Aswan Aswan was known as
Syene during ancient Egypt which means market because it was located on the main trade route between Egypt and the southern lands.
En la antiguedad, a poca distancia de la catarata mas septentrional del rio Nilo, siguiendo el curso del rio, se encontraba un conjunto de islas fluviales a la altura de la antigua ciudad de Siena (
Syene, actual Asuan).
The conflict was initially dealt with by the local commander of the garrison at
Syene. He went after the shipment and made sure the cargo did not reach Memphis.
While reading in the library, Eratosthenes had come across an account claiming that on the day of the summer solstice in
Syene known today as Aswan the sun was reflected perfectly and in its entirety, deep in the earth at the bottom of a well, without so much as casting a single shadow on the walls of the structure.
He knew that Egypt was an important source (among others) of precious stones (but not specifically of emeralds) and he even specifies
Syene and 'the region called Psepho' as the area most closely associated with them ([section]34).
My approach focuses on one episode of the Aethiopica which best corresponds to a recognizable scene-type within historiography, namely the siege of
Syene in Book 9.
The table comparing the Eratosthenes map parallel values of Alexandria,
Syene (Aswan), Babylon and Meroe with parallel values of present settlements proves the differences to be minor and the measurements, conducted by Eratosthenes at that time, are sufficiently precise (see Table 1).
He knew that on a particular date, the Sun crossed the zenith as seen from the town of
Syene (now Aswan) in Egypt; people there could see the Sun shining straight down deep wells at noon.
Perched on the banks of the Nile, Aswan, the site of the ancient city of
Syene, boasts some of the country's top ancient Egyptian treasures.