§2.5.22κατὰ δὲ ταύτην ἐστὶ τὸ ἑπταστάδιον τὸ κατὰ Σηστὸν καὶ Ἄβυδον, διʼ οὗ τὸ Αἰγαῖον καὶ ὁ Ἑλλήσποντος ἐκδίδωσι πρὸς ἄρκτον εἰς ἄλλο πέλαγος, ὃ καλοῦσι Προποντίδα, κἀκεῖνο εἰς ἄλλο τὸν Εὔξεινον προσαγορευόμενον πόντον.
Near this is the seven-stadium strait near Sestos and Abydos, through which the Aegean and the Hellespont discharge northward into another sea, which they call Propontis, and that one into another called the Euxine Pontus.
ἔστι δὲ διθάλαττος τρόπον τινὰ οὗτος· κατὰ μέσον γάρ πως ἄκραι δύο προπίπτουσιν, ἡ μὲν ἐκ τῆς Εὐρώπης καὶ τῶν βορείων μερῶν ἡ δʼ ἐκ τῆς Ἀσίας ἐναντία ταύτῃ, συνάγουσαι τὸν μεταξὺ πόρον καὶ ποιοῦσαι δύο πελάγη μεγάλα·
This latter is in a way a double sea; for near its middle two promontories project, the one from Europe and the northern parts, and the other from Asia opposite to it, narrowing the passage between them and making two large seas.
τὸ μὲν οὖν τῆς Εὐρώπης ἀκρωτήριον καλεῖται Κριοῦ μέτωπον τὸ δὲ τῆς Ἀσίας Κάραμβις, διέχοντα ἀλλήλων περὶ χιλίους σταδίους καὶ πεντακοσίους.
The promontory of Europe is called Criu Metopon, and that of Asia Carambis, being distant from each other about one thousand five hundred stadia.
τὸ μὲν οὖν πρὸς ἑσπέραν πέλαγος μῆκός ἐστιν ἀπὸ Βυζαντίου μέχρι τῶν ἐκβολῶν τοῦ Βορυσθένους σταδίων τρισχιλίων ὀκτακοσίων, πλάτος δὲ δισχιλίων· ἐν τούτῳ δʼ ἡ Λευκὴ νῆσός ἐστι·
Now the western sea is three thousand eight hundred stadia in length from Byzantium to the mouths of the Borysthenes, and two thousand in width; in this is the island of Leuce.
τὸ δʼ ἑῷόν ἐστι παράμηκες εἰς στενὸν τελευτῶν μυχὸν τὸν κατὰ Διοσκουριάδα ἐπὶ πεντακισχιλίους ἢ μικρῷ πλείους σταδίους, τὸ δὲ πλάτος περὶ τρισχιλίους·
The eastern sea is oblong, terminating in a narrow recess near Dioscurias, extending for five thousand or slightly more stadia, and its width is about three thousand.
ἡ δὲ περίμετρος τοῦ σύμπαντος πελάγους ἐστὶ δισμυρίων που καὶ πεντακισχιλίων σταδίων.
The circumference of the whole sea is about twenty-five thousand stadia.
εἰκάζουσι δέ τινες τὸ σχῆμα τῆς περιμέτρου ταύτης ἐντεταμένῳ Σκυθικῷ τόξῳ, τὴν μὲν νευρὰν ἐξομοιοῦντες τοῖς δεξιοῖς καλουμένοις μέρεσι τοῦ Πόντου (ταῦτα δʼ ἐστὶν ὁ παράπλους ὁ ἀπὸ τοῦ στόματος μέχρι τοῦ μυχοῦ τοῦ κατὰ Διοσκουριάδα· πλὴν γὰρ τῆς Καράμβιος ἥ γε ἄλλη πᾶσα ᾐὼν μικρὰς ἔχει εἰσοχάς τε καὶ ἐξοχὰς ὥστʼ εὐθείᾳ ἐοικέναι), τὴν δὲ λοιπὴν τῷ κέρατι τοῦ τόξου διττὴν ἔχοντι τὴν ἐπιστροφήν, τὴν μὲν ἄνω περιφερεστέραν τὴν δὲ κάτω εὐθυτέραν· οὕτω δὲ κἀκείνην ἀπεργάζεσθαι δύο κόλπους, ὧν ὁ ἑσπέριος πολὺ θατέρου περιφερέστερός ἐστιν.
Some liken the shape of this circumference to a stretched Scythian bow, comparing the string to the so-called right parts of the Pontus (these are the coastwise voyage from the mouth to the innermost recess near Dioscurias; for except Carambis, the rest of the shore has only small indentations and projections, so that it resembles a straight line), and the rest of the shore to the horn of the bow, which has a double curve, the upper being more circular and the lower straighter; and they say that it thus forms two gulfs, of which the western is much more circular than the other.
§2.5.23̔υπέρκειται δὲ τοῦ ἑωθινοῦ κόλπου πρὸς ἄρκτον ἡ Μαιῶτος λίμην τὴν περίμετρον ἔχουσα ἐνακισχιλίων σταδίων ἢ καὶ μικρῷ πλεόνων·
Above the eastern gulf, towards the north, lies Lake Maeotis, having its circumference of nine thousand stadia or even slightly more.
ἐκδίδωσι δʼ αὕτη μὲν εἰς Πόντον κατὰ τὸν Κιμμερικὸν καλούμενον Βόσπορον, οὗτος δὲ κατὰ τὸν Θρᾴκιον εἰς τὴν Προποντίδα· τὸ γὰρ Βυζαντιακὸν στόμα οὕτω καλοῦσι Θρᾴκιον Βόσπορον, ὃ τετραστάδιόν ἐστιν.
This discharges into the Pontus at the so-called Cimmerian Bosporus, and the Pontus into the Propontis at the Thracian Bosporus; for they call the mouth at Byzantium the Thracian Bosporus, which is four stadia wide.
ἡ δὲ Προποντὶς χιλίων καὶ πεντακοσίων λέγεται τὸ μῆκος σταδίων τὸ ἀπὸ τῆς Τρῳάδος ἐπὶ τὸ Βυζάντιον· πάρισον δέ πώς ἐστι καὶ τὸ πλάτος.
The Propontis is said to be one thousand five hundred stadia in length from the Troad to Byzantium; and its width is about equal.
ἐνταῦθα δʼ ἡ τῶν Κυζικηνῶν ἵδρυται νῆσος καὶ τὰ περὶ αὐτὴν νησία.
Here is situated the island of the Cyzicenes and the small islands around it.
§2.5.24τοιαύτη μὲν ἡ πρὸς ἄρκτον τοῦ Αἰγαίου πελάγους ἀνάχυσις καὶ τοσαύτη, πάλιν δʼ ἀπὸ τῆς Ῥοδίας ἡ τὸ Αἰγύπτιον πέλαγος ποιοῦσα καὶ τὸ Παμφύλιον καὶ τὸ Ἰσσικὸν ἐπὶ μὲν τὴν ἕω καὶ τῆς Κιλικίας κατὰ Ἰσσὸν ἐκτείνεται μέχρι καὶ πεντακισχιλίων σταδίων παρά τε Λυκίαν καὶ Παμφυλίαν καὶ τὴν Κιλίκων παραλίαν πᾶσαν.
Such and so great is the expansion of the Aegean Sea towards the north; on the other hand, starting from the territory of Rhodes, the sea that forms the Egyptian, Pamphylian, and Issic seas extends towards the east and to Cilicia near Issus, along Lycia, Pamphylia, and the entire Cilician coast for as much as five thousand stadia.
ἐντεῦθεν δὲ Συρία τε καὶ Φοινίκη καὶ Αἴγυπτος ἐγκυκλοῖ πρὸς νότον τὴν θάλατταν καὶ πρὸς δύσιν ἕως Ἀλεξανδρείας.
From there, Syria, Phoenicia, and Egypt enclose the sea to the south and west as far as Alexandria.
ἐν δὲ τῷ Ἰσσικῷ κόλπῳ καὶ τῷ Παμφυλίῳ κεῖσθαι συμβαίνει τὴν Κύπρον, συνάπτουσαν τῷ Αἰγυπτίῳ πελάγει.
In the Issic and Pamphylian gulfs, it happens that Cyprus lies, connecting with the Egyptian Sea.
ἔστι δʼ ἀπὸ Ῥόδου δίαρμα εἰς Ἀλεξάνδρειαν βορέᾳ τετρακισχιλίων που σταδίων, ὁ δὲ περίπλους διπλάσιος.
The direct crossing from Rhodes to Alexandria with a north wind is about four thousand stadia, while the circumnavigation is double.
ὁ δʼ Ἐρατοσθένης ταύτην μὲν τῶν ναυτικῶν εἶναί φησι τὴν ὑπόληψιν περὶ τοῦ διάρματος τοῦ πελάγους, τῶν μὲν οὕτω λεγόντων, τῶν δὲ καὶ πεντακισχιλίους οὐκ ὀκνούντων εἰπεῖν, αὐτὸς δὲ διὰ τῶν σκιοθηρικῶν γνωμόνων ἀνευρεῖν τρισχιλίους ἑπτακοσίους πεντήκοντα.
Eratosthenes says that this is the estimation of mariners regarding the crossing of the sea, some speaking thus, and others not hesitating to say even five thousand, but he himself, by means of shadow-measuring gnomons, found it to be three thousand seven hundred and fifty.
τούτου δὴ τοῦ πελάγους τὸ πρὸς τῇ Κιλικίᾳ καὶ Παμφυλίᾳ καὶ τοῦ Ποντικοῦ τὰ καλούμενα δεξιὰ μέρη καὶ ἡ Προποντὶς καὶ ἡ ἐφεξῆς παραλία μέχρι Παμφυλίας ποιεῖ τινα χερρόνησον μεγάλην καὶ μέγαν ταύτης ἰσθμόν, τὸν ἀπὸ τῆς πρὸς Ταρσῷ θαλάττης ἐπὶ πόλιν Ἀμισὸν καὶ τὸ τῶν Ἀμαζόνων πεδίον τὴν Θεμίσκυραν.
Now, the part of this sea next to Cilicia and Pamphylia, the so-called right parts of the Pontus, the Propontis, and the succeeding coast as far as Pamphylia, make a certain large peninsula and a great isthmus for it, namely the one from the sea near Tarsus to the city of Amisus and Themiscyra, the plain of the Amazons.
ἡ γὰρ ἐντὸς τῆς γραμμῆς ταύτης χώρα μέχρι Καρίας καὶ Ἰωνίας καὶ τῶν ἐντὸς Ἅλυος νεμομένων ἐθνῶν περίκλυστος ἅπασά ἐστιν ὑπὸ τοῦ Αἰγαίου καὶ τῶν ἑκατέρωθεν λεχθέντων τῆς θαλάττης μερῶν· καὶ δὴ καὶ καλοῦμεν Ἀσίαν ταύτην ἰδίως καὶ ὁμωνύμως τῇ ὅλῃ.
For all the country within this line as far as Caria, Ionia, and the nations inhabiting within the Halys is washed all around by the Aegean and the said parts of the sea on either side; and indeed we call this region particularly, and homonymously with the whole, Asia.