§12.3.18τῆς δὲ Τραπεζοῦντος ὑπέρκεινται καὶ τῆς Φαρνακίας Τιβαρανοί τε καὶ Χαλδαῖοι καὶ Σάννοι, οὓς πρότερον ἐκάλουν Μάκρωνας, καὶ ἡ μικρὰ Ἀρμενία· καὶ οἱ Ἀππαῗται δέ πως πλησιάζουσι τοῖς χωρίοις τούτοις οἱ πρότερον Κερκῖται.
Above Trapezus and Pharnacia lie the Tibarani, Chaldaei, and Sanni (who were formerly called Macrones), and Lesser Armenia; and the Appaitae, formerly called Cercitae, also in some way border on these places.
διήκει δὲ διὰ τούτων ὅ τε Σκυδίσης ὄρος τραχύτατον συνάπτον τοῖς Μοσχικοῖς ὄρεσι τοῖς ὑπὲρ τῆς Κολχίδος, οὗ τὰ ἄκρα κατέχουσιν οἱ Ἑπτακωμῆται, καὶ ὁ Παρυάδρης ὁ μέχρι τῆς μικρᾶς Ἀρμενίας ἀπὸ τῶν κατὰ Σιδήνην καὶ Θεμίσκυραν τόπων διατείνων καὶ ποιῶν τὸ ἑωθινὸν τοῦ Πόντου πλευρόν.
And through these territories extends both Mount Skydises, a most rugged mountain which joins the Moschian Mountains above Colchis, the summits of which are held by the Heptacometae, and Mount Paryadres, which stretches from the places near Sidene and Themiscyra as far as Lesser Armenia and forms the eastern side of Pontus.
εἰσὶ δʼ ἅπαντες μὲν οἱ ὄρειοι τούτων ἄγριοι τελέως, ὑπερβέβληνται δὲ τοὺς ἄλλους οἱ Ἑπτακωμῆται· τινὲς δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ δένδρεσιν ἢ πυργίοις οἰκοῦσι, διὸ καὶ Μοσυνοίκους ἐκάλουν οἱ παλαιοί, τῶν πύργων μοσσύνων λεγομένων.
Now all the mountaineers among these people are completely wild, but the Heptacometae surpass the others; some of them even live in trees or small towers, which is why the ancients called them Mosynoeci, because their towers were called "mosynes".
ζῶσι δʼ ἀπὸ θηρείων σαρκῶν καὶ τῶν ἀκροδρύων, ἐπιτίθενται δὲ καὶ τοῖς ὁδοιποροῦσι καταπηδήσαντες ἀπὸ τῶν ἰκρίων.
They live on the flesh of wild animals and tree-fruits, and they also attack travelers by leaping down from their platforms.
οἱ δὲ Ἑπτακωμῆται τρεῖς Πομπηίου σπείρας κατέκοψαν διεξιούσας τὴν ὀρεινήν, κεράσαντες κρατῆρας ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς τοῦ μαινομένου μέλιτος, ὃ φέρουσιν οἱ ἀκρεμόνες τῶν δένδρων· πιοῦσι γὰρ καὶ παρακόψασιν ἐπιθέμενοι ῥᾳδίως διεχειρίσαντο τοὺς ἀνθρώπους.
Indeed, the Heptacometae cut to pieces three of Pompey's cohorts as they were passing through the mountainous country, after mixing bowls of "mad honey", which the branches of the trees yield, along the roads; for when the men drank and lost their senses, they attacked them and easily dispatched them.
ἐκαλοῦντο δὲ τούτων τινὲς τῶν βαρβάρων καὶ Βύζηρες.
Some of these barbarians were also called Byzeres.
§12.3.19οἱ δὲ νῦν Χαλδαῖοι Χάλυβες τὸ παλαιὸν ὠνομάζοντο, καθʼ οὓς μάλιστα ἡ Φαρνακία ἵδρυται, κατὰ θάλατταν μὲν ἔχουσα εὐφυΐαν τὴν ἐκ τῆς πηλαμυδείας (πρώτιστα γὰρ ἁλίσκεται ἐνταῦθα τὸ ὄψον τοῦτο), ἐκ δὲ τῆς γῆς τὰ μέταλλα νῦν μὲν σιδήρου πρότερον δὲ καὶ ἀργύρου.
Those who are now called Chaldaei were in ancient times named Chalybes, opposite whom Pharnacia is situated, possessing on the sea the advantage derived from the pelamys-fishery (for this delicacy is caught there first of all), and from the land, mines of iron at present, and formerly also of silver.
ὅλως δὲ κατὰ τοὺς τόπους τούτους ἡ παραλία στενὴ τελέως ἐστίν· ὑπέρκειται γὰρ εὐθὺς τὰ ὄρη μετάλλων πλήρη καὶ δρυμῶν, γεωργεῖται δʼ οὐ πολλά· λείπεται δὴ τοῖς μὲν μεταλλευταῖς ἐκ τῶν μετάλλων ὁ βίος, τοῖς δὲ θαλαττουργοῖς ἐκ τῆς ἁλιείας καὶ μάλιστα τῶν πηλαμύδων καὶ τῶν δελφίνων· ἐπακολουθοῦντες γὰρ ταῖς ἀγέλαις τῶν ἰχθύων, κορδύλης τε καὶ θύννης καὶ αὐτῆς τῆς πηλαμύδος, πιαίνονταί τε καὶ εὐάλωτοι γίνονται διὰ τὸ πλησιάζειν τῇ γῇ προαλέστερον· δελεαζομένους μόνοι οὗτοι κατακόπτουσι τοὺς δελφῖνας καὶ τῷ στέατι πολλῷ χρῶνται πρὸς ἅπαντα.
In general, along these places the coast is completely narrow; for the mountains full of mines and forests lie immediately above it, and not much of it is cultivated; so there remains for the miners a livelihood from the mines, and for the workers of the sea from fishing, especially of pelamydes and dolphins; for pursuing the schools of fish, namely the kordyle, the tunny, and the pelamys itself, they grow fat and become easy to catch because they approach the land more readily; and these people alone cut up the dolphins, which are attracted by bait, and use their abundant grease for every purpose.
§12.3.20τούτους οὖν οἶμαι λέγειν τὸν ποιητὴν Ἁλιζώνους ἐν τῷ μετὰ τοὺς Παφλαγόνας καταλόγῳ
"
αὐτὰρ Ἁλιζώνων Ὀδίος καὶ Ἐπίστροφος ἦρχον
τηλόθεν ἐξ Ἀλύβης, ὅθεν ἀργύρου ἐστὶ γενέθλη. "
ἤτοι τῆς γραφῆς μετατεθείσης ἀπὸ τοῦ
τηλόθεν ἐκ Χαλύβης,
ἢ τῶν ἀνθρώπων πρότερον Ἀλύβων λεγομένων ἀντὶ Χαλύβων· οὐ γὰρ νῦν μὲν δυνατὸν γέγονεν ἐκ Χαλύβων Χαλδαίους λεχθῆναι, πρότερον δʼ οὐκ ἐνῆν ἀντὶ Ἀλύβων Χάλυβας, καὶ ταῦτα τῶν ὀνομάτων μεταπτώσεις πολλὰς δεχομένων καὶ μάλιστα ἐν τοῖς βαρβάροις· Σίντιες γὰρ ἐκαλοῦντό τινες τῶν Θρᾳκῶν, εἶτα Σιντοί, εἶτα Σάιοι, παρʼ οἷς φησιν Ἀρχίλοχος τὴν ἀσπίδα ῥῖψαι
"
ἀσπίδα μὲν Σαΐων τις ἀνείλετο, τὴν παρὰ θάμνῳ
ἔντος ἀμώμητον κάλλιπον οὐκ ἐθέλων. "
οἱ δʼ αὐτοὶ οὗτοι Σαπαῖοι νῦν ὀνομάζονται· πάντες γὰρ οὗτοι περὶ Ἄβδηρα τὴν οἴκησιν εἶχον καὶ τὰς περὶ Λῆμνον νήσους·
These people, therefore, I think the poet calls Halizones in the catalogue after the Paphlagonians: "But the Halizones were led by Odios and Epistrophos, from far-off Alybe, where is the birthplace of silver." either because the reading has been altered from "from far-off Chalybe", or because the people were formerly called Alybes instead of Chalybes; for it was not possible for Chaldaei to be named from Chalybes now, and yet not possible formerly for Chalybes instead of Alybes, especially since names undergo many transformations, and most of all among barbarians; for some of the Thracians were called Sinties, then Sintoi, then Saioi, among whom Archilochus says he threw away his shield: "Some Saian exults in my shield, a blameless weapon, which I left behind in a bush against my will." And these same people are now named Sapaei; for all of these had their abode around Abdera and the islands around Lemnos.
ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ Βρῦγοι καὶ Βρύγες καὶ Φρύγες οἱ αὐτοί, καὶ Μυσοὶ καὶ Μαίονες καὶ Μῄονες· οὐ χρεία δὲ πλεονάζειν.
Likewise, Brygi, Bryges, and Phryges are the same, and Mysoi, Maiones, and Meones; and there is no need to multiply examples.
ὑπονοεῖ δὲ καὶ ὁ Σκήψιος τὴν τοῦ ὀνόματος μετάπτωσιν ἐξ Ἀλύβων εἰς Χάλυβας, τὰ δʼ ἑξῆς καὶ τὰ συνῳδὰ οὐ νοῶν, καὶ μάλιστα ἐκ τίνος Ἁλιζώνους εἴρηκε τοὺς Χάλυβας, ἀποδοκιμάζει τὴν δόξαν· ἡμεῖς δʼ ἀντιπαραθέντες τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ τὴν ἐκείνου καὶ τὰς τῶν ἄλλων ὑπολήψεις σκοπῶμεν.
The Scepsian also suspects the transformation of the name from Alybes to Chalybes, but since he does not understand what follows and what is in harmony with it, and especially for what reason the poet called the Chalybes "Halizones", he rejects this opinion; but let us, comparing his view and the assumptions of the others with our own, examine them.
§12.3.21οἱ μὲν μεταγράφουσιν
Ἀλαζώνων
οἱ δʼ
Ἀμαζώνων
ποιοῦντες, τὸ δʼ
ἐξ Ἀλύβης
ἐξ Ἀλόπης
ἢ
ἐξ Ἀλόβης,
τοὺς μὲν Σκύθας Ἀλαζῶνας φάσκοντες ὑπὲρ τὸν Βορυσθένη καὶ Καλλιπίδας καὶ ἄλλα ὀνόματα, ἅπερ Ἑλλάνικός τε καὶ Ἡρόδοτος καὶ Εὔδοξος κατεφλυάρησαν ἡμῶν, τοὺς δʼ Ἀμαζῶνας μεταξὺ Μυσίας καὶ Καρίας καὶ Λυδίας, καθάπερ Ἔφορος νομίζει, πλησίον Κύμης τῆς πατρίδος αὐτοῦ· καὶ τοῦτο μὲν ἔχεταί τινος λόγου τυχὸν ἴσως· εἴη γὰρ ἂν λέγων τὴν ὑπὸ τῶν Αἰολέων καὶ Ἰώνων οἰκισθεῖσαν ὕστερον, πρότερον δʼ ὑπὸ Ἀμαζόνων, καὶ ἐπωνύμους πόλεις τινὰς εἶναί φασι· καὶ γὰρ Ἔφεσον καὶ Σμύρναν καὶ Κύμην καὶ Μύριναν.
Some write instead "Alazones", others "Amazones", making "from Alybe" into "from Alope" or "from Allobe", claiming that the Alazones are Scythians above the Borysthenes, along with the Callipidae and other names which Hellanicus, Herodotus, and Eudoxus have babbled to us, and that the Amazons are between Mysia, Caria, and Lydia, as Ephorus believes, near Cyme, his native city; and this view indeed has perhaps some plausibility; for he might be speaking of the territory afterwards colonised by the Aeolians and Ionians, but formerly ruled by the Amazons, and they say some cities are named after them, for instance, Ephesus, Smyrna, Cyme, and Myrina.
ἡ δὲ Ἀλύβη ἢ ὥς τινες Ἀλόπη ἢ Ἀλόβη πῶς ἂν ἐν τοῖς τόποις τούτοις ἐξητάζετο;
But how could Alybe, or as some say, Alope or Allobe, be found in these places?
πῶς δὲ τηλόθεν;
And how could it be "far-off"?
πῶς δʼ ἡ τοῦ ἀργύρου γενέθλη;
And how could it be "the birthplace of silver"?