Ancient Historians and Their Tales of Bizarre Tribes
Ancient Greek and Roman historians captivated their audiences with accounts of bizarre tribes dwelling on the periphery of the known world. Their customs were odd and their appearances even more fantastical. They represented the ever-present fascination with the world and its wonders. Historians like Herodotus, the Father of History, Diodorus Siculus, Pausanias, Philostratus, and Ctesias infused their narratives with observations and sensational stories, contributing to a mythic portrayal of distant lands. In his Natural History, Pliny the Elder compiled an impressive array of information on numerous exotic tribes, making him the primary source for much of what was known and further inspiring those who came after him. His work would flourish through the Middle Ages, giving new meaning to the unknown and enigmatic. With all the marvelous, imaginative, and fanciful depictions of curious tribes passed down through time, what better place to start than the beginning.
Hairy Men and Dog-Headed Hunters
The Atlas Mountains of Libya had long been a place of obscurity to the ancients; many awe-inspiring myths and tales originated from this rugged landscape. Venturing travelers often spoke about the strange tribes of people that roamed these rolling hills. Most, coincidentally, shared a likeness in appearance to Pan, god of the wild, or the satyr, mischievous and covered in hair. The Satyros Libys and the Aigipan Libys were feral, uninhibited men supposedly encountered by the wise, miracle worker Apollonius of Tyana and recorded by Pliny the Elder. To the west, along the Ethiopian Nile, Philostratus documented yet another of Apollonius’s adventurous trials with these strange men.
While traveling through a small Ethiopian village, Apollonius and his companions were startled by the villagers’ sudden uproar as they joined to pursue a reckless Phasma Satyros—a phantom satyr that had been terrorizing them for over ten months. He was incessantly mad for the women, having already killed two. Apollonius reassured his frightened companions and the villagers, revealing a plan to handle the satyr based on an old story about King Midas. The king had the blood of the satyr, evident in the shape of his ears. Based on advice once given by Midas’ mother on subduing a satyr, Apollonius mixed wine with water and poured it into the village’s cattle trough to intoxicate it. Following this plan, the phantom satyr drank the wine, falling asleep in a nearby cave. Later, as the group found him sleeping, Apollonius instructed the villagers to never harm the satyr; he was no longer a threat to them.
2nd century AD Roman copy of a bust of Herodotus. (GNU FDL 1.2)
Top image: Silhouettes of African aborigines at sunset. Source: Lazy_Bear / Adobe Stock
By Jessica Nadeau
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