Herodotus, Histories, ed. A.D. Godley, 2.33.2

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[2] as to the river that ran past the city, Etearchus guessed it to be the Nahr an- Nil [31.1,30.166] (river), Africa Nile ; and reason proves as much. For the Nahr an- Nil [31.1,30.166] (river), Africa Nile flows from Libya [17,25] (nation), Africa Libya , right through the middle of it; and as I guess, reasoning about things unknown from visible signs, it rises proportionally as far away as does the Ister.¹

Histories. Herodotus. ed. A.D. Godley. Cambridge. 1920-1925.

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Current edition Perseus

Histories (English) (Herodotus. Godley, Alfred Denis, translator. Cambridge, MA; London: Harvard University Press; William Heinemann, Ltd., 1920-1925 (printing). (Modernized by Perseus.))

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Ἱστορίαι Perseus (Herodotus. Godley, Alfred Denis, editor. Cambridge, MA; London: Harvard University Press; William Heinemann, Ltd., 1920-1925 (printing).) — 2.33.2 focus

[2] τὸν δὲ δὴ ποταμὸν τοῦτον τὸν παραρρέοντα καὶ Ἐτέαρχος συνεβάλλετο εἶναι Νεῖλον, καὶ δὴ καὶ ὁ λόγος οὕτω αἱρέει. ῥέει γὰρ ἐκ Λιβύης ὁ Νεῖλος καὶ μέσην τάμνων Λιβύην, καὶ ὡς ἐγὼ συμβάλλομαι τοῖσι ἐμφανέσι τὰ μὴ γινωσκόμενα τεκμαιρόμενος, τῷ Ἴστρῳ ἐκ τῶν ἴσων μέτρων ὁρμᾶται.

Notes on the current edition

Histories

1. ἐκ τῶν ἴσων μέτρων is an obscure expression. What Hdt. appears to mean is, that as the Nahr an- Nil [31.1,30.166] (river), Africa Nile (according to him) flows first from W. to E. and then turns northward, so the Danube (river), Europe Danube flows first from W. to E. and then (as he says) from N. to S.; and so the rivers in a manner correspond: one crosses Africa (continent) Africa , the other Europe (continent) Europe .

Herodotus Histories 2.33.2

ed. A.D. Godley

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