Humanitext Reader

Arrian · Periplus of the Euxine Sea §6.1-6.4

Inspection of Troops at Apsarus and Its Mythological Origin

Passage 6 of 25 · Greek

Summary

Arrian arrives at Apsarus, inspects the garrison, distributes their pay, and explains the mythological origin of the place name from Apsyrtus as well as the legend of King Thoas.

§6.1ἐπειρώμεθα, προϊούσης δὲ τῆς ἡμέρας βορρᾶς ἐπιπνεύσας ὀλίγος κατέστησε τὴν θάλασσαν καὶ διατρεμῆσαι ἐποίησεν.
we made our way with difficulty, but as the day advanced a light north wind blew up, calmed the sea, and made it smooth.
καὶ ἤλθομεν πρὸ τῆς μεσημβρίας σταδίους πλείους ἢ πεντακοσίους ἐς Ἄψαρον, ἵναπερ αἱ πέντε σπεῖραί εἰσιν ἱδρυμέναι.
And before noon we came more than five hundred stades to Apsarus, where the five cohorts are stationed.
καὶ τὴν μισθοφορὰν §6.2τῇ στρατιᾷ ἔδωκα καὶ τὰ ὅπλα εἶδον καὶ τὸ τεῖχος καὶ τὴν τάφρον καὶ τοὺς κάμνοντας καὶ τοῦ σίτου τὴν παρασκευὴν τὴν ἐνοῦσαν.
And the pay I gave to the army, and I inspected the arms, the wall, the ditch, the sick, and the existing provision of grain.
ἥντινα δὲ ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν τὴν γνώμην ἔσχον, ἐν τοῖς Ῥωμαϊκοϊς γράμμασιν γέγραπται.
What opinion I had concerning these matters has been written in the Latin dispatch.
ὁ δὲ Ἄψαρος τὸ χωρίον λέγουσιν ὅτι Ἄψυρτος ἐκαλεῖτο §6.3πάλαι ποτέ· ἐνταῦθα γὰρ τὸν Ἄψυρτον ὑπὸ τῆς Μηδείας ἀποθανεῖν, καὶ τάφος Ἀψύρτου δείκνυται.
Now they say that the place Apsarus was called Apsyrtus in the ancient times; for they say that there Apsyrtus died at the hands of Medea, and the tomb of Apsyrtus is shown.
ἔπειτα διαφθαρῆναι τὸ ὄνομα ὑπὸ τῶν περιοίκων βαρβάρων, καθάπερ καὶ ἄλλα πολλὰ διέφθαρται· ὁπότε §6.4καὶ τὰ Τύανα τὰ ἐν τοῖς Καππαδόκαις Θόανα λέγουσιν ὅτι ὠνομάζετο ἐπὶ Θόαντι, τῷ βασιλεῖ τῶν Ταύρων, ὃς τοὺς ἀμφὶ Ὀρέστην καὶ Πυλάδην διώκων ἄχρι τῆσδε τῆς χώρας ἐλθεῖν φημίζεται καὶ ἐνταῦθα νόσῳ ἀποθανεῖν.
Afterwards, they say that the name was corrupted by the neighboring barbarians, just as many other names have also been corrupted; since indeed they say that even Tyana among the Cappadocians was named Thoana after Thoas, the king of the Tauri, who is said, while pursuing Orestes and Pylades and their companions, to have come as far as this country and to have died here of disease.
ποταμοὺς δὲ παρημείψαμεν ἐν τῷ παράπλῳ τῷ ἀπὸ
And we passed by rivers in our coastal voyage from

Notes

  1. §6.1διατρεμῆσαι — The word 'διατρεμῆσαι' (to tremble throughout) transmitted in the manuscripts does not fit the context where the north wind calmed the sea. Scholars often emend it to 'ἀτρεμῆσαι' (to make still/calm) or read 'δι' ἀτρεμῆσαι'. The translations adopt the sense of making the sea smooth/calm.
  2. §6.3ἀποθανεῖν — These infinitives (ἀποθανεῖν and the subsequent διαφθαρῆναι) are in indirect discourse, governed by the verb 'λέγουσιν' (they say) from the preceding section (§6.2), with 'τὸν Ἄψυρτον' and 'τὸ ὄνομα' acting as their respective subject accusatives.
  3. §6.4ὁπότε — The conjunction 'ὁπότε' (when, since) here introduces a reason or an illustrative example ('since indeed', 'inasmuch as'), providing the ground or evidence for the previous assertion that many other names have been corrupted.

Cite this passage

Arrian, Periplus of the Euxine Sea §6.1-6.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0074.tlg004.humanitext-grc2:6.1-6.4

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.