Humanitext Reader

Herodotus · Histories §4.86.1-4.86.4

Measurements of the Pontus and Lake Maeotis

Passage 650 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Based on the average sailing distance of a ship by day and night, the author calculates the maximum length and width of the Pontus, and mentions the adjacent Lake Maeotis.

§4.86.1μεμέτρηται δὲ ταῦτα ὧδε.
These measurements have been made as follows.
νηῦς ἐπίπαν μάλιστα κῃ κατανύει ἐν μακρημερίῃ ὀργυιὰς ἑπτακισμυρίας, νυκτὸς δὲ ἑξακισμυρίας.
A ship, as a general rule, accomplishes in the course of a long day about seventy thousand orguiai, and in the night sixty thousand.
§4.86.2ἤδη ὦν ἐς μὲν Φᾶσιν ἀπὸ τοῦ στόματος (τοῦτο γὰρ ἐστὶ τοῦ Πόντου μακρότατον) ἡμερέων ἐννέα πλόος ἐστὶ καὶ νυκτῶν ὀκτώ· αὗται ἕνδεκα μυριάδες καὶ ἑκατὸν ὀργυιέων γίνονται, ἐκ δὲ τῶν ὀργυιέων τουτέων στάδιοι ἑκατὸν καὶ χίλιοι καὶ μύριοι εἰσί.
Therefore, from the mouth to Phasis (for this is the longest part of the Pontus) is a voyage of nine days and eight nights; these make one hundred and eleven myriads of orguiai, and from these orguiai come eleven thousand one hundred stades.
§4.86.3ἐς δὲ Θεμισκύρην τὴν ἐπὶ Θερμώδοντι ποταμῷ ἐκ τῆς Σινδικῆς (κατὰ τοῦτο γὰρ ἐστὶ τοῦ Πόντου εὐρύτατον) τριῶν τε ἡμερέων καὶ δύο νυκτῶν πλόος· αὗται δὲ τρεῖς μυριάδες καὶ τριήκοντα ὀργυιέων γίνονται, στάδιοι δὲ τριηκόσιοι καὶ τρισχίλιοι.
And from Sindyke to Themiscyra on the river Thermodon (for here is the widest part of the Pontus) is a voyage of three days and two nights; these make thirty-three myriads of orguiai, and three thousand three hundred stades.
§4.86.4ὁ μέν νυν Πόντος οὗτος καὶ Βόσπορός τε καὶ Ἑλλήσποντος οὕτω τέ μοι μεμετρέαται καὶ κατὰ τὰ εἰρημένα πεφύκασι, παρέχεται δὲ καὶ λίμνην ὁ Πόντος οὗτος ἐκδιδοῦσαν ἐς αὐτὸν οὐ πολλῷ τεῳ ἐλάσσω ἑωυτοῦ, ἣ Μαιῆτίς τε καλέεται καὶ μήτηρ τοῦ Πόντου.
Now this Pontus and the Bosporus and the Hellespont have been measured by me in this manner, and they are of the nature indeed which has been said. Moreover, this Pontus has a lake which empties into it, not much smaller than itself, which is indeed called Maeotis and the mother of the Pontus.

Notes

  1. §4.86.1μεμέτρηται — Third-person singular perfect passive. The subject ταῦτα is neuter plural, following the Greek grammatical rule that a neuter plural subject takes a singular verb.
  2. §4.86.1ἐν μακρημερίῃ — Meaning 'in the long day-season' (at the time of the summer solstice). This is an Ionic dialect form corresponding to Attic μακρημερίᾳ, indicating the daytime period during the longest days of the year.
  3. §4.86.2ἡμερέων ἐννέα πλόος ἐστὶ καὶ νυκτῶν ὀκτώ — The genitives ἡμερέων and νυκτῶν are genitives of description, expressing the duration of the voyage ('a voyage of nine days and eight nights').
  4. §4.86.4μεμετρέαται — Third-person plural perfect passive in the Ionic dialect, corresponding to Attic μεμέτρηνται. The dative μοι is a dative of agent ('have been measured by me').
  5. §4.86.4οὐ πολλῷ τεῳ ἐλάσσω ἑωυτοῦ — πολλῷ is a dative of degree of difference (τεῳ being the Ionic form of the indefinite pronoun τινί). ἑωυτοῦ is a genitive of comparison with the comparative ἐλάσσω (contracted from ἐλάσσονα), meaning 'not by much smaller than itself (the Pontus)'.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §4.86.1-4.86.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.86.1-4.86.4

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