Historical Dissertation on Abaris

to be held, according to the opinion of many, that it extended beyond the river Danube, which in ancient times had the name of Ister, from the region of Bulgaria (which was once called Moesia and in this day is divided into Upper Bulgaria or Serbia and Lower Bulgaria or Bulgaria properly so-called) up to Russia, namely as far as the rise of the river Dnieper original: "Borysthenis", and thus encompassed a great part of Poland, Hungary, and Russia. Indeed, Cluverius (η) attempts to show that the ancient Germans, Gauls, Spaniards, Britons, and Illyrians were called by the name of Scythians. Strabo (ϑ) teaches that ancient Greek writers supposed all peoples living toward the north were called Scythians, to which Pliny the Elder (ι) and Isidore (κ) also agree. Writers everywhere report that these European Scythians were further divided into various peoples, among whom they believe the Hyperboreans claimed no last place. Although I must admit that there are not lacking those who altogether deny that a people of that name ever existed, but affirm that all who arrived from far-removed regions were so called, in whose number Herodotus (λ) is also offended, to whose arguments Strabo (μ) responds quite prolixly. Stephanus of Byzantium (ν) reports that Protarchus believed the Alps and all peoples who lived across the Alps were so called: "Protarchus," he says, "claims that the Alps were called the Rhipaean mountains, and that all who inhabited the regions beyond the Alpine mountains were called Hyperboreans." Jacob Perizonius (ξ) says that the Hyperboreans were called in the most ancient times primarily those "who, having advanced their settlements from Asia through the north and after their wanderings finally penetrated into Greece and established sacred rites there; then, truly, all those who inhabited the parts beyond the northern peoples of Europe, near and known to Greece."

Footnotes preserved: (τ) Bibl. Hist. L. II. p. 89. seq. ed. H. Stephani 1559. f. (υ) Geogr. L. II. p. 74. ed. Paris. 1620. f. (φ) Semestr. VIII. ed. Paris. 1611.