§ 1.1  Anaximander of Miletus, disciple of Thales, first attempted to draw the earth on a map. After him Hecataeus of Miletus, a widely-traveled man, improved the work marvelously. Hellanicus of Lesbos, a man of much learning, gave his account without a map. Then Damastes of Citium wrote a circumnavigation, drawing mostly on Hecataeus. Next Democritus and Eudoxus and others wrote tours of the earth by land and sea.

§ 1.2  The ancients drew the earth round, and regarded Hellas as the center and Delphi as the center of Hellas, since it had the navel of the earth. Democritus, a man of much experience, first perceived that the earth was oblong, with the length half again the breadth. Dicaearchus the Peripatetic agreed with him. Eudoxus made the length double the breadth, Eratosthenes more than double, Crates semicircular, Hipparchus trapezoid, others ... , Posidonius the Stoic sling-shaped and wide in the middle from south to north, narrow to the east and west, wider, however, to the southeast, toward India.

§ 1.3  Boundaries of the continents: of Europe and Libya the Pillars of Hercules; of Libya and Asia the Nile, but some say the isthmus between Lake Serbonis and the Arabian gulf; of Asia and Europe the ancients said the Phasis River and the isthmus to the Caspian, the later and more recent ones say Lake Maeotis and the Tanais River.

§ 1.4  The continents were called ἤπειροι as being boundless (ἄπειροι), out of ignorance. Asia was named for coming close (ἆσσον) for those going over from Europe both by land and by the islands lying in a row: Euboea Andros Tenos Myconos Icaria Samos Mycale. Europe was named for its breadth (εὖρος). Libya was quite unknown to the Greeks, but from a signal nation Phoenicians were named seafaring. The ocean was named for quickly encircling (ὠκέως ἀνύειν) the earth.

§ 1.5  Dicaearchus bounds the earth not by waters but by a straight line from the Pillars through Sardinia Sicily Peloponnesus Ionia Caria Lycia Pamphylia Cilicia and Taurus on to Mt Ιmaus, and he calls the several regions either northern or southern.

§ 2.6  The winds blow: from equinoctial sunrise Apeliotes, from equinoctial sunset Aephyros, from midday Notos, from the Bear Aparctias, from summer solstice (sunrise) Kaikias, and next, from equinoctial sunrise Apeliotes, and from winter sunrise Euros, and in the west, from winter sunset Lips, and next again, from equinoctial sunset Zephyros from summer sunset Argestes or Olympias also called Iapyx, then Notos and Aparctias blowing opposite each other; so there are eight.

§ 2.7  But Timosthenes, who wrote the circumnavigations, says there are twelve, adding Boreas between Aparctias and Kaikias, Phoinix also called Euronotos between Euros and Notos, Leuconotos or Libonotos between Notos and Lips, Thrascias or Kirkios (as called by the local people) between Aparctias and argestes. He says nations dwell on the borders of the earth, towards Apeliotes Bactrians, towards euros Indians, towards Phoinix the Red Sea and Aethiopia, towards Notos Aethiopia beyond Egypt, towards Leuconotos Garamantes beyond the Syrtes, towards Lips western Aethiopians beyond Moors, towards Zephyros the Pillars and the beginnings of Libya and Europe, towards Argestes Iberia, now Hispania, towards Thrascias Celts and their neighbors, towards Aparctias Scythians beyond Thrace, towards Borras Pontus Maeotis Sarmatians, towards Kaikias the Caspian Sea and Sacae.

§ 3.8  The Great Syrtis is 5000 stades, the Little Syrtis 1600 stades. The mouth of the Adriatic, which some call the Ionian Sea, has a passage of 700 stades from the tip of Iapygia to the Ceraunian mountains in Epirus.

§ 3.9  After the Aegean Sea comes the Hellespont ending at Abydus and Sestus, then the Propontis ending at Chalcedon and Byzantium, where the narrows are from which the Pontus begins, then Lake Maeotis. Again, from the beginning of Europe and Libya the Iberian Sea from the Pillars to Mt Pyrene, the Ligurian as far as the borders of Etruria, the Sardinian beyond Sardinia bending down towards Libya, the Tuscan ending as far as Sicily and beginning from the capes of Liguria, then the Libyan, then the Cretan and Sicilian and Ionian and Adriatic and the one opening out of the Sicilian sea, which they call the gulf of Corinth or Halcyon sea. The Saronic sea enclosed by Sunium and Scyllaeum, then the Myrtoan and Icarian, in which are the Cyclades, then the Carpathian and Pamphylian and Egyptian. Beyond the Icarian spreads the Aegean.

§ 3.10  The coast of Europe from the outlet of the Tanais River to the Pillars of Hercules is 69709 stades, of Libya from Tingis to the Canobic mouth is 29252 stades, of Asia from Canobus to the Tanais River, with the gulfs, is 40111 stades; altogether, the coast of our earth, with the gulfs, is 139072 stades, including Lake Maeotis, of which the perimeter is 9000 stades and the mouth at the Cimmerian Bosporus is 20 stades.

§ 3.11  The Pontus is 3350 stades, the narrows at the Thracian Bosporus, where Dareius built the bridge against the Scythians, is six stades.

§ 3.12  The Persian Sea, being round and narrowing to the mouth at the capes of Carmania and Arabia, has a perimeter of 20000 stades; the mouth, between Arabia and Carmania is 400 stades.

§ 3.13  The Hyrcanian or Caspian Sea, being crescent-shaped, but some say oblong, is 20000 stades and has a passage of 1000 stades at the mouth.

§ 3.14  The Arabian Gulf, being narrow and oblong, begins from the gulf of Heroopolis along Troglodytica to Ptolemais at the Hunts 9000 stades long, where follows a voyage of 6500 stades, the narrows at Deire of 60 stades, along the Red Sea to the ocean 5000 stades, the rest is not navigated. The side along Arabia from the gulf of Aelana is 14000 stades. Arabia itself extends to the Red Sea and lengthens to 12000 stades.

§ 4.15  The length of the earth from the Ganges to Gades is 68545 stades, thus: from the Ganges River to Myriandrus in the gulf of Issus 41725 stades, thus: from the Ganges to the outlet of the Indus River 16000 stades, from the Indus to the Caspian Gates 15300 stades, to the Euphrates 10050 stades, to Myriandrus 375 stades.

§ 4.16  From Myriandrus to Gades 26820 stades, thus: from Myriandrus to the Keys of Cyprus 1400 stades, to Cape Acamas 1300 stades, to the Chelidoniae through the Pamphylian sea 1900 stades, to Patara 800 stades, to Rhodes 700 stades, to Astypalaea through the Carpathian ? 140 stades, to Taenarum 1950 stades, to Pachynum in Sicily 4000 stades, to Lilybaeum through the Libyan sea 1520 stades, to Caralis in Sardinia through the Tuscan sea 1800 stades, to Gades past the Gymnesiae islands 10000 stades, from Gades past the Sacred Cape and harbor of the Anabrians 7932. Altogether 76477 stades.

§ 4.17  Another way: from the Ganges to the Euphrates River 41350, from the Euphrates to Mazaca in Cappadocia 1950 stades, from Mazaca through piedmont and great Phrygia and Caria to Ephesus 3990 stades, altogether from the Ganges to Ephesus 47290 stades. From Ephesus to Delos through the Aegean 1600 stades, to the Isthmus 1700 stades, from the Isthmus through the Gulf of Corinth to Patrae 720 stades, to Leucas 700 stades, to Corcyra 700 stades, to the Acroceraunian mountains 660 stades, to Brundisium 700 stades, from Brundisium by land to Rome 2880 stades, from Rome to the Alps at the village Scingomagus beneath the Alps 4152 stades, then through Celtica to the town Illiberisbeneath Pyrene 3744 stades, then through Iberia to Gades 6654 stades, and the passage to Gades by way of the inns 60 stades. Altogether from the Ganges to Gades 71560 stades.

§ 4.18  The breadth of the earth from the Aethiopian sea to Meroe 5000 stades, from Meroe to Alexandria 10000 stades, from AlexandriaAlexandria to the Tanais 18056 ?, above the outlet of the Tanais to the north is unknown, thus: from Alexandria to Lindus in Rhodes 4500 stades, to Thoantion passing Rhodes on the right 400 stades, to Telos 160 stades, to Lacter in Cos 120 stades, to Drepanon in Cos 100 stades, to the island Arcitis 230 stades, to Corsiae 100, to Ampelus in Samos 30 stades, to Argennon through the Aegean 500 stades, to Erythraean Corynaion 270 stades, to Cape Phlion in Chios 50 stades, to Cape Melaneus in Lesbos 450 stades, to Sigrion in Lesbos 500 stades, to the island Tenedos 450 stades, to Sigeum 100 stades, to the mouth of Pontus 2500 stades, to Carambis 2800 stades, to the mouth of Maeotis 2500 stades, to the Tanais 2200 stades.

§ 4.19  Another way, from city to city: from Alexandria to Rhodes 4670 stades, to Cnidus 700 stades, to Cos 200 stades, to Samos 800 stades, to Chios 750 stades, to Mitylene 520 stades, to Tenedos 950, to Sigeum 100, to the mouth of Pontus 2500, to Carambis 2800, to the mouth of Maeotis 2500, to the Tanais River 2200; altogether from Alexandria to Tanais 18690 stades.

§ 5.20  Finally, we will give the perimeters of the islands of our earth taking them from Artemidorus and Menippus and other trustworthy authors. Gades is 120 stades long, 16 wide; the passage at the Pillars of Hercules is 80 stades at the narrowest; in the Iberian sea, of the Pityussae islands the greater, inhabited, is 300 stades long, the lesser 100 stades; of the Gymnasiae, which the Carthaginians call Baliariae (for slingers are thus called Baliares) the greater is 1200 stades long, 400 stades wide, the lesser 300 stades. The Stoechades so-called lie in a row in front of the Massilian towns, three greater and two small near Massilia itself. Sardinia has the shape of a footprint, hollow in the middle, 2200 long; Corsica near Sardinia but much poorer is less than half as long as Sardinia; the take-off for Sardinia and Corsica is Populonium in Etruria, the passage 1200 stades. The perimeter of Sicily according to Timosthenes is 4740 stades, the shape a scalene triangle, the passage from Cape Pelorus to Italy 12 stades. The side of the island from Pelorus to Pachynum is 1360 stades, from Pachynum to Lilybaeum 1600 stades, from Lilybaeum to Pelorias according to Timosthenes 1700 stades; the passage from Lilybaeum to Aspis in Libya about 1500 stades.

§ 5.21  The island Cercina is 200 long, 70 stades wide, but 40 at the narrowest; it lies off the town Theene on the mainland at the beginning of the lesser Syrtis; beside Cercina lies the island Carcinitis, joined by a bridge, 40 stades long, 25 stades wide.

§ 5.22  From Cercina to the island Meninx Lotophagitis the passage is 600 stades, as is said to be the mouth of the lesser Syrtis; Meninx is 600 stades long, 180 stades wide, and there are great currents around it.

§ 5.23  The island Cephallenia, of four towns, is 400 stades long. There are also in the Adriatic islands along Illyria, especially Issa and Black Corcyra and Pharos and Melite, of which I do not know the perimeters.

§ 5.24  The circumnavigation of the Peloponnesus counting the gulfs is 5627 stades, without entering the gulfs 4000 stades; the length from Malea to Aegium is 1400 stades; the shape like a plane leaf, cut up by great gulfs; it narrows in the Gulf of Corinth to the Isthmus 40 stades wide between the Corinthian and Saronic gulfs .... to Cape Scyllaeum with the island Calauria to the left sacred to Poseidon, then the gulf of Hermione, next the gulf of Argos as far as Cape Malea, which juts far into the sea, next after Malea the gulf of Laconia as far as Taenarum on the right, which bounds the gulf of Messenia on the left with Cape Acritas on the right, then Cape Ichthys, off which is Zacynthus, and Cape Chelonatas, and finally Cape Araxus facing Acarnania, after which opens up the Gulf of Corinth narrowing to a mouth of 7 stades at Rhion in the Peloponnesus and Antirhion in Locris. From Taenarum to Phycus in Libya the passage is 3000 stades.

§ 5.25  The island Aegina 160 stades long lies against Attica; Salamis 70 stades long, Ceia 120. Of the Cyclades the greatest is Naxos, hence called Little Sicily; to the right are the Sporades. Euboea is joined to Boeotia by a bridge; it extends along Boeotia Phocis Locris, and on the other end even a little along Attica, for it is long, hence called Macris, the length 1700 stades.

§ 5.26  Crete is near the Peloponnesus off Malea, 4100 stades around, 2300 long, for it is much lengthened; Cythera is between Crete and Laconia. Cyprus has the shape of a hide, perimeter 3420 stades, length 1300; from Paphos to Alexandria the passage is from the north, 3800 stades. The perimeter of Rhodes is 1300 stades, of Cos 540 stades, of Samos 630 stades. Icaria is long and rugged, the length 300 stades. The perimeter of Chios is 660 stades, of Lesbos 1100 stades.