Humanitext Reader

Strabo · Geography §4.1.12

The Volcae, Nemausus, and Road Routes to Italy

Passage 127 of 577 · Greek

Summary

The author describes the Volcae on the other side of the Rhodanus, focusing on their chief city Nemausus and its Latin rights, and delineates the road routes from Iberia to Italy.

§4.1.12τὴν δʼ ἐπὶ θάτερα μέρη τοῦ ποταμοῦ Ὀυόλκαι νέμονται τὴν πλείστην, οὓς Ἀρηκομίσκους προσαγορεύουσι.
On the other side of the river, the Volcae occupy the greatest part of the country, whom they call Arecomisci.
τούτων δʼ ἐπίνειον ἡ Νάρβων λέγεται, δικαιότερον δʼ ἂν καὶ τῆς ἄλλης Κελτικῆς λέγοιτο· τοσοῦτον ὑπερβέβληται τῷ πλήθει τῶν χρωμένων τῷ ἐμπορίῳ.
Narbo is said to be their seaport, but it might more justly be called the seaport of the rest of Celtica too, so far does it surpass in the multitude of those who use the emporium.
οἱ μὲν οὖν Ὀυόλκαι γειτονεύουσι τῷ Ῥοδανῷ, τοὺς Σάλυας ἔχοντες ἀντιπαρήκοντας αὐτοῖς ἐν τῇ περαίᾳ καὶ τοὺς Καουάρους.
Now, the Volcae border on the Rhodanus, having the Sallyes and the Cavares extending along opposite to them on the other side.
ἐπικρατεῖ δὲ τὸ τῶν Καουάρων ὄνομα, καὶ πάντας οὕτως ἤδη προσαγορεύουσι τοὺς ταύτῃ βαρβάρους, οὐδὲ βαρβάρους ἔτι ὄντας, ἀλλὰ μετακειμένους τὸ πλέον εἰς τὸν τῶν Ῥωμαίων τύπον καὶ τῇ γλώττῃ καὶ τοῖς βίοις, τινὰς δὲ καὶ τῇ πολιτείᾳ.
But the name of the Cavares prevails, and people already call all the barbarians in these parts by this name, who indeed are no longer barbarians, but have for the most part conformed to the Roman customs, both in their speech and in their modes of life, and some of them even in their political constitution.
ἄλλα δʼ ἔστιν ἄδοξα ἔθνη καὶ μικρά, παρακείμενα τοῖς Ἀρηκομίσκοις μέχρι Πυρήνης.
There are also other small and ignoble tribes bordering on the Arecomisci as far as the Pyrenees.
μητρόπολις δὲ τῶν Ἀρηκομίσκων ἐστὶ Νέμαυσος, κατὰ μὲν τὸν ἀλλότριον ὄχλον καὶ τὸν ἐμπορικὸν πολὺ Νάρβωνος λειπομένη, κατὰ δὲ τὸν πολιτικὸν ὑπερβάλλουσα· ὑπηκόους γὰρ ἔχει κώμας τέτταρας καὶ εἴκοσι τῶν ὁμοεθνῶν εὐανδρίᾳ διαφερούσας, συντελούσας εἰς αὐτήν, ἔχουσα καὶ τὸ καλούμενον Λάτιον, ὥστε τοὺς ἀξιωθέντας ἀγορανομίας καὶ ταμιείας ἐν Νεμαύσῳ Ῥωμαίους ὑπάρχειν· διὰ δὲ τοῦτο οὐδʼ ὑπὸ τοῖς προστάγμασι τῶν ἐκ τῆς Ῥώμης στρατηγῶν ἐστι τὸ ἔθνος τοῦτο.
The metropolis of the Arecomisci is Nemausus, which, while far inferior to Narbo in respect of its foreign crowd and commercial activity, surpasses it in political status; for it has under its jurisdiction twenty-four villages of the same nation, outstanding in population, which contribute to it, and it also possesses the so-called Latin right, so that those who have been deemed worthy of the aedileship and quaestorship in Nemausus become Roman citizens; and for this reason this nation is not even under the decrees of the praetors sent from Rome.
ἵδρυται δʼ ἡ πόλις κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν τὴν ἐκ τῆς Ἰβηρίας εἰς τὴν Ἰταλίαν, θέρους μὲν εὔβατον οὖσαν χειμῶνος δὲ καὶ ἔαρος πηλώδη καὶ ποταμόκλυστον.
The city is situated on the road leading from Iberia to Italy, which is easy to travel in summer, but muddy and flooded by rivers in winter and spring.
τινὰ μὲν οὖν τῶν ῥευμάτων πορθμείοις περᾶται, τινὰ δὲ γεφύραις ταῖς μὲν ξύλων πεποιημέναις ταῖς δὲ λίθων.
Some of the streams, therefore, are crossed by ferries, and others by bridges, some made of wood and others of stone.
ποιοῦσι δὲ τὰς ἐκ τῶν ὑδάτων δυσκολίας οἱ χείμαρροι καὶ μέχρι τοῦ θέρους ἔσθʼ ὅτε ἐκ τῶν Ἄλπεων καταφερόμενοι μετὰ τὴν ἀπότηξιν τῶν χιόνων.
The difficulties caused by the waters are produced by the torrents, which sometimes flow down from the Alps even as late as summer, after the melting of the snows.
τῆς δʼ ὁδοῦ τῆς λεχθείσης ἡ μὲν εὐθὺς ἐπὶ τὰς Ἄλπεις ἐστί, καθάπερ εἴπομεν, ἡ σύντομος διὰ Ὀυοκοντίων· ἡ δὲ διὰ τῆς παραλίας τῆς Μασσαλιωτικῆς καὶ τῆς Λιγυστικῆς μακροτέρα μέν, τὰς δʼ ὑπερθέσεις τὰς εἰς τὴν Ἰταλίαν εὐμαρεστέρας ἔχει, ταπεινουμένων ἐνταῦθα ἤδη τῶν ὀρῶν.
Of the road mentioned, one part goes straight to the Alps, as we have said, which is the short route through the country of the Vocontii; while the other, through the coast of Massalia and Liguria, is longer indeed, but has easier passes into Italy, since the mountains here already become low.
διέχει δʼ ἡ Νέμαυσος τοῦ μὲν Ῥοδανοῦ περὶ ἑκατὸν σταδίους, καθʼ ὃ ἐν τῇ περαίᾳ πολίχνιον ἔστι Ταρούσκων, τῆς δὲ Νάρβωνος ἑπτακοσίους εἴκοσι.
Nemausus is about one hundred stadia distant from the Rhodanus, at the point where there is a small town of the Tarusconi on the opposite bank, and seven hundred and twenty stadia from Narbo.
πρὸς δὲ τὸ Κέμμενον ὄρος συνάπτοντες, ἐπιλαμβάνοντες δὲ καὶ τὸ νότιον πλευρὸν αὐτοῦ μέχρι τῶν ἀκρωτηρίων οἰκοῦσι τῶν τε Ὀυολκῶν οἱ Τεκτόσαγες καλούμενοι καὶ ἄλλοι τινές.
Bordering on the Cemmenus mountain, and also occupying its southern side as far as the extremities, dwell those of the Volcae who are called Tectosages, and some others.
περὶ μὲν οὖν τῶν ἄλλων ἐροῦμεν ὕστερον.
Concerning the others, then, we shall speak later.

Notes

  1. p.254τὴν δʼ ἐπὶ θάτερα μέρη τοῦ ποταμοῦ ... τὴν πλείστην — The feminine article `τὴν` implies the omission of the noun `χώραν` ('country', 'land') from the context, and `τὴν πλείστην` functions in agreement with this understood noun, meaning 'the greatest part of the country on the other side'.
  2. p.254δικαιότερον δʼ ἂν καὶ τῆς ἄλλης Κελτικῆς λέγοιτο — The optative `λέγοιτο` (passive, third-person singular) with `ἂν` expresses potentiality. The subject is `ἡ Νάρβων` from the preceding clause, and the predicate noun `ἐπίνειον` (seaport) is to be supplied.
  3. p.254ἔχουσα καὶ τὸ καλούμενον Λάτιον — The present participle `ἔχουσα` in the nominative feminine singular agrees with the subject of the main clause, `Νέμαυσος` (a feminine noun), despite the syntax being interrupted by the intervening causal clause `ὑπηκόους γὰρ ἔχει...`.
  4. p.254ὥστε τοὺς ἀξιωθέντας ἀγορανομίας καὶ ταμιείας ἐν Νεμαύσῳ Ῥωμαίους ὑπάρχειν — The conjunction `ὥστε` introduces an accusative and infinitive (A.C.I.) clause of result. The subject of the infinitive `ὑπάρχειν` (here meaning 'to become') is the participle `τοὺς ἀξιωθέντας` (which governs the genitives `ἀγορανομίας καὶ ταμιείας`), while `Ῥωμαίους` is the predicate accusative.

Cite this passage

Strabo, Geography §4.1.12. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0099.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.1.12

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