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PTOLEMY: TETRABIBLOS II. 3
Dwight David Eisenhower
HOME
IKE
Of the Familiarities between Countries and the Trigons and Stars
 
FOR THE FOLLOWING SCHEME, THE MODERN NAMES OF THE AREAS AND NATIONS HAVE
BEEN SEARCHED OUT & SUBSTITUTED:
 
 
SEA OF AZOV 
BLACK SEA 
AEGEAN SEA 
NW World: 

Outlying: Europe: 

England, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Belgium 

Netherlands, Austria, W Poland, Romania, etc 

  NE World: 

Outlying: Northern Greater Asia: 

Russia, China, Armenia, N Iran, Kazakhstan, 

Afghanistan, N Turkmenistan, N Uzbekistan 

FIRE TRIANGLE   AIR TRIANGLE
Inner: Balkans, Crete, Cyprus, Greece, 
Coast of Asia Minor: 
  Inner: N W Syria, Turkey, E Black Sea Coast, Georgia 
earth triangle   water triangle
GIBRALTAR   GULF OF ALEXANDRETTA & TAURUS MTS. 
SW World: 

Outlying: NW Africa:  

Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Morocco 

Desert south of coastal areas 

  SE World: 

Outlying: Southern Greater Asia: 

Iraq, Iran, India, Pakistan, S Turkmenistan 

S Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, etc 

WATER TRIANGLE   EARTH TRIANGLE
Inner: Egypt, Lybian Desert, Arabia, Sudan 
Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia 
  Inner: Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, 

S Iraq, Kuwait, Yemen: 

air triangle   fire triangle
RED SEA
 

NORTHWEST QUARTER: Europe

ARIES, LEO, SAGITTARIUS and Jupiter & Mars, occidental

Independent, liberty-loving, fond of arms, industrious, very warlike, with qualities of leadership, cleanly and magnanimous; without passion for women, and look down upon the pleasures of love, are better satisfied with, and more desirous of, association with men; they do not regard the act as a disgrace to the paramour, nor indeed do they actually become effeminate and soft thereby, because their disposition is not perverted, but they retain in their souls manliness, helpfulness, good faith, love of kinsmen, and benevolence.

Outlying Areas (farthest from Alexandria): Fire Trigon

Aries & Mars: fierce, headstrong, bestial

Britain England

Transalpine Gaul France, N Italy (Belgium, Netherlands?)

Germania Germany, W Poland, Denmark, Czech Republic, Slovakia

Bastarnia Moldova, W Ukraine, SE Poland (NE of Carpathian Mts, betw Prut & Dniestr Rivers)

Leo & Sun: masterful, benevolent, cooperative

Italy Southern and Central Italy

Apulia Adriatic Coast of Italy, from above the heel of the "boot" to Fortore River; (same as modern Apulia, but minus the "heel")

Cisalpine Gaul Northern Italy, from Gulf of Genoa to Alps

Sicily Sicily

Sagittarius & Jupiter: independence, simplicity, love of cleanliness

Tyrrhenia Tuscany, region of Italy - knee of the "boot" (was Etruria)

Celtica Celtic areas of Eastern Spain, Central France

Spain Spain, Portugal (Iberian Peninsula)

Inner Areas (closer to Alexandria): Earth Trigon (in addition to Fire), Venus (occidental), Mercury, Saturn

...w/fire, qualities of leadership, nobility, independence (Aries/Mars), they are liberty-loving, self-governing, democratic, framers of law; lovers of music & learning, fond of contests, clean livers; social, friendly to strangers, justice-loving, fond of letters, eloquent; particularly addicted to the performance of mysteries.

Taurus & Venus: luxurious, clean, attentive to their bodies

Cyclades SE islands of Greece (Naxos, Thera, Delos, Melos, etc)

Cyprus Cyprus

Shores of Asia Minor Mediterranean coast of Turkey (? - same area listed under Pisces)

Virgo & Mercury: better at reasoning, fond of learning, exercise the soul in preference to the body

Hellas N Greece

Achaia S Greece (Peloponnesus)

Crete Crete

Capricornus & Saturn: though acquisitive, not so mild of nature, nor social in their institutions

Thrace Bulgaria

Macedonia Macedonia (N of Greece), Albania

Illyria Bosnia, Croatia, Serbia

SOUTHEAST QUARTER: Southern Part of Greater Asia

TAURUS, VIRGO, CAPRICORNUS and Venus & Saturn, oriental (did he forget Mercury?)

...revere Venus as Isis (?-Ishtar?) and Saturn as Mithras Helios; most of them divine future events; consecrate the genital organs; are ardent, concupiscent, inclined to the pleasures of love; are dancers and leapers and fond of adornment, luxurious livers; carry out relations with women openly and not in secret because of planets oriental, but hold in detestation such relations with males; most beget children by their own mothers, & do obeisance to the breast, by reason of the morning rising of the planets & the primacy of the heart, akin to the Sun's power...generally luxurious & effeminate in dress, adornment, & all habits relating to the body...their souls by prediliction are magnanimous, noble, & warlike (Saturn oriental)...

Outlying Areas (farthest from Alexandria): Earth Trigon

Taurus & Venus: use embroidered clothing, covering entire body except the breast; are luxurious & clean

Parthia Iran, S Turkmenistan, S Uzbekistan, W Pakistan (to Indus)

Media NW Iran

Persia S Iran

Virgo & Mercury: special traits: study of mathematics & the observation of the five planets

Babylonia S Iraq, except river deltas & Kuwait, which was called Chaldaea

Mesopotamia Iraq, between Tigris & Euphrates Rivers

Assyria E Iraq (centered about 35N, 45E)

Capricornus & Saturn: ugly, unclean, bestial

India India

Ariana From Center of Iran to Center of Afghanistan: about 55-65E, 30-35N

Gedrosia S Pakistan

Inner Areas (closer to Alexandria): Fire Trigon (in addition to Earth), with Jupiter , Mars, Mercury: w/Earth, gifted in trade & exchange; unscrupulous, despicable cowards, treacherous, servile, & in general fickle...

Aries & Mars: bold, godless, (monotheist Jews, despising pagan gods, were considered atheists), scheming

Coele Syria N Syria, E of Cyprus

Palestine Israel, about 31-33 N

Idumaea Negev, about 31-31.5 N

Judaea S Israel

Leo & Sun: simpler, kindly, addicted to astrology, worshippers of the Sun

Phoenicia City-States (never politically unified) on Coastal strip of NW Israel, Syrian Coast & Lebanon, esp Beirut, Sidon (Sayda), Tyre (Sur), & Byblos (Jubayl)

Chaldaea Kuwait, S Iraq where deltas of Tigris & Euphrates enter Persian Gulf

Orchenia The Orcheni were a people of N Arabian desert, betw Jordan & Iraq

roughly 32-35 N

Sagittarius & Jupiter: fertile country, w/multitude of spices, graceful inhabitants, free spirit in daily life, exchange, & business

Arabia Felix Yemen, SW Arabian peninsula (the Romans divided Arabia into 3 parts: Arabia Petraea ('rocky') in the Sinai; Arabia Deserta (northern interior), and Arabia Felix ("fertile")

NORTHEAST QUARTER: Northern Part of Greater Asia

GEMINI, LIBRA, AQUARIUS and Saturn and Jupiter, oriental

...worship Jupiter & Saturn, have much riches and gold, are cleanly and seemly in their living, learned and adepts in matters of religion, just and liberal in manners, lofty and noble in soul, haters of evil, affectionate, and ready to die for their friends in a fair and holy cause...they are dignified and pure in their sexual relations, lavish in dress, gracious and magnanimous...

Outlying Areas (farthest from Alexandria): Air Trigon

Gemini & Mercury: more easily stirred and inclined to rascality

Hyrcania SE shore of Caspian Sea, i.e. N Iran, W Turkmenistan

Matiana SW shore of Caspian, i.e. NW Iran: Elburz Mts, Ardabil area

Armenia Armenia, S Caucasus, from Black to Caspian Seas, including upper Euphrates, W Azerbaijan, E Georgia, S Russia

Libra & Venus: their peoples are rich and followers of the muses and more luxurious

Bactriana NW Afghanistan, S Turkmenistan, S Uzbekistan, about 35-38N, 65E

Casperia Eastern Azerbaijan

Serica China

Aquarius & Saturn: more ungentle, stern, and bestial

Sauromantica (Sarmatia) Belarus, SW Russia

Oxiana SW Kazakhstan, NW Uzbekistan-upper Oxus (Amu Darya) River

Sogdiana Turkmenistan

Inner Areas (closer to Alexandria): Water Trigon (in addition to Air), with Venus , Mars, Mercury: worship Venus as the mother of the gods, calling her various local names, and Mars as Adonis to whom they give other names, & they celebrate in their honor certain mysteries accompanied by lamentations. They are exceedingly depraved, servile, laborious, rascally, & are to be found in mercenary expeditions, looting, taking captives, enslaving their own people, and engaging in destructive wars.

Cancer & Moon: men in general cautious & obedient, most of women virile, commanding, warlike, like the

Amazons who shun commerce w/men, love arms, & make masculine all female characteristics, cutting off

their right breast for military needs, baring these in battle to show the absence of femininity in their natures

Bithynia N Central Turkey, including Istanbul

Phrygia W Central Turkey, about 30-32.5 E, 38-40 N

Colchica W coast of Georgia (East end of Black Sea)

Scorpio & Mars: much boldness, knavery, treachery, & laboriousness are found among them

Syria Syria, esp. south

Commagene NW Syria, SE Turkey, bounded on E by Euphrates, just N of Aleppo

Cappadocia Eastern Turkey, from Taurus Mts in South to Black Sea coast

Pisces & Jupiter: more wealthy, commercial, social, free, and trustworthy in their compacts

Lydia West Central Turkey, about 27-29 E, 38-39 N

Lycia S Central shore of Turkey, E of Rhodes, about 30E

Cilicia SE shore of Turkey, N of Cyprus

Pamphilia S Central shore of Turkey, NW of Cyprus

SOUTHWEST QUARTER: Africa

CANCER, SCORPIO, PISCES with Mars and Venus, occidental

...it befalls most of these inhabitants to be governed by a man & wife who are brother & sister, the man ruling the men & the woman the women, & a succession of this sort is maintained...extremely ardent and disposed to commerce with women, so that even their marriages are brought about by violent abduction, & frequently their kings enjoy the jus primae noctis with the brides; among some of them the women are common to all the men...fond of beautifying themselves...with feminine adornments...however, are virile of spirit, rascally, magicians, impostors, deceivers, and reckless...

Outlying Areas (farthest from Alexandria): Water Trigon

Cancer & Moon: social, commercial, live in great abundance

Numidia NE Algeria, Tunisia

Carthage NE Tunisian peninsula (area of city of Tunis)

Africa NW Libya, Tunisia, along the coast

Scorpio & Mars: fierce, warlike, reckless; meat-eaters, contemptuous of life, do not even spare one another

Metagonitis Coast of Morocco east of Gibraltar

Mauritania Morocco, W coastal Algeria (not same as modern Mauritania)

Gaetulia Eastern Algeria, Western Libya (inland, south of Tunisia)

Pisces & Jupiter: free & simple in character, willing to work, intelligent, cleanly, independent, worshippers

of Jupiter as Ammon

Phazania Fezzan, SW Libya (in central Sahara south of Tripolitania)

Nasamonitis Gulf of Sidra, area of city of Agheila, NE Libya

Garamantica Central Libyan desert

Inner Areas (closer to Alexandria): Air Trigon (in addition to Water), w/Saturn, Jupiter, Mercury, occidental

superstitious, fond of religious ceremony, lamentation; bury dead in earth, out of sight; all kinds of customs & rites in service of all manner of gods; under command, humble, timid, penurious, long-suffering; in leader ship courageous, magnanimous; but polygamous, polyandrous, lecherous, marrying even their own sisters; people, land fertile; many males unsound, effeminate of soul, some hold in contempt organs of generation.

Gemini & Mercury: thoughtful, intelligent, facile, esp. in search for wisdom & religion; magicians, performers of secret mysteries, skilled in mathematics (astrology)

Cyrenacia NE shore of Libya

Marmarica Southern Libya/Egypt border, south of Tobruk

Lower Egypt N Egypt, Nile delta (actually, all of modern Egypt)

Libra & Venus: ardent, lively, live in plenty

Thebais Luxor (Al-Uqsur), Egypt (site of Karnak & Valley of the Kings)

Oasis E Libyan Desert "7 days journey from Thebes"

Troglodytica S Red Sea coast of Africa: Eritrea, Djibouti

Aquarius & Saturn: flesh-eaters, fish-eaters, & nomads, living a rough, bestial life

Arabia Arabia Deserta (interior)

Azania E Africa coast, esp. Tanzania, Dar Es Salaam, Zanzibar area

Middle Ethiopia Sudan, Ethiopia

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References:

Collier's Encyclopedia, P.F. Collier & Son Corp, NY, 1957

Encyclopaedia Britannica, William Benton, Publisher, Chicago, etc, 1965

Map: The Historic Mediterranean 800 BC to AD 1500, National Geographic Society, 1982

Ptolemy, Claudius: Tetrabiblos, F. E. Robbins, trans., Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, 1940

Ptolemy, Claudius: The Geography, Edward Luther Stevenson, ed. Dover Publications, Inc. NY, 1991

Shepherd, William R: Historical Atlas, 9th Ed, Barnes & Noble Inc, NY, 1964