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Strabo · Geography §5.1.9-5.1.10

Diomedes Legends, Istria, and the Romanization of the Padus Tribes

Passage 149 of 577 · Greek

Summary

While dismissing various myths concerning Diomedes and the origin of the 'Lycophori' horses among the Heneti, this section describes the Istrian coast, the founding of Pola, and the historical conflicts of the tribes on both sides of the Padus River, leading to their integration and assimilation into Roman citizenship.

§5.1.9τῆς δὲ τοῦ Διομήδους δυναστείας περὶ τὴν θάλατταν ταύτην αἵ τε Διομήδειοι νῆσοι μαρτύρια καὶ τὰ περὶ Δαυνίους καὶ τὸ Ἄργος τὸ Ἵππιον ἱστορούμενα· περὶ ὧν ἐροῦμεν ἐφʼ ὅσον πρὸς ἱστορίαν χρήσιμον, τὰ δὲ πολλὰ τῶν μυθευομένων ἢ κατεψευσμένων ἄλλως ἐᾶν δεῖ, οἷον τὰ περὶ Φαέθοντα καὶ τὰς Ἡλιάδας τὰς ἀπαιγειρουμένας περὶ τὸν Ἠριδανόν, τὸν μηδαμοῦ γῆς ὄντα, πλησίον δὲ τοῦ Πάδου λεγόμενον, καὶ τὰς Ἠλεκτρίδας νήσους τὰς πρὸ τοῦ Πάδου καὶ μελεαγρίδας ἐν αὐταῖς· οὐδὲ γὰρ τούτων οὐδέν ἐστιν ἐν τοῖς τόποις.
As testimonies of the dominion of Diomedes around this sea, there are both the Diomedean Islands and the things recorded concerning the Daunians and Argos Hippium; about which we shall speak as far as is useful for history, but we must let go of most of the mythical or otherwise fabricated stories, such as those concerning Phaethon and the Heliades who were turned into poplars around the Eridanus, which exists nowhere on earth, though said to be near the Padus, and the Electrides Islands which lie in front of the Padus and the meleagrides in them; for none of these is in those places.
τῷ δὲ Διομήδει παρὰ τοῖς Ἑνετοῖς ἀποδεδειγμέναι τινὲς ἱστοροῦνται τιμαί· καὶ γὰρ θύεται λευκὸς ἵππος αὐτῷ, καὶ δύο ἄλση τὸ μὲν Ἥρας Ἀργείας δείκνυται τὸ δʼ Ἀρτέμιδος Αἰτωλίδος.
But certain honors are recorded as having been established for Diomedes among the Heneti; for indeed a white horse is sacrificed to him, and two groves are shown, one of Argive Hera and the other of Aetolian Artemis.
προσμυθεύουσι δʼ, ὡς εἰκός, τὸ ἐν τοῖς ἄλσεσι τούτοις ἡμεροῦσθαι τὰ θηρία καὶ λύκοις ἐλάφους συναγελάζεσθαι, προσιόντων δὲ τῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ καταψώντων ἀνέχεσθαι, τὰ δὲ διωκόμενα ὑπὸ τῶν κυνῶν, ἐπειδὰν καταφύγῃ δεῦρο, μηκέτι διώκεσθαι.
And they add to the myth, as is likely, that in these groves the wild beasts become tame, and deer herd together with wolves, and they endure when men approach and stroke them, and those pursued by dogs, whenever they flee here, are no longer pursued.
φασὶ δέ τινα τῶν πάνυ γνωριζόμενον ὡς εἴη φιλέγγυος καὶ σκωπτόμενον ἐπὶ τούτῳ περιτυχεῖν κυνηγέταις λύκον ἐν τοῖς δικτύοις ἔχουσιν· εἰπόντων δὲ κατὰ παιδιάν, εἰ ἐγγυᾶται τὸν λύκον ἐφʼ ᾧτε τὰς ζημίας ἃς εἴργασται διαλύσειν, ἀφήσειν αὐτὸν ἐκ τῶν λίνων, ὁμολογῆσαι.
And they say that a certain man who was very well known for being fond of giving security and was mocked for this, fell in with hunters who had a wolf in their nets; and when they said in jest that if he would give security for the wolf to pay for the damages it had done, they would release it from the nets, he agreed.
ἀφεθέντα δὲ τὸν λύκον ἵππων ἀγέλην ἀπελάσαντα ἀκαυτηριάστων ἱκανὴν προσαγαγεῖν πρὸς τὸν τοῦ φιλεγγύου σταθμόν· τὸν δʼ ἀπολαβόντα τὴν χάριν καυτηριάσαι τε τὰς ἵππους λύκον, καὶ κληθῆναι λυκοφόρους, τάχει μᾶλλον ἢ κάλλει διαφερούσας· τοὺς δʼ ἀπʼ ἐκείνου διαδεξαμένους τό τε καυτήριον φυλάξαι καὶ τοὔνομα τῷ γένει τῶν ἵππων, ἔθος δὲ ποιῆσαι θήλειαν μὴ ἐξαλλοτριοῦν, ἵνα μένοι παρὰ μόνοις τὸ γνήσιον γένος, ἐνδόξου γενομένης ἐνθένδε ἱππείας.
And the wolf, having been released, drove away a sufficient herd of unbranded horses and brought them to the stable of the security-lover; and he, having received the favor, branded the horses with a wolf, and they were called Lycophori, differing in speed rather than beauty; and those who succeeded him kept both the brand and the name for the breed of horses, and made it a custom not to alienate a female, so that the genuine breed might remain among themselves alone, the horsemanship from this place having become famous.
νυνὶ δέ, ὥσπερ ἔφαμεν, πᾶσα ἐκλέλοιπεν ἡ τοιαύτη ἄσκησις.
But now, as we said, all such training has ceased.
μετὰ δὲ τὸ Τίμαυον ἡ τῶν Ἰστρίων ἐστὶ παραλία μέχρι Πόλας, ἣ πρόσκειται τῇ Ἰταλίᾳ.
After the Timavum is the coast of the Istrians as far as Pola, which is adjacent to Italy.
μεταξὺ δὲ φρούριον Τεργέστε Ἀκυληίας διέχον ἑκατὸν καὶ ὀγδοήκοντα σταδίους· ἡ δὲ Πόλα ἵδρυται μὲν ἐν κόλπῳ λιμενοειδεῖ νησίδια ἔχοντι εὔορμα καὶ εὔκαρπα, κτίσμα δʼ ἐστὶν ἀρχαῖον Κόλχων τῶν ἐπὶ τὴν Μήδειαν ἐκπεμφθέντων, διαμαρτόντων δὲ τῆς πράξεως καὶ καταγνόντων ἑαυτῶν φυγήν τὸ μὲν φυγάδων κεν ἐνίσποι Γραικὸς ὡς Καλλίμαχος εἴρηκεν ἀτὰρ κείνων γλῶσσʼ ὀνόμηνε Πόλας. τὰ μὲν δὴ πέραν τοῦ Πάδου χωρία οἵ τε Ἑνετοὶ νέμονται καὶ οἱ μέχρι Πόλας.
And between them is the fortress Tergeste, distant from Aquileia one hundred and eighty stadia; and Pola is situated in a harbor-like gulf which has islands easy to anchor in and fruitful, and it is an ancient foundation of the Colchians who were sent out after Medea, but having failed in their enterprise and condemned themselves to exile— "A Greek would call it the city of exiles, as Callimachus has said, but their tongue named it Pola." Now the regions beyond the Padus are inhabited by both the Heneti and those as far as Pola.
ὑπὲρ δὲ τῶν Ἑνετῶν Κάρνοι καὶ Κενόμανοι καὶ Μεδόακοι καὶ Ἴνσουβροι, ὧν οἱ μὲν πολέμιοι τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις ὑπῆρξαν, Κενόμανοι δὲ καὶ Ἑνετοὶ συνεμάχουν καὶ πρὸ τῆς Ἀννίβα στρατείας, ἡνίκα Βοΐους καὶ Ἰνσούβρους ἐπολέμουν, καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα.
And above the Heneti are the Carni, Cenomani, Medoaci, and Insubres, of whom some were enemies to the Romans, but the Cenomani and Heneti were allies both before the expedition of Hannibal, when they fought the Boii and Insubres, and after these things.
§5.1.10οἱ δʼ ἐντὸς τοῦ Πάδου κατέχουσι μὲν ἅπασαν ὅσην ἐγκυκλοῦται τὰ Ἀπέννινα ὄρη πρὸς τὰ Ἄλπεια μέχρι Γενούας καὶ τῶν Σαβάτων.
And those on this side of the Padus hold all the land which the Apennine mountains encircle towards the Alps as far as Genua and Sabata.
κατεῖχον δὲ Βόιοι καὶ Λίγυες καὶ Σένονες καὶ Γαιζᾶται τὸ πλέον· τῶν δὲ Βοΐων ἐξελαθέντων, ἀφανισθέντων δὲ καὶ τῶν Γαιζατῶν καὶ Σενόνων, λείπεται τὰ Λιγυστικὰ φῦλα καὶ τῶν Ῥωμαίων αἱ ἀποικίαι.
And the Boii, Ligurians, Senones, and Gaesatae held the greater part; but since the Boii were expelled, and the Gaesatae and Senones also disappeared, there remain the Ligurian tribes and the colonies of the Romans.
τοῖς δὲ Ῥωμαίοις ἀναμέμικται καὶ τὸ τῶν Ὀμβρικῶν φῦλον, ἔστι δʼ ὅπου καὶ Τυρρηνῶν.
And the tribe of the Umbrians is also mixed with the Romans, and in some places also that of the Tyrrhenians.
ταῦτα γὰρ ἄμφω τὰ ἔθνη πρὸ τῆς τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἐπὶ πλέον αὐξήσεως εἶχέ τινα πρὸς ἄλληλα περὶ πρωτείων ἅμιλλαν, καὶ μέσον ἔχοντα τὸν Τίβεριν ποταμὸν ῥᾳδίως ἐπιδιέβαινεν ἀλλήλοις.
For both of these nations, before the greater rise of the Romans, had a certain rivalry with each other for supremacy, and having the Tiber River in the middle, they easily crossed over into each other's territory.
καὶ εἴ πού τινας ἐκστρατείας ἐποιοῦντο ἐπʼ ἄλλους οἱ ἕτεροι, καὶ τοῖς ἑτέροις ἔρις ἦν μὴ ἀπολείπεσθαι τῆς εἰς τοὺς αὐτοὺς τόπους ἐξόδου· καὶ δὴ καὶ τῶν Τυρρηνῶν στειλάντων στρατιὰν εἰς τοὺς περὶ τὸν Πάδον βαρβάρους καὶ πραξάντων εὖ, ταχὺ δὲ πάλιν ἐκπεσόντων διὰ τὴν τρυφήν, ἐπεστράτευσαν οἱ ἕτεροι τοῖς ἐκβαλοῦσιν· εἶτʼ ἐκ διαδοχῆς τῶν τόπων ἀμφισβητοῦντες πολλὰς τῶν κατοικιῶν τὰς μὲν Τυρρηνικὰς ἐποίησαν τὰς δʼ Ὀμβρικάς·
And if either made any campaigns against others, there was a rivalry for the others not to be left behind in setting out for the same places; and indeed, when the Tyrrhenians sent an army against the barbarians around the Padus and fared well, but quickly fell out again because of their luxury, the others campaigned against those who had expelled them; then, disputing the places in succession, they made many of the settlements Tyrrhenian and others Umbrian; and more of them Umbrian, because they were nearer.
πλείους δὲ τῶν Ὀμβρικῶν, οἳ ἐγγυτέρω ἦσαν οἱ δὲ Ῥωμαῖοι παραλαβόντες καὶ πέμψαντες ἐποίκους πολλαχοῦ συνεφύλαξαν καὶ τὰ τῶν προεποικησάντων γένη.
And the Romans, having taken them over and sent colonists, preserved also in many places the races of those who had previously settled.
καὶ νῦν Ῥωμαῖοι μέν εἰσιν ἅπαντες, οὐδὲν δʼ ἧττον Ὄμβροι τε τινὲς λέγονται καὶ Τυρρηνοί, καθάπερ Ἑνετοὶ καὶ Λίγυες καὶ Ἴνσουβροι.
And now they are all Romans, but nonetheless some are still called Umbrians and Tyrrhenians, just as the Heneti, Ligurians, and Insubres.

Notes

  1. 5.1.9τῆς δὲ τοῦ Διομήδους δυναστείας — This genitive limits the noun `μαρτύρια`, placed at the beginning of the sentence for emphasis: "As testimonies of the dominion of Diomedes..."
  2. 5.1.9τὰς Ἡλιάδας τὰς ἀπαιγειρουμένας — The present passive participle of the rare verb `ἀπαιγειρόομαι` (to be turned into poplars). It directly describes the supernatural transformation of the daughters of the Sun (Heliades) into poplar trees in the myth.
  3. 5.1.9φασὶ δέ τινα τῶν πάνυ γνωριζόμενον ὡς εἴη φιλέγγυος καὶ σκωπτόμενον ἐπὶ τούτῳ περιτυχεῖν — A long Accusative with Infinitive (A.C.I.) construction. The subject is the accusative `τινα` (modified by the participles `γνωριζόμενον` and `σκωπτόμενον`), and the infinitive is `περιτυχεῖν`. The inserted clause `ὡς εἴη` uses the oblique optative because the governing verb represents hearsay (`φασί`), expressing the rumor of his being fond of giving security.
  4. 5.1.9ἐφʼ ᾧτε τὰς ζημίας ἃς εἴργασται διαλύσειν — The conjunction `ἐφʼ ᾧτε` (or `ἐφʼ ᾧ`) followed by the future infinitive `διαλύσειν` introduces a condition for a specific agreement or pact: "on the condition that he would pay for..."
  5. 5.1.9τὸ μὲν φυγάδων κεν ἐνίσποι Γραικὸς — A poetic quotation from Callimachus. The particle `κεν` (equivalent to the Attic `ἄν`) with the aorist optative `ενίσποι` (from `ἐνέπω`) expresses a potential or hypothetical statement: "A Greek might call it..."

Cite this passage

Strabo, Geography §5.1.9-5.1.10. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0099.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:5.1.9-5.1.10

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