Strabo 17.1.18 (801C): Inaros, the Milesians and Naucratis

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STRABO 17.1.18 (801C): INAROS, THE MILESIANS AND NAUCRATIS

JAN WILLEM DRIJVERS

The historical information which Strabo has included in his Geo- graphica is neither abundant nor very detailed. Strabo does not seem to have developed guiding principles for adding material of a historical kind to his geographical description of the world as known in his days. Much of the historical information is focused on the Hel- lenistic period, the last century of the Roman Republic, and on Rome’s intervention in the East. This focus is understandable con- sidering Strabo’s background and his earlier work: he came from Pontus and his family belonged to the inner circle of the Pontic kings, including Mithridates VI, and before his Geographica he had written a now lost work entitled ÑUpomnÆmata ÑIstorikã in 47 books which was a continuation of Polybius and covered the period from 144 to at least 37 B.C.E.1). The nature of the historical information of Strabo’s sources undoubtedly also had its influence on the emphases of his own work. Nevertheless the Geographica also contains some historical information about earlier periods. Part of Book 17 of the Geographica deals with Egypt. Strabo devot- ed an extensive description to Alexandria but also to the river Nile, with its delta and its seven mouths receiving ample attention. In his description of one of these mouths, the Bolbitine, Strabo refers to the presence of the Milesians in Egypt and their founding of Naucratis. In the time of Psammetichus they had come with thirty ships to the Bolbitine mouth, had settled there and had fortified their settlement, for which reason it was called tÚ Milhs¤vn te›xow2). After some time

1) For Strabo’s life and works see e.g. B. Niese, Beiträge zur Biographie Strabos, Hermes 13 (1878), 33-45; E. Honigmann, Strabon, RE 2, Reihe IV (1931), 76-155; E.Ch.L. van der Vliet, Strabo over Landen, Volken en Steden bezien tegen de historische en so- ciale achtergronden van zijn leven en werken (Assen 1977), 4-118; R. Syme, Anatolica. Studies in Strabo, ed. by A. Birley (Oxford 1995), passim; Katherine Clarke, In Search of the Author of Strabo’s Geography, JRS 87 (1997), 92-110. 2) This fortification, mentioned in the ancient sources only by Strabo, has not

INAROS, THE MILESIANS AND NAUCRATIS 17

the Milesians sailed up into the Saïte nome, defeated Inaros in a naval battle and founded Naucratis: pleÊsantew går §p‹ Cammht¤xou triãkonta naus‹ MilÆsioi—katå Kuajãrh dÉotow ∑n tÚn M∞don— kat°sxon eﬁw tÚ stÒma tÚ Bolb¤tinon, e‰tÉ §kbãntew §te¤xisan tÚ lexy¢n kt¤sma˙ xrÒnƒ dÉénapleÊsantew eﬁw tÚn SaitikÚn nomÚn katanau- maxÆsantew ÉInãrvn pÒlin ¶ktisan NaÊkratin oÈ polÁ t∞w Sxed¤aw Ïperyen3). In the slightly modified Loeb translation this is rendered as follows: “...for in the time of Psammetichus (who lived in the time of Cyaxares the Mede) the Milesians, with thirty ships, put in at the Bolbitine mouth, and then, disembarking, fortified with a wall the above-mentioned settlement [tÚ lexy¢n kt¤sma refers to the Milh- s¤vn te›xow, J.W.D.]; but in time they sailed up into the Saïtic Nome, defeated Inaros in a naval fight, and founded Naucratis, nor far above Schedia”. This story, which contains unique information about a Milesian settlement tÚ Milhs¤vn te›xow and about Inaros, raises questions. The events described are set in the sixth century B.C.E. Psamme- tichus is Psammetichus I (664-610), the first Egyptian king of the Saïte dynasty (664-525). Strabo’s remark that he was a contempora- ry of Cyaxares is more confusing than clarifying since the reign of this third king of Media (625-585) covers indeed the later years of that of Psammetichus I but also the full ruling period of Psamme- tichus II (595-589)4). It has therefore been suggested that the refer- ence to Cyaxares for the dating of Psammetichus’ reign is a later gloss5). Psammetichus I, who initially had to contend for control of Egypt, secured his rule with the help of amongst others Greek mer- cenaries; permanent Greek mercenary camps were established in the Delta. Psammetichus is known for his philhellenism and seems to have been keen on having good relations with the Greeks6). During

been identified; J. Ball, Egypt in the Classical Geographers (Cairo 1942), 64; CAH III2, vol. 3 (1982), 38. The Milesians of Milhs¤vn te›xow most probably constituted one of the groups within the Ionian and Carian peoples who came to Psammetichus’ aid in his struggle for dominance in Egypt and who were rewarded with settlements in the Nile delta; Hdt. 2.152, 154. 3) The Greek text is based on a new edition of the Geographica which is current- ly being prepared by S.L. Radt and a group of researchers of the University of Groningen. See S.L. Radt, Eine neue Strabonausgabe, Mnemosyne 44 (1991), 307-326, which includes a sample of the new edition. For a longer sample see Stefan Radt/Jan Willem Drijvers, Die Groninger Neuedition von Strabons Geographika vorgestellt anhand des Abschnittes über Troia, Studia Troica 3 (1993), 201-231. 4) See for Cyaxares Hdt. 1.103 ff. 5) G. Hirschfeld, Die Gründung von Naukratis, RhM 42 (1887), 209-225, 211. 6) Hdt. 2.152-154; Diod. Sic. 1.67. For the relations between Egypt and Greece