Category: Issedones
The Issedones were the northernmost realistic people visited by Aristeas in the Arimaspeia, at the beginning of the ascent of the Rhipai mountains, before Aristeas encountered monsters (Arimasps and griffins) and the supernaturally sheltered nation of Hyperboreans.
The Arimaspeia’s description of the Issedones seems to have corresponded with a location somewhere on the ascent from the south of the Caucasus mountains. However, no ancient text says that anyone besides Aristeas ever met Issedones, and no ancient text equates Issedones with any identifiable people. All references to Issedones in ancient literature appear to be based exclusively on the Arimaspeia and traditions of interpreting it. Classical and later writers mostly located the Issedones in various places near the outer edges of their own known worlds.
Six lines of the Arimaspeia: ‘Issedoi’ describing Arimasps
Posted in Arimasps, Author and poem, Issedones[So say] the Issedoi, glorying in their flowing hair, that there are men sharing a border above them, near Boreas, many and very brave warriors, rich in horses, of many sheep, of many cows. And…
Herodotos on Aristeas’ account of his journey
Posted in Arimasps, Author and poem, Eastern Sea, Extracorporeal travel, Griffins, Hyperboreans, Issedones, Kimmerians, Rhipai mountains, Seizure and possession, SkythiansAnd Aristeas son of Kaustrobios, a man of Prokonnesos, composed verses saying he reached the Issedones while seized by Apollo; and dwelling above the Issedones, the one-eyed Arimasps-men; and above them, the gold-guarding griffins; and…
Herodotos claims Aristeas traveled no further than the Issedones
Posted in Author and poem, Extracorporeal travel, IssedonesAnd as for the land that this account has begun to talk about, no one knows exactly what there is above it, for truly I am able to find no one who claims to know…
Damastes on Skythians, Issedones, Arimasps, the Rhipai and Hyperboreans
Posted in Arimasps, Hyperboreans, Issedones, Rhipai mountains, SkythiansHyperboreoi: a nation. […] And Damastes in his On Nations: that the Issedones lived up from the Skythians; and the Arimasps further up from them; and up from the Arimasps the Rhipai mountains, from which…
A scrap of scholarly commentary on Damastes, Hellanikos, Persia, Arabia and Issedones
Posted in Abaris, Arabia, Issedones[…] nation […] Persia […] went to meet […] to Arabia […] also in Damastes [name of book]. [… three undeciphered lines …]of the Arabians […] Hellanikos in Foundations [of Nations and Cities] says […]…