A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

580 PTOLEMAEUS. PTOLEMAEUS.
longitudes and latitudes, and from these positions are interspersed among the lists, to whihh, howhe determined the others by converting their dis- ever, they bear but a small proportion.
tances in stadia into degrees. For further details The remaining part of the seventh, and the
the reader is referred to his own work. whole of the eighth book, are occupied with a
His general ideas of the form of the known description of a set of maps of the known world,
world were in some points more correct, in others which is introduced by a remark at the end of the
less so, than those of Strabo. The elongation of 4th chapter of the 7th book, which clearly proves
the whole of course led to a corresponding dis- that Ptolemy's work had originally a set of maps
tortion of the shapes of the several countries. He appended to it. In c. 5 he describes the general
knew the southern part of the Baltic, but -was map of the world. In cc 6, 7, he takes up the
not aware of its being an inland sea. He makes subject of spherical delineation, and describes the
the Palus Maeotis far too large and extends it far armillary sphere, and its connection with the sphere
too much to the north. The Caspian he correctly of the earth. In the first two chapters of book
makes an inland sea (instead of a gulf of the viii., he explains the method of dividing the world
Northern Ocean), but he errs greatly as to its size into maps, and the mode of constructing each map;
and form, making its length from E. to W. more and he then proceeds (cc. 3-28) to the description
than twice that from N. to S. In the southern of the maps themselves, in number twenty-six,
and south-eastern parts of Asia, he altogether fails namely, ten of Europe, four of Libya, and twelve
to represent the projection of Hindostan, while, of Asia. The 29th chapter contains a list of the
on the other hand, he gives to Ceylon (Tapro- maps, and the countries represented in each; and
bane) more than four times its proper dimensions, the 30th an account of the lengths and breadths of
probably through confounding it with the mainland the portions of the earth contained in the respecof India itself, and brings down the southern tive maps. These maps are still extant, and an
part of it below the equator. HIe shows an ac- account of them is given under AGATHODAEMON,
quaintanLce with the Malay peninsula (his Aurea who was either the original designer of them,
Chersonesus) and the coast of Cochin China; but, under Ptolemy's direction, or the constructor of a
probably through mistaking the eastern Archi- new edition of them.
pelago for continuous land, he brings round the Enough has been already said to show the great
land which encloses his Sinus Magnus and the value of Ptolemy's work, but its perfect integrity is
gulf of the Sinae (probably either the gulf of Siam another question. It is impossible but that a
and the Chinese Sea, or both confounded together) work, which was for twelve or thirteen centuries
so as to make it enclose the whole of the Indian the text-book in geography, should have suffered
Ocean on the south. At the opposite extremity of corruptions and interpolations; and one writer has
the known world, his idea of the western coast of contended that the changes made in it during the
Africa is very erroneous. He makes it trend almost middle ages were so great, that we can no longer
due south from the pillars of Hercules to the Hespera recognise in it the work of Ptolemy (Schliizer,
Keras in 8 T2. N. lat., where a slight bend to the NVord. Gesch. in the Allgem. WYelthistorie, vol. xxxi.
eastward indicates the Gulf of Guinea; but almost pp. 148, 176). Mannert has successfully defended
immediately afterwards the coast turns again to the genuineness of the work, and has shown to
the S.S.W.; and from the expression already what an extent the eighth book may be made the
quoted, which Ptolemy uses to describe the bound- means of detecting the corruptions in the body of
ary of the known world on this side, it would the work. (vol. i. p. 174.)
seem as if he believed that the land of Africa ex- The Geographia of Ptolemy was printed in
tended here considerably to the west. Concerning Latin, with the Maps, at Rome, 1462, 1475, 1478,
the interior of Africa he knew considerably more 1482, 1486, 1490, all in folio: of these editions,
than his predecessors. Several modern geogra- those of 1482 and 1490 are the best: numerous
phers have drawn maps to represent the views of other Latin editions appeared during the sixteenth
Ptolemy; one of the latest and best of which is that century, the most important of which is that by
of Ukert (Geogr. d. Griech. u. Riosner, vol. i. pl. 3). Michael Servetus, Lugd. 1541, folio. The Editio
Such are the principal features of Ptolemy's Princeps of the Greek text is that edited by Erasgeographical system. It only remains to give a mus, Basil. 1533, 4to.; reprinted at Paris, 1546,
brief outline of the contents of his work, and to 4to. The text of Erasmus was reprinted, but with
mention the principal editions of it. Enough has a new Latin Version, Notes, and Indices, edited by
already been said respecting the first, or intro- Petrus Montanus, and with the Maps restored by
ductory book. The next six books and a half Mercator, Amst. 1605, folio; and a still more
(ii.-vii. 4) are occupied with the description valuable edition was brought out by Petrus Berof the known world, beginning with the West of tius, printed by Elzevir, with the maps coloured,
Europe, the description of which is contained in and with the addition of the Peutingerian Tables,
book ii.; next comes the East of Europe, in and other important illustrative matter, Lugd. Bat.
book iii.; then Africa, in book iv.; then Western 1619, folio; reprinted Antwerp, 1624, folio. The
or Lesser Asia, in book v.; then the Greater work also forms a part of the edition of Ptolemy's
Asia, in book vi.; then India, the Chersonesus works, undertaken by the Abbe Halmer, but left
Aurea, Serica, the Sinae, and Taprobane, in unfinished at his death, Paris, 1813-1828, 4to.;
book vii. cc. 1-4. The form in which the de- this edition contains a French translation of the
scription is given is that of lists of places with work. For an account of the less important editheir longitudes and latitudes, arranged under the tions, the editions of separate parts, the versions,
heads, first, of the three continents, and then of the and the works illustrating Ptolemy's Geography,
several countries and tribes. Prefixed to each see Hoffmann, Lem. Bibliog. Script. Graec. A usesection is a brief general description of the bound- ful little edition of the Greek text is contained in
aries and divisions of the part about to be de- three volumes of the Tauchnitz classics, Lips. 1843,
scribed; and remarks of a miscellaneous character 32mo. [P. S]