DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.619#0099
90
NAUKRATIS.
CHAPTER IX.
0]ST THE GEOGRAPHIA OF PTOLEMY.
106. This mine of geographical knowledge has,
perhaps, of late years not been worked so heartily
as it might, owing to the lack of any general way
of treatment and the greater amount than need be
of " personal variation " in the results. The object
of this sketch is to outline the geography of the
Delta according to Ptolemy alone, not modified by
any other sources of information. If this yields an
intelligible result, it is then time to bring in other
materials of a less rigid and satisfactory nature.
There are two ways of treating the latitudes
and longitudes of the Geographia. If they are
but little distorted, and our object is only to seek
to place a town, the site of which is unknown,
amongst other towns which are known, the happiest
way is to draw the Ptolemaic degrees on a correct
map, according to the known places; then all the
errors are shown as distortions of what should be
a uniform network of lines, and we can safely
mark in the position of any town not yet identified.
But the more thorough and generally applicable
principle is to fray up the materials into their first
forms, to reduce the work of Ptolemy to its original
elements, and get back, so far as -we can, the lists
and statements from which he worked; and to lay
down, so far as we may see them, the lines on
which he put together his information into a
general whole. This we propose to do here for
the Delta.
107. In pi. xxxix. we have the Delta according
to Ptolemy strictly, showing every position which
he fixes within those limits. The first principle of
his construction that we see is that he assumes
(for lack of detailed information) that the rivers
ran in straight lines between certain fixed points.
This is shown by the positions along the Agatho-
daimon, or Great Eiver; Letouspolis, Andronpolis,
Naukratis, and Hermoupolis are all said to lie on
the W. of the river, while Nikiou is on the
E,; and the Kanobic mouth and the two branch-
ings of the river—all three points on the river—
he in a straight line. Next the branching and
mouth, and four cities on the Pharmuthiac river,
and Letouspolis, are all equally in a straight line.
Next, Taoua (Taba of Antoninus), Xois,1 and
Pakhneumounis he on a straight line. Next,
Athribis is less than 5' (Ptolemy's smallest unit)
from a straight line from the branching to the
mouth of its river. And, lastly, the distribution
of the cities in the third Delta and small Delta
show that no great bending of the streams between
their branchings and their mouths can have been
reckoned on. The first case, that of the Great
Eiver, is the best, as there are so many points on
it, and it lies diagonally on the map, and hence
the straight line is not apparent in the figures, but
only when drawn.
108. Next we may subtract those sources of in-
formation which we may be assured that Ptolemy
of Alexandreia possessed. First, the great road
across the Delta was one of the sources, without
doubt; and this is confirmed by the fact that the
sites, so far as we know them, are in relatively
correct positions: Pelousion, Tanis, Thmouis,Her-
moupolis, and Alexandreia. Onouphis doubtless
was on the same road, as it is put by Ptolemy
exactly on the line between Thmouis and Taoua;
though the Antonine itinerary does not name it,
but gives Cyno in the same interval instead. Nau-
kratis was also on this road, for the same reason,
as lying between Andronpolis and Hermoupolis;
and as in the Antonine list, Nithine is placed
exactly where Ptolemy places Naukratis on this
road, it is scarcely to be questioned that Nithine
is a corruption of Naukratis in the MS. of the
itineraries.
Next we may subtract the road from Nikiou to
Boutos, since it is certain that these cities, with
Sais and Kabasa, would be threaded together by
a road running along the river.
1 Sakha, as Champollion supposed ; I hare seen an in-
scription of the second century naming Xois standing in
the street of the village, close to the great mounds.
NAUKRATIS.
CHAPTER IX.
0]ST THE GEOGRAPHIA OF PTOLEMY.
106. This mine of geographical knowledge has,
perhaps, of late years not been worked so heartily
as it might, owing to the lack of any general way
of treatment and the greater amount than need be
of " personal variation " in the results. The object
of this sketch is to outline the geography of the
Delta according to Ptolemy alone, not modified by
any other sources of information. If this yields an
intelligible result, it is then time to bring in other
materials of a less rigid and satisfactory nature.
There are two ways of treating the latitudes
and longitudes of the Geographia. If they are
but little distorted, and our object is only to seek
to place a town, the site of which is unknown,
amongst other towns which are known, the happiest
way is to draw the Ptolemaic degrees on a correct
map, according to the known places; then all the
errors are shown as distortions of what should be
a uniform network of lines, and we can safely
mark in the position of any town not yet identified.
But the more thorough and generally applicable
principle is to fray up the materials into their first
forms, to reduce the work of Ptolemy to its original
elements, and get back, so far as -we can, the lists
and statements from which he worked; and to lay
down, so far as we may see them, the lines on
which he put together his information into a
general whole. This we propose to do here for
the Delta.
107. In pi. xxxix. we have the Delta according
to Ptolemy strictly, showing every position which
he fixes within those limits. The first principle of
his construction that we see is that he assumes
(for lack of detailed information) that the rivers
ran in straight lines between certain fixed points.
This is shown by the positions along the Agatho-
daimon, or Great Eiver; Letouspolis, Andronpolis,
Naukratis, and Hermoupolis are all said to lie on
the W. of the river, while Nikiou is on the
E,; and the Kanobic mouth and the two branch-
ings of the river—all three points on the river—
he in a straight line. Next the branching and
mouth, and four cities on the Pharmuthiac river,
and Letouspolis, are all equally in a straight line.
Next, Taoua (Taba of Antoninus), Xois,1 and
Pakhneumounis he on a straight line. Next,
Athribis is less than 5' (Ptolemy's smallest unit)
from a straight line from the branching to the
mouth of its river. And, lastly, the distribution
of the cities in the third Delta and small Delta
show that no great bending of the streams between
their branchings and their mouths can have been
reckoned on. The first case, that of the Great
Eiver, is the best, as there are so many points on
it, and it lies diagonally on the map, and hence
the straight line is not apparent in the figures, but
only when drawn.
108. Next we may subtract those sources of in-
formation which we may be assured that Ptolemy
of Alexandreia possessed. First, the great road
across the Delta was one of the sources, without
doubt; and this is confirmed by the fact that the
sites, so far as we know them, are in relatively
correct positions: Pelousion, Tanis, Thmouis,Her-
moupolis, and Alexandreia. Onouphis doubtless
was on the same road, as it is put by Ptolemy
exactly on the line between Thmouis and Taoua;
though the Antonine itinerary does not name it,
but gives Cyno in the same interval instead. Nau-
kratis was also on this road, for the same reason,
as lying between Andronpolis and Hermoupolis;
and as in the Antonine list, Nithine is placed
exactly where Ptolemy places Naukratis on this
road, it is scarcely to be questioned that Nithine
is a corruption of Naukratis in the MS. of the
itineraries.
Next we may subtract the road from Nikiou to
Boutos, since it is certain that these cities, with
Sais and Kabasa, would be threaded together by
a road running along the river.
1 Sakha, as Champollion supposed ; I hare seen an in-
scription of the second century naming Xois standing in
the street of the village, close to the great mounds.