1 (return)
[ Some write "Psammitichos"
with less authority.]
2 (return)
[ {tou en Memphi}: many
Editors read {en Memphi}, "I heard at Memphis from the priests of
Hephaistos," but with less authority.]
3 (return)
[ {'Eliou polin} or
{'Elioupolin}, cp. {'Elioupolitai} below.]
4 (return)
[ {exo e ta ounamata auton
mounon}. Some understand "them" to mean "the gods"; rather perhaps the
meaning is that accounts of such things will not be related in full, but
only touched upon.]
5 (return)
[ {ison peri auton
epistasthai}.]
6 (return)
[ {anthropon}, emphatic, for
the rulers before him were gods (ch. 144).]
7 (return)
[ {Mina}: others read
{Mena}, but the authority of the MSS. is strong for {Mina} both here and
in ch. 99.]
8 (return)
[ {tou Thebaikou nomou}, cp.
ch. 164.]
9 (return)
[ {tautes on apo}: some MSS.
omit {apo}, "this then is the land for which the sixty schoines are
reckoned."]
10 (return)
[ For the measures of
length cp. ch. 149. The furlong ({stadion}) is equal to 100 fathoms
({orguiai}), i.e. 606 feet 9 inches.]
11 (return)
[ Or "without rain": the
word {anudros} is altered by some Editors to {enudros} or {euudros}, "well
watered."]
12 (return)
[ I have followed Stein in
taking {es ta eiretai} with {legon}, meaning "at the Erythraian Sea,"
{taute men} being a repetition of {te men} above. The bend back would make
the range double, and hence partly its great breadth. Others translate,
"Here (at the quarries) the range stops, and bends round to the parts
mentioned (i.e. the Erythraian Sea)."]
13 (return)
[ {os einai Aiguptou}: cp.
iv. 81. Others translate, "considering that it belongs to Egypt" (a
country so vast), i.e. "as measures go in Egypt." In any case {Aiguptos
eousa} just below seems to repeat the same meaning.]
14 (return)
[ Some Editors alter this
to "fourteen."]
15 (return)
[ {pentastomou}: some less
good MSS. have {eptastomou}, "which has seven mouths."]
16 (return)
[ See note on i. 203.]
17 (return)
[ {ton erkhomai lexon}:
these words are by many Editors marked as spurious, and they certainly
seem to be out of place here.]
18 (return)
[ {kou ge de}: "where then
would not a gulf be filled up?"]
19 (return)
[ {katarregnumenen}: some
Editors read {katerregmenen} ("broken up by cracks") from
{katerregnumenen}, which is given by many MSS.]
1901 (return)
[ Or possibly "with
rock below," in which case perhaps {upopsammoteren} would mean "rather
sandy underneath."]
20 (return)
[ We do not know whether
these measurements are in the larger Egyptian cubit of 21 inches or the
smaller (equal to the ordinary Hellenic cubit) of 18½ inches, cp. i. 178.]
21 (return)
[ {kai to omoion apodido
es auxesin}, "and to yield the like return as regards increased extent."
(Mr. Woods); but the clause may be only a repetition of the preceding
one.]
22 (return)
[ i.e. Zeus.]
23 (return)
[ i.e. of the district of
Thebes, the Thebaïs.]
24 (return)
[ {te Libue}.]
25 (return)
[ The meaning seems to be
this: "The Ionians say that Egypt is the Delta, and at the same time they
divide the world into three parts, Europe, Asia, and Libya, the last two
being divided from one another by the Nile. Thus they have left out Egypt
altogether; and either they must add the Delta as a fourth part of the
world, or they must give up the Nile as a boundary. If the name Egypt be
extended, as it is by the other Hellenes, to the upper course of the Nile,
it is then possible to retain the Nile as a boundary, saying that half of
Egypt belongs to Asia and half to Libya, and disregarding the Delta (ch.
17). This also would be an error of reckoning, but less serious than to
omit Egypt together." The reasoning is obscure because it alludes to
theories (of Hecataios and other writers) which are presumed to be already
known to the reader.]
26 (return)
[ {Katadoupon}, i.e. the
first cataract.]
27 (return)
[ "and it gives us here,
etc." ({parekhomenos}).]
28 (return)
[ {logo de eipein
thoumasiotere}. Or perhaps, "and it is more marvellous, so to speak."]
29 (return)
[ {ton ta polla esti andri
ke k.t.l.} I take {ton} to refer to the nature of the country, as
mentioned above; but the use of {os} can hardly be paralleled, and the
passage probably requires correction. Some Editors read {ton tekmeria
polla esti k.t.l.} "wherein there are many evidences to prove, etc." Stein
omits {ton} and alters the punctuation, so that the clauses run thus,
"when it flows from the hottest parts to those which for the most part are
cooler? For a man who is capable of reasoning about such matters the first
and greatest evidence to prove that it is not likely to flow from snow, is
afforded by the winds, etc."]
30 (return)
[ {ouk ekhei elegkhon},
"cannot be refuted" (because we cannot argue with him), cp. Thuc. iii. 53,
{ta de pseude elegkhon ekhei}. Some translate, "does not prove his case."]
31 (return)
[ {tes arkhaies diexodou},
"his original (normal) course."]
32 (return)
[ {ouk eonton anemon
psukhron}: the best MSS. read {kai anemon psukhron} ("and there are cold
winds"), which Stein retains, explaining that the cold North winds would
assist evaporation.]
33 (return)
[ {autos eoutou peei pollo
upodeesteros e tou thereos}.]
34 (return)
[ {diakaion ten diexodon
auto}, i.e. {to reri}. Some Editors read {autou} (with inferior MSS.) or
alter the word to {eoutou}.]
35 (return)
[ "set forth, so far as I
understood."]
36 (return)
[ {epi makrotaton},
"carrying the inquiry as far as possible," cp. ch. 34.]
37 (return)
[ I have little doubt that
this means the island of Elephantine; for at this point only would such a
mixture of races be found. To this the writer here goes back
parenthetically, and then resumes the account of the journey upwards from
Tachompso. This view is confirmed by the fact that Strabo relates the same
thing with regard to the island of Philai just above Elephantine.]
3701 (return)
[ Cp. i. 72, note 86.]
38 (return)
[ {oleureon}.]
39 (return)
[ {zeias}.]
40 (return)
[ i.e. the hieratic and
the demotic characters.]
41 (return)
[ {murias, os eipein
logo}.]
42 (return)
[ Referring apparently to
iii. 28, where the marks of Apis are given. Perhaps no animal could be
sacrificed which had any of these marks.]
43 (return)
[ {kephale keine}, "that
head," cp. {koilien keinen} in the next chapter.]
44 (return)
[ {katharon}.]
45 (return)
[ {baris}, cp. ch. 96.]
46 (return)
[ Or, "descended from
Aigyptos."]
4601 (return)
[ Or, "assuming that
in those days as now, they were wont to make voyages, and that some of the
Hellenes were seafaring folk."]
47 (return)
[ {stelai}, "upright
blocks."]
48 (return)
[ {lampontos tas nuktas
megathos}: some Editors alter {megathos} to {megalos} or {mega phos}.]
49 (return)
[ {enagizousi}.]
50 (return)
[ {uon}: some Editors read
{oion} "sheep," on the authority of one MS.]
51 (return)
[ {ta ounamata}, which
means here rather the forms of personification than the actual names.]
52 (return)
[ {ai pramanteis}.]
53 (return)
[ {phegon}.]
54 (return)
[ {upo phego pephukuie},
i.e. the oak-tree of the legend was a real growing tree, though the dove
was symbolical.]
55 (return)
[ {panegurias}.]
56 (return)
[ {prosagogas}, with the
idea of bringing offerings or introducing persons.]
57 (return)
[ {epoiethesan}, "were
first celebrated."]
58 (return)
[ So B.R.]
59 (return)
[ {sumphoiteousi}.]
5901 (return)
[ i.e. 700,000.]
60 (return)
[ See ch. 40.]
61 (return)
[ {tesi thusiesi, en tini
nukti}: some MSS. give {en te nukti}: hence several Editors read {tes
thusies en te nukti}, "on the night of the sacrifice."]
62 (return)
[ Or, "for what end this
night is held solemn by lighting of lamps" (B.R.), making {phos kai timen}
one idea.]
63 (return)
[ {alexomenous}: this,
which is adopted by most Editors, is the reading of some less good MSS.;
the rest have {alexomenoi}, "strike them and defend themselves."]
6301 (return)
[ {eousa e Aiguptos
k.t.l.}: the MSS. have {eousa de Aiguptos}: Stein reads {eousa gar
Aiguptos}.]
64 (return)
[ {theia pregmata
katalambanei tous aielourous}, which may mean only, "a marvellous thing
happens to the cats."]
65 (return)
[ {es 'Ermeo polin}.]
66 (return)
[ {dikhelon, oplai boos},
"he is cloven-footed, and his foot is that of an ox." The words {oplai
boos} are marked as spurious by Stein.]
67 (return)
[ i.e. above the marshes,
cp. ch. 92.]
68 (return)
[ {pante}, which by some
is translated "taken all together," "at most." Perhaps there is some
corruption of text, and the writer meant to say that it measured two
cubits by one cubit.]
6801 (return)
[ The reading of the
Medicean MS. is {en esti}, not {enesti} as hitherto reported.]
69 (return)
[ Or, "calling the song
Linos."]
70 (return)
[ {ton Linon okothen
elabon}: the MSS. have {to ounoma} after {elabon}, but this is omitted by
almost all Editors except Stein, who justifies it by a reference to ch.
50, and understands it to mean "the person of Linos." No doubt the song
and the person are here spoken off indiscriminately, but this explanation
would require the reading {tou Linou}, as indeed Stein partly admits by
suggesting the alteration.]
71 (return)
[ The words "and Bacchic
(which are really Egyptian)," are omitted by several of the best MSS.]
72 (return)
[ {epezosmenai}.]
73 (return)
[ In connexion with death
apparently, cp. ch. 132, 170. Osiris is meant.]
74 (return)
[ {sindonos bussines}.]
75 (return)
[ {to kommi}.]
76 (return)
[ {nros}.]
77 (return)
[ Or, "a pleasant sweet
taste."]
78 (return)
[ {apala}, "soft."]