OSTIAEI
Eth.
OSTIAEI,
OSTIDAMNII. Stephanus (s. v.
Ὠστίωνες) has preserved a notice of a Gallic people whom he descrbes “as a nation on the western Ocean, whom Artemidorus names Cossini, and Pytheas names Ostiaei.” Strabo (p. 63) observes of Pytheas that what he says of the Ostiaei and the parts beyond the Rhine as far as Scythia, is all false. Whether false or true, we learn from Strabo that Pytheas spoke of the Ostiaei of Gaillia; and we can safely infer that Pytheas placed them on the west coast of Gallia opposite to Britain.
A passage of Strabo has been cited under OSISMII, in which it is stated of the Osismii that Pytheas named them Timii. Ukert (
Gallien, p. 336) purposes to change
οὓς Τιμίους in this passage of Strabo into
οὓς Ὠστιαίους. The proposal is reasonable.
The text of Strabo is probably corrupt here. These Ostiaei of Pytheas can be no other than the Osismii.
Eratosthenes mentioned a people of Gallia named Ostidamnii on the west coast of Gallia.
He also spoke (Strab. p. 64) of the promontory of the Ostidamnii which is called Calbium.
It is clear that he is speaking of the peninsula of
Bretagne. The Ostiaei, Ostidamnii, Osismii are evidently the same people.
[
G.L]
