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of the divine Moses concerning these three in the division of the earth thus: "The sons of Japheth, Gomer and Magog and Madai and Javan and Elishah," that is to say the northern nations of the Scythians and Medes, then also Ionians and Hellenes, likewise also "Tubal and Meshech and Tiras," that he may indicate those near them. 2.27 For by "Tiras" he calls the Thracians and from them he says were separated the isles of the nations and the coastal regions; for this is what "Tarshish" indicates. And by "Kittim" he calls those of Cyprus and by "Rodanim" those of Rhodes. "And the sons of Ham, Cush and Mizraim," that is to say Ethiopians and Egyptians; then "Put and Canaan," that is to say Libyans and the neighboring nations; "and the sons of Cush, Seba and Havilah," that is to say Homerites and their neighbors, likewise also in succession all the nations that are in the southern parts. And the Canaanites he says are from Mizraim, that is, the Egyptians and the Sidonians and all the neighboring nations. "And the sons of Shem, Elam and Asshur," that is, Elamites and Assyrians and the rest of the nations and as many as extended from them to Asia and to the east, of Persians, Huns, Bactrians, Indians as far as the Ocean. 2.28 Taking it from here, then, the outsiders also divide all the earth into three parts, Asia and Libya and Europe, calling the east Asia, and the south as far as the west, Libya, and the north, as far as all the west again, Europe. 2.29 There are in this earth, entering from the Ocean, as the outsiders also speak truly when they record, four gulfs, this one near us in Roman territory from Gades, entering in the western part of the earth, and the Arabian called the Erythraean and the Persian, both entering from the so-called Zingion, toward the southern and more easterly part of the earth from the so-called Barbaria, where the land of Ethiopia also has its end. Those who cross the Indian sea know the so-called Zingion, being beyond the frankincense-bearing land called Barbaria, which the Ocean also encircles, entering from there into both gulfs. And the fourth, entering from the northern part of the earth more to the east, is the so-called Caspian Sea, or Hyrcanian. For only these gulfs are navigated, the Ocean being impossible to navigate because of the multitude of currents and of the rising vapors that dim the rays of the sun, and because it has many great expanses. Having received these things from the divine man, as has been said, or even from experience itself, I have indicated them; for I have sailed the three gulfs for the sake of commerce, the one in Roman territory and the Arabian and the Persian, and having learned accurately from those who inhabit or sail the gulfs. 2.30 Once while sailing in these regions toward inner India and passing a little toward Barbaria, where Zingion lies further on—for so they call the mouth of the Ocean—, there we observed to our right as we were entering a multitude of birds flying, which they call souspha; they are like kites doubled, and a little larger; and a great foulness of the air in the place, so that all were afraid. For all those with experience on the ship, both sailors and passengers, said, that we were near the Ocean, and they said to the pilot: Push the ship to the left into the gulf, lest we be dragged out by the currents and fall into the Ocean and perish. For the Ocean, entering into the gulf, was making a great and extraordinary wave, and from the gulf currents were pulling toward the Ocean, and the sight was very frightful to us and great fear possessed us. Of those birds called souspha, many followed us, flying high, which signified that the Ocean was near. 2.31 Of this earth which we inhabit, the northern and western parts are very high indeed, but the eastern and southern are low by proportion. As much width as the earth has, lying imperceptibly low, so much height it is found to have in the northern and western parts, having the Ocean beyond lying in the deep, but the eastern and southern parts having the Ocean beyond

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τοῦ θεσπεσίου Μωϋσέως περὶ τῶν τριῶν τούτων ἐν τῷ διαμερισμῷ τῆς γῆς οὕτως· "Υἱοὶ Ἰάφετ, Γάμερ καὶ Μαγὼγ καὶ Μαδαῒ καὶ Ὑωουὰν καὶ Ἐλισά", ἵνα εἴπῃ τὰ ὑπερβόρειαἔθνη τῶν Σκυθῶν καὶ Μήδων, εἶθ' οὕτως Ἴωνας καὶ Ἑλλαδικούς, ὁμοίως καὶ "Θοβὲλ καὶ Μωσὼχ καὶ Θήρας", ἵνα τὰ πλησίον αὐτῶν δηλώσῃ. 2.27 "Θήρας" γὰρ τοὺς Θρᾷκας καλεῖ καὶ ἐκ τούτων λέγει ἀφωρίσθαι εἰς τὰς νήσους τῶν ἐθνῶν καὶ τὰ παραθαλάσσια· τοῦτο γὰρ δηλοῖ "Θαρσεῖς". "Κητίους" δὲ τοὺς τῆς Κύπρου καλεῖ καὶ "Ῥοδίους" τοὺς τῆς Ῥόδου. "Υἱοὶ δὲ Χάμ, Χοὺς καὶ Μεσραείμ", ἵνα εἴπῃ Αἰθίοπας καὶ Αἰγυπτίους· λοιπὸν "Φοὺθ καὶ Χαναάν", ἵνα εἴπῃ Λίβυας καὶ τὰ πλησίον ἔθνη· "υἱοὶ δὲ Χούς, Σαβὰ καὶ Εὐηλᾶ", ἵνα εἴπῃ Ὁμηρίτας καὶ τοὺς πλησίον, ὁμοίως καὶ τὰ καθεξῆς ὅλα τὰ εἰς τὰ νότια μέρη ὄντα ἔθνη. Καὶ τοὺς Χαναναίους ἐκ τοῦ Μεσραεὶμ λέγει εἶναι, τουτέστι τοὺς Αἰγυπτίους καὶ τοὺς Σιδονίους καὶ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη τὰ πλησίον. "Υἱοὶ δὲ Σήμ, Ἐλὰμ καὶ Ἀσούρ", τουτέστιν Ἐλαμίτας καὶ Ἀςρίους καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ ἔθνη καὶ ὅσα ἐξ αὐτῶν ἐπεκτάθησαν ἕως Ἀσίας καὶ ἐπὶ ἀνατολήν, Περσῶν, Οὔννων, Βάκτρων, Ἰνδῶν ἕως τοῦ Ὠκεανοῦ. 2.28 Ἔνθεν οὖν λαβόντες καὶ οἱ ἔξωθεν εἰς τρία μέρη διαιροῦσι πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν, Ἀσίαν καὶ Λιβύην καὶ Εὐρώπην, Ἀσίαν μὲν τὴν ἀνατολὴν καλοῦντες, Λιβύην δὲ τὸν νότον ἕως τῆς δύσεως, Εὐρώπην δὲ τὸν βορρᾶν, ἕως πάλιν τῆς δύσεως ὅλης. 2.29 Εἰσὶ δὲ ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ γῇ εἰσβάλλοντες ἐκ τοῦ Ὠκεανοῦ, καθὼς καὶ οἱ ἔξωθεν ἐν τούτῳ ἱστοροῦντες ἀληθεύουσι, κόλποι τέσσαρες, οὗτος ὁ παρ' ἡμῖν ὁ κατὰ τὴν Ῥωμανίαν ἀπὸ τῶν Γαδείρων, κατὰ τὸ δυτικὸν μέρος τῆς γῆς εἰσβάλλων, καὶ ὁ Ἀράβιος ὁ καλούμενος Ἐρυθραῖος καὶ ὁ Περσικός, εἰσβάλλοντες ἀμφότεροι ἐκ τοῦ λεγομένου Ζιγγίου, ἐπὶ τὸ νότιον καὶ ἀνατολικώτερον μέρος τῆς γῆς ἀπὸ τῆς λεγομένης Βαρβαρίας, ἔνθα καὶ ἡ γῆ τῆς Αἰθιοπίας τέλος ἔχει. Ἴσασι δὲ τὸ λεγόμενον Ζίγγιον οἱ τὴν Ἰνδικὴν θάλατταν διαπερῶντες, περαιτέρω τυγχάνον τῆς λιβανωτοφόρου γῆς τῆς καλουμένης Βαρβαρίας, ἣν καὶ κυκλοῖ ὁ Ὠκεανὸς εἰσβάλλων ἐκεῖθεν εἰς ἀμφοτέρους τοὺς κόλπους. Καὶ ὁ τέταρτος ἐκ τοῦ βορείου μέρους τῆς γῆς εἰσβάλλων ἀνατολικώτερος, ὁ καλούμενος Κασπία θάλασσα, ἤτοι Ὑρκανία. Οὗτοι γὰρ μόνοι οἱ κόλποι πλέονται, ἀδυνάτου ὑπάρχοντος τοῦ Ὠκεανοῦ πλέεσθαι διὰ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ῥευμάτων καὶ τῶν ἀναδιδομένων ἀτμῶν καὶ ἀμβλυνόντων τὰς ἀκτῖνας τοῦ ἡλίου, καὶ τὸ πολλὰ διαστήματα ἔχειν. Ταῦτα δὲ παραλαβὼν ἐκ τοῦ θείου, ὡς εἴρηται, ἀνδρός, ἤτοι καὶ αὐτῆς τῆς πείρας, ἐσήμανα· ἐμπορίας γὰρ χάριν ἔπλευσα τοὺς τρεῖς κόλπους, τόν τε κατὰ τὴν Ῥωμανίαν καὶ τὸν Ἀράβιον καὶ τὸν Περσικόν, καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν οἰκούντων δὲ ἢ καὶ πλεόντων τοὺς κόλπους ἀκριβῶς μεμαθηκώς. 2.30 Ἐν οἷς ποτε πλεύσαντες ἐπὶ τὴν ἐσωτέραν Ἰνδίαν καὶ ὑπερβάντες μικρῷ πρὸς τὴν Βαρβαρίαν, ἔνθα περαιτέρω τὸ Ζίγγιον τυγχάνειοὕτω γὰρ καλοῦσι τὸ στόμα τοῦ Ὠκεανοῦ, ἐκεῖ ἐθεωροῦμεν εἰς τὰ δεξιὰ εἰσερχομένων ἡμῶν πλῆθος πετεινῶν πετομένων, ἃ καλοῦσι σοῦσφα· εἰσὶ δὲ ὡς διπλοῖ ἰκτῖνες, καὶ μείζους μικρόν· καὶ δυσαερίαν πολλὴν ἐν τῷ τόπῳ, ὡς καὶ δειλιᾶν πάντας. Ἔλεγον γὰρ πάντες οἱ ἐν τῷ πλοίῳ ἐμπείρως ἔχοντες, ναῦταί τε καὶ ἐπιβάται, ὅτι ἐγγύς ἐσμεν τοῦ Ὠκεανοῦ, καὶ ἔλεγον τῷ κυβερνήτῃ· Ἄπωσαι τὴν ναῦν ἐπὶ τὰ ἀριστερὰ εἰς τὸν κόλπον, μὴ ἐκσύρωμεν τοῖς ῥεύμασι καὶ ἐμπέσωμεν εἰς τὸν Ὠκεανὸν καὶ ἀπολώμεθα. Ὁ γὰρ Ὠκεανὸς εἰς τὸν κόλπον εἰσβάλλων κῦμα μέγα καὶ ἐξαίσιον ἐποίει, ἐκ τοῦ δὲ κόλπου ῥεύματα εἷλκον ἐπὶ τὸν Ὠκεανόν, καὶ ἦν φρικτὸν ἡμῖν πάνυ τὸ θέαμα καὶ δειλία πολλὴ κατεῖχεν ἡμᾶς. Ἐκ τῶν δὲ πετεινῶν ἐκείνων τῶν καλουμένων σοῦσφα ἠκολούθουν ἡμῖν ἐπὶ πολὺ πετόμενα κατὰ τὸ ὕψος, ἅτινα ἐσήμαινον ἐγγὺς εἶναι τὸν Ὠκεανόν. 2.31 Τῆς δὲ γῆς ταύτης, ἧς οἰκοῦμεν, τὰ μὲν βόρεια μέρη καὶ δυτικὰ ὑψηλότατα πάνυ εἰσί, τὰ δὲ ἀνατολικὰ καὶ νότια χθαμαλὰ κατὰ ἀναλογίαν. Ὅσον πλάτος ἔχει ἡ γῆ ἀνεπαισθήτως χθαμαλῶς κειμένη, τοσοῦτον εὑρίσκεται ἔχουσα ὕψος εἰς τὰ βόρεια καὶ δυτικά, περαιτέρω τὸν Ὠκεανὸν ἔχουσα εἰς βάθος κείμενον, τὰ δὲ ἀνατολικὰ καὶ νότια μέρη περαιτέρω τὸν Ὠκεανὸν ἔχουσα