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Theophrastus · Fragments §39.1

Anaximander and Diogenes on the Origin of the Sea

Passage 29 of 196 · Greek

Summary

The passage explains the cosmological view of Anaximander and Diogenes that the sea is a residue of primeval moisture, and details how the sun's heat causes its gradual evaporation and the formation of saltiness.

§39.1Fr. 39 Οἱ μὲν γὰρ αὐτῶν φυσιολόγων ὑπόλειμμα λέγουσιν εἶναι τὴν θάλασσαν τῆς πρώτης ὑγρότητος· ὑγροῦ γὰρ ὄντος τοῦ περὶ τὴν γῆν τόπου τὰ πρῶτα τῆς ὑγρότητος ὑπὸ τοῦ ἡλίου ἐξατμίζεσθαι καὶ γίνεσθαι τὰ πνεύματά τε ἐξ αὐτῆς καὶ τροπὰς ἡλίου τε καὶ σελήνης τὸ δέ τι αὐτῆς ὑπολειφθὲν ἐν τοῖς κοίλοις τόποις θάλατταν εἶναι· διὸ καὶ ἐλάττω γίνεοσθαι ξηραινομένην ἑκάστοτε ὑπὸ τοῦ ἡλίου καὶ τέλος ἔσεσθαί ποτε ξηράν.
Fr. 39 For some of these natural philosophers say that the sea is a residue of the primeval moisture; for since the region around the earth was moist, the first part of the moisture was evaporated by the sun, and from it arose the winds and the turnings of the sun and moon, while the part of it left behind in the hollow places is the sea; wherefore it is also becoming less as it is dried up each time by the sun, and will at last some day be dry.
Ταύτης τῆς δόξης ἐγένοντο, ὡς ἱστορεῖ ὁ Θ., Ἀναξίμανδρός τε καὶ Διογένης.
Of this opinion, as Theophrastus records, were Anaximander and Diogenes.
Διογένης δὲ καὶ τῆς ἁλμυρότητος ταύτην αἰτίαν λέγει, ὅτι ἀνάγοντος τοῦ ἡλίου τὸ γλυκὺ τὸ καταλειπόμενον καὶ ὑπομένον ἁλμυρὸν εἶναι συμβαίνει.
And Diogenes says that this is also the cause of its saltness: because, as the sun draws up the sweet part, that which is left behind and remains happens to be salty.

Notes

  1. §39.1αὐτῶν φυσιολόγων — αὐτῶν serves as a partitive genitive referring back to the natural philosophers, meaning 'some of these natural philosophers.'
  2. §39.1τροπὰς ἡλίου τε καὶ σελήνης — τροπὰς (turnings, solstices) refers to the solstices or periodic changes in the courses of the sun and moon, reflecting the early philosophical theory that evaporation affects celestial movements.
  3. §39.1γίνεοσθαι — The form γίνεοσθαι in the text is a scribal error or variant of the present infinitive γίνεσθαι, functioning in indirect speech to mean 'is becoming (less).'
  4. §39.1Ταύτης τῆς δόξης ἐγένοντο — The verb γίγνομαι with the genitive case means 'to belong to' or 'to hold' a certain opinion, here meaning 'they held this view.'
  5. §39.1ἀνάγοντος τοῦ ἡλίου — A genitive absolute construction functioning as an adverbial clause meaning 'as the sun draws up,' with the accusative τὸ γλυκὺ serving as the direct object of the participle ἀνάγοντος.

Cite this passage

Theophrastus, Fragments §39.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0093.tlg010x09.humanitext-grc1:39.1

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