Pliny the Elder, Natural History 5.14.68-69
https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/43
Context
Gaius Plinius Secundus, or Pliny the Elder, from a family of the
equestian class in northern Italy, was a luminary in the fields of natural history and
philosophy. Later in life, as a close associate of Vespasian, he served several
governorships in the western provinces. Around the time of his last posts in Spain and
northern Europe and his return to living in Rome, he finished the research and writing of
his renowned encyclopedia of the world in 37 books. The first part, including this passage,
was published in 77 C.E. In his long discourse on the physical geography of the known world,
Pliny surveys the eastern Mediterranean seaboard from the eastern Nile Delta to Phoenicia
and Samaria.
Text
(68) A Pelusio Chabriae
castra, Casius mons, delubrum Iovis Casii, tumulus Magni Pompei. Ostracine Arabia finitur, a
Pelusio LXV p. mox Idumaea incipit et Palaestina ab emersu Sirbonis lacus, quem quidam CL
circuitu tradidere. Herodotus Casio monti adplicuit, nunc est plaus modica. oppida
Rhinocolura et intus Rhaphaea, Gaza et intus Anthedon, mons Argaris. regio per oram Samaria;
oppidum Ascalo liberum, Azotos, Iamneae duae, altera intus. (69) Iope Phoenicum, antiquior
terrarum inundatione, ut ferunt, insidet collem, praeiacente saxo, in quo vinculorum
Andromedae vestigia ostendit. colitur illic fabulosa Ceto. inde Apollonia,
Stratonis Turris, eadem Caesarea ab Herode
rege condita, nunc colonia Prima Flavia a Vespasiano Imperatore deducta, finis Palaestines,
CLXXXVIIII p. a confinio Arabiae. dein Phoenice; intus autem Samariae oppida Neapolis, quod
antea Mamortha dicebatur, Sebaste in monte, et altiore Gamala.1
Textual Note
Ed. Mayhoff 1906Translation
(68) After Pelusium
comes the Camp of Chabrias, Mount Casius, the shrine of Jupiter of Casius, and the tumulus
of Pompey the Great. Ostrakine marks the border of Arabia, 65 miles from Pelusium. Then
begins Idumaea, and Palestine from where Lake Sirbon comes into view. Some record that this
lake is 150 miles in circumference; Herodotus put it near Mount Casius; now it is an
inconsiderable marsh. There are the towns Rhinocolura and Rhaphea inland, Gaza and Anthedon
inland, and Mount Argaris. Then along the coast is the region Samaria, the free town Ascalo,
Azotos, two called Iamnea, one inland. (69) Iope of the Phoenicians, older than the flood of
the world, they say, is located on a hill with a projecting rock where traces of Andromeda’s
chains can be seen. There the mythic goddess Ceto is worshipped. Next the Apollonia, and
Strato’s Tower, the same place as Caesarea,
founded by King Herod, now the colony Prima Flavia founded by the emperor Vespasian. The
border of Palestine is 189 miles from bordering Arabia. Then Phoenice and inland Samaria;
the towns are Neapolis, previously called Mamortha, Sebaste on a mountain, and higher up
Gamala.2
Translation Note
Trans. J. L. Rife with ref. to Rackham 1942Works Cited
- 1 Pliny the Elder, Naturalis historia I, ed. Karl Friedrich Theodor Mayhoff, Bibliotheca scriptorum Graecorum et Romanorum Teubneriana (Leipzig: B. G. Teubner, 1906), section: 5.14.68-69.
- 2 Pliny the Elder, Pliny: Natural History II. Books 3-7, trans. H. Rackham, Loeb Classical Library 352 (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press & William Heinemann, 1942)
Additional Bibliography
- Pliny the Elder, Naturalis Historia: Machine Readable Text, ed. Karl Friedrich Theodor Mayhoff (Medford, MA: Trustees of Tufts University, 2016), section: 5.14.68-69.
How to Cite This Entry
Bianca Gardner et al., “Pliny the Elder, Natural History 5.14.68-69,” in Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, entry published October 19, 2022, https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/43.
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Bibliography:
Bianca Gardner et al., “Pliny the Elder, Natural History 5.14.68-69.” In Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, edited by Joseph L. Rife., edited by Joseph L. Rife. Caesarea City and Port Exploration Project, 2022. Entry published October 19, 2022. https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/43.About this Entry
Entry Title: Pliny the Elder, Natural History 5.14.68-69
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 editors, “Pliny the Elder, Natural History 5.14.68-69”
- Bianca Gardner and Joseph L. Rife, entry contributors, “Pliny the Elder, Natural History 5.14.68-69”
Additional Credit:
- TEI encoding by William L. Potter
- Electronic text added by Bianca Gardner
- Testimonia identified by Joseph L. Rife