§12.4.1τὴν δὲ Βιθυνίαν ἀπὸ μὲν τῆς ἀνατολῆς ὁρίζουσι Παφλαγόνες τε καὶ Μαριανδυνοὶ καὶ τῶν Ἐπικτήτων τινές, ἀπὸ δὲ τῶν ἄρκτων ἡ Ποντικὴ θάλαττα ἡ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐκβολῶν τοῦ Σαγγαρίου μέχρι τοῦ στόματος τοῦ κατὰ Βυζάντιον καὶ Χαλκηδόνα, ἀπὸ δὲ δύσεως ἡ Προποντίς, πρὸς νότον δʼ ἥ τε Μυσία καὶ ἡ ἐπίκτητος καλουμένη Φρυγία, ἡ δʼ αὐτὴ καὶ Ἑλλησποντιακὴ Φρυγία καλουμένη.
As for Bithynia, on the east it is bounded by the Paphlagonians, the Mariandyni, and some of the Epicteti; on the north by the Pontic Sea which extends from the mouth of the Sangarius to the strait near Byzantium and Chalcedon; on the west by the Propontis; and towards the south by both Mysia and the so-called Epictetus Phrygia, which is also called Hellespontine Phrygia.
§12.4.2ταύτης δʼ ἐπὶ μὲν τῷ στόματι τοῦ Πόντου Χαλκηδὼν ἵδρυται, Μεγαρέων κτίσμα, καὶ κώμη Χρυσόπολις καὶ τὸ ἱερὸν τὸ Χαλκηδόνιον, ἔχει δʼ ἡ χώρα μικρὸν ὑπὲρ τῆς θαλάττης κρήνην Ἀζαριτίαν, τρέφουσαν κροκοδείλους μικρούς·
On the mouth of the Pontus in this country is situated Chalcedon, a foundation of the Megarians, and the village Chrysopolis, and the Chalcedonian temple; and the territory has, a little above the sea, a spring called Azaritia, which breeds small crocodiles.
ἔπειτʼ ἐκδέχεται τὴν τῶν Χαλκηδονίων ᾐόνα ὁ Ἀστακηνὸς καλούμενος κόλπος, μέρος ὢν τῆς Προποντίδος, ἐν ᾧ ἡ Νικομήδεια ἔκτισται ἐπώνυμος ἑνὸς τῶν Βιθυνικῶν βασιλέων τοῦ κτίσαντος αὐτήν· πολλοὶ δʼ ὁμωνύμως ὠνομάσθησαν, καθάπερ Πτολεμαῖοι διὰ τὴν τοῦ πρώτου δόξαν.
Next, succeeding the shore of the Chalcedonians, comes the so-called Astacene Gulf, which is a part of the Propontis, in which is built Nicomedia, named after one of the Bithynian kings who founded it; many of them were named with the same name, just as the Ptolemies were because of the glory of the first.
ἦν δʼ ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ κόλπῳ καὶ Ἀστακὸς πόλις, Μεγαρέων κτίσμα καὶ Ἀθηναίων καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα Δοιδαλσοῦ, ἀφʼ ἧς καὶ ὁ κόλπος ὠνομάσθη· κατεσκάφη δʼ ὑπὸ Λυσιμάχου· τοὺς δʼ οἰκήτορας μετήγαγεν εἰς Νικομήδειαν ὁ κτίσας αὐτήν.
In this same gulf there was also the city of Astacus, a foundation of Megarians and Athenians, and afterwards of Doedalsus, from which the gulf also took its name; it was demolished by Lysimachus, and its founder transferred the inhabitants to Nicomedia.
§12.4.3τῷ δʼ Ἀστακηνῷ κόλπος ἄλλος συνεχής ἐστιν, εἰσέχων μᾶλλον πρὸς ἀνίσχοντα ἥλιον, ἐν ᾧ Προυσιὰς ἔστιν ἡ Κίος πρότερον ὀνομασθεῖσα·
Contiguous to the Astacene Gulf is another gulf, which penetrates further towards the rising sun, in which is Prusias, formerly called Cius.
κατέσκαψε δὲ τὴν Κίον Φίλιππος, ὁ Δημητρίου μὲν υἱὸς Περσέως δὲ πατήρ, ἔδωκε δὲ Προυσίᾳ τῷ Ζήλα, συγκατασκάψαντι καὶ ταύτην καὶ Μύρλειαν ἀστυγείτονα πόλιν, πλησίον δὲ καὶ Προύσης οὖσαν·
Philip, the son of Demetrius and father of Perseus, destroyed Cius and gave it to Prusias, the son of Zelas, who had assisted him in destroying both this city and Myrleia, a neighboring city, which was also near Prusa.
ἀναλαβὼν δʼ ἐκεῖνος ἐκ τῶν ἐρειπίων αὐτὰς ἐπωνόμασεν ἀφʼ ἑαυτοῦ μὲν Προυσιάδα πόλιν τὴν Κίον, τὴν δὲ Μύρλειαν Ἀπάμειαν ἀπὸ τῆς γυναικός.
He rebuilt them from their ruins and named Cius Prusias after himself, and Myrleia Apameia after his wife.
οὗτος δʼ ἔστιν ὁ Προυσίας ὁ καὶ Ἀννίβαν δεξάμενος ἀναχωρήσαντα δεῦρο μετὰ τὴν Ἀντιόχου ἧτταν, καὶ τῆς ἐφʼ Ἑλλησπόντῳ Φρυγίας ἀναστὰς κατὰ συμβάσεις τοῖς Ἀτταλικοῖς, ἣν οἱ μὲν πρότερον ἐκάλουν μικρὰν Φρυγίαν, ἐκεῖνοι δʼ ἐπίκτητον ὠνόμασαν·
This is that Prusias who received Hannibal when he retreated here after the defeat of Antiochus, and who withdrew from Hellespontine Phrygia according to treaty with the Attalic kings, which region people formerly called Little Phrygia, but they named Epictetus.
ὑπέρκειται δὲ τῆς Προυσιάδος ὄρος ὃ καλοῦσιν Ἀργανθώνιον.
Above Prusias lies the mountain which they call Arganthonium.
ἐνταῦθα δὲ μυθεύουσι τὸν Ὕλαν ἕνα τῶν Ἡρακλέους ἑταίρων συμπλεύσαντα ἐπὶ τῆς Ἀργοῦς αὐτῷ ἐξιόντα δὲ ἐπὶ ὑδρείαν ὑπὸ νυμφῶν ἁρπαγῆναι· κίον δὲ καὶ τοῦτον Ἡρακλέους ἑταῖρον καὶ σύμπλουν ἐπανελθόντα ἐκ Κόλχων αὐτόθι καταμεῖναι καὶ κτίσαι τὴν πόλιν ἐπώνυμον αὐτοῦ.
Here they mythologize that Hylas, one of the companions of Heracles who sailed with him on the Argo, when he went out to draw water, was carried off by nymphs; and that Cius, also a companion and fellow-voyager of Heracles, returning from Colchis, remained there and founded the city named after him.
καὶ νῦν δʼ ἔτι ἑορτή τις ἄγεται παρὰ τοῖς Προυσιεῦσιν καὶ ὀρειβασία θιασευόντων καὶ καλούντων Ὕλαν, ὡς ἂν κατὰ ζήτησιν τὴν ἐκείνου πεποιημένων τὴν ἐπὶ τὰς ὕλας ἔξοδον.
And even now a festival is still celebrated among the people of Prusias, and a mountain-wandering of those who celebrate the rites and call upon Hylas, as if they were making their expedition into the woods (hylas) in search of him.
πολιτευσάμενοι δὲ πρὸς Ῥωμαίους οἱ Προυσιεῖς εὐνοϊκῶς ἐλευθερίας ἔτυχον. οἱ δʼ Ἀπαμεῖς ἀποικίαν ἐδέξαντο Ῥωμαίων.
Having conducted their public affairs amicably towards the Romans, the people of Prusias obtained freedom, while the Apameians received a colony of Romans.
Προῦσα δὲ ἐπὶ τῷ Ὀλύμπῳ ἵδρυται τῷ Μυσίῳ, πόλις εὐνομουμένη, τοῖς τε Φρυξὶν ὅμορος καὶ τοῖς Μυσοῖς, κτίσμα Προυσίου τοῦ πρὸς Κροῖσον πολεμήσαντος.
Prusa is situated on the Mysian Olympus, a well-governed city, bordering on both the Phrygians and the Mysians, a foundation of the Prusias who waged war against Croesus.
§12.4.4διορίσαι δὲ τοὺς ὅρους χαλεπὸν τούς τε Βιθυνῶν καὶ Φρυγῶν καὶ Μυσῶν καὶ ἔτι Δολιόνων τῶν περὶ Κύζικον καὶ Μυγδόνων καὶ Τρώων· καὶ διότι μὲν εἶναι δεῖ ἕκαστον φῦλον χωρὶς ὁμολογεῖται (καὶ ἐπί γε τῶν Φρυγῶν καὶ τῶν Μυσῶν καὶ παροιμιάζονται
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χωρὶς τὰ Μυσῶν καὶ Φρυγῶν ὁρίσματα),
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διορίσαι δὲ χαλεπόν.
To define the boundaries is difficult, both of the Bithynians, the Phrygians, the Mysians, and moreover of the Doliones about Cyzicus, the Mygdones, and the Trojans; and while it is agreed that each tribe must be distinct (indeed, in the case of the Phrygians and the Mysians they even have a proverb: 'Apart are the boundaries of Mysians and Phrygians'), yet to define them is difficult.
αἴτιον δὲ τὸ τοὺς ἐπήλυδας βαρβάρους καὶ στρατιώτας ὄντας μὴ βεβαίως κατέχειν τὴν κρατηθεῖσαν, ἀλλὰ πλανήτας εἶναι τὸ πλέον ἐκβάλλοντας καὶ ἐκβαλλομένους.
The cause is that the immigrants, being barbarians and soldiers, did not securely hold the conquered territory, but were for the most part wanderers, expelling and being expelled.
ἅπαντα δὲ τὰ ἔθνη ταῦτα Θρᾴκιά τις εἰκάζοι ἂν διὰ τὸ τὴν περαίαν νέμεσθαι τούτους καὶ διὰ τὸ μὴ πολὺ ἐξαλλάττειν ἀλλήλων ἑκατέρους.
All these nations one might conjecture to be Thracian because these people occupy the opposite coast, and because the two do not differ much from each other.
§12.4.5ὅμως δʼ ἐφʼ ὅσον εἰκάζειν οἷόν τε, τῆς μὲν Βιθυνίας μέσην ἄν τις θείη καὶ τῆς ἐκβολῆς τοῦ Αἰσήπου τὴν Μυσίαν, ἁπτομένην τῆς θαλάττης καὶ διήκουσαν μέχρι τοῦ Ὀλύμπου σχεδόν παντός· κύκλῳ δὲ τὴν Ἐπίκτητον κειμένην ἐν τῇ μεσογαία, θαλάττης οὐδαμοῦ ἁπτομένην διατείνουσαν δὲ μέχρι τῶν ἑῴων μερῶν τῆς Ἀσκανίας λίμνης τε καὶ χώρας·
Nevertheless, as far as it is possible to conjecture, one might place Mysia between Bithynia and the mouth of the Aesepus, touching the sea and extending almost to the whole of Olympus; and round about it, situated in the interior, lies Epictetus, nowhere touching the sea, but extending as far as the eastern parts of the Ascania lake and territory.
ὁμωνύμως γὰρ τῇ λίμνῃ καὶ ἡ χώρα ἐλέγετο, καὶ ἦν αὐτῆς τὸ μὲν Φρύγιον τὸ δὲ Μύσιον ἀπωτέρω δὲ τῆς Τροίας τὸ Φρύγιον.
For the country was called by the same name as the lake, and part of it was Phrygian and part Mysian, the Phrygian being further away from Troy.
καὶ δὴ καὶ οὕτω δεκτέον τὸ παρὰ τῷ ποιητῇ ὅταν φῇ
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Φόρκυς δʼ αὖ Φρύγας ἦγε καὶ Ἀσκάνιος θεοειδής,
τῆλʼ ἐξ Ἀσκανίης,
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τῆς Φρυγιακῆς, ὡς οὔσης ἐγγυτέρω ἄλλης Ἀσκανίας Μυσιακῆς τῆς πρὸς τῇ νῦν Νικαίᾳ, ἧς μέμνηται ὅταν φῇ
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Πάλμυν τʼ Ἀσκάνιόν τε Μόρυν θʼ, υἷʼ Ἱπποτίωνος,
Μυσῶν ἀγχεμάχων ἡγήτορα,
οἵ ῥʼ ἐξ Ἀσκανίης ἐριβώλακος ἦλθον ἀμοιβοί. "
οὐ θαυμαστὸν δʼ εἰ τῶν Φρυγῶν εἰπών τινα ἡγεμόνα Ἀσκάνιον καὶ ἐξ Ἀσκανίας ἥκοντα, καὶ Μυσῶν τινα λέγει ἡγεμόνα Ἀσκάνιον καὶ ἐξ Ἀσκανίας ἥκοντα· πολλὴ γὰρ ἡ ὁμωνυμία παρʼ αὐτῷ καὶ ἡ ἀπὸ τῶν ποταμῶν καὶ λιμνῶν καὶ χωρίων ἐπίκλησις.
And indeed, we must understand the words of the poet in this way when he says, 'Phorcys, again, led the Phrygians, and godlike Ascanius, far from Ascania,' namely, the Phrygian Ascania, on the ground that there was another, the Mysian Ascania, which was nearer, near the present Nicaea, of which he makes mention when he says, 'Palmys and Ascanius and Morys, son of Hippotion, leaders of the close-fighting Mysians, who had come as reinforcements from fertile Ascania.' It is not surprising if, having called a certain leader of the Phrygians Ascanius and coming from Ascania, he also says a certain leader of the Mysians was Ascanius and came from Ascania; for there is much homonymy in his work, and naming after rivers, lakes, and places is common.