Ancient India as described by Megasthenês and Arrian/Frag. IV.

←

Frag. III.

Ancient India as described by Megasthenês and Arrian
by Megasthenes, translated by John Watson McCrindle

Frag. IV.

Frag. V.

→

4708193Ancient India as described by Megasthenês and Arrian — Frag. IV.John Watson McCrindleMegasthenes

Fragm. IV.

Strabo, XV. i. 11,—p. 689.

Of the Boundaries and Extent of India.^[1]

India is bounded on the north by the extremities of Tauros, and from Ariana to the Eastern Sea by the mountains which are variously called by the natives of these regions Parapamisos, and Hemôdos, and Himaos,^[2] and other names, but by the Macedonians Kaukasos.^[3] The boundary on the west is the river Indus, but the southern and eastern sides, which are both much greater than the others, run out into the Atlantic Ocean.^[4] The shape of the country is thus rhomboïdal, since each of the greater sides exceeds its opposite side by 3000 stadia, which is the length of the promontory common to the south and the east coast, which projects equally in these two directions. [The length of the western side, measured from the Kaukasian mountains to the southern sea along the coarse of tbe river Indus to its mouths, is said to bo 13,000 stadia, so that the eastern side opposite, with the addition of the 3000 stadia of the promontory, will be somewhere aboat 16,000 stadia. This is the breadth of India where it is both smallest and greatest.] The length from west to east as far as Palibothra can be stated with greater certainty, for the royal road which leads to that city has been measured by schoeni, and is in length 10,000 stadia.^[5] The extent of the parts beyond can only be conjectured from the time taken to make voyages from the sea to Palibothra by the Ganges, and may be about 6000 stadia. The entire length, computed at the shortest, will be 16,000 stadia. This is the estimate of Eratosthenes, who says he derived it principally from the authoritative register of the stages on the Royal Road. Herein Megasthenês agrees with him. [Patroklês, however, makes the length less by 1000 stadia.] Conf. Arr. Ind. iii. 1-5.

↑ Conf. Epit. 1, 2. Pliny (Hist. Nat. VI. 21. 2) states that India extends from north to south 28,150 thousand paces. This number, though it is not exactly equal to 22,300 stadia, but to 22,800, nevertheless approaches the number given by Megasthenês nearer than any other. From the numbers which both Arrian (Ind. iii. 8) and Strabo (pp. 68-69, 690) give, Diodorus differs remaikably, for he says the breadth extends to 28,000, and the length to 32,000 stadia. It would be rash to deny that Megasthenês may also have indicated the larger numbers of Diodorus, for Arrian (Ind. iii. 7-8) adds to the number the words "where shortest," and "where narrowest;" and Strabo (p. 689) has added to the expression of the breadth the words "at the shortest," and, referring to Megasthenês and Dêimachos, says distinctly "who state that in some places the distance from the southern sea is 20,000 stodia, and in others 30,000 (pp. 68-69). There can be no doubt, however, that Megasthenês regarded the smaller, and Dêimachos the larger number as correct; for the larger seemed to Arrian unworthy of mention, and Strabo (p. 690) says decidedly, "Megasthenês and Dêimachos incline to he more moderate in thevr estimate, for according to them the distance from the southern sea to Caucasus is over 20,000 stadia: Dêimachos, however, allows that the distance in some places exceeds 30,000 stadia"! by which he quite excludes Megasthenês from this opinion. And at p. 72, where he mentions the 30,000 stadia of Dêimachos, he does not say a word of Megasthenês. But it must be certain that 16,000 stadia is the only measure Megasthenês gave of the breadth of India. For not only Strabo (p. 689) and Arrian (Ind. iii. 7) have not qnoted a larger number from Megasthenês, but Hipparchos also (Strabo, p. 69),—where he shows that Patroklês is tmworthy of confidence, because he has given smaller dimensions for India than Megasthenês—only mentions the measure of 16,000 stadia; where, for what Hipparchos wanted, the greatest number was the most suitable for his proof.—I think the numbers were augmented because Megasthenês regarded as Indian, Kabul and that part of Ariana which Chandragupta had taken from Seleukos; and on the north the frontier nations Uttarakuras, which he mentions elsewhere. What Megasthenês said about the breadth of India remained fixed throughout the whole geography of the Greeks, so that not even Ptolemy, who says India extends 16,800 stadia, differs much from it. But his measure of length has either been rejected by all, for fear of opposing the ancient opinion that the torrid zone could not be inhabited, or (like Hipparchos) erroneously carried much too far to the north.—Schwanbeck, pp. 29, 30, n. 24.
↑ Schmieder suggests Ἴμαος in Arrian.
↑ i.e. The Himâlayas.
↑ The world was anciently regarded as an island surrounded by the Atlantic Sea.
↑ All the texts read δισμυρίων instead of μυρίων. In all the MSS. of Strabo also we read σχοινίοις, and in Arrian, who extracts the same passage from Megasthenês, everywhere σχοίνοις. Though there is nothing to blame in either lection, yet it is easier to change σχοίνοις than σχοινίοις, for Strabo may have been surprised to find the Greek schoenus in use also in India. The schoenus, however, which with Eratosthenês is a measure of 40 stadia (Plin. Hist. Nat. XII. 80), coincides precisely with the Indian yôjana of four krôśas. I do not forget that usually double this length is assigned to the yôjana, but also that it is shorter than the Hindus reckon it (As. Res. vol. V. p. 105), and also by the Chinese pilgrims (Foe-koue-ki, 87-86), and by Megasthenês himself, in Strabo (p. 708, Fragm. xxxiv. 3), from which it seems certain that ten stadia are equal to some Indian measure which cannot be a smaller one than the krôśa.—Schw. p. 27, n. 23.

[p67-1] Conf. Epit. 1, 2. Pliny (Hist. Nat. VI. 21. 2) states that India extends from north to south 28,150 thousand paces. This number, though it is not exactly equal to 22,300 stadia, but to 22,800, nevertheless approaches the number given by Megasthenês nearer than any other. From the numbers which both Arrian (Ind. iii. 8) and Strabo (pp. 68-69, 690) give, Diodorus differs remaikably, for he says the breadth extends to 28,000, and the length to 32,000 stadia. It would be rash to deny that Megasthenês may also have indicated the larger numbers of Diodorus, for Arrian (Ind. iii. 7-8) adds to the number the words "where shortest," and "where narrowest;" and Strabo (p. 689) has added to the expression of the breadth the words "at the shortest," and, referring to Megasthenês and Dêimachos, says distinctly "who state that in some places the distance from the southern sea is 20,000 stodia, and in others 30,000 (pp. 68-69). There can be no doubt, however, that Megasthenês regarded the smaller, and Dêimachos the larger number as correct; for the larger seemed to Arrian unworthy of mention, and Strabo (p. 690) says decidedly, "Megasthenês and Dêimachos incline to he more moderate in thevr estimate, for according to them the distance from the southern sea to Caucasus is over 20,000 stadia: Dêimachos, however, allows that the distance in some places exceeds 30,000 stadia"! by which he quite excludes Megasthenês from this opinion. And at p. 72, where he mentions the 30,000 stadia of Dêimachos, he does not say a word of Megasthenês. But it must be certain that 16,000 stadia is the only measure Megasthenês gave of the breadth of India. For not only Strabo (p. 689) and Arrian (Ind. iii. 7) have not qnoted a larger number from Megasthenês, but Hipparchos also (Strabo, p. 69),—where he shows that Patroklês is tmworthy of confidence, because he has given smaller dimensions for India than Megasthenês—only mentions the measure of 16,000 stadia; where, for what Hipparchos wanted, the greatest number was the most suitable for his proof.—I think the numbers were augmented because Megasthenês regarded as Indian, Kabul and that part of Ariana which Chandragupta had taken from Seleukos; and on the north the frontier nations Uttarakuras, which he mentions elsewhere. What Megasthenês said about the breadth of India remained fixed throughout the whole geography of the Greeks, so that not even Ptolemy, who says India extends 16,800 stadia, differs much from it. But his measure of length has either been rejected by all, for fear of opposing the ancient opinion that the torrid zone could not be inhabited, or (like Hipparchos) erroneously carried much too far to the north.—Schwanbeck, pp. 29, 30, n. 24.

[2] Schmieder suggests Ἴμαος in Arrian.

[3] i.e. The Himâlayas.

[4] The world was anciently regarded as an island surrounded by the Atlantic Sea.

[5] All the texts read δισμυρίων instead of μυρίων. In all the MSS. of Strabo also we read σχοινίοις, and in Arrian, who extracts the same passage from Megasthenês, everywhere σχοίνοις. Though there is nothing to blame in either lection, yet it is easier to change σχοίνοις than σχοινίοις, for Strabo may have been surprised to find the Greek schoenus in use also in India. The schoenus, however, which with Eratosthenês is a measure of 40 stadia (Plin. Hist. Nat. XII. 80), coincides precisely with the Indian yôjana of four krôśas. I do not forget that usually double this length is assigned to the yôjana, but also that it is shorter than the Hindus reckon it (As. Res. vol. V. p. 105), and also by the Chinese pilgrims (Foe-koue-ki, 87-86), and by Megasthenês himself, in Strabo (p. 708, Fragm. xxxiv. 3), from which it seems certain that ten stadia are equal to some Indian measure which cannot be a smaller one than the krôśa.—Schw. p. 27, n. 23.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]