Cassiterides

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Strabon's map of Europe with the Kassiteriden on the left edge

The Kassiteriden ( ancient Greek Κασσίτερος Kassiteros , Latin Cassiterides insulae ) were a legendary group of islands off the British coast in ancient geography .

An alternative German name is Zinninseln , as it is said that there were tin mines there , which were first visited by the Phoenicians . An island of Iktis is named as the main trading place for the tin trade , under which the Isle of Wight is assumed.

The ancient Greek geographer Strabon describes the islands in his main work Geographica as follows:

The Cassiterids are ten in number and lie close together, far north in the ocean in front of the Artaber port. One of the islands is uninhabited; the others inhabited by people who are dressed in black coats and girdled coats that reach down to their feet; they carry long sticks when walking and are thus an image of the Erinyes in our tragedy games. They mostly live as shepherds from their flocks. But they also have mines in which tin and lead are extracted, and the merchants sell hides, pottery, salt and copper dishes for these metals. Long before our time, the Phoenicians had trade relations with them alone and hid the sea route there from all others.

The ancient authors who called Kassiterīden include:

Web links

Remarks

  1. Brigantium in northwest Spain, today La Coruña
  2. Strabo Geography 3.5.11