Troglodytae

Several ancient authors describe troglodytes ( cave dwellers), including Herodotus, Strabo and Hanno the Navigator.

Name

The name first appears as Trogodytai Aithiopes ( Τρωγοδύται Αἰθίοπες ) by Herodotus as the name of a reptile -eating tribe in southern Libya. The etymology of this name is unknown.

With the ( erroneous ) derivation from trogle ( τρώγλη " cave " ) and dynai ( δῦναι " immerse " ) the name was then based on all kinds of caves inhabiting peoples.

Mentioned by Herodotus " aitiopischen " troglodytes are more fully described by Artemidorus: They lived as nomadic herdsmen, were wont women 's and children's community and were possibly the ancestors of today living in the central Sahara Tubu.

The shape Trogodytai remained in Ptolemaic Egypt continuous manner to the 1st century BC One, referred to as " aitiopische Trogodytai " predominantly Nubian tribes, otherwise known as " Trogodytai " the inhabitants of the African coast of the Red Sea. In the Roman authors in the form Trogodytae was almost always used, but also as a general term for cave dwellers.

Troglodytes on the Red Sea

Strabo and the anonymous Periplus Maris Erythraei describe troglodytes in the southern Red Sea. In your area, among others, was the major port Berenike.

Strabo reports:

"The countries on both sides below Meroe live along the Nile to the Red Sea and the Megabarer Blemmyes, obeying the Ethiopians, but adjacent to Egypt; the sea, the troglodytes or cave Wohner. Those troglodytes east of Meroe are the Nile ten or twelve days ' journey away. "

The Periplus Maris Erythraei she describes as "fish eaters" ( Ichtyophagoi ) who live in scattered caves in narrow valleys. Living South of them the barbarians ( barbaroi ), further inland hunting peoples ( "Wild Meat Eater " ) and collector ( mosxophagoi "branches - eaters" ) under their respective chiefs.

In the near Adulis were after the Periplus small sandy Alalaei Islands, where the fish eaters turtle shell brought for exchange.

Pliny the Elder mentions an island in the Red Sea with the name Topazos. The word topazin was troglodyte and means " search", because the island lies often hidden in the fog. The word is in Latin to the name of the corresponding semi-precious stone, the modern precious olivine, become. Schäfer heads that word of Nubian tube ( search ) or tubesun, " you sought " from Murray of tabesin, " I / we were looking for ." The Troglodytes have therefore spoken a Nubian language.

According to Pliny the Troglodytes had also seagoing ships. The island Cytis - probably the St. John Island - on the topazes are also to be found, had been discovered by devious storm troglodytic pirates.

It is the land of the Troglodytes a " source of the sun " ( fons solis ) have announced that delivered warm salt water at lunchtime cold fresh water and at night.

Troglodytes in zoology

Carl Linnaeus ordered the Troglodytes, together with the orang- utan, the satyrs, Kakurlacko and chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) as homo nocturnus in the second race of the order primates.

The term " troglodytes " as a zoological name ( Linnaeus, in Systema Naturae, 10th edition, 1758), however, both the wrens - who like to build their nests spherical and often close to the ground, sometimes under the earth - and so as the only species in Eurasia as one of the smallest birds in Europe: the wren, troglodytes troglodytes, in binomial nomenclature as epithet.