Strabo, Geography, Horace Leonard Jones (Translator), 7.frag.36

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[36] From the Peneius, he says, to Pydna is one hundred and twenty stadia. Along the seaboard of the Strymon and the Dateni are, not only the city Neapolis, but also Datum¹ itself, with its fruitful plains, lake, rivers, dock-yards, and profitable gold mines; and hence the proverb, “a Datum of good things,” like that other proverb, “spools of good things.” Now the country that is on the far side of the Strymon, I mean that which is near the sea and those places that are in the neighborhood of Datum, is the country of the Odomantes and the Edoni and the Bisaltae, both those who are indigenous and those who crossed over from Macedonia, amongst whom Rhesus reigned. Above Amphipolis, however, and as far as the city Heracleia,² is the country of the Bisaltae, with its fruitful valley; this valley is divided into two parts by the Strymon, which has its source in the country of the Agrianes who live round about Rhodope; and alongside this country lies Parorbelia, a district of Macedonia, which has in its interior, along the valley that begins at Eidonene, the cities Callipolis, Orthopolis, Philippopolis, Garescus.

If one goes up the Strymon, one comes to Berge;³ it, too, is situated in the country of the Bisaltae, and is a village about two hundred stadia distant from Amphipolis. And if one goes from Heracleia towards the north and the narrows through which the Strymon flows, keeping the river on the right, one has Paeonia and the region round about Doberus,⁴ Rhodope, and the Haemus Mountain on the left, whereas on the right one has the region round about the Haemus.⁵ This side the Strymon are Scotussa, near the river itself, and Arethusa, near lake Bolbe.⁶ Furthermore, the name Mygdones is applied especially to the people round about the lake. Not only the Axius flows out of the country of the Paeonians, but also the Strymon, for it flows out of the country of the Agrianes through that of the Medi and Sinti and empties into the parts that are between the Bisaltae and the Odomantes.

Geography. Strabo. Horace Leonard Jones (Translator). London. 1924-1929.

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Current edition Perseus

Geography (Books 6-14) (English) (Strabo. The Geography of Strabo, Vols. 3-6. Jones, Horace Leonard, translator. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann, Ltd., 1924-1929 (printing).)

Editions (1)

Γεωγραφικά Perseus (Strabo. Strabonis Geographica, Vols. 1-3. Meineke, August, editor. Leipzig: Teubner. 1877.) — 7.fragments.36 focus

[36] ἀπὸ Πηνειοῦ φησὶν εἰς Πύδναν σταδίους ἑκατὸν εἴκοσι. παρὰ δὲ τὴν παραλίαν τοῦ Στρυμόνος καὶ Δατηνῶν πόλις Νεάπολις καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ Δάτον, εὔκαρπα πεδία καὶ λίμνην καὶ ποταμοὺς καὶ ναυπήγια καὶ χρυσεῖα λυσιτελῆ ἔχον, ἀφʼ οὗ καὶ παροιμιάζονται Δάτον ἀγαθῶν ὡς καὶ ἀγαθῶν ἀγαθῖδας. ἔστι δʼ ἡ χώρα ἡ πρὸς τὸ Στρυμόνος πέραν, ἡ μὲν ἐπὶ τῇ θαλάττῃ καὶ τοῖς περὶ Δάτον τόποις Ὀδόμαντες καὶ Ἠδωνοὶ καὶ Βισάλται, οἵ τε αὐτόχθονες καὶ οἱ ἐκ Μακεδονίας διαβάντες, ἐν οἷς Ῥῆσος ἐβασίλευσεν. ὑπὲρ δὲ τῆς Ἀμφιπόλεως Βισάλται καὶ μέχρι πόλεως Ἡρακλείας, ἔχοντες αὐλῶνα εὔκαρπον, ὃν διαρρεῖ ὁ Στρυμὼν ὡρμημένος ἐκ τῶν περὶ Ῥοδόπην Ἀγριάνων, οἷς παράκειται τῆς Μακεδονίας ἡ Παρορβηλία, ἐν μεσογαίᾳ ἔχουσα κατὰ τὸν αὐλῶνα τὸν ἀπὸ Εἰδομένης Καλλίπολιν Ὀρθόπολιν Φιλιππούπολιν Γαρησκόν. ἐν δὲ τοῖς Βισάλταις ἀνὰ ποταμὸν ἰόντι τὸν Στρυμόνα καὶ ἡ Βέργη ἵδρυται, κώμη ἀπέχουσα Ἀμφιπόλεως περὶ διακοσίους σταδίους. ἐπὶ δὲ ἄρκτους ἰόντι ἀπὸ Ἡρακλείας καὶ τὰ στενὰ διʼ ὧν ὁ Στρυμὼν φέρεται, δεξιὸν ἔχοντι τὸν ποταμὸν ἐκ μὲν τῶν εὐωνύμων ἐστὶν ἡ Παιονία καὶ τὰ περὶ τὸν Δόβηρον καὶ τὴν Ῥοδόπην καὶ τὸν Αἷμον ὄρος, ἐν δεξιᾷ δὲ τὰ περὶ τὸν Αἷμον. ἐντὸς δὲ τοῦ Στρυμόνος πρὸς αὐτῷ μὲν τῷ ποταμῷ ἡ Σκοτοῦσσα ἔστι, πρὸς δὲ τῇ λίμνῃ τῇ Βόλβῃ Ἀρέθουσα. καὶ δὴ καὶ μάλιστα λέγονται Μυγδόνες οἱ περὶ τὴν λίμνην. οὐ μόνον δʼ ὁ Ἀξιὸς ἐκ Παιόνων ἔχει τὴν ῥύσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ Στρυμών· ἐξ Ἀγριάνων γὰρ διὰ Μαίδων καὶ Σιντῶν εἰς τὰ μεταξὺ Βισαλτῶν καὶ Ὀδομάντων ἐκπίπτει. E.

Translations (1)

Geography Perseus (Strabo. The Geography of Strabo, Vols. 1-3. Hamilton, Hans Claude, translator; Falconer, William, translator. London: Henry G. Bohn, 1854-1857.) — 7.fragments.36 focus

[36] He says, it is 120 stadia (300?) from the Peneus to Pydna. On the sea-coast of the Strymon and of the Dateni is Neapolis, and Datum also, which has fruitful plains, a lake, rivers, dockyards, and valuable gold mines. Hence the proverb, A Datum of good things, like “Piles of plenty. The country beyond the Strymon, which borders upon the sea and includes the parts about Datum, is occupied by Odomantes, Edoni, and Bisaltae, some of whom are an indigenous people, the others came from Macedonia and were under the government of Rhesus. Above Amphipolis live the Bisaltae, extending to the city Heraclea (Sintica); they occupy a fertile valley, through which passes the Strymon, which rises among the Agrianes near Rhodope. Near the Agrianes is situated Parorbelia of Macedonia. In the interior, in a valley, which commences at Idomene, are situated Callipolis, Orthopolis, Philipopolis, and Garescus. Among the Bisaltae, proceeding up the river Strymon, is situated Berga, a village, distant from Amphipolis about 200 stadia. Proceeding northwards from Heraclea, and to the narrows, through which the Strymon flows, keeping the river on the right, first on the left are Paeonia and the parts about Dobera; then on the right are the mountains Haemus and Rhodope, with the adjacent parts. On this side of the Strymon, close upon the river, is Scotussa; near the lake Bolbe is Arethusa; the inhabitants above the lake are chiefly Mygdones. Not only is the course of the Axius through Paeonia, but that of the Strymon also; for it rises among the Agrianes, passes through the territory of the Maedi and Sinti, and discharges itself between the Bisaltae and Odomantes. E.

Notes on the current edition

Geography

1. Appian Bellum Civile 4.105 and also Harpocration say the Datum was the earlier name of Philippi and that Crenides was the name of the same place in still earlier times. Leake ( Northern Greece, Vol. III, pp. 223-4), Kiepert ( Alte Geographic 315), Forbiger (Strabo Vol. II, p. 140, footnote, 175), Besnier ( Lexique Geog. Ancienne s.v. “Neapolis”), Lolling ( Hellenische Landeskunde, 220, 230) identify Datum with Neapolis. But Heuzey (quoted by Philippson, Pauly-Wissowa s.v. “Datum”) tries to reconcile these disagreements and the above statement of Strabo by assuming that originally Datum was that territory east of Mt. Pangarum which comprised the Plain of Philippi, the basin of the Angites River (including Drabescus now Drama), and the adjacent coast; and that later Neapolis (now Kavala) was founded on the coast and Datum was founded on the site of Crenides, and still later the city of Datum was named Philippi.

2. Heracleia Sintica (now Zervokhori).

3. Now Tachyno (Leake, Northern Greece, Vol. III, p. 229).

4. The site of the city Doberus is uncertain (see Pauly-Wissowa, s.v.), though it appears to have been somewhere near Tauriana.

5. The text, which even Meineke retains, is translated as it stands, but Strabo probably wrote as follows: “one has Paeonia and the region round about Doberus on the left, whereas on the right one has the parts round about Rhodope and the Haemus Mountain.

6. Now Beschikgoel.

Strabo Geography 7.frag.36

Horace Leonard Jones (Translator)

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