ἔστι δή τι χλαμυδοειδὲς σχῆμα τῆς γῆς τῆς οἰκουμένης, οὗ τὸ μὲν πλάτος ὑπογράφει τὸ μέγιστον ἡ διὰ τοῦ Νείλου γραμμή, λαβοῦσα τὴν ἀρχὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ διὰ τῆς Κινναμωμοφόρου παραλλήλου καὶ τῆς τῶν Αἰγυπτίων τῶν φυγάδων νήσου μέχρι τοῦ διὰ τῆς Ἰέρνης παραλλήλου, τὸ δὲ μῆκος ἡ ταύτῃ πρὸς ὀρθὰς ἀπὸ τῆς ἑσπέρας διὰ στηλῶν καὶ τοῦ Σικελικοῦ πορθμοῦ μέχρι τῆς Ῥοδίας καὶ τοῦ Ἰσσικοῦ κόλπου, παρὰ τὸν Ταῦρον ἰοῦσα τὸν διεζωκότα τὴν Ἀσίαν καὶ καταστρέφοντα ἐπὶ τὴν ἑῴαν θάλατταν μεταξὺ Ἰνδῶν καὶ τῶν ὑπὲρ τῆς Βακτριανῆς Σκυθῶν. δεῖ δὴ νοῆσαι παραλληλόγραμμόν τι, ἐν ᾧ τὸ χλαμυδοειδὲς σχῆμα ἐγγέγραπται οὕτως ὥστε τὸ μῆκος τῷ μήκει ὁμολογεῖν καὶ ἴσον εἶναι τὸ μέγιστον καὶ τὸ πλάτος τῷ πλάτει. τὸ μὲν δὴ χλαμυδοειδὲς σχῆμα οἰκουμένη ἐστί· τὸ δὲ πλάτος ὁρίζεσθαι ἔφαμεν αὐτῆς ταῖς ἐσχάταις παραλλήλοις πλευραῖς, ταῖς διοριζούσαις τὸ οἰκήσιμον αὐτῆς καὶ τὸ ἀοίκητον ἐφʼ ἑκάτερα. αὗται δʼ ἦσαν πρὸς ἄρκτοις μὲν ἡ διὰ τῆς Ἰέρνης, πρὸς δὲ τῇ διακεκαυμένῃ ἡ διὰ τῆς Κινναμωμοφόρου· αὗται δὴ προσεκβαλλόμεναι ἐπί τε τὰς ἀνατολὰς καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς δύσεις μέχρι τῶν ἀνταιρόντων μερῶν τῆς οἰκουμένης ποιήσουσί τι παραλληλόγραμμον πρὸς τὰς ἐπιζευγνυούσας διὰ τῶν ἄκρων αὐτάς. ὅτι μὲν οὖν ἐν τούτῳ ἐστὶν ἡ οἰκουμένη, φανερὸν ἐκ τοῦ μήτε τὸ πλάτος αὐτῆς τὸ μέγιστον ἔξω πίπτειν αὐτοῦ μήτε τὸ μῆκος· ὅτι δʼ αὐτῆς χλαμυδοειδὲς τὸ σχῆμά ἐστιν, ἐκ τοῦ τὰ ἄκρα μυουρίζειν τὰ τοῦ μήκους ἑκατέρωθεν, κλυζόμενα ὑπὸ τῆς θαλάττης, καὶ ἀφαιρεῖν τοῦ πλάτους· τοῦτο δὲ δῆλον ἐκ τῶν περιπλευσάντων τά τε ἑῷα μέρη καὶ τὰ δυσμικὰ ἑκατέρωθεν. τῆς τε γὰρ Ἰνδικῆς νοτιωτέραν πολὺ τὴν Ταπροβάνην καλουμένην νῆσον ἀποφαίνουσιν, οἰκουμένην ἔτι καὶ ἀνταίρουσαν τῇ τῶν Αἰγυπτίων νήσῳ καὶ τῇ τὸ κιννάμωμον φερούσῃ γῇ· τὴν γὰρ κρᾶσιν τῶν ἀέρων παραπλησίαν εἶναι· τῆς τε μετὰ τοὺς Ἰνδοὺς Σκυθίας τῆς ὑστάτης ἀρκτικώτερά ἐστι τὰ κατὰ τὸ στόμα τῆς Ὑρκανίας θαλάττης καὶ ἔτι μᾶλλον τὰ κατὰ τὴν Ἰέρνην. ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ περὶ τῆς ἔξω στηλῶν λέγεται· δυσμικώτατον μὲν γὰρ σημεῖον τῆς οἰκουμένης τὸ τῶν Ἰβήρων ἀκρωτήριον ὃ καλοῦσιν ἱερόν· κεῖται δὲ κατὰ τὴν γραμμήν πως τὴν διὰ Γαδείρων τε καὶ στηλῶν καὶ τοῦ Σικελικοῦ πορθμοῦ καὶ τῆς Ῥοδίας. συμφωνεῖν γὰρ καὶ τὰ ὡροσκοπεῖα καὶ τοὺς ἀνέμους φασὶ τοὺς ἑκατέρωσε φοροὺς καὶ τὰ μήκη τῶν μεγίστων ἡμερῶν τε καὶ νυκτῶν· ἔστι γὰρ τετταρεσκαίδεκα ὡρῶν ἰσημερινῶν τε καὶ νυκτῶν. ἔν τε τῇ παραλίᾳ τῇ κατὰ Γάδειρα καὶ * Ἴβηράς ποτε ὁρᾶσθαι. Ποσειδώνιος δʼ ἔκ τινος ὑψηλῆς οἰκίας ἐν πόλει διεχούσῃ τῶν τόπων τούτων ὅσον τετρακοσίους σταδίους φησὶν ἰδεῖν ἀστέρα, ὃν τεκμαίρεσθαι τὸν Κάνωβον αὐτὸν ἐκ τοῦ τε μικρὸν ἐκ τῆς Ἰβηρίας προελθόντας ἐπὶ τὴν μεσημβρίαν ὁμολογεῖν ἀφορᾶν αὐτὸν καὶ ἐκ τῆς ἱστορίας τῆς ἐν Κνίδῳ· τὴν γὰρ Εὐδόξου σκοπὴν οὐ πολὺ τῶν οἰκήσεων ὑψηλοτέραν εἶναι, λέγεσθαι δʼ ὅτι ἐντεῦθεν ἐκεῖνος ἀφεώρα τὸν Κάνωβον ἀστέρα, εἶναι δʼ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ῥοδιακοῦ κλίματος τὴν Κνίδον, ἐφʼ οὗ καὶ τὰ Γάδειρα καὶ ἡ ταύτῃ παραλία.
In its figure the habitable earth resembles a chlamys, or soldier’s cloak, the greatest breadth of which would be indicated by a line drawn in the direction of the Nile, commencing from the parallel of the Cinnamon Country, and the Island of the Egyptian Exiles, and terminating at the parallel of Ierna; and its length by a line drawn from the west at right angles to the former, passing by the Pillars of Hercules and the Strait of Sicily to Rhodes and the Gulf of Issus, then proceeding along the chain of the Taurus, which divides Asia, and terminating in the Eastern Ocean, between India and the Scythians dwelling beyond Bactriana.
We must therefore fancy to ourselves a parallelogram, and within it a chlamys-shaped figure, described in such a manner that the length of the one figure may correspond to the length and size of the other, and likewise breadth to breadth. The habitable earth will therefore be represented by this kind of chlamys. We have before said that its breadth is marked out by parallels bounding its sides, and separating on either side the portions that are habitable from those that are not. On the north [these parallels] pass over Ierna, and on the side of the torrid zone over the Cinnamon Country. These lines being produced east and west to the opposite extremities of the habitable earth, form, when joined by the perpendiculars falling from their extremities, a kind of parallelogram. That within this the habitable earth is contained is evident, since neither its greatest breadth nor length project beyond. That in configuration it resembles a chlamys is also clear, from the fact that at either end of its length, the extremities taper to a point. Owing to the encroachments of the sea, it also loses something in breadth. This we know from those who have sailed round its eastern and western points. They inform us that the island called Taprobana is much to the south of India, but that it is nevertheless inhabited, and is situated opposite to the island of the Egyptians and the Cinnamon Country, as the temperature of their atmospheres is similar. On the other side the country about the embouchure of the Hyrcanian Sea is farther north than the farthest Scythians who dwell beyond India, and Ierna still more so. It is likewise stated of the country beyond the Pillars of Hercules, that the most western point of the habitable earth is the promontory of the Iberians named the Sacred Promontory. It lies nearly in a line with Gades, the Pillars of Hercules, the Strait of Sicily, and Rhodes; for they say that the horologes accord, as also the periodical winds, and the duration of the longest nights and days, which consist of fourteen and a half equinoctial hours. From the coast of Gades and Iberia ......... is said to have been formerly observed.
Posidonius relates, that from the top of a high house in a town about 400 stadia distant from the places mentioned, he perceived a star which he believed to be Canopus, both in consequence of the testimony of those who having proceeded a little to the south of Iberia affirmed that they could perceive it, and also of the tradition preserved at Cnidus; for the observatory of Eudoxus, from whence he is reported to have viewed Canopus, is not much higher than these houses; and Cnidus is under the same parallel as Rhodes, which is likewise that of Gades and its sea-coast.
Ἐντεῦθεν δὲ πρὸς μὲν τὰ νότια μέρη πλέουσιν ἡ Λιβύη κεῖται· ταύτης δὲ τὰ δυσμικώτατα μικρῷ τῶν Γαδείρων πρόκειται μᾶλλον, εἶτʼ ἄκραν ποιήσαντα στενὴν ἀναχωρεῖ πρὸς ἕω καὶ νότον, καὶ πλατύνεται κατʼ ὀλίγον ἕως ἂν τοῖς ἑσπερίοις Αἰθίοψι συνάψῃ. οὗτοι δʼ ὑπόκεινται τῶν περὶ Καρχηδόνα τόπων ὕστατοι, συνάπτοντες τῇ διὰ τῆς Κινναμωμοφόρου γραμμῇ. εἰς δὲ τἀναντία πλέουσιν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἱεροῦ ἀκρωτηρίου μέχρι τῶν Ἀρτάβρων καλουμένων ὁ πλοῦς ἐστι πρὸς ἄρκτον ἐν δεξιᾷ ἔχουσι τὴν Λυσιτανίαν· εἶθʼ ὁ λοιπὸς πρὸς ἕω πᾶς ἀμβλεῖαν γωνίαν ποιῶν μέχρι τῶν τῆς Πυρήνης ἄκρων τῶν τελευτώντων εἰς τὸν ὠκεανόν. τούτοις δὲ τὰ ἑσπέρια τῆς Βρεττανικῆς ἀντίκειται πρὸς ἄρκτον, ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ τοῖς Ἀρτάβροις ἀντίκεινται πρὸς ἄρκτον αἱ Καττιτερίδες καλούμεναι νῆσοι πελάγιαι κατὰ τὸ Βρεττανικόν πως κλίμα ἱδρυμέναι· ὥστε δῆλον ἐφʼ ὅσον συνάγεται τὰ ἄκρα τῆς οἰκουμένης κατὰ μῆκος ὑπὸ τοῦ περικεχυμένου πελάγους εἰς στενόν.
Sailing thence, Libya lies to the south. Its most western portions project a little beyond Gades; it afterwards forms a narrow promontory receding towards the east and south, and becoming slightly broader, till it touches upon the western Ethiopians, who are the last of the nations situated below Carthage, and adjoin the parallel of the Cinnamon Country. They, on the contrary, who sail from the Sacred Promontory, towards the Artabri, journey northwards, having Lusitania on the right hand. The remaining portion forms an obtuse angle towards the east as far as the extremities of the Pyrenees which terminate at the ocean. Northward and opposite to this are the western coasts of Britain. Northward and opposite to the Artabri are the islands denominated Cassiterides, situated in the high seas, but under nearly the same latitude as Britain. From this it appears to what a degree the extremities of the habitable earth are narrowed by the surrounding sea.
τοιούτου δὲ ὄντος τοῦ καθόλου σχήματος, χρήσιμον φαίνεται δύο λαβεῖν εὐθείας, αἳ τέμνουσαι πρὸς ὀρθὰς ἀλλήλας, ἡ μὲν διὰ τοῦ μήκους ἥξει τοῦ μεγίστου παντὸς ἡ δὲ διὰ τοῦ πλάτους, καὶ ἡ μὲν τῶν παραλλήλων ἔσται μία ἡ δὲ τῶν μεσημβρινῶν· ἔπειτα ταύταις παραλλήλους ἐπινοοῦντας ἐφʼ ἑκάτερα διαιρεῖν κατὰ ταύτας τὴν γῆν καὶ τὴν θάλατταν, ᾗ χρώμενοι τυγχάνομεν. καὶ γὰρ τὸ σχῆμα μᾶλλον ἂν καταφανὲς γένοιτο ὁποῖον εἰρήκαμεν, κατὰ τὸ μέγεθος τῶν γραμμῶν ἄλλα καὶ ἄλλα μέτρα ἐχουσῶν τῶν τε τοῦ μήκους καὶ τοῦ πλάτους, καὶ τὰ κλίματα ἀποδηλωθήσεται βέλτιον τά τε ἑωθινὰ καὶ τὰ ἑσπέρια, ὡς δʼ αὕτως τὰ νότια καὶ τὰ βόρεια. ἐπεὶ δὲ διὰ γνωρίμων τόπων λαμβάνεσθαι δεῖ τὰς εὐθείας ταύτας, αἱ μὲν ἐλήφθησαν ἤδη, λέγω δὲ τὰς μέσας δύο τήν τε τοῦ μήκους καὶ τοῦ πλάτους, τὰς λεχθείσας πρότερον, αἱ δʼ ἄλλαι ῥᾳδίως γνωρίζοιντʼ ἂν διὰ τούτων· τρόπον γάρ τινα στοιχείοις χρώμενοι τούτοις τὰ παράλληλα μέρη στοχαζόμεθα καὶ τὰς ἄλλας σχέσεις τῶν οἰκήσεων τάς τʼ ἐπὶ γῆς καὶ πρὸς τὰ οὐράνια.
Such being the configuration of the whole earth, it will be convenient to take two straight lines, cutting each other at right angles, and running the one through its greatest length, and the other through its breadth. The former of these lines will represent one of the parallels, and the latter one of the meridians. Afterwards we must imagine other lines parallel to either of these respectively, and dividing both the land and sea with which we are acquainted. By this means the form of the habitable earth will appear more clearly to be such as we have described it; likewise the extent of the various lines, whether traced through its length or breadth, and the latitudes [of places], will also be more clearly distinguished, whether north or south, as also [the longitudes] whether east or west. However, these right lines should be drawn through places that are known. Two have already been thus fixed upon, I mean the two middle [lines] running through its length and breadth, which have been already explained, and by means of these the others may easily be determined. These lines will serve us as marks to distinguish countries situated under the same parallel, and otherwise to determine different positions both in respect to the other portions of the earth, and also of the celestial appearances.
πλεῖστον δʼ ἡ θάλαττα γεωγραφεῖ καὶ σχηματίζει τὴν γῆν, κόλπους ἀπεργαζομένη καὶ πελάγη καὶ πορθμούς, ὁμοίως δὲ ἰσθμοὺς καὶ χερρονήσους καὶ ἄκρας· προσλαμβάνουσι δὲ ταύτῃ καὶ οἱ ποταμοὶ καὶ τὰ ὄρη. διὰ γὰρ τῶν τοιούτων ἤπειροί τε καὶ ἔθνη καὶ πόλεων θέσεις εὐφυεῖς ἐνενοήθησαν καὶ τἆλλα ποικίλματα, ὅσων μεστός ἐστιν ὁ χωρογραφικὸς πίναξ. ἐν δὲ τούτοις καὶ τὸ τῶν νήσων πλῆθός ἐστι κατεσπαρμένον ἔν τε τοῖς πελάγεσι καὶ κατὰ τὴν παραλίαν πᾶσαν. ἄλλων δʼ ἄλλας ἀρετάς τε καὶ κακίας καὶ τὰς ἀπʼ αὐτῶν χρείας ἐπιδεικνυμένων ἢ δυσχρηστίας, τὰς μὲν φύσει τὰς δὲ ἐκ κατασκευῆς, τὰς φύσει δεῖ λέγειν· διαμένουσι γάρ, αἱ δʼ ἐπίθετοι δέχονται μεταβολάς. καὶ τούτων δὲ τὰς πλείω χρόνον συμμένειν δυναμένας ἐμφανιστέον, […] μὴ πολὺ μέν, ἄλλως δʼ ἐπιφάνειαν ἐχούσας τινὰ καὶ δόξαν, ἣ πρὸς τὸν ὕστερον χρόνον παραμένουσα τρόπον τινὰ συμφυῆ τοῖς τόποις ποιεῖ καὶ μηκέτι οὖσαν κατασκευήν, ὥστε δῆλον ὅτι δεῖ καὶ τούτων μεμνῆσθαι. περὶ πολλῶν γάρ ἐστι πόλεων τοῦτʼ εἰπεῖν, ὅπερ εἶπε Δημοσθένης ἐπὶ τῶν περὶ Ὄλυνθον, ἃς οὕτως ἠφανίσθαι φησὶν ὥστε μηδʼ εἰ πώποτε ᾠκίσθησαν γνῶναι ἄν τινα ἐπελθόντα. ἀλλʼ ὅμως καὶ εἰς τούτους τοὺς τόπους καὶ εἰς ἄλλους ἀφικνοῦνται ἄσμενοι, τά γʼ ἴχνη ποθοῦντες ἰδεῖν τῶν οὕτω διωνομασμένων ἔργων, καθάπερ καὶ τοὺς τάφους τῶν ἐνδόξων ἀνδρῶν. οὕτω δὲ καὶ νομίμων καὶ πολιτειῶν μεμνήμεθα τῶν μηκέτι οὐσῶν, ἐνταῦθα καὶ τῆς ὠφελείας προκαλουμένης τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον ὅνπερ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν πράξεων· ἢ γὰρ ζήλου χάριν ἢ ἀποτροπῆς τῶν τοιούτων.
The ocean it is which principally divides the earth into various countries, and moulds its form. It creates bays, seas, straits, isthmuses, peninsulas, and capes; while rivers and mountains serve to the same purpose. It is by these means that continents, nations, and the position of cities are capable of being clearly distinguished, together with those various other details of which a chorographical chart is full. Amongst these latter are the multitude of islands scattered throughout the seas, and along every coast; each of them distinguished by some good or bad quality, by certain advantages or disadvantages, due either to nature or to art.
The natural advantages [of a place] should always be mentioned, since they are permanent. Advantages which are adventitious are liable to change, although the majority of those which have continued for any length of time should not be passed over, nor even those which, although but recent, have yet acquired some note and celebrity. For those which continue, come to be regarded by posterity not as works of art, but as the natural advantages of the place; these therefore it is evident we must notice. True it is, that to many a city we may apply the reflection of Demosthenes on Olynthus and its neighbouring towns: So completely have they vanished, that no one who should now visit their sites could say that they had ever been inhabited!
Still we are gratified by visiting these and similar localities, being desirous of beholding the traces of such celebrated places, and the tombs of famous men. In like manner we should record laws and forms of government no longer in existence, since these are serviceable to have in mind, equally with the remembrance of actions, whether for the sake of imitating or avoiding the like.
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