Histories

Yet I think that the sun never lets go of all of the water that it draws up from the Nahr an- Nil [31.1,30.166] (river), AfricaNile yearly, but keeps some back near itself. Then, as the winter becomes milder, the sun returns to the middle of the heaven, and after that draws from all rivers alike.

Meanwhile, the other rivers are swollen to high flood by the quantity of water that falls into them from the sky, because the country is rained on and cut into gullies; but in the summer they are low, lacking the rain and being drawn up too by the sun.

But the Nahr an- Nil [31.1,30.166] (river), AfricaNile, being fed by no rain, and being the only river drawn up by the sun in winter, at this time falls far short of the height that it had in summer; which is but natural; for in summer all other waters too and not it alone are attracted to the sun, but in the winter it alone is afflicted.

I am convinced, therefore, that the sun is the cause of this phenomenon. The dryness of the air in these parts is also caused by the sun, in my opinion, because it burns its way through it; hence, it is always summer in the inland part of Libya [17,25] (nation), AfricaLibya.

But were the stations of the seasons changed, so that the south wind and the summer had their station where the north wind and winter are now set, and the north wind was where the south wind is now—if this were so, the sun, when driven from mid-heaven by the winter and the north wind, would pass over the inland parts of Europe (continent)Europe as it now passes over Libya [17,25] (nation), AfricaLibya, and I think that in its passage over all Europe (continent)Europe it would have the same effect on the Ister as it now does on the Nahr an- Nil [31.1,30.166] (river), AfricaNile.