Alan C. Bowen

A4. The Directions and Names of the Winds: A Translation of [Aristotle], Ventorum situs et nomina

Introduction

A4. The directions and names of the winds: a translation of [aristotle], ventorum situs et nomina. Translate *Ventorum situs et nomina*, an ancient text detailing 10 topic winds, their directions, and local names. Uncover insights into ancient weather maps & wind etymologies.

Abstract

The anonymous text Ventorum situs et nomina, once held to be by Aristotle himself, gives the local names of 10 topic winds as well as their directions. It is not an elaboration of the wind-rose that Aristotle, for example, describes in Meteor. 2.5, though many scholars have assumed this, but a presentation of a weather-map for the inhabited world (οἰκουμένη). What seems to be important to the author in collecting the local winds under the topic winds is not so much their direction as their time of year as well as the etymologies of the local names.

Review

This paper presents a timely translation and compelling re-evaluation of the anonymous text *Ventorum situs et nomina*, a work historically attributed to Aristotle. The central argument, which directly challenges long-standing scholarly assumptions, posits that this text is not an elaboration of the Aristotelian wind-rose (as found in *Meteor. 2.5*) but rather functions as an ancient "weather-map" for the inhabited world (*oikoumene*). This re-contextualization represents a significant and refreshing contribution to the study of ancient meteorology, geography, and the history of scientific thought, offering a fresh perspective on a text whose fundamental purpose has been widely misunderstood. A key strength of this work lies in the author's insightful re-interpretation of *Ventorum situs et nomina* as a presentation of a weather-map. This innovative approach moves beyond a simplistic focus on wind direction to highlight the original author's critical interest in the seasonal timing of local winds and the etymologies of their names. By emphasizing these often-overlooked aspects, the paper effectively demonstrates that the ancient text's compiler was engaged in a more complex and nuanced system of categorizing and understanding atmospheric phenomena than previously acknowledged. This reframing not only clarifies the text's true purpose but also brings to light a different, more sophisticated kind of ancient meteorological inquiry. Beyond the insightful re-interpretation, the translation itself is invaluable, making this important, albeit anonymous, ancient text accessible to a wider scholarly audience. The re-evaluation of its fundamental nature as a "weather-map" opens new avenues for research, inviting scholars to reconsider how ancient Greeks conceptualized and recorded atmospheric conditions and geographical knowledge. This paper promises to stimulate further discussion on the development of ancient scientific thought, the interplay between local observation and broader theoretical frameworks, and the utility of such ancient textual sources in reconstructing historical environmental understandings. This work is highly commendable for its rigorous scholarship and the significant intellectual shift it proposes.

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