Γεωγραφικα 2.5.14

2.5.14

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.