Ἰνδικά 3-4

3

Τὴν Ἰνδικὴν περιώρικεν ἀπὸ μὲν τῶν ἄρκτων τοῦ Τύρου τὰ ἔσχατα· ἀπὸ δὲ τῆς Ἀριανῆς μέχρι τῆς ἑῴας θαλάττης, ἅπερ οἱ ἐπιχώριοι κατὰ μέρος Παροπάμισόν τε καὶ Ἠμωδὸν καὶ Ἴμαον καὶ ἄλλα ὀνομάζουσι, Μακεδόνες δὲ Καύκασον· ἀπὸ τῆς ἑσπέρας ὁ Ἰνδὸς ποταμός· τὸ δὲ νότιον καὶ τὸ προσεῷον πλευρὸν πολὺ μείζω τῶν ἑτέρων ὄντα προπέπτωκεν εἰς τὸ Ἀτλαντικὸν πέλαγος, καὶ γίνεται ῥομβοειδὲς τὸ τῆς χώρας σχῆμα, τῶν μειζόνων πλευρῶν ἑκατέρου πλεονεκτοῦντος παρὰ τὸ ἀπεναντίον πλευρὸν τρισχιλίοις σταδίοις, ὅσον ἐστὶ τὸ κοινὸν ἄκρον τῆς τε ἑωθινῆς παραλίας καὶ τῆς μεσημβρινῆς, ἔξω προπεπτωκὸς ἐξ ἴσης ἐφ’ ἑκάτερον παρὰ τὴν ἄλλην ἠϊόνα. Τῆς μὲν οὖν ἑσπερίου πλευρᾶς ἀπὸ τῶν Καυκασίων ὀρῶν ἐπὶ τὴν νότιον θάλατταν στάδιοι μάλιστα λέγονται μύριοι τρισχίλιοι παρὰ τὸν Ἰνδὸν ποταμὸν μέχρι τῶν ἐκβολῶν αὐτοῦ· ὥστ’ ἀπεναντίον ἡ ἑωθινὴ προσλαβοῦσα τοὺς τῆς ἄκρας τρισχιλίους ἔσται μυρίων καὶ ἑξακισχιλίων σταδίων. Τοῦτο μὲν οὖν πλάτος τῆς χώρας τό τ’ ἐλάχιστον, καὶ τὸ μέγιστον. Μῆκος δὲ τὸ ἀπὸ τῆς ἑσπέρας ἐπὶ τὴν ἕω· τούτου δὲ τὸ μὲν μέχρι Παλιβόθρων ἔχοι τις ἂν βεβαιοτέρως εἰπεῖν· καταμεμέτρηται γὰρ σχοινίοις (σχοίνοισι Arrian.), καὶ ἔστιν ὁδὸς βασιλικὴ σταδίων μυρίων (codd. Δισμυρίων)· τὰ δ’ ἐπέκεινα στοχασμῷ λαμβάνεται διὰ τῶν ἀνάπλων τῶν ἐκ θαλάττης διὰ τοῦ Γάγγου ποταμοῦ μέχρι Παλιβόθρων· εἴη δ’ ἂν σταδίων ἑξακισχιλίων. Ἔσται δὲ τὸ πᾶν, ᾗ βραχύτατον, μυρίων ἑξακισχιλίων, ὡς ἔκ τε τῆς ἀναγραφῆς τῶν σταθμῶν τῆς πεπιστευμένης μάλιστα λαβεῖν Ἐρατοσθένης φησί· καὶ ὁ Μεγασθένης οὕτω συναποφαίνεται· Πατροκλῆς δὲ χιλίοις ἔλαττόν φησι ... Ἐκ δὲ τούτων πάρεστιν ὁρᾶν, ὅσον διαφέρουσιν αἱ τῶν ἄλλων ἀποφάσεις, Κτησίου μὲν οὐκ ἐλάττω τῆς ἄλλης Ἀσίας τὴν Ἰνδικὴν λέγοντος, Ὀνησικρίτου δὲ τρίτον μέρος τῆς οἰκουμένης, Νεάρχου δὲ μηνῶν ὁδὸν τεττάρων τὴν δι’ αὐτοῦ τοῦ πεδίου, Μεγασθένους δὲ καὶ Δηϊμάχου μετριασάντων μᾶλλον· ὑπὲρ γὰρ δισμυρίους τιθέασι σταδίους, τὸ ἀπὸ τῆς νοτίου θαλάττης ἐπὶ τὸν Καύκασον.

India is bounded on the north by the extremities of Tauros, and from Ariana to the Eastern Sea by the mountains which are variously called by the natives of these regions Parapamisos, and Hemodos, and Himaos, and other names, but by the Macedonians Kaukasos. The boundary on the west is the river Indus, but the southern and eastern sides, which are both much greater than the others, run out into the Atlantic Ocean. The shape of the country is thus rhomboidal, since each of the greater sides exceeds its opposite side by 3000 stadia, which is the length of the promontory common to the south and the east coast, which projects equally in these two directions. [The length of the western side, measured from the Kaukasian mountains to the southern sea along the course of the river Indus to its mouths, is said to be 13,000 stadia, so that the eastern side opposite, with the addition of the 3000 stadia of the promontory, will be somewhere about 16,000 stadia. This is the breadth of India where it is both smallest and greatest.]
The length from west to east as far as Palibothra can be stated with greater certainty, for the royal road which leads to that city has been measured by schoeni, and is in length 10,000 stadia. The extent of the parts beyond can only be conjectured from the time taken to make voyages from the sea to Palibothra by the Ganges, and may be about 6000 stadia. The entire length, computed at the shortest, will be 16,000 stadia. This is the estimate of Eratosthenes, who says he derived it principally from the authoritative register of the stages on the Royal Road. Herein Megasthenes agrees with him. [Patrokles, however, makes the length less by 1000 stadia.] Conf. Arr. Ind. iii. 1-5.

[From this, one can readily see how the accounts of the other writers vary from one another. Thus Ktesias says that India is not of less size than the rest of Asia ; Onesikritos regards it as the third part of the habitable world; and Nearchos says it takes one four months to traverse the plain only.] Megasthenes and Deimachos incline to be more moderate in their estimate, for according to them the distance from the Southern Sea to Kaukasos is over 20,000 stadia. — [Deimachos, however, allows that the distance in some places exceeds 30,000 stadia. Of these notice has been taken in an earlier part of the work.]

4

Φησὶν ὁ Ἵππαρχος ἐν τῷ δευτέρῳ Ὑπομνήματι αὐτὸν τὸν Ἐρατοσθένη διαβάλλειν τὴν τοῦ Πατροκλέους πίστιν ἐκ τῆς πρὸς Μεγασθένη διαφωνίας περὶ τοῦ μήκους τῆς Ἰνδικῆς τοῦ κατὰ τὸ βόρειον πλευρὸν, τοῦ μὲν Μεγασθένους λέγοντος σταδίων μυρίων ἑξακισχιλίων, τοῦ δὲ Πατροκλέους χιλίοις λείπειν φαμένου.