Strabo, Geography, Horace Leonard Jones (Translator), 7.4.1

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[1] Here is the isthmus¹ which separates what is called Lake Sapra² from the sea; it is forty stadia in width and forms what is called the Tauric, or Scythian, Chersonese. Some, however, say that the breadth of the isthmus is three hundred and sixty stadia. But though Lake Sapra is said to be as much as four thousand stadia,³ it is only a part, the western part, of Lake Maeotis, for it is connected with the latter by a wide mouth. It is very marshy and is scarcely navigable for sewn boats, for the winds readily uncover the shallow places and then cover them with water again, and therefore the marshes are impassable for the larger boats. The gulf⁴ contains three small islands, and also some shoals and a few reefs along the coast.

Geography. Strabo. Horace Leonard Jones (Translator). London. 1924-1929.

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Current edition Perseus

Geography (Books 6-14) (English) (Strabo. The Geography of Strabo, Vols. 3-6. Jones, Horace Leonard, translator. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann, Ltd., 1924-1929 (printing).)

Editions (1)

Γεωγραφικά Perseus (Strabo. Strabonis Geographica, Vols. 1-3. Meineke, August, editor. Leipzig: Teubner. 1877.) — 7.4.1 focus

[1] ἐνταῦθα δʼ ἐστὶν ὁ ἰσθμὸς ὁ διείργων τὴν σαπρὰν λεγομένην λίμνην ἀπὸ τῆς θαλάττης σταδίων ὢν τετταράκοντα καὶ ποιῶν τὴν Ταυρικὴν καὶ Σκυθικὴν λεγομένην χερρόνησον· οἱ δὲ τριακοσίων ἑξήκοντα τὸ πλάτος τοῦ ἰσθμοῦ φασιν. ἡ δὲ σαπρὰ λίμνη σταδίων μὲν καὶ τετρακισχιλίων λέγεται, μέρος δʼ ἐστὶ τῆς Μαιώτιδος τὸ πρὸς δύσιν· συνεστόμωται γὰρ αὐτῇ στόματι μεγάλῳ. ἑλώδης δʼ ἐστὶ σφόδρα καὶ ῥαπτοῖς πλοίοις μόγις πλόιμος· οἱ γὰρ ἄνεμοι τὰ τενάγη ῥᾳδίως ἀνακαλύπτουσιν, εἶτα πάλιν πληροῦσιν, ὥστε τὰ ἕλη τοῖς μείζοσι σκάφεσιν οὐ περάσιμά ἐστιν. ἔχει δʼ ὁ κόλπος νησίδια τρία καὶ προσβραχῆ τινα καὶ χοιραδώδη ὀλίγα κατὰ τὸν παράπλουν.

Translations (1)

Geography Perseus (Strabo. The Geography of Strabo, Vols. 1-3. Hamilton, Hans Claude, translator; Falconer, William, translator. London: Henry G. Bohn, 1854-1857.) — 7.4.1 focus

[1] AT the bottom of the bay (Carcinites) commences the isthmus¹ which separates the lake called Sapra, [or the Putrid Lake,] from the sea; it is 40 stadia in width, and forms the Tauric or Scythian Chersonese.² This, according to some, is 360 stadia across. The Putrid Lake³ is said to extend 4000 stadia (in circumference), and forms part of the [Palus] Moeotis on its western side, with which it communicates by a large opening. It abounds in marshy tracts, and is scarcely navigable with sewn⁴ boats. The shallower parts are soon uncovered, and again covered with water, by the force of the wind; but the marsh will not bear boats of a deeper draught. In the bay are three small islands; and in sailing along the coast, some shallows are met with, and rocks which rise above water.

Notes on the current edition

Geography

1. Isthmus of Perekop.

2. i.e., “Putrid”; called by Ptolemaeus 3.5.2 and other ancient writers “Byce”; now called by the Russians “Ghuiloje More.”

3. Strabo does not specify whether in breadth, length, or perimeter: he must mean perimeter, in which case the figure is, roughly speaking, correct.

4. i.e., Carcinites. In numerous cases Strabo unexpectedly reverts to a subject previously dismissed (cp. 7. 3. 18 and footnote). The present instance, among others, clearly shows that Groskurd, Forbiger, and Meineke are hardly justified in transferring passages of the text to different positions. However, they do not make a transfer here.

Strabo Geography 7.4.1

Horace Leonard Jones (Translator)

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