In this last part of the Periplus, Arrian takes us from Dioscuras/Sebastopolis to Byzantium.
He starts his
story where he left off at the conclusion of part 1, i.e., in Sebastopolis (see: Tour of Colchis: From Trapezus to Sebastopolis). This section, the Cimmerian Bosporus, was not
controlled directly by Rome but by a so-called client king. In Hadrian’s
day, that was Cotys II, in full Tiberius Julius Cotys, who ruled from
123/4 AD until he died in 131/2 AD. His appointment was made for life and his
successor needed to be officially recognized by Rome.
At the news of
his death, Arrian decided that Hadrian would be interested in having the
latest information about the Bosporan
Kingdom since it supplied
a great deal of wheat, clothing, wine, and slaves. His territory also was an
important buffer zone with the warlike Alans living to the north.
Arrian sailed along
the mountainous coastline below the Caucasus
to Pityus,
some 65 kilometers
away. These lands were occupied by the Zilchi ruled by a certain Stachemphax, also recognized as a king
by Hadrian. Follows a list of cities,
harbors, and rivers including the distances between them, from Crimea to the
mouth of the Danube
River. More familiar are
the Greek cities on the south coast of Crimea, such as Panticapaeum (Kerch), Theodosia,
Cercinitis,
and Chersonesus
(Kherson).
Panticapaeum
which lies only 11
kilometers from the Tanais
River (modern Don River) and flows
into Maeotis Lake
(Sea of Azov) was seen as the place where Europe ended and Asia
started.
Sailing further
west, Arrian stops at the Greek city of Olbia
at the mouth of today’s Dnieper
River. Next, he heads for
the harbor of Odessos,
a trading post founded by the Greeks from Istria.
From here, he continues to the wide delta of the Ister
River (Danube) where he reaches the Island of Achilles or Leuke
(possibly Snake Island
in Ukraine).
Legend has it that Thetis gave it to
her son. The island was known for its Temple of Achilles which held a wooden statue of the hero, as well as Greek and Latin inscriptions
in honor of Achilles and his dear Patroclus. Arrian speaks of many offerings that were made, including
sacrifices of animals. Those who sail by the island may “see” Achilles in their dreams or
hallucinations.
Proceeding
further down the coast of the Black Sea, Arrian arrives at Tomis, a colony founded
by the Greeks where Emperor Augustus
banished the poet Ovid. The next port was
Callatis,
established by the Carians, followed by Odessos (another harbor by that
name) where he entered Thracia.
Passing the
eastern end of the Haemus Mountains (in central Bulgaria), Arrian reaches Miletus’ colony of Apollonia which once held a colossal statue of the god Apollo. From here, he sailed to the
not-so-good harbor of Salmydessus (roughly 150 km east of Hadrianopolis,
modern Edirne) where Xenophon helped Seuthes II
to become King of Thracia.
By now, Arrian has landed at the Thracian side of the Bosporus. This area is reputed for the Cyanean Islands
or Symplegades (also Clashing Rocks), a pair of rocks that clash together when
a ship sails through. In Greek mythology, the rocks were defeated by Jason on
his way to Colchis on board his
ship, the Argo.
Byzantium is Arrian’s final
destination. He concludes by mentioning the local Temple
of Zeus Ourios (who grants favorable
winds) where Jason and the Argonauts erected an altar to the Twelve Olympian Gods
on their return from Colchis.
In our modern
days of traveling by plane and high-speed trains, it is hard to imagine the
pace in antiquity when people and armies moved on foot. Ships and barges were a
comfortable alternative although winds and currents were not always reliable. Travelers
could never predict the duration of a trip or the time of arrival, but in those
days time was not so much of the essence as it is today.
Though Arrian wrote
his Periplus 130-131 AD, we don’t know how many months or weeks he actually was
at sea. Considering that the circumference of the Black
Sea is over 4,000 kilometers, it may be safe to speculate he
spent most of those two years “on the road”. Quite an achievement!
[For the locations, please consult this map]
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