Above the coastline of Libya, and beyond the lands inhabited by the maritime tribes, the country changes greatly. This inland region is full of wild animals. Many fierce beasts live there, making travel dangerous. Beyond this area of wild creatures, the land becomes even more hostile. There is a vast region made entirely of sand, with very little water. This place is completely barren and empty, a true desert where almost nothing can survive Ephesus Sightseeing.
Because of these harsh conditions, only the bravest travelers dare to enter these lands. The climate is extremely dry, and the lack of water makes long journeys very difficult.
The Journey of the Young Explorers
The young men chosen by the Nasamonians were sent on their mission with a large supply of water and food. Their companions prepared them carefully, knowing the dangers ahead. At first, the travelers passed through inhabited regions where people lived and helped one another. After leaving these settled lands, they entered the region filled with wild animals.
Once they passed through the wild beast territory, they finally reached the desert itself. This desert stretched endlessly before them. They traveled across it from east to west, moving day after day over vast fields of sand. The journey was long and exhausting, and the heat was intense.
A Strange Discovery in the Desert
After many days of travel, the explorers came upon something unexpected. In the middle of the desert, they reached a plain where trees were growing. This sight surprised them greatly, as life was rare in such a dry land. When they approached the trees, they saw that the branches were full of fruit Knowledge of the Nile River.
Hungry and tired, the men began to gather and eat the fruit. While they were doing this, a group of strange people suddenly appeared. These men were shorter than average in height and looked very different from the Nasamonians.
Captured by Unknown People
The small men seized the explorers and carried them away. The Nasamonians could not understand a single word of their language, nor could the captors understand the Nasamonians. There was no way to communicate between them.
The captives were led across wide marshes filled with water and plants. Eventually, they reached a town. All the men in this town were the same height as their captors and had dark skin. The town stood beside a great river that flowed from west to east. This river was wide and powerful, and crocodiles lived in its waters.
The Story of Etearchus and the River
At this point, Etearchus the Ammonian ended his story. He added that, according to the people of Cyrene, the Nasamonians later returned safely to their own land. Etearchus also claimed that the people living by the river were known as sorcerers, skilled in magic.
Etearchus believed that the great river near the town was the Nile. This idea seems reasonable. The Nile flows out of Libya and runs through the middle of the land. Using what is known to guess what is unknown, he believed the Nile rises at about the same distance from its mouth as the river Ister.
A Comparison with the River Ister
The Ister, known today as the Danube, begins in the land of the Celts near a city called Pyrene. It flows across Europe, dividing the continent into two parts. The Celts lived beyond the Pillars of Hercules and near the Cynesians, who lived at the far western edge of Europe.
The Ister flows across all of Europe before finally emptying into the Euxine Sea at Istria, a colony founded by the Milesians. In the same way, Etearchus believed the Nile might flow across Libya from its source to its mouth, making it one of the greatest rivers in the known world.
