ἐζω ἢ τὰ οὐνόματα αὐτῶν μοῦνον. Some understand “them” to mean “the gods”; rather perhaps the meaning is that accounts of such things will not be related in full, but only touched upon. ↩
ἴσον περὶ αὐτῶν ἐπίστασθαι. ↩
ἄνθρωπον, emphatic, for the rulers before him were gods (ch. 144). ↩
Μῖνα: others read Μῆνα, but the authority of the MSS. is strong for Μῖνα both here and in ch. 99. ↩
ταύτης ὦν ἄπο: some MSS. omit ἄπο, “this then is the land for which the sixty schoines are reckoned.” ↩
For the measures of length cp. ch. 149. The furlong (στάδιον) is equal to 100 fathoms (ὀργυιαί), i.e. 606 feet 9 inches. ↩
Or “without rain”: the word ἄνυδρος is altered by some Editors to ἔνυδρος or εὔυδρος, “well watered.” ↩
I have followed Stein in taking ἐς τὰ εἴρηται with λῆγον, meaning “at the Erythraean Sea,” ταύτῃ μέν being a repetition of τῇ μέν above. The bend back would make the range double, and hence partly its great breadth. Others translate, “Here (at the quarries) the range stops, and bends round to the parts mentioned (i.e. the Erythraean Sea).” ↩
ὡς εἶναι Αἰγύπτου: cp. IV. 81. Others translate, “considering that it belongs to Egypt” (a country so vast), i.e. “as measures go in Egypt.” In any case αἵγυπτος ἐοῦσα just below seems to repeat the same meaning. ↩
Some Editors alter this to “fourteen.” ↩
πενταστόμου: some less good MSS. have ἑπταστόμου, “which has seven mouths.” ↩
τὸν ἔρχομαι λέξων: these words are by many Editors marked as spurious, and they certainly seem to be out of place here. ↩
κοῦ γε δή: “where then would not a gulf be filled up?” ↩
καταρρηγνυμένην: some Editors read κατερρηγμένην (“broken up by cracks”) from κατερρηγνυμένην, which is given by many MSS. ↩
Or possibly “with rock below,” in which case perhaps ύποψαμμοτέρεν would mean “rather sandy underneath.” ↩
We do not know whether these measurements are in the larger Egyptian cubit of 21 inches or the smaller (equal to the ordinary Hellenic cubit) of 18½ inches, cp. I. 178. ↩
καὶ τὸ ὅμοιον ἀποδιδῷ ἐς αὔξησιν, “and to yield the like return as regards increased extent.” (Mr. Woods); but the clause may be only a repetition of the preceding one. ↩
I.e. Zeus. ↩
I.e. of the district of Thebes, the Thebaïs. ↩
τῃ Λιβύῃ. ↩
The meaning seems to be this: “The Ionians say that Egypt is the Delta, and at the same time they divide the world into three parts, Europe, Asia, and Libya, the last two being divided from one another by the Nile. Thus they have left out Egypt altogether; and either they must add the Delta as a fourth part of the world, or they must give up the Nile as a boundary. If the name Egypt be extended, as it is by the other Hellenes, to the upper course of the Nile, it is then possible to retain the Nile as a boundary, saying that half of Egypt belongs to Asia and half to Libya, and disregarding the Delta (ch. 17). This also would be an error of reckoning, but less serious than to omit Egypt together.” The reasoning is obscure because it alludes to theories (of Hecataios and other writers) which are presumed to be already known to the reader. ↩
Καταδούπων, i.e. the first cataract. ↩
“And it gives us here, etc.” (παρεξόμενος). ↩
λόγῳ δὲ εἰπεῖν θωυμασιωτέρη. Or perhaps, “and it is more marvellous, so to speak.” ↩
τῶν τὰ πολλά ἐστι ἀνδρί γε κ.τ.λ. I take τῶν to refer to the nature of the country, as mentioned above; but the use of ὡς can hardly be paralleled, and the passage probably requires correction. Some Editors read τῶν τεκμήρια πολλά ἐστι κ.τ.λ. “wherein there are many evidences to prove, etc.” Stein omits τῶν and alters the punctuation, so that the clauses run thus, “when it flows from the hottest parts to those which for the most part are cooler? For a man who is capable of reasoning about such matters the first and greatest evidence to prove that it is not likely to flow from snow, is afforded by the winds, etc.” ↩
οὐκ ἔχει ἔλεγχον, “cannot be refuted” (because we cannot argue with him), cp. Thucydides III. 53, τὰ δὲ ψευδῆ ἔλεγχον ἔχει. Some translate, “does not prove his case.” ↩
τῆς ἀρχαίης διεξόδου, “his original (normal) course.” ↩
οὐκ ἐόντων ἀνέμων ψυχρῶν: the best MSS. read καὶ ἀνέμων ψυχρῶν (“and there are cold winds”), which Stein retains, explaining that the cold North winds would assist evaporation. ↩
αὐτὸς ἑωυτοῦ ῥέει πολλῷ ὑποδεέστερος ἢ τοῦ θέρεος.
