§4.6.4μετὰ δὲ τοὺς Σάλυας Ἀλβιεῖς καὶ Ἀλβίοικοι καὶ Ὀυοκόντιοι νέμονται τὰ προσάρκτια μέρη τῶν ὀρῶν.
After the Salyes, the Albieis, the Albioeci, and the Vocontii inhabit the northern parts of the mountains.
παρατείνουσι δὲ οἱ Ὀυοκόντιοι μέχρι Ἀλλοβρίγων, ἔχοντες αὐλῶνας ἐν βάθει τῆς ὀρεινῆς ἀξιολόγους καὶ οὐ χείρους ὧν ἔχουσιν ἐκεῖνοι.
The Vocontii extend as far as the Allobroges, having in the depth of their mountainous country remarkable valleys, not inferior to those which they possess.
Ἀλλόβριγες μὲν οὖν καὶ Λίγυες ὑπὸ τοῖς στρατηγοῖς τάττονται τοῖς ἀφικνουμένοις εἰς τὴν Ναρβωνῖτιν, Ὀυοκόντιοι δέ, καθάπερ τοὺς Ὀυόλκας ἔφαμεν τοὺς περὶ Νέμαυσον, τάττονται καθʼ αὑτούς.
Now, the Allobroges and the Ligurians are placed under the governors who arrive in Narbonitis, but the Vocontii, just as we said of the Volcae around Nemausus, are ordered by themselves.
τῶν δὲ μεταξὺ τοῦ Ὀυάρου καὶ τῆς Γενούας Λιγύων οἱ μὲν ἐπὶ τῇ θαλάττῃ τοῖς Ἰταλιώταις εἰσὶν οἱ αὐτοί, ἐπὶ δὲ τοὺς ὀρεινοὺς πέμπεταί τις ὕπαρχος τῶν ἱππικῶν ἀνδρῶν, καθάπερ καὶ ἐπʼ ἄλλους τῶν τελέως βαρβάρων.
Of the Ligurians between the Varus and Genua, those on the sea are on the same footing as the Italians, but to those in the mountains a certain prefect of the equestrian class is sent, just as to others of the complete barbarians.
§4.6.5μετὰ δὲ Ὀυοκοντίους Ἰκόνιοι καὶ Τρικόριοι καὶ μετʼ αὐτοὺς Μέδουλλοι, οἵπερ τὰς ὑψηλοτάτας ἔχουσι κορυφάς· τὸ γοῦν ὀρθιώτατον αὐτῶν ὕψος σταδίων ἑκατὸν ἔχειν φασὶ τὴν ἀνάβασιν, κἀνθένδε πάλιν τὴν ἐπὶ τοὺς ὅρους τοὺς τῆς Ἰταλίας κατάβασιν.
After the Vocontii come the Iconii and the Tricorii, and after them the Medulli, who possess the highest peaks; indeed, they say that the steepest height of these has an ascent of one hundred stadia, and from there again the descent to the boundaries of Italy is of the same distance.
ἄνω δʼ ἔν τισι κοίλοις χωρίοις λίμνη τε συνίσταται μεγάλη καὶ πηγαὶ δύο οὐ πολὺ ἄπωθεν ἀλλήλων, ὧν ἐκ μὲν τῆς ἑτέρας εἶσιν ὁ Δρουεντίας ποταμὸς χαραδρώδης, ὃς ἐπὶ τὸν Ῥοδανὸν καταράττει, καὶ ὁ Δουρίας εἰς τἀναντία· τῷ γὰρ Πάδῳ συμμίσγει κατενεχθεὶς διὰ Σαλασσῶν εἰς τὴν ἐντὸς τῶν Ἄλπεων Κελτικήν·
Above, in certain hollow places, a large lake is formed, and there are two sources not far from each other, from one of which flows the torrent-like river Druentias, which rushes down to the Rhone, and the Durias in the opposite direction; for it joins the Padus after being carried down through the country of the Salassi into Celtic territory inside the Alps.
ἐκ δὲ τῆς ἑτέρας πολὺ ταπεινότερος τούτων τῶν χωρίων ἀναδίδωσιν αὐτὸς ὁ Πάδος πολύς τε καὶ ὀξύς, προϊὼν δὲ γίνεται μείζων καὶ πραότερος· ἐκ πολλῶν γὰρ λαμβάνει τὴν αὔξησιν ἐν τοῖς πεδίοις ἤδη γενόμενος καὶ πλατύνεται· τῇ οὖν διαχύσει περισπᾷ καὶ ἀμβλύνει τὸν ῥοῦν· εἰς δὲ τὴν Ἀδριατικὴν θάλατταν ἐκπίπτει μέγιστος γενόμενος τῶν κατὰ τὴν Εὐρώπην ποταμῶν πλὴν τοῦ Ἴστρου.
From the other source, much lower than these places, the Padus itself rises, abundant and swift, and as it proceeds it becomes larger and gentler; for it receives its increase from many rivers when it is already in the plains and widens; by its spreading, therefore, it draws off and weakens its current; and it empties into the Adriatic Sea, having become the largest of the rivers in Europe except the Ister.
ὑπέρκεινται δʼ οἱ Μέδουλλοι μάλιστα τῆς συμβολῆς τοῦ Ἴσαρος πρὸς τὸν Ῥοδανόν.
The Medulli lie mostly above the confluence of the Isar with the Rhone.
§4.6.6Ἐπὶ δὲ θάτερα μέρη τὰ πρὸς τὴν Ἰταλίαν κεκλιμένα τῆς λεχθείσης ὀρεινῆς Ταυρῖνοί τε οἰκοῦσι Λιγυστικὸν ἔθνος καὶ ἄλλοι Λίγυες.
On the other parts of the said mountainous region which incline towards Italy, dwell the Taurini, a Ligurian tribe, and other Ligurians.
τούτων δʼ ἐστὶ καὶ ἡ τοῦ Δόννου λεγομένη γῆ καὶ ἡ τοῦ Κοττίου.
Among these is also the land of the so-called Donnus and that of Cottius.
μετὰ δὲ τούτους καὶ τὸν Πάδον Σαλασσοί· ὑπὲρ δὲ τούτων ἐν ταῖς κορυφαῖς Κέντρωνες καὶ Κατόριγες καὶ Ὀυάραγροι καὶ Ναντουᾶται καὶ ἡ Λημέννα λίμνη, διʼ ἧς ὁ Ῥοδανὸς φέρεται, καὶ ἡ πηγὴ τοῦ ποταμοῦ.
After them and the Padus are the Salassi; and above them, on the peaks, the Centrones, the Catoriges, the Varagri, the Nantuatae, and Lake Lemenna, through which the Rhone is carried, and the source of the river.
οὐκ ἄπωθεν δὲ τούτων οὐδὲ τοῦ Ῥήνου αἱ πηγαί, οὐδʼ ὁ Ἀδούλας τὸ ὄρος, ἐξ οὗ ῥεῖ καὶ ὁ Ῥῆνος ἐπὶ τὰς ἄρκτους καὶ ὁ Ἀδούας εἰς τἀναντία ἐμβάλλων εἰς τὴν Λάριον λίμνην τὴν πρὸς τῷ Κώμῳ.
Not far from these, nor from the sources of the Rhine, is Mount Adulas, from which flows both the Rhine towards the north, and the Aduas in the opposite direction, emptying into Lake Larius near Comum.
ὑπέρκεινται δὲ τοῦ Κώμου πρὸς τῇ ῥίζῃ τῶν Ἄλπεων ἱδρυμένου τῇ μὲν Ῥαιτοὶ καὶ Ὀυέννωνες ἐπὶ τὴν ἕω κεκλιμένοι, τῇ δὲ Ληπόντιοι καὶ Τριδεντῖνοι καὶ Στόνοι καὶ ἄλλα πλείω μικρὰ ἔθνη κατέχοντα τὴν Ἰταλίαν ἐν τοῖς πρόσθεν χρόνοις λῃστρικὰ καὶ ἄπορα·
Above Comum, which is situated at the foot of the Alps, are settled, on the one hand, the Raeti and Vennones, inclining towards the east, and on the other hand, the Lepontii, Tridentini, Stoni, and several other small tribes, which in former times held Italy, being predatory and destitute.
νυνὶ δὲ τὰ μὲν ἐξέφθαρται τὰ δʼ ἡμέρωται τελέως, ὥστε τὰς διʼ αὐτῶν ὑπερβολὰς τοῦ ὄρους πρότερον οὔσας ὀλίγας καὶ δυσπεράτους νυνὶ πολλαχόθεν εἶναι καὶ ἀσφαλεῖς ἀπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ εὐβάτους, ὡς ἔνεστι, διὰ τὴν κατασκευήν.
But now some have been destroyed and others completely civilized, so that the passes through them over the mountain, which were formerly few and difficult to cross, are now numerous, safe from the inhabitants, and easy to traverse, as far as possible, because of the construction.
προσέθηκε γὰρ ὁ Σεβαστὸς Καῖσαρ τῇ καταλύσει τῶν λῃστῶν τὴν κατασκευὴν τῶν ὁδῶν ὅσην οἷόν τʼ ἦν· οὐ γὰρ δυνατὸν πανταχοῦ βιάσασθαι τὴν φύσιν διὰ πετρῶν καὶ κρημνῶν ἐξαισίων, τῶν μὲν ὑπερκειμένων τῆς ὁδοῦ τῶν δʼ ὑποπιπτόντων, ὥστε καὶ μικρὸν ἐκβᾶσιν ἄφυκτον εἶναι τὸν κίνδυνον, εἰς φάραγγας ἀβύσσους τοῦ πτώματος ὄντος.
For Augustus Caesar, in addition to the subduing of the robbers, added the construction of roads as far as was possible; for it is not possible everywhere to force nature because of the immense rocks and precipices, some towering above the road and others falling away below, so that even a slight step outside involves inescapable danger, the fall being into bottomless chasms.
οὕτω δέ ἐστι στενὴ κατά τι αὐτοῦ ἡ ὁδὸς ὥστʼ ἴλιγγον φέρειν τοῖς πεζῇ βαδίζουσι καὶ αὐτοῖς καὶ ὑποζυγίοις τοῖς ἀήθεσι· τὰ δʼ ἐπιχώρια κομίζει τοὺς φόρτους ἀσφαλῶς.
And the road is so narrow in some parts of it as to cause vertigo both to those traveling on foot and to the beasts of burden unaccustomed to it; but the native beasts carry the loads safely.
οὔτʼ οὖν ταῦτα ἰάσιμα οὔθʼ αἱ κατολισθάνουσαι πλάκες τῶν κρυστάλλων ἄνωθεν ἐξαίσιοι, συνοδίαν ὅλην ἀπολαμβάνειν δυνάμεναι καὶ συνεξωθεῖν εἰς τὰς ὑποπιπτούσας φάραγγας.
Neither, then, are these things curable, nor are the immense slabs of ice sliding down from above, capable of cutting off an entire caravan and sweeping them down together into the chasms below.
πολλαὶ γὰρ ἀλλήλαις ἐπίκεινται πλάκες, πάγων ἐπὶ πάγοις γενομένων τῆς χιόνος κρυσταλλωδῶν καὶ τῶν ἐπιπολῆς ἀεὶ ῥᾳδίως ἀπολυομένων ἀπὸ τῶν ἐντὸς πρὶν διαλυθῆναι τελέως ἐν τοῖς ἡλίοις.
For many slabs lie upon one another, ice being formed upon ice of crystalline snow, and those on the surface always easily detaching themselves from those within before being completely melted in the sun.