§17.3.9μετὰ δὲ τὴν τῶν Μαυρουσίων γῆν ἡ τῶν Μασαισυλίων ἐστίν, ἀπὸ τοῦ Μολοχὰθ ποταμοῦ τὴν ἀρχὴν λαμβάνουσα, τελευτῶσα δὲ ἐπὶ τὴν ἄκραν, ἣ καλεῖται, ὅριον τῆς τε Μασαισύλων καὶ τῆς Μασυλιέων γῆς·
After the land of the Maurusians is that of the Masaesylians, taking its beginning from the river Molochath, and ending at the promontory which is called [Tretos], the boundary between the land of the Masaesylians and that of the Massylians.
στάδιοι δʼ εἰσὶν ἀπὸ τοῦ Μεταγωνίου μέχρι τοῦ Τρητοῦ ἑξακισχίλιοι· οἱ δʼ ἐλάττους φασίν.
The distance from Metagonium to Tretos is six thousand stadia, though some say it is less.
ἔχει δʼ ἡ παραλία πόλεις τε πλείους καὶ ποταμοὺς καὶ χώραν εὐφυῆ, τῶν δʼ ἐν ὀνόματι ἀρκεῖ μνησθῆναι.
The coast has many cities and rivers and a fertile land, but it is sufficient to mention those of renown.
ἔστι δὲ πόλις Σίγα ἐν χιλίοις σταδίοις ἀπὸ τῶν λεχθέντων ὅρων, βασίλειον Σόφακος· κατέσπασται δὲ νῦν· τὴν δὲ χώραν μετὰ Σόφακα κατέσχε Μασανάσσης, εἶτα Μικίψας, εἶτα καὶ οἱ ἐκεῖνον διαδεξάμενοι, καθʼ ἡμᾶς δὲ Ἰούβας ὁ πατὴρ τοῦ νεωστὶ τελευτήσαντος Ἰούβα· κατέσπασται δὲ καὶ Ζάμα τὸ τούτου βασίλειον ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων·
There is a city Siga at a distance of a thousand stadia from the said boundaries, the royal seat of Sophax, which is now destroyed; and after Sophax, Masanasses held the territory, then Micipsas, then also those who succeeded him, and in our time Juba, the father of the recently deceased Juba; and Zama, his royal seat, has also been destroyed by the Romans.
μετὰ δὲ τὴν Σίγαν Θεῶν λιμὴν ἐν ἑξακοσίοις σταδίοις· εἶτʼ ἄλλοι ἄσημοι τόποι.
After Siga, at a distance of six hundred stadia, is the Port of the Gods; then follow other obscure places.
τὰ μὲν οὖν ἐν βάθει τῆς χώρας ὀρεινὰ καὶ ἔρημα ἔσθʼ ὅτε παρέσπαρται, ἃ κατέχουσιν οἱ Γαίτουλοι μέχρι καὶ Σύρτεων· τὰ δʼ ἐκεῖ πρὸς θαλάττῃ καὶ πεδία εὐδαίμονά ἐστι καὶ πόλεις πολλαὶ καὶ ποταμοὶ καὶ λίμναι.
Now the inland parts of the country are mountainous and desert, interspersed here and there, which the Gaetulians occupy as far as the Syrtes; but the regions near the sea there have fertile plains, many cities, rivers, and lakes.
§17.3.10ποσειδώνιος δʼ οὐκ οἶδʼ εἰ ἀληθεύει φήσας ὀλίγοις καὶ μικροῖς διαρρεῖσθαι ποταμοῖς τὴν Λιβύην· αὐτοὺς γάρ, οὓς Ἀρτεμίδωρος εἴρηκε, τοὺς μεταξὺ τῆς Λυγγὸς καὶ Καρχηδόνος καὶ πολλοὺς εἴρηκε καὶ μεγάλους.
Poseidonius, however, I know not whether he speaks the truth when he says that Libya is watered by few and small rivers; for those very rivers which Artemidorus mentioned as being between Lynx and Carthage, he himself described as both numerous and large.
ἐν δὲ τῇ μεσογαίᾳ ταῦτʼ ἀληθέστερον εἰπεῖν· εἴρηκε δὲ τούτου τὴν αἰτίαν αὐτός· μὴ γὰρ κατομβρεῖσθαι τοῖς ἀρκτικοῖς μέρεσι, καθάπερ οὐδὲ τὴν Αἰθιοπίαν φασί· διὸ πολλάκις λοιμικὰ ἐμπίπτειν ὑπὸ αὐχμῶν καὶ τὰς λίμνας τελμάτων πίμπλασθαι καὶ τὴν ἀκρίδα ἐπιπολάζειν.
In the interior, however, it is truer to say this; and he himself has stated the cause of this; for they say that the northern parts are not watered by rain, just as is the case with Ethiopia; on which account plagues frequently break out because of droughts, the lakes are filled with mud, and locusts swarm.
ἔτι φησὶ τὰ μὲν ἀνατολικὰ ὑγρὰ εἶναι, τὸν γὰρ ἥλιον ἀνίσχοντα ταχὺ παραλλάττειν, τὰ δʼ ἑσπέρια ξηρά, ἐκεῖ γὰρ καταστρέφειν ὑγρὰ γὰρ καὶ ξηρά, τὰ μὲν παρʼ ὑδάτων ἀφθονίαν ἢ σπάνιν λέγεται, τὰ δὲ παρὰ τὴν τῶν ἡλίων· βούλεται δὲ λέγειν τὰ παρὰ τοὺς ἡλίους· ταῦτα δὲ πάντες ἀρκτικοῖς καὶ μεσημβρινοῖς κλίμασιν ἀφορίζουσι·
He further says that the eastern parts are moist, since the rising sun quickly passes over them, while the western parts are dry, for there the sun ends its course; for moist and dry are expressed either by the abundance or scarcity of waters, or by the temperature of the suns; and he wishes to speak of those that are caused by the suns; but everyone defines these by northern and southern climates.
καὶ μὴν ἀνατολικά τε καὶ δυσμικά, τὰ μὲν πρὸς τὰς οἰκήσεις λεγόμενα, καθʼ ἑκάστην τὴν οἴκησιν καὶ τὴν μετάπτωσιν τῶν ὁριζόντων ἄλλα καὶ ἄλλα ἐστίν, ὥστʼ οὐδʼ ἔνεστι καθολικῶς εἰπεῖν ἐπὶ τῶν ἀπεριλήπτων τὸ πλῆθος, ὅτι τὰ μὲν ἀνατολικὰ ὑγρά, τὰ δὲ δυσμικὰ ξηρά.
And indeed, eastern and western, being spoken of in relation to habitations, vary for each habitation and for each change of the horizons, so that it is not possible to say universally of an infinite number of habitations that the eastern parts are moist and the western parts dry.
ὡς δὲ λέγεται πρὸς τὴν οἰκουμένην ὅλην καὶ τὰς ἐσχατιὰς τὰς τοιαύτας, οἵα καὶ ἡ Ἰνδικὴ καὶ ἡ Ἰβηρία, λέγοι ἂν εἰ ἄρα τὴν τοιαύτην ἀπόφασιν.
But if indeed he makes such an assertion in reference to the whole inhabited world and its extremities, such as India and Iberia, he might perhaps say so.
τίς οὖν ἡ πιθανότης τῆς αἰτιολογίας;
What, then, is the probability of this explanation?
ἐν γὰρ περιφορᾷ συνεχεῖ τε καὶ ἀδιαλείπτῳ τοῦ ἡλίου τίς ἂν εἴη καταστροφή;
For in a continuous and uninterrupted revolution of the sun, what ending could there be?
τό τε τάχος τῆς παραλλαγῆς πανταχοῦ ἴσον.
And the speed of its passage is everywhere equal.
ἄλλως τε παρὰ τὴν ἐνάργειάν ἐστι, τὰ ἔσχατα τῆς Ἰβηρίας ἢ τῆς Μαυρουσίας τὰ πρὸς δύσιν ξηρὰ λέγειν ἁπάντων μάλιστα· καὶ γὰρ τὸ περιέχον εὔκρατον ἔχει καὶ πλείστων ὑδάτων εὐπορεῖ.
Moreover, it is contrary to clear evidence to say that the westernmost extremities of Iberia or Maurusia are dry above all other places; for they have a temperate atmosphere and are well supplied with abundance of water.
εἰ δὲ τὸ καταστρέφειν τοιοῦτον εἴληπται, ὅτι ἐνταῦθα * τὰ ὕστατα τῆς οἰκουμένης ὑπὲρ γῆς γίνεται, τί τοῦτο συντείνει πρὸς ξηρασίαν;
And if ending is taken in this sense, that there the final course of the inhabited world above the earth takes place, how does this contribute to dryness?
καὶ γὰρ ἐνταῦθα καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἄλλοις τόποις τῆς οἰκουμένης τοῖς ταυτοκλινέσι τὸν ἴσον διαλιπὼν χρόνον τὸν τῆς νυκτὸς ἐπάνεισι πάλιν καὶ θερμαίνει τὴν γῆν.
For there too, as in other places of the inhabited world situated in the same latitude, after leaving an equal interval of time, that of the night, the sun returns again and heats the earth.