Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean (12.2000(2001))

EL DABbA ENVIRONS

EGYPT

the distances given by the Stadiasmus,
Fourtau5) placed Zephyrios, which he
understood as un port abrite du Zepbyre ou
vent du N-0”, just one kilometer further
east of this promontory. As a matter of fact,
there is a small creek there, in reality “fort
mal abrite’, still used in Fourtau's time
(1904) as an anchorage in fine weather for
small sailing boats from Alexandria which
“viennent charger le peu d'orge que I'on recolte
dans la region”. El Dabra is also associated
with Zephyrium by J. Ball.6) On survey
maps of Egypt, Zephyrium is identified
with a “harbor” 3 km southeast of Ras ed
Dab(a.7) Indeed, there is yet another
natural anchorage there. Therefore, it
cannot be the same “port abrite' mentioned
by the French scholar, unless his one
kilometer should be understood as an
approximation, since he did not take exact
measurements. In a more recent atlas of
1989, the authors place Zephyrion also at
Ras ed Dabra.8) The small harbor mentioned
by Fourtau must thus be considered as
located in the relatively near vicinity of our
settlement. It should be added, however,
that Strabo places Zephyrion much further
to the east, behind the harbor of Derris,
usually identified with modern Ras
Gibeissa.91 Since Strabo did not have
immediate knowledge of the coast except
that he once sailed along it from west to

east, and received secondhand information,
some of the distances given by him are far
from correct and it may well be that he also
mispositioned some places of minor
importance. In this respect the Stadiasmus
seems to be more reliable. It was written
by experienced sailors, most likely them-
selves sailing regularly in the area, thus
having practical knowledge of the coast
and especially of the harbors and small
anchorage places.
West of our settlement, the nearest
ancient locality, several kilometers away,
(according to the Stadiasmus 110 stades to
the west of Zephyrion) and repeatedly
mentioned by ancient sources, is Pedonia,
considered either as an island with a harbor
(Strabo), a village (Ptolemy) or settlement,
apparently with a harbor (Stadiasmus'), or
a town (Pidonia in the Synecdemus of
Hierokles).10) Nowadays, Pedonia village is
usually identified with Marsa (=Arabic for
“harbor”) Abu Samra,n) (Fourtau: Bir
[Arabic for “well, source”] Abu Samra),12)
while Pedonia island (Myrmix rock of the
Stadiasmus?) is associated with the
neighboring Samra Reef.13*
Our settlement should thus be located
somewhere between Zephyrion and
Pedonia, but much closer to the former,
since it is found, as mentioned above, about
6-7 km northwest of the town of el Dabca.

5) R. Fourtau. “La cote de la Marmarique d'apres les anciens geographies grec”, BIE VIII (1914), 107-108.
6) J. Ball, Egypt in the Classical Geographers (Survey of Egypt) (Cairo 1942), 66.
7) Cf. ibid., 136.
8) H. Heinen, W. Verbeeck et al., Ttibinger Atlas des Vorderen Orients (TAVO), BV 21, Agypten in hellenistisch-
romische Zeit (Wiesbaden 1989). As a matter of fact, Zephyrion cannot be at Ras ed Dabfa , but in its vicinity!
9) Strabo, 17,1,14; for modern identification, cf. Fourtau, op. cit., 106-107; also Ball, op. cit., 67, 104.
10) Hierokles, Synecdemus et Notitiae Graecae Episcopathum (ed. G. Parthey, repr. Amsterdam 1967); also Le Synekdemos
d’Hierokles et l’opuscule geographique de George de Chypre (introduction, commentaire et cartes de E. Honigmann)
(Bruxelles 1939)-
11) Ball, op. cit., 136, 140, 166.
12) Fourtau, op. cit., 108-109-
13) Ball, op. cit., 67, 104.

82