Building Descriptions - some of our more unique ones

[Reenk Roink]

Well Bet Ha-Knesset (House of Assembly) in Greek is "Synagogue" (not sure of exact greek spelling)...I'll try to find the appropriate translation for Bet Ha-Mikdash.

[paullus]

Josephus mostly just uses "hieron" and a little "hieron en hierosolumois"
The Temple and The Temple in Jerusalem

There's also "to tou theou temonos" and "hagiotatos"
The Precinct of God and The Most Holy Place

Any help?

[Kull]

Paullus - Nice stuff. I recall that Alexander sent a fleet from India back to Babylon, and they sailed along the southern coast of Persia. Admiral Nearchos wrote a book describing their journey (Indike?), so that might be a good source of info for this region, even though it's bit earlier than our time period.

Here's the section involving the Strait of Hormuz.

And here's a Ptolemaic reference to the region.

This is the full text of the Periplus (#35 refers to the straits of Hormuz....and I think #25 refers to Bab el Mandeb)

[paullus]

Ok, I'm gonna take a shot at Bab-el-Mandeb

Bab el Mandeb

This strait forms the boundary between the Arabikos Kolpos (or the Red Sea) and the main area of the Erythra Thalassa (most of which we now know as the Indian Ocean). It was known by the Greeks as Deire, the Neck, since on either side of the strait Africa and Arabia come close to one another, and the strait is squeezed between them for several kilometers, creating the appearance of a neck. The Greeks probably appropriated the name from merchants of the Erythra Thalassa. Herodotos claimed that the straits were crossed by the Egyptian conqueror Sesostris, though modern authorities doubt the Egyptians ever controlled the straits, and debate whether Sesostris existed at all. Most of the traffic around the straits was passing through by sea, rather than moving from Africa to Arabia. Merchant vessels traveling the routes from India to Berenike had to pass through Deire, which developed a reputation for having turbulent waters. However, there were several important trading centers just outside of the straits, and some of these, such as Muza in Arabia, became halfway depots: merchants could travel to these places and back home again, rather than making the entire journey. The nearby port of Adulis, on the African side, was a key site for the ivory trade. The straits, and the mountains running south and west from them in Africa, formed a sort of frontier between Aethiopia and the Far Side of Africa.


How is that? I have no idea what the early Arabic/Berber name for the straits might have been, though there's a good chance it was the same as their name for neck.

[Teleklos Archelaou]

Just wanted to say thanks again paullus - I'm rearranging unique buildings and plugging the description you wrote in now.

(slightly revised):

Bab el Mandeb
Bab el Mandeb

This strait forms the boundary between the Arabikos Kolpos (or the Red Sea) and the main area of the Erythra Thalassa (most of which we now know as the Indian Ocean). It was known by the Hellenes as Deire, the Neck, since on either side of the strait Africa and Arabia come close to one another, and the strait is squeezed between them for several kilometers, creating the appearance of a neck. The Hellenes probably appropriated the name from merchants of the Erythra Thalassa. Herodotos claimed that the straits were crossed by the Egyptian conqueror Sesostris, though modern authorities doubt the Egyptians ever controlled the straits, and debate whether Sesostris existed at all. Most of the traffic around the straits was passing through by sea, rather than moving from Africa to Arabia. Merchant vessels traveling the routes from India to Berenike had to pass through Deire, which developed a reputation for having turbulent waters. However, there were several important trading centers just outside of the straits, and some of these, such as Muza in Arabia, became halfway depots: merchants could travel to these places and back home again, rather than making the entire journey. The nearby port of Adulis, on the African side, was a key site for the ivory trade. The straits, and the mountains running south and west from them in Africa, formed a sort of frontier between Aethiopia and the Far Side of Africa.

If anyone would like to do one for the straits of Hormuz, please let me know.

[Kull]

If anyone would like to do one for the straits of Hormuz, please let me know.

Here's what already in v.74:

{uniqueroad3_roman} The Straits of Hormuz (TRANSLATE ME PLEASE!)
{uniqueroad3_roman_desc}
The Straits of Hormuz (from the "Periplus", a Ptolemaic navigation guide).\n\nAt the upper end of these Calaei islands is a range of mountains called Calon, and there follows not far beyond, the mouth of the Persian Gulf, where there is much diving for the pearl-mussel. To the left of the straits are great mountains called Asabon, and to the right there rises in full view another round and high mountain called Semiramis; between them the passage across the strait is about six hundred stadia; beyond which that very great and broad sea, the Persian Gulf, reaches far into the interior.
{uniqueroad3_roman_desc_short}
The strait connecting the Persian Gulf with the Indian Ocean.

{uniqueroad3_numidia} Bab el Mandeb (TRANSLATE ME PLEASE!)
{uniqueroad3_numidia_desc}
This strait forms the boundary between the Arabikos Kolpos (or the Red Sea) and the main area of the Erythra Thalassa (most of which we now know as the Indian Ocean). It was known by the Greeks as Deire, the Neck, since on either side of the strait Africa and Arabia come close to one another, and the strait is squeezed between them for several kilometers, creating the appearance of a neck. The Greeks probably appropriated the name from merchants of the Erythra Thalassa. Herodotos claimed that the straits were crossed by the Egyptian conqueror Sesostris, though modern authorities doubt the Egyptians ever controlled the straits, and debate whether Sesostris existed at all. Most of the traffic around the straits was passing through by sea, rather than moving from Africa to Arabia. Merchant vessels traveling the routes from India to Berenike had to pass through Deire, which developed a reputation for having turbulent waters. However, there were several important trading centers just outside of the straits, and some of these, such as Muza in Arabia, became halfway depots: merchants could travel to these places and back home again, rather than making the entire journey. The nearby port of Adulis, on the African side, was a key site for the ivory trade. The straits, and the mountains running south and west from them in Africa, formed a sort of frontier between Aethiopia and the Far Side of Africa.
{uniqueroad3_numidia_desc_short}
This strait forms the boundary between the Arabikos Kolpos (Red Sea) and the main area of the Erythra Thalassa (Indian Ocean).

[edyzmedieval]

Teleklos and Kull,

Some names can't be found. It's really very hard to find the Skythian language, or the original temple name in Jerusalem.

Also, can you give me a list of the buildings which don't have descripts?

[cunctator]

Here's what already in v.74:

{uniqueroad3_roman} The Straits of Hormuz (TRANSLATE ME PLEASE!)
{uniqueroad3_roman_desc}
The Straits of Hormuz (from the "Periplus", a Ptolemaic navigation guide).\n\nAt the upper end of these Calaei islands is a range of mountains called Calon, and there follows not far beyond, the mouth of the Persian Gulf, where there is much diving for the pearl-mussel. To the left of the straits are great mountains called Asabon, and to the right there rises in full view another round and high mountain called Semiramis; between them the passage across the strait is about six hundred stadia; beyond which that very great and broad sea, the Persian Gulf, reaches far into the interior.
{uniqueroad3_roman_desc_short}
The strait connecting the Persian Gulf with the Indian Ocean.

Since several eamples of periploi have survived I would prefere to use the full name Periplus Maris Erythraei, and it's commonly dated to the first century AD not Ptolemaic times.