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Descriptio Thraciarum, et sinus Pontici, regionumque ac nationum Ponto adiacentium.

[1] Appositum est (ut existimo) tempus, ad has partes nos occasione magni principis devolutos, super Thraciarum extimis situque Pontici sinus, visa vel lecta quaedam perspicua fide monstrare.

[2] Athos in Macedonia mons ille praecelsus navibus quondam Medicis pervius, et Caphereus Euboicus scopulus, ubi Nauplius Palamedis pater classem collisit Argivam, licet longo spatio controversi a Thessalo mari distinguunt Aegaeum, quod paulatim fusius adulescens, dextra (qua late protenditur) per Sporadas est insulosum atque Cycladas, ideo sic appellatas quod omnes ambiunt Delon partu deorum insignem, laeva Imbrum et Tenedum circumluens et Lemnum et Thasum, quando perflatur, Lesbo illiditur violentius.

[3] Unde gurgitibus refluis Apollinis Sminthii templum et Troada perstringit et Ilium heroicis casibus claram, efficitque Melana sinum oppositum Zephyro, cuius apud principium Abdera visitur Protagorae domicilium et Democriti, cruentaeque Diomedis Thracii sedes et convalles, per quas Hebrus sibi miscetur, et Maronea et Aenus, qua diris auspiciis coepta moxque relicta ad Ausoniam veterem ductu numinum properavit Aeneas.

[4] Hinc gracilescens paulatim et velut naturali quodam commercio ruens in Pontum eiusque partem ad se iungens, in speciem Φ litterae Graecae¹ formatur, exin Hellespontum a Rhodopa scindens, Cynossema (ubi sepulta creditur Hecuba) et Coelan praeterlabitur et Seston et Callipolin. Contra per Achillis Aiacisque sepulchra, Dardanum contingit et Abydon, unde iunctis pontibus Xerxes maria pedibus peragravit, dein Lampsacum Themistocli dono datam a rege Persarum, et Parion quam condidit Iasionis filius Paris.

[5] Unde semiorbe curvescens altrinsecus, lataque aperiens terrarum divortia, circumfluis spatiis Propontidos respergit ex eoo latere Cyzicum, et Dindyma (religiosa Matris Magnae delubra), et Apamiam Ciumque, ubi Hylam et Astacum² secuto tempore Nicomediam a rege cognominatam, qua in occasum procedit Cherronesum pulsat et Aegospotamus, in quo loco lapides casuros ex caelo praedixit Anaxagoras, et Lysimachiam et civitatem, quam Hercules conditam Perinthi comitis sui memoriae dedicavit.

[6] Et ut effecte pleneque Φ litterae figura servetur, in meditullio ipso rotunditatis Proconesus insula est oblonga et Besbicus.

[7] Post cuius summitatem in angustias rursus extenuatum Europam et Bithyniam intercurrens, per Chalcedona et Chrysopolim et stationes transit obscuras.

[8] Nam supercilia eius sinistra Athyras portus despectat et Selymbria et Constantinopolis, vetus Byzantium, Atticorum colonia, et promuntorium Ceras praelucentem navibus vehens constructam celsius turrim, quapropter Ceratas appellatur ventus inde suetus oriri praegelidus.

[9] Hoc modo fractum et participatione maris utriusque finitum, iamque mitescens in aequoream panditur faciem, quantum potest cadere sub aspectum, late diffusum et longe.

[10] Omnis autem eius velut insularis circuitus litorea navigatio viginti tribus dimensa milibus stadiorum, ut Eratosthenes affirmat et Hecataeus et Ptolomaeus aliique huius modi cognitionum minutissimi scitatores, in speciem Scythici arcus nervo coagmentati geographiae totius assensione formatur.

[11] Et qua sol oceano exsurgit eoo, paludibus clauditur Maeotidos: qua declinat in vesperum, Romanis provinciis terminatur: unde suspicit sidus arctoum, homines alit linguis et moribus dispares: latus eius austrinum molli devexitate subductum.

[12] Per haec amplissima spatia oppida sunt dispersa Graecorum, quae cuncta aetatibus variis praeter pauca Atheniensium coloni condidere Milesii, inter Ionas alios in Asia per Nileum multo³ ante locati, Codri illius filium, qui se pro patria bello fertur Dorico devovisse.

[13] Extremitatis⁴ autem arcus utrumque tenus⁵ duo exprimunt Bospori, e regione sibi oppositi, Thracius et Cimmericus: hac causa Bospori vocitati, quod per eos quondam Inachi filia, mutata (ut poetae loquuntur) in bovem,⁶ ad mare Ionium permeavit.

[14] Dextram igitur inflexionem Bospori Thracii excipit Bithyniae litus,⁷ quam veteres dixere Mygdoniam, in qua Thynia et Mariandena sunt regiones et Amyci saevitia Bebryces exempti virtute Pollucis, remotaque statio, in qua volitantes minaciter harpyias Phineus vates horrebat; per quae litora in sinus oblongos curvatus Sangarius et Phyllis et Lycus⁸ et Rhebas Rheba fluvii funduntur in maria, quibus controversae cyaneae sunt Symplegades, gemini scopuli in vertices undique porrecti deruptos,⁹ assueti priscis saeculis obviam sibi cum horrendo fragore collisis molibus ferri, cedentesque retrorsus acri assultu, ad ea reverti quae pulsarant. Per has saxorum dehiscentium concursantiumque crebritates si etiam ales intervolasset, nulla celeritate pinnarum eripi poterat quin interiret oppressa.

[15] Hi scopuli cum eos Argo prima omnium navis Colchos as direptionem aurei properans velleris praeterisset innoxia, immobiles turbine circumfracto stetere concorporati, ut eos aliquando fuisse diremptos nulli nunc conspicantium credant, nisi super hoc congruerent omnes priscorum carminum cantus.

[16] Post Bithyniae partem provinciae Pontus et Paphlagonia protenduntur, in quibus Heraclea et Sinope et Polemonion, et Amisos amplae sunt civitates, et Tios et Amastris, omnes ab auspicio diligentia fundatae Graecorum, et Cerasus, unde advexit huius nominis¹⁰ poma Lucullus, insulaeque duae,¹¹ et Trapezunta et¹² Pityunta continentis oppida non obscura.

[17] Ultra haec loca Acherusium specus est, quod accolae Μυχοπόντιον appellant, et portus Acone, fluviique¹³ Acheron, idemque Arcadius, et Iris et Tibris Thybris et iuxta Parthenius, omnes in mare ictu rapido decurrentes. Thermodon his amnis¹⁴ est proximus ab Armonio defluens monte, et Themiscyraeos interlabens lucos ad quos Amazonas quondam migrare necessitas subegerat talis.

[18] Attritis damnorum assiduitate finitimis, Amazones veteres, quae eos cruentis populabantur incursibus, altiora spirabant, viresque suas circumspectantes his, quae propinqua saepius appetebant, validiores, raptae praecipiti cupiditatis ardore, perruptis nationibus plurimis, manus Atheniensibus intulerunt, acrique concertatione effuse disiectae, omnes nudatis equitatus sui lateribus, corruere.

[19] Harum interitu cognito, residuae ut imbelles domi relictae, extrema perpessae, et¹⁵ vicinitatis repensantis similia, funestos impetus declinantes, ad pacatiorem sedem transiere Thermodontis, quarum progenies longe deinde propagata, per numerosam subolem manu firmissima ad loca reverterat genitalia, secuto tempore populis diversarum originum formidabilis.

[20] Haut procul inde attollitur attolitur Carambis, placide collis contra septentrionem¹⁶ Helicen exsurgens, cuius e regione est Criumetopon, Tauricae Taurices¹⁷ promuntorium, duobus milibus et quingentis stadiis disparatum. Hocque ex loco omnis ora maritima, cuius initium Halys est amnis, velut longitudine lineali directa nervi efficit speciem, duabus arcus summitatibus complicati.¹⁸

[21] His regionibus Dahae confines sunt, acerrimi omnium bellatores, et Chalybes, per quos erutum et domitum est primitus ferrum. Post quos terras patentes Byzares obtinent et Sapires et Tibareni et Mossynoeci et Macrones et Philyres, populi nulla nobis assuetudine cogniti.

[22] A quibus brevi spatio distant virorum monumenta nobilium, in quibus Sthenelus est humatus et Idmon et Tiphys, primus Herculis socius, Amazonico bello letaliter vulneratus, alter augur Argonautarum, tertius eiusdem navis cautissimus rector.

[23] Praetercursis partibus memoratis, Aulion antron est, et fluenta Callichori, ex facto cognominati, quod superatis post triennium Indicis nationibus, ad eos tractus Liber reversus, circa huius ripas viridis et opacas orgia pristina reparavit et choros: trieterica huius modi sacra quidam existimant appellari.¹⁹

[24] Post haec confinia, Camaritarum pagi sunt celebres, et Phasis fremebundis cursibus Colchos attingit, Aegyptiorum antiquam subolem, ubi inter civitates alias Phasis est nomine fluvii dictitata, et Dioscurias nunc nune usque nota, cuius auctores Amphitus et Cercius Spartani traduntur, aurigae Castoris et Pollucis, quibus Heniochorum natio est instituta.

[25] Paulum ab his secernuntur Achaei, qui bello anteriore quodam apud Troiam consummate, non cum super Helena certaretur (ut auctores prodidere non nulli), usque in Pontum reflantibus ventis errore delati, cunctisque hostilibus, stabilem domicilii sedem²⁰ nusquam reperientes, verticibus montium insedere semper nivalium, et horrore caeli districti, victum sibi²¹ cum periculis raptu²² parare assuefacti sunt, atque eo ultra omnem deinde ferociam saevierunt. Super Cercetis, qui eisdem annexi sunt, nihil memoratu traditur dignum.

[26] Quorum post terga Cimmerici agitant incolae Bospori, ubi Milesiae sunt civitates, harumque velut mater omnium Panticapaeum, quam perstringit Hypanis fluvius, genuinis intumescens aquis et externis.

[27] Itineribus hinc extensis, Amazones ad usque Caspium mare porrectae, circumcolunt Tanain, qui inter Caucasias oriens rupes per sinuosos labitur circumflexus, Asiamque disterminans ab Europa, in stagnis Maeoticis delitescit.

[28] Huic Ra²³ vicinus est amnis, in cuius superciliis quaedam vegetabilis eiusdem nominis gignitur radix, proficiens ad usus multiplicis medelarum.

[29] Ultra Tanain panduntur in latitudinem Sauromatae, per quos amnes fluunt perpetui Marabius Maraccus²⁴ et Rombitus Rombites et Theophanes et Totordanes. Licet alia quoque distans immanibus intervallis, Sauromatarum praetenditur natio, litori iuncta, quod Coracem suscipiens fluvium in aequor eiectat Euxinum.²⁵

[30] Prope palus est Maeotis amplissimi circumgressus, ex cuius uberrimis venis per Panticapes²⁶ angustias undarum magnitudo prorumpit in Pontum, cuius in dextro latere insulae sunt Phanagorus et Hermonassa studio constructae Graecorum.

[31] Circa haec stagna ultima extimaque plures habitant gentes, sermonum institutorumque varietate dispariles, Iaxamatae Ixomatae et Maeotae et Iazyges lazyges, Roxolanique et Halani et Melanchlaenae et cum Gelonis Agathyrsi, apud quos adamantis est copia lapidis: aliique ultra latentes, quod sunt omnium penitissimi.

[32] Sed Maeotidos lateri laevo Cherronesus est propinqua, coloniarum plena Graecarum. Unde quieti sunt homines et sedati, adhibentes vomeri curam, et proventibus fructuariis victitantes.

[33] A quibus per varia regna diducti itineribus modicis Tauri dissociantur, inter quos immani diritate terribiles Arichi²⁷ et Sinchi et Napaei, intendente saevitiam licentia diuturna, indidere mari nomen inhospitali, et a contrario per cavillationem Pontus Εὔξεινος appellatur, ut εὐήθη Graeci dicimus stultum et noctem εὐφρόνην, et furias εὐμενίδας.

[34] Deos²⁸ enim hostiis litantes humanis et immolantes advenas Dianae, quae apud eos dicitur Orsiloche, caesorum capita fani parietibus praefigebant, velut fortium perpetua monumenta facinorum.

[35] In hac Taurica insula Leuce sine habitatoribus ullis Achilli est dedicata. In quam si fuerint quidam forte delati, visis antiquitatis vestigiis temploque et donariis eidem heroi consecratis, vesperi repetunt naves: aiunt enim non sine discrimine vitae illic quemquam pernoctare. Ibi et aquae sunt, et candidae aves nascuntur, halcyonibus alcyonibus similes, super quarum origine et Hellespontiacis proeliis tempore disseremus.²⁹

[36] Sunt autem quaedam per Tauricam civitates, inter quas eminet Eupatoria et Dandace, et Theodosia et minores aliae nullis humanis hostiis impiatae.

[37] Hactenus arcus apex protendi existimatur. Eius nune residua leniter sinuata, subiectaque ursae caelesti, ad usque laevum Bospori Thracii latus (ut ordo postulat) exsequemur, id admonentes, quod, cum arcus omnium gentium flexis curventur hastilibus, Scythici soli vel Parthici, circumductis utrimque introrsus pandis et patulis cornibus, effigiem efigiem lunae decrescentis ostendunt, medietatem recta et rotunda regula dividente.

[38] Ergo in ipso huius compagis exordio, ubi Riphaei deficiunt montes, habitant Arimphaei Aremphaei, iusti homines placiditateque cogniti, quos amnes Chronius et Visula³⁰ praeterfluunt; iuxtaque Massagetae, Halani et Sargetae, aliique plures obscuri, quorum nec vocabula nobis sunt nota nec mores.

[39] Interiectu deinde non mediocri Carcinites panditur sinus eiusdemque nominis fluvius, et religiosus per eas terras Triviae lucus.

[40] Dein Borysthenes a montibus oriens Nerviorum, primigeniis fontibus copiosus concursuque multorum amnium adulescens, mari praeruptis undarum verticibus intimatur, cuius in marginibus nemorosis Borysthenes est civitas et Cephalonesus, et arae Alexandro Magno Caesarique Augusto sacratae.

[41] Longo exinde intervallo paene est insula, quam incolunt Sindi ignobiles, post eriles in Asia casus, coniugiis potiti dominorum et rebus, quibus subiectum gracile litus Ἀχιλλέως vocant indigenae δρόμον, exercitiis ducis quondam Thessali memorabilem. Eique proxima est civitas Tyros, colonia Phoenicum, quam praestringit fluvius Tyras.

[42] In medio autem spatio arcus, quod prolixae rotunditatis esse praediximus, quodque expedite viatori diebus conficitur quindecim, Europaei sunt Halani et Costobocae, gentesque Scytharum innumerae, quae porriguntur ad usque terras sine cognito fine distentas. Quarum pars exigua frugibus alitur, residuae omnes palantes per solitudines vastas, nec stivam aliquando nec sementem expertas, sed squalentes et pruinosas, ferarum taetro ritu vescuntur, eisque caritates et habitacula, vilesque suppellectiles plaustris impositae sunt corticibus tectis, et cum placuerit, sine obstaculo migrant, eodem carpenta quo libuerit convolventes.

[43] Cum autem ad alium portuosum ambitum fuerit ventum, qui arcus figuram determinat ultimam, Peuce Pence prominet insula, quam circumcolunt Trogodytae et Peucini Peuci, minoresque aliae gentes, et Histros quondam potentissima civitas, et Tomi et Apollonia et Anchialos et Odessos,³¹ aliae praeterea multae, quas litora continent Thraciarum.

[44] Amnis vero Danubius, oriens prope Rauracos montesque³² confines limitibus Raeticis, per latiorem orbem praetentus, ac sexaginta navigabilis paene omnes³³ recipiens fluvios, septem ostiis per hoc Scythicum litus erumpit in mare.

[45] Quorum primum est Peuce insula supra dicta,³⁴ ut interpretata sunt vocabula Graeco sermone, secundum Naracustoma, tertium Calonstoma, quartum Pseudostoma; nam Borionstoma ac deinde Stenostoma longe minora³⁵ sunt ceteris; septimum caenosum³⁶ et palustri specie nigrum.

[46] Omnis autem circumfluo ambitu Pontus et nebulosus est, et dulcior aequorum ceteris et vadosus, quod et concrescit aer ex umorum spiramine saepe densatus, et irruentium undarum magnitudine temperatur, et consurgit in brevia dorsuosa, limum glebasque³⁷ aggerente multitudine circumvenientium fluentorum.

[47] Et constat ab ultimis nostri finibus maris, agminatim ad³⁸ hunc secessum pariendi gratia petere pisces, ut aquarum suavitate salubrius fetus educant in receptaculis cavis (qualia³⁹ sunt ibi densissima), securi voracium beluarum: nihil enim in Ponto huius modi aliquando est visum, praeter innoxios delphinas et parvos.⁴⁰

[48] Quicquid autem eiusdem Pontici sinus aquilone caeditur et pruinis, ita perstringitur gelu, ut nec amnium cursus subtervolvi credantur, nec per infidum et labile solum, gressus hominis possit vel iumenti firmari, quod vitium numquam mare sincerum, sed permixtum aquis amnicis temptat. Prolati aliquanto sumus⁴¹ longius quam sperabamus, pergamus ad reliqua.

[49] Accesserat aliud ad gaudiorum praesentium cumulum, diu quidem speratum, sed dilationum ambage multiplici mutiplici tractum. Nuntiatum est enim per Agilonem et Iovium, postea quaestorem, Aquileiae defensores longioris obsidii taedio, cognitoque Constanti excessu, patefactis portis egressos, auctores prodidisse turbarum, eisdemque vivis exustis (ut supra relatum est), omnes concessionem impetrasse delictorum et veniam.

Res Gestae. Ammianus Marcellinus. John C. Rolfe (Translator). Cambridge, MA. 1935-1940.

Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.

Funding provided by Tufts University.

Current edition Perseus

Res Gestae (Ammianus Marcellinus. Ammianus Marcellinus, with an English translation, Vols. I-III. Rolfe, John C., editor. Cambridge, MA; London: Harvard University Press; W. Heinemann, 1935-1940 (printing).)

Translations (1)

History Perseus (Ammianus Marcellinus. Ammianus Marcellinus, with an English translation, Vols. I-III. Rolfe, John C., translator. Cambridge, MA; London: Harvard University Press; W. Heinemann, 1935-1940 (printing).) — 22.8 focus

[1] Now is a fitting time (I think), since the history of a great prince has opportunely brought us to these places, to give some account of the remote parts of Thrace, and of the topography of the Pontic sea, with clearness and accuracy, partly from my own observation and partly from reading.¹

[2] Athos,² that lofty mountain in Macedonia through which the Medic ships once passed,³ and Caphereus, the headland of Euboea⁴ where Nauplius, Looking eastward. father of Palamedes, wrecked the Argive fleet,⁵ although they face each other at a long distance apart, separate the Aegean and the Thessalian seas.⁶ The Aegean gradually grows larger, and on the right, where it is of wide extent, is rich in islands through the Sporades and Cyclades, so-called because they are all grouped about Delos, famous as the cradle of the gods.⁷ On the left, it washes Imbros and Tenedos, Lemnos and Thasos, and when the wind is strong, dashes violently upon Lesbos.

[3] From there, with back-flowing current,⁸ it laves the temple of Apollo Sminthius,⁹ the Troad, and Ilium, famed for the death of heroes, and forms the bay of Melas,¹⁰ facing the west wind, at the entrance of which is seen Abdera, the home of Protagoras and Democritus, and the bloodstained dwelling of the Thracian Diomedes,¹¹ and the vales through which the Hebrus¹² flows into it, and Maronea and Aenos,¹³ a city which Aeneas began under unfavourable auspices, but presently abandoned it and hastened on to ancient Ausonia under the guidance of the gods.

[4] After this, the Aegean gradually grows narrower and flows as if by a kind of natural union into the Pontus; and joining with a part of this it takes the form of the Greek letter φ.¹⁴ Then it separates Hellespontus from the province of Rhodopa and flows past Cynossema,¹⁵ where Hecuba is supposed to be buried, and Coela, Sestos and Callipolis.3 On the opposite side it washes the tombs of Achilles and Ajax, and Dardanus and Abydus, from which Xerxes built a bridge and crossed the sea on foot; then Lampsacus, which the Persian king gave to Themistocles as a gift,¹⁶ and Parion, founded by Paris, the son of lasion.

[5] Then swelling on both sides into the form of a half-circle and giving a view of widely separated lands, it laves with the spreading waters of the Propontis,¹⁷ on the eastern side Cyzicus¹⁸ and Dindyma,¹⁹ where there is a sacred shrine of the Great Mother,²⁰ and Apamia and Cius, where Hylas was pursued and carried off by the nymph,²¹ and Astacus, in a later age called after King Nicomedes.²² Where it turns to the westward it beats upon the Cherronesus and Aegospotami, where Anaxagoras predicted a rain of stones from heaven,²³ and Lysimachia and the city which Hercules founded and dedicated to the name of his comrade Perinthus;

[6] and in order to keep the form of the letter φ full and complete, in the very middle of the circle lies the oblong island of Proconesos,²⁴ and Besbicus.²⁵

[7] After reaching the extreme end of this part,²⁶ it again contracts into a narrow strait, and flowing between Europe and Bithynia, passes by Chalcedon, Chrysopolis,²⁷ and some obscure stations.

[8] Its left bank, however, is looked down upon by the port of Athyras and Selymbria, and Constantinople, the ancient Byzantium, a colony of the Athenians,²⁸ and the promontory Ceras, which bears a tower built high and giving light to ships²⁹ ; therefore a very cold wind which often blows from that quarter is called Ceratas.

[9] After being broken in this fashion and coming to an end through the mingling of the two seas, it now grows quieter and spreads out into the form of a flat of water extending in width and length as far as the eye can reach.³⁰

[10] The complete voyage around its shores, as one would encircle an island, is a distance of 23,000³¹ stadia, as is asserted by Eratosthenes, Hecataeus, Ptolemy, and other very accurate investigators of such problems; and according to the testimony of all geographers it has the form of a drawn Scythian bow.³²

[11] And where the sun rises from the eastern ocean it comes to an end in the marshes of the Maeotis³³ ; where it inclines towards the west it is bounded by Roman provinces; where it looks up to the Bears it breeds men of varying languages and habits; on the southern side it slopes downward³⁴ in a gentle curve.

[12] Over this vast space are scattered cities of the Greeks, all of which, with a few exceptions, were founded at varying periods by the Milesians, who were themselves colonists of the Athenians. The Milesians in much earlier times were established among other Ionians in Asia by Nileus, the son of that Codrus who (they say) sacrificed himself for his country in the Dorian war.³⁵

[13] Now the tips of the bow on both sides are represented by the two Bospori lying opposite to each other, the Thracian³⁶ and the Cimmerian; and they are called Bospori, as the poets say, because the daughter of Inachus,³⁷ when she was changed into a heifer, once crossed through them to the Ionian sea.

[14] The right-hand curve of the Thracian Bosporus begins with the shore of Bithynia, which the men of old called Mygdonia, containing the provinces of Thynia and Mariandena, and also the Bebrycians, who were delivered from the cruelty of Amycus through the valour of Pollux;³⁸ and a remote station, a place where the menacing harpies fluttered about the seer Phineus and filled him with fear.³⁹ Along these shores, which curve into extensive bays, the rivers Sangarius and Phyllis, Lycus and Rheba pour into the sea; opposite them are the dark Symplegades, twin rocks rising on all sides into precipitous cliffs, which were wont in ages past to rush together and dash their huge mass upon each other with awful crash, and then to recoil with a swift spring and return to what they had struck.⁴⁰ If even a bird should fly between these swiftly separating and clashing rocks, no speed of wing could save it from being crushed to death.

[15] But these cliffs, ever since the Argo, first of all ships, hastening to Colchis to carry off the golden fleece, had passed between them unharmed, have stood motionless with their force assuaged and so united that no one of those who now look upon them would believe that they had ever been separated, were it not that all the songs of the poets of old agree about the story.⁴¹

[16] Beyond one part of Bithynia extend the provinces of Pontus and Paphlagonia, in which are the great cities of Heraclea, Sinope, Polemonion and Amisos, as well as Ties and Amastris, all owing their origin to the activity of the Greeks; also Cerasus, from which Lucullus brought the fruits so-named.⁴² There are also two islands, on which are situated the celebrated cities of Trapezus and Pityus.

[17] Beyond these places is the Acherusian cave, which the natives call Mychopontion,⁴³ and the port of Acone,⁴⁴ besides the rivers Acheron (also called the Arcadius), Iris, Thybris, and hard by, the Parthenius, all of which flow with swift course into the sea. The next river to these is the Thermodon, flowing from Mount Armonius and gliding through the Themiscyraean groves, to which the Amazons were forced to migrate in days of yore for the following reason.

[18] The Amazons of old, after having by constant losses worn out their neighbours, and devastated them by bloody raids, had higher aspirations; and considering their strength and feeling that it was too great merely for frequent attacks upon their neighbours, being carried away besides by the headstrong heat of covetousness, they broke through many nations and made war upon the Athenians.⁴⁵ But after a bitter contest they were scattered in all directions, and since the flanks of their cavalry were left unprotected, they all perished.

[19] Upon the news of their destruction the remainder, who had been left at home as unfit for war, suffered extreme hardship; and in order to avoid the deadly attacks of their neighbours, who paid them like for like, they moved to a quieter abode on the Thermodon. Thereafter their descendants, who had greatly increased, returned, thanks to their numerous offspring, with a very powerful force, and in later times were a cause of terror to peoples of divers nationalities.⁴⁶

[20] Not far from there the hill called Carambis lifts itself with gentle slope, rising towards the Great Bear of the north, and opposite this, at a distance of 2500 stadia, is Criumetopon,⁴⁷ a promontory of Taurica. From this point the whole seacoast, beginning at the river Halys, as if drawn in a straight line, has the form of the string joined to the two tips of the bow.

[21] Bordering on these regions are the Dahae, the fiercest of all warriors, and the Chalybes, by whom iron was first mined and worked. Beyond these are open plains, inhabited by the Byzares, Sapires, Tibareni, Mossynoeci, Macrones and Philyres, peoples not known to us through any intercourse.

[22] A short distance from these are the tombs of famous men, in which are buried Sthenelus,⁴⁸ Idmon,⁴⁹ and Tiphys;⁵⁰ the first of these was a companion of Hercules, mortally wounded in the war with the Amazons, the second the augur of the Argonauts, the third the careful steersman of that same craft.

[23] After passing the places mentioned, one comes to the grotto of Aulion and the river Callichorus,⁵¹ which owes its name to the fact that Bacchus, when he had after three years vanquished the peoples of India, returned to those regions, and on the green and shady banks of that river renewed the former orgies and dances;⁵² some think that this kind of festival was also called trieterica.⁵³

[24] Beyond these territories are the populous districts of the Camaritae,⁵⁴ and the Phasis in impetuous course borders on the Colchians, an ancient race of Egyptian origin. There,⁵⁵ among other cities, is Phasis, which gets its name from the river, and Dioscurias, well known even to this day, said to have been founded by Amphitus and Cercius of Sparta, the charioteers of Castor and Pollux, and founders of the nation of the Heniochi.⁵⁶

[25] A short distance from these are the Achaei, who, after the end of an earlier war at Troy (not the one which was fought about Helen, as some writers have asserted), being carried out of their course by contrary winds to Pontus, and meeting enemies everywhere, were unable to find a place for a permanent home; and so they settled on the tops of mountains covered with perpetual snow, where, compelled by the rigorous climate, they became accustomed to make a dangerous living by robbery, and hence became later beyond all measure savage. About the Cercetae, who adjoin them, we have no information worth mentioning.

[26] Behind these dwell the inhabitants of the Cimmercian Bosporus, where Milesian cities are, and Panticapaeum, the mother, so to speak, of all; this the river Hypanis washes, swollen with its own and tributary waters.

[27] Next, at a considerable distance, are the Amazons, who extend to the Caspian Sea and live about the Tanaïs,⁵⁷ which rises among the crags of Caucasus, flows in a course with many windings, and after separating Europe from Asia vanishes in the standing pools of the Maeotis.

[28] Near this is the river Ra,⁵⁸ on whose banks grows a plant of the same name, the root of which is used for many medicinal purposes.⁵⁹

[29] Beyond the Tanais the Sauromatae have a territory of wide extent, through which flow the never - failing rivers Maraccus, Rombites, Theophanes and Totordanes. However, there is also another nation of the Sauromatae, an enormous distance away, extending along the shore which receives the river Corax and pours it far out into the Euxine Sea.

[30] Nearby is the Maeotic Gulf⁶⁰ of wide circuit, from whose abundant springs a great body of water bursts through the narrows of Panticapes into the Pontus. On its right side are the islands Phanagorus and Hermonassa, founded by the industry of the Greeks.

[31] Around these farthest and most distant marshes live numerous nations, differing in the variety of their languages and customs: the Ixomatae, Maeotae, Iazyges, Roxolani, Halani, Melanchlaenae, and with the Geloni, the Agathyrsi, in whose country an abundance of the stone called adamant⁶¹ is found; and farther beyond are other peoples, who are wholly unknown, since they are the remotest of all men.

[32] But near the left side of the Maeotis is the Cherronesus,⁶² full of Greek colonies. Hence the inhabitants are quiet and peaceful, plying the plough and living on the products of the soil.

[33] At no great distance from these are the Tauri, divided into various kingdoms, among whom the Arichi, the Sinchi, and the Napaei are terrible for their ruthless cruelty, and since long continued license has increased their savageness, they have given the sea the name of Inhospitable; but in irony⁶³ it is called by the contrary name of Pontus εὔξεινος,⁶⁴ just as we Greeks call a fool εὐήθης, and night εὐφρόνη, and the Furies εὐμενίδες.⁶⁵

[34] For these peoples offer human victims to the gods and sacrifice strangers to Diana, whom they call Orsiloche, and affix the skulls of the slain to the walls of her temple, as a lasting memorial of their valorous deeds.⁶⁶

[35] In this Tauric country is the island of Leuce,⁶⁷ entirely uninhabited and dedicated to Achilles. And if any happen to be carried to that island, after looking at the ancient remains, the temple, and the gifts consecrated to that hero, they return at evening to their ships; for it is said that no one can pass the night there except at the risk of his life. At that place there are also springs and white birds live there resembling halcyons, of whose origin and battles in the Hellespont I shall speak⁶⁸ at the appropriate time.

[36] Now there are some cities in the Taurica, conspicuous among which are Eupatoria, Dandace, and Theodosia, with other smaller towns, which are not contaminated with human sacrifices.

[37] So far the peak of the bow is thought to extend; the remainder of it, gently curved and lying under the Bear in the heavens, we shall now follow as far as the left side of the Thracian Bosporus, as the order demands, with this warning; that while the bows of all other races are bent with the staves curved, in those of the Scythians alone, or the Parthians, since a straight rounded⁶⁹ handle divides them in the middle, the ends are bent downwards on both sides and far apart,⁷⁰ presenting the form of a waning moon.⁷¹

[38] Well then, at the very beginning of this district, where the Riphaean mountains sink to the plain, dwell the Aremphaei, just men and known for their gentleness, through whose country flow the rivers Chronius and Visula. Near them are the Massagetae, Halani, and Sargetae, as well as several other obscure peoples whose names and customs are unknown to us.

[39] Then at a considerable distance the Carcinitian gulf opens up, with a river of the same name, and the grove of Trivia,⁷² sacred in those regions.

[40] Next the Borysthenes,⁷³ rising in the mountains of the Nervii, rich in waters from its own springs, which are increased by many tributaries, and mingle with the sea in high-rolling waves. On its well-wooded banks are the cities of Borysthenes and Cephalonesus and the altars consecrated to Alexander the Great and Augustus Caesar.

[41] Then, a long distance away, is a peninsula inhabited by the Sindi, people of low birth, who after the disaster to their masters in Asia⁷⁴ got possession of their wives and property. Next to these is a narrow strip of shore which the natives call ʼἀχιλλέως δρόμος, memorable in times past for the exercises of the Thessalian leader.⁷⁵ And next to it is the city Tyros, a colony of the Phoenicians, washed by the river Tyras.⁷⁶

[42] Now in the middle space of the bow, which, as I have said, is widely rounded out and is fifteen days’ journey for an active traveller, are the European Halani, the Costobocae, and innumerable Scythian tribes, which extend to lands which have no known limit. Of these, only a small part live on the fruits of the earth; all the rest roam over desert wastes, which never knew plough nor seeds, but are rough from neglect and subject to frosts; and they feed after the foul manner of wild beasts. Their dear ones, their dwellings, and their poor belongings they pack upon wains covered with the bark of trees, and when the fancy takes them they change their abode without trouble, wheeling their carts to the place which has attracted them.

[43] But when we have come to another bend, abounding in harbours, which forms the last part of the curve of the bow, the island of Peuce juts forth,⁷⁷ and around this dwell the Trogodytae, the Peuci, and other lesser tribes. Here is Histros, once a powerful city, and Tomi, Apollonia, Anchialos, and Odessos, besides many other cities which lie along the Thracian coast.

[44] But the river Danube, rising near Augst,⁷⁸ and the mountains near the Raetian frontier, extends over a wide tract, and after receiving sixty tributaries, nearly all of which are navigable, breaks through this Scythian shore into the sea through seven mouths.⁷⁹

[45] The first of these, as their names are interpreted in the Greek tongue, is the aforesaid island of Peuce,⁸⁰ the second Naracustoma, the third Calonstoma, the fourth Pseudostoma; but the Borionstoma and Stenostoma are far smaller than the others; the seventh is muddy and black like a swamp.

[46] Now the entire Pontus throughout its whole circuit is misty,⁸¹ has sweeter⁸² waters than the other seas,⁸³ and is full of shoals, since the air is often thickened and condensed from the evaporation of moisture, and is tempered by the great masses of water that flow into it; and, because the many rivers that pour into it from every side bring in mud and clods, it rises in shoals that are full of ridges.

[47] And it is a well-known fact that fish from the remotest bounds of our sea⁸⁴ come in schools to this retreat for the purpose of spawning, in order that they may rear their young more healthfully in its sweet waters, and that in the refuge of the hollows, such as are very numerous there, they may be secure from voracious sea-beasts; for in the Pontus nothing of that kind has ever been seen,⁸⁵ except small and harmless dolphins.

[48] But the part of that same Pontic gulf which is scourged by the north wind and by frosts is so completely bound in ice, that neither are the courses of the rivers believed to flow beneath the ice, nor can men or animals keep their footing on the treacherous and slippery surface, a defect which an unmixed sea never has, but only one which is mingled with water from rivers. But since I have been carried somewhat farther than I expected, let us hasten on to the rest of our story.

[49] Another thing was added,⁸⁶ to crown the present joys, something long hoped for it is true, but delayed by an extensive complex of postponements. For it was announced by Agilo and Jovius, who was later quaestor, that the defenders of Aquileia,⁸⁷ through weariness of the long siege and having learned of the death of Constantius, had opened their gates, come out, and surrendered the instigators of the revolt; that these were burned alive (as was told above),⁸⁸ and all the rest obtained indulgence and pardon for their offences.

Notes on the current edition

Res Gestae

1. litterae Graecae, Eyssen.; litterae caeli terrae, V.

2. Hyla, Gronov; Hilam, BA; lac. after Hylam, N, Pithoeus, Hadr. Val.; et Olbiam, Gronov, Pet.; et Astacum, G; see also note 9 of translation.

3. multo, added by b, Bent.

4. extremitatis, Pighius; extremitates, V.

5. utrumque tenus, Pighius, cf. Serv., Aen. vi. 62; utrumque tenues, V.

6. in bovem, W 2BG; inde usque, Bent.; in bovem usque, Novák; imbus quem admaxionem (adma deleted by V 2, which adds ad mare— infle** in margin).

7. litus, Bent., Gardt.; latus, VEAG.

8. Lycus, Lind.; bycus, V.

9. deruptos, Her.; diruptos, T 2AG; diruptis, V 2 (from dirubtis, V).

10. huius nominis, Haupt, Corn.; huius modi, V.

11. duae, Bent.; arduae, V.

12. et, added by Gardt.

13. fluviique Acheron, Clark; f. diversi Acheron idemque, G; f. diversae cherontidem quae, V.

14. amnis, added by Novák, c.c.

15. et, BG ( eis, vulgo), put before vicinitatis by Clark.

16. septentrionen, regarded as a gloss by Wagner.

17. Taurices, restored by Clark; Tauricaes, V ( e, V 2).

18. complicati, EBG; conligati, Gardt.; compligati, V.

19. Lac. after appellari indicated by Gardt.

20. domicilii sedem, Corn.; domiciliis sedem, NBG; domiciliis idem, V.

21. victum sibi, EG, Val.; victum etiam sibi, Lind.; virium etum sibi, V.

22. raptu, Corn.; rapto, V.

23. Ra, V; Rha, BG.

24. Maraccus, V; Marabius, Gardt

25. Euxinum, Bent.; extremum, V.

26. Panticapes, Voss; patares, V.

27. Arichi, Wagner, Kellerbauer; Arinchi, V.

28. deos, V; diis, G; deus, b.

29. disseremus, V; disserebamus, Gardt.

30. Visula, vulgo; Vistula, Val.; bisula, V.

31. Odessos, Lind.; odyssos, V.

32. montesque confines, Her. ( confines, Bent.); montes confines, V.

33. omnes, added by Gardt.; V omits.

34. insula supra dicta, regarded as a gloss by Clark; Her. thought cum should be supplied.

35. languidiora, Gardt.

36. caenosum, Novák; segnius, Gardt.; caenosa, Clark; genus, V.

37. glebasque, Bent., Reinesius, Wagner; glareasque, Corn.; globosque, V.

38. ad, deleted by Bent.

39. qualia, Her.; quae, added by EG; V omits.

40. parvos, EAV 2, cf. Pliny, cited in note 1, p. 241; paucos, W 2BG; pauos, V.

41. aliquanto sumus, Her.; aliquorum, G; aliquantorsum, V.

Ammianus Marcellinus Res Gestae 22.8

John C. Rolfe (Translator)

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Descriptio Thraciarum, et sinus Pontici, regionumque ac nationum Ponto adiacentium.

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