Читать книгу The Natural History of Pliny (Vol. 1-6) - Pliny the Elder - Страница 200

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Joining on to Africa is Asia, the extent of which, according to Timosthenes, from the Canopic mouth of the Nile to the mouth of the Euxine, is 2639 miles. From the mouth of the Euxine to that of Lake Mæotis is, according to Eratosthenes, 1545 miles. The whole distance to the Tanais, including Egypt, is, according to Artemidorus and Isidorus, 63753488 miles. The seas of Egypt, which are several in number, have received their names from those who dwell upon their shores, for which reason they will be mentioned together.

Egypt is the country which lies next to Africa; in the interior it runs in a southerly direction, as far as the territory of the Æthiopians, who lie extended at the back of it. The river Nile, dividing itself, forms on the right and left the boundary of its lower part, which it embraces on every side3489. By the Canopic mouth of that river it is separated from Africa, and by the Pelusiac from Asia, there being a distance between the two of 170 miles. For this reason it is that some persons have reckoned Egypt among the islands, the Nile so dividing itself as to give a triangular form to the land which it encloses: from which circumstance also many persons have named Egypt the Delta3490, after that of the Greek letter so called. The distance from the spot where the channel of the river first divides into branches, to the Canopic mouth, is 146 miles, and to the Pelusiac, 166.

The upper part of Egypt, which borders on Æthiopia, is known as Thebais. This district is divided into prefectures of towns, which are generally designated as “Nomes.” These are Ombites3491, Apollopolites3492, Hermonthites3493, Thinites3494, Phaturites3495, Coptites3496, Tentyrites3497, Diopolites3498, Antæopolites3499, Aphroditopolites3500, and Lycopolites3501. The district which lies in the vicinity of Pelusium contains the following Nomes, Pharbæthites, Bubastites3502, Sethroites, and Tanites3503. The remaining Nomes are those called the Arabian; the Hammonian, which lies on the road to the oracle of Jupiter Hammon; and those known by the names of Oxyrynchites, Leontopolites, Athribites3504, Cynopolites3505, Hermopolites3506, Xoites, Mendesium, Sebennytes3507, Cabasites, Latopolites, Heliopolites, Prosopites, Panopolites, Busirites3508, Onuphites3509, Saïtes3510, Ptenethu, Phthemphu3511, Naucratites3512, Metelites, Gynæcopolites, Menelaites,—all in the region of Alexandria, besides Mareotis in Libya.

Heracleopolites3513 is a Nome on an island3513 of the Nile, fifty miles in length, upon which there is a city, called the ‘City of Hercules.’ There are two places called Arsinoïtes3514: these and Memphites3515 extend to the apex3516 of the Delta; adjoining to which, on the side of Africa, are the two Nomes of Oasites3517. Some writers vary in some of these names and substitute for them other Nomes, such as Heroöpolites3518 and Crocodilopolites3519. Between Arsinoïtes and Memphites, a lake3520, 250 miles, or, according to what Mucianus says, 450 miles in circumference and fifty paces deep, has been formed by artificial means: after the king by whose orders it was made, it is called by the name of Mœris. The distance from thence to Memphis is nearly sixty-two miles, a place which was formerly the citadel of the kings of Egypt; from thence to the oracle of Hammon it is twelve days’ journey. Memphis is fifteen miles from the spot where the river Nile divides into the different channels which we have mentioned as forming the Delta.