The Isis and Her Voyage: Some Additional Remarks

The Myth of Alpheus and Arethusa and Open-Sea Voyages on the Mediterranean-Stellar Navigation in Antiquity

“…Malta, approximately 460 nm to the west, lies between 3550 and 3605¢ north (including the island of Gozo in the immediate vicinity). We can describe the whole route along the 36th parallel thus: from Rhodes (whose southernmost point lies at 3550¢ north), and Karpathos (whose northernmost point lies at 36 north, taking into account the nearby small island of Saria), to the southern extremity of the island of Cythera below the Peloponnese (3610¢ north), thus sailing north—not south—from Crete, and then beyond, along the 36th parallel, across the open sea up to Malta (this route should be taken with some reserve due to the unfavourable winds; Casson, 1950: 48–9; see also Isserlin, 1955 for the opposite view). Thus, by using the right stars, latitude sailing is again possible.…”