Primary-source dossier
The excerpts below are reproduced from the Ictis Anthology — a working paper produced during research for the project. Some of the results were spun off into New Perspectives on the Ictis of Pytheas of Massalia.
Book 2 Chapter 41:
“There are two Britannic islands, one called Albion, the other Hibernia. Albion is much the greater; and it is situated beyond the region of Celtogalatia, projecting from opposite Gallia Lugdunensis and Belgica toward Greater Germany. For it is not compact like other islands, but as if disjointed and dispersed it extends through a great part of the northern ocean, having two extremely long isthmuses like feet, of which the greater points toward the Cimbric peninsula1 and the lesser toward Aquitania. The other island, Hibernia, lies near it but more to the west and of less magnitude, and it has a situation as above described. We shall describe the sailing-course around this latter first, and then pass to the greater.”
Book 2 Chapters 44-5
“SAILING-COURSE AROUND THE BRITANNIC ISLAND ALBION
44. Next we set down the sailing-course around the island of Albion. The Britannic island Albion is bounded on the north by that ocean which is called Duecaledonian, on the east by the Germanic Ocean, on the west by the Hibernic Ocean, beyond which lies the island of Hibernia, and by the Vergivian Ocean; and on the south by the Britannic ocean and the aforesaid regions and provinces of Gallia. This is the general description of the island, and the local description includes… [LOST]
[Steph. Byz. Ethnica) Lindonium [Londinium ] A city of Britain, according to Marcian in his Periplus
45. The length of the Britannic island Albion begins on the western horizon at the Damnonian Cape which is also called Ocrian; it ends at the Cape of Tarveduneum, which is also called Orcas so that the greatest length is 5,225 stadia [?]. And the width of it begins at the Damnonian cape, which is also called Ocrian; and it proceeds to the peninsula of the Neuanti, and the cape of the same name; so that the width of it by the longest line would be 3,083 [?] stadia. It comprises 33 tribes, 59 notable cities, 40 notable rivers, 14 notable capes, 1 notable peninsula, 5 notable bays, 3 notable ports. The sailing-course around the whole island of Albion is not more than 28,604 stadia, nor less than 20,526 stadia.”
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Jutland Peninsula of Denmark.
Bibliography and editions
Critical editions and further reading
- Greek edition. C. Müller (ed.), Geographi Graeci Minores, vol. I (1855), Marciani Periplus. Internet Archive: Müller, Geographi Graeci Minores I.
- Geographical context. A. Diller, The Tradition of the Minor Greek Geographers (1952). Google Books: Diller 1952.
Rights boundary. Ancient texts and public-domain images are not relicensed by Kassiteros. Modern editions and translations retain their own rights. Only Kassiteros-authored commentary and original project metadata are intended to fall under the project’s CC BY 4.0 policy.
Why this source matters
Marcian reformulates Ptolemaic geography into a periplus tradition. The anthology uses his lists of coasts, peoples, islands and places to follow the transmission of Britain’s spatial vocabulary after Ptolemy.