Claudius Ptolemy - Geography

CHAPTER VII
The opinions of Marinus relating to the earth's latitude are corrected by observed phenomena
First of all, Marinus places Thule as the terminus of latitude on the parallel that cuts the most northern part of the known world. And this parallel, he shows as clearly as is possible at a distance of sixty-three degrees from the equator, of which degrees a meridian circle contains three hundred and sixty. Now the latitude he notes as measuring 31,500 stadia, since every degree, it is accepted, has 500 stadia. Next, he places the country of the Ethiopians, Agisymba by name, and the promontory of Prasum on the same parallel which terminates the most southerly land known to us, and this parallel he places below the winter solstice.
Between Thule and the southern terminus he inserts altogether about eighty- seven degrees which is 43,500 stadia, and he tries to prove the correctness of this southern termination of his by certain observations (which he thinks to be accurate) of the fixed stars and by certain journeys made both on land and on sea. Concerning this we will make a few observations.

CHAPTER XX
Marinus notwithstanding makes all the interceptions equal. The space of the climates north of the parallel passing through Rhodes, he extends beyond the actual, and the climates in the south he makes smaller than the actual. It follows that the distances of places from one another as shown on his map cannot be the same as their measured stadia, for the distances that are on the equator lack one-fifth of their given measurement, which is the proportion the parallel passing through Rhodes is less than the equator. The distances that are on the parallel passing through Thule, Marinus increases by four- fifths, which is the proportion the parallel through Rhodes is greater than the parallel through Thule. It being given that there are one hundred and fifteen parts into which we divide the equator, of these parts the parallel passing through Rhodes, which is 36 degrees distant from the equator, measures 93 degrees, and further the parallel which is 63 degrees distant from the equator, and passes through Thule, measures fifty-two such parts.

CHAPTER XXIII
The twenty-first parallel is distant eight hours, and 63 degrees, and is the parallel drawn through Thule.

CHAPTER XXIV
Now divide EZ into ninety parts, the number of degrees in a quadrant of a circle, then the line ZH which is marked off at sixteen and five twelfths degrees, HT at twenty-three and five-sixths degrees, HK at sixty-three of the same; if we consider the point H as lying in the equinoctial line, then the point T will be that through which is drawn the parallel of Syene which is located almost in the middle of the habitable earth, and Z that through which will run the parallel which terminates the southern boundary of the world and is opposite the parallel of Meroe, and K is that through which is drawn the parallel which terminates the northern boundary of the known world running through the island of Thule.
That a great likeness to a sphere is achieved by this method than by the former will be self-evident. When the sphere stands motionless before the eyes, and is not revolved (which necessarily holds true for a plane map), and the eye rests on the middle of the object, one certain meridian which, because of the globe's position, lies at the middle of the plane passing through the axis of the eye, will exhibit the appearance of a straight line, while those on either side appear inflexed with their concave side toward it, and the more so as they lie farther from it, which is also observed here with exact analogy, just as it is also seen that the symmetry of the parallel arcs keeps the proper ratio of one to another, not only in the equatorial line and the parallel of Thule (as was done in the former case), but in the others also, as closely as they can be made - the difficulty of doing this is evident - and that the conformity of latitudeas a whole serve toward a true, general longitude ratio, not only in the parallel drawn through Rhodes, but in all of the parallels.

CHAPTER II

The islands which are near Albion island and the Orcades promontory are
Scetis island                          32 40  60 45
Dumna island                           30     61 20
Above these islands are the Orcades, about thirty in number, the middle of
which is in                            30     61 40
Far above these is the island Thule. The part of which extends much toward the
west is in                             29     63
that which is farthest eastward is in  31 40  63
that which is farthest northward is in 30 20  63 15
that which is farthest southward is in 30 20  62 40
the middle is in                       30 20  63
Eastward from the Trinovantes region there are two islands
Toliapis                               23     54 20
Counus island                          24     54 30
Below Magnus Portus (Great harbor) is the island Vectis, the middle of which
is in                                  19 20  52 20

CHAPTER X
Moreover, if we approach from the north, we find the lesser Bructeri and the Sygambri who inhabit Germania near the Rhine river, below whom are the Suevi Langobardi, then the Tencteri and the Ingriones between the Rhine and the Abnobaei mountains, and then the Intuergi, the Vargiones, and the Caritini, below whom are the Vispi and the waste land of the Helvetians, as far as those mountains which we call the Alps.
The Fresians inhabit the coast near the ocean above the Bructeri, as far as the river Amissis (Ems); next to these are the Lesser Cauchi extending as far as the river Visurgis; then the Greater Cauchi extending as far as the river Albis; thence the Saxons through the palisades of the Cimbrian peninsula; in the same peninsula above the Saxons on the west are the Sigulones, then the Sabalingi, then the Cobandi, above them the Chali, and above these to the west are the Fundusi, and to the east the Charudes.
Of all these the Cimbri are the farthest north; then next to the Saxons, from the Chalusus river to the Suevus river are the Pharodini, then the Sidini as far as the river Viadus, and next are the Ruticli extending as far as the river Vistula.
Of the races dwelling in the interior the greatest are the races of the Suevi Angili, who are to the east of the Langobardi extending toward the north as far as the middle part of the Albis river, and the Suevi Semnonnes whose boundaries extend beyond the Albis toward the east as far as that part, as we have said, which touches the Suevus river, and the Buguntae, who occupy the region as far as the Vistula.
Moreover the lesser races which are between the lesser Cauchi and the Suevi are the greater Bructeri, below whom are the Chaemae; between the greater Cauchi and the Suevi are the Angrivari, then the Laccobardi, below whom are the Dulgumni; between the Saxons and the Suevi are the Teutonoari and the Viruni; between the Pharodini and the Suevi are the Teutones and Avarpi; between the Rugiclei and the Burguntae are the Aelvaeones.
Below the Semnones the Silingae have their abodes, and below the Burguntae are the Lugi Omani; below these are the Lugi Diduni extending as far as the Asciburgius mountains, and below the Silingae are the Calucones on both banks of the river Albis; below whom are the Chaerusci and the Camavi extending as far as Melibocus mountain, from whom toward the east along the Albis river are the Banochaemae; above whom are the Batini, and above these, but below the Asciburgius mountains are the Corconti and the Lugi Buri extending as far as the source of the Vistula river; first below these are the Sidones, then the Gotini, then the Visburgi above the Orcynium forest.

The islands above Germania near the mouth of the Albis are called the three
Saxonum islands, the middle of which is in                   31     57 20
Above the Cimbrian peninsula are three other islands which are called the
Alociae Islands, the middle of which is in                   37     59 20
Toward the east of the Cimbrian peninsula are four islands which are called
Scandia, three of which are small, the middle of which is in 41 30  58
the larger one is further east and near the mouth of the Vistula river; the
extreme parts of this are,
on the west                                                  43     58
on the east                                                  46     58
on the north                                                 44 30  58 30
on the south                                                 45     57 40

CHAPTER V

The terminus of its maritime coast is located on that parallel extending
through Thule, which parallel is the terminus of the known sea  62     63

CHAPTER XVI
Serica is terminated on the west by Scythia beyond the Imaus mountains along the line which we have mentioned; on the north is unknown land to that parallel which extends through Thule; which unknown land extends to the meridian line, the termini of which are located

in                                     180     63
and                                    180     35

CHAPTER V
The most northern parallel is sixty-three degrees north of the equator and is called the parallel passing through Thule.
The length of the longest day or night on the southernmost parallel is thirteen equatorial hours; on that through Meroe is twelve hours; on that through Syene thirteen and one-half hours; and on that through Rhodes fourteen and one-half hours; and on the northernmost, passing through Thule, it is twenty hours, and furthermore the extreme differences in latitude are eight equatorial hours.