§3.5.1τῶν δὲ προκειμένων νήσων τῆς Ἰβηρίας τὰς μὲν Πιτυούσσας δύο καὶ τὰς Γυμνησίας δύο (καλοῦσι καὶ Βαλιαρίδας) προκεῖσθαι συμβαίνει τῆς μεταξὺ Ταρράκωνος καὶ Σούκρωνος παραλίας, ἐφʼ ἧς ἵδρυται τὸ Σάγουντον·
Of the islands lying off Iberia, it happens that the two Pityussae and the two Gymnesiae (which they also call the Baliarides) lie off the coast between Tarraco and Sucro, on which Saguntum is situated.
εἰσὶ δὲ καὶ πελάγιαι, * μᾶλλον αἱ Πιτυοῦσσαι καὶ πρὸς ἑσπέραν κεκλιμέναι τῶν Γυμνησίων.
They are also in the open sea, the Pityussae being more so and situated more to the west than the Gymnesiae.
καλεῖται δʼ αὐτῶν ἡ μὲν Ἔβουσος πόλιν ἔχουσα ὁμώνυμον· κύκλος δὲ τῆς νήσου τετρακόσιοι στάδιοι, παρώμαλος τὸ πλάτος καὶ τὸ μῆκος·
And one of them is called Ebusus, having a city of the same name; and the circumference of the island is four hundred stadia, being nearly equal in breadth and length.
ἡ δὲ Ὀφιοῦσσα ἔρημος καὶ πολὺ ἐλάττων ταύτης πλησίον κειμένη.
And the other, Ophiussa, is deserted and much smaller than this one, lying near it.
τῶν δὲ Γυμνησίων ἡ μὲν μείζων ἔχει δύο πόλεις, Πάλμαν καὶ Πολεντίαν, τὴν μὲν πρὸς ἕω κειμένην τὴν Πολεντίαν, τὴν δʼ ἑτέραν πρὸς δύσιν.
Of the Gymnesiae, the larger has two cities, Palma and Pollentia, Pollentia being situated towards the east, and the other towards the west.
μῆκος δὲ τῆς νήσου μικρὸν ἀπολεῖπον τῶν ἑξακοσίων σταδίων, πλάτος δὲ διακοσίων· Ἀρτεμίδωρος δὲ διπλάσιον εἴρηκε καὶ τὸ πλάτος καὶ τὸ μῆκος.
And the length of the island is a little less than six hundred stadia, and the breadth two hundred; but Artemidorus has stated both the breadth and the length to be double this.
ἡ δʼ ἐλάττων ὡς ἑβδομήκοντα τῆς Πολεντίας διέχει σταδίους· κατὰ μέγεθος μὲν οὖν πολὺ τῆς μείζονος ἀπολείπεται, κατὰ δὲ τὴν ἀρετὴν οὐδὲν αὐτῆς χείρων ἐστίν·
And the smaller island is about seventy stadia distant from Pollentia; in size, therefore, it falls far short of the larger, but in quality of soil it is in no way inferior to it.
ἄμφω γὰρ εὐδαίμονες καὶ εὐλίμενοι, χοιραδώδεις δὲ κατὰ τὰ στόματα, ὥστε δεῖν προσοχῆς τοῖς εἰσπλέουσι.
For both are fertile and possess good harbors, but are reefy at their entrances, so that those sailing in have need of caution.
διὰ δὲ τὴν ἀρετὴν τῶν τόπων καὶ οἱ κατοικοῦντες εἰρηναῖοι, καθάπερ καὶ οἱ κατὰ τὴν Ἔβουσον.
And because of the fertility of these places, the inhabitants also are peaceable, just like those of Ebusus.
κακούργων δέ τινων ὀλίγων κοινωνίας συστησαμένων πρὸς τοὺς ἐν τοῖς πελάγεσι λῃστάς, διεβλήθησαν ἅπαντες, καὶ διέβη Μέτελλος ἐπʼ αὐτοὺς ὁ Βαλιαρικὸς προσαγορευθείς, ὅστις καὶ τὰς πόλεις ἔκτισε.
But because a few evil-doers formed alliances with the pirates on the high seas, all of them were brought into disrepute; and Metellus, who was surnamed Baliaricus, crossed over against them, who also founded the cities.
διὰ δὲ τὴν αὐτὴν ἀρετὴν ἐπιβουλευόμενοι, καίπερ εἰρηναῖοι ὄντες, ὅμως σφενδονῆται ἄριστοι λέγονται·
But though they were peaceable, yet, because they were plotted against on account of this same fertility of their land, they are nevertheless said to be the best of slingers.
καὶ τοῦτʼ ἤσκησαν, ὥς φασι, διαφερόντως ἐξ ὅτου Φοίνικες κατέσχον τὰς νήσους.
And they practiced this art, as they say, to an exceptional degree ever since the Phoenicians occupied the islands.
οὗτοι δὲ καὶ ἐνδῦσαι λέγονται πρῶτοι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους χιτῶνας πλατυσήμους ἄζωστοι δʼ ἐπὶ τοὺς ἀγῶνας ἐξῄεσαν, αἰγίδα περὶ τῇ χειρὶ ἔχοντες * ἢ πεπυρακτωμένον ἀκόντιον, σπάνιον δὲ καὶ λελογχωμένον σιδήρῳ μικρῷ.
And these are also said to have been the first to clothe the people in broad-bordered tunics. And they used to go out to battles ungirded, having a goat-skin shield about their hand, or a burnt-tipped javelin, and rarely also one headed with a small iron point.
σφενδόνας δὲ περὶ τῇ κεφαλῇ τρεῖς μελαγκρανίνας ἢ τριχίνας ἢ νευρίνας, τὴν μὲν μακρόκωλον πρὸς τὰς μακροβολίας, τὴν δὲ βραχύκωλον πρὸς τὰς ἐν βραχεῖ βολάς, τὴν δὲ μέσην πρὸς τὰς μέσας.
And they wore three slings wound round their heads, made of black-rush, or hair, or sinew; the long-stringed one for long-distance casts, the short-stringed for close casts, and the medium one for medium casts.
ἠσκοῦντο δʼ ἐκ παίδων οὕτως ταῖς σφενδόναις ὥστʼ οὐδʼ ἄλλως τοῖς παισὶν ἄρτον ἐδίδοσαν ἄνευ τοῦ τῇ σφενδόνῃ τυχεῖν.
And they were so trained in the use of slings from childhood that they would not even give bread to their children unless they hit it with the sling.
διόπερ ὁ Μέτελλος προσπλέων πρὸς τὰς νήσους δέρρεις ἔτεινεν ὑπὲρ τῶν καταστρωμάτων σκέπην πρὸς τὰς σφενδόνας.
Therefore, Metellus, when sailing towards the islands, stretched leather skins over the decks as a protection against the slings.
εἰσήγαγε δὲ ἐποίκους τρισχιλίους τῶν ἐκ τῆς Ἰβηρίας Ῥωμαίων.
And he introduced three thousand colonists from among the Romans in Iberia.
§3.5.2πρὸς δὲ τῇ εὐκαρπίᾳ τῆς γῆς καὶ τὸ μηδὲν τῶν σινομένων θηρίων εὑρίσκεσθαι ῥᾳδίως ἐνταῦθα πρόσεστιν·
In addition to the fertility of the land, there is also the advantage that none of the destructive wild beasts are easily found there.
οὐδὲ γὰρ τοὺς λαγιδεῖς ἐπιχωρίους εἶναί φασιν, ἀλλὰ κομισθέντων ἐκ τῆς περαίας ὑπό τινος ἄρρενος καὶ θηλείας γενέσθαι τὴν ἐπιγονήν, ἣ τοσαύτη κατʼ ἀρχὰς ὑπῆρχεν ὥστε καὶ οἴκους ἀνατρέπειν ἐκ τῆς ὑπονομῆς καὶ δένδρα, καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς Ῥωμαίους, ὥσπερ εἶπον, ἀναγκασθῆναι καταφυγεῖν τοὺς ἀνθρώπους.
For they say that even the rabbits are not native, but that their offspring originated from a male and a female brought from the opposite coast by someone; and this offspring was at first so numerous that they even overturned houses and trees by undermining them, and the inhabitants were compelled, as I have said, to flee to the Romans for help.
νῦν μέντοι τὸ εὐμεταχείριστον τῆς θήρας ἐπικρατεῖν οὐκ ἐᾷ τὴν βλάβην, ἀλλὰ λυσιτελῶς οἱ ἔχοντες καρποῦνται τὴν γῆν.
Now, however, the ease of hunting them does not allow the damage to prevail, but the owners of the land enjoy its fruits profitably.