§11.14.5ἱστοροῦσι δὲ τὴν Ἀρμενίαν μικρὰν πρότερον οὖσαν αὐξηθῆναι διὰ τῶν περὶ Ἀρταξίαν καὶ Ζαρίαδριν, οἳ πρότερον μὲν ἦσαν Ἀντιόχου τοῦ μεγάλου στρατηγοί, βασιλεύσαντες δʼ ὕστερον μετὰ τὴν ἐκείνου ἧτταν ὁ μὲν τῆς Σωφηνῆς καὶ τῆς Ἀκισηνῆς καὶ Ὀδομαντίδος καὶ ἄλλων τινῶν ὁ δὲ τῆς περὶ Ἀρτάξατα, συνηύξησαν ἐκ τῶν περικειμένων ἐθνῶν ἀποτεμόμενοι μέρη, ἐκ Μήδων μὲν τήν τε Κασπιανὴν καὶ Φαυνῖτιν καὶ Βασοροπέδαν, Ἰβήρων δὲ τήν τε παρώρειαν τοῦ Παρυάδρου καὶ τὴν Χορζηνὴν καὶ Γωγαρηνήν, πέραν οὖσαν τοῦ Κύρου, Χαλύβων δὲ καὶ Μοσυνοίκων Καρηνῖτιν καὶ Ξερξήνην, ἃ τῇ μικρᾷ Ἀρμενίᾳ ἐστὶν ὅμορα ἢ καὶ μέρη αὐτῆς ἐστι, Καταόνων δὲ Ἀκιλισηνὴν καὶ τὴν περὶ τὸν Ἀντίταυρον, Σύρων δὲ Ταρωνῖτιν, ὥστε πάντας ὁμογλώττους εἶναι.
They report that Armenia, which in earlier times was small, was enlarged through Artaxias and Zariadris, who were formerly generals of Antiochus the Great, but after his defeat ruled as kings—the one of Sophene, Acisene, Odomantis, and some other parts, and the other of the territory around Artaxata—and they jointly enlarged their realm by cutting off parts from the surrounding nations: from the Medes, Caspianē, Phaunitis, and Basoropeda; from the Iberians, the foothills of Paryadres, Chorzenē, and Gogarenē, which is on the far side of the Kyros; from the Chalybians and Mossynoecians, Karenitis and Xerxenē, which border on Lesser Armenia or are even parts of it; from the Cataonians, Acilisenē and the region around the Antitaurus; and from the Syrians, Taronitis; so that all now speak the same language.
§11.14.6πόλεις δʼ εἰσὶν τῆς Ἀρμενίας Ἀρτάξατά τε (ἣν καὶ Ἀρταξιάσατα καλοῦσιν, Ἀννίβα κτίσαντος Ἀρταξίᾳ τῷ βασιλεῖ) καὶ Ἄρξατα, ἀμφότεραι ἐπὶ τῷ Ἀράξῃ, ἡ μὲν Ἄρξατα πρὸς τοῖς ὅροις τῆς Ἀτροπατίας, ἡ δὲ Ἀρτάξατα πρὸς τῷ Ἀραξηνῷ πεδίῳ συνῳκισμένη καλῶς καὶ βασίλειον οὖσα τῆς χώρας.
The cities of Armenia are Artaxata (which they also call Artaxiasata, Hannibal having founded it for King Artaxias) and Arxata, both on the Araxes: Arxata near the border of Atropatene, and Artaxata, situated beautifully near the Araxene plain, being the capital of the country.
κεῖται δʼ ἐπὶ χερρονησιάζοντος ἀγκῶνος τὸ τεῖχος κύκλῳ προβεβλημένον τὸν ποταμὸν πλὴν τοῦ ἰσθμοῦ, τὸν ἰσθμὸν δʼ ἔχει τάφρῳ καὶ χάρακι κεκλεισμένον.
The wall of Artaxata lies on a peninsula-like bend of land, with the river protecting it all around except at the isthmus, and the isthmus is closed off by a trench and a palisade.
οὐ πολὺ δʼ ἄπωθεν τῆς πόλεώς ἐστι τὰ Τιγράνου καὶ Ἀρταουάσδου γαζοφυλάκια, φρούρια ἐρυμνά, Βάβυρσά τε καὶ Ὀλανή· ἦν δὲ καὶ ἄλλα ἐπὶ τῷ Εὐφράτῃ.
Not far from the city are the treasuries of Tigranes and Artavasdes, strong fortresses, namely Babyrsa and Olanē; and there were also others on the Euphrates.
Ἀρτάγειρα δὲ ἀπέστησε μὲν Ἄδων ὁ φρούραρχος, ἐξεῖλον δʼ οἱ Καίσαρος στρατηγοὶ πολιορκήσαντες πολὺν χρόνον, καὶ τὰ τείχη περιεῖλον.
Artageira indeed was made to revolt by Adon, the commander of the garrison, but Caesar's generals took it after besieging it for a long time, and threw down its walls.
§11.14.7ποταμοὶ δὲ πλείους μέν εἰσιν ἐν τῇ χώρᾳ, γνωριμώτατοι δὲ Φᾶσις μὲν καὶ Λύκος εἰς τὴν Ποντικὴν ἐκπίπτοντες θάλατταν (Ἐρατοσθένης δʼ ἀντὶ τοῦ Λύκου τίθησι Θερμώδοντα οὐκ εὖ), εἰς δὲ τὴν Κασπίαν Κῦρος καὶ Ἀράξης, εἰς δὲ τὴν Ἐρυθρὰν ὅ τε Εὐφράτης καὶ ὁ Τίγρις.
There are several rivers in the country, but the best known are the Phasis and the Lykos, which empty into the Pontic Sea (Eratosthenes incorrectly puts the Thermodon instead of the Lykos), the Kyros and the Araxes into the Caspian, and the Euphrates and the Tigris into the Red Sea.
§11.14.8εἰσὶ δὲ καὶ λίμναι κατὰ τὴν Ἀρμενίαν μεγάλαι, μία μὲν ἡ Μαντιανή, Κυανῆ ἑρμηνευθεῖσα, μεγίστη, ὥς φασι, μετὰ τὴν Μαιῶτιν, ἁλμυροῦ ὕδατος, διήκουσα μέχρι τῆς Ἀτροπατίας, ἔχουσα καὶ ἁλοπήγια·
There are also large lakes in Armenia; one is Lake Mantianē, translated as 'Blue Lake', which is, as they say, the largest after the Maeotis, consisting of salt water and extending as far as Atropatene, and it also has salt-works.
ἡ δὲ Ἀρσηνή, ἣν καὶ Θωπῖτιν καλοῦσιν· ἔστι δὲ νιτρῖτις, τὰς δʼ ἐσθῆτας ῥήττει καὶ διαξαίνει· διὰ δὲ τοῦτο καὶ ἄποτόν ἐστι τὸ ὕδωρ.
The other is Lake Arsenē, which they also call Thōpitis; it is nitrous, and it ruins and shreds clothes, and for this reason the water is undrinkable.
φέρεται δὲ διʼ αὐτῆς ὁ Τίγρις ἀπὸ τῆς κατὰ τὸν Νιφάτην ὀρεινῆς ὁρμηθείς, ἄμικτον φυλάττων τὸ ῥεῦμα διὰ τὴν ὀξύτητα, ἀφʼ οὗ καὶ τοὔνομα, Μήδων τίγριν καλούντων τὸ τόξευμα·
Through it flows the Tigris, starting from the mountainous region near Niphates, keeping its stream unmixed because of its swiftness, from which also its name is derived, the Medes calling an arrow 'tigris'.
καὶ οὗτος μὲν ἔχει πολυειδεῖς ἰχθῦς, οἱ δὲ λιμναῖοι ἑνὸς εἴδους εἰσί·
This river has fish of many kinds, but the lake-fish are of only one kind.
κατὰ δὲ τὸν μυχὸν τῆς λίμνης εἰς βάραθρον ἐμπεσὼν ὁ ποταμὸς καὶ πολὺν τόπον ἐνεχθεὶς ὑπὸ γῆς ἀνατέλλει κατὰ τὴν Χαλωνῖτιν·
At the recess of the lake, the river falls into a chasm and, after being carried for a long distance underground, rises again near Chalonitis.
ἐκεῖθεν δʼ ἤδη πρὸς τὴν Ὦπιν καὶ τὸ τῆς Σεμιράμιδος καλούμενον διατείχισμα ἐκεῖνός τε καταφέρεται τοὺς Γορδυαίους ἐν δεξιᾷ ἀφεὶς καὶ τὴν Μεσοποταμίαν ὅλην, καὶ ὁ Εὐφράτης τοὐναντίον ἐν ἀριστερᾷ ἔχων τὴν αὐτὴν χώραν·
From there, it flows down towards Opis and the so-called Wall of Semiramis, leaving the Gordyaeans and the whole of Mesopotamia on its right, while the Euphrates, on the contrary, flows down keeping the same country on its left.
πλησιάσαντες δὲ ἀλλήλοις καὶ ποιήσαντες τὴν Μεσοποταμίαν ὁ μὲν διὰ Σελευκείας φέρεται πρὸς τὸν Περσικὸν κόλπον, ὁ δὲ διὰ Βαβυλῶνος, καθάπερ εἴρηταί που ἐν τοῖς πρὸς Ἐρατοσθένην καὶ Ἵππαρχον λόγοις.
Having approached each other and formed Mesopotamia, the one flows through Seleucia into the Persian Gulf, and the other through Babylon, just as has been said somewhere in the discussions against Eratosthenes and Hipparchus.
§11.14.9μέταλλα δʼ ἐν μὲν τῇ Συσπιρίτιδί ἐστι χρυσοῦ κατὰ τὰ Κάβαλλα, ἐφʼ ἃ Μένωνα ἔπεμψεν Ἀλέξανδρος μετὰ στρατιωτῶν, ἀνήχθη δʼ ὑπὸ τῶν ἐγχωρίων·
There are gold mines in Syspiritis near Kaballa, to which Alexander sent Menon with soldiers, but he was strangled by the inhabitants.
καὶ ἄλλα δʼ ἐστὶ μέταλλα, καὶ δὴ τῆς σάνδικος καλουμένης, ἣν δὴ καὶ Ἀρμένιον καλοῦσι χρῶμα, ὅμοιον κάλχῃ.
There are also other mines, especially of the so-called 'sandyx', which they also call 'Armenian colour', resembling purple dye.
οὕτω δʼ ἐστὶν ἱπποβότος σφόδρα ἡ χώρα καὶ οὐχ ἧττον τῆς Μηδίας, ὥστε οἱ Νησαῖοι ἵπποι καὶ ἐνταῦθα γίνονται, οἷσπερ οἱ Περσῶν βασιλεῖς ἐχρῶντο, καὶ ὁ σατράπης τῆς Ἀρμενίας τῷ Πέρσῃ κατʼ ἔτος δισμυρίους πώλους τοῖς Μιθρακίνοις ἔπεμπεν.
The country is so extremely fertile in breeding horses, and not less so than Media, that the Nisaean horses, which the kings of the Persians used, are also bred here; and the satrap of Armenia used to send to the Persian king every year twenty thousand foals for the Mithraic festivals.
Ἀρταουάσδης δὲ Ἀντωνίῳ χωρὶς τῆς ἄλλης ἱππείας αὐτὴν τὴν κατάφρακτον ἑξακισχιλίαν ἵππον ἐκτάξας ἐπέδειξεν, ἡνίκα εἰς τὴν Μηδίαν ἐνέβαλε σὺν αὐτῷ.
Artavasdes, when he invaded Media with Antony, displayed to him, besides the other cavalry, six thousand fully armored cavalry drawn up in battle array.
ταύτης δὲ τῆς ἱππείας οὐ Μῆδοι μόνοι καὶ Ἀρμένιοι ζηλωταὶ γεγόνασιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ Ἀλβανοί· καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι καταφράκτοις χρῶνται.
Of this cavalry, not only the Medes and Armenians have become zealous followers, but also the Albanians; for they too use cataphracts.