Arrian's Voyage Round the Euxine
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— T.('vn.l,r fuipf ARRIAN'S VOYAGE ROUND THE EUXINE SEA TRANSLATED $ AND ACCOMPANIED WITH A GEOGRAPHICAL DISSERTATION, AND MAPS. TO WHICH ARE ADDED THREE DISCOURSES, Euxine Sea. I. On the Trade to the Eqft Indies by means of the failed II. On the Di/lance which the Ships ofAntiquity ufually in twenty-four Hours. TIL On the Meafure of the Olympic Stadium. OXFORD: DAVIES SOLD BY J. COOKE; AND BY MESSRS. CADELL AND r STRAND, LONDON. 1805. S.. Collingwood, Printer, Oxford, TO THE EMPEROR CAESAR ADRIAN AUGUSTUS, ARRIAN WISHETH HEALTH AND PROSPERITY. We came in the courfe of our voyage to Trapezus, a Greek city in a maritime fituation, a colony from Sinope, as we are in- formed by Xenophon, the celebrated Hiftorian. We furveyed the Euxine fea with the greater pleafure, as we viewed it from the lame fpot, whence both Xenophon and Yourfelf had formerly ob- ferved it. Two altars of rough Hone are ftill landing there ; but, from the coarfenefs of the materials, the letters infcribed upon them are indiftincliy engraven, and the Infcription itfelf is incor- rectly written, as is common among barbarous people. I deter- mined therefore to erect altars of marble, and to engrave the In- fcription in well marked and diftinct characters. Your Statue, which Hands there, has merit in the idea of the figure, and of the defign, as it reprefents You pointing towards the fea; but it bears no refemblance to the Original, and the execution is in other re- fpects but indifferent. Send therefore a Statue worthy to be called Yours, and of a fimilar delign to the one which is there at prefent, b as 2 ARYAN'S PERIPLUS as the fituation is well calculated for perpetuating, by thefe means, the memory of any illuftrious perfon. A Fane or Temple is there- is conftru&ed, built of fquared Hone, and a refpectable edifice ; but the Image of Mercury, which it contains, is neither worthy the Temple, nor the fituation in which it Hands. Wherefore, if You fhould think proper, fend to me a Statue of Mercury of not more than five feet in height, as fuch a fize feems well propor- tioned, and fuitable to that of the building. I requefr. alfo a Statue of Philefius of four feet in height ; for it feems to me reafonable that the latter fhould have a temple and an altar in common with his Anceflor. Hence whilfl fome perfons facrifice to Mercury, and fome to Philefius, and others to both, they will all do what is agreeable to both thefe Deities ; to Mercury, as they honour his Defcendant ; to Philefius, as they honour his Anceflor. Where- fore I myfelf facrificed an Ox there ; not as Xenophon did in the port of Calpe, when he took an Ox from a waggon on account of the fcarcity of victims ; whereas here the Trapezuntines them- felves furnifhed no contemptible facrifice. We examined the en- trails of the animals facrificed, and performed our libations upon them. I need not mention to You in whofe behalf we firfl offered our prayers, as You are well acquainted with our cuflom on fuch occafions, and as You mutt be confcious, that You deferve the prayers of all, and efpecially of thofe who are under lefs obliga- tions of gratitude than myfelf. Having then failed from Trapezus, we arrived the firft day at the port of HyfTus, and exercifed the foot-foldiers, whom we found there. This body of men, as You know, confilts of foot, although they have befides belonging to them twenty horfemen, who are defigned for private fervices only. It has however been found ne- celTary SEA, OF THE EUXINE 3 ceflliry for thefe men fometimes to a& in the capacity of thofe who throw javelins. Thence we failed, at firlt. Only with the breezes which blow early in the morning from the mouths of the rivers, uung however oars at the fame time. Thefe breezes were indeed cool, as a Homer exprelTes himfelf, but not fufficiently ftrong for us, who wifhed for a quick voyage. A calm foon followed, when we were reduced to depend upon our oars only. Soon after a cloud fuddenly ariling burn: nearly in an eafterly direction from us, and brought on a violent ftorm of wind, which was entirely contrary to the courfe that we held, and from the fatal efFecl:s of which we had a narrow <efcape. For it almojl inftantly produced fuch a fwell of the fea, as to make it appear hollow to the view, and caufed a deluge of water to break not only over that part of the mip where the benches of the rowers were placed, but alfo over the part which is between them and the poop. Our ntuation was then truly tra- gical, fince as fall as we pumped out the water, fo fall did it burft in upon us. The fwell of the fea did not however bear upon the fide of our velfel ; and from this circumftance we were enabled, although with great trouble and difficulty, to make ufe of our oars, and, after much diltrefsful fuffering, to arrive at Athena?. For there is upon the Euxine fea a place fo called, where there is a temple in the Grecian flyle, from which circumftance the place feems to have derived its name. There is a ruined caftle at this place, and a port, which in the fummer feafon cannot indeed con- tain many mips, but is fufficient to afford them a melter from the South wind, and even from the South-Eaft. Ships that put in there ** ^ Avpi ' Ik wstw/xs ^vxiyi Wti %u$i o. Odyff. t , ver, 469. might 4 ARR LAN'S PERIPLUS might indeed be fafe from the North-Earl wind, but not from the North, nor from that wind, which is called in Pontus, Thrafcias> but in Greece, Sciron. During the night there came on a violent, ftorm of thunder and lightning ; nor did the wind continue in the fame quarter, but came about to the South, and foon after from the South to the South-Weft, which rendered the bay, or road, m which we lay, no longer a fafe ftation. Therefore, before the fea had begun to rage violently, we drew up into the harbour of Athena? as many of our mips as it would contain, excepting one trireme, which having found a convenient fhelter under cover of a rock, rode there in fafety. We thought proper alfo to fend feveral of our vefTels to the neighbouring Ihores to be drawn aground ; which fucceeded fo well, that they all efcaped fafe, excepting one, which entering the bay expofed its lide improperly to the wind, and the fwell of the fea drove it afhore, where it was wrecked. Every thing on board however was faved, not the fails only, and the nautical intlruments, but the bolts alfo, and the men. We alfo fcraped off the wax, which is as neceflary an article in mip- building as any, timber excepted ; of which laft material there is, as You know, a great quantity in the countries that border upon this fea. The Horm continued two days, and necefTarily detained us during that time. It would indeed have indicated a want of refpecl to have pafTed by Athena?, even the one of that name on the Pontic fea, as if it were fome deferted and namelefs port. Setting fail thence early in the morning, we attempted to make our way with the waves, or fwell of the fea, bearing upon the fide of our ihip ; but as the day advanced, the North-Eafl wind blow- ing gently calmed the fea, and rendered it altogether fmooth and tranquil. Before noon we reached Apfarus, having failed more than OF THE EUXINE SEA. 5 than five hundred ftadia. At this place five cohorts are Rationed, to whom we delivered their pay, and inlpecled their arms, the walls, and the ditch, their lick, and their prefent flock of provi- lions. My report concerning thefc fubjecls has been already written in the Latin language. Apfarus, it is faid, formerly bore the name of Apfyrtus, from the perfon who was murdered by Medea, and whofe fepulchre is Hill Ihewn there. Its prefent name was corrupted by the Barbarians from the ancient one, as has taken place in many other inflances. Thus they fay, that Tyana in Cappadocia was called, about the time alluded to, Thoana, from Thoas, King of the Tauri ; who, it is reported, came thither in pur- fuit of Pylades and Oreftes, and their companions, and died there of fome difeafe. The rivers, which we pafied fince our departure from Trapezus, are as follows. The Hyflus, from which the port of that name is called, is dif- tant from Trapezus an hundred and eighty ftadia. The Ophis ; which is diflant from the port of Hyflus, at molt, ninety itadia, and feparates the country of Colchis from that of Thyana. The Pfychrus; diitant from the Ophis about thirty itadia.* The Calus ; diflant from the Pfychrus thirty itadia. The Rhizius lies alfo in the neighbourhood of the Pfychrus, and is diitant from the Calus an hundred and twenty itadia. From the Rhizius to the Afcurus the diftance is thirty itadia. From the Afcurus to the Adienus fixty itadia. From the Adienus to Athenae an hundred and eighty itadia. The river Zagatis lies at moit only feven Itadia from Athenae. In 6 ARRIAN'S PERIPLUS In failing from Athena? we palled by Prytanis, a palace of An- chialus, which is diftant from Athena? forty fladia.