§12.3.38λείπεται δὲ τοῦ Πόντου μεταξὺ ταύτης τε τῆς χώρας καὶ τῆς Ἀμισηνῶν καὶ Σινωπέων, πρός τε τὴν Καππαδοκίαν συντείνοντα καὶ Γαλάτας καὶ Παφλαγόνας.
There remains of Pontus the region between this country and that of the Amiseni and Sinopeans, extending towards Cappadocia and Galatia and Paphlagonia.
μετὰ μὲν οὖν τὴν Ἀμισηνῶν μέχρι τοῦ Ἅλυος ἡ Φαζημωνῖτις ἔστιν, ἣν Πομπήιος Νεαπολῖτιν ὠνόμασε κατὰ Φαζημῶνα κώμην, ἀποδείξας τὴν κατοικίαν καὶ προσαγορεύσας Νεάπολιν.
Now, after the territory of the Amiseni as far as the Halys, is Phazemonitis, which Pompey named Neapolitis, after the village Phazemon, declaring it a settlement and calling it Neapolis.
ταύτης δὲ τῆς χώρας τὸ μὲν προσάρκτιον πλευρὸν ἡ Γαζηλωνῖτις συγκλείει καὶ ἡ τῶν Ἀμισηνῶν, τὸ δὲ ἑσπέριον ὁ Ἅλυς, τὸ δʼ ἑῷον ἡ Φανάροια, τὸ δὲ λοιπὸν ἡ ἡμετέρα χώρα ἡ τῶν Ἀμασέων, πολὺ πασῶν πλείστη καὶ ἀρίστη.
Of this country, the northern side is enclosed by Gazelonitis and that of the Amiseni, the western by the Halys, the eastern by Phanaroea, and the remaining part by our country, that of the Amaseians, which is by far the largest and best of all.
τὸ μὲν οὖν πρὸς τῇ Φαναροίᾳ μέρος τῆς Φαζημωνίτιδος λίμνη κατέχει πελαγία τὸ μέγεθος ἡ Στιφάνη καλουμένη, πολύοψος καὶ κύκλῳ νομὰς ἀφθόνους ἔχουσα καὶ παντοδαπάς· ἐπίκειται δʼ αὐτῇ φρούριον ἐρυμνὸν ἔρημον νῦν Ἰκίζαρι, καὶ πλησίον βασίλειον κατεσκαμμένον· ἡ δὲ λοιπὴ ψιλὴ τὸ πλέον καὶ σιτοφόρος χώρα.
Now the part of Phazemonitis near Phanaroea is occupied by a lake, Stiphane by name, which is like a sea in size, rich in fish, and having abundant and varied pastures all around; and upon it is situated a strong fortress, now deserted, called Ikizari, and nearby a demolished royal palace; the rest of the country is for the most part bare of trees and productive of grain.
ὑπέρκειται δὲ τῆς τῶν Ἀμασέων τά τε θερμὰ ὕδατα τῶν Φαζημωνιτῶν ὑγιεινὰ σφόδρα, καὶ τὸ Σαγύλιον ἐπὶ ὄρους ὀρθίου καὶ ὑψηλοῦ πρὸς ὀξεῖαν ἀνατείνοντος ἄκραν ἔρυμα ἱδρυμένον ἔχον καὶ ὑδρεῖον δαψιλές, ὃ νῦν ὠλιγώρηται, τοῖς δὲ βασιλεῦσιν ἦν χρήσιμον εἰς πολλά.
Situated above that of the Amaseians are the hot waters of the Phazemonitans, which are highly beneficial to health, and also Sagylium, a fortress established on a steep and high mountain rising to a sharp peak, which has an abundant water supply, though now neglected, but it was useful to the kings in many ways.
ἐνταῦθα δὲ ἑάλω καὶ διεφθάρη ὑπὸ τῶν Φαρνάκου τοῦ βασιλέως παίδων Ἀρσάκης, δυναστεύων καὶ νεωτερίζων, ἐπιτρέψαντος οὐδενὸς τῶν ἡγεμόνων· ἑάλω δὲ οὐ βίᾳ τοῦ ἐρύματος ληφθέντος ὑπὸ Πολέμωνος καὶ Λυκομήδους, βασιλέων ἀμφοῖν, ἀλλὰ λιμῷ· ἀνέφυγε γὰρ εἰς τὸ ὄρος παρασκευῆς χωρὶς εἰργόμενος τῶν πεδίων, εὗρε δὲ καὶ τὰ ὑδρεῖα ἐμπεφραγμένα πέτραις ἠλιβάτοις· οὕτω γὰρ διετέτακτο Πομπήιος, κατασπᾶν κελεύσας τὰ φρούρια καὶ μὴ ἐᾶν χρήσιμα τοῖς ἀναφεύγειν εἰς αὐτὰ βουλομένοις λῃστηρίων χάριν.
Here Arsaces, who was ruling and attempting a revolt without the permission of any of the Roman leaders, was captured and put to death by the sons of King Pharnaces; he was captured, however, not by force through the fortress being taken by Polemon and Lycomedes, both kings, but by hunger; for he fled up into the mountain without provision, being shut out from the plains, and he also found the water supplies blocked with high rocks; for Pompey had so ordered, commanding to demolish the fortresses and not to leave them useful to those who wished to flee up into them for the sake of robbery.
ἐκεῖνος μὲν οὖν οὕτω διέταξε τὴν Φαζημωνῖτιν, οἱ δʼ ὕστερον βασιλεῦσι καὶ ταύτην ἔνειμαν.
Pompey indeed ordered Phazemonitis in this way, but the subsequent rulers assigned this too to kings.
§12.3.39ἡ δʼ ἡμετέρα πόλις κεῖται μὲν ἐν φάραγγι βαθείᾳ καὶ μεγάλῃ, διʼ ἧς ὁ Ἶρις φέρεται ποταμός, κατεσκεύασται δὲ θαυμαστῶς προνοίᾳ τε καὶ φύσει, πόλεως τε ἅμα καὶ φρουρίου παρέχεσθαι χρείαν δυναμένη·
Our city lies in a deep and wide ravine, through which flows the Iris River, and it has been constructed in a wonderful manner by both providence and nature, being capable of serving the needs of both a city and a fortress at the same time.
πέτρα γὰρ ὑψηλὴ καὶ περίκρημνος κατερρωγυῖα ἐπὶ τὸν ποταμόν, τῇ μὲν ἔχουσα τὸ τεῖχος ἐπὶ τῷ χείλει τοῦ ποταμοῦ καθʼ ὃ ἡ πόλις συνῴκισται, τῇ δʼ ἀνατρέχον ἑκατέρωθεν ἐπὶ τὰς κορυφάς· δύο δʼ εἰσὶ συμφυεῖς ἀλλήλαις πεπυργωμέναι παγκάλως· ἐν δὲ τῷ περιβόλῳ τούτῳ βασίλειά τʼ ἐστὶ καὶ μνήματα βασιλέων· αἱ κορυφαὶ δʼ ἔχουσιν αὐχένα παντάπασι στενόν, πέντε ἢ ἓξ σταδίων ἑκατέρωθεν τὸ ὕψος ἀπὸ τῆς ποταμίας ἀναβαίνοντι καὶ τῶν προαστείων· ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ αὐχένος ἐπὶ τὰς κορυφὰς ἄλλη σταδιαία λείπεται πρόσβασις ὀξεῖα καὶ πάσης βίας κρείττων· ἔχει δὲ καὶ ὑδρεῖα ἐντὸς ἀναφαίρετα, συρίγγων τετμημένων δυεῖν, τῆς μὲν ἐπὶ τὸν ποταμὸν τῆς δʼ ἐπὶ τὸν αὐχένα· ἐπέζευκται δὲ γέφυρα τῷ ποταμῷ μία μὲν ἀπὸ τῆς πόλεως ἐπὶ τὸ προάστειον, ἄλλη δʼ ἀπὸ τοῦ προαστείου πρὸς τὴν ἔξω χώραν· κατὰ γὰρ τὴν γέφυραν ταύτην ἀπολήγει τὸ ὄρος τὸ τῆς πέτρας ὑπερκείμενον.
For there is a high and precipitous rock, sheer down to the river, having on one side the wall on the edge of the river where the city is built, and on the other side running up on both sides to the summits; there are two summits naturally joined to one another and beautifully fortified with towers; and within this enclosure are the palaces and the monuments of the kings; the summits have an altogether narrow neck, five or six stadia in height on both sides for one ascending from the river and the suburbs; and from the neck to the summits there remains another steep approach of one stadium, superior to all force; and it also has inalienable water supplies within, through two cut-out channels, one leading to the river and the other to the neck; and a bridge is thrown over the river, one from the city to the suburb, and another from the suburb to the outer country; for at this bridge terminates the mountain which lies above the rock.
αὐλὼν δʼ ἐστὶν ἀπὸ τοῦ ποταμοῦ διήκων οὐ πλατὺς τὸ πρῶτον τελέως, ἔπειτα πλατύνεται καὶ ποιεῖ τὸ Χιλιόκωμον καλούμενον πεδίον· εἶθʼ ἡ Διακοπηνὴ καὶ ἡ Πιμωλισηνὴ χώρα πᾶσα εὐδαίμων μέχρι τοῦ Ἅλυος.
There is a valley extending from the river, which is not wide at first, but then widens and forms the plain called Chiliocomon; and then Diacopene and all the Pimolisene country, which is fertile as far as the Halys.
ταῦτα μὲν τὰ ἀρκτικὰ μέρη τῆς τῶν Ἀμασέων χώρας, μῆκος ὅσον πεντακοσίων σταδίων· ἔπειθʼ ἑξῆς ἡ λοιπὴ πολὺ ταύτης ἐπιμηκεστέρα μέχρι τοῦ Βαβανόμου καὶ τῆς Ξιμήνης, ἥπερ καὶ αὐτὴ καθήκει μέχρι πρὸς τὸν Ἅλυν· τοῦτο μὲν δὴ τὸ μῆκος, πλάτος δὲ τὸ ἀπὸ τῶν ἄρκτων πρὸς νότον ἐπί τε τὴν Ζηλῖτιν καὶ τὴν μεγάλην Καππαδοκίαν μέχρι τῶν Τροκμῶν.
These are the northern parts of the country of the Amaseians, about five hundred stadia in length; then next is the rest, which is much longer than this, extending as far as Babanomus and Ximene, which itself also extends as far as the Halys; this is indeed the length, and the breadth is that from north to south, extending to Zelitis and Great Cappadocia as far as the Trocmi.
εἰσὶ δʼ ἐν τῇ Ξιμήνῃ ἅλαι ὀρυκτῶν ἁλῶν, ἀφʼ ὧν εἰκάζουσιν εἰρῆσθαι Ἅλυν τὸν ποταμόν.
And in Ximene there are mines of rock salt, from which they conjecture that the Halys River got its name.
ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἐρύματα πλείω κατεσκαμμένα ἐν τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ χώρᾳ καὶ ἔρημος γῆ πολλὴ διὰ τὸν Μιθριδατικὸν πόλεμον.
There are also several fortresses demolished in our country and much deserted land because of the Mithridatic War.
ἔστι μέντοι πᾶσα μὲν εὔδενδρος, ἡ δʼ ἱππόβοτος καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις θρέμμασι πρόσφορος· ἅπασα δʼ οἰκήσιμος καλῶς.
It is, however, all well-wooded, and favorable for horse-breeding and for other cattle; and it is all well-suited for habitation.
ἐδόθη δὲ καὶ ἡ Ἀμάσεια βασιλεῦσι, νῦν δʼ ἐπαρχία ἐστί.
Amaseia was also given to kings, but now it is a province.