Gades, while Carteia lay east. Probably it occupied, as Strabo thought,
a small island between two arms of the Guadalquivir, and gradually
decayed as Gades rose to importance. It certainly did not exist
in Strabo's time, but five or six centuries earlier it was a most
flourishing place.[5166] If it is the Tarshish of Scripture, its
prosperity and importance must have been even anterior to the time of
Solomon, whose "navy of Tarshish" brought him once in every three years
"gold, and silver, and ivory, and apes, and peacocks."[5167] The south
of Spain was rich in metallic treasures, and yielded gold, silver,
copper, iron, lead, and tin;[5168] trade along the west coast of Africa
would bring in the ivory and apes abundant in that region; while the
birds called in our translation of the Bible "peacocks" may have
been guinea-fowl. The country on either side of the Guadalquivir to
a considerable distance took its name from the city, being called
Tartessis.[5169] It was immensely productive. "The wide plains through
which the Guadalquiver flows produced the finest wheat, yielding an
increase of a hundredfold; the oil and the wine, the growth of the
hills, were equally distinguished for their excellence. The wood was not
less remarkable for its fineness than in modern times, and had a native
colour beautiful without dye."[5170] Nor were the neighbouring sea and
stream less bountiful. The tunny was caught in large quantities off the
coast, shell-fish were abundant and of unusual size,[5171] while huge
eels were sometimes taken by the fishermen, which, when salted, formed
an article of commerce, and were reckoned a delicacy at Athenian
tables.[5172]

Gades is said to have been founded by colonists from Tyre a few years
anterior to the foundation of Utica by the same people.[5173] Utica, as
we have seen, dated from the twelfth century before Christ. The site of
Gades combined all the advantages that the Phoenicians desired for their