Dalin, who lived in the early Ptolemaic times, delved deeper into the African continent than his predecessors. His journey is mostly dated to the first years of the reign of Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285-246 BC), who had ordered this expedition (16).
Based on the scarce indications provided by Pliny, Dallion ascended the Nile beyond Meroe and thus had the opportunity to provide in his work a description of the peoples living in the upper Nile (17). It seems that at the same time Timosphene was able to penetrate deep into the country and limit the distance between Sini and Meroe by a journey of sixty days. The information provided by Dalin greatly helped Aratosphene in writing his Geographika. Of course, this polymath, who was one of the most learned of his generation (275-195 BC), used in addition to his own library the treasures of the Library of Alexandria. Aratosphene found an opportunity to choose the most complete and reliable material. Some extracts from his Geography, as well as some from Pliny's Natural History, in which they speak of the works of Philo and Dalén, are to be regretted for having been lost. With the help of Philo's calculations, Aratosphene was able to determine the latitude of Meroe and Cygne, making in both cases an error of nearly four minutes. Aratosphenes is also indebted, mostly, to Philo and Dalén regarding the reference to the tributaries of the Nile. For subsequent generations until the end of the nineteenth century, this remained an unresolved dilemma (18); Eratosthenes, 1880. Eratosthenes,1880
Aristocrians, Bion, and Basilis, whom Pliny also relies on, wrote about Kush in general or specialized works and most likely lived at the same time as Aratosphene, or were his younger equals. Various excerpts from Aristocraion's work on the lands to the south of Egypt were preserved in Pliny's work and in the work of Claudia Alian. Judging by the excerpts handed down, the work of Aristocraion appears unreliable. However, we should not insist on such a harsh judgment: extremists can rely on more fantastical narratives. The inaccuracy of Aristokrion's accounts can be justified if he did not personally visit Kush, but he accurately indicates the length of the various stages of the road to Meroë. Therefore, there is a basis for assuming that Aristocrion knew that country directly and not through a third party. If he had not visited the country, he must have possessed very good sources, which, unfortunately, did not attract the attention of later writers who relied on the work of Aristocraion. However, his testimonies, even from the few that reached him thanks to Elian, contain a grain of truth.
For the same period (the end of the third century, the beginning of the second century BC), Bion's work is attributed in ten books, "The Ethiopic" by Müller, 1851, which reminds us more than once of Chapter 35 of the second book, "The Natural History" by Pliny. Surprisingly few excerpts are preserved in the Theologians Müller, 1851:351 and in the work of Atena Müller, 1851:351. It is clear that Bion often turns to the work of Herodotus for help. Judging from what Pliny reports, Bion probably visited Kush. His information about Meroe differs from that reported by Aristocraion. ller,1851
Basilis' Indika, composed mostly of two books, pursued broader aims than the works of his contemporaries or predecessors, with whom he shared ideas. Agatharchides, in his excerpts preserved in Fonti's work, mentions Basilis as an enlightened person Müller,1855:152.
Little is known about Simonides, who lived five years at Meroe (19). The years of his life are not completely specified (20). The name of his work is unknown and it is a work used by Pliny. It may be correct to speculate that Simonides' trip to Kush dates back to an earlier era, since Pliny mentions it directly through writers who lived in the third-second centuries BC.
The prosperity of trade in the early Ptolemaic era with the southern countries, bordering the Red Sea and located on the Upper Nile, can explain the huge amount of works that appeared in the third - second centuries BC. Devoted to describing the regions to the south and east of Egypt. Strabo speaks directly of the interest shown by the Ptolemies, especially Ptolemy II Philadelphus, in such matters. Starting from the second century BC. Such business is declining. It became more rare in the following century. Хвостов,1907:57 The writers of the second century repeated what their predecessors had reported, without introducing any new information. It is to them precisely that we owe the preservation of what little remains of the works of earlier times. The value of their works lies in their direct dependence on the abilities and talents of the writers from whom they were inspired. Library scientists become the most prominent.
Among these librarians was Agatharchides al-Kindi, born around 203 BC. Berger,1887:IV:6; Eratosthenes:190-197; Susemihl,1891:685; Crowfoot, 1911. He wrote, in addition to other works, his book on “Around the Red Sea: Peri tes Erythras thallasas” in five volumes, and another in ten volumes - on Asia.
(16) It is possible that this mission is precisely what Diderot meant (Book I, 37).
(17) 'Simili modo et de mensura eius varia prodidere, primus Dalion ultra Meroen longe subvectus, mox Aristocreon et Bio n Basilis', (Plin. H.N.,VI, 183; see also: "Fragmenta historicorum Graecorum", ed. C.Müller, vol.4, Paris 1851.
(18) One of the Nile's tributaries, the Kagera River, was definitively identified in 1892 by Baumann and more precisely in 1898 by Hennig Kandt, 1944: 428; Gauthier,1920; Дитмар,1929Hennig,1944: 428
(19) 'Simonides minor etiam quinquennio in Meroe versatus, cum de Aethiopia scriberet' (Plin., H.N. VI, 183).
(20) Thus Clotz dates Simonides because Pliny took the information from Isidore Khraskov, while Sozmel's Томсон,1935 places him at the end of the second century BC.
Eratosthenes 1880, Geographische Fragmentem herausg. von H.Berger, Leipzig.
Hennig R. 1944, Terrae Incognitaem Bd I, Leiden.
Gauthier H. 1920, Le dieu nubien Doudoun, Revue egyptologique, NS t.1.
Дитмар Б.П. 1929, География Эратосфена "Землеведениe"т.34, вып.4.
Müller C. 1855, 'Geographi graeci minores' vol.I, Paris.
Томсон Д.О. 1953, История древней географи, Мocквa.
ХвостовM.M. 1907, История востчной торговли греко-римского Египта (332 г.до Р.Х.- 284 по Р.Х.), Казань.
Berger H. 1887-1893, Geschichte der wissenschaftlichen Erdkunde der Griechen, Berlin.
Susemihl F. 1891, Geschichte der griechischen Literatur in der Alexandrinerzeit, Bd I, Leipzig.
Crowfoot J.W. 1911, 'Some Red-Sea Ports in the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan', Geographical Journal, vol.37, No. 5.