User:Furius/Translation:Periplus of Pseudo-Scylax

by Pseudo-Scylax

Epigraph

[This is] Skylax of Karyanda's Periplus of the inhabited sea of Europe, Asia, and Libya, on all the individual peoples and hat they are like, one after the other, and the lands, harbours, and rivers, and all the lengths of voyages, and the five inhabited islands, as well as the indiidual ones located near the mainland.

Europe

1. Pillars of Herakles. I begin from the pillars of Herakles in Europe, all the way to the pillars of Herakles in Libya, and all the way to the great Ethiopians. The pillars of Herakles are located opposite one another and are separated from one another by a day's sail. <and there are two islands there called Gadeira.^[1] The one with a city is a day's sail from the pillars of Herakles.> From the pillars of Herakles, there are many Carthaginian trading stations, clay, high tides and ocean.

2. Iberians. The first people of Europe are the Iberians, the people of Iberia and the river Iber.^[2] Then Emporion (a Greek city named Emporion).^[3] These are colonies of the Massaliotes.^[4] The voyage past Iberia is seven days and seven nights' sail.

3. Ligurians and Iberians. After the Iberians, there are Ligurians and Iberians mixed together until the River Rhodanos.^[5] The voyage past Ligurian from Emporion to the Rhodanos river is two days and one night's sail.

4. Ligurians. After the Rhodanos river, there are Ligurians until Antion.^[6] In this land there is a Greek city, Massalia,^[4] and a harbour * * *.^[7] These are colonies of Massalia. The voyage from the Rhodanos river to Antion is 4 days and four nights' voyage. From the pillars of Herakles to Antion, all the land is well-equipped with harbours.

5. Etruscans.^[8] The Etruscans live between Antion and the city of Rome. The voyage is four days and four nights' sail.

6. Kyrnos.^[9] The island of Kyrnos is located opposite Etruria. The voyage from Etruria to Kyrnos takes a day and a half. On this route, there is an inhabited island, called Aithalia,^[10] and many other islands which are not inhabited.

7. Sardinia. The voyage from the island of Kyrnos to the island of Sardinia takes a third of a day. There is an uninhabited island in between. From Sardinia to Libya is a voyage of a day and a night, while the voyage to Sicily from Sardinia takes two days and a night.^[11] I now return to the mainland at the point where I turned aside to Kyrnos.

8. Latins. The Latins come after Etruria and continue to Kirkaion.^[12] The tomb of Elpenor is located among the Latins.^[13] The voyage past the Latins is a day and a night's sail.

9. Olsoi. The Olsoi come after the Latins. The voyage past the Olsoi is one day's sail.^[14]

10. Campanians. The Campanians come after the Olsoi. These are the Greek cities in Campania: Kyme,^[15] Neapolis.^[16] Opposite these is Pithekoussa, which is an island and a Greek city.^[17]

11. Saunitai. The Saunitai come after the Campanians. The voyage past the Saunitai is half a day's sail.^[18]

12. Lucanians. The Lucanians come after the Saunitai and continue until Thouria.^[19] The voyage past the Lucanians is 6 days and 6 nights' sail. Lucania is a peninsula.^[20] In this country there are the following Greek cities: Poseidonia,^[21] Elea,^[22] Laos (a colony of Thourioi),^[23] Pandosia,^[24] Terina,^[25] Hipponion,^[26] Mesma,^[27] Rhegion (which is both the tip of the peninsula and a city).^[28]

13. Sicily. Opposite Rhegion is the island of Sicily, which is separated from Europe by a distance of 12 stadia, between Pelorias and Rhegion.^[29] There are the following barbarian peoples in Sicily: Elymians, Sicans, Sicels, Phoenicians, Trojans.^[30] These are the barbarians, but Greeks also live there. Pelorias is a peninsula of Sicily. From Pelorias, the Greek cities are: Messene (and harbour), Tauromenion, Naxos, Katane, Leontinoi (Leontinoi is 20 stadia up the Teria river),^[31] the Symaithos river and the city of Megaris, and the Xiphonian harbour.^[32] After the city of Megaris is the city of Syracuse, and there are two harbours there, one of which is inside the walls, the other of which is outside them.^[33] After this is the city of Eloros and the peninsula of Pachynos.^[34] From Pachynos the Greek cities are: Kamarina, Gela, Akragas, Selinous, and the Lilybaion peninsula.^[35] After Lilybaion, there is the Greek city of Himera, and after Himera, is the city of Lipara (which is an island), and the Greek city of Mylai (and harbour).^[36] From Mylai to Lipara island is a voyage of half a day. [And Sicily is triangular, with each side measuring roughly 1500 stadia.] I now return to the mainland at the point where I turned off. After Rhegion, there are the following cities: Lokroi,^[37] Kaulonia,^[38] Kroton,^[39] the Lakinian temple of Hera^[40] and the island of Kalypso, where Odysseus lived with Kalypso,^[41] and the Krathis river, and Sybaris and the city of Thouria.^[42] These are the Greeks in Lucania.

14. Iapygia. After Lucania, there are the Iapygian people, until Mount Orion on the Adriatic Sea. The voyage past the Iapygians is six days and six nights sail. Greeks live in Iapygia and their cities are: Herakleion, Metapontion, Taras (and harbour), and Hydrous at the mouth of the Adriatic or Ionian Sea^[43].

15. Saunitai. After Iapygia, from Orion, are the Saunitai people. Among this people there are the following languages or dialects: Laternioi, Opikoi, Kramones, Boreontinoi, Peuketians. They stretch from the Tyrrhenian Sea to the Adriatic. The voyage past the Saunite land is two days and a night's sail.

16. Ombrikoi: After the Saunite people, are the Ombrikoi.^[44] There is a city here, Ankon.^[45] These people honour Diomedes, because it benefited from his good deeds, and there is a temple dedicated to him. The voyage past Ombrika is two days and a night's sail.

17. Etruscans. After the Ombrikoi, the Etruscans. They too stretch from the Tyrrhenian Sea to the Adriatic. There is a Greek city here, Spina, and a river.^[46] The journey up the river to the city is about 20 stadia. From here, the road to the city of Pisa takes three days.

18. Celts. After the Etruscans, there are the Celtic people (those who stayed behind when the rest went on campaign), stretching from the mountain passes to the Adriatic.^[47] This is the farthest point of the Adriatic Sea.

19. Enetoi. After the Celts are the Enetoi people.^[48] The river Eridanos is in their land.^[49] From there, the voyage is one day's sail.

20. Istroi. After the Enetoi are the Istrian people and the river Istros. This river enters the sea * * * to Egypt. The voyage past the Istrians' land is a day and a night's sail.

21. Libyrnoi. After the Istrians are the Libyrnoi people. Among this people, there are cities by the sea: Lias, Idassa, Attienites, Dyyrta, Alouphoi, Olsoi, Pedetai, Hemionoi. They are ruled by women and they are the wives of free men, but they have children with their own slaves and with the men from neighbouring countries. Opposite this land there are islands, whose names I can state (but there are many more which are unnamed): the island of Istris (310 stadia and a width of 120), the Elektrides, the Mentorides. These are the biggest islands. Katarbates river. The voyage past the Libyrnian land is two days' sail.

Notes

1. w:Gades, modern w:Cadiz
2. w:Ebro
3. w:Empúries
4. w:Marseilles
5. w:Rhone
6. w:Anzio
7. There is a lacuna in the text here.
8. The Greek term is "Tyrrhenoi."
9. w:Corsica
10. w:Elba
11. This does not seem right...
12. w:Mount Circeo
13. w:Elpenor was one of the companions of w:Odysseus, who died at w:Circe's palace after he fell off the roof.
14. The w:Volsci
15. w:Cumae
16. w:Naples
17. w:Ischia
18. w:Samnites
19. w:Thurii
20. w:Calabria
21. w:Paestum
22. w:Velia
23. w:Laüs
24. w:Pandosia (Bruttium)
25. w:Terina (ancient city)
26. w:Vibo Valentia
27. w:Medma
28. w:Reggio Calabria
29. Pelorias is w:Punta del Faro, 12 stadia is a bit over 2 kilometres.
30. w:Elymians, w:Sicans, w:Sicels, w:Phoenicians. The Trojans are usually identifed with the Elymians in ancient sources
31. w:Messina, w:Taormina, w:Naxos (Sicily), w:Catania, w:Lentini
32. w:Megara Hyblaea
33. w:Syracuse, Sicily
34. w:Helorus and w:Capo Passero
35. w:Kamarina, Sicily, w:Gela, w:Agrigento, w:Selinunte, w:Marsala
36. w:Himera, w:Lipari, w:Milazzo. Several significant Phoenician cities are skipped over.
37. w:Locri
38. w:Caulonia (ancient city)
39. w:Crotone
40. w:Capo Colonna
41. w:Calypso (mythology)'s island is called w:Ogygia; there are no islands along this stretch of the Italian coast
42. w:Crati river, w:Sybaris and w:Thurii were two successive settlements on the same site.
43. w:Heraclea Lucania, w:Metapontum, w:Taranto, w:Otranto.
44. w:Umbrians
45. w:Ancona
46. w:Spina. The river is the w:Po
47. "campaign" is a reference to the w:Roman–Gallic wars and/or the [[w:Celtic settlement of Eastern Europe ]]
48. w:Adriatic Veneti
49. w:Eridanos (river of Hades)