113
hesperan) have been covered by Lykos and Timaios, the easterly (pros anatolas) by
Hekataios and Basilis, the northerly (pros tas arktous) by Diophantos and Demetrios, and
the southerly (pros mesēmbrian)—a burdensome task, as he rightly says—by ourselves.
The Appendices illustrate how the language of cardinal directions is varied with
participial phrases such as ‘setting sun’ or verbal nouns as in ‘sun’s rising’. They
also contain examples of how the nearest equivalents to our four ordinal directions
(also known as intermediate or intercardinal; north-east, south-east, south-west, and
north-west)
27
are indicated not, as in English, by combinations of two cardinals but
in two different ways. The first alternative is to refer to a wind from a given direction, such as ‘towards the Euros’ (approximately a south-east wind). The second is
to refer to equinoctial or solstitial sunrise or sunset, as in ‘the winter settings’
(approximately south-west), ‘the summer settings’ (approximately north-west), ‘the
equidiurnal’ (i.e. equinoctial) ‘risings’ (due east), and ‘the equidiurnal settings’
(due west).
A famous passage, quoted from the early hellenistic admiral Timosthenes by the
second-century ad geographer Agathemeros, is one of the classic definitions of the
‘wind rose’. It begins with a version of Aristotle’s scheme (Meteorologika, 2. 6) of
eight cardinal and (approximately) ordinal winds (though Aristotle adds two intervening winds, leaves the SSW point blank, and identifies the name of the SSE wind
as being no more than a local appellation); and moves on to Timosthenes’ own
twelve-wind scheme (Fig. 1)
28
:
ἄνεμοι δὲ πνέουσιν ἀπὸ μὲν ἰσημερινῆς ἀνατολῆς ἀπηλιώτης, ἀπὸ δὲ ἰσημερινῆς δύσεως
ζέφυρος, ἀπὸ δὲ μεσημβρίας νότος, ἀπὸ δὲ ἄρκτου ἀπαρκτίας. <ἀνατολικοὶ οὗτοι·> ἀπὸ
δὲ τροπῆς θερινῆς καικίας, ἑξῆς δὲ ἀπὸ ἰσημερινῆς ἀνατολῆς ἀπηλιώτης, καὶ ἀπὸ
χειμερινῆς εὖρος· δυσμικοὶ δὲ ἀπὸ μὲν δύσεως χειμερινῆς λίψ, καὶ ἑξῆς πάλιν ἀπὸ
δύσεως ἰσημερινῆς ζέφυρος, ἀπὸ δὲ δύσεως θερινῆς ἀργέστης ἤτοι ὀλυμπίας, ὁ καὶ
ἰᾶπυξ· εἶτα νότος καὶ ἀπαρκτίας ἀντιπνέοντες ἀλλήλοις. γίνονται οὖν ὀκτώ.
Τιμοσθένης δὲ, ὁ γράψας τοὺς περίπλους, δώδεκά φησι, προστιθεὶς μέσον ἀπαρκτίου
καὶ καικίου βορέαν, εὔρου δὲ καὶ νότου φοίνικα τὸν καὶ εὐρόνοτον, μέσον δὲ νότου καὶ
λιβὸς τὸν λευκόνοτον ἤτοι λιβόνοτον, μέσον δὲ ἀπαρκτίου καὶ ἀργέστου θρασκίαν ἤτοι
κίρκιον ὑπὸ τῶν περιοίκων ὀνομαζόμενον.
ἔθνη δὲ οἰκεῖν τὰ πέρατα κατ’ ἀπηλιώτην Βακτριανούς, κατ’ εὖρον Ἰνδούς, κατὰ
φοόνικα Ἐρυθρὰν θάλασσαν καὶ Ἀραβίαν, κατὰ νότον τὴν ὑπὲρ Αἴγυπτον Αἰθιοπίαν,
κατὰ λευκόνοτον τοὺς ὑπὲρ Σύρτεις Γαράμαντας, κατὰ λίβα Αἰθίοπας δυσμικοὺς
<τοὺς> ὑπὲρ Μαύρους, κατὰ ζέφυρον Στήλας καὶ ἀρχὰς Λιβύης καὶ Εὐρώπης, κατὰ
ἀργέστην Ἰβηρίαν τὴν νῦν Ἱσπανίαν, κατὰ θρασκίαν Κελτοὺς καὶ τὰ ὅμορα, κατὰ δ’
27 The summer and winter sunrises and sunsets mark the ordinal points only approximately. On 21
June at the latitude of Athens (c.38.0° N), the sun rises at a bearing of c.60° (taking north as zero),
which is closer to ENE (67½°) than to NE (45°); and sets at c.299°, closer to WNW (292½°) than
to NW (315°). On 21 Dec. it rises at c.120° (SE is 135°) and sets at c.240° (SW is 225°).
(Measurements from the Sky View Café app, 19/5/20.) Nielsen 1945, 11, gives slightly different
figures with a range of 61° 24′ between the extreme sunrises (and likewise sunsets) at Athens.
28 Nielsen 1945 traces the evolution of the Greek directional terms in detail, distinguishing traditional directional markers (e.g. ‘dawn’, ‘Boreas’) from ‘scientific’ ones (e.g. equinoctial sunrise or
solstitial settings).
Sun, Sea, and Sky: On Translating Directions (and Other Terms) in the Greek Geographers
hesperan) have been covered by Lykos and Timaios, the easterly (pros anatolas) by
Hekataios and Basilis, the northerly (pros tas arktous) by Diophantos and Demetrios, and
the southerly (pros mesēmbrian)—a burdensome task, as he rightly says—by ourselves.
The Appendices illustrate how the language of cardinal directions is varied with
participial phrases such as ‘setting sun’ or verbal nouns as in ‘sun’s rising’. They
also contain examples of how the nearest equivalents to our four ordinal directions
(also known as intermediate or intercardinal; north-east, south-east, south-west, and
north-west)
27
are indicated not, as in English, by combinations of two cardinals but
in two different ways. The first alternative is to refer to a wind from a given direction, such as ‘towards the Euros’ (approximately a south-east wind). The second is
to refer to equinoctial or solstitial sunrise or sunset, as in ‘the winter settings’
(approximately south-west), ‘the summer settings’ (approximately north-west), ‘the
equidiurnal’ (i.e. equinoctial) ‘risings’ (due east), and ‘the equidiurnal settings’
(due west).
A famous passage, quoted from the early hellenistic admiral Timosthenes by the
second-century ad geographer Agathemeros, is one of the classic definitions of the
‘wind rose’. It begins with a version of Aristotle’s scheme (Meteorologika, 2. 6) of
eight cardinal and (approximately) ordinal winds (though Aristotle adds two intervening winds, leaves the SSW point blank, and identifies the name of the SSE wind
as being no more than a local appellation); and moves on to Timosthenes’ own
twelve-wind scheme (Fig. 1)
28
:
ἄνεμοι δὲ πνέουσιν ἀπὸ μὲν ἰσημερινῆς ἀνατολῆς ἀπηλιώτης, ἀπὸ δὲ ἰσημερινῆς δύσεως
ζέφυρος, ἀπὸ δὲ μεσημβρίας νότος, ἀπὸ δὲ ἄρκτου ἀπαρκτίας. <ἀνατολικοὶ οὗτοι·> ἀπὸ
δὲ τροπῆς θερινῆς καικίας, ἑξῆς δὲ ἀπὸ ἰσημερινῆς ἀνατολῆς ἀπηλιώτης, καὶ ἀπὸ
χειμερινῆς εὖρος· δυσμικοὶ δὲ ἀπὸ μὲν δύσεως χειμερινῆς λίψ, καὶ ἑξῆς πάλιν ἀπὸ
δύσεως ἰσημερινῆς ζέφυρος, ἀπὸ δὲ δύσεως θερινῆς ἀργέστης ἤτοι ὀλυμπίας, ὁ καὶ
ἰᾶπυξ· εἶτα νότος καὶ ἀπαρκτίας ἀντιπνέοντες ἀλλήλοις. γίνονται οὖν ὀκτώ.
Τιμοσθένης δὲ, ὁ γράψας τοὺς περίπλους, δώδεκά φησι, προστιθεὶς μέσον ἀπαρκτίου
καὶ καικίου βορέαν, εὔρου δὲ καὶ νότου φοίνικα τὸν καὶ εὐρόνοτον, μέσον δὲ νότου καὶ
λιβὸς τὸν λευκόνοτον ἤτοι λιβόνοτον, μέσον δὲ ἀπαρκτίου καὶ ἀργέστου θρασκίαν ἤτοι
κίρκιον ὑπὸ τῶν περιοίκων ὀνομαζόμενον.
ἔθνη δὲ οἰκεῖν τὰ πέρατα κατ’ ἀπηλιώτην Βακτριανούς, κατ’ εὖρον Ἰνδούς, κατὰ
φοόνικα Ἐρυθρὰν θάλασσαν καὶ Ἀραβίαν, κατὰ νότον τὴν ὑπὲρ Αἴγυπτον Αἰθιοπίαν,
κατὰ λευκόνοτον τοὺς ὑπὲρ Σύρτεις Γαράμαντας, κατὰ λίβα Αἰθίοπας δυσμικοὺς
<τοὺς> ὑπὲρ Μαύρους, κατὰ ζέφυρον Στήλας καὶ ἀρχὰς Λιβύης καὶ Εὐρώπης, κατὰ
ἀργέστην Ἰβηρίαν τὴν νῦν Ἱσπανίαν, κατὰ θρασκίαν Κελτοὺς καὶ τὰ ὅμορα, κατὰ δ’
27 The summer and winter sunrises and sunsets mark the ordinal points only approximately. On 21
June at the latitude of Athens (c.38.0° N), the sun rises at a bearing of c.60° (taking north as zero),
which is closer to ENE (67½°) than to NE (45°); and sets at c.299°, closer to WNW (292½°) than
to NW (315°). On 21 Dec. it rises at c.120° (SE is 135°) and sets at c.240° (SW is 225°).
(Measurements from the Sky View Café app, 19/5/20.) Nielsen 1945, 11, gives slightly different
figures with a range of 61° 24′ between the extreme sunrises (and likewise sunsets) at Athens.
28 Nielsen 1945 traces the evolution of the Greek directional terms in detail, distinguishing traditional directional markers (e.g. ‘dawn’, ‘Boreas’) from ‘scientific’ ones (e.g. equinoctial sunrise or
solstitial settings).
Sun, Sea, and Sky: On Translating Directions (and Other Terms) in the Greek Geographers