§16.4.25τὴν μὲν οὖν ἀρωματοφόρον διαιροῦσιν εἰς τέτταρας μερίδας, ὥσπερ εἰρήκαμεν· τῶν ἀρωμάτων δὲ λίβανον μὲν καὶ σμύρναν ἐκ δένδρων γίνεσθαί φασι, κασίαν δὲ καὶ ἐκ θάμνων· τινὲς δὲ τὴν πλείω ἐξ Ἰνδῶν εἶναι, τοῦ δὲ λιβάνου βέλτιστον τὸν πρὸς τῇ Περσίδι.
Indeed, they divide the spice-bearing country into four parts, as we have said; and of the spices, they say that frankincense and myrrh come from trees, but cassia also from shrubs; some say that the greater part comes from India, and that the best frankincense is that near Persia.
κατʼ ἄλλην δὲ διαίρεσιν σύμπασαν τὴν εὐδαίμονα πενταχῆ σχίζουσιν εἰς βασιλείας, ὧν ἡ μὲν τοὺς μαχίμους ἔχει καὶ προαγωνιστὰς ἁπάντων, ἡ δὲ τοὺς γεωργοὺς παρʼ ὧν ὁ σῖτος εἰς τοὺς ἄλλους εἰσάγεται, ἡ δὲ τοὺς βαναυσοτεχνοῦντας, καὶ ἡ μὲν σμυρνοφόρος, ἡ δὲ λιβανωτοφόρος· αἱ δʼ αὐταὶ καὶ τὴν κασίαν καὶ τὸ κιννάμωμον καὶ τὴν νάρδον φέρουσι· παρʼ ἀλλήλων δʼ οὐ μεταφοιτᾷ τὰ ἐπιτηδεύματα, ἀλλʼ ἐν τοῖς πατρίοις διαμένουσιν ἕκαστοι.
According to another division, they split the whole of Arabia Felix into five kingdoms, of which one contains the warriors and the champions of all, another the husbandmen from whom grain is imported to the others, another the artisans; and one is myrrh-bearing, and another is frankincense-bearing; though these same countries also bear cassia, cinnamon, and nard; occupations do not pass from one to another, but each remains in those of their ancestors.
οἶνος δʼ ἐκ φοινίκων ὁ πλείων.
Their wine is mostly made from palms.
ἀδελφοὶ τιμιώτεροι τῶν τέκνων·
Brothers are held in higher honor than children.
κατὰ πρεσβυγένειαν καὶ βασιλεύουσιν οἱ ἐκ τοῦ γένους καὶ ἄλλας ἀρχὰς ἄρχουσι·
And those of the royal family reign and hold other offices according to seniority of birth.
κοινὴ κτῆσις ἅπασι τοῖς συγγενέσι, κύριος δὲ ὁ πρεσβύτατος·
Property is common to all relatives, but the eldest is the master.
μία δὲ καὶ γυνὴ πᾶσιν, ὁ δὲ φθάσας εἰσιὼν μίγνυται προθεὶς τῆς θύρας τὴν ῥάβδον· ἑκάστῳ γὰρ δεῖν ῥαβδοφορεῖν ἔθος·
They also have one wife for all, and whoever arrives first goes in and cohabits with her, having first placed his staff before the door; for it is the custom for each man to carry a staff.
νυκτερεύει δὲ παρὰ τῷ πρεσβυτάτῳ· διὸ καὶ πάντες ἀδελφοὶ πάντων εἰσί·
But she spends the night with the eldest; and therefore all are brothers of all.
μίγνυνται δὲ καὶ μητράσι·
They also cohabit with their mothers.
μοιχῷ δὲ ζημία θάνατος· μοιχὸς δʼ ἐστὶν ὁ ἐξ ἄλλου γένους.
The penalty for an adulterer is death; and an adulterer is one from another family.
θυγάτηρ δὲ τῶν βασιλέων τινὸς θαυμαστὴ τὸ κάλλος, ἔχουσα ἀδελφοὺς πεντεκαίδεκα ἐρῶντας αὐτῆς πάντας, καὶ διὰ τοῦτʼ ἀδιαλείπτως ἄλλον ἐπʼ ἄλλῳ παριόντα ὡς αὐτήν, κάμνουσα ἤδη παραδέδοται νοήματι χρήσασθαι τοιούτῳ·
A daughter of one of their kings, who was of wonderful beauty, had fifteen brothers, who were all in love with her, and on this account visited her incessantly, one after another; at last, being exhausted, she is said to have devised the following artifice.
ποιησαμένη ῥάβδους ὁμοίας ταῖς ἐκείνων, ὅτʼ ἐξίοι παρʼ αὐτῆς τις, ἀεί τινα προὐτίθει τῆς θύρας τὴν ὁμοίαν ἐκείνῃ, καὶ μικρὸν ὕστερον ἄλλην, εἶτʼ ἄλλην, στοχαζομένη ὅπως μὴ ἐκείνῃ τὴν παραπλησίαν ἔχοι ὁ μέλλων προσιέναι·
She made staves similar to theirs, and whenever anyone went out from her, she always placed before the door a staff similar to his, and a little later another, and then another, aiming to prevent the next who was about to approach from having one like that which was displayed.
καὶ δὴ πάντων ποτὲ κατʼ ἀγορὰν ὄντων, ἕνα προσιόντα τῇ θύρᾳ καὶ ἰδόντα τὴν ῥάβδον, ἐκ μὲν ταύτης εἰκάσαι διότι παρʼ αὐτήν τις εἴη· ἐκ δὲ τοῦ τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς πάντας ἐν τῇ ἀγορᾷ καταλιπεῖν ὑπονοῆσαι μοιχόν·
And indeed, on one occasion when they were all in the market-place, one of them approached the door and, seeing the staff, conjectured from this that someone was with her; and since he had left all his brothers in the market-place, he suspected that it was an adulterer.
δραμόντα δὲ πρὸς τὸν πατέρα καὶ ἐπαγαγόντα ἐκεῖνον ἐλεγχθῆναι καταψευσάμενον τῆς ἀδελφῆς.
So he ran to his father and brought him there, only to be convicted of having made a false accusation against his sister.
§16.4.26σώφρονες δʼ εἰσὶν οἱ Ναβαταῖοι καὶ κτητικοί, ὥστε καὶ δημοσίᾳ τῷ μὲν μειώσαντι τὴν οὐσίαν ζημία κεῖται, τῷ δʼ αὐξήσαντι τιμαί.
The Nabataeans are temperate and acquisitive, so that even publicly a penalty is appointed for one who has diminished his property, but honors for one who has increased it.
ὀλιγόδουλοι δʼ ὄντες ὑπὸ τῶν συγγενῶν διακονοῦνται τὸ πλέον ἢ ὑπʼ ἀλλήλων ἢ αὐτοδιάκονοι, ὥστε καὶ μέχρι τῶν βασιλέων διατείνειν τὸ ἔθος.
Having few slaves, they are served for the most part by their relatives, or by one another, or they serve themselves; and this custom extends even to the kings.
συσσίτια δὲ ποιοῦνται κατὰ τρισκαίδεκα ἀνθρώπους, μουσουργοὶ δὲ δύο τῷ συμποσίῳ ἑκάστῳ.
They hold common meals in groups of thirteen persons, and there are two musicians for each banquet.
ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ἐν οἴκῳ μεγάλῳ πολλὰ συνέχει συμπόσια· πίνει δʼ οὐδεὶς πλέον τῶν ἕνδεκα ποτηρίων ἄλλῳ καὶ ἄλλῳ χρυσῷ ἐκπώματι.
The king holds many banquets in a large house; but no one drinks more than eleven cups, using a different golden goblet each time.
οὕτω δʼ ὁ βασιλεύς ἐστι δημοτικὸς ὥστε πρὸς τῷ αὐτοδιακόνῳ καί ποτʼ ἀντιδιάκονον τοῖς ἄλλοις καὶ αὐτὸν γίνεσθαι·
The king is so democratic that, in addition to serving himself, he sometimes even serves others in turn.
πολλάκις δὲ καὶ ἐν τῷ δήμῳ δίδωσιν εὐθύνας, ἔσθʼ ὅτε καὶ ἐξετάζεται τὰ περὶ τὸν βίον·
He also frequently renders an account of his administration in the popular assembly, and sometimes even his private life is scrutinized.
οἰκήσεις δὲ διὰ λίθου πολυτελεῖς, αἱ δὲ πόλεις ἀτείχιστοι διʼ εἰρήνην·
Their dwellings are costly, built of stone, but their cities are unwalled because of peace.
εὔκαρπος ἡ πολλὴ πλὴν ἐλαίου, χρῶνται δὲ σησαμίνῳ.
Most of the country is fertile, except for the olive; they use sesame oil instead.
πρόβατα λευκότριχα, βόες μεγάλοι, ἵππων ἄφορος ἡ χώρα· κάμηλοι δὲ τὴν ὑπουργίαν ἀντʼ ἐκείνων παρέχονται·
Their sheep are white-wooled, their oxen large; the country produces no horses, but camels afford service in their stead.
ἀχίτωνες δʼ ἐν περιζώμασι καὶ βλαυτίοις προΐασι καὶ οἱ βασιλεῖς, ἐν πορφύρᾳ δʼ οὗτοι·
They go abroad without tunics, wearing only girdles and sandals, and even the kings do so, though the latter wear purple.
εἰσαγώγιμα δʼ ἐστὶ τὰ μὲν τελέως τὰ δʼ οὐ παντελῶς, ἄλλως τε καὶ ἐπιχωριάζει, καθάπερ χρυσὸς καὶ ἄργυρος καὶ τὰ πολλὰ τῶν ἀρωμάτων· χαλκὸς δὲ καὶ σίδηρος καὶ ἔτι πορφυρᾶ ἐσθὴς στύραξ κρόκος κοστάρια τόρευμα γραφὴ πλάσμα οὐκ ἐπιχώρια·
Some things are imported altogether, and others not entirely, especially those which are produced in the country, such as gold, silver, and most of the spices; whereas brass, iron, purple garments, styrax, crocus, costum, embossed works, paintings, and molded images are not produced in the country.
ἴσα κοπρίαις ἡγοῦνται τὰ νεκρὰ σώματα, καθάπερ Ἡράκλειτός φησι νέκυες κοπρίων ἐκβλητότεροι. διὸ καὶ παρὰ τοὺς κοπρῶνας κατορύττουσι καὶ τοὺς βασιλεῖς.
They consider dead bodies as no better than dung, as Heraclitus says, 'corpses are more fit to be cast out than dung'; and therefore they bury even their kings beside dung-heaps.
ἥλιον τιμῶσιν ἐπὶ τοῦ δώματος ἱδρυσάμενοι βωμόν, σπένδοντες ἐν αὐτῷ καθʼ ἡμέραν καὶ λιβανωτίζοντες.
They worship the sun, building an altar on the house-top, pouring libations upon it daily, and burning frankincense.