GEOGRAPHY. 23 



coast of the earth is unknown. The Alps rise along the boundary between 

 Gaul and Italy, and to them are opposed the Apennines. Asia, separated 

 from Europe by the Tanais and Mseotis, is divided into a northern and a 

 southern half by the mountains of Tauris. The largest and most eastern 

 portion of the earth is India. Libya, Avhich is not as large as Europe, and 

 with Europe in addition, is less than Asia, is of a triangular shape, the north- 

 ern shore along the Mediterranean constituting the base ; Egypt and Ethiopia 

 constitute its most eastern portion. (For a map of the world according to 

 Strabo, see jpl. 8.) 



Among subsequent geographers, one of the most distinguished is Claudius 

 Ptolem^eus, who flourished about the middle of the second century, He wrote 

 a geographical work, which up to the sixteenth centur}^ continued to be the 

 universal manual. He presents to us the most advanced stage of the know- 

 ledge of Geography as possessed by the ancients. The chief peculiarities of 

 the Ptolemaic system are as follows (see the map of the world according to 

 Ptolemy on pi. 8). Ireland (luernia) is no longer to the north, but to the w^est 

 of Britain (Albion) ; to the north of Albion lie the Orcades, and still further 

 north the Island of Thule. Scandinavia (Scandia) is an island smaller than 

 Ireland. Even the Danish islands are mentioned, as Jutland (the Cimbrian 

 Chersonese). The Caspian (Hyrcanian) Sea is inland. Ptolemy extends Asia 

 to the east far beyond the Ganges, and speaks of the land of the Sinse 

 (Chinese). Asia and Africa, he supposed to be connected, the Indian Ocean 

 intervening simply as a great Mediterranean sea. Ceylon (Taprobane) he 

 imagined to be the largest island on the earth ; next to it extended from north 

 to south, a group of 1378 islands. He makes mention of the Mountains of the 

 Moon and the sources of the Nile in the interior of Africa, the River Niger, 

 &c. ; and on the western coast he laid down the Happy Islands, through which 

 he drew his first meridian. 



In the time of Herodotus the measure of length employed was the stadium, 

 or the length of the Olympian racecourse. Various estimates have been mad^ 

 of the exact length of the stadium. From the best sources of information it 

 Avould appear that this, the longest measure of length made use of in classical 

 antiquity, contained 600 Grecian or 625 Roman feet. As the Roman foot 

 contains nearly eleven French inches, this would make the stadium 570:^ 

 French or Paris feet, equivalent to about 607^ English feet, or less than -J- of 

 an English mile (y^o- of an English geographical mile of 2025 yards). We 

 may therefore count 600 stadia to a degree. A Roman mile contained 5000 

 feet, and was equivalent to eight stadia, so that IJ of these go to the geography 

 ical mile, and 75 to a degree of the equator. The Persian parasang has been 

 estimated at thirty stadia or j-^- of a geographical mile, so that there are twenty 

 to a degree. An Egyptian schoenos contained two parasangs or sixty stadia ; 

 according to some authors, however, only thirt}^ or forty. A gallic hour or 

 leuga (leuca) contains 1500 Roman paces or twelve stadia : consequently, there 

 are fifty to a degree. 



The circumference of the earth, as is well known, amounts at the 

 equator to 21,600 geographical miles, or 216,000 stadia. Eratosthenes es- 

 timated it at 252,000 stadia ; Hipparchus at 275,000 : Posidonius at first at 



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