SCALDIS
SCALDIS (
Schelde,
Escaut) a river in North Gallia. Caesar (
Caes. Gal. 6.33), the first writer who mentions the Scaldis, says, when he was pursuing Ambiorix, that he determined to go “as far as the Scaldis which flows into the Mosa (
Maas) and the extremity of the Arduenna” (
Ardennes). All the MISS. quoted by Schneider (
B. G. 6.33) have the reading “Scaldem,” “Schaldem,” “Scaldim,” and other trifling varieties, except one MS. which has “Sambim;” so that, as Schneider concludes, we cannot doubt that Caesar wrote “Scaldis” in this passage. Pliny (
4.17) describes the Scaldis as the boundary between the Gallic and Germanic nations, and says nothing of its union with the Mosa: “A Scalde ad Sequanam Belgica;” and “a Scaldi incolunt extera Toxandri pluribus nominibus.” Some geographers suppose that the Tabuda of Ptolemy is the
Schelde. [
TABUDA]
The passage of Caesar is most easily explained by supposing that he knew nothing of the lower course of the
Schelde, and only reported what he heard.
It is possible that the
East Schelde was once the chief outlet of the
Schelde, and it may have had some communication with the channels about the islands between the
East Schelde and the lower course of the Mosa, which communication no longer exists.
There is at least no reason for taking, in place of “Scaldim” or “Scaldem,” the reading “Sabin” (
Σάβιν), from the Greek version of the Commentaries.
The
Schelde rises in France, in the department of
Aisne. Below
Antwerp it enters the sea by two aestuaries, the
Hond or
West Schelde and the
East Schelde. [
G.L]
