120
meaning as well as the directional. The same is true of those phrases that incorporate seasonal terms, such as ‘summer rising’ and ‘winter setting’; and finally of
those expressions that incorporate astronomical references, such as ‘equidiurnal’
(i.e. equinoctial) sunrise or summer sunset, where the reader or listener is likely to
perceive the connotations of sky and horizon as well as understand the ordinal direction as intended. Such phrases often occur in passages where cardinal directional
terms are employed in their purely metonymic sense (e.g. arktos meaning north)
while others, including phrases, make their connotations visible.
5.3.1 Ps.-Skylax
Some sources revealingly combine different sets of terms and point up the contrast
between directional and ‘meaningful’ usage, as in this remarkable passage from the
anonymous mid-fourth-century bc Periplous (Circumnavigation) known as PseudoSkylax (47. 3–4):
(2) ἔστι δὲ ἡ Κρήτη μακρὰ στάδια βφʹ, στενὴ δέ, καὶ τέταται ἀπὸ ἡλίου δυσμῶν πρὸς
ἡλίου ἀνατολάς
(3) <ἐπὶ Κωρύκ>ῳ ἀκρωτηρίῳ ἐστὶ πρώτη πόλις πρὸς ἥλιον δυόμενον ἡ προειρημένη
Φαλασάρνα καὶ λιμὴν κλειστός. Πολυρρηνία, καὶ διήκει ἀπὸ βορέου πρὸς νότον.
Δικτυνναῖον Ἀρτέμιδος ἱερὸν πρὸς βορέαν ἄνεμον, τῆς χώρας Περγαμίας. πρὸς νότον δὲ
Ὑρτακίνα. Κυδωνία καὶ λιμὴν κλειστὸς πρὸς βορέαν· […] πρὸς νότον δὲ Λίσσα […]
πρὸς βορέαν δὲ ἄν<εμον> ἡ Ἀπτεραία χώρα. […]
4. μετὰ δὲ ταύτην ὄρος Ἴδα καὶ Ἐλεύθερναι πρὸς βορέαν. πρὸς νότον δὲ Σύβριτα καὶ
λιμήν πρὸς νότον Φαιστός. πρὸς βορέαν Ὀαξὸς καὶ Κνωσσός. πρὸς δὲ νότον Γόρτυνα.
[…] Ἴτανος ἀκρωτήριον Κρήτης πρὸς ἥλιον ἀνίσχοντα
44
(2) Krete is 2,500 stades long, and narrow, and extends from the settings of the sun (apo
hēliou dysmōn) towards the risings of the sun (pros hēliou anatolas).
(3)os promontory the first city towards the setting sun (pros hēlion dyomenon) is the aforementioned Phalasarna with an enclosed harbour. Then Polyrrhenia, and
it extends from the north (apo boreou) towards the south (pros noton). Diktynnaion, a sanctuary of Artemis, towards the north wind (pros borean anemon), belonging to the Pergamia
territory. Towards the south (pros noton) Hyrtakina. Kydonia with an enclosed harbour
towards the north (pros borean). […] Towards the south (pros noton) Lissa […] Towards the
north wi (pros borean an) the Apteraia territory. […]
(4) After this Mount Ida, with Eleuthernai towards the north (pros borean). Towards the
south (pros noton) Sybrita with a harbour towards the south (pros noton), Phaistos. Towards
the north (pros borean) Oaxos and Knossos. Towards the south (pros noton) Gortyna. […]
Itanos, the promontory of Crete towards the upcoming sun (pros hēlion anischonta).
It is likely that in this passage Pseudo-Skylax is drawing upon an earlier source
specifically dedicated to Crete, for its arrangement is quite different from that of the
rest of his periplous: the elongated island is described from west to east, the gaze
swinging from the north coast to the south and back again as necessary (Fig. 2). I
have translated boreas and notos above, when they occur alone, metonymically as
44 The Greek text is that reconstructed by Shipley 2019.
D. G. J. Shipley
meaning as well as the directional. The same is true of those phrases that incorporate seasonal terms, such as ‘summer rising’ and ‘winter setting’; and finally of
those expressions that incorporate astronomical references, such as ‘equidiurnal’
(i.e. equinoctial) sunrise or summer sunset, where the reader or listener is likely to
perceive the connotations of sky and horizon as well as understand the ordinal direction as intended. Such phrases often occur in passages where cardinal directional
terms are employed in their purely metonymic sense (e.g. arktos meaning north)
while others, including phrases, make their connotations visible.
5.3.1 Ps.-Skylax
Some sources revealingly combine different sets of terms and point up the contrast
between directional and ‘meaningful’ usage, as in this remarkable passage from the
anonymous mid-fourth-century bc Periplous (Circumnavigation) known as PseudoSkylax (47. 3–4):
(2) ἔστι δὲ ἡ Κρήτη μακρὰ στάδια βφʹ, στενὴ δέ, καὶ τέταται ἀπὸ ἡλίου δυσμῶν πρὸς
ἡλίου ἀνατολάς
(3) <ἐπὶ Κωρύκ>ῳ ἀκρωτηρίῳ ἐστὶ πρώτη πόλις πρὸς ἥλιον δυόμενον ἡ προειρημένη
Φαλασάρνα καὶ λιμὴν κλειστός. Πολυρρηνία, καὶ διήκει ἀπὸ βορέου πρὸς νότον.
Δικτυνναῖον Ἀρτέμιδος ἱερὸν πρὸς βορέαν ἄνεμον, τῆς χώρας Περγαμίας. πρὸς νότον δὲ
Ὑρτακίνα. Κυδωνία καὶ λιμὴν κλειστὸς πρὸς βορέαν· […] πρὸς νότον δὲ Λίσσα […]
πρὸς βορέαν δὲ ἄν<εμον> ἡ Ἀπτεραία χώρα. […]
4. μετὰ δὲ ταύτην ὄρος Ἴδα καὶ Ἐλεύθερναι πρὸς βορέαν. πρὸς νότον δὲ Σύβριτα καὶ
λιμήν πρὸς νότον Φαιστός. πρὸς βορέαν Ὀαξὸς καὶ Κνωσσός. πρὸς δὲ νότον Γόρτυνα.
[…] Ἴτανος ἀκρωτήριον Κρήτης πρὸς ἥλιον ἀνίσχοντα
44
(2) Krete is 2,500 stades long, and narrow, and extends from the settings of the sun (apo
hēliou dysmōn) towards the risings of the sun (pros hēliou anatolas).
(3)
it extends from the north (apo boreou) towards the south (pros noton). Diktynnaion, a sanctuary of Artemis, towards the north wind (pros borean anemon), belonging to the Pergamia
territory. Towards the south (pros noton) Hyrtakina. Kydonia with an enclosed harbour
towards the north (pros borean). […] Towards the south (pros noton) Lissa […] Towards the
north wi
(4) After this Mount Ida, with Eleuthernai towards the north (pros borean). Towards the
south (pros noton) Sybrita with a harbour towards the south (pros noton), Phaistos. Towards
the north (pros borean) Oaxos and Knossos. Towards the south (pros noton) Gortyna. […]
Itanos, the promontory of Crete towards the upcoming sun (pros hēlion anischonta).
It is likely that in this passage Pseudo-Skylax is drawing upon an earlier source
specifically dedicated to Crete, for its arrangement is quite different from that of the
rest of his periplous: the elongated island is described from west to east, the gaze
swinging from the north coast to the south and back again as necessary (Fig. 2). I
have translated boreas and notos above, when they occur alone, metonymically as
44 The Greek text is that reconstructed by Shipley 2019.
D. G. J. Shipley