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τὸ μῆκος. H.'s measurements in this chapter are (in stades): Length. Breadth. Pontus 11,100 3,300 (τῇ εὐρύτατος） Bosporus 120 4 Propontis 1,400 500 Hellespont 400 7 H. is strangely wrong on the length of the Black Sea; the E. B.9 gives it as 720 miles, i. e. about 6,280 stades; but this is at the longest part, from the Gulf of Burghaz to near Batûm. At the point measured by H. (86. 4) it is only about 650 miles. Various explanations are given of his mistake: (1) Rawlinson thinks H. is calculating from his own experience, i. e. he took nine days and eight nights for a coasting voyage along the south of the Black Sea, and was told that his vessel made 1,300 stades a day; but this explanation will not do, for H. is clearly speaking of a direct voyage. Strabo (548) reckons such a coasting voyage in the Euxine at ‘about 8,000 stades’ only. (2) Others think that a ‘long day's’ journey (86. 1) was really one of twenty-four hours (as modern ships reckon their ‘runs’); H., forgetting this, reckons in the ‘nights’ over again. (3) The probable explanation, however, is much simpler. H. reckons a ‘long day’ and a long night; but it is obvious that in the same twenty-four hours a ‘long day’ presupposes a short night; hence the figure ‘600 stades’ for the night is exaggerated. A normal twenty-four hours' run was 1,000 stades. For the whole subject of a ship's speed cf. vii. 183. 3 nn. It may be noted that the famous Massiliot navigator, Pytheas, made the south coast of Britain nearly twice its real length. εὖρος. The E. B.9 gives the breadth of the Pontus as 380 miles (about 3,310 stades), but this is in the wide west part. At the points further east measured by H., it is only about ‘270 miles’ (ib. = 2,350 stades). H. therefore is here again in excess, but much less so than as to the length; in the shorter voyage there was less room for miscalculation.
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