Ptotle the Confused Geographer
Let’s talk about Ptotle’s other fabrications. The Tetrabiblos (also known as the Quadrapartite) was probably called Apotelesmatika, just like the work penned by Hesphaistio of Thebes (he quotes Ptotle but sometimes questions Ptotle) and the Geographike Hyphegesis (Geographical Guidance).
For the practicing astrologer, Ptotle’s Geographike is of no value.
Ptotle admits he did not collect the geographical data used to make his maps. He claims he based them on the maps of Marinus of Tyre and dedicates a large part of his work criticizing Marinus’ work. For that we are grateful because otherwise we would never know about Marinus. If you aren’t familiar with it, the map runs from the Shetland Islands in the northern-most latitudes to the tributaries of the White Nile and Blue Nile Rivers at the southern-most latitudes and from the “Fortunate Isles” (the Canary Islands) in the western-most longitudes to China and Southeast Asia in the eastern-most longitudes.
The problem with Ptotle is he lied so often he forgot which lies he told and even worse started to believe his own lies. At various points in the Syntaxis it is clear Ptotle uses the value computed by Eratosthenes for the circumference of Earth. That value was 252,000 stadia (1 stadion is about 600 feet) and divided by 360 degrees gives us 700 stadia for each degree (about 70 nautical miles), yet in the Geographike, Ptolemy rejects that value in favor of the 180,000 stadia used by Posidonius making each degree 500 stadia (roughly 50 nautical miles).
Ptotle, like Marinus and Posidonius, used the Fortunate Isles (Canary Islands) as his Prime Meridian. You would expect the margin of error to increase moving from west to east but that isn’t what happens. What we really see is the margin of error decreasing until you reach Alexandria (Egypt). From Alexandria eastward the margin of error begins increasing. That tells us Ptotle relied on maps using Alexandria or possibly the Island of Rhodes (a mere 2° difference in longitude) as the Prime Meridian while ignoring the sources of those maps, and all the while collectively condemning en masse the authors who made them (no good deed goes unpunished).
Ptotle’s geographic coordinates are all wrong which means his assignment of the signs to various cities and regions is all wrong. Although the true longitude of Alexandria is 29°E 55’, Ptotle gives the longitude as 60°E 30’ but that actually runs through western Iraq. The longitude of Genoa (Italy) is at 8°E 56’ but Ptotle gives the coordinates as 30ׄ°E which is 5’ of arc shy where Alexandria is located.
At this time, we want to bring up a salient point. Many of the losers whom we lovingly refer to as Mustache Pete and can’t deal with whole sign houses claim house systems could easily be calculated since ancient astrologers knew the longitudes. Well, if they’re using Ptotle’s geography — and we know for a fact the Arabic and Persian astrologers were using it — all the longitudes are wrong which means all the house cusps are wrong.
Of the second quarter, which embraces the southern part of greater Asia, the other parts, including India, Ariana, Gedrosia, Parthia, Media, Persia, Babylonia, Mesopotamia, and Assyria, which are situated in the south-east of the whole inhabited world, are, as we might presume, familiar to the south-eastern triangle, Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn, and are governed by Venus and Saturn in oriental aspects. Therefore, one would find that the natures of their inhabitants conform with the temperaments governed by such rulers; for they revere the star of Venus under the name of Isis, and that of Saturn as Mithras Helios.
Thus, spake Ptotle. At least according to Robbins and his rather bad translation of Ptotle’s Tetrabiblos but it does comport with Ashmand. Now, a very clever person might say that is proof that Ptotle did not plagiarize Posidonius.
We wholeheartedly disagree.
We admit that Posidonius could not possibly have known of the cult of Mithras Helios because it did not exist until more than 200 years after he lived. And it was a cult because one had to be initiated; however, it has nothing to do with Mitra.
Mitra was a deity known in what is now Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and perhaps Bangladesh but Mitra is not synonymous with Mithras who was likely a creation of Hellenistic Greeks within the Roman Empire. Yes, the Phrygian cap Mithras is often depicted wearing is a dead giveaway in addition to the association of Mithras with bulls (the Iranians and others had a thing for lions and eagles.)
The Greek text(s) Robbins used for his translation (according to Tufts):
The link can be found here:
https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A2008.01.0636%3Abook%3D2%3Achapter%3D3
The highlighted words are “Kronos Mithras Helios.”
The issue here is Mithras was associated with the Sun (Apollo) or Jupiter (Zeus) and sometimes Mercury (Hermes) but never with Saturn (Kronos). We suggest Posidonius got it right identifying Mitra with the civilizations in Southwest Asia. Since an Arabic or Pahlavi speaker would never confuse Mitra with Mithras, we suggest Ptotle changed it because his is the “superior intellect” or another possibility is a Byzantine Greek made the changes.
Let’s continue:
Under this arrangement, it follows that the north-western parts of the first quadrant, or that of Europe, are in familiarity with the north-west triplicity, composed of Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius; and they are accordingly governed by the lords of that triplicity, Jupiter and Mars, vespertine. These parts, as distinguished by their appropriation to entire nations, are Britain, Galatia, Germany, Barsania, Italy, Apulia, Sicily, Gaul, Tuscany, Celtica, and Spain. And, since the triplicity itself and the planets connected with it in dominion are adapted to command, the natives of these countries are consequently impatient of restraint, lovers of freedom, warlike, industrious, imperious, cleanly, and high-minded. But, owing to the vespertine configuration of Jupiter and Mars, as well as the masculine condition of the anterior parts of the triplicity, and the feminine condition of its latter parts, [Ashmand Footnote] the said nations regard women with scorn and indifference.
That’s the translation by Ashmand. His footnote reads:
This should probably be understood to mean in a mundane point of view, agreeably to Chaps. VI and XV, Book I. For when Aries is on the ascendant, it is, of course, oriental and masculine; and Sagittarius must consequently then be in the eighth house, occidental, and therefore feminine.
Poor guy. You have to feel sorry for Ashmand. He correctly points out another reason why we ignore Ptotle’s nonsense. Ptotle uses Aries-rising because he doesn’t understand the Thema Mundi which has Cancer-rising and would be the correct chart in this instance but then Ashmand incorrectly refers to Sagittarius being the 8th House. Not in this Universe. If Aries is rising then Scorpio is the 8th House.
Let’s recap what we’ve learned:
- Ptotle’s longitudes and coordinates for cities and regions is all wrong because Ptotle rejected the value Eratosthenes obtained for the circumference of Earth (252,000 stadia).
- Ptotle’s assignment of the stars to the various regions is wrong because he used Aries-rising instead of Cancer-rising as it would be in the Thema Mundi.
- The cultural descriptions of the people living in the various regions which Ptotle plagiarized from Posidonius is wrong because none of those people live in those regions.
A good example of the last item is the Pontic Steppes. The Iazyges had been driven out and displaced by the Goths and if Ptotle wasn’t so busy plagiarizing Posidonius and fabricating data and committing fraud he would have known that the Goths were in the process of being driven out and displaced by Germanic tribes. Later, Slavs arrived but did not displace the Germanic tribes and then different Slavs came and then other Goths, basically Vikings, came and established the Kyvian Dynasty in 882.
We don’t find it amusing that ass-clown astrologers relying on Ptotle’s geography are fumbling about trying to explain the conflict in Ukraine and failing miserably.