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Arrian · Periplus of the Euxine Sea §13.1-13.6

Voyage from Rhoe to Parthenios and Heraclea

Passage 13 of 25 · Greek

Summary

The author lists distances and anchorages from Rhoe to the river Parthenios, noting Greek colonies like Heraclea and Tios, and cites Xenophon on the warlike Bithynians and the Greek army's past hardships.

§13.1ναυσὶ σμικραῖς.
(An anchorage) for small ships.
ἀπὸ Ῥόης ἐς Ἀπολλωνίαν νῆσον σμικράν, ὀλίγον διέχουσαν τῆς ἠπείρου, ἄλλοι εἴκοσι.
From Rhoe to the small island Apollonia, which is a short distance from the mainland, is another twenty (stades).
λιμὴν ὑπὸ τῇ νησῖδι.
There is a harbor under the small island.
καὶ ἔνθεν ἐς Χηλὰς στάδιοι εἴκοσιν.
And from there to Chelae is twenty stades.
ἀπὸ Χηλῶν ὀγδοήκοντα καὶ ἑκατόν, ἵναπερ Σαγγάριος ποταμὸς ἐσβάλλει ἐς τὸν Πόντον.
From Chelae to where the river Sangarios empties into the Pontus is one hundred and eighty (stades).
ἐνθένδε ἐς τοῦ Ὑπίου §13.2τὰς ἐκβολὰς ἄλλοι ὀγδοήκοντα καὶ ἑκατόν.
From there to the mouth of the Hypios is another one hundred and eighty (stades).
ἐς δὲ Λίλλιον ἐμπόριον ἀπὸ τοῦ Ὑπίου στάδιοι ἑκατόν, καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ Λιλλίου ἐς Ἐλαῖον ἑξήκοντα.
From the Hypios to the market-town Lillium is one hundred stades, and from Lillium to Elaeum is sixty (stades).
ἐνθένδε ἐς Κάλητα, ἄλλο ἐμπόριον, εἴκοσι καὶ ἑκατόν. ἀπὸ Κάλητος
From there to Cales, another market-town, is one hundred and twenty (stades).
§13.3ἐς Λύκον ποταμὸν ὀγδοήκοντα, ἀπὸ δὲ Λύκου ἐς Ἡράκλειαν πόλιν Ἑλληνίδα Δωρικήν, Μεγαρέων ἄποικον, στάδιοι εἴκοσιν.
From Cales to the river Lycos is eighty (stades), and from the Lycos to Heraclea, a Greek Dorian city, a colony of the Megarians, is twenty stades.
ἐν Ἡρακλείᾳ ὅρμος ναυσίν, ἀπὸ δὲ Ἡρακλείας ἐπὶ μὲν τὸ Μητρῷον καλούμενον στάδιοι ὀγδοήκοντα.
In Heraclea there is an anchorage for ships, and from Heraclea to the so-called Metroon is eighty stades.
ἐνθένδε ἐς τὸ Ποσείδειον τεσσαράκοντα, §13.4καὶ ἔνθεν ἐς Τυνδαρίδας πέντε καὶ τεσσαράκοντα, πέντε δὲ καὶ δέκα ἐνθένδε ἐπὶ τὸ Νυμφαῖον.
From there to Poseideion is forty (stades), and from there to Tyndarides is forty-five (stades), and from there to Nymphaeum is fifteen (stades).
καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ Νυμφαίου ἐπὶ τὸν Ὀξίναν ποταμὸν τριάκοντα.
And from Nymphaeum to the river Oxinas is thirty (stades).
καὶ ἀπὸ Ὀξίνα ἐς Σανδαράκην ἐνενήκοντα.
And from the Oxinas to Sandarace is ninety (stades).
Σανδαράκη ὅρμος ναυσὶ σμικραῖς.
Sandarace is an anchorage for small ships.
ἐνθένδε ἐς Κρηνίδας ἑξήκοντα.
From there to Crenides is sixty (stades).
§13.5καὶ ἀπὸ Κρηνίδων ἐς Ψύλλαν ἐμπόριον τριάκοντα.
And from Crenides to the market-town Psylla is thirty (stades).
ἐνθένδε ἐς Τίον, πόλιν Ἑλληνίδα Ἰωνικήν, ἐπὶ θαλάσσῃ οἰκουμένην, Μιλησίων καὶ ταύτην ἄποικον, ἐνενήκοντα.
From there to Tios, a Greek Ionian city situated by the sea, which is also a colony of the Milesians, is ninety (stades).
ἀπὸ δὲ Τίου ἐς Βιλλαῖον ποταμὸν στάδιοι εἴκοσιν.
And from Tios to the river Billaios is twenty stades.
ἀπὸ δὲ Βιλλαίου ἐπὶ τὸν Παρθένιον ποταμὸν στάδιοι ἑκατόν.
And from the Billaios to the river Parthenios is one hundred stades.
μέχρι τοῦδε Θρᾷκες οἱ Βιθυνοὶ νέμονται, ὧν καὶ Ξενοφῶν §13.6ἐν τῇ συγγραφῇ μνήμην ἐποιήσατο ὅτι μαχιμώτατοι εἶεν τῶν κατὰ τὴν Ἀσίαν, καὶ τὰ πολλὰ κακὰ ἡ στρατιὰ τῶν Ἑλλήνων ὅτι ἐν τῇδε τῇ χώρᾳ ἔπαθεν, ἐπειδὴ ἀπεχωρίσθησαν οἱ Ἀρκάδες ἀπό τε τῆς Χειρισόφου καὶ τῆς Ξενοφῶντος μερίδος.
As far as this point the Bithynian Thracians inhabit, of whom Xenophon also made mention in his history that they are the most warlike of those in Asia, and that the army of the Greeks suffered many evils in this country, after the Arcadians had separated themselves from the division of Cheirisophos and that of Xenophon.

Notes

  1. 13.1ναυσὶ σμικραῖς — A dative of suitability/purpose depending on ὅρμος (anchorage) at the end of the previous section (§12.5), specifying that it is 'an anchorage for small ships'. A similar construction appears later in Sandarace (§13.4).
  2. 13.5Μιλησίων καὶ ταύτην ἄποικον — The demonstrative pronoun ταύτην (feminine accusative singular) refers back to the appositive noun πόλιν (the city of Tios), and Μιλησίων is a genitive of origin. The conjunction καί (also) emphasizes that this city, too, like other cities mentioned earlier (such as Heraclea), is a colony.
  3. 13.6ὅτι μαχιμώτατοι εἶεν ... καὶ τὰ πολλὰ κακὰ ... ὅτι ... ἔπαθεν — Both are noun clauses introduced by ὅτι, depending on μνήμην ἐποιήσατο (made mention). The first verb εἶεν (present optative) is an optative of indirect discourse triggered by the past tense of the main verb. In contrast, the second verb ἔπαθεν (aorist indicative) retains the indicative mood to vividly present the past hardships of the Greek army as an objective historical fact.

Cite this passage

Arrian, Periplus of the Euxine Sea §13.1-13.6. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0074.tlg004.humanitext-grc2:13.1-13.6

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