§12.3.11εἶτʼ αὐτὴ Σινώπη, σταδίους πεντήκοντα τῆς Ἀρμένης διέχουσα, ἀξιολογωτάτη τῶν ταύτῃ πόλεων.
Then comes Sinope itself, which is fifty stadia distant from Armene, the most noteworthy of the cities in this region.
ἔκτισαν μὲν οὖν αὐτὴν Μιλήσιοι, κατασκευασαμένη δὲ ναυτικὸν ἐπῆρχε τῆς ἐντὸς Κυανέων θαλάττης, καὶ ἔξω δὲ πολλῶν ἀγώνων μετεῖχε τοῖς Ἕλλησιν·
Now the Milesians founded it; and having equipped a navy, it ruled over the sea within the Cyanaeans, and outside of it participated in many struggles with the Greeks.
αὐτονομηθεῖσα δὲ πολὺν χρόνον οὐδὲ διὰ τέλους ἐφύλαξε τὴν ἐλευθερίαν, ἀλλʼ ἐκ πολιορκίας ἑάλω καὶ ἐδούλευσε Φαρνάκῃ πρῶτον, ἔπειτα τοῖς διαδεξαμένοις ἐκεῖνον μέχρι τοῦ Εὐπάτορος καὶ τῶν καταλυσάντων Ῥωμαίων ἐκεῖνον.
And having been self-governing for a long time, it did not preserve its freedom to the end, but was captured by siege and became subject first to Pharnaces, and then to his successors down to Eupator and the Romans who overthrew him.
ὁ δὲ Εὐπάτωρ καὶ ἐγεννήθη ἐκεῖ καὶ ἐτράφη· διαφερόντως δὲ ἐτίμησεν αὐτὴν μητρόπολίν τε τῆς βασιλείας ὑπέλαβεν.
And Eupator was both born there and brought up; and he honored it pre-eminently and regarded it as the metropolis of his kingdom.
ἔστι δὲ καὶ φύσει καὶ προνοίᾳ κατεσκευασμένη καλῶς·
And it is well equipped both by nature and by human foresight.
ἵδρυται γὰρ ἐπὶ αὐχένι χερρονήσου τινός, ἑκατέρωθεν δὲ τοῦ ἰσθμοῦ λιμένες καὶ ναύσταθμα καὶ πηλαμυδεῖα θαυμαστά, περὶ ὧν εἰρήκαμεν ὅτι δευτέραν θήραν οἱ Σινωπεῖς ἔχουσι, τρίτην δὲ Βυζάντιοι·
For it is situated on the neck of a peninsula, and on either side of the isthmus are harbors, dockyards, and wonderful pelamydes-fisheries, concerning which we have said that the Sinopeans have the second best catch, and the Byzantines the third.
καὶ κύκλῳ δʼ ἡ χερρόνησος προβέβληται ῥαχιώδεις ἀκτὰς ἐχούσας καὶ κοιλάδας τινὰς ὡσανεὶ βόθρους πετρίνους, οὓς καλοῦσι χοινικίδας·
And all around, the peninsula is protected by rocky shores that have some cavities like stone pits, which they call 'choinicides'.
πληροῦνται δὲ οὗτοι μετεωρισθείσης τῆς θαλάττης, ὡς καὶ διὰ τοῦτο οὐκ εὐπρόσιτον τὸ χωρίον καὶ διὰ τὸ πᾶσαν τὴν τῆς πέτρας ἐπιφάνειαν ἐχινώδη καὶ ἀνεπίβατον εἶναι γυμνῷ ποδί·
These are filled when the sea rises, so that for this reason, as well as because the entire surface of the rock is like a sea-urchin and cannot be trodden with bare feet, the place is not easy of approach.
ἄνωθεν μέντοι καὶ ὑπὲρ τῆς πόλεως εὔγεών ἐστι τὸ ἔδαφος καὶ ἀγροκηπίοις κεκόσμηται πυκνοῖς, πολὺ δὲ μᾶλλον τὰ προάστεια.
Above, however, and over the city, the ground is fertile and adorned with many market-gardens, and much more so the suburbs.
αὐτὴ δʼ ἡ πόλις τετείχισται καλῶς, καὶ γυμνασίῳ δὲ καὶ ἀγορᾷ καὶ στοαῖς κεκόσμηται λαμπρῶς.
The city itself is well walled, and is splendidly adorned with a gymnasium, a marketplace, and colonnades.
τοιαύτη δὲ οὖσα δὶς ὅμως ἑάλω, πρότερον μὲν τοῦ Φαρνάκου παρὰ δόξαν αἰφνιδίως ἐπιπεσόντος, ὕστερον δὲ ὑπὸ Λευκόλλου καὶ τοῦ ἐγκαθημένου τυράννου καὶ ἐντὸς ἅμα καὶ ἐκτὸς πολιορκουμένη·
Yet, being such, it was nevertheless captured twice: first, when Pharnaces unexpectedly fell upon it suddenly; and later, by Lucullus, being besieged at the same time from within and without because of the tyrant who was established inside.
ὁ γὰρ ἐγκατασταθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ βασιλέως φρούραρχος Βακχίδης ὑπονοῶν ἀεί τινα προδοσίαν ἐκ τῶν ἔνδοθεν καὶ πολλὰς αἰκίας καὶ σφαγὰς ποιῶν, ἀπαγορεῦσαι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἐποίησε πρὸς ἄμφω μήτʼ ἀμύνασθαι δυναμένους γενναίως μήτε προσθέσθαι κατὰ συμβάσεις.
For Bacchides, the garrison commander appointed by the king, always suspecting some treachery from within, and inflicting many tortures and massacres, made the people despair of both options, as they were unable either to defend themselves nobly or to surrender by capitulation.
ἑάλωσαν δʼ οὖν· καὶ τὸν μὲν ἄλλον κόσμον τῆς πόλεως διεφύλαξεν ὁ Λεύκολλος, τὴν δὲ τοῦ Βιλλάρου σφαῖραν ἦρε καὶ τὸν Αὐτόλυκον, Σθένιδος ἔργον, ὃν ἐκεῖνοι οἰκιστὴν ἐνόμιζον καὶ ἐτίμων ὡς θεόν·
They were captured, then; and Lucullus preserved the other ornaments of the city, but took away the sphere of Billarus and the statue of Autolycus, a work of Sthenis, whom they regarded as their founder and honored as a god.
ἦν δὲ καὶ μαντεῖον αὐτοῦ· δοκεῖ δὲ τῶν Ἰάσονι συμπλευσάντων εἶναι καὶ κατασχεῖν τοῦτον τὸν τόπον.
There was also an oracle of his; and he is thought to have been one of those who sailed with Jason and to have taken possession of this place.
εἶθʼ ὕστερον Μιλήσιοι τὴν εὐφυΐαν ἰδόντες καὶ τὴν ἀσθένειαν τῶν ἐνοικούντων ἐξιδιάσαντο καὶ ἐποίκους ἔστειλαν·
Then later, the Milesians, seeing the natural advantages of the place and the weakness of the inhabitants, appropriated it for themselves and sent out colonists.
νυνὶ δὲ καὶ Ῥωμαίων ἀποικίαν δέδεκται, καὶ μέρος τῆς πόλεως καὶ τῆς χώρας ἐκείνων ἐστί.
But now it has also received a colony of Romans, and a part of the city and of the territory belongs to them.
διέχει δὲ τοῦ μὲν Ἱεροῦ τρισχιλίους καὶ πεντακοσίους, ἀφʼ Ἡρακλείας δὲ δισχιλίους, Καράμβεως δὲ ἑπτακοσίους σταδίους.
And it is three thousand five hundred stadia distant from the Hieron, two thousand from Heracleia, and seven hundred from Carambis.
ἄνδρας δὲ ἐξήνεγκεν ἀγαθούς, τῶν μὲν φιλοσόφων Διογένη τὸν κυνικὸν καὶ Τιμόθεον τὸν Πατρίωνα, τῶν δὲ ποιητῶν Δίφιλον τὸν κωμικόν, τῶν δὲ συγγραφέων Βάτωνα τὸν πραγματευθέντα τὰ Περσικά.
And it produced outstanding men: among philosophers, Diogenes the Cynic and Timotheus surnamed Patrion; among poets, Diphilus the comic poet; and among historians, Baton, who wrote the history of Persia.
§12.3.12ἐντεῦθεν δʼ ἐφεξῆς ἡ τοῦ Ἅλυος ἐκβολὴ ποταμοῦ· ὠνόμασται δʼ ἀπὸ τῶν ἁλῶν ἃς παραρρεῖ·
Next after this is the mouth of the Halys River; and it is named after the salt-beds past which it flows.
ἔχει δὲ τὰς πηγὰς ἐν τῇ μεγάλῃ Καππαδοκίᾳ τῆς Ποντικῆς πλησίον κατὰ τὴν Καμισηνήν, ἐνεχθεὶς δʼ ἐπὶ δύσιν πολύς, εἶτʼ ἐπιστρέψας πρὸς τὴν ἄρκτον διά τε Γαλατῶν καὶ Παφλαγόνων ὁρίζει τούτους τε καὶ τοὺς Λευκοσύρους.
It has its sources in Great Cappadocia near the Pontic region in the district of Camisene; and after flowing westward in great volume, it turns towards the north and, running through the territory of the Galatians and the Paphlagonians, bounds both these and the Leuco-Syrians.
ἔχει δὲ καὶ ἡ Σινωπῖτις καὶ πᾶσα ἡ μέχρι Βιθυνίας ὀρεινὴ ἡ ὑπερκειμένη τῆς λεχθείσης παραλίας ναυπηγήσιμον ὕλην ἀγαθὴν καὶ εὐκατακόμιστον.
Both the territory of Sinope and the entire mountainous region extending as far as Bithynia, which lies above the said coastline, possess excellent timber for shipbuilding, which is easily transported.
ἡ δὲ Σινωπῖτις καὶ σφένδαμνον φύει καὶ ὀροκάρυον, ἐξ ὧν τὰς τραπέζας τέμνουσιν· ἅπασα δὲ καὶ ἐλαιόφυτός ἐστιν ἡ μικρὸν ὑπὲρ τῆς θαλάττης γεωργουμένη.
And the territory of Sinope also produces maple and mountain-nut trees, from which they cut tables; and the whole of it, where cultivated a little above the sea, is planted with olives.
§12.3.13μετὰ δὲ τὴν ἐκβολὴν τοῦ Ἅλυος ἡ Γαζηλωνῖτίς ἐστι μέχρι τῆς Σαραμηνῆς, εὐδαίμων χώρα καὶ πεδιὰς πᾶσα καὶ πάμφορος·
After the mouth of the Halys is Gazelonitis, which extends as far as Saramene, a fertile country, entirely flat and producing all kinds of crops.
ἔχει δὲ καὶ προβατείαν ὑποδιφθέρου καὶ μαλακῆς ἐρέας, ἧς καθʼ ὅλην τὴν Καππαδοκίαν καὶ τὸν Πόντον σφόδρα πολλὴ σπάνις ἐστί·
It also possesses pastures for sheep clad in skins and having soft wool, of which there is a very great scarcity throughout the whole of Cappadocia and Pontus.
γίνονται δὲ καὶ ζορκές, ὧν ἀλλαχοῦ σπάνις ἐστί.
And there are also found gazelles, of which there is a scarcity elsewhere.
ταύτης δὲ τῆς χώρας τὴν μὲν ἔχουσιν Ἀμισηνοί, τὴν δʼ ἔδωκε Δηιοτάρῳ Πομπήιος, καθάπερ καὶ τὰ περὶ Φαρνακίαν καὶ τὴν Τραπεζουσίαν μέχρι Κολχίδος καὶ τῆς μικρᾶς Ἀρμενίας·
Of this country, one part is held by the Amiseni, and the other was given by Pompey to Deiotarus, just as was the case with the territory around Pharnacia and Trapezusia as far as Colchis and Lesser Armenia.
καὶ τούτων ἀπέδειξεν αὐτὸν βασιλέα, ἔχοντα καὶ τὴν πατρῴαν τετραρχίαν τῶν Γαλατῶν, τοὺς Τολιστοβωγίους.
And he appointed him king of these, while he also possessed his ancestral tetrarchy of the Galatians, the Tolistobogii.
ἀποθανόντος δʼ ἐκείνου πολλαὶ διαδοχαὶ τῶν ἐκείνου γεγόνασι.
And after his death, there have been many successions to his possessions.