[title] Gaius Julius Solinus, Polyhistor: De mirabilibus mundi, c. 250 Rome [img] Polyhistor-Rome-18.jpg Hercules’s chapel Hercules’s club Jupiter Foretrius’s temple armour of Acron Venus temple breastplate decorated with British pearls gown of pearls valued at 400,000 sestertius belonging to Lollia Paulina, wife of Caius Alectorius stone things that resemble one another a French boy and an Asian boy enslaved to Antony Roman spoils by Lucius Sicinius [img] Polyhistor-LuciusSicinius-35.jpg horsetrappers pure spears bracelets crowns by Marcus Sergius a hand of iron civil crowns from Thrasymenus from Trebia from Pauy from Canuas Italy [img] Polyhistor-Italy-43.jpg stony fields in Lombardy image of Diana of Scythia in Arricia image of Venus in Laurent image of Pallas of Diomed in Laurent burned books of Sybil burning wood at Mountain Soractee stones stone of lynx urine [annotation_ts] If stones are perceived as objects of urine, how can it still be a material stone? draws things near qualifies grief of rains remedies King’s evil coral in Ligurian sea withstands whirlwinds withstands thunder and lightning syrtite in Lucania Veientine stone Corsica [img] Polyhistor-Catochite-55.jpg Catochite stone Sardinia silver mines sardonia herb still pools full of fish warm springs knits broken bones expels poison of the Shonsunnes cures diseases of the eyes blinds thieves Sicily [img] Polyhistor-Sicily-Agate-58.jpg fruit of Centuripe engines of Archimedes salt salt of Agrigento purple salt of Enna transparent salt of Pachino musical instruments made of reeds precentories vasks maidenpipes gingrenes milvines Lydians Corinthians Egyptians oil on lake of Agrigento sacrificial vines on the Vulcan hill agate ring of King Pyrrhus with image of nine muses coral agates of Crete Indian agate myrrh-scented agate clear agate of Cyprus Greece fountains of mountain Tomarus holy well of Epyre galactite of Nylus and Achelous makes a nursing woman give milk makes a child swallow spittle erases memory asbestos honey of Hymet first garments of fine-spun wool in Ceos two rivers of Baeotia one makes sheep’s fleece russet one makes sheep’s fleece white Thessaly [img] Polyhistor-Thessaly-71.jpg altar to Jupiter objects protected from wind objects protected from air Aster’s arrow that blinded the eye of Philip II Macedonia great stones at Phlegra images of gold to Apollo at Delphos to Jupiter at Elis paeantis [garnet] [img] Polyhistor-Paeantis-72.jpg Thrace husbands chosen according to their mercantile skills Crete first skilled shooting Pyrrhic dance in armour invention of music on brass Idaeus dactylus stone [Belemnite fossils] Caristos Hellops hot baths inflammable fine linen brass Paros Parian marble sarda stone [carnelian] Hellespont [Dardanelles] a bridge of ships made by Xerxes Ister beaver testicles pontica stone [agate or sapphire] River Borysthenes [Dniepr] [img] Polyhistor-ScythianStones-92.jpg local customs Neuri worship swords Gelnoians make clothing and horse armour of human skin Agathyrses use blue face-paint Essedons drink out of their neighbours’ skulls bound with gold Georgians till the land Axiaces do not covet goods Satarches condemn use of gold and silver Scythians drink out of their enemies’ skulls Scythian stones emerald plain brazen cyan male female crystal drinking glasses Caspian Sea leopard’s bane [genus Aconitum] used to poison panthers [img] Polyhistor-LeopardsBane-100.jpg Harts horns drive away serpents show sickness treat flu Germany glowing bird-feathers cups made of aurochs horns Scandinavia crystal amber callais [turquoise] ceraunia [prehistoric stone artefacts] Gallia [img] Polyhistor-ChirurgeonsOil-110.jpg chirurgeon’s oil Britain swords trimmed with teeth of monsters keels of wicker and cow’s leather Silures [Welsh] barter rather than use money King has nothing but takes of ever man chapel of Minerva turns coal embers to stone jet burns in water goes out in oil gives power when warm absorbs things Spain silver gold iron vines olives corn ship’s cables salt mines wool dyed with sinople ceraunia [prehistoric stone artefacts] lead in the isles of the Cassiterides [Briére marshes] Libya down-coloured leaves euphorbia herb clears eyesight expels venoms flutes cymbals Mauritania cinnabar of dragon’s blood Numidia [Algeria] marble one hundred bears shown at great theatre of Rome by Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus Africa [img] Polyhistor-Heliotrope-127.jpg stone of the hyena’s eye gives the power of prophecy poisons dipsas kills with thirst hypnale kills with sleep heliotrope [bloodstone] alters colours of sunbeams in a brass pan makes bearer invisible when mingled with heliotrope herb nasamonite Ammon’s horn stone [ammonite fossils] brings heavenly dreams [annotation_ts] immaterial effect derived from material object? ammoniacum [gum-resin] of melons tree milk of sirpe [silphium resin] cockatrice carcass hung in net of gold in Temple of Apollo Nation of the Hammanians [Ghadames, Libya] houses of salt carbuncles Garama [Germa, Libya] fountain in Debris cold in daytime hot at nighttime Ethiopia paper made of rushes Macrobians decked with brass Heliutrapeza [Meroë] is continually furnished with dainty fare lake water makes bodies look anointed with oil wholesome to drink so thin that leaves sink to the bottom stone from dragon brain cinnamon jacinth chrysolamp [peridot] hematite Nations of Libya hexecontalithos stone Gamphasants abstain from wares and merchandise Egypt cup of gold cast into Nile to celebrate birth day of Apis drink made of Nile skinks ease numbness of sinews kill force of poison fig wood gates of Thebes [Luxor] where Arabians bring merchandise from all parts of the world pyramids Arabia [img] Polyhistor-Arabia-157.jpg [annotation_ts] Arabia as in the Middle East? fountain on Red Sea shore turns sheep’s fleece deep yellow goat-hair tents of the Scenitæ [Malians] Eudaemon [Aden] hill made by hand spices frankincense myrrh cinnamon-twig nests made by cinnamon birds Arabians do not buy wares of other nations stones sardonyx malachite iris [quartz] in the Red Sea androdamant [fluorite] pederote [opal] Jaffa rock marked by chains of Andromeda Jewry [Israel] [img] Polyhistor-Jewry-163.jpg bitumen from Lake Asphaltites [Dead Sea] balm [balsam] apple of Sodom Rivers Euphrates and Tigris precious stones zmilaces [cat’s eye] sagda attaches to bottom of ships’ keels myrrhite mithridax tecolithos [solvent stone] breaks up kidney stones ammochryse aetites [hollow geode] contains a spirit protects pregnant women from early delivery pyrite burns when compressed chalazias echites dionysias glossopetre [shark tooth] jewel of the sun Venus’s hair stone [quartz crystal] selenite meconite [oolite] myrmekite chalcophthongos siderite stirs discord phlogites anthracias [carbuncle] enhydros [enhydro agate] Cilicia saffron at Corycus chapel of Jupiter couch of the Giant Typhon Lesser Asia [Anatolia] [img] Polyhistor-LesserAsia-173.jpg saffron on mount Tmolus gold in river Pactolus Assyria [Mesopotamia] ointments Caspian Gates stones yield moisture that congeals into ice River Oxus [Amu Darya] altar of Liber Pater altar of Hercules altar of Semiramis altar of Cyrus temple of Apollo at Didyma Seres [Northern Chinese] silk eschew foreign merchandise India metals gold soil silver soil garments linen wool tree bark wood green bay box ebony images of the gods unpoisonable cups fountain of Ganges plants vines reed knotted boats pepper calamus sweet odour remedy for bowels gems diamond uses drives away franticness resists venoms expels vain fears source crystal impervious to iron and fire can be broken when steeped in goat’s blood gold copper mines lychnite [Parian marble] oriental purple sheer scarlet beryl red and deep blue with green chrysoberyl chrysoprase bastard jacinth Taprobane [Sri Lanka/Sumatra] [img] Polyhistor-Taprobane-201.jpg mother pearls white if water is pure coloured or stained with red if water is troubled brighter with morning dew dimmer with evening dew precious stones coins of equal weight stamped with different faces syrma [skirt] convicted king is punished with death through forbidding him the use of all things sea tortoise shell used as a house golden cups set with jewels checkered marble Carmania [Kerman, Iran] clothing made of fishskin Persia gold is bought and buried in Babytace [a city of Persis] to prevent covetousness units of measure schemes parasanges unknown Parthia [img] Polyhistor-TombOfKingCyrus-208.jpg Pasargadae castle tomb of King Cyrus Atlantic islands ship made of wood covered with leather venomed darts skin of Gorgon women hung in the Temple of Juno reeds as big as trees black yield bitter liquor white yield good juice fields full of fruitful trees dates pineapples honeyn