Geography

​Now all the remaining parts of the description of the region beyond the Maeander are Carian, where the Carians are no longer mixed with the Lydians but are already by themselves, except for any portion that the Milesians and Myusians have cut off along the coast. The beginning of Caria, then, on the sea is the Peraea of the Rhodians, and its end is the Poseidion of the Milesians; in the interior, its limits are the heights of the Taurus as far as the Maeander. For they say that the beginning of the Taurus is the mountains lying above the so-called Chelidonian islands, which lie in front on the boundary of Pamphylia and Lycia; for from there the Taurus rises to its height. But in truth, a mountainous ridge of the Taurus divides the whole of Lycia, on the outer and southern side, from the Cibyratic territory as far as the Peraea of the Rhodians. And even there, there is a continuous mountainous country, but it is much lower and is no longer considered part of the Taurus, nor is it divided into what is outside and what is inside of it, because the projections and indentations are equally scattered throughout the breadth and length of the whole country, having nothing like a dividing wall. The entire voyage around, for one who follows the gulfs, is four thousand nine hundred stadia, and that of the Peraea of the Rhodians itself is nearly one thousand five hundred.

​The beginning is Daidala, a place belonging to the Rhodian territory, and the end is the mountain called Phoenix, which also belongs to the Rhodian territory. In front of it lies the island of Elaeoussa, at a distance of one hundred and twenty stadia from Rhodes. In the interval, for those sailing from Daidala towards the west in a straight line along the coast of Cilicia, Pamphylia, and Lycia, there is first a gulf with good harbors called Glaucus, then the promontory and temple of Artemision, then the Letoan grove; and above this and sixty stadia from the sea is the city of Kalynda; then Caunos, and nearby the deep river Calbis, which has an entrance for vessels, and Pisilis in between.

​The city has dockyards and a closed harbor; and above the city, on a height, lies the fortress of Imbros. Though the country is fertile, the city is agreed by all to be unhealthy in summer and autumn because of the heat and the abundance of seasonal fruits. Indeed, stories of this kind are commonly told: that Stratonicus, the citharist, seeing the Caunians exceedingly pale, said that this was what the poet meant by “Even as are the generations of leaves, so too are those of men.” When they complained that the city was being mocked by him as unhealthy, he said: “Could I hesitate to call this place unhealthy, where even the dead walk about?” The Caunians once revolted from the Rhodians, but having been judged before the Romans, they were received back again; and there is a speech of Molon against the Caunians. They say that they speak the same language as the Carians, but have come from Crete and use their own laws.

​Next is Physcus, a small town with a harbor and a Letoan grove; then Loryma, a rugged coast, and the mountain Phoenix, which is the highest in these parts (with a fortress of the same name as the mountain on its summit); and in front of it lies the island of Elaeoussa at a distance of four stadia, having a circumference of about eight stadia.