Rome, a state formed by the gathering of nations. In this blog you will find ancient literary sources which shed some light on what Romans thought of the world around them and of the various people who lived together in the crowded and bustling city of Rome. What did Romans think of these foreigners who were constantly becoming incorporated into the city’s population? Hairstyles and fashion from all the nations of the Empire could be seen in the city, and their languages and accents could be heard on its streets and public places. At the point in which the Empire expanded to its furthest limit we find Rome a city of wondrous variety. Ancient Rome had through much of its history an incredibly diverse population.
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