§16.3.3παραπλεύσαντι δὲ τῆς Ἀραβίας εἰς δισχιλίους καὶ τετρακοσίους σταδίους ἐν βαθεῖ κόλπῳ κεῖται πόλις Γέρρα, Χαλδαίων φυγάδων ἐκ Βαβυλῶνος οἰκούντων γῆν ἁλμυρίδα καὶ ἐχόντων ἁλίνας τὰς οἰκίας.
For one who has sailed along the coast of Arabia for two thousand four hundred stadia, in a deep gulf lies the city of Gerrha, inhabited by Chaldaean exiles from Babylon, who dwell in a salty land and have houses made of salt.
ἐπεὶ δὲ λεπίδες τῶν ἁλῶν ἀφιστάμεναι κατὰ τὴν ἐπίκαυσιν τὴν ἐκ τῶν ἡλίων συνεχεῖς ἀποπίπτουσι, καταρραίνοντες ὕδασι πυκνὰ τοὺς τοίχους συνέχουσι.
Since flakes of salt, scaling off on account of the scorching of the sun, continually fall away, they keep the walls together by frequently sprinkling them with water.
διέχει δὲ τῆς θαλάττης διακοσίους σταδίους ἡ πόλις· πεζέμποροι δʼ εἰσὶν οἱ Γερραῖοι τὸ πλέον τῶν Ἀραβίων φορτίων καὶ ἀρωμάτων.
The city is distant two hundred stadia from the sea; and the Gerrhaeans are land-merchants for the most part in Arabian cargoes and aromatics.
Ἀριστόβουλος δὲ τοὐναντίον φησὶ τοὺς Γερραίους τὰ πολλὰ σχεδίαις εἰς τὴν Βαβυλωνίαν ἐμπορεύεσθαι, ἐκεῖθεν δὲ τῷ Εὐφράτῃ τὰ φορτία ἀναπλεῖν εἰς Θάψακον, εἶτα πεζῇ κομίζεσθαι πάντῃ.
Aristobulus, however, says the contrary: that the Gerrhaeans for the most part trade on rafts into Babylonia, and from there sail up the Euphrates with their cargoes to Thapsacus, and then convey them by land to all parts.
§16.3.4πλεύσαντι δʼ ἐπὶ πλέον ἄλλαι νῆσοι Τύρος καὶ Ἄραδος εἰσίν, ἱερὰ ἔχουσαι τοῖς Φοινικικοῖς ὅμοια· καὶ φασί γε οἱ ἐν αὐταῖς οἰκοῦντες τὰς ὁμωνύμους τῶν Φοινίκων νήσους καὶ πόλεις ἀποίκους ἑαυτῶν.
To one sailing further, there are other islands, Tylos and Arados, having temples similar to the Phoenician ones; and at any rate, those who inhabit them say that the homonymous islands and cities of the Phoenicians are colonies of theirs.
διέχουσι δὲ αἱ νῆσοι αὗται Τερηδόνος μὲν δεχήμερον πλοῦν, τῆς δὲ κατὰ τὸ στόμα ἄκρας τῆς ἐν Μάκαις ἡμερήσιον.
And these islands are distant a ten days' sail from Teredon, and a one day's sail from the promontory at the mouth near Macae.
§16.3.5Ἀπὸ δὲ τῆς Καρμανίας εἰρήκασι καὶ Νέαρχος καὶ Ὀρθαγόρας νῆσον Ὤγυριν κεῖσθαι πρὸς νότον πελαγίαν ἐν δισχιλίοις σταδίοις, ἐν ᾗ τάφος Ἐρύθρα δείκνυται, χῶμα μέγα ἀγρίοις φοίνιξι κατάφυτον·
Off Carmania, both Nearchus and Orthagoras say that there lies to the south in the open sea, at a distance of two thousand stadia, an island Ogyris, in which is shown the tomb of Erythras, a large mound overgrown with wild date-palms.
τοῦτον δὲ βασιλεῦσαι τῶν τόπων καὶ ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ τὴν θάλατταν ἐπώνυμον καταλιπεῖν·
And they say that this man ruled these regions and left the sea named after him.
δηλῶσαι δὲ ταῦτά φησιν αὐτοῖς Μιθρωπάστην τὸν Ἀρσίτου τοῦ Φρυγίας σατράπου, φυγόντα μὲν Δαρεῖον, διατρίψαντα δʼ ἐν τῇ νήσῳ, συμμίξαντα δὲ αὐτοῖς καταχθεῖσιν εἰς τὸν Περσικὸν κόλπον καὶ ζητοῦντα κάθοδον διʼ αὐτῶν εἰς τὴν οἰκείαν.
And he says that Mithropastes, the son of Arsites who was the satrap of Phrygia, made these things known to them—having fled from Darius and spent time on the island, and having associated with them when they put into the Persian Gulf, seeking through them a return to his own country.
§16.3.6καθʼ ὅλην δὲ τὴν τῆς Ἐρυθρᾶς παραλίαν κατὰ βυθοῦ φύεται δένδρα ὅμοια δάφνῃ καὶ ἐλαίᾳ, ταῖς μὲν ἀμπώτεσιν ὅλα ὑπερφανῆ γινόμενα, ταῖς δὲ πλημμυρίσιν ἔσθʼ ὅτε ὅλα καλυπτόμενα, καὶ ταῦτα τῆς ὑπερκειμένης γῆς ἀδένδρου οὔσης, ὥστε ἐπιτείνεσθαι τὸ παράδοξον.
And along the whole coast of the Erythraean Sea, down in the deep, there grow trees similar to the laurel and the olive, which at low tides become completely visible, and at high tides are sometimes completely covered; and this, although the land lying above is treeless, so that the wonder is increased.
περὶ μὲν οὖν τῆς κατὰ Πέρσας θαλάττης, ἣν ἑῴαν πλευρὰν ἔφαμεν εἶναι τῆς εὐδαίμονος Ἀραβίας, τοιαῦτα εἴρηκεν Ἐρατοσθένης.
Concerning, then, the Sea of the Persians, which we said was the eastern side of Arabia Felix, such are the things Eratosthenes has stated.
§16.3.7φησὶ δʼ ὁ Νέαρχος τὸν Μιθρωπάστην ἐντυχεῖν αὐτοῖς μετὰ Μαζήνου· τὸν δὲ Μαζήνην ἐπάρχειν νήσου τινὸς τῶν ἐν τῷ Περσικῷ κόλπῳ· καλεῖσθαι δὲ τὴν νῆσον Ὀάρακτα· εἰς ταύτην δὲ τὸν Μιθρωπάστην καταφυγόντα ξενίας τυχεῖν κατὰ τὴν ἐξ Ὠγύριος γενομένην ἄφοδον, καὶ δὴ καὶ συνελθεῖν τῷ Μαζήνῃ συσταθησόμενον τοῖς ἐν τῷ στόλῳ Μακεδόσι, τὸν δὲ Μαζήνην καὶ καθηγεμόνα τοῦ πλοῦ γενέσθαι.
And Nearchus says that Mithropastes met them along with Mazenes; and that Mazenes was ruler of a certain island of those in the Persian Gulf; and that the island was called Oaracta; and that Mithropastes, having fled to this island, had received hospitality upon his departure from Ogyris, and indeed had come along with Mazenes to be introduced to the Macedonians in the fleet, and that Mazenes also became the guide of their voyage.
λέγει δὲ καὶ ἐν ἀρχῇ τοῦ Περσικοῦ παράπλου νῆσον, ἐν ᾗ μαργαρίτης πολὺς καὶ πολυτίμητός ἐστιν, ἐν ἄλλαις δὲ ψῆφοι τῶν διαυγῶν καὶ λαμπρῶν· ἐν δὲ ταῖς πρὸ τοῦ Εὐφράτου νήσοις δένδρα φύεσθαι λιβάνου πνέοντα, ὧν τὰς ῥίζας κλωμένων ὀπὸν ῥεῖν· παγούρων δὲ καὶ ἐχίνων μεγέθη, ὅπερ κοινὸν ἐν πάσῃ τῇ ἔξω θαλάττῃ· τοὺς μὲν γὰρ εἶναι μείζους καυσίων, τοὺς δὲ καὶ δικοτύλους· ἐποκεῖλαν δὲ κῆτος ἰδεῖν πεντήκοντα πηχῶν.
He also mentions an island at the beginning of the Persian coastal voyage, in which there is many a highly priced pearl, and in others stones of the transparent and brilliant kind; and in the islands before the Euphrates, there grow trees smelling of frankincense, from whose roots, when broken, juice flows; and the sizes of crabs and sea-urchins, which is common in all the outer sea; for some are larger than a causia, and others even hold two cotylae; and they saw a stranded whale of fifty cubits.