Sextus Julius Africanus

[Macedon]

I am currently going through the Kestoi (Cesti) of Sextus Julius Africanus. I am doing my own translations as usual, but I would like to ask you fine gentlemen whether you know of any translation of the said work on the web as I want to make comparisons in certain interesting points.

Thank you and

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

[Flavivs Aetivs]

I've run across bits of the text before, but never a translation. I was hunting for one earlier (regarding his passage on automatic fire) but came up empty handed.

[mcbishop]

I am currently going through the Kestoi (Cesti) of Sextus Julius Africanus. I am doing my own translations as usual, but I would like to ask you fine gentlemen whether you know of any translation of the said work on the web as I want to make comparisons in certain interesting points.

Always worth checking Google Books;-)

Mike Bishop

[Macedon]

Thanks Mike, I also looked it up. Unfortunately all the useful pages are omitted... Evan, when I get to your point of interest I will give it a look.

[Flavivs Aetivs]

Thinking of translation and Google books, if anyone needs a copy of Merobaudes I have it.

[Macedon]

The Greek text related to the spontaneous fire formula reads :

"Αὐτόματον πῦρ ἅψαι καὶ τῷδε τῷ συντάγματι· σκευάζεται γοῦν (1)
οὕτως· θείου ἀπύρου, ἁλὸς ὀρυκτοῦ, κονίας, κεραυνίου λίθου, πυρίτου
ἴσα λειοῦνται ἐν θυίᾳ μελαίνῃ, μεσουρανοῦντος ἡλίου· μίγνυταί τε
συκαμίνου μελαίνης ὀποῦ καὶ ἀσφάλτου Ζακυνθίας ὑγρᾶς καὶ αὐτο-
ρύτου ἑκάστου ἴσον, ὡς λιγνυῶδες γενέσθαι· εἶτα προσβάλλεται (5)
ἀσφάλτῳ τιτάνου παντελῶς ὀλίγον· ἐπιμελῶς δὲ δεῖ τρίβειν, μεσουρα-
νοῦντος ἡλίου, καὶ φυλάσσειν τὸ πρόσωπον· αἰφνίδιον γὰρ ἀναφθή-
σεται. Ἁφθεῖσαν δὲ χρὴ πωμάσαι χαλκῷ τινι ἀγγείῳ, πρὸς τὸ ἕτοιμον
οὕτως ἔχειν εἰς πυξίδα καὶ μηκέτι δεικνύναι τῷ ἡλίῳ· ἀλλ’ ἐν ἑσπέρᾳ,
ἐὰν βούλῃ πολεμίων ὅπλα ἐμπρῆσαι, ταῦτα καταχρίσεις ἢ ἕτερόν τι, (10)
λεληθότως δέ· ἡλίου γὰρ φαινομένου, πάντα καυθήσεται. "

I guess that members more interested in the history of chemistry than I might be able to give some reliable insight on what the ingredients are. I can only assume although the process itself sounds easy enough.

[Flavivs Aetivs]

I found this translation on another website:

"Automatic fire is composed of equal parts of native sulpur, rock salt, incense, thunderbolt stone, or pyrites, ground in a black mortar in the mid-day sun, and mixed with equal parts of the resin of the black sycamore and liquid asphalt of Zakynthos to a greasy paste. Then some quicklime is added. The mass must be stirred at mid-day with care and the body protected, since the composition easily inflames. It must be kept in bronze boxes with tight covers, protected from the rays of the sun until it is wanted. If the engines of the enemy are to be burnt, they are smeared with it in the evening, and when the sun rises all will be burnt."

Rock Salt could be Calcium Carbonate (This was a reactant found in hand grenades filled with Greek Fire). Everything else is rather straightforward.

[D B Campbell]

I am currently going through the Kestoi (Cesti) of Sextus Julius Africanus.

As you probably know, most scholars have concentrated on Julius Africanus' Christian writings. Until recently, the standard translation of the Kestoi/Cesti was the difficult-to-obtain 1932 Budé volume by Jean-René Vieillefond (sadly, snippet view only on Google Books) and the 1970 follow-up (again snippet view only).

However, De Gruyter apparently published a new English translation last year (Google Books), which I have not (yet) seen.

[Macedon]

I can only describe it as "different"... Touches on very interesting subjects and its influences are not mainstream. For me it is a must read, even though its trustworthiness can be disputed.

[D B Campbell]

William Adler's new translation* reads:

Spontaneous combustion also by the following formula. This is the recipe: Take equal amounts of sulphur, rock salt, ashes, thunder stone, and pyrite, and pound fine in a black mortar, at midday sun. Also in equal amounts of each ingredient, mix together black mulberry sap and Zacynthian asphalt, the latter in liquid form and free flowing, resulting in a product that is sooty coloured. Then add to the asphalt the tiniest amount of quicklime. But because the sun is at its zenith, one must pound it carefully and protect the face, for it will ignite suddenly. When it catches fire, one should seal it in some sort of copper receptacle; in this way you will have it available in a box, without exposing it to the sun. If you should wish to ignite enemy armament, you will smear it on in the evening, either on the armament or some other object, but in secret; when the sun comes us [probably a typo for "comes up"], everything will be burned up.

* M. Wallraff, C. Scardino, L. Mecella & C. Guignard (eds.), W. Adler (trans.), Iulius Africanus, Cesti. The Extant Fragments (GCS Vol. 18, Berlin 2012), pp. 116-119 (Fragment D25).