Pygmies in Roman Literature

Pygmies in Roman Literature

But uncertainty did remain up into Roman times. Virgil in his Georgics uses the term "Indian" where "Ethiopian" would make more sense.¹(Vergil 4.290-294) This use of Indian stems from the ancient confusion inherited from the Greeks as to where the Nile originated. So several centuries later, inner Africa and its people were still pretty much a mystery to Romans.

Pliny in the Natural Histories falls into the same trap as Virgil and locates a tribe of Pygmies in India.² (Pliny 6.22.70 & 7.2.25) Pliny actually cites Pygmies several times locating them throughout the known and the semi-known world. For instance,

the whole of this region [Northern Thrace] was occupied by the Scythian tribe called the Ploughmen, their towns being ... Geramia, stated to have been the abode of the race of Pigmies: their name in the local dialect used to be Catizi, and there is a belief that they were driven away by cranes. ³(Pliny 4.11.4)
Pliny brings back the Egyptian folk story of the cranes. In this case, however, Pliny has moved the location across the sea to Thrace. But also the cranes have won out and driven the Pygmies away so that the land is available for the Scythians to move in. But Pliny shows that he is aware of their history in literature and folk tale. But his mention of them long ago in Thrace seems to lend credit that he too was not certain of their location. While a race of pygmies might have once lived there, most likely Pliny demonstrates the general ignorance that existed about pygmies at the time.

<-Greek Basis Roman Authors,cont. ->

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But uncertainty did remain up into Roman times. Virgil in his Georgics uses the term "Indian" where "Ethiopian" would make more sense.¹(Vergil 4.290-294) This use of Indian stems from the ancient confusion inherited from the Greeks as to where the Nile originated. So several centuries later, inner Africa and its people were still pretty much a mystery to Romans.

Pliny in the Natural Histories falls into the same trap as Virgil and locates a tribe of Pygmies in India.² (Pliny 6.22.70 & 7.2.25) Pliny actually cites Pygmies several times locating them throughout the known and the semi-known world. For instance,

the whole of this region [Northern Thrace] was occupied by the Scythian tribe called the Ploughmen, their towns being ... Geramia, stated to have been the abode of the race of Pigmies: their name in the local dialect used to be Catizi, and there is a belief that they were driven away by cranes. ³(Pliny 4.11.4)

Pliny brings back the Egyptian folk story of the cranes. In this case, however, Pliny has moved the location across the sea to Thrace. But also the cranes have won out and driven the Pygmies away so that the land is available for the Scythians to move in. But Pliny shows that he is aware of their history in literature and folk tale. But his mention of them long ago in Thrace seems to lend credit that he too was not certain of their location. While a race of pygmies might have once lived there, most likely Pliny demonstrates the general ignorance that existed about pygmies at the time.

<-Greek Basis Roman Authors,cont. ->