Talk:Arabia Felix

Surely a better translation of Arabia Felix is 'fertile arabia'? This was surely the point of the name? — This unsigned comment was added by 80.1.250.200 (talk) at 08:29, 20 September 2009‎.

felix#Latin gives fertile as a translation, so in a word, yes. Mglovesfun (talk) 08:45, 20 September 2009 (UTC)

Might also be a calque of Ἀραβία Εὐδαίμων (Arabía Eudaímōn). — Kleio (t · c) 14:09, 12 December 2016 (UTC)

@KIeio: Which would suggest that “fertile” is not the right adjective, since it appears that εὐδαίμων (eudaímōn) doesn’t mean that. — I.S.M.E.T.A. 03:24, 13 December 2016 (UTC)

@I'm so meta even this acronym: It does seem that way, though I think it's still close to being accurate. According to LSJ, εὐδαίμων (eudaímōn) can also mean wealthy, which corresponds more or less to the meaning of fēlīx (listed by L&S but not on our entry) of prosperous. — Kleio (t · c) 04:15, 13 December 2016 (UTC)

@KIeio: It does indeed. Referring to Aden, which is in Arabia Felix, {{R:Smith's Geography|arabia-felix}} remarks “The ancient emporium of Arabian spices and Indian wealth, restored to importance, after the lapse of centuries, as a station and coal depôt for the overland mail, exhibits a curious link between the ancient and modern civilization of the East, and a strange example of the cycles in which history moves.” (underlining my emphasis). I also read something linking Arabia Felix to frankincense, though I can't at this moment find where I read that. — I.S.M.E.T.A. 10:19, 13 December 2016 (UTC)

@I'm so meta even this acronym: I changed the literal translation to Prosperous Arabia, and added that meaning to the entry for fēlīx. I also added the calque etymology to the entry. — Kleio (t · c) 19:57, 14 December 2016 (UTC)