Citation with stable link: Philip A. Harland, 'Arabians and Erembians: Poseidonios, Strabo and others on obscure peoples mentioned by Homer (early first century CE),' Ethnic Relations and Migration in the Ancient World, last modified September 1, 2024, https://philipharland.com/Blog/?p=21806.
Ancient authors: Homer, Poseidonios (first century BCE), and others as discussed in Strabo (early first century CE), Geography 16.4.27 (link).
Comments: One of Strabo’s ongoing concerns throughout his work is to establish the ethnographic reliability of Homer’s poetry and to refute other authors who did not consider Homer usable for geographic matters (cf. 1.2.31). At the end of Strabo’s discussion of Arabians and Nabateans, he tacks on this discussion which, although somewhat vague, seems to suggest that Homer did indeed know about Arabians but that he called them “Erembians.” In the process, Strabo delves into a variety of alternative interpretations of a particular passage in the Odyssey, especially that of Poseidonios.
‗‗‗‗‗‗
[For Strabo’s preceding discussion of Arabians and Nabateans, go to this link].
[Sorting out Homer’s reference to Ethiopians, Sidonians and Erembians in order to dispel Homer’s apparent ignorance of Arabians]
(16.4.27) The poet says, “I came to Ethiopians, Sidonians and Erembians” [Homer, Odyssey 4.84]. With regard to this, historians are entirely at loss to understand this. FIrst of all, regarding Sidonians, historians are uncertain whether one should call them a certain people who lived in the Persian gulf, from whom the Sidonians in our part of the world were colonists, just as they speak of Tyrians there, islanders, as also of Aradians, from whom they say those in our part of the world were colonists, or whether one should call them the Sidonians themselves. Secondly, the inquiry about the Erembians is even more doubtful. Historians are unsure whether one should suspect that the Troglodytes are meant, as do those who force the etymology of “Eremboi” from eran embainein, that is, “go into the earth” [here Strabo and his Greek sources assumes they live in caves], or the “Arabians.” Now our Zeno [of Kition; i.e. Strabo is aligning himself with the Stoic sect] alters the text as follows: “and to Sidonians and Arabians.”
However, Poseidonios more plausibly writes, with only a slight alteration of the text, “and Sidonians and Arambians,” on the ground that the poet called the present Arabians “Arambians,” just as they were named by all others in his time. Poseidonios says that the Arabians consist of three peoples (ethnē), that they are situated in succession, one after another, and that this indicates that they are homogeneous with one another, and that for this reason they were called by similar names: one tribe was the “Armenians,” another “Aramaians,” and another “Arambians.” And just as one may suppose that the Arabians were divided into three peoples, according to the differences in the latitudes, which ever vary more and more, so also one may suppose that they used several names instead of one. Neither are those who write “Eremnoi” [as an alternative reading in Homer’s text] plausible. For that name is more peculiarly applicable to the Ethiopians. The poet also mentions “Arimoi,” by which, according to Poseidonios, we should interpret the poet as meaning, not some place in Syria or in Cilicia or in some other land, but Syria itself. For the people in Syria are Aramaians, though perhaps the Greeks called them Arimaians or Arimoi.
The changes in names, and particularly in those of the barbarians, are numerous. For example, they called Dareius “Dariekes,” Parysatis “Pharziris,” and Athara “Atargatis,” though Ktesias calls her “Derketo.” . . . [omitted sections].
[For Strabo’s subsequent discussion of Egyptians, go to this link].
‗‗‗‗‗‗
Source of translation: H.L. Jones, Strabo, 8 volumes, LCL (Cambridge, MA: HUP, 1917-28), public domain (passed away in 1932), adapted by Harland.