J.M.Bauer
The article addresses three topics related to the history of Greek-Egyptian sailors who gained sailing experience in the Red Sea, and then made their way to the Indian Ocean and the southern Arabian Peninsula in the Ptolemaic era.
In the first note, “Did the sailor Timothenes ever reach Ethiopia?”, the author arrives at the conclusion that the information that Timothenes provides about Meroe and about the Troglodyte coast as well does not indicate in any way that the sailor sailed the Red Sea or sailed in the Nile, but he only retrieves the ancient data that Herodotus obtained and collected.
The second note, “Philo in Meroe, or in Scientific Value”, the author initially wonders whether Philo, a navigator to Ptolemy I, was the Philo who composed the Ethiopic, and after that, he thought that Omed, who established the foundations of the Ptolemaic 267/266 BC. He used the astronomical observations made by Philo while he was in Meroe. This intuition enables the author to point to the time of Philo’s (author of the Ethiopian) journey to Meroe in the period between 270 BC and (Satyr Campaign) and 267 BC.
The third note, “The Problem of Lyoki-komi,” represents a detailed investigation of the problems of Greco-Roman navigation in the Red Sea, and in particular the problems associated with determining the location of the Napatan port of Lyoki-komi.
The Red Sea Comments
G.M.Bauer
The article investigates three subjects pertaining to the history of Graeco-Egyptian seafarers gaining mastery navigate that sea, and discovering the way thence to the Indian Ocean and the Southern Arabia under the Ptolemies.
In the first comment, "Had the navarch Timosthenes ever been to Ethiopia?", the author comes to the conclusion that the information given by Timosthenes on Meroe and on the Trogodite coast too, does not testify at all to the navarch's having ploughed the waves of the Red Sea or sailed up the Nile, but merely iterates the old data obtained and recounted by Herodotus.
The second comment, "Philo in Meroe, or on the value of science", the author first wonders if Philo, a navarch of Ptolemy I, might be the same person as Philo, the author of Ethiopica, and next, surmises that Eumed, fixing the foundations of Ptolemais of the Hunts in 267/266 B.C. made use of the astronomical observations achieved by Philo, while in Meroe. This conjecture enables the author to indicate the time of Philo's (the author of Ethiopica) voyage to Meroe as between 270 B.C. (Satir's expedition) and 267 B.C.
The third comment, "The problem of Leuke Kome", presents a detailed investigation of the problems of Graeco-Roman navigation in the Red Sea, and especially those relating to the localization of the Nabataen harbour Leuke Kome.
Meroe, seventh to fifth century BC. In the sayings of Herodotus
S.Ya. Pierzna
Herodotus' Ethiopian legends contain a unique description of Meroe from the middle of the seventh to the middle of the fifth century BC. Using this information, the author explores the history of Meroë, beginning with examining its boundaries and internal divisions. At that time, the area between Elephantine and Tacumbes Island (later called the Dodekaskhiones area) was devoid of permanent residents. To the south of Tacumbs were found the villages of settled Ethiopians and the pastures of pastoralist Ethiopian nomads. Herodotus distinguishes four "Ethiopian countries" with a common capital at Meroe in the Nile region of Ethiopia. The population of Ethiopia is divided into "Ethiopians neighboring Egypt" (the inhabitants of Tacumbes Island and the Bedouins who graze their flocks on the shores of a "large lake" surrounding the island), those who inhabit the area around the sacred Mount Nyssa, the Macrobites, and the "Desert Egyptians." The author identifies the Bedouins of the Tacumbes region with the Troglodytes with the megabars mentioned in later sources. Risking the definition of the Ethiopian Niassa, he raises the problem of the myth related to the Ethiopian origin of Osiris-Dionysus, and the time and circumstances of his conception. The author confronts the Microbeites with the Meroites and reaches the time of the emergence of the term Microbeite and its causes.
The main event in the political history of Meroe in the period under study is the Ethiopian campaign of Cambyses II. Analysis of Herodotus's information enabled the author to reconstruct the stages of planning and implementation of the campaign, ascertain the position of the Meroitic side, determine the route of the Persian army (down the course of the Nile, stopping at Cambyses' storehouses, and further up to the Fifth Cataract), and to propose a conjectural idea regarding the real causes of the famine to which Cambyses' army was subjected during its advance. Herodotus's report was compared with the information contained in works of Egyptian art during the days of the Achaemenids and in the written records of that dynasty. The paper concludes with an evaluation of Meroitic in the second quarter of the fifth century BC.
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Meroe of VII to V c.B.C. in Herodotus Logos
S.Ya.Berzina
Herodotus' Ethiopian logos contains a unique account of Meroe from the middle of VII to the middle V c. B.C. Using this information the author investigates the history of Meroe starting with the examinations of its boundaries and internal subdivisions. At the time the territory between Elaphantine and the island of Takompso (later called the region of Dodekaschoenos) had no permanent settled population. Above Takompso were the villages of settled Ethiopians and the pastures of Ethiopian nomad herdsmen. Herodotus distinguishes four "Ethiopian countries" with the common capital Meroe in the territory of the Nile Ethiopia. He differentiates the population of Ethiopia into "Ethiopians bordering upon Egypt" (the inhabitants of the island of Takompso and the nomads grazing their herds on the shores of "a great lake" surrounding the island), those who dwell about the sacred mountain of Nysa, Macrobians, and the "Egyptian Deserters". The author identifies nomad troglodites of the Takompso region with Megabars of later sources and, venturing upon the definition of the Ethiopians of Nysa, poses the problem of the legend of Osiris-Dyonisos Ethiopic origin, the time and circumstances of its conception. The author further confronts Macrobians with Meroites and finds out when and due to what the term Macrobians appeared.
The principal event in the political history of Meroe in the period under consideration is the Ethiopian campaign of Cambyses II. Analysis of Herodotus' information has enabled the author to reconstruct the stages of designing, planning and realizing the campaign, to ascertain the position of the Meroitic side, to determine the route of the Persian army (along the Nile, with a stop at Cambyses' stores, and further towards the Fifth Cataract), and to suggest a conjecture about the real reasons of starvation in Cambyses' army during the march. Herodotus' report of further events is collated with the information contained in the works of Egyptian art under Achemenides and in the written records of that dynasty. The paper closes with an estimate of Meroe in the second quarter of V c.B.C.