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But the boundaries of Europe are quite unknown, and there is not a
man who can say whether any sea girds it round either on the north or on
the east, while in length it undoubtedly extends as far as both the
other two. For my part I cannot conceive why three names, and
women's names especially, should ever have been given to a tract which
is in reality one, nor why the Egyptian Nile and the Colchian
Phasis (or according to others the Maeotic Tanais and Cimmerian
ferry) should have been fixed upon for the boundary lines; nor can I
even say who gave the three tracts their names, or whence they took the
epithets. According to the Greeks in general, Libya was so called
after a certain Libya, a native woman, and Asia after the wife of
Prometheus. The Lydians, however, put in a claim to the latter
name, which, they declare, was not derived from Asia the wife of
Prometheus, but from Asies, the son of Cotys, and grandson of
Manes, who also gave name to the tribe Asias at Sardis. As for
Europe, no one can say whether it is surrounded by the sea or not,
neither is it known whence the name of Europe was derived, nor who
gave it name, unless we say that Europe was so called after the
Tyrian Europe, and before her time was nameless, like the other
divisions. But it is certain that Europe was an Asiatic, and never
even set foot on the land which the Greeks now call Europe, only
sailing from Phoenicia to Crete, and from Crete to Lycia. However
let us quit these matters. We shall ourselves continue to use the
names which custom sanctions.
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