§34.1.1οἱ δʼ ἐν τῇ κοινῇ τῆς ἱστορίας γραφῇ χωρὶς ἀποδείξαντες τὴν τῶν ἠπείρων τοπογραφίαν, §34.1.2καθάπερ Ἔφορός τε ἐποίησε καὶ Πολύβιος. — §34.1.3Πολύβιος φήσας περὶ τῶν Ἑλληνικῶν καλῶς μὲν Εὔδοξον, κάλλιστα δʼ Ἔφορον ἐξηγεῖσθαι περὶ κτίσεων, §34.1.4συγγενειῶν, μεταναστάσεων, ἀρχηγετῶν, ἡμεῖς δέ, φησί, τὰ νῦν ὄντα δηλώσομεν καὶ περὶ θέσεως τόπων καὶ διαστημάτων· §34.1.5τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν οἰκειότατον χωρογραφίᾳ. §34.1.6ἀλλὰ μὴν σύγε, ὦ Πολύβιε, ὁ τὰς λαοδογματικὰς ἀποφάσεις περὶ τῶν διαστημάτων εἰσάγων οὐκ ἐν τοῖς ἔξω τῆς Ἑλλάδος μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τοῖς Ἑλληνικοῖς καὶ διδοῖς εὐθύνας τὰς μὲν Ποσειδωνίῳ, τὰς δʼ Ἀρτεμιδώρῳ, τὰς δʼ ἄλλοις πλείοσι. — §34.1.7Πολύβιος οὖν ὁ ἱστοριογράφος πεπραγμάτευται βιβλίον, ὃ ἐπιγραφὴν ἔχει "περὶ τῆς ὑπὸ τὸν ἰσημερινὸν οἰκήσεωσ". αὕτη δέ ἐστιν ἐν μέσῃ τῇ διακεκαυμένῃ ζώνῃ.
On the other hand, those who, in the general writing of history, set forth the topography of the continents separately, just as both Ephorus and Polybius did. — Polybius, having said that regarding Greek affairs Eudoxus explained well, but Ephorus most excellently, concerning the foundations, kinships, migrations, and founders, adds: "but we, on our part, will declare the things that now exist, and concerning the positions of places and distances;" "for this is most proper to chorography." Yet indeed you, O Polybius, who introduce popular opinions regarding distances not only in the regions outside of Greece, but also in Greek affairs, must render accounts for some things to Poseidonius, for others to Artemidorus, and for others to many more besides. — Now the historian Polybius has written a book which bears the title, "On the Inhabited Region under the Equator." This region is in the middle of the torrid zone.
§34.1.8καί φησιν οἰκεῖσθαι τοὺς τόπους καὶ εὐκρατοτέραν ἔχειν τὴν οἴκησιν τῶν περὶ τὰ πέρατα τῆς διακεκαυμένης ζώνης κατοικούντων. καὶ ἃ μὲν ἱστορίας φέρει τῶν κατωπτευκότων τὰς οἰκήσεις καὶ ἐπιμαρτυρούντων τοῖς φαινομένοις, ἃ δὲ ἐπιλογίζεται ἐπὶ τῆς φυσικῆς περὶ τὸν ἥλιον ὑπαρχούσης κινήσεως.
And he says that these places are inhabited, and have a more temperate habitation than that of those who dwell near the extremities of the torrid zone; and partly he adduces reports from those who have observed the inhabited places and bear witness to what is apparent, and partly he reasons from the natural movement that belongs to the sun.
§34.1.9ὁ γὰρ ἥλιος περὶ μὲν τοὺς τροπικοὺς κύκλους πολὺν ἐπιμένει χρόνον κατά τε τὴν πρόσοδον τὴν πρὸς αὐτοὺς καὶ τὴν ἀποχώρησιν, ὥστε σχεδὸν ἐφʼ ἡμέρας τετταράκοντα μένει πρὸς αἴσθησιν ἐπὶ τῶν τροπικῶν κύκλων.
For the sun lingers a long time near the tropic circles both in its approach to them and in its departure, so that for almost forty days it remains, to our perception, over the tropic circles.
§34.1.10[διʼ ἣν αἰτίαν καὶ τὰ μεγέθη τῶν ἡμερῶν σχεδὸν ἐφʼ ἡμέρας μ# τὰ αὐτὰ διαμένει. ] ὅθεν ἐπιμονῆς γινομένης πρὸς τὰς οἰκήσεις τὰς κειμένας ὑπὸ τοὺς τροπικοὺς ἀνάγκη ἐκπυροῦσθαι τὴν οἴκησιν καὶ ἀοίκητον γίνεσθαι διὰ τὴν τοῦ καύματος ὑπερβολήν.
[For which reason also the lengths of the days remain almost the same for forty days.] Hence, because of the lingering over the inhabited places situated under the tropics, the habitation must inevitably be parched and become uninhabitable due to the excess of heat.
§34.1.11ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ ἰσημερινοῦ κύκλου ταχείας συμβαίνει τὰς ἀποχωρήσεις γίνεσθαι. [ὅθεν καὶ τὰ μεγέθη τῶν ἡμερῶν περὶ τὰς ἰσημερίας μεγάλας λαμβάνει τὰς παραυξήσεις. ] εὔλογον οὖν καὶ τὰς ὑπὸ τὸν ἰσημερινὸν κειμένας οἰκήσεις εὐκρατοτέρας ὑπάρχειν, ἐπιμονῆς μὲν οὐ γινομένης ἐπὶ τοῦ κατὰ κορυφὴν σημείου, ταχέως δὲ ἀποχωροῦντος τοῦ ἡλίου.
But from the equator, it happens that the departures are rapid. [Whence also the lengths of the days near the equinoxes take on large increases and decreases.] It is reasonable, therefore, that the habitations situated under the equator should be more temperate, since no lingering occurs at the point directly overhead, and the sun departs quickly.
§34.1.12πάντες γὰρ οἱ μεταξὺ τῶν τροπικῶν κύκλων οἰκοῦντες παρὰ τὴν πάροδον ὁμοίως κεῖνται τοῦ ἡλίου· πλείονας δὲ χρόνους ἐπιμένει τοῖς περὶ τοὺς τροπικοὺς οἰκοῦσι.
For all those who dwell between the tropics are situated similarly with respect to the passage of the sun; but it lingers for longer times over those who dwell near the tropics.
§34.1.13διʼ ἣν αἰτίαν εὐκρατοτέρας εἶναι συμβέβηκε τὰς ὑπὸ τὸν ἰσημερινὸν οἰκήσεις, αἵτινες κεῖνται ἐν μέσῃ τῇ διακεκαυμένῃ ζώνῃ, τῶν περὶ τὰ πέρατα τῆς διακεκαυμένης οἰκήσεων, αἵτινες ὑπὸ τοὺς τροπικοὺς κύκλους κεῖνται. —
Πολύβιος δὲ ποιεῖ ζώνας ἕξ, §34.1.14δύο μὲν τὰς τοῖς ἀρκτικοῖς ὑποπιπτούσας, δύο δὲ τὰς μεταξὺ τούτων τε καὶ τῶν τροπικῶν καὶ δύο τὰς μεταξὺ τούτων καὶ τοῦ ἰσημερινοῦ. —
ὁ δὲ Πολύβιος τοῦτο μὲν οὐκ εὖ, §34.1.15τὸ ποιεῖν τινας ζώνας τοῖς ἀρκτικοῖς διοριζομένας, δύο μὲν τὰς ὑποπιπτούσας αὐτοῖς, δύο δὲ τὰς μεταξὺ τούτων καὶ τῶν τροπικῶν. —
εἰ δʼ, §34.1.16ὥσπερ Ἐρατοσθένης φησίν, ἡ ὑποπίπτουσα τῷ ἰσημερινῷ ἐστιν εὔκρατος, καθάπερ καὶ Πολύβιος ὁμοδοξεῖ — προστίθησι δʼ οὗτος καὶ διότι ὑψηλοτάτη ἐστί· διόπερ καὶ κατομβρεῖται, τῶν βορείων νεφῶν κατὰ τοὺς ἐτησίας ἐκεῖ τοῖς ἀναστήμασι προσπιπτόντων πλείστων — πολὺ κρεῖττον τρίτην εὔκρατον ταύτην ποιεῖν στενήν τινα, ἢ τὰς ὑπὸ τοῖς τροπικοῖς εἰσάγειν. —
ἐνίσταται δʼ ὁ Ποσειδώνιος τῷ Πολυβίῳ, §34.1.17διότι φησὶ τὴν ὑπὸ τῷ ἰσημερινῷ οἴκησιν ὑψηλοτάτην. — §34.1.18περὶ δὲ τοῦ ἀριθμοῦ αὐτῶν πολλὴ διαφωνία τοῖς μετʼ αὐτὸν γέγονεν· οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἓξ αὐτὰς εἶπον, ὡς Πολύβιος καὶ Ποσειδώνιος, τὴν διακεκαυμένην εἰς δύο διαιροῦντες.
For which reason it happens that the habitations under the equator, which lie in the middle of the torrid zone, are more temperate than the habitations near the limits of the torrid zone, which lie under the tropic circles. — But Polybius makes six zones, two falling under the arctic circles, two between these and the tropics, and two between the tropics and the equator. — But Polybius was not right in this, namely, in making certain zones bounded by the arctic circles, two falling under them, and two between them and the tropics. — But if, as Eratosthenes says, the region falling under the equator is temperate, as Polybius also agrees — and the latter adds that it is also extremely elevated, and therefore gets heavy rains because the northern clouds in great numbers strike against the heights there during the Etesian winds — it would be much better to make this narrow region a third temperate zone than to introduce those under the tropics. — And Poseidonius objects to Polybius because he says that the inhabited region under the equator is extremely elevated. — But concerning their number, there has been much disagreement among those who came after him; for some said they were six, like Polybius and Poseidonius, dividing the torrid zone into two.