§11.4.5στέλλουσι δὲ μείζω τῆς Ἰβήρων στρατιάν. ὁπλίζουσι γὰρ καὶ ἓξ μυριάδας πεζῶν, ἱππέας δὲ μυρίους καὶ δισχιλίους, ὅσοις πρὸς Πομπήιον διεκινδύνευσαν.
They send a larger army than that of the Iberians; for they equip as many as sixty thousand infantry and twelve thousand cavalry, the number with which they risked all against Pompey.
καὶ τούτοις δὲ συμπολεμοῦσιν οἱ νομάδες πρὸς τοὺς ἔξωθεν, ὥσπερ τοῖς Ἴβηρσι, κατὰ τὰς αὐτὰς αἰτίας.
And the nomads also fight along with them against outsiders, just as they do with the Iberians, for the same reasons.
ἄλλως δʼ ἐπιχειροῦσι τοῖς ἀνθρώποις πολλάκις ὥστε καὶ γεωργεῖν κωλύουσιν.
At other times, however, they frequently attack the people, so that they even prevent them from farming.
ἀκοντισταὶ δέ εἰσι καὶ τοξόται, θώρακας ἔχοντες καὶ θυρεούς, περίκρανα δὲ θήρεια παραπλησίως τοῖς Ἴβηρσιν.
They are javelin-throwers and archers, wearing breastplates and large shields, and animal-skin helmets, similarly to the Iberians.
ἔστι δὲ τῆς Ἀλβανῶν χώρας καὶ ἡ Κασπιανή, τοῦ Κασπίου ἔθνους ἐπώνυμος, οὗπερ καὶ ἡ θάλαττα, ἀφανοῦς ὄντος νυνί.
To the territory of the Albanians belongs also Caspiané, named after the Caspian tribe, after whom the sea also was named, though they are now extinct.
ἡ δʼ ἐκ τῆς Ἰβηρίας εἰς τὴν Ἀλβανίαν εἰσβολὴ διὰ τῆς Καμβυσηνῆς ἀνύδρου τε καὶ τραχείας ἐπὶ τὸν Ἀλαζόνιον ποταμόν.
The entrance from Iberia into Albania goes through Cambysenē, which is waterless and rugged, to the Alazonios River.
θηρευτικοὶ δὲ καὶ αὐτοὶ καὶ οἱ κύνες αὐτῶν εἰς ὑπερβολήν, οὐ τέχνῃ μᾶλλον ἢ σπουδῇ τῇ περὶ τοῦτο.
They themselves and their dogs are excessively fond of hunting, not so much by skill as by their eagerness for it.
§11.4.6διαφέρουσι δὲ καὶ οἱ βασιλεῖς· νυνὶ μὲν οὖν εἷς ἁπάντων ἄρχει, πρότερον δὲ καὶ καθʼ ἑκάστην γλῶτταν ἰδίᾳ ἐβασιλεύοντο ἕκαστοι.
Their kings also differ; at present, indeed, one rules over all, but formerly each tribe speaking a different language was ruled by its own king.
γλῶτται δʼ εἰσὶν ἓξ καὶ εἴκοσιν αὐτοῖς διὰ τὸ μὴ εὐεπίμικτον πρὸς ἀλλήλους.
They have twenty-six languages because of their lack of easy intercourse with one another.
φέρει δʼ ἡ γῆ καὶ τῶν ἑρπετῶν ἔνια τῶν θανασίμων καὶ σκορπίους καὶ φαλάγγια· τῶν δὲ φαλαγγίων τὰ μὲν ποιεῖ γελῶντας ἀποθνήσκειν, τὰ δὲ κλαίοντας πόθῳ τῶν οἰκείων.
The land also produces some of the deadly reptiles, as well as scorpions and tarantulas; of the tarantulas, some cause people to die laughing, and others crying from longing for their relatives.
§11.4.7θεοὺς δὲ τιμῶσιν ἥλιον καὶ δία καὶ σελήνην, διαφερόντως δὲ τὴν σελήνην.
They worship as gods the Sun, Zeus, and the Moon, but especially the Moon.
ἔστι δʼ αὐτῆς τὸ ἱερὸν τῆς Ἰβηρίας πλησίον· ἱερᾶται δʼ ἀνὴρ ἐντιμότατος μετά γε τὸν βασιλέα, προεστὼς τῆς ἱερᾶς χώρας, πολλῆς καὶ εὐάνδρου, καὶ αὐτῆς καὶ τῶν ἱεροδούλων, ὧν ἐνθουσιῶσι πολλοὶ καὶ προφητεύουσιν·
Her temple is near Iberia; and the priest is the person most honored after the king, having charge of the sacred land, which is extensive and populous, both of the land itself and of the temple slaves, many of whom are inspired and prophesy.
ὃς δʼ ἂν αὐτῶν ἐπὶ πλέον κατάσχετος γενόμενος πλανᾶται κατὰ τὰς ὕλας μόνος, τοῦτον συλλαβὼν ὁ ἱερεὺς ἁλύσει δήσας ἱερᾷ τρέφει πολυτελῶς τὸν ἐνιαυτὸν ἐκεῖνον, ἔπειτα προαχθεὶς εἰς τὴν θυσίαν τῆς θεοῦ, σὺν ἄλλοις ἱερείοις θύεται μυρισθείς.
Whichever of these, being possessed to a greater degree, wanders alone through the forests, the priest seizes, binds with a sacred chain, and feeds luxuriously for that year; then, having been brought forward for the sacrifice of the goddess, he is sacrificed after being anointed with unguents along with the other victims.
τῆς δὲ θυσίας ὁ τρόπος οὗτος· ἔχων τις ἱερὰν λόγχην ᾗπέρ ἐστι νόμος ἀνθρωποθυτεῖν, παρελθὼν ἐκ τοῦ πλήθους παίει διὰ τῆς πλευρᾶς εἰς τὴν καρδίαν, οὐκ ἄπειρος τοιούτου·
The manner of the sacrifice is this: someone holding a sacred spear, with which it is the custom to sacrifice human beings, steps forward from the crowd and strikes through the side into the heart, being not inexperienced in such a deed.
πεσόντος δὲ σημειοῦνται μαντεῖά τινα ἐκ τοῦ πτώματος καὶ εἰς τὸ κοινὸν ἀποφαίνουσι, κομισθέντος δὲ τοῦ σώματος εἴς τι χωρίον ἐπιβαίνουσιν ἅπαντες καθαρσίῳ χρώμενοι.
When the victim falls, they read certain omens from the fall and declare them to the public; and when the body has been carried to a certain place, they all trample upon it, using this as a purification.
§11.4.8ὑπερβαλλόντως δὲ τὸ γῆρας τιμῶσιν Ἀλβανοὶ καὶ τὸ τῶν ἄλλων, οὐ τῶν γονέων μόνον· τεθνηκότων δὲ οὐχ ὅσιον φροντίζειν οὐδὲ μεμνῆσθαι.
The Albanians respect old age excessively, and that of others as well, not only of their parents; but for the deceased it is not impious to care or even to remember.
συγκατορύττουσι μέντοι τὰ χρήματα αὐτοῖς, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο πένητες ζῶσιν οὐδὲν πατρῷον ἔχοντες.
They bury their money with them, however, and on this account they live in poverty, having no patrimony.
ταῦτα μὲν περὶ Ἀλβανῶν.
So much for the Albanians.
λέγεται δʼ Ἰάσονα μετὰ Ἀρμένου τοῦ Θετταλοῦ κατὰ τὸν πλοῦν τὸν ἐπὶ τοὺς Κόλχους ὁρμῆσαι μέχρι τῆς Κασπίας θαλάττης, καὶ τήν τε Ἰβηρίαν καὶ τὴν Ἀλβανίαν ἐπελθεῖν καὶ πολλὰ τῆς Ἀρμενίας καὶ τῆς Μηδίας, ὡς μαρτυρεῖ τά τε Ἰασόνια καὶ ἄλλα ὑπομνήματα πλείω.
It is also said that Jason, together with Armenus the Thessalian, on his voyage to the Colchians, rushed as far as the Caspian Sea, and traversed both Iberia and Albania, and many parts of Armenia and Media, as the Jasonia and several other monuments bear witness.
τὸν δὲ Ἄρμενον εἶναι ἐξ Ἀρμενίου πόλεως τῶν περὶ τὴν Βοιβηίδα λίμνην μεταξὺ Φερῶν καὶ Λαρίσης, τοὺς σὺν αὐτῷ τε οἰκίσαι τήν τε Ἀκιλισηνὴν καὶ τὴν Συσπιρῖτιν ἕως Καλαχανῆς καὶ Ἀδιαβηνῆς, καὶ δὴ καὶ τὴν Ἀρμενίαν ἐπώνυμον καταλιπεῖν.
And they say that Armenus was from Armenion, a city near Lake Boebeis between Pherae and Larissa, and that those with him settled both Acilisenē and Syspiritis as far as Calachanē and Adiabenē, and indeed left Armenia named after him.