ἐπεὶ δὲ πρῶτον περὶ τῶν τῆς Πελοποννήσου νήσων τῶν τε ἄλλων διῆλθον καὶ τῶν ἐν τῷ Κορινθιακῷ κόλπῳ καὶ τῶν πρὸ αὐτοῦ, περὶ τῆς Κρήτης ἐφεξῆς ῥητέον (καὶ γὰρ αὕτη τῆς Πελοποννήσου ἐστί) καὶ εἴ τις περὶ τὴν Κρήτην· ἐν δὲ ταύταις αἵ τε Κυκλάδες εἰσὶ καὶ αἱ Σποράδες, αἱ μὲν ἄξιαι μνήμης αἱ δʼ ἀσημότεραι.
HAVING described the islands about the Peloponnesus, and other islands also, some of which are upon, and others in front of, the Corinthian Gulf, we are next to speak of Crete, (for it belongs to the Peloponnesus,) and the islands near Crete, among which are the Cyclades and the Sporades. Some of these are worthy of notice, others are inconsiderable.
νυνὶ δὲ περὶ τῆς Κρήτης πρῶτον λέγωμεν. Εὔδοξος μὲν οὖν ἐν τῷ Αἰγαίῳ φησὶν αὐτὴν ἱδρῦσθαι· δεῖ δὲ μὴ οὕτως, ἀλλὰ κεῖσθαι μὲν μεταξὺ τῆς Κυρηναίας καὶ τῆς Ἑλλάδος τῆς ἀπὸ Σουνίου μέχρι τῆς Λακωνικῆς, ἐπὶ μῆκος ταύταις ταῖς χώραις παράλληλον ἀπὸ τῆς ἑσπέρας ἐπὶ τὴν ἕω· κλύζεσθαι δὲ ἀπὸ μὲν τῶν ἄρκτων τῷ Αἰγαίῳ πελάγει καὶ τῷ Κρητικῷ, ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ νότου τῷ Λιβυκῷ τῷ συνάπτοντι πρὸς τὸ Αἰγύπτιον πέλαγος. τῶν δὲ ἄκρων τὸ μὲν ἑσπέριόν ἐστι τὸ περὶ Φαλάσαρνα, πλάτος ἔχον διακοσίων που σταδίων καὶ εἰς δύο ἀκρωτήρια μεριζόμενον (ὧν τὸ μὲν νότιον καλεῖται Κριοῦ μέτωπον τὸ δʼ ἀρκτικὸν Κίμαρος), τὸ δʼ ἑῷον τὸ Σαμώνιόν ἐστιν ὑπερπῖπτον τοῦ Σουνίου οὐ πολὺ πρὸς ἕω.
At present we are to speak first of Crete. According to Eudoxus, it is situated in the Aegaean sea, but he ought not to have described its situation in that manner, but have said, that it lies between Cyrenaica and the part of Greece comprehended between Sunium and Laconia, extending in length in the direction from west to east, and parallel to these countries; that it is washed on the north by the Aegaean and Cretan seas, and on the south by the African, which joins the Egyptian sea.
The western extremity of the island is near Phalasarna; its breadth is about 200 stadia, and divided into two promontories; of which the southern is called Criu-Metopon, (or Ram’s head,) and that on the north, Cimarus. The eastern promontory is Samonium, which does not stretch much further towards the east than Sunium.
μέγεθος δὲ Σωσικράτης μέν, ὅν φησιν ἀκριβοῦν Ἀπολλόδωρος τὰ περὶ τὴν νῆσον, ἀφορίζεται μήκει μὲν πλειόνων ἢ δισχιλίων σταδίων καὶ τριακοσίων, πλάτει δὲ ὑπὸ τὸ μέγεθος, ὥσθʼ ὁ κύκλος κατὰ τοῦτον γίνοιτʼ ἂν πλέον ἢ πεντακισχίλιοι στάδιοι· Ἀρτεμίδωρος δὲ τετρακισχιλίους καὶ ἑκατόν φησιν. Ἱερώνυμος δὲ μῆκος δισχιλίων φήσας τὸ δὲ πλάτος ἀνώμαλον, πλειόνων ἂν εἴη λέγων τὸν κύκλον ἢ ὅσων Ἀρτεμίδωρος. κατὰ δὲ τὸ τρίτον μέρος τοῦ μήκους. . […] τὸ δὲ ἔνθεν ἰσθμός ἐστιν ὡς ἑκατὸν σταδίων ἔχων κατοικίαν πρὸς μὲν τῇ βορείῳ θαλάττῃ Ἀμφίμαλλαν, πρὸς δὲ τῇ νοτίῳ Φοίνικα τὸν Λαμπέων· πλατυτάτη δὲ κατὰ τὸ μέσον ἐστί, πάλιν δʼ ἐντεῦθεν εἰς στενώτερον τοῦ προτέρου συμπίπτουσιν ἰσθμὸν αἱ ᾐόνες περὶ ἑξήκοντα σταδίων, τὸν ἀπὸ Μινῴας τῆς Λυττίων εἰς Ἱεράπυτναν καὶ τὸ Λιβυκὸν πέλαγος· ἐν κόλπῳ δʼ ἐστὶν ἡ πόλις. εἶτα πρόεισιν εἰς ὀξὺ ἀκρωτήριον τὸ Σαμώνιον ἐπὶ τὴν Αἴγυπτον νεῦον καὶ τὰς Ῥοδίων νήσους.
Sosicrates, who, according to Apollodorus, had an exact knowledge of this island, determines its length (not?) to exceed 2300 stadia, and its breadth (about 300), so that according to Sosicrates the circuit of the island is not more than 5000 stadia, but Artemidorus makes it 4100. Hieronymus says, that its length is 2000 stadia, and its breadth irregular, and that the circuit would exceed the number of stadia assigned by Artemidorus. Throughout one-third of its length, (beginning from the western parts, the island is of a tolerable width). Then there is an isthmus of about 100 stadia, on the northern shore of which is a settlement, called Amphimalla; on the southern shore is Phoenix, belonging to the Lampeis.
The greatest breadth is in the middle of the island.
Here again the shores approach, and form an isthmus narrower than the former, of about 60 stadia in extent, reckoning from Minoa, in the district of the Lyctii, to Therapytna, and the African sea. The city is on the bay. The shores then terminate in a pointed promontory, the Samonium, looking towards Aegypt and the islands of the Rhodians.
ἔστι δʼ ὀρεινὴ καὶ δασεῖα ἡ νῆσος, ἔχει δʼ αὐλῶνας εὐκάρπους. τῶν δʼ ὀρῶν τὰ μὲν πρὸς δύσιν καλεῖται Λευκά, οὐ λειπόμενα τοῦ Ταϋγέτου κατὰ τὸ ὕψος, ἐπὶ τὸ μῆκος δʼ ἐκτεταμένα ὅσον τριακοσίων σταδίων καὶ ποιοῦντα ῥάχιν τελευτῶσάν πως ἐπὶ τὰ στενά. ἐν μέσῳ δʼ ἐστὶ κατὰ τὸ εὐρυχωρότατον τῆς νήσου τὸ Ἰδαῖον ὄρος ὑψηλότατον τῶν ἐκεῖ, περιφερὲς δʼ ἐν κύκλῳ σταδίων ἑξακοσίων· περιοικεῖται δʼ ὑπὸ τῶν ἀρίστων πόλεων. ἄλλα δʼ ἐστὶ πάρισα τοῖς Λευκοῖς, τὰ μὲν ἐπὶ νότον τὰ δʼ ἐπὶ τὴν ἕω λήγοντα.
The island is mountainous and woody, but has fertile valleys.
The mountains towards the west are called Leuca, or the White Mountains, not inferior in height to the Taygetum, and extending in length about 300 stadia. They form a ridge, which terminates at the narrow parts (the isthmus). In the middle of the island, in the widest part, is (Ida), the highest of the mountains there. Its compass is about 600 stadia. It is surrounded by the principal cities. There are other mountains equal in height to the White Mountains, some of which terminate on the south, others towards the east.
ἔστι δʼ ἀπὸ τῆς Κυρηναίας ἐπὶ τὸ Κριοῦ μέτωπον δυεῖν ἡμερῶν καὶ νυκτῶν πλοῦς, ἀπὸ δὲ Κιμάρου εἰσὶ στάδιοι ἑπτακόσιοι (μεταξὺ δὲ Κύθηρα), ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ Σαμωνίου πρὸς Αἴγυπτον τεττάρων ἡμερῶν καὶ νυκτῶν πλοῦς, οἱ δὲ τριῶν φασι· σταδίων δʼ εἶναι τοῦτόν τινες πεντακισχιλίων εἰρήκασιν, οἱ δὲ ἔτι ἐλαττόνων. Ἐρατοσθένης δʼ ἀπὸ μὲν τῆς Κυρηναίας μέχρι Κριοῦ μετώπου δισχιλίους φησίν, ἔνθεν δʼ εἰς Πελοπόννησον ἐλάττους […]
From the Cyrenaean territory to Criu-metopon is a voyage of two days and nights. From Cimarus [to Malea] are 700 stadia. In the midway is Cythera. From the promontory Samonium to Aegypt a ship sails in four days and nights, but, according to other writers, in three. Some say that it is a voyage of 5000 stadia; others, of still less than this. According to Eratosthenes, the distance from Cyrenaica to Criu-Metopon is 2000 stadia, and thence to Peloponnesus less than [1000].
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