§4.1.11τὴν δʼ ὑπερκειμένην αὐτῆς χώραν μάλιστα γεωγραφεῖ τά τε ὄρη τὰ περικείμενα καὶ οἱ ποταμοί, διαφερόντως δὲ ὁ Ῥοδανὸς μέγιστός τε ὢν καὶ πλεῖστον ἀνάπλουν ἔχων ἐκ πολλῶν πληρούμενος ῥευμάτων· λεκτέον οὖν ἐφεξῆς περὶ τούτων.
On the other hand, the country that lies above the coast is characterized chiefly by the mountains that surround it and by the rivers, especially the Rhodanus, which is both the largest and has the longest navigable course, being filled from many streams; we must, therefore, speak of these in order.
ἀπὸ Μασσαλίας τοίνυν ἀρξαμένοις καὶ προϊοῦσιν ἐπὶ τὴν μεταξὺ χώραν τῶν τε Ἄλπεων καὶ τοῦ Ῥοδανοῦ μέχρι μὲν τοῦ Δρουεντία ποταμοῦ Σάλυες οἰκοῦσιν ἐπὶ πεντακοσίους σταδίους· πορθμείῳ δὲ διαβᾶσιν εἰς Καβαλλίωνα πόλιν ἡ ἐφεξῆς χώρα πᾶσα Καουάρων ἐστὶ μέχρι τῶν τοῦ Ἴσαρος συμβολῶν πρὸς τὸν Ῥοδανόν· ἐνταῦθα δὲ καὶ τὸ Κέμμενον συνάπτει πως τῷ Ῥοδανῷ· μῆκος τὸ μέχρι δεῦρο ἀπὸ τοῦ Δρουεντία σταδίων ἐστὶν ἑπτακοσίων.
To those, then, who begin from Massalia and proceed into the country between the Alps and the Rhodanus, as far as the river Druentia, the Sallyes dwell for five hundred stadia; and to those who cross by ferry to the city of Caballio, all the country next in order belongs to the Cavares as far as the junction of the Isar with the Rhodanus; and here also the Cemmenus mountain somehow joins the Rhodanus; the length of the journey to this point from the Druentia is seven hundred stadia.
οἱ μὲν οὖν Σάλυες ἐν αὐτοῖς τά τε πεδία καὶ τὰ ὑπερκείμενα ὄρη κατοικοῦσι, τῶν δὲ Καουάρων ὑπέρκεινται Ὀυοκόντιοί τε καὶ Τρικόριοι καὶ Ἰκόνιοι καὶ Μέδυλλοι.
Now, the Sallyes themselves dwell both in the plains and in the mountains that lie above, while above the Cavares lie the Vocontii, the Tricorii, the Iconii, and the Medulli.
μεταξὺ δὲ τοῦ Δρουεντία καὶ τοῦ Ἴσαρος καὶ ἄλλοι ποταμοὶ ῥέουσιν ἀπὸ τῶν Ἄλπεων ἐπὶ τὸν Ῥοδανόν, δύο μὲν οἱ περιρρέοντες πόλιν Καουάρων α κοινῷ ῥείθρῳ συμβάλλοντες εἰς τὸν Ῥοδανόν, τρίτος δὲ Σούλγας ὁ κατὰ Οὔνδαλον πόλιν μισγόμενος τῷ Ῥοδανῷ, ὅπου Γναῖος Ἀηνόβαρβος μεγάλῃ μάχῃ πολλὰς ἐτρέψατο Κελτῶν μυριάδας.
Between the Druentia and the Isar other rivers also flow from the Alps to the Rhodanus, two of them flowing around a certain city of the Cavares and joining the Rhodanus in a common channel, and a third, the Sulgas, which mixes with the Rhodanus near the city of Undalum, where Gnaeus Ahenobarbus in a great battle routed many tens of thousands of Celts.
εἰσὶ δὲ ἐν τῷ μεταξὺ πόλεις καὶ Αὐενιὼν καὶ Ἀραυσίων καὶ Ἀερία, τῷ ὄντι (φησὶν Ἀρτεμίδωρος) ἀερία διὰ τὸ ἐφʼ ὕψους ἱδρῦσθαι μεγάλου.
There are also cities in the intervening space, namely Avennio, Arausio, and Aeria, which is truly "airy" (as Artemidorus says) because of its being established on a great height.
ἡ μὲν οὖν ἄλλη πᾶσά ἐστι πεδιὰς καὶ εὔβοτος, ἡ δʼ ἐκ τῆς Ἀερίας εἰς τὴν Αὐενιῶνα ὑπερθέσεις ἔχει στενὰς καὶ ὑλώδεις.
While all the rest of the country is flat and good for pasture, the pass from Aeria to Avennio is narrow and wooded.
καθʼ ὃ δὲ συμπίπτουσιν ὁ Ἴσαρ ποταμὸς καὶ ὁ Ῥοδανὸς καὶ τὸ Κέμμενον ὄρος, Κόιντος Φάβιος Μάξιμος Αἰμιλιανὸς οὐχ ὅλαις τρισὶ μυριάσιν εἴκοσι μυριάδας Κελτῶν κατέκοψε, καὶ ἔστησε τρόπαιον αὐτόθι λευκοῦ λίθου καὶ νεὼς δύο, τὸν μὲν Ἄρεως τὸν δʼ Ἡρακλέους.
At the place where the river Isar, the Rhodanus, and the Cemmenus mountain meet, Quintus Fabius Maximus Aemilianus, with not even thirty thousand men in all, slaughtered twenty thousand Celts, and erected there a trophy of white stone and two temples, one to Ares and the other to Heracles.
ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ Ἴσαρος εἰς Ὀυίενναν τὴν τῶν Ἀλλοβρίγων μητρόπολιν κειμένην ἐπὶ τῷ Ῥοδανῷ στάδιοί εἰσι τριακόσιοι εἴκοσι.
From the Isar to Vienna, the metropolis of the Allobroges, which lies on the Rhodanus, is three hundred and twenty stadia.
πλησίον δʼ ὑπέρκειται τῆς Ὀυιέννης τὸ Λούγδουνον, ἐφʼ οὗ συμμίσγουσιν ἀλλήλοις ὅ τε Ἄραρ καὶ ὁ Ῥοδανός· στάδιοι δʼ εἰσὶν ἐπʼ αὐτὸ πεζῇ μὲν περὶ διακοσίους διὰ τῆς Ἀλλοβρίγων, ἀνάπλῳ δὲ μικρῷ πλείους.
Near Vienna, and lying above it, is Lugdunum, where the Arar and the Rhodanus mingle with each other; and the distance to it is about two hundred stadia by land through the territory of the Allobroges, but slightly more by water.
Ἀλλόβριγες δὲ μυριάσι πολλαῖς πρότερον μὲν ἐστράτευον, νῦν δὲ γεωργοῦσι τὰ πεδία καὶ τοὺς αὐλῶνας τοὺς ἐν ταῖς Ἄλπεσι· καὶ οἱ μὲν ἄλλοι κωμηδὸν ζῶσιν, οἱ δʼ ἐπιφανέστατοι τὴν Ὀυίενναν ἔχοντες, κώμην πρότερον οὖσαν μητρόπολιν δʼ ὅμως τοῦ ἔθνους λεγομένην, κατεσκευάκασι πόλιν· ἵδρυται δʼ ἐπὶ τῷ Ῥοδανῷ.
In former times the Allobroges used to campaign with many tens of thousands of men, but now they cultivate the plains and the valleys in the Alps; and while the others live in villages, the most illustrious of them, possessing Vienna, which was formerly a village although it was nevertheless called the metropolis of the nation, have built it up as a city; it is situated on the Rhodanus.
φέρεται δʼ ἀπὸ τῶν Ἄλπεων οὗτος πολὺς καὶ σφοδρός, ὅς γε καὶ διὰ λίμνης ἐξιὼν τῆς Λημέννης φανερὸν δείκνυσι τὸ ῥεῖθρον ἐπὶ πολλοὺς σταδίους.
This river flows from the Alps, abundant and impetuous, so that even when passing through Lake Lemanus it shows its current clearly for many stadia.
κατελθὼν δὲ εἰς τὰ πεδία τῆς χώρας τῆς Ἀλλοβρίγων καὶ Σεγοσιανῶν συμβάλλει τῷ Ἄραρι κατὰ Λούγδουνον πόλιν τῶν Σεγοσιανῶν.
Having descended into the plains of the country of the Allobroges and Segusiavi, it joins the Arar at the city of Lugdunum, which belongs to the Segusiavi.
ῥεῖ δὲ καὶ ὁ Ἄραρ ἐκ τῶν Ἄλπεων ὁρίζων Σηκοανούς τε καὶ Αἰδούους καὶ Λιγκασίους, παραλαβὼν δʼ ὕστερον τὸν Δοῦβιν ἐκ τῶν αὐτῶν ὀρῶν φερόμενον πλωτόν, ἐπικρατήσας τῷ ὀνόματι καὶ γενόμενος ἐξ ἀμφοῖν Ἄραρ συμμίσγει τῷ Ῥοδανῷ.
The Arar also flows from the Alps, bounding the Sequani, the Aedui, and the Lingones, and having later received the Dubis, which flows from the same mountains and is navigable, and having prevailed with its name, so that the stream formed by both is the Arar, it mingles with the Rhodanus.
πάλιν δʼ ἐπικρατήσας ὁ Ῥοδανὸς εἰς τὴν Ὀυίενναν φέρεται.
Then the Rhodanus, prevailing in turn, is carried to Vienna.
συμβαίνει δὴ κατʼ ἀρχὰς μὲν τοὺς τρεῖς ποταμοὺς φέρεσθαι πρὸς ἄρκτον, εἶτα πρὸς δύσιν· εἰς ἓν δʼ ἤδη συμπεσὸν ῥεῖθρον πάλιν ἄλλην καμπὴν λαβὸν νότιον φέρεται τὸ ῥεῦμα μέχρι τῶν ἐκβολῶν, δεξάμενον καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ποταμούς, κἀκεῖθεν ἤδη τὴν λοιπὴν ποιεῖται μέχρι τῆς θαλάττης ῥύσιν.
Indeed, it happens that at first the three rivers flow towards the north, then towards the west; but when they have already met into one channel, the stream, taking another bend, is carried southward as far as the mouths, receiving also the other rivers, and thenceforth makes its remaining course to the sea.
ἡ μὲν οὖν μεταξὺ τῶν Ἄλπεων καὶ τοῦ Ῥοδανοῦ τοιαύτη τις.
Such is the region between the Alps and the Rhodanus.