Salmone
Salmo'ne
(Σαλμώνη, of unknown etymology), a promontory in Crete, apparently forming the northeast point of the island, mentioned thus in the narrative of Paul's voyage and shipwreck: "When we had scarce come over against Cnidus, the wind not suffering us, we sailed under Crete, over against Salmone" (Ac 27:7). Capt. Smith (of Jordanhill) has shown the naturalness and accuracy of this notice in his own peculiar way. The direct course of the ship, he states, from Myra to Italy, after reaching Cnidus, lay by the north side of Crete; but the wind at the time did not suffer that, blowing, as he shows, from a point somewhat to the west of northwest — a wind very prevalent. in the Archipelago in late summer. Then he says, "With northwest winds the ship could work up from Myra to Cnidus; because, until she reached that point, she had the advantage of a weather shore, under the lee of which she would have smooth water and a westerly current; but it would be slowly and with difficulty. At Cnidus that advantage ceased; and unless she had put into that harbor and waited for a fair wind, ler only course was to run under the lee of Crete, κατὰ Σαλμώνην, in the direction of Salmone, which is the eastern extremity of that island" (Paul's Voyage and Shipwreck, ch. 2). They passed the point, the evangelist says, with some difficulty; and the same modern writer mentions the case of a squadron (a portion of the British fleet from Abukir) which tried to take the same course, but had the wind too westerly to admit of their doing so (see Lewin, St. Paul, 2, 191). SEE SHIPWRECK (of St. Paul).
The classical name for the headland is Salmonium, Sammoninum, or Samonium (Σαλμώνιον, Σαμμώνιον, Σαμώνιον, Ptolem. 3, 15, § 5; Strabo, 2, 106; 10:474, 475, 478, 489; comp. Pomp. Mela, 2, 7, § 12; Pliny, 4, 20, § 21). The name Point Salomon is now usually applied to the end of Cape Sidero, the easternmost extreme of Crete (Hock, Creta, 1, 427); but Spratt (Researches in Crete [Lond. 1865]) thinks it is rather a southern extension of that headland called Cape Plaka. SEE CRETE.
