§1.2.33εἰ δὲ Φοίνικας εἰπὼν ὀνομάζει καὶ Σιδωνίους τὴν μητρόπολιν αὐτῶν σχήματι συνήθει χρῆται, ὡς
Τρῶάς τε καὶ Ἕκτορα νηυσὶ πέλασσε,
καί
οὐ γὰρ ἔτʼ Οἰνῆος μεγαλήτορος υἱέες ἦσαν, οὐδʼ ἄρʼ ἔτʼ αὐτὸς ἔην, θάνε δὲ ξανθὸς Μελέαγρος,
καί
Ἴδην δʼ ἵκανεν καὶ Γάργαρον,
καί
οἳ δʼ Εὔβοιαν ἔχον καὶ Χαλκίδα τʼ Εἰρέτριάν τε. καὶ Σαπφώ
ἤ σε Κύπρος ἢ Πάφος ἢ Πάνορμος.
If, after saying "Phoenicians," he also names the "Sidonians" (their mother-city), he is using a common figure of speech, such as: "He brought the Trojans and Hector close to the ships," and: "For no longer were the sons of great-hearted Oeneus alive, nor indeed was he himself still living, and fair-haired Meleager was dead," and: "He came to Ida and Gargarus," and: "Those who held Euboea, and Chalcis, and Eretria." And Sappho: "Whether Cyprus, or Paphos, or Panormos holds you." Yet there was also another reason that made him, although he had already mentioned Phoenicia, catalog Sidon again separately.
καίτοι καὶ ἄλλο τι ἦν τὸ ποιῆσαν καίπερ ἤδη μνησθέντα τῆς Φοινίκης ἰδίως πάλιν καὶ τὴν Σιδῶνα συγκαταλέξαι. πρὸς μὲν γὰρ τὸ τὰ ἐφεξῆς ἔθνη καταλέξαι ἱκανῶς εἶχεν οὕτως εἰπεῖν
Κύπρον Φοινίκην τε καὶ Αἰγυπτίους ἐπαληθεὶς Αἰθίοπάς θʼ ἱκόμην· ἵνα δʼ ἐμφήνῃ καὶ τὴν παρὰ τοῖς Σιδωνίοις ἀποδημίαν τὴν ἐπὶ πλέον γενομένην, καλῶς εἶχεν εἴτʼ ἀναλαβεῖν εἴτε καὶ παραλαβεῖν·
For as far as cataloging the successive nations was concerned, it was sufficient to speak thus: "Having wandered to Cyprus, Phoenicia, and the Egyptians, I came to the Ethiopians." But in order to indicate also the journey to the Sidonians, which was of longer duration, it was fitting either to recall it or to introduce it; he indicates this through his praise of their fine craftsmanship, and the fact that Helen had been introduced to these people by Alexander before.
ἐμφαίνει διὰ τῶν ἐπαίνων τῆς παρʼ αὐτοῖς εὐτεχνίας καὶ τοῦ τὴν Ἑλένην προεξενῶσθαι τοῖς ἀνθρώποις μετὰ Ἀλεξάνδρου· διόπερ παρὰ τῷ Ἀλεξάνδρῳ πολλὰ τοιαῦτα ἀποκείμενα λέγει
ἔνθʼ ἔσαν οἱ πέπλοι παμποίκιλοι, ἔργα γυναικῶν Σιδονίων, ἃς αὐτὸς Ἀλέξανδρος θεοειδὴς ἤγαγε Σιδονίηθεν τὴν ὁδόν, ἣν Ἑλένην περ ἀνήγαγε· καὶ παρὰ τῷ Μενελάῳ· λέγει γὰρ πρὸς Τηλέμαχον
δώσω τοι κρητῆρα τετυγμένον·
Therefore, he says that there were many such things stored in Alexander's possession: "There were the robes of many colors, the handiwork of Sidonian women, whom godlike Alexander himself brought from Sidon on the same voyage in which he carried off Helen." And in the house of Menelaus, for he says to Telemachus: "I will give you a well-wrought mixing-bowl; it is all of silver, and the lips are finished with gold.
ἀργύρεος δὲ ἐστὶν ἅπας, χρυσῷ δʼ ἐπὶ χείλεα κεκράανται. ἄργον δʼ Ἡφαίστοιο· πόρεν δέ ἑ φαίδιμος ἥρως Σιδονίων βασιλεύς, ὅθʼ ἑὸς δόμος ἀμφεκάλυψε κεῖσέ με νοστήσαντα. δεῖ δὲ δέξασθαι πρὸς ὑπερβολὴν εἰρημένον τὸ Ἡφαίστου ἔργον, ὡς λέγεται Ἀθηνᾶς ἔργα τὰ καλὰ καὶ Χαρίτων καὶ Μουσῶν.
It is the work of Hephaestus; and the illustrious hero, the king of the Sidonians, gave it to me when his house sheltered me on my return journey." But we must accept the expression "work of Hephaestus" as spoken in exaggeration, just as beautiful works are said to be the works of Athena, the Graces, and the Muses.
ἐπεὶ ὅτι γε οἱ ἄνδρες ἦσαν καλλίτεχνοι, δηλοῖ τὸν κρατῆρα ἐπαινῶν, ὃν ὁ Εὔνεως ἔδωκεν ἀντὶ Λυκάονος· φησὶ γάρ
κάλλει ἐνίκα πᾶσαν ἐπʼ αἶαν πολλόν· ἐπεὶ Σιδόνες πολυδαίδαλοι εὖ ἤσκησαν, Φοίνικες δʼ ἄγον ἄνδρες. §1.2.34περὶ δὲ τῶν Ἐρεμβῶν πολλὰ μὲν εἴρηται, πιθανώτατοι δʼ εἰσὶν οἱ νομίζοντες τοὺς Ἄραβας λέγεσθαι.
Since, that the men were indeed fine craftsmen is shown by his praising the mixing-bowl which Euneus gave in exchange for Lycaon; for he says: "In beauty it surpassed all the earth by far; for skilled Sidonians had wrought it well, and Phoenician men carried it." Concerning the Erembi many things have been said, but the most plausible are those who think that the Arabs are meant.
Ζήνων δʼ ὁ ἡμέτερος καὶ γράφει οὕτως
Αἰθίοπάς θʼ ἱκόμην καὶ Σιδονίους Ἄραβάς τε. τὴν μὲν οὖν γραφὴν οὐκ ἀνάγκη κινεῖν παλαιὰν οὖσαν· αἰτιᾶσθαι δὲ βέλτιον τὴν τοῦ ὀνόματος μετάπτωσιν πολλὴν καὶ ἐπιπολαίαν οὖσαν ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσιν.
Indeed, our own Zeno even writes the text thus: "And I came to the Ethiopians, and the Sidonians, and the Arabs." Now, there is no necessity to alter the reading, since it is ancient; rather, it is better to blame the change of the name, which is frequent and superficial among all nations.
ἀμέλει δὲ καὶ ποιοῦσί τινες παραγραμματίζοντες.
Indeed, some even do this by altering letters.
ἄριστα δʼ ἂν δόξειεν εἰπεῖν ὁ Ποσειδώνιος κἀνταῦθα ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν ἐθνῶν συγγενείας καὶ κοινότητος ἐτυμολογῶν.
But Posidonius would seem to speak best here too, deriving the etymology from the kinship and community of the nations.
τὸ γὰρ τῶν Ἀρμενίων ἔθνος καὶ τὸ τῶν Σύρων καὶ Ἀράβων πολλὴν ὁμοφυλίαν ἐμφαίνει κατά τε τὴν διάλεκτον καὶ τοὺς βίους καὶ τοὺς τῶν σωμάτων χαρακτῆρας, καὶ μάλιστα καθὸ πλησιόχωροί εἰσι.
For the nation of the Armenians, that of the Syrians, and that of the Arabs show a great community of race in their language, their ways of life, and their physical traits, and especially in that they are neighbors.
δηλοῖ δʼ ἡ Μεσοποταμία ἐκ τῶν τριῶν συνεστῶσα τούτων ἐθνῶν· μάλιστα γὰρ ἐν τούτοις ἡ ὁμοιότης διαφαίνεται.
Mesopotamia shows this, being composed of these three nations; for the similarity is most apparent among them.
εἰ δέ τις παρὰ τὰ κλίματα γίνεται διαφορὰ τοῖς προσβόρροις ἐπὶ πλέον πρὸς τοὺς μεσημβρινοὺς καὶ τούτοις πρὸς μέσους τοὺς ὅρους, ἀλλʼ ἐπικρατεῖ γε τὸ κοινόν.
And even if some difference arises due to the climates, with those further north differing from those in the south, and these from those in the intermediate zones, yet the common element prevails.
καὶ οἱ Ἀσσύριοι δὲ καὶ οἱ Ἀριανοὶ παραπλησίως πως ἔχουσι καὶ πρὸς τούτους καὶ πρὸς ἀλλήλους.
The Assyrians also and the Arians are in a somewhat similar position both to these and to each other.
εἰκάζει γε δὴ καὶ τὰς τῶν ἐθνῶν τούτων κατονομασίας ἐμφερεῖς ἀλλήλαις εἶναι. τοὺς γὰρ ὑφʼ ἡμῶν Σύρους καλουμένους ὑπʼ αὐτῶν τῶν Σύρων Ἀραμμαίους καλεῖσθαι· τούτῳ δʼ ἐοικέναι τοὺς Ἀρμενίους καὶ τοὺς Ἄραβας καὶ Ἐρεμβούς, τάχα τῶν πάλαι Ἑλλήνων οὕτω καλούντων τοὺς Ἄραβας, ἅμα καὶ τοῦ ἐτύμου συνεργοῦντος πρὸς τοῦτο.
He also conjectures that the names of these nations are similar to one another; for those called Syrians by us are called Arameans by the Syrians themselves, and the Armenians, the Arabs, and the Erembi are similar to this name, perhaps since the ancient Greeks called the Arabs thus, while at the same time the etymology also contributes to this.
ἀπὸ γὰρ τοῦ εἰς τὴν ἔραν ἐμβαίνειν τοὺς Ἐρεμβοὺς ἐτυμολογοῦσιν οὕτως οἱ πολλοί, οὓς μεταλαβόντες οἱ ὕστερον ἐπὶ τὸ σαφέστερον Τρωγλοδύτας ἐκάλεσαν· οὗτοι δέ εἰσιν Ἀράβων οἱ ἐπὶ θάτερον μέρος τοῦ Ἀραβίου κόλπου κεκλιμένοι, τὸ πρὸς Αἰγύπτῳ καὶ Αἰθιοπίᾳ.
For most people etymologize Erembi from their entering into the earth (eis ten eran embainein), whom later people, changing the name to something clearer, called Troglodytes (cave-dwellers); and these are those of the Arabs who live on the other side of the Arabian Gulf, the side towards Egypt and Ethiopia.
τούτων δʼ εἰκὸς μεμνῆσθαι τὸν ποιητὴν καὶ πρὸς τούτους ἀφῖχθαι λέγειν τὸν Μενέλαον, καθʼ ὃν τρόπον εἴρηται καὶ πρὸς τοὺς Αἰθίοπας· τῇ γὰρ Θηβαΐδι καὶ οὗτοι πλησιάζουσιν· ὁμοίως οὐκ ἐργασίας οὐδὲ χρηματισμοῦ χάριν τούτων ὀνομαζομένων (οὐ πολὺ γὰρ ἦν τοῦτο), ἀλλὰ τοῦ μήκους τῆς ἀποδημίας καὶ τοῦ ἐνδόξου· ἔνδοξον γὰρ τοσοῦτον ἐκτοπίσαι.
It is likely that the poet mentioned these and said that Menelaus reached them, in the same manner as has been said concerning the Ethiopians; for these also are close to the Thebaid; and similarly they are named not for the sake of trade or profit (for there was not much of this), but because of the length of the journey and its fame; for it is famous to travel so far from home.
τοιοῦτον δὲ καὶ τὸ
πολλῶν ἀνθρώπων ἴδεν ἄστεα καὶ νόον ἔγνω,
καὶ τὸ
ἦ γὰρ πολλὰ παθὼν καὶ πόλλʼ ἐπαληθεὶς ἠγαγόμην. Ἡσίοδος δʼ ἐν Καταλόγῳ φησί
καὶ κούρην Ἀράβοιο, τὸν Ἑρμάων ἀκάκητα γείνατο καὶ Θρονίη, κούρη Βήλοιο ἄνακτος. οὕτω δὲ καὶ Στησίχορος λέγει.
Such also is: "He saw the cities of many men and knew their mind," and: "For having suffered much and wandered much, I brought back (many things)." And Hesiod says in the Catalogue: "And the daughter of Arabus, whom gentle Hermes begot and Thronia, daughter of lord Belus." And Stesichorus also speaks thus.
εἰκάζειν οὖν ἐστιν ὅτι ἀπὸ τούτου καὶ ἡ χώρα Ἀραβία ἤδη τότε ὠνομάζετο, κατὰ δὲ τοὺς ἥρωας τυχὸν ἴσως οὔπω.
We may therefore conjecture that from this person the country was already called Arabia at that time, though in the times of the heroes perhaps it was not yet so.