Claudius Ptolemy, Geography 5.16.1-2
https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/305
Context
Claudius Ptolemy was a learned Greek scholar, apparently of
Greco-Egyptian descent and Roman citizenship, who conducted research in the fields of
astronomy, mathematics, and geography during the 2nd century C.E. Apart from the
Almagest, the famous astronomical treatise, his most influential work
was a detailed survey of the world containing a gazetteer of places plotted in
coordinates, his version of longitude (degrees of arc from a notional meridian through
the Blessed Isles) and latitude (degrees of arc from the equator). In the book on Asia,
Ptolemy defined the limits of Palestine-Judaea and plotted the settlements along the
coast, including “Caesarea Stratonis.”
Text
(1) Ἡ Παλαιστίνη,
ἥτις καὶ Ἰουδαία καλεῖται, περιορίζεται ἀπὸ μὲν ἄρκτων καὶ ἀνατολῶν Συρίᾳ κατὰ τὴν
ἐκτεθειμένην γραμμήν, ἀπὸ δὲ [ἀνατολῶν καὶ] μεσημβρίας Ἀραβίᾳ Πετραίᾳ κατὰ γραμμὴν τὴν
ἀπὸ τοῦ πρὸς τῇ Συρίᾳ ἑωθινοῦ ὁρίου μέχρι τοῦ πρὸς τῇ Αἰγύπτῳ πέρατος, οὗ πέρατος ἡ
θέσις ὡς εἴρηται ξδ° δʹ λ° γοʹ ἀπὸ δὲ δύσεως τῷ τε ἐντεῦθεν μέχρι θαλάσσης ἐκτεθειμένῳ
τῆς Αἰγύπτου μέρει, καὶ τῷ ἐφεξῆς πελάγει μέχρι τοῦ ὁρίου τῆς Συρίας κατὰ περιγραφὴν
τοιαύτην· (2) Μετὰ τὰς τοῦ Χορσέου ποταμοῦ ἐκβολάς·
Καισάρεια
Στράτωνος ξϛ° δʹ λβ° ͵ʹἈπολλωνία ξϛ° λβ° δʹἸόππη ξε° γοʹ λβ° ιβʹἸαμνιτῶν λιμήν ξε° λβ°Ἄζωτος ξε° δʹ λα° ͵γʹἈσκαλών ξε° λα° γοʹΓαζαίων λιμήν ξδ°
͵γιβʹ λα° ͵ʹἈνθηδών ξδ° ͵γʹ λα° γοʹ
1
Textual Note
Ed. Stückelberger and Graßhoff 2006Translation
1) Palestine,
which is also called Judaea, is bordered on the north and the east by Syria along the
line mentioned above. On the east and south it is bordered by Arabia Petraea along a
line drawn from the southeastern border of Syria to its terminus at Egypt. The location
of that terminus is, as stated, 64° 15ʹ 30° 40ʹ. On the west it is bordered by the part
of Egypt extending from there to the sea, and by the adjacent sea to the border of Syria
according to the following description:2) After the mouth of the river Chorseas:
Caesarea Stratonis 66° 15ʹ 32° 30ʹApollonia 66° 32° 15ʹIoppe 65° 40ʹ 32° 05ʹIamnia (port) 65° 32°Azotus 65° 15ʹ 31° 50ʹAscalon 65° 31°
40ʹGaza (port) 64° 55ʹ 31° 30ʹAnthedon 64° 50ʹ 31° 40ʹ
2
Translation Note
Trans. J. L. Rife with ref. to Stevenson 1932 and Stückelberger and Graßhoff 2006Works Cited
- 1 Claudius Ptolemy, Ptolemaios, Handbuch Der Geographie, Griechisch-Deutsch I-II, ed. Alfred Stückelberger and Gerd Graßhoff, 2nd ed. (Basel: Schwabe, 2017), bk: 5, ch: 16.1-2.
- 2 Claudius Ptolemy, Claudius Ptolemy: The Geography, trans. Edward Luther Stevenson, repr. 1991 (New York: Dover Publications, 1932), p: 128.
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How to Cite This Entry
Joseph L. Rife, “Claudius Ptolemy, Geography 5.16.1-2,” in Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, entry published June 30, 2023, https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/305.
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Bibliography:
Joseph L. Rife, “Claudius Ptolemy, Geography 5.16.1-2.” In Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, edited by Joseph L. Rife., edited by Joseph L. Rife. Caesarea City and Port Exploration Project, 2023. Entry published June 30, 2023. https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/305.About this Entry
Entry Title: Claudius Ptolemy, Geography 5.16.1-2
Authorial and Editorial Responsibility:
- Joseph L. Rife, general editor, Vanderbilt University
- Joseph L. Rife, editor, Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia
- David A. Michelson, Daniel L. Schwartz, and William L. Potter, technical editor, “Claudius Ptolemy, Geography 5.16.1-2”
- Joseph L. Rife, entry contributor, “Claudius Ptolemy, Geography 5.16.1-2”
Additional Credit:
- TEI encoding by William L. Potter
- Electronic text added by Joseph L. Rife
- Testimonia identified by Joseph L. Rife