Saturday, November 5, 2011

Ecumene

Hadrian had little patience for the particulars of geography, but the empire was expanding and this particular geographer came well recommended.
     “A little more time,” said Ptolemy, unrolling his map. “And I could’ve added more detail to the Land of Silk.”
     “Never mind,” said the emperor. “What’s that boundary on the left?”
     “That’s the meridian running through the Blessed Islands. From there the Ecumene extends east 180 degrees, with parallels through Thule in the north and Meroë in the south.”
     “That’s everything?”
     “Heavens, no!” said Ptolemy, “I’ve calculated approximately three-quarters of the globe remains unexplored.”
     “Excellent,” said the emperor Hadrian.

3 comments:

  1. Hadrian had little patience for the particulars of geography, but the empire was expanding and this particular geographer came well recommended.

    ReplyDelete
  2. "Excellent!" said the emperor Burns.

    ReplyDelete
  3. love this.


    invite you to join our poetry picnic today,

    1 to 3 random poems are welcome for first time participants, you can also write for our theme,

    best.

    hope to see your participation.

    ReplyDelete

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