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γράψαντας, ‘drawing’ (cf. γραφήν inf.). H. has in his mind some early map (Berger, E. G. p. 36, argues that it is that of Anaximander; cf. v. 49. 1), in which the world was a perfect circle, with a circumambient ocean for its rim, ‘as if drawn with a pair of compasses.’ Such had been the conception of Hecataeus (cf. ii. 21 n.), who brought the Argonauts from the Phasis via the ocean stream and the Nile back to the Mediterranean (F. H. G. i. 13, fr. 187).

οὐδένα . . . ἐξηγησάμενον, ‘explaining it (the shape of the world) sensibly,’ vid. sup. Hecataeus' fault was double: (a) his worldmap was purely a priori; (b) he made no effort to co-ordinate his mass of geographical details in a rational scheme.

There is another protest against symmetry in ὡς ἀπὸ τόρνου; Europe is far larger than Asia (including Libya) to H. (iv. 42. 1), but the map-makers made them balance equally.

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