τούτοις δὲ συνῳδά πώς ἐστι καὶ τὰ ὑπὸ Ἱππάρχου λεγόμενα· φησὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος, ὑποθέμενος τὸ μέγεθος τῆς γῆς ὅπερ εἶπεν Ἐρατοσθένης, ἐντεῦθεν δεῖν ποιεῖσθαι τὴν τῆς οἰκουμένης ἀφαίρεσιν· οὐ γὰρ πολὺ διοίσειν πρὸς τὰ φαινόμενα τῶν οὐρανίων καθʼ ἑκάστην τὴν οἴκησιν οὕτως ἔχειν τὴν ἀναμέτρησιν, ἢ ὡς οἱ ὕστερον ἀποδεδώκασιν. ὄντος δὴ κατʼ Ἐρατοσθένη τοῦ ἰσημερινοῦ κύκλου σταδίων μυριάδων πέντε καὶ εἴκοσι καὶ δισχιλίων, τὸ τεταρτημόριον εἴη ἂν ἓξ μυριάδες καὶ τρισχίλιοι· τοῦτο δέ ἐστι τὸ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἰσημερινοῦ ἐπὶ τὸν πόλον πεντεκαίδεκα ἑξηκοντάδων, οἵων ἐστὶν ὁ ἰσημερινὸς ἑξήκοντα, τὸ δʼ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἰσημερινοῦ ἐπὶ τὸν θερινὸν τροπικὸν τεττάρων· οὗτος δʼ ἐστὶν ὁ διὰ Συήνης γραφόμενος παράλληλος. συλλογίζεται δὴ τὰ καθʼ ἕκαστα διαστήματα ἐκ τῶν φαινομένων μέτρων· τὸν μὲν γὰρ τροπικὸν κατὰ Συήνην κεῖσθαι συμβαίνει, διότι ἐνταῦθα κατὰ τὰς θερινὰς τροπὰς ἄσκιός ἐστιν ὁ γνώμων μέσης ἡμέρας· ὁ δὲ διὰ τῆς Συήνης μεσημβρινὸς γράφεται μάλιστα διὰ τῆς τοῦ Νείλου ῥύσεως ἀπὸ Μερόης ἕως Ἀλεξανδρείας· στάδιοι δʼ εἰσὶν οὗτοι περὶ μυρίους· κατὰ μέσον δὲ τὸ διάστημα τὴν Συήνην ἱδρῦσθαι συμβαίνει, ὥστʼ ἐντεῦθεν ἐπὶ Μερόην πεντακισχίλιοι. προϊόντι δʼ ἐπʼ εὐθείας ὅσον τρισχιλίους σταδίους ἐπὶ μεσημβρίαν οὐκέτʼ οἰκήσιμα τἆλλά ἐστι διὰ καῦμα, ὥστε τὸν διὰ τούτων τῶν τόπων παράλληλον, τὸν αὐτὸν ὄντα τῷ διὰ τῆς Κινναμωμοφόρου, πέρας καὶ ἀρχὴν δεῖ τίθεσθαι τῆς καθʼ ἡμᾶς οἰκουμένης πρὸς μεσημβρίαν. ἐπεὶ οὖν πεντακισχίλιοι μέν εἰσιν οἱ ἀπὸ Συήνης εἰς Μερόην, ἄλλοι δὲ προσγεγόνασι τρισχίλιοι, εἶεν ἂν οἱ πάντες ἐπὶ τοὺς ὅρους τῆς οἰκουμένης ὀκτακισχίλιοι. ἐπὶ δέ γε τὸν ἰσημερινὸν ἀπὸ Συήνης μύριοι ἑξακισχίλιοι ὀκτακόσιοι (τοσοῦτοι γάρ εἰσιν οἱ τῶν τεττάρων ἑξηκοντάδων, τεθείσης ἑκάστης τετρακισχιλίων καὶ διακοσίων), ὥστε λοιποὶ εἶεν ἂν ἀπὸ τῶν ὅρων τῆς οἰκουμένης ἐπὶ τὸν ἰσημερινὸν ὀκτακισχίλιοι ὀκτακόσιοι, ἀπὸ δὲ Ἀλεξανδρείας δισμύριοι χίλιοι ὀκτακόσιοι. πάλιν δʼ ἀπὸ τῆς Ἀλεξανδρείας ἐπʼ εὐθείας τῇ ῥύσει τοῦ Νείλου πάντες ὁμολογοῦσι τὸν ἐπὶ Ῥόδον πλοῦν κἀντεῦθεν δὲ τὸν τῆς Καρίας παράπλουν καὶ Ἰωνίας μέχρι τῆς Τρῳάδος καὶ Βυζαντίου καὶ Βορυσθένους. λαβόντες οὖν τὰ διαστήματα γνώριμα καὶ πλεόμενα σκοποῦσι τὰ ὑπὲρ τοῦ Βορυσθένους ἐπʼ εὐθείας ταύτῃ τῇ γραμμῇ μέχρι τίνος οἰκήσιμά ἐστι, καὶ περατοῖ τὰ προσάρκτια μέρη τῆς οἰκουμένης. οἰκοῦσι δʼ ὑπὲρ τοῦ Βορυσθένους ὕστατοι τῶν γνωρίμων Σκυθῶν Ῥωξολανοί, νοτιώτεροι ὄντες τῶν ὑπὲρ τῆς Βρεττανικῆς ἐσχάτων γνωριζομένων· ἤδη δὲ τἀπέκεινα διὰ ψῦχος ἀοίκητά ἐστι· νοτιώτεροι δὲ τούτων καὶ οἱ ὑπὲρ τῆς Μαιώτιδος Σαυρομάται καὶ Σκύθαι μέχρι τῶν ἑῴων Σκυθῶν.
These calculations are nearly synonymous with those furnished by Hipparchus, who tells us, that supposing the size of the globe as stated by Eratosthenes to be correct, we can then subtract from it the extent of the inhabited earth, since in noting the celestial appearances [as they are seen] in different countries, it is not of much importance whether we make use of this measure, or that furnished by later writers. Now as the whole circle of the equator according to Eratosthenes contains 252,000 stadia, the quarter of this would be 63,000, that is, the space from the equator to the pole contains fifteen of the sixty divisions into which the equator itself is divided. There are four [divisions] between the equator and the summer tropic or parallel passing through Syene. The distances for each locality are calculated by the astronomical observations.
It is evident that Syene is under the tropic, from the fact that during the summer solstice the gnomon at mid-day casts no shadow there. As for the meridian of Syene, it follows very nearly the course of the Nile from Meroe to Alexandria, a distance of about 10,000 stadia. Syene itself is situated about mid-way between these places, consequently from thence to Meroe is a distance of 5000 stadia. Advancing 3000 stadia southward in a right line, we come to lands unfitted for habitation on account of the heat. Consequently the parallel which bounds these places, and which is the same as that of the Cinnamon Country, is to be regarded as the boundary and commencement of the habitable earth on the south. If, then, 3000 stadia be added to the 5000 between Syene and Meroe, there will be altogether 8000 stadia [from Syene] to the [southern] extremity of the habitable earth. But from Syene to the equator there are 16,800 stadia, (for such is the amount of the four-sixtieths, each sixtieth being equivalent to 4200 stadia,) and consequently from the [southern] boundaries of the habitable earth to the equator there are 8800 stadia, and from Alexandria 21,800. Again, every one is agreed that the voyage from Alexandria to Rhodes, and thence by Caria and Ionia to the Troad, Byzantium, and the Dnieper, is in a straight line with the course of the Nile.
Taking therefore these distances, which have been ascertained by voyages, we have only to find out how far beyond the Dnieper the land is habitable, (being careful always to continue in the same straight line,) and we shall arrive at a knowledge of the northern boundaries of our earth.
Beyond the Dnieper dwell the Roxolani, the last of the Scythians with which we are acquainted; they are nevertheless more south than the farthest nations we know of beyond Britain. Beyond these Roxolani the country is uninhabitable on account of the severity of the climate. The Sauromate who live around the Maeotis, and the other Scythians as far as the Scythians of the East, dwell farther south.
̔ο μὲν οὖν Μασσαλιώτης Πυθέας τὰ περὶ Θούλην τὴν βορειοτάτην τῶν Βρεττανίδων ὕστατα λέγει, παρʼ οἷς ὁ αὐτός ἐστι τῷ ἀρκτικῷ ὁ θερινὸς τροπικὸς κύκλος· παρὰ δὲ τῶν ἄλλων οὐδὲν ἱστορῶ, οὔθʼ ὅτι Θούλη νῆσός ἐστί τις οὔτʼ εἰ τὰ μέχρι δεῦρο οἰκήσιμά ἐστιν, ὅπου ὁ θερινὸς τροπικὸς ἀρκτικὸς γίνεται. νομίζω δὲ πολὺ εἶναι νοτιώτερον τοῦτο τὸ τῆς οἰκουμένης πέρας τὸ προσάρκτιον· οἱ γὰρ νῦν ἱστοροῦντες περαιτέρω τῆς Ἰέρνης οὐδὲν ἔχουσι λέγειν, ἣ πρὸς ἄρκτον πρόκειται τῆς Βρεττανικῆς πλησίον, ἀγρίων τελέως ἀνθρώπων καὶ κακῶς οἰκούντων διὰ ψῦχος, ὥστʼ ἐνταῦθα νομίζω τὸ πέρας εἶναι θετέον. τοῦ δὲ παραλλήλου τοῦ διὰ Βυζαντίου διὰ Μασσαλίας πως ἰόντος, ὥς φησιν Ἵππαρχος πιστεύσας Πυθέᾳ (φησὶ γὰρ ἐν Βυζαντίῳ τὸν αὐτὸν εἶναι λόγον τοῦ γνώμονος πρὸς τὴν σκιάν, ὃν εἶπεν ὁ Πυθέας ἐν Μασσαλίᾳ), τοῦ δὲ διὰ Βορυσθένους ἀπὸ τούτου διέχοντος περὶ τρισχιλίους καὶ ὀκτακοσίους, εἴη ἂν ἐκ τοῦ διαστήματος τοῦ ἀπὸ Μασσαλίας ἐπὶ τὴν Βρεττανικὴν ἐνταῦθά που πίπτων ὁ διὰ τοῦ Βορυσθένους κύκλος. πανταχοῦ δὲ παρακρουόμενος τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ὁ Πυθέας κἀνταῦθά που διέψευσται· τὸ μὲν γὰρ τὴν ἀπὸ στηλῶν γραμμὴν ἐπὶ τοὺς περὶ τὸν πορθμὸν καὶ Ἀθήνας καὶ Ῥόδον τόπους ἐπὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ παραλλήλου κεῖσθαι ὡμολόγηται παρὰ πολλῶν· ὁμολογεῖται δὲ ὅτι καὶ διὰ μέσου πως τοῦ πελάγους ἐστὶν ἡ ἀπὸ στηλῶν ἐπὶ τὸν πορθμόν. οἱ δὲ πλέοντες τὸ μέγιστον δίαρμα ἀπὸ τῆς Κελτικῆς ἐπὶ τὴν Λιβύην εἶναι τὸ ἀπὸ τοῦ Γαλατικοῦ κόλπου σταδίων πεντακισχιλίων, τοῦτο δʼ εἶναι καὶ τὸ μέγιστον πλάτος τοῦ πελάγους, ὥστʼ εἴη ἂν τὸ ἀπὸ τῆς λεχθείσης γραμμῆς ἐπὶ τὸν μυχὸν τοῦ κόλπου σταδίων δισχιλίων πεντακοσίων, ἐπὶ δὲ Μασσαλίαν ἐλαττόνων· νοτιωτέρα γάρ ἐστιν ἡ Μασσαλία τοῦ μυχοῦ τοῦ κόλπου. τὸ δέ γε ἀπὸ τῆς Ῥοδίας ἐπὶ τὸ Βυζάντιον ἐστὶ τετρακισχιλίων που καὶ ἐνακοσίων σταδίων, ὥστε πολὺ ἀρκτικώτερος ἂν εἴη ὁ διὰ Βυζαντίου τοῦ διὰ Μασσαλίας. τὸ δʼ ἐκεῖθεν ἐπὶ τὴν Βρεττανικὴν δύναται συμφωνεῖν τῷ ἀπὸ Βυζαντίου ἐπὶ Βορυσθένη· τὸ δʼ ἐκεῖθεν ἐπὶ τὴν Ἰέρνην οὐκέτι γνώριμον πόσον ἄν τις θείη, οὐδʼ εἰ περαιτέρω ἔτι οἰκήσιμά ἐστιν, οὐδὲ δεῖ φροντίζειν τοῖς ἐπάνω λεχθεῖσι · πρός τε γὰρ ἐπιστήμην ἀρκεῖ τὸ λαβεῖν, καθάπερ ἐπὶ τῶν νοτίων μερῶν, ὅτι ὑπὲρ Μερόης μέχρι τρισχιλίων σταδίων προελθόντι τῆς οἰκησίμου τίθεσθαι προσῆκεν (οὐχ ὡς ἂν τούτου ἀκριβεστάτου πέρατος ὄντος, ἀλλʼ ἐγγύς γε τἀκριβοῦς), οὕτω κἀκεῖ τοὺς ὑπὲρ τῆς Βρεττανικῆς οὐ πλείους τούτων θετέον ἢ μικρῷ πλείους, οἷον τετρακισχιλίους. πρός τε τὰς ἡγεμονικὰς χρείας οὐδὲν ἂν εἴη πλεονέκτημα τὰς τοιαύτας γνωρίζειν χώρας καὶ τοὺς ἐνοικοῦντας, καὶ μάλιστα εἰ νήσους οἰκοῖεν τοιαύτας, αἳ μήτε λυπεῖν μήτʼ ὠφελεῖν ἡμᾶς δύνανται μηδὲν διὰ τὸ ἀνεπίπλεκτον· καὶ γὰρ τὴν Βρεττανικὴν ἔχειν δυνάμενοι Ῥωμαῖοι κατεφρόνησαν, ὁρῶντες ὅτι οὔτε φόβος ἐξ αὐτῶν οὐδὲ εἷς ἐστιν (οὐ γὰρ ἰσχύουσι τοσοῦτον ὥστʼ ἐπιδιαβαίνειν ἡμῖν) οὔτʼ ὠφέλεια τοσαύτη τις, εἰ κατάσχοιεν. πλέον γὰρ ἐκ τῶν τελῶν δοκεῖ προσφέρεσθαι νῦν ἢ ὁ φόρος δύναται συντελεῖν, ἀφαιρουμένης τῆς εἰς τὸ στρατιωτικὸν δαπάνης τὸ φρουρῆσον καὶ φορολογῆσον τὴν νῆσον· πολὺ δʼ ἂν ἐπιγένοιτο τὸ ἄχρηστον ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν περὶ ταύτην νήσων.
It is true that Pytheas of Marseilles affirms that the farthest country north of the British islands is Thule; for which place he says the summer tropic and the arctic circle is all one. But he records no other particulars concerning it; [he does not say] whether Thule is an island, or whether it continues habitable up to the point where the summer tropic becomes one with the arctic circle. For myself, I fancy that the northern boundaries of the habitable earth are greatly south of this. Modern writers tell us of nothing beyond Ierne, which lies just north of Britain, where the people live miserably and like savages on account of the severity of the cold. It is here in my opinion the bounds of the habitable earth ought to be fixed.
If on the one hand the parallels of Byzantium and Marseilles are the same, as Hipparchus asserts on the faith of Pytheas, (for he says that at Byzantium the gnomon indicates the same amount of shadow as Pytheas gives for Marseilles,) and at the same time the parallel of the Dnieper is distant from Byzantium about 3800 stadia, it follows, if we take into consideration the distance between Marseilles and Britain, that the circle which passes over the Dnieper traverses Britain as well. But the truth is that Pytheas, who so frequently misleads people, deceives in this instance too.
It is generally admitted that a line drawn from the Pillars of Hercules, and passing over the Strait [of Messina], Athens, and Rhodes, would lie under the same parallel of latitude. It is likewise admitted, that the line in passing from the Pillars to the Strait of Sicily divides the Mediterranean through the midst. Navigators tell us that the greatest distance from Keltica to Libya, starting from the bottom of the Galatic Bay, is 5000 stadia, and that this is likewise the greatest breadth of the Mediterranean. Consequently from the said line to the bottom of the bay is 2500 stadia; but to Marseilles the distance is rather less, in consequence of that city being more to the south than the bottom of the bay. But since from Rhodes to Byzantium is about 4900 stadia, it follows that Byzantium must be far north of Marseilles. The distance from this latter city to Britain is about the same as from Byzantium to the Dnieper. How far it may be from Britain to the island of Ierne is not known. As to whether beyond it there may still be habitable lands, it is not our business to inquire, as we stated before. It is sufficient for our science to determine this in the same manner that we did the southern boundaries. We there fixed the bounds of the habitable earth at 3000 stadia south of Meroe (not that these were its exact limits, but because they were sufficiently near); so in this instance they should be placed about the same number of stadia north of Britain, certainly not more than 4000. It would not serve any political purpose to be well acquainted with these distant places and the people who inhabit them; especially if they are islands whose inhabitants can neither injure us, nor yet benefit us by their commerce. The Romans might easily have conquered Britain, but they did not care to do so, as they perceived there was nothing to fear from the inhabitants, (they not being powerful enough to attack us,) and that they would gain nothing by occupying the land. Even now it appears that we gain more by the customs they pay, than we could raise by tribute, after deducting the wages of the soldiers necessary for guarding the island and exacting the taxes. And the other islands adjacent to this would be still more unproductive.
εἰ δὲ προστεθείη τῷ ἀπὸ τῆς Ῥοδίας μέχρι Βορυσθένους διαστήματι τὸ ἀπὸ Βορυσθένους ἐπὶ τὰς ἄρκτους τῶν τετρακισχιλίων σταδίων διάστημα, γίνεται τὸ πᾶν μύριοι δισχίλιοι ἑπτακόσιοι στάδιοι, τὸ δʼ ἀπὸ τῆς Ῥοδίας ἐπὶ τὸ νότιον πέρας ἐστὶ τῆς οἰκουμένης μύριοι ἑξακισχίλιοι ἑξακόσιοι, ὥστε τὸ σύμπαν πλάτος τῆς οἰκουμένης εἴη ἂν ἔλαττον τῶν τρισμυρίων ἀπὸ νότου πρὸς ἄρκτον· τὸ δέ γε μῆκος περὶ ἑπτὰ μυριάδας λέγεται, τοῦτο δʼ ἐστὶν ἀπὸ δύσεως ἐπὶ τὰς ἀνατολὰς τὸ ἀπὸ τῶν ἄκρων τῆς Ἰβηρίας ἐπὶ τὰ ἄκρα τῆς Ἰνδικῆς, τὸ μὲν ὁδοῖς τὸ δὲ ταῖς ναυτιλίαις ἀναμεμετρημένον. ὅτι δʼ ἐντὸς τοῦ λεχθέντος τετραπλεύρου τὸ μῆκός ἐστι τοῦτο, ἐκ τοῦ λόγου τῶν παραλλήλων πρὸς τὸν ἰσημερινὸν δῆλον, ὥστε πλέον ἢ διπλάσιόν ἐστι τοῦ πλάτους τὸ μῆκος. λέγεται δὲ καὶ χλαμυδοειδές πως τὸ σχῆμα· πολλὴ γὰρ συναγωγὴ τοῦ πλάτους πρὸς τοῖς ἄκροις εὑρίσκεται καὶ μάλιστα τοῖς ἑσπερίοις, τὰ καθʼ ἕκαστα ἐπιόντων ἡμῶν.
If, then, to the distance between Rhodes and the Dnieper be added four thousand stadia north of the latter place, the whole would come to 12,700 stadia; and since from Rhodes to the southern limit of the habitable earth there are 16,600 stadia, its total breadth from north to south would be under 30,000 stadia. Its length from west to east is stated at 70,000 stadia, the distance being measured from the extremities of Iberia to those of India, partly over the land and partly across the sea. That this length is contained within the quadrilateral aforesaid, is proved by the proportion borne by these parallels to the equator. Thus the length of the habitable earth is above twice its breadth. It has been compared in figure to a chlamys, or soldier’s cloak, because if every part be carefully examined, it will be found that its breadth is greatly diminished towards the extremities, especially in the west.
νυνὶ μὲν οὖν ἐπιγεγράφαμεν ἐπὶ σφαιρικῆς ἐπιφανείας τὸ χωρίον, ἐν ᾧ φαμεν ἱδρῦσθαι τὴν οἰκουμένην· καὶ δεῖ τὸν ἐγγυτάτω διὰ τῶν χειροκμήτων σχημάτων μιμούμενον τὴν ἀλήθειαν ποιήσαντα σφαῖραν τὴν γῆν, καθάπερ τὴν Κρατήτειον, ἐπὶ ταύτης ἀπολαβόντα τὸ τετράπλευρον ἐντὸς τούτου τιθέναι τὸν πίνακα τῆς γεωγραφίας. ἀλλʼ ἐπειδὴ μεγάλης δεῖ σφαίρας, ὥστε πολλοστημόριον αὐτῆς ὑπάρχον τὸ λεχθὲν τμῆμα ἱκανὸν γενέσθαι δέξασθαι σαφῶς τὰ προσήκοντα μέρη τῆς οἰκουμένης, καὶ τὴν οἰκείαν παρασχεῖν ὄψιν τοῖς ἐπιβλέπουσι, τῷ μὲν δυναμένῳ κατασκευάσασθαι τηλικαύτην οὕτω ποιεῖν βέλτιον· ἔστω δὲ μὴ μείω δέκα ποδῶν ἔχουσα τὴν διάμετρον· τῷ δὲ μὴ δυναμένῳ τηλικαύτην ἢ μὴ πολλῷ ταύτης ἐνδεεστέραν ἐν ἐπιπέδῳ καταγραπτέον πίνακι τοὐλάχιστον ἑπτὰ ποδῶν. διοίσει γὰρ μικρόν, ἐὰν ἀντὶ τῶν κύκλων τῶν τε παραλλήλων καὶ τῶν μεσημβρινῶν, οἷς τά τε κλίματα καὶ τοὺς ἀνέμους διασαφοῦμεν καὶ τὰς ἄλλας διαφορὰς καὶ τὰς σχέσεις τῶν τῆς γῆς μερῶν πρὸς ἄλληλά τε καὶ τὰ οὐράνια, εὐθείας γράφωμεν, τῶν μὲν παραλλήλων παραλλήλους, τῶν δὲ ὀρθῶν πρὸς ἐκείνους ὀρθάς, τῆς διανοίας ῥᾳδίως μεταφέρειν δυναμένης τὸ ὑπὸ τῆς ὄψεως ἐν ἐπιπέδῳ θεωρούμενον ἐπιφανείᾳ σχῆμα καὶ μέγεθος ἐπὶ τὴν περιφερῆ τε καὶ σφαιρικήν. ἀνάλογον δὲ καὶ περὶ τῶν λοξῶν κύκλων καὶ εὐθειῶν φαμεν. εἰ δʼ οἱ μεσημβρινοὶ οἱ παρʼ ἑκάστοις τοῦ πόλου γραφόμενοι πάντες συννεύουσιν ἐν τῇ σφαίρᾳ πρὸς ἓν σημεῖον, ἀλλʼ ἐν τῷ ἐπιπέδῳ γε οὐ διοίσει πίνακι τὰς εὐθείας μικρὰς συννευούσας ποιεῖν μόνον τὰς μεσημβρινάς· οὐδὲ γὰρ πολλαχοῦ τοῦτʼ ἀναγκαῖον, οὐδʼ ἐκφανής ἐστιν ὥσπερ ἡ περιφέρεια οὕτω καὶ ἡ σύννευσις, μεταφερομένων τῶν γραμμῶν εἰς τὸν πίνακα τὸν ἐπίπεδον καὶ γραφομένων εὐθειῶν.
We have now been tracing upon a spherical surface the region which we state to be occupied by the habitable earth; and whoever would represent the real earth as near as possible by artificial means, should make a globe like that of Crates, and upon this describe the quadrilateral within which his chart of geography is to be placed. For this purpose, however, a large globe is necessary, since the section mentioned, though but a very small portion of the entire sphere, must be capable of properly containing all the regions of the habitable earth, and presenting an accurate view of them to all those who wish to consult it. Any one who is able will certainly do well to obtain such a globe. But it should have a diameter of not less than ten feet: those who cannot obtain a globe of this size, or one nearly as large, had better draw their chart on a plane-surface, of not less than seven feet. Draw straight lines, some parallel, for the parallels [of latitude], and others at right angles to these; we may easily imagine how the eye can transfer the figure and extent [of these lines] from a plane-surface to one that is spherical. What we have just observed of the circles in general, may be said with equal truth touching the oblique circles. On the globe it is true that the meridians of each country passing the pole have a tendency to unite in a single point, nevertheless on the plane-surface of the map, there would be no advantage if the right lines alone which should represent the meridians were drawn slightly to converge. The necessity for such a proceeding would scarcely ever be really felt. Even on our globe itself the tendency of those meridians (which are transferred to the map as right lines) to converge is not much, nor any thing near so obvious as their circular tendency.
καὶ δὴ καὶ τὸν ἑξῆς λόγον ὡς ἐν ἐπιπέδῳ πίνακι τῆς γραφῆς γινομένης ἐκθήσομεν. ἐροῦμεν δὴ τὴν μὲν ἐπελθόντες αὐτοὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ θαλάττης, περὶ ἧς δὲ πιστεύσαντες τοῖς εἰποῦσιν ἢ γράψασιν. ἐπήλθομεν δὲ ἐπὶ δύσιν μὲν ἀπὸ τῆς Ἀρμενίας μέχρι τῶν κατὰ Σαρδόνα τόπων τῆς Τυρρηνίας, ἐπὶ μεσημβρίαν δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ Εὐξείνου μέχρι τῶν τῆς Αἰθιοπίας ὅρων· οὐδὲ τῶν ἄλλων δὲ οὐδὲ εἷς ἂν εὑρεθείη τῶν γεωγραφησάντων πολύ τι ἡμῶν μᾶλλον ἐπεληλυθὼς τῶν λεχθέντων διαστημάτων, ἀλλʼ οἱ πλεονάσαντες περὶ τὰ δυσμικὰ μέρη τῶν πρὸς ταῖς ἀνατολαῖς οὐ τοσοῦτον ἥψαντο, οἱ δὲ περὶ τἀναντία τῶν ἑσπερίων ὑστέρησαν· ὁμοίως δʼ ἔχει καὶ περὶ τῶν πρὸς νότον καὶ τὰς ἄρκτους. τὸ μέντοι πλέον κἀκεῖνοι καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀκοῇ παραλαβόντες συντίθεμεν καὶ τὸ σχῆμα καὶ τὸ μέγεθος καὶ τὴν ἄλλην φύσιν ὁποία καὶ ὁπόση, τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον ὅνπερ ἡ διάνοια ἐκ τῶν αἰσθητῶν συντίθησι τὰ νοητά· σχῆμα γὰρ καὶ χρόαν καὶ μέγεθος μήλου καὶ ὀδμὴν καὶ ἁφὴν καὶ χυμὸν ἀπαγγέλλουσιν αἱ αἰσθήσεις, ἐκ δὲ τούτων συντίθησιν ἡ διάνοια τὴν τοῦ μήλου νόησιν· καὶ αὐτῶν δὲ τῶν μεγάλων σχημάτων τὰ μέρη μὲν αἴσθησις ὁρᾷ, τὸ δʼ ὅλον ἐκ τῶν ὁραθέντων ἡ διάνοια συντίθησιν. οὕτω δὲ καὶ οἱ φιλομαθεῖς ἄνδρες ὥσπερ αἰσθητηρίοις πιστεύσαντες τοῖς ἰδοῦσι καὶ πλανηθεῖσιν οὓς ἔτυχε τόπους ἄλλοις κατʼ ἄλλα μέρη τῆς γῆς, συντιθέασιν εἰς ἓν διάγραμμα τὴν τῆς ὅλης οἰκουμένης ὄψιν· ἐπεὶ καὶ οἱ στρατηγοὶ πάντα μὲν αὐτοὶ πράττουσιν, οὐ πανταχοῦ δὲ πάρεισιν, ἀλλὰ πλεῖστα κατορθοῦσι διʼ ἑτέρων, ἀγγέλοις πιστεύοντες καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἀκοὴν διαπέμποντες οἰκείως τὰ προστάγματα. ὁ δʼ ἀξιῶν μόνους εἰδέναι τοὺς ἰδόντας ἀναιρεῖ τὸ τῆς ἀκοῆς κριτήριον, ἥτις πρὸς ἐπιστήμην ὀφθαλμοῦ πολὺ κρείττων ἐστί.
In what follows we shall suppose the chart drawn on a plane-surface; and our descriptions shall consist of what we ourselves have observed in our travels by land and sea, and of what we conceive to be credible in the statements and writings of others. For ourselves, in a westerly direction we have travelled from Armenia to that part of Tyrrhenia which is over against Sardinia; and southward, from the Euxine to the frontiers of Ethiopia. Of all the writers on Geography, not one can be mentioned who has travelled over a wider extent of the countries described than we have. Some may have gone farther to the west, but then they have never been so far east as we have; again, others may have been farther east, but not so far west; and the same with respect to north and south. However, in the main, both we and they have availed ourselves of the reports of others, from which to describe the form, the size, and the other peculiarities of the country, what they are and how many, in the same way that the mind forms its conceptions from the information of the senses. The figure, colour, and size of an apple, its scent, feel to the touch, and its flavour, are particulars communicated by the senses, from which the mind forms its conception of an apple. So in large figures, the senses observe the various parts, while the mind combines into one conception what is thus seen. And in like manner, men eager after knowledge, trusting to those who have been to various places, and to [the descriptions of] travellers in this or that country, gather into one sketch a view of the whole habitable earth.
In the same way, the generals perform every thing, nevertheless, they are not present every where, but most of their success depends on others, since they are obliged to trust to messengers, and issue their commands in accordance with the reports of others. To pretend that those only can know who have themselves seen, is to deprive hearing of all confidence, which, after all, is a better servant of knowledge than sight itself.
μάλιστα δʼ οἱ νῦν ἄμεινον ἔχοιεν ἄν τι λέγειν περὶ τῶν κατὰ Βρεττανοὺς καὶ Γερμανοὺς καὶ τοὺς περὶ τὸν Ἴστρον τούς τε ἐντὸς καὶ τοὺς ἐκτὸς Γέτας τε καὶ Τυρεγέτας καὶ Βαστάρνας, ἔτι δὲ τοὺς περὶ τὸν Καύκασον, οἷον Ἀλβανοὺς καὶ Ἴβηρας. ἀπήγγελται δʼ ἡμῖν καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν τὰ Παρθικὰ συγγραψάντων, τῶν περὶ Ἀπολλόδωρον τὸν Ἀρτεμιτηνόν, ἃ πολλῶν ἐκεῖνοι μᾶλλον ἀφώρισαν, τὰ περὶ τὴν Ὑρκανίαν καὶ τὴν Βακτριανήν· τῶν τε Ῥωμαίων καὶ εἰς τὴν εὐδαίμονα Ἀραβίαν ἐμβαλόντων μετὰ στρατιᾶς νεωστί, ἧς ἡγεῖτο ἀνὴρ φίλος ἡμῖν καὶ ἑταῖρος Αἴλιος Γάλλος, καὶ τῶν ἐκ τῆς Ἀλεξανδρείας ἐμπόρων στόλοις ἤδη πλεόντων διὰ τοῦ Νείλου καὶ τοῦ Ἀραβίου κόλπου μέχρι τῆς Ἰνδικῆς, πολὺ μᾶλλον καὶ ταῦτα ἔγνωσται τοῖς νῦν ἢ τοῖς πρὸ ἡμῶν. ὅτε γοῦν Γάλλος ἐπῆρχε τῆς Αἰγύπτου, συνόντες αὐτῷ καὶ συναναβάντες μέχρι Συήνης καὶ τῶν Αἰθιοπικῶν ὅρων ἱστοροῦμεν, ὅτι καὶ ἑκατὸν καὶ εἴκοσι νῆες πλέοιεν ἐκ Μυὸς ὅρμου πρὸς τὴν Ἰνδικήν, πρότερον ἐπὶ τῶν Πτολεμαϊκῶν βασιλέων ὀλίγων παντάπασι θαρρούντων πλεῖν καὶ τὸν Ἰνδικὸν ἐμπορεύεσθαι φόρτον.
Writers of the present day can describe with more certainty [than formerly] the Britons, the Germans, and the dwellers on either side of the Danube, the Getae, the Tyrigetae, the Bastarnae, the tribes dwelling by the Caucasus, such as the Albanians and Iberians. We are besides possessed of a description of Hyrcania and Bactriana in the Histories of Parthia written by such men as Apollodorus of Artemita, who leave detailed the boundaries [of those countries] with greater accuracy than other geographers.
The entrance of a Roman army into Arabia Felix under the command of my friend and companion Aelius Gallus, and the traffic of the Alexandrian merchants whose vessels pass up the Nile and Arabian Gulf to India, have rendered us much better acquainted with these countries than our predecessors were. I was with Gallus at the time he was prefect of Egypt, and accompanied him as far as Syene and the frontiers of Ethiopia, and I found that about one hundred and twenty ships sail from Myos-hormos to India, although, in the time of the Ptolemies, scarcely any one would venture on this voyage and the commerce with the Indies.
τὰ μὲν οὖν πρῶτα καὶ κυριώτατα καὶ πρὸς ἐπιστήμην καὶ πρὸς τὰς χρείας τὰς πολιτικὰς ταῦτα, σχῆμα καὶ μέγεθος εἰπεῖν ὡς ἁπλούστατα ἐγχειρεῖν τὸ πῖπτον εἰς τὸν γεωγραφικὸν πίνακα, συμπαραδηλοῦντα καὶ τὸ ποῖόν τι καὶ πόστον μέρος τῆς ὅλης γῆς ἐστι· τοῦτο μὲν γὰρ οἰκεῖον τῷ γεωγράφῳ, τὸ δὲ καὶ περὶ ὅλης ἀκριβολογεῖσθαι τῆς γῆς καὶ περὶ τοῦ σπονδύλου παντὸς ἧς λέγομεν ζώνης ἄλλης τινὸς ἐπιστήμης ἐστίν, οἷον εἰ περιοικεῖται καὶ κατὰ θάτερον τεταρτημόριον ὁ σπόνδυλος· καὶ γὰρ εἰ οὕτως ἔχει, οὐχ ὑπὸ τούτων γε οἰκεῖται τῶν παρʼ ἡμῖν, ἀλλʼ ἐκείνην ἄλλην οἰκουμένην θετέον, ὅπερ ἐστὶ πιθανόν. ἡμῖν δὲ τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ ταύτῃ λεκτέον.
Our first and most imperative duty then, both in respect to science and to the necessities of the man of business, is to undertake to lay down the projection of the different countries on the chart in as clear a style as possible, and to signify at the same time the relation and proportion they bear to the whole earth. For such is the geographer’s peculiar province. It belongs to another science to give an exact description of the whole earth, and of the entire vertebre of either zone, and as to whether the vertebre in the opposite quarter of the earth is inhabited. That such is the case is most probable, but not that it is inhabited by the same race of men as dwell with us. And it must therefore be regarded as another habitable earth. We however have only to describe our own.
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