§3.3.7̔́απαντες δʼ οἱ ὄρειοι λιτοὶ ὑδροπόται χαμαιεῦναι βαθεῖαν κατακεχυμένοι τὴν κόμην γυναικῶν δίκην· μιτρωσάμενοι δὲ τὰ μέτωπα μάχονται.
All the mountaineers are simple, water-drinkers, and sleep on the ground, letting their hair flow deep down like women, though they fight with their foreheads bound with headbands.
τραγοφαγοῦσι δὲ μάλιστα, καὶ τῷ Ἄρει τράγον θύουσι καὶ τοὺς αἰχμαλώτους καὶ ἵππους· ποιοῦσι δὲ καὶ ἑκατόμβας ἑκάστου γένους ἑλληνικῶς.
And they eat goat's meat especially, and sacrifice to Ares a goat, and also the captives and horses; and they also offer hecatombs of each kind in the Greek fashion.
τελοῦσι δὲ καὶ ἀγῶνας γυμνικοὺς καὶ ὁπλιτικοὺς καὶ ἱππικούς, πυγμῇ καὶ δρόμῳ καὶ ἀκροβολισμῷ καὶ τῇ σπειρηδὸν μάχῃ.
They also celebrate gymnastic, equestrian, and heavy-armored contests, in boxing and running, in skirmishing, and in fighting in bands.
οἱ δʼ ὄρειοι τὰ δύο μέρη τοῦ ἔτους δρυοβαλάνῳ χρῶνται ξηράναντες καὶ κόψαντες, εἶτα ἀλέσαντες καὶ ἀρτοποιησάμενοι ὥστʼ ἀποτίθεσθαι εἰς χρόνον.
The mountaineers for two-thirds of the year live on acorn-meal, having dried and crushed it, then ground it and made it into bread so as to store it up for a time.
χρῶνται δὲ καὶ ζύθει· οἴνῳ δὲ σπανίζονται, τὸν δὲ γινόμενον ταχὺ ἀναλίσκουσι κατευωχούμενοι μετὰ τῶν συγγενῶν· ἀντʼ ἐλαίου δὲ βουτύρῳ χρῶνται.
They also use beer; but wine is scarce, and what is produced they quickly consume in feasting with their kinsfolk; and instead of olive oil they use butter.
καθήμενοί τε δειπνοῦσι περὶ τοὺς τοίχους καθέδρας οἰκοδομητὰς ἔχοντες, προκάθηνται δὲ καθʼ ἡλικίαν καὶ τιμήν· περιφορητὸν δὲ τὸ δεῖπνον.
They dine sitting down on benches built around the walls, taking their seats according to age and rank; and the dinner is passed around.
ξυλίνοις δὲ ἀγγείοις χρῶνται, καθάπερ καὶ οἱ Κελτοί.
They use wooden vessels, just as the Celts do.
καὶ παρὰ πότον ὀρχοῦνται πρὸς αὐλὸν καὶ σάλπιγγα χορεύοντες, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀναλλόμενοι καὶ ὀκλάζοντες· ἐν Βαστητανίᾳ δὲ καὶ γυναῖκες ἀναμὶξ ἀνδράσιν ἀντιλαμβανόμεναι τῶν χειρῶν.
And at their drinking-bouts they dance to the flute and the trumpet, dancing in chorus, but also leaping up and crouching down; and in Bastetania women also dance mixed with men, holding their hands.
μελανείμονες ἅπαντες τὸ πλέον ἐν σάγοις, ἐν οἷσπερ καὶ στιβαδοκοιτοῦσι, αἱ γυναῖκες δʼ ἐν ἐνδύμασι καὶ ἀνθίναις ἐσθήσεσι διάγουσιν.
They all wear black, for the most part in coarse cloaks, in which they also sleep on their straw beds; and the women go about in tunics and flowered dresses.
ἀντὶ δὲ νομίσματος οἱ λίαν ἐν βάθει φορτίων ἀμοιβῇ χρῶνται ἢ τοῦ ἀργυροῦ ἐλάσματος ἀποτέμνοντες διδόασι.
And instead of coin, those who live deep in the interior practice bartering of goods, or they cut off pieces from a silver plate and give them.
τοὺς δὲ θανατουμένους καταπετροῦσι, τοὺς δὲ πατραλοίας ἔξω τῶν ὅρων καταλεύουσι.
And those who are condemned to death they cast down from precipices, and parricides they stone to death outside the borders.
γαμοῦσι δʼ ὥσπερ οἱ Ἕλληνες.
They marry just as the Greeks do.
τοὺς δὲ ἀρρώστους, ὥσπερ οἱ Ἀσσύριοι τὸ παλαιόν, προτιθέασιν εἰς τὰς ὁδοὺς τοῖς πεπειραμένοις τοῦ πάθους ὑποθήκης χάριν.
The sick, just as the Assyrians did of old, they expose on the streets for the sake of advice from those who have experienced the disease.
διφθερίνοις τε πλοίοις ἐχρῶντο ἕως ἐπὶ Βρούτου διὰ τὰς πλημμυρίδας καὶ τὰ τενάγη, νυνὶ δὲ καὶ τὰ μονόξυλα ἤδη σπάνια.
And they used leather boats until the time of Brutus because of the tides and the shallows, but now even dugout canoes are already rare.
ἅλες πορφυροῖ, τριφθέντες δὲ λευκοί.
Their salt is purple, but when crushed it becomes white.
ἔστι δὲ τῶν ὀρείων ὁ βίος οὗτος, ὧνπερ ἔφην, λέγω δὲ τοὺς τὴν βόρειον πλευρὰν ἀφορίζοντας τῆς Ἰβηρίας, Καλλαϊκοὺς καὶ Ἄστουρας καὶ Καντάβρους μέχρι Ὀυασκώνων καὶ τῆς Πυρήνης· ὁμοειδεῖς γὰρ ἁπάντων οἱ βίοι.
This is the mode of life of the mountaineers, as I said—I mean those who bound the northern side of Iberia, the Callaicans, Asturians, and Cantabrians, as far as the Vascones and the Pyrenees; for the lives of all of them are of a similar character.
ὀκνῶ δὲ τοῖς ὀνόμασι πλεονάζειν φεύγων τὸ ἀηδὲς τῆς γραφῆς, εἰ μή τινι πρὸς ἡδονῆς ἐστιν ἀκούειν Πλευταύρους καὶ Βαρδυήτας καὶ Ἀλλότριγας καὶ ἄλλα χείρω καὶ ἀσημότερα τούτων ὀνόματα. §3.3.8τὸ δὲ δυσήμερον καὶ ἀγριῶδες οὐκ ἐκ τοῦ πολεμεῖν συμβέβηκε μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ τὸν ἐκτοπισμόν· καὶ γὰρ ὁ πλοῦς ἐπʼ αὐτοὺς μακρὸς καὶ αἱ ὁδοί, δυσεπίμικτοι δʼ ὄντες ἀποβεβλήκασι τὸ κοινωνικὸν καὶ τὸ φιλάνθρωπον.
But I hesitate to multiply their names, avoiding the unpleasantness of writing them, unless it is a pleasure to someone to hear the names of the Pleutaurians, the Bardyetans, the Allotrigans, and other names still worse and more obscure than these. Their harshness and wildness have resulted not only from their being at war, but also from their isolation; for the voyage to their country is long, as are the roads, and because they are difficult to associate with, they have lost all sociability and humanity.
ἧττον δὲ νῦν τοῦτο πάσχουσι διὰ τὴν εἰρήνην καὶ τὴν τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἐπιδημίαν· ὅσοις δʼ ἧττον τοῦτο συμβαίνει, χαλεπώτεροί εἰσι καὶ θηριωδέστεροι.
They suffer from this to a less degree now, however, because of the peace and the temporary stay of the Romans among them; but those with whom this happens to a less degree are more difficult and beastly.
τοιαύτης δʼ οὔσης καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν τόπων λυπρότητος ἐνίοις καὶ τῶν ὀρῶν, εἰκὸς ἐπιτείνεσθαι τὴν τοιαύτην ἀτοπίαν.
And since the ruggedness of their regions and mountains is of such a character for some, it is natural that such strangeness is intensified.
ἀλλὰ νῦν, ὡς εἶπον, πέπαυται πολεμοῦντα πάντα· τούς τε γὰρ συνέχοντας ἔτι νῦν μάλιστα τὰ λῃστήρια Καντάβρους καὶ τοὺς γειτονεύοντας αὐτοῖς κατέλυσεν ὁ Σεβαστὸς Καῖσαρ, καὶ ἀντὶ τοῦ πορθεῖν τοὺς τῶν Ῥωμαίων συμμάχους στρατεύουσι νῦν ὑπὲρ τῶν Ῥωμαίων οἵ τε Κωνιακοὶ καὶ οἱ πρὸς ταῖς πηγαῖς τοῦ Ἴβηρος οἰκοῦντες Πληντουίσοι.
But now, as I said, all warfare has ceased; for Caesar Augustus subdued the Cantabrians and their neighbors, who even down to his time were most of all keeping up the brigandage; and instead of plundering the allies of the Romans, the Coniacans and the Plentuisans, who dwell near the sources of the Hebrus, now campaign on behalf of the Romans.
ὅ τʼ ἐκεῖνον διαδεξάμενος Τιβέριος τριῶν ταγμάτων στρατιωτικὸν ἐπιστήσας τοῖς τόποις, τὸ ἀποδειχθὲν ὑπὸ τοῦ Σεβαστοῦ Καίσαρος, οὐ μόνον εἰρηνικοὺς ἀλλὰ καὶ πολιτικοὺς ἤδη τινὰς αὐτῶν ἀπεργασάμενος τυγχάνει.
And Tiberius, who succeeded him, by placing a military force of three legions in these places—the force appointed by Caesar Augustus—has succeeded in making some of them not only peaceable but even civilized already.