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Arrian · Periplus of the Euxine Sea §12.1-12.5

Coastal Voyage and Distances from Hieron to Calpe

Passage 12 of 25 · Greek

Summary

Arrian describes the beginning of the coastal voyage from the Thracian Bosporus to Trapezus, detailing distances and geographical features from Hieron to the harbor of Calpe and Rhoe.

§12.1τὰ δὲ ἀπὸ Βοσπόρου τοῦ Θρᾳκίου ἔστε ἐπὶ Τραπεζοῦντα πόλιν ὧδε ἔχει.
The details from the Thracian Bosporus as far as the city of Trapezus are as follows.
κατὰ τὸν Θρᾴκιον Βόσπορον καὶ τὸ στόμα τοῦ Εὐξείνου Πόντου ἐν τοῖς δεξιοῖς τῆς Ἀσίας μέρεσιν, ἅπερ ἐστὶ τοῦ Βιθυνῶν ἔθνους, κεῖται χωρίον λεγόμενον Ἱερόν, ἐν ᾧ νεώς ἐστι Διὸς Οὐρίου οὕτω προσαγορευομένου.
Near the Thracian Bosporus and the mouth of the Euxine Pontus, on the right parts of Asia, which belong to the Bithynian tribe, lies a place called Hieron, in which there is a temple of Zeus Ourios, so called.
τοῦτο δὲ τὸ χωρίον ἀφετήριόν ἐστι τοῖς ἐς τὸν Πόντον πλέουσιν.
And this place is a starting-point for those sailing into the Pontus.
§12.2ἐσπλεύσαντι δὲ ἐς τὸν Πόντον, ἐν δεξιᾷ δὲ τὴν Ἀσίαν ἔχοντι καὶ περιπλέοντι τὸ ἐχόμενον μέρος τοῦ Βιθυνῶν ἔθνους τὸ πρὸς τὸν Πόντον κείμενον, ὁ περίπλους ὧδε ἔχει.
To one who has sailed into the Pontus, keeping Asia on the right and sailing around the adjacent part of the Bithynian tribe which lies towards the Pontus, the coastal voyage is as follows.
τὸ Ἱερὸν τοὺ Διὸς τοῦ Οὐρίου διέχει ἀπὸ Βυζαντίου σταδίους εἴκοσι καὶ ἑκατόν.
The Hieron of Zeus Ourios is one hundred and twenty stades distant from Byzantium.
καὶ ἔστιν Στενότατον ταύτῃ τὸ στόμα τοῦ Πόντου καλούμενον, καθʼ ὅ τι ἐσβάλλει §12.3ἐς τὴν Προποντίδα.
And at this point the so-called mouth of the Pontus is narrowest, where it empties into the Propontis.
ταῦτα μὲν εἰδότι σοι λέγω.
These things I say to you who already know them.
ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ Ἱεροῦ πλέοντι ἐν δεξιᾷ Ῥήβας ποταμός· σταδίους διέχει τοῦ Ἱεροῦ τοῦ Διὸς ἐνενήκοντα.
But to one sailing from the Hieron with Asia on the right, there is the river Rhebas; it is ninety stades distant from the Hieron of Zeus.
ἔπειτα ἡ Μέλαινα ἄκρα ὧδε καλουμένη, πεντήκοντα καὶ ἑκατόν.
Next is the Melaina cape, so called, one hundred and fifty stades.
ἀπὸ Μελαίνης ἄκρας ἐς Ἀρτάνην ποταμόν, ἵνα καὶ ὅρμος ναυσὶ σμικραῖς πρὸς ἱερῷ Ἀφροδίτης, πεντήκοντα ἄλλοι καὶ ἑκατόν.
From the Melaina cape to the river Artanes, where there is also an anchorage for small ships near a temple of Aphrodite, is another one hundred and fifty stades.
§12.4ἀπὸ δὲ Ἀρτάνου ἐς Ψίλλιν ποταμὸν πεντήκοντα καὶ ἑκατόν· καὶ πλοῖα σμικρὰ ὁρμίζοιτο ἂν πρὸς τῇ πέτρᾳ τῇ ἀνεχούσῃ οὐ πόρρω ἀπὸ τοῦ ποταμοῦ τῶν ἐκβολῶν.
And from the Artanes to the river Psillis is one hundred and fifty stades; and small vessels might anchor near the projecting rock not far from the mouth of the river.
ἐνθένδε ἐς Κάλπης λιμένα δέκα καὶ διακόσιοι §12.5στάδιοι.
From there to the harbor of Calpe is two hundred and ten stades.
ὁ δὲ Κάλπης λιμὴν ὁποῖόν τι χωρίον ἐστιν καὶ ὁποῖος ὅρμος, καὶ ὅτι πηγὴ ἐν αὐτῷ ψυχροῦ καὶ καθαροῦ ὕδατος, καὶ ὅτι ὗλαι πρὸς τῇ θαλάσσῃ ξύλων ναυπηγησίμων, καὶ αὗται ἔνθηροι, ταῦτα Ξενοφῶντι τῷ πρεσβυτέρῳ λέλεκται.
What kind of place the harbor of Calpe is and what kind of anchorage, and that there is in it a spring of cold and pure water, and that there are forests near the sea of timber suitable for shipbuilding, and these full of wild beasts, has been described by Xenophon the elder.
ἀπὸ Κάλπης λιμένος ἐς Ῥόην στάδιοι εἴκοσιν· ὅρμος
From the harbor of Calpe to Rhoe is twenty stades; it is an anchorage.

Notes

  1. §12.2ἐσπλεύσαντι — The dative participles ἐσπλεύσαντι, ἔχοντι, and περιπλέοντι function as datives of reference (or relation), establishing the perspective of the voyager: 'to one who has sailed into the Pontus...'
  2. §12.3εἰδότι σοι λέγω — The dative present participle εἰδότι modifies the pronoun σοι, meaning 'I speak to you who already know [these things],' conveying a deferential acknowledgment of the Emperor Hadrian's erudition.
  3. §12.4ὁρμίζοιτο ἂν — The third-person singular present middle/passive optative ὁρμίζοιτο combined with the particle ἄν functions as a potential optative, expressing possibility: 'small vessels might anchor.'
  4. §12.5Ξενοφῶντι τῷ πρεσβυτέρῳ λέλεκται — The dative noun Ξενοφῶντι is used with the perfect passive verb λέλεκται as a dative of agent, meaning 'has been described by Xenophon the elder.'

Cite this passage

Arrian, Periplus of the Euxine Sea §12.1-12.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0074.tlg004.humanitext-grc2:12.1-12.5

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