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and beyond. Therefore, one coming by road from Tzinista to Persia cuts through many intervals, whence also a great quantity of silk is always found in Persia. But further than Tzinista is neither sailed nor inhabited. 2.47 Therefore, from Tzinista, as from a rope, one measuring the intervals of the length of the earth straight to the west will find, more or less, 400 stations of 30 miles. And it should be measured thus: from Tzinista to the beginning of Persia, all of Hunnia and India and the country of the Bactrians are about 150 stations, if not more, not less; and the whole country of the Persians, 80 stations; and from Nisibis to Seleucia, 13 stations; and from Seleucia to Rome and the Gauls and Iberia, now called the Spains, as far as Gades outside in the Ocean, 150 stations and more, so that the total becomes 400 stations, more or less. 2.48 And its breadth, from the hyperborean places to Byzantium, is not more than 50 stations; for from the Caspian sea which flows in from the Ocean, it is possible to conjecture both the uninhabited and the inhabited parts of those regions; and from Byzantium again to Alexandria, 50 stations; and from Alexandria to the Cataracts, 30 stations; and from the Cataracts to Axum, 30 stations; and from Axum to the extremities of Ethiopia, the frankincense-bearing land called Barbaria, which lies beside the Ocean, not near, but having the country of Sasu far away, being the last land of the Ethiopians, 40 stations more or less, so that the total is 200 stations more or less, so that in this also the divine Scripture speaks truly, positing the length of the earth to be double its breadth; for it says, "You shall make the table as a sketch of the earth, two cubits in length and one cubit in breadth." 2.49 And the frankincense-bearing country is in the extremities of Ethiopia, being inland, but having the Ocean beyond it, whence also the inhabitants of Barbaria, being near, go up to the inland regions and by trading bring from them most of the spices, frankincense, cassia, calamus and many others, and these they again bring by sea to Adoule and to the Homerite country and to inner India and to Persia. 2.50 And in the Books of Kings you will find it written that the queen of Sheba, that is, of the Homerite country, whom the Lord in the Gospels again calls "queen of the south," brought to Solomon spices from Barbaria itself, as it is a neighbor across the way, and ebony logs and apes and gold from Ethiopia, as it is a neighbor to all of Ethiopia on the other side of the Arabian gulf. It is therefore possible again from the words of the Lord to see that he calls these places the ends of the earth, saying thus: "The queen of the south will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon." For the Homerite country is not far from Barbaria, the sea being between them, a journey of two days by sea, beyond which then is the Ocean, which is called Zingion. 2.51 And the land called Sasu is also itself near the Ocean, just as the Ocean is near the frankincense-bearing land, having many gold mines. And every other year the king of the Axumites, through the governor of Agau, sends his own people there for the gold trade. And many others go out with them to trade, so that there are more than five hundred people. They bring there cattle and salt and iron. And when they get near the country, they make a halt at a certain spot. And bringing a quantity of thorns, they make a great fence and stay inside it, and they slaughter cattle and cut them up and place the pieces on top of the thorns, and also the salt and the iron. 2.52 And those natives come bearing gold like lupine-beans, which is called tancharas, and each one places one bean or two or more on top of the piece he likes, or on the salt, or on the iron, and stood aside. And the owner of the ox approaches and, if he was pleased, he took the gold, and that one, coming, took the

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καὶ ἐπέκεινα. ∆ιατέμνει οὖν πολλὰ διαστήματα ὁ διὰ τῆς ὁδοῦ ἐρχόμενος ἀπὸ Τζίνιστα ἐπὶ Περσίδα, ὅθεν καὶ πλῆθος μεταξίου ἀεὶ ἐπὶ τὴν Περσίδα εὑρίσκεται. Περαιτέρω δὲ τῆς Τζίνιστα οὔτε πλέεται οὔτε οἰκεῖται. 2.47 Ἀπὸ τῆς οὖν Τζίνιστα, ὡς ἀπὸ σπαρτίου, ὀρθῶς ἐπὶ τὴν δύσιν τις μετρῶν τὰ διαστήματα τοῦ μήκους τῆς γῆς εὑρήσει πλέον ἔλαττον μονῶν υʹ ἀπὸ μιλίων λʹ. Μετρητέον δὲ οὕτως· ἀπὸ τῆς Τζίνιστα ἕως τῆς ἀρχῆς τῆς Περσίδος πᾶσα ἡ Οὔννια καὶ Ἰνδία καὶ ἡ Βάκτρων χώρα εἰσὶ περί που μοναὶ ρνʹ, εἰ μή τι πλείους, οὐκ ἔλαττον· καὶ πᾶσα ἡ Περσῶν χώρα μοναὶ πʹ· καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ Νίσιβι εἰς Σελεύκειαν μοναὶ ιγʹ· καὶ ἀπὸ Σελευκείας εἰς Ῥώμην καὶ Γάλλους καὶ Ἰβηρίαν, τοὺς νῦνλεγομένους Ἱσπανούς, ἕως Γαδείρων ἔξω εἰς τὸν Ὠκεανόν, μοναὶ ρνʹ καὶ πλέον, ὡς γίνεσθαι τὸ πᾶν μοναὶ υʹ πλέον ἔλαττον. 2.48 Τὸ δὲ πλάτος αὐτῆς, ἀπὸ τῶν ὑπερβορείων τόπων ἕως τοῦ Βυζαντίου, οὐ πλείους εἰσὶ μονῶν νʹ· ἐκ τῆς γὰρ Κασπίας θαλάσσης τῆς εἰσβαλλούσης ἐκ τοῦ Ὠκεανοῦ δυνατὸν στοχάσασθαι καὶ τὰ ἀοίκητα καὶ τὰ οἰκούμενα τῶν μερῶν ἐκείνων· καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ Βυζαντίου πάλιν ἕως Ἀλεξανδρείας μοναὶ νʹ· καὶ ἀπὸ Ἀλεξανδρείας ἕως τῶν Καταρακτῶν μοναὶ λʹ· καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν Καταρακτῶν ἕως Ἀξώμεως μοναὶ λʹ· καὶ ἀπὸ Ἀξώμεως ἕως τῶν ἄκρων τῆς Αἰθιοπίας, τῆς λιβανωτοφόρου γῆς τῆς καλουμένης Βαρβαρίας, ἥτις καὶ παράκειται τῷ Ὠκεανῷ, οὐ πλησίον, ἀλλὰ μακρὰν ἔχουσα τὴν Σάσου χώραν ὑστάτην οὖσαν τῶν Αἰθιόπων γῆν, μοναὶ μʹ πλέον ἔλαττον, ὡς εἶναι ὁμοῦ μονὰς ςʹ πλέον ἔλαττον, ὥστε καὶ κατὰ τοῦτο ἀληθεύειν τὴν θείαν Γραφὴν διπλοῦν τοῦ πλάτους τὸ μῆκος τῆς γῆς ὑποτιθεμένην· "Ποιήσεις γάρ, φησί, τὴν τράπεζαν ὡσανεὶ τὴν ὑπογραφὴν τῆς γῆς μῆκος πηχῶν δύο καὶ πλάτος πήχεως μιᾶς." 2.49 Ἔστι δὲ ἡ χώρα ἡ λιβανωτοφόρος εἰς τὰ ἄκρα τῆς Αἰθιοπίας, μεσόγειος μὲν οὖσα, τὸν δὲ Ὠκεανὸν ἐπέκεινα ἔχουσα, ὅθεν καὶ οἱ τὴν Βαρβαρίαν οἰκοῦντες, ὡς ἐγγύθεν ὄντες, ἀνερχόμενοι εἰς τὰ μεσόγεια καὶ πραγματευόμενοι κομίζουσιν ἐξ αὐτῶν τὰ πλεῖστα τῶν ἡδυσμάτων, λίβανον, κασίαν, κάλαμον καὶ ἕτερα πολλά, καὶ αὐτὰ πάλιν διὰ θαλάσσης κομίζουσιν ἐν τῇ Ἀδούλῃ καὶ ἐν τῷ Ὁμηρίτῃ καὶ ἐν τῇ ἐσωτέρᾳ Ἰνδίᾳ καὶ ἐν τῇ Περσίδι. 2.50 Καὶ ἐν ταῖς Βασιλείαις εὑρήσεις γεγραμμένον ὅτι ἡ βασίλισσα Σαβᾶ, τουτέστι τοῦ Ὁμηρίτου, ἣν πάλιν καλεῖ ὁ Κύριος ἐν Εὐαγγελίοις "βασίλισσαν νότου", τῷ Σολομῶντι ἡδύσματα ἔφερε τὰ ἀπὸ αὐτῆς τῆς Βαρβαρίας, ὡς γειτνιῶσα εἰς τὸ πέραν, καὶ ῥάβδους ἐβεννίνους καὶ πιθήκους καὶ χρυσίον ἐκ τῆς Αἰθιοπίας, ὡς γειτνιῶσα πάσῃ τῇ Αἰθιοπίᾳ κατὰ τὸ πέραν τοῦ Ἀραβικοῦ κόλπου. Ἔστιν οὖν πάλιν καὶ ἐκ τῶν λόγων τοῦ Κυρίου κατιδεῖν ὡς ὅτι πέρατα γῆς καλεῖ αὐτοὺς τοὺς τόπους, οὕτως λέγων· "Βασίλισσα νότου ἐγερθήσεται ἐν τῇ κρίσει μετὰ τῆς γενεᾶς ταύτης καὶ κατακρινεῖ αὐτήν, ὅτι ἦλθεν ἐκ τῶν περάτων τῆς γῆς ἀκοῦσαι τὴν σοφίαν Σολομῶντος." Οὐκ ἀπέχει γὰρ τῆς Βαρβαρίας ὁ Ὁμηρίτης, τῆς θαλάσσης μεσαζούσης πορείας ἡμερῶν διὰ θαλάσσης δύο, ἧς λοιπὸν ἐπέκεινα ὁ Ὠκεανός ἐστι, τὸ καλούμενον Ζίγγιον. 2.51 Ἡ δὲ λεγομένη Σάσου καὶ αὐτὴ πλησίον ὑπάρχει τοῦ Ὠκεανοῦ, ὡς καὶ τῆς λιβανωτοφόρου γῆς πλησίον ὁ Ὠκεανὸς ὑπάρχει, μέταλλα χρυσίου πολλὰ ἔχουσα. Ἕνα δὲ παρ' ἕνα ἐνιαυτὸν ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἀξωμιτῶν διὰ τοῦ ἄρχοντος τῆς Ἀγαῦ ἀποστέλλει ἐκεῖ ἀνθρώπους ἰδίους ἕνεκεν πραγματείας χρυσίου. Συνεξέρχονται δὲ αὐτοῖς καὶ ἕτεροι πολλοὶ συμπραγματευόμενοι, ὡς εἶναι ἐπάνω πεντακοσίων ἀνθρώπων. Ἀποφέρουσι δὲ ἐκεῖ βόας καὶ ἅλας καὶ σίδηρον. Ὡς δὲ ἐγγὺς τῆς χώρας γίνονται, ποιοῦσι κατὰ τόπον παῦσαν. Φέροντες δὲ ἀκανθῶν πλῆθος ποιοῦσι μέγα φραγμὸν καὶ ἔσωθεν διάγουσι, καὶ θύουσι βόας καὶ μελίζουσι καὶ προβάλλουσιν ἐπάνω τῶν ἀκανθῶν αὐτὰ καὶ τοὺς ἅλας καὶ τὸν σίδηρον. 2.52 Ἔρχονται δὲ ἐκεῖνοι οἱ ἐγχώριοι φέροντες χρυσίον ὡς θέρμια, τὸν λεγόμενον ταγχάραν, καὶ τίθησιν ἕνα θέρμιον ἢ δύο ἢ πλέον ἐπάνω οὗ ἀρέσκεται μέλους, ἢ εἰς τοὺς ἅλας, ἢ εἰς τὸ σιδήριον, καὶ εἱστήκει παρέξω. Ἐγγίζει δὲ ὁ κύριος τοῦ βοὸς καί, ἐὰν ἤρεσεν αὐτῷ, ἔλαβε τὸ χρυσίον, κἀκεῖνος ἐλθὼν ἔλαβε τὸ