From the book
Stobaeus, Volume I
John Stobaeus · Diotimos Editions · 2026
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At a Glance
- The wordDrosos is dew.
- In StobaeusArrian describes fine vapor cooling and descending as dew, then explains certain red and black appearances as changes produced by the sun.
- In this edition“Dew” is clear.
- A place to beginCooled vapor becomes dew, followed by an account of its supposed color changes.
- English renderings
- dew
Meaning
Drosos is dew. Accounts of its formation connect it with cooled vapor remaining close to the ground.
Use in the book
Arrian describes fine vapor cooling and descending as dew, then explains certain red and black appearances as changes produced by the sun. The first claim identifies the formation of dew; the subsequent color account adds a separate ancient explanation of phenomena named by terms for reddish material and blight.
Places to read
- I.31.8.7Cooled vapor becomes dew, followed by an account of its supposed color changes.
Translation in this edition
“Dew” is clear. The unusual names for altered forms need explanation rather than confident modern identifications.
Source note
Wachsmuth, volume I, printed pp. 246–247. The Greek names miltos, phoinias, and erysibē do not securely identify a single set of modern substances in this passage.