Myrmekes

The ant is a gold arisen in Greek and Roman mythology, mythical creatures. It occurs the first time in the history of Herodotus. Another use is also found in the Natural History of Pliny the Elder Latin author. The gold ant is also called gold grave giants ant.

Properties

The properties of gold grave giant ant heard their enormous size. The remarks of Herodotus, § 102-105, according to the ants in his Histories in the third book " smaller than dogs but larger than foxes ." Next Herodotus describes it as the fastest animals. There would be no animal which is faster than them. While digging of underground tunnels that they dig because of their sensitivity to heat, they promoted gold to the surface.

Use

Herodotus

The use of gold ants in Herodotus' Histories is done well due to a lack of knowledge of Herodotus. He describes the history, the basic requirements for the Persian war. This includes pay tribute to the Persian King Darius I of Indian tribes. The high volume of gold in this region he can not explain it any other way. Another reason is the expectation of the reader to a description of India in the time of ancient Greece. But probably this herodoteische fable also contains a kernel of truth: Herodotus' gold ants are after the research of anthropologists Michel Peissel with living in the Himalayas, golden marmots equate. This idea already expressed the Briton Alexander Cunningham, who suspected as a possible Ladakh land of gold grave ants. Also, it was considered that it could be at the Gold ants to people who dressed in skins, look from afar like grave end for gold animals.

The size of the animals according to Herodotus, a special feature of India. In India, all the animals are larger than in other countries, according to Herodotus. It 's no wonder that applies only to the giant ants, but has general validity for almost all animals.

The ants are described in Herodotus' Histories according to the ideas of ancient people from the edge of the world. Examples for a description of the edges of the world supply Hekateios of Miletus and other geographers of antiquity. They are role models and sources of Herodotus.

Pliny the Elder

Pliny the Elder adds the descriptions of Herodotus in his Historia naturalis 11,111 add anything. He accepts the description of Herodotus in Latin translation.