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Strabo · Geography §4.2.2-4.2.3

Tribes of Northern Aquitania and the Arverni

Passage 131 of 577 · Greek

Summary

The passage describes the distribution, resources, and Latin rights of the tribes between the Garunas and Liger rivers, followed by the history of the once-powerful Arverni, their major military conflicts against Rome, and an anecdote illustrating the immense wealth of their leader's father.

§4.2.2τὰ δὲ μεταξὺ τοῦ Γαρούνα καὶ τοῦ Λίγηρος ἔθνη τὰ προσκείμενα τοῖς Ἀκυιτανοῖς ἐστιν Ἐλουοὶ μὲν ἀπὸ τοῦ Ῥοδανοῦ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἔχοντες, Ὀυελλάιοι δὲ μετὰ τούτους, οἳ προσωρίζοντό ποτε Ἀρουέρνοις, νῦν δὲ τάττονται καθʼ ἑαυτούς· εἶτα Ἀρουέρνοι καὶ Λεμοουίκες καὶ Πετροκόριοι· πρὸς δὲ τούτοις Νιτιόβριγες καὶ Καδοῦρκοι καὶ Βιτούριγες οἱ Κοῦβοι καλούμενοι· πρὸς δὲ τῷ ὠκεανῷ Σάντονοί τε καὶ Πίκτονες, οἱ μὲν τῷ Γαρούνᾳ παροικοῦντες, ὡς εἴπομεν, οἱ δὲ τῷ Λίγηρι.
The tribes situated between the Garunas and the Liger which have been assigned to the Aquitanians are, first, the Helvii, who begin their territory from the Rhodanus; next after these, the Vellavii, who were formerly annexed to the Arverni but are now ranked by themselves; then the Arverni, the Lemovices, and the Petrocorii; and besides these, the Nitiobriges, the Cadurci, and the Bituriges who are called Cubi; and near the ocean, the Santoni and the Pictones, the former dwelling along the Garunas, as we have said, and the latter along the Liger.
Ῥουτηνοὶ δὲ καὶ Γαβαλεῖς τῇ Ναρβωνίτιδι πλησιάζουσι.
The Ruteni and the Gabali approach near to Narbonitis.
παρὰ μὲν οὖν τοῖς Πετροκορίοις σιδηρουργεῖά ἐστιν ἀστεῖα καὶ τοῖς Κούβοις Βιτούριξι, παρὰ δὲ τοῖς Καδούρκοις λινουργίαι, παρὰ δὲ τοῖς Ῥουτηνοῖς ἀργυρεῖα· ἔχουσι δʼ ἀργυρεῖα καὶ οἱ Γαβαλεῖς.
Now among the Petrocorii and the Cubi Bituriges there are excellent iron-works, among the Cadurci linen-factories, and among the Ruteni silver mines; the Gabali also have silver mines.
δεδώκασι δὲ Λάτιον Ῥωμαῖοι καὶ τῶν Ἀκυιτανῶν τισι, καθάπερ Αὐσκίοις καὶ Κωνουέναις.
The Romans have granted Latin rights to some of the Aquitanians also, as for instance to the Ausci and the Convenae.
§4.2.3Ἀρουέρνοι δὲ ἵδρυνται μὲν ἐπὶ τῷ Λίγηρι· μητρόπολις δʼ αὐτῶν ἐστι Νεμωσσὸς ἐπὶ τῷ ποταμῷ κειμένη.
The Arverni are settled on the Liger, and their metropolis is Nemossus, situated on the river.
ῥυεὶς δʼ οὗτος παρὰ Κήναβον, τὸ τῶν Καρνούτων ἐμπόριον κατὰ μέσον που τὸν πλοῦν συνοικούμενον, ἐκβάλλει πρὸς τὸν ὠκεανόν.
This river, after flowing past Cenabum, the emporium of the Carnutes which is inhabited about the middle of the voyage, empties into the ocean.
τῆς δυνάμεως δὲ τῆς πρότερον Ἀρουέρνοι μέγα τεκμήριον παρέχονται τὸ πολλάκις πολεμῆσαι πρὸς Ῥωμαίους, τοτὲ μὲν μυριάσιν εἴκοσι πάλιν δὲ διπλασίαις.
The Arverni offer as a great proof of their former power the fact that they repeatedly went to war with the Romans, sometimes with two hundred thousand men, and again with double that number.
τοσαύταις γὰρ πρὸς Καίσαρα τὸν θεὸν διηγωνίσαντο μετὰ Ὀυερκιγγετόριγος, πρότερον δὲ καὶ εἴκοσι πρὸς Μάξιμον τὸν Αἰμιλιανόν, καὶ πρὸς Δομίτιον δʼ ὡσαύτως Ἀηνόβαρβον.
For they fought against the deified Caesar with that large number under Vercingetorix, and previously with two hundred thousand against Maximus Aemilianus, and likewise against Domitius Ahenobarbus.
πρὸς μὲν οὖν Καίσαρα περί τε Γεργοουίαν πόλιν τῶν Ἀρουέρνων ἐφʼ ὑψηλοῦ ὄρους κειμένην συνέστησαν οἱ ἀγῶνες, ἐξ ἧς ἦν ὁ Ὀυερκιγγέτοριξ· καὶ περὶ Ἀλησίαν πόλιν Μανδουβίων, ἔθνους ὁμόρου τοῖς Ἀρουέρνοις, καὶ ταύτην ἐφʼ ὑψηλοῦ λόφου κειμένην περιεχομένην δʼ ὄρεσι καὶ ποταμοῖς δυσίν, ἐν ᾗ καὶ ἑάλω ὁ ἡγεμὼν καὶ ὁ πόλεμος τέλος ἔσχε· πρὸς δὲ Μάξιμον Αἰμιλιανὸν κατὰ τὴν συμβολὴν τοῦ τʼ Ἴσαρος καὶ τοῦ Ῥοδανοῦ, καθʼ ἣν καὶ τὸ Κέμμενον ὄρος πλησιάζει τῷ Ῥοδανῷ· πρὸς δὲ Δομίτιον κατωτέρω ἔτι κατὰ τὴν συμβολὴν τοῦ τε Σούλγα καὶ τοῦ Ῥοδανοῦ.
Now their struggles against Caesar took place around Gergovia, a city of the Arverni situated on a high mountain, from which came Vercingetorix, and around Alesia, a city of the Mandubii, a tribe bordering on the Arverni, this also being situated on a high hill and surrounded by mountains and two rivers, where their commander was captured and the war came to an end; but their battle against Maximus Aemilianus took place at the confluence of the Isar and the Rhodanus, where the Cemmenus Mountain approaches the Rhodanus; and that against Domitius still lower down, at the confluence of the Sulgas and the Rhodanus.
διέτειναν δὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν οἱ Ἀρουέρνοι καὶ μέχρι Νάρβωνος καὶ τῶν ὅρων τῆς Μασσαλιώτιδος, ἐκράτουν δὲ καὶ τῶν μέχρι Πυρήνης ἐθνῶν καὶ μέχρι ὠκεανοῦ καὶ Ῥήνου.
The Arverni extended their empire as far as Narbo and the boundaries of Massaliotis, and they were masters of the tribes as far as the Pyrenees, the ocean, and the Rhine.
Βιτυΐτου δὲ τοῦ πρὸς τὸν Μάξιμον καὶ τὸν Δομίτιον πολεμήσαντος ὁ πατὴρ Λουέριος τοσοῦτον πλούτῳ λέγεται καὶ τρυφῇ διενεγκεῖν, ὥστε ποτὲ ἐπίδειξιν ποιούμενος τοῖς φίλοις τῆς εὐπορίας ἐπʼ ἀπήνης φέρεσθαι διὰ πεδίου, χρυσοῦ νόμισμα καὶ ἀργύρου δεῦρο κἀκεῖσε διασπείρων, ὥστε συλλέγειν ἐκείνους ἀκολουθοῦντας.
Luerius, the father of Bituitus who fought against Maximus and Domitius, is said to have been so distinguished in wealth and luxury that once, when making a display of his abundance to his friends, he rode on a carriage through a plain, scattering gold and silver coins here and there, so that those following him gathered them up.

Notes

  1. 4.2.2προσωρίζοντό ποτε Ἀρουέρνοις — The verb `προσωρίζοντο` (imperfect passive of `προσορίζω`) means 'were formerly annexed to' or 'assigned to' the Arverni. While it can middle-voicedly mean 'bordered upon,' the context of administrative reorganization and independent status (`νῦν δὲ τάττονται καθʼ ἑαυτούς`) strongly favors the passive interpretation of political annexation or dependency.
  2. 4.2.3κατὰ μέσον που τὸν πλοῦν συνοικούμενον — The present middle-passive participle `συνοικούμενον` is in the neuter accusative singular, modifying either `Κήναβον` or its appositive `τὸ τῶν Καρνούτων ἐμπόριον`. It functions adjectivally to describe the town as being 'inhabited' or 'built up as a settlement' around the midpoint of the river voyage (`κατὰ μέσον που τὸν πλοῦν`).
  3. 4.2.3τὸ πολλάκις πολεμῆσαι πρὸς Ῥωμαίους — The articular infinitive phrase `τὸ ... πολεμῆσαι` functions as the object of `παρέχονται` (or in apposition to `μέγα τεκμήριον`), defining the precise nature of the 'great proof' of their former power offered by the Arverni.
  4. 4.2.3ὥστε ποτὲ ἐπίδειξιν ποιούμενος τοῖς φίλοις τῆς εὐπορίας ἐπʼ ἀπήνης φέρεσθαι — This is a result clause (`ὥστε ... φέρεσθαι`) dependent on the infinitive `διενεγκεῖν` (which is itself governed by `λέγεται`). Under the influence of indirect discourse, the infinitive `φέρεσθαι` is used as the verb of the result clause. This infinitive clause contains the participle `διασπείρων`, which in turn governs a secondary result clause (`ὥστε συλλέγειν`).

Cite this passage

Strabo, Geography §4.2.2-4.2.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0099.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.2.2-4.2.3

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