Stephanos of Byzantium - Ethnika
Brachmanes: an Indian people, most wise, whom they also call Brachmai. Hierokles in the Philistores says: "after this it was thought worth attention to see the tribe of the Brachmanes, men philosophers and dear to the gods, consecrated especially to the sun; they abstain from all flesh-eating and live all the time in the open air and honour truth, and they use linen clothing made from stones; for they gather soft and skin-like filaments of stones, from which fabrics are made that are neither burnt by fire nor cleaned by water, but when they become full of dirt and stain through use, cast into flame they become white and translucent".
External translation supplied by Brady Kiesling; reported Claude Fable 5.5 translation. Credit: Brady Kiesling and the Stephanos project (Greg Baker, Gabriel Jower, Greta Hawes, Brady Kiesling). Not individually verified; exact Greek input not supplied.
Stephanos excerpt (left) is aligned with matched Herodian passages (right). Colors indicate corresponding overlap spans.
Βραχμᾶνες, Ἰνδικὸν ἔθνος σοφώτατον, οὓς καὶ Βράχμας καλοῦσιν. Ἱεροκλῆς δ´ ἐν τοῖς φιλίστορσί φησι “μετὰ ταῦτα σπουδῆς ἄξιον ἐνομίσθη τὸ Βραχμάνων ἰδεῖν φῦλον, ἀνδρῶν φιλοσόφων καὶ θεοῖς φίλων, ἡλίῳ δὲ μάλιστα καθωσιωμένων· ἀπέχονται δὲ σαρκοφαγίας πάσης καὶ ὑπαίθριοι τὸν ἀεὶ χρόν…
…ιμος Ἀλκιμάν ὅθεν ὁ Ἀλκμάν, καὶ νέος νεάν, ὅθεν ἡ νεᾶνις καὶ νεανίας. Ἀκαρνάν ὁ ἥρως καὶ ἔθνος πρὸς τῷ Ἀχελῴῳ. Ἀρκτάν ἔθνος Ἠπειρωτικόν. Ῥιανὸς ἐν τετάρτῃ Θεσσαλικῶν. Ἀτιντάν υἱὸς Μακεδόνος καὶ ἔθνος Μακεδονίας. Βραχμάν Ἰνδικὸν ἔθνος σοφώτατον, οὓς καὶ Βράχμας καλοῦσιν. Γινδάν ἔθνος Λιβυκὸν λωτοφάγον «οἳ τὸν καρπὸν μόνον τοῦ λωτοῦ ἐσθίοντες ζῶσι» (Herodot. IV, 177). Δυμάν ὁ υἱὸς Αἰγιμίου, ὡς Ἔφορος αʹ «Αἰγίμιος γὰρ ἦν τῶν περὶ Οἴτην Δωριέων βασιλεύς. ἔσχε δὲ δύο παῖδας Πάμφυλον καὶ Δυ…