Geography

​The whole coastline from the Pillars as far as the boundary between the Iberians and the Celts is indeed of this character. But the inland country situated above it (by which I mean the region within the Pyrenean mountains and the northern side as far as the Astures) is divided chiefly by two mountain ranges. Of these, one is parallel to the Pyrenees, having its beginning from the Cantabrians, and its end at our sea; and they call this Idubeda. The other range extends from the middle of this to the west, but inclines toward the south and the coast from the Pillars; this is at first hilly and bare, and passes through what is called the Spartarian Plain, and then joins the forest land situated above both the territory of Carthage and the places about Malaca; and it is called Orospeda. Now between the Pyrenees and Idubeda flows the river Hebrus, parallel to both mountain ranges, being filled from the rivers that flow down from them and from other waters. And on the Hebrus is the city called Caesaraugusta, and Celsa, a settlement having a crossing by a stone bridge. The country is inhabited by several tribes, the most famous of which is that called the Iaccetani. This, beginning from the foothills along the Pyrenees, widens into the plains and joins the places about Ilerda and Osca, which belong to the Ilergetes, not far from the Hebrus. It was in these cities that Sertorius fought his last wars, and in Calagurris, a city of the Vascones, and on the coast in Tarraco and in Hemeroscopeium after his expulsion from the Celtiberians, and he ended his life in Osca. And in Ilerda, later, Afranius and Petreius, the generals of Pompey, were defeated by the deified Caesar. Ilerda is distant from the Hebrus, for one going westward, one hundred and sixty stadia; from Tarraco toward the south about four hundred and sixty; and toward the north from Osca five hundred and forty. Through these parts runs the road from Tarraco to the farthest Vascones on the ocean, those near Pompelon, and to Oeaso, a city on the ocean itself, being two thousand four hundred stadia to the very boundaries of Aquitania and Iberia. The Iaccetani are those among whom Sertorius then fought against Pompey, and later Pompey’s son Sextus against the generals of Caesar. Above Iaccetania toward the north lies the tribe of the Vascones, in which is the city Pompelon, as it were Pompeiopolis.

​As for the Pyrenees themselves, the Iberian side is well-wooded with all kinds of timber and evergreen trees, but the Celtic side is bare, while the middle parts contain valleys that are capable of being well inhabited. These are held for the most part by the Cerretani, a tribe of Iberian stock, among whom excellent hams are cured, rivaling those of the Cantabrians, and yielding no small revenue to the people.

​For one who has crossed Idubeda, Celtiberia is immediately vast and uneven, most of it being rugged and river-washed; for through these parts flow the Anas, the Tagus, and most of the succeeding rivers that run down to the western sea, having their sources in Iberia. Of these, the Durius flows past Numantia and Serguntia, while the Baetis, having its sources in Orospeda, flows through Oretania into Baetica. On the north, neighboring the Celtiberians, live the Berones, who border on the Cantabrian Conisci and themselves belong to the Celtic migration; their city is Varia, situated at the crossing of the Hebrus; and they are contiguous also to the Bardyetae, whom the people of today call Bardyli. On the west live some of the Astures, the Callaici, and the Vaccaei, and also the Vettones and Carpetani. On the south are the Oretani and all the others of the Bastetani and Edetani who inhabit Orospeda. On the east is Idubeda.