LXI.
Ceterum (ceterum: originally an acc. of relation (‘as for the rest’), ceterum acquired later the adversative sense of ‘but’, ‘however’, ‘yet’ and other meanings. Translators tend to overlook it if it does not quite fit the context of what comes after.) Germanicus aliis quoque miraculis intendit animum, (intendit animum: ‘was full of admiration for …’) quorum praecipua fuere Memnonis saxea effigies, (Memnonis saxea effigies: the imposing statue of king Amenophis III of the 18th dynasty, 60 feet high, carved from a single block of granite, believed by the Greeks to be a representation of Memnon, a famous Greek warrior killed in the Trojan war. It stood before the temple of Amenophis in Thebes.) ubi radiis solis icta est, vocalem sonum reddens, (vocalem sonum reddens: ‘emitting a sound resembling a voice’) disiectasque inter et vix pervias arenas instar montium eductae pyramides certamine et opibus regum, (disiectas inter et vix pervias arenas instar montium eductae pyramides certamine et opibus regum: ‘the pyramids disseminated here and there in the hardly passable sand of the desert, extending upwards like mountains, a symbol of the kings’ emulation and wealth.’ instar montium: instar is actually a noun, meaning ‘the equal of’, in this case ‘the equal of mountains’; certamine et opibus is either abl. of agent or of cause when taken with eductae: ‘raised by’ or ‘because of the emulation and opulence of kings’.) lacusque effossa humo, (lacus effossa humo: ‘a lake excavated in the ground’: lake Moeris, a water reservoir south of Alexandria, filled by the Nile by means of a canal when overflowing. Still in use today, but smaller than in the past, though its dimensions are thirty miles long and seven miles wide.) superfluentis Nili receptacula; atque alibi angustiae et profunda altitudo, nullis inquirentium spatiis penetrabilis. (alibi angustiae et profunda altitudo, nullis inquirentium spatiis penetrabilis: ‘elsewhere the bed is so narrow and the depth so great that it defies any attempt to fathom it.’ Lit.: ‘elsewhere the narrows in the river and the profound depth inaccessible to any measures of those trying to plumb it’. The reference is probably to the first cataract at Aswan, where the Nile is very deep and the current so swift that no plumb bob (spatium) will sink vertically.) exim ventum Elephantinen ac Syenen, (Elephantinen ac Syenen: both locations are in Higher Egypt, near the boundary with Nubia: Elephantine is an island in the Nile below the first cataract, facing Syene (later Aswan) on the east bank.) claustra olim Romani imperii, quod nunc rubrum ad mare patescit. (claustra …rubrum ad mare patescit: ‘the boundary [later] extended to the Red Sea.’ claustra is here used in the sense of ‘border’, ‘limit’, not meaning ‘gates’ or ‘keys’ as in ch. 59 . rubrum mare is not the Red Sea but the Persian Gulf, the new eastern bounds of the Roman empire after Trajan’s campaign of 115 A.D. Emperor Hadrian gave up these conquests two years later, thus providing us with a fairly accurate date of the Annals’ composition.)