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Arrian · Periplus of the Euxine Sea §16.1-16.6

Voyage from the Thoaris to Trapezus and its Harbor

Passage 16 of 25 · Greek

Summary

The distances and harbor conditions along the southeastern coast of the Black Sea from the river Thoaris to Trapezus (including Oinoe, Polemonion, Cotyora, Cerasus, Trapezus, etc.) are recorded, and the harbor construction ordered by Emperor Hadrian at Trapezus is praised.

§16.1ἐνθένδε ἐς Θόαριν ποταμὸν ἐξήκοντα.
From there to the river Thoaris, sixty.
ἀπὸδὲ Θοάριος ἐς Οἰνόην τριάκοντα.
And from Thoaris to Oinoe, thirty.
ἀπὸ Οἰνόης ἐς Φιγαμοῦντα ποταμὸν τεσσαράκοντα.
From Oinoe to the river Phigamus, forty.
ἐνθένδε ἐς Φαδισάνην φρούριον πεντήκοντα καὶ ἑκατόν.
From there to the fortress Phadisane, one hundred and fifty.
ἐνθένδε ἐς Πολεμώνιον §16.2πόλιν στάδιοι δέκα.
From there to Polemonion by city, ten stades.
ἀπὸ Πολεμωνίου ἐς ἄκραν Ἰασόνιον καλουμένην στάδιοι τριάκοντα καὶ ἑκατόν.
From Polemonion to the cape called Iasonion, one hundred and thirty stades.
ἐνθένδε ἐς Κιλίκων νῆσον πεντεκαίδεκα στάδιοι.
From there to the island of the Cilicians, fifteen stades.
ἀπὸ §16.3δὲ Κιλίκων νήσου ἐς Βοῶνα πέντε καὶ ἑβδομήκοντα.
And from the island of the Cilicians to Boön, seventy-five.
ἐν Βοῶνι ὅρμος ναυσίν.
At Boön there is an anchorage for ships.
ἐνθένδε ἐς Κοτύωρα ἐνενήκοντα.
From there to Cotyora, ninety.
ταύτης ὡς πόλεως Ξενοφῶν ἐμνημόνευσεν, καὶ λέγει Σινωπέων ἄποικον εἶναι· νῦν δὲ κώμη ἐστίν, καὶ οὐδὲ αὐτὴ μεγάλη.
Xenophon mentioned this as a city, and says that it is a colony of the Sinopeans; but now it is a village, and not even a large one.
ἀπὸ Κοτυώρων ἐς Μελάνθιον ποταμὸν στάδιοι μάλιστα ἑξήκοντα.
From Cotyora to the river Melanthios, about sixty stades.
ἐνδένδε ἐς Φαρματηνὸν ἄλλον ποταμὸν πεντήκοντα καὶ ἑκατὸν.
From there to another river, the Pharmatenos, one hundred and fifty.
καὶ ἔνθεν ἐς Φαρνακίαν εἴκοσι καὶ ἑκατόν.
And from there to Pharnacia, one hundred and twenty.
αὕτη ἡ Φαρνακία πάλαι §16.4Κερασοῦς ἐκαλεῖτο, Σινωπέων καὶ αὕτη ἄποικος.
This Pharnacia was of old called Cerasus, which also was a colony of the Sinopeans.
ἐνθένδε ἐς τὴν Ἀρητιάδα νῆσον τριάκοντα.
From there to the island of Areteias, thirty.
καὶ ἔνθεν ἐς Ζεφύριον εἴκοσι καὶ ἑκατόν· ὅρμος ναυσίν.
And from there to Zephyrion, one hundred and twenty; there is an anchorage for ships.
ἀπὸ δὲ Ζεφυρίου ἐς Τρίπολιν στάδιοι ἐνενήκοντα.
And from Zephyrion to Tripolis, ninety stades.
ἐνθένδε ἐς τὰ Ἀργύρια στάδιοι εἴκοσιν.
From there to Argyria, twenty stades.
ἐκ δὲ τῶν Ἀργυρίων ἐς §16.5Φιλοκάλειαν ἐνενήκοντα.
And from Argyria to Philocaleia, ninety.
ἐνθένδε ἐς Κόραλλα ἑκατόν.
From there to Coralla, one hundred.
ἀπὸ δὲ Κοράλλων ἐς Ἱερὸν ὄρος πεντήκοντα καὶ ἑκατόν.
And from Coralla to the Sacred Mountain, one hundred and fifty.
ἀπὸ δὲ Ἱεροῦ ὄρους ἐς Κορδύλην τεσσαράκοντα· §16.6ὅρμος ναυσίν.
And from the Sacred Mountain to Cordyle, forty; there is an anchorage for ships.
ἀπὸ δὲ Κορδύλης ἐς Ἑρμώνασσαν πέντε καὶ τεσσαράκοντα.
And from Cordyle to Hermonassa, forty-five.
καὶ δεῦρο ὅρμος.
Here too is an anchorage.
ἀπὸ δὲ Ἑρμωνάσσης ἐς Τραπεζοῦντα στάδιοι ἑξήκοντα.
And from Hermonassa to Trapezus, sixty stades.
ἐνταῦθα σὺ ποιεῖς λιμένα· πάλαι γάρ, ὅσον ἀποσαλεύειν ὥρᾳ ἔτους, ὅρμος ᾖν.
Here you are constructing a harbor; for formerly there was only an anchorage, such as to ride at anchor in the favorable season of the year.

Notes

  1. 16.3ταύτης ὡς πόλεως — ταύτης is in the genitive case governed by the verb ἐμνημόνευσεν (to mention), and ὡς πόλεως ('as a city') serves as an appositional phrase showing the capacity in which it was mentioned. It refers to Xenophon's description in Anabasis 5.5.3.
  2. 16.6ὅσον ἀποσαλεύειν — ὅσον is followed by the infinitive ἀποσαλεύειν (to ride at anchor / lie in the open roadstead) to express a restriction or limited consequence ('only so much as to...').
  3. 16.6σὺ ποιεῖς — The second-person singular pronoun σὺ (you) refers to the Roman Emperor Hadrian, the addressee of this work. It indicates that Hadrian had ordered and was carrying out the construction of an artificial harbor at Trapezus (modern Trabzon).

Cite this passage

Arrian, Periplus of the Euxine Sea §16.1-16.6. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0074.tlg004.humanitext-grc2:16.1-16.6

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