DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.619#0011
NAUKRATIS.
But these errata are natural consequences of
bad copying from injured material; such as cor-
rupting Thrums into Tmu, misstating numerals,
or omitting names and numerals altogether: they
do not affect the arrangement of it, so far as we
can judge, and its value for our purposes is
therefore scarcely impaired. A glance at the
copy in pi. 39 (enlarged to double the scale from
the only edition in the British Museum, Ortelius,
1(518), will show that its agreement with Ptolemy
concerning the position of Naukratis is as
close as could be expected from its distorted
form. The broad fact that the city lay some
way to the west of tbe Kanobic branch is as
plain there as in the text of Ptolemy; and we
further see Naukratis did not he on the road to
Alexandria from Memphis, but on the road to
the Libyan desert, which did not lead to Alexan-
dria, but lay entirely to the west. The distances
are evidently corrupt on any supposition ; but as
Nebireh is about twelve or thirteen miles from
the probable site of Niciu (Ed-Dahariyeh), the
numeral xliii. may well have been xiiii.; the
farther numerals may be correct, as xxxii. +
xxiiii. miles would reach from Nebireh to the
hills on the west of Lake Mareotis, the place
where the road would naturally run, to join the
North-African coast road. We should therefore
look for Melcati near Tell-abu-Gaud; but the
numbers of miles are such evident multiples of
eight, probably half a day's journey, that we
cannot attach much value to the precise locality.
The third great authority for ancient geography,
tho Roman road-book, commonly called the
Itinerary of Antoninus, or the Theodosian Table,
is useless in this question, as it does not mention
Naukratis. There is at least, however, a possi-
bility that Nithine may be a corruption of
Naukratis, since it is placed between Andro and
Efermopolis, on the line in which Naukratis lies.
4. Turning now to secondary geographical
authorities, Herodotos gives more than one
statement which bears upon the site of Naukratis.
First he says (ii. 97) :—" During the inundation,
to a person sailing from Naukratis to Memphis,
the passage is by the pyramids; this, however,
is not the usual course, but by the point of the
Delta and the city of Kerkasoros; and in sailing
from the sea and Kanobos to Naukratis across
the plain you will pass by the city of Anthulla
and that called Archandros." Now there is
somewhat to be gleaned from this notice. First,
it was possible to go up from Naukratis to
Memphis by a canal without going by the point
of the Delta and Kerkasoros. This would be an
impossibility if Naukratis lay on the Saitic arm,
or in fact anywhere within the branches of the
Delta; it must therefore lie outside of the west-
ernmost or Kanobic branch. Next, it is strongly
suggested that it lay on a canal and not on the
river, since it is said that a passage could be made
from Naukratis to Memphis past the pyramids,
or rather "alongside of the pyramids themselves"
(nap' awTa.? ra? TrvpafiiBas;). This plainly refers
to the canal still to be seen running just below the
pyramid hill, in contradistinction to the ordinary
Nile stream. I was informed by an old Arab
some years ago that this canal can be traced as
far north as the Barrage, and I noted the course
of it in detail by the position of the villages as he
described them; while from the Barrage it is still
possible to sail to Nebireh by the canal skirting
the desert, without once entering the Nile. Thus
the old line described, by which the Greeks sailed
up from Naukratis to Memphis past the pyramids,
is still visible, and nearly all in use as a canal at
the present day. The Greek route during low Nile,
when there was not enough water in the canal for
a vessel, must then have been to pass out from the
Naukratis canal into the Great Biver, or Kanobic
branch, probably near the modern Selamun, where
the canal still joins the Nile.
Another passage of geographical value is in ii.
179 :—" If a man arrived at any other mouth of
the Nile, he was obliged to swear that he had come
there against his will; and, having taken such an
oath, he must sail in the same ship to the Kanobic
But these errata are natural consequences of
bad copying from injured material; such as cor-
rupting Thrums into Tmu, misstating numerals,
or omitting names and numerals altogether: they
do not affect the arrangement of it, so far as we
can judge, and its value for our purposes is
therefore scarcely impaired. A glance at the
copy in pi. 39 (enlarged to double the scale from
the only edition in the British Museum, Ortelius,
1(518), will show that its agreement with Ptolemy
concerning the position of Naukratis is as
close as could be expected from its distorted
form. The broad fact that the city lay some
way to the west of tbe Kanobic branch is as
plain there as in the text of Ptolemy; and we
further see Naukratis did not he on the road to
Alexandria from Memphis, but on the road to
the Libyan desert, which did not lead to Alexan-
dria, but lay entirely to the west. The distances
are evidently corrupt on any supposition ; but as
Nebireh is about twelve or thirteen miles from
the probable site of Niciu (Ed-Dahariyeh), the
numeral xliii. may well have been xiiii.; the
farther numerals may be correct, as xxxii. +
xxiiii. miles would reach from Nebireh to the
hills on the west of Lake Mareotis, the place
where the road would naturally run, to join the
North-African coast road. We should therefore
look for Melcati near Tell-abu-Gaud; but the
numbers of miles are such evident multiples of
eight, probably half a day's journey, that we
cannot attach much value to the precise locality.
The third great authority for ancient geography,
tho Roman road-book, commonly called the
Itinerary of Antoninus, or the Theodosian Table,
is useless in this question, as it does not mention
Naukratis. There is at least, however, a possi-
bility that Nithine may be a corruption of
Naukratis, since it is placed between Andro and
Efermopolis, on the line in which Naukratis lies.
4. Turning now to secondary geographical
authorities, Herodotos gives more than one
statement which bears upon the site of Naukratis.
First he says (ii. 97) :—" During the inundation,
to a person sailing from Naukratis to Memphis,
the passage is by the pyramids; this, however,
is not the usual course, but by the point of the
Delta and the city of Kerkasoros; and in sailing
from the sea and Kanobos to Naukratis across
the plain you will pass by the city of Anthulla
and that called Archandros." Now there is
somewhat to be gleaned from this notice. First,
it was possible to go up from Naukratis to
Memphis by a canal without going by the point
of the Delta and Kerkasoros. This would be an
impossibility if Naukratis lay on the Saitic arm,
or in fact anywhere within the branches of the
Delta; it must therefore lie outside of the west-
ernmost or Kanobic branch. Next, it is strongly
suggested that it lay on a canal and not on the
river, since it is said that a passage could be made
from Naukratis to Memphis past the pyramids,
or rather "alongside of the pyramids themselves"
(nap' awTa.? ra? TrvpafiiBas;). This plainly refers
to the canal still to be seen running just below the
pyramid hill, in contradistinction to the ordinary
Nile stream. I was informed by an old Arab
some years ago that this canal can be traced as
far north as the Barrage, and I noted the course
of it in detail by the position of the villages as he
described them; while from the Barrage it is still
possible to sail to Nebireh by the canal skirting
the desert, without once entering the Nile. Thus
the old line described, by which the Greeks sailed
up from Naukratis to Memphis past the pyramids,
is still visible, and nearly all in use as a canal at
the present day. The Greek route during low Nile,
when there was not enough water in the canal for
a vessel, must then have been to pass out from the
Naukratis canal into the Great Biver, or Kanobic
branch, probably near the modern Selamun, where
the canal still joins the Nile.
Another passage of geographical value is in ii.
179 :—" If a man arrived at any other mouth of
the Nile, he was obliged to swear that he had come
there against his will; and, having taken such an
oath, he must sail in the same ship to the Kanobic