The geographical system of Herodotus, examined; and explained, by a comparison with those of other ancient authors, and with modern geography : In the course of the work are introduced, dissertations on the itinerary stade of the Greeks, the expedition of Darius Hystaspes to Scythia, the position and remains of ancient Babylon, the alluvions of the Nile, and canals of Suez; the oasis and temple of Jupiter Ammon, the ancient circumnavigation of Africa, and other subjects of history and geography. The whole explained by eleven maps, adapted to the different subjects; and accompanied with a complete index / by James Rennell.
- Rennell, James, 1742-1830.
- Date:
- 1800
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: The geographical system of Herodotus, examined; and explained, by a comparison with those of other ancient authors, and with modern geography : In the course of the work are introduced, dissertations on the itinerary stade of the Greeks, the expedition of Darius Hystaspes to Scythia, the position and remains of ancient Babylon, the alluvions of the Nile, and canals of Suez; the oasis and temple of Jupiter Ammon, the ancient circumnavigation of Africa, and other subjects of history and geography. The whole explained by eleven maps, adapted to the different subjects; and accompanied with a complete index / by James Rennell. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.
![674* CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF AFRICA, the Carthaginians, during the most flourishing times of Carthage, was directed to explore the whole extent of the coast of Africa.” And, lib. ii. 67, “ that Hanno sailed round from Gades, to the utmost extent of Arabia; and wrote an account of the voyage: at which same time Hamilcar was sent to discover the remote coasts of Europe.”* In the same place he relates from Cornelius Nepos, “ that, in his time, Eudoxus, a great mariner, sailed from the Arabian gulf to Gades.” Lib. v. 1. Pomponius Mela has preserved the same fact.-f- Lib. iii. c. 10. It is equally certain that Eratosthenes believed (and perhaps knew, from circumstances) that Africa was surrounded by the ocean (Strabo, p. 56) : as also that Strabo believed it, but doubted the fact of its having been sailed round. His idea was, that Africa formed a triangle, the base of which extended along the Mediterra- nean sea; and whose vertex was situated at no great distance be- yond the fountains of the Nile. P. 825, 826. Thus he conceived that the western side was straight, or rather concave, instead of swelling out; as also that the Mediterranean lay nearly in the di- rection of the parallel, and the Arabian gulf, as near to the meridian: consequently, he must have supposed that the western side of Africa, lay in a south-easterly direction.]; * It may be suspected that Pliny had never read the journal of Hanno, itself, but took his ideas of it, either from extracts, or the comments, or remarks, of others. Otherwise, how could he have been mistaken so far, as to suppose that Hanno had sailed round Africa ? or, as to disbelieve the fact of his founding of cities on the coast of Africa ? lib. v. i. Probably he collected his ideas from Xenophon of Lampsacus, as he quotes him, respecting the Gorgon, or Gorillean women, whom Hanno is said to have killed and flayed : and whose skins were hung up in a temple in Carthage. These were, in effect, a species of baboons, concerning which, more will be said in a succeeding Section. + This was something more than a century before our era. Eudoxus was in the service of Ptolemy Lathyrus, king of Egypt. £ It was the opinion of most of the ancient geographers, in which they have been followed by the Arabians, that the coast of Africa, from about the termination of](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b2840726x_0726.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
