Page:The geography of Strabo (1854) Volume 1.djvu/176

 16'2 STRABO. BOOK II. trance at the Pillars corresponds in direction to the equinoctial west, and that the Don flows from the summer rising, con- sequently the length of Europe is less than that of Asia and Africa taken together by the space between the summer rising l and the equinoctial rising, 2 since Asia occupies the eastern portion of the northern semicircle. Now, in addition to the obscurity which Polybius throws over subjects which might have been simply stated, it is false that the river Don flows from the summer rising. For all who are ac- quainted with these localities inform us that this river flows from the north into the Mseotis, so that the mouth of the river lies under the same meridian as that of the Mseotis ; and so in fact does the whole river as far as is known. 3 6. Equally unworthy of credit is the statement of those who tell us, that the Don rises in the vicinity of the Danube, and flows from the west ; they do not remember that between these are the Dniester, the Dnieper, and the Bog, all great rivers, which flow [into the Euxine Sea] ; one runs parallel to the Danube, the other two to the Don. Now if at the present day we are ignorant of the sources both of the Dniester, and also of the Dnieper and Bog, the regions farther north must cer- tainly be still less known. It is therefore a fictitious and idle assertion, that the Don crosses these rivers, and then turns northward on its way to discharge itself into the Masotis, it being well known that the outlets to this river are in the most northern and eastern portions of the lake. 4 No less idle is the statement which has also been advanced, that the Don, after crossing the Caucasus, flows northward; and then turns towards the Moeotis. 5 No one, however, [with the exception of Polybius,] made this river flow from the east. If such were its course, our best geographers would never 1 The rising of the sun in summer. 2 The east. 3 This- is an error into which Strabo fell with most of the ancient geo- graphers. The course of the Don certainly begins from the north, but afterwards it turns eastward, and then suddenly shifts to the west. So that its entire course as known in the time of Strabo, differed from the Palus Mseotis and Sea of Azof by about 9 degrees of longitude. Polybius is here more exact than Strabo. 4 Palus Meeotis. 5 This was the opinion of Theophanes of Mytilene, who followed Pom- pey in his expeditions to the East. The Caucasus here mentioned is that which bounds Georgia in the north, and from whence the modern river Kuban (the Vardanus of Pompey) takes its rise. This river does incline