§5.3.12Ἐνδοτέρω δὲ τῆς κατʼ αὐτὰς ὀρεινῆς ἄλλη ῥάχις ἐστί, μεταξὺ αὐλῶνα καταλείπουσα τὸν κατὰ Ἄλγιδον, ὑψηλὴ μέχρι τοῦ Ἀλβανοῦ ὄρους.
Further inland than the mountain range of these cities is another ridge, leaving between them a valley near Algidum, high as far as the Alban mount.
ἐπὶ ταύτης δὴ τὸ Τούσκουλον ἵδρυται πόλις οὐ φαύλως κατεσκευασμένη· κεκόσμηται δὲ ταῖς κύκλῳ φυτείαις καὶ οἰκοδομίαις, καὶ μάλιστα ταῖς ὑποπιπτούσαις ἐπὶ τὸ κατὰ τὴν Ῥώμην μέρος.
On this very ridge is situated Tusculum, a city not poorly built; and it is adorned by the plantations and buildings all around, and especially by those that slope down towards the part facing Rome.
τὸ γὰρ Τοῦσκλον ἐνταῦθα ἐστὶ λόφος εὔγεως καὶ εὔυδρος, κορυφούμενος ἠρέμα πολλαχοῦ καὶ δεχόμενος βασιλείων κατασκευὰς ἐκπρεπεστάτας.
For Tusculum in this place is a fertile and well-watered hill, gently cresting in many places, and admitting most magnificent royal structures.
συνεχῆ δʼ ἐστὶ καὶ τὰ τῷ Ἀλβανῷ ὄρει ὑποπίπτοντα, τὴν αὐτήν τε ἀρετὴν ἔχοντα καὶ κατασκευήν.
And continuous with it are the parts situated below the Alban mount, possessing the same fertility and structure.
ἐφεξῆς δʼ ἐστὶ πεδία, τὰ μὲν πρὸς τὴν Ῥώμην συνάπτοντα καὶ τὰ προάστεια αὐτῆς, τὰ δὲ πρὸς τὴν θάλατταν· τὰ μὲν οὖν πρὸς τὴν θάλατταν ἧττόν ἐστιν ὑγιεινά, τὰ δὲ ἄλλα εὐάγωγά τε καὶ παραπλησίως ἐξησκημένα.
Next are the plains, some joining Rome and its suburbs, others stretching towards the sea; now those towards the sea are less healthy, but the others are easy to cultivate and similarly adorned.
μετὰ δὲ τὸ Ἀλβανὸν Ἀρικία ἐστὶ πόλις ἐπὶ τῇ ὁδῷ τῇ Ἀππίᾳ· στάδιοι δʼ εἰσὶν ἐκ τῆς Ῥώμης ἑκατὸν ἑξήκοντα· κοῖλος δʼ ἐστὶν ὁ τόπος, ἔχει δʼ ὅμως ἐρυμνὴν ἄκραν.
After the Alban mount is Aricia, a city on the Appian Way; it is one hundred and sixty stadia from Rome; the place is low-lying, but nevertheless it has a strong citadel.
ὑπέρκειται δʼ αὐτῆς τὸ μὲν Λανούιον, πόλις Ῥωμαίων, ἐν δεξιᾷ τῆς Ἀππίας ὁδοῦ, ἀφʼ ἧς ἔποπτος ἥ τε θάλαττά ἐστι καὶ τὸ Ἄντιον· τὸ δʼ Ἀρτεμίσιον, ὃ καλοῦσι νέμος, ἐκ τοῦ ἐν ἀριστερᾷ μέρους τῆς ὁδοῦ τοῖς ἐξ Ἀρικίας ἀναβαίνουσιν.
Above it lies Lanuvium, a city of the Romans, on the right of the Appian Way, from which there is a view of both the sea and Antium; and the Artemisium, which they call Nemus, is on the left side of the road for those who ascend from Aricia.
τῆς δʼ Ἀρικίνης τὸ ἱερὸν λέγουσιν ἀφίδρυμά τι τῆς Ταυροπόλου· καὶ γάρ τι βαρβαρικὸν κρατεῖ καὶ Σκυθικὸν περὶ τὸ ἱερὸν ἔθος.
And they say that the temple of Aricia is a copy of that of Tauropolos; for a certain barbarian and Scythian custom prevails around the temple.
καθίσταται γὰρ ἱερεὺς ὁ γενηθεὶς αὐτόχειρ τοῦ ἱερωμένου πρότερον δραπέτης ἀνήρ· ξιφήρης οὖν ἐστιν ἀεὶ περισκοπῶν τὰς ἐπιθέσεις, ἕτοιμος ἀμύνεσθαι.
For he who has become the murderer with his own hand of the previously consecrated priest is established as priest, being a runaway slave; he is therefore always sword in hand, looking out for attacks, ready to defend himself.
τὸ δʼ ἱερὸν ἐν ἄλσει, πρόκειται δὲ λίμνη πελαγίζουσα, κύκλῳ δʼ ὀρεινὴ συνεχὴς ὀφρὺς περίκειται καὶ λίαν ὑψηλὴ καὶ τὸ ἱερὸν καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ ἀπολαμβάνουσα ἐν κοίλῳ τόπῳ καὶ βαθεῖ.
And the temple is in a grove, and in front of it lies a lake like a sea, and all around a continuous mountainous ridge lies, being very high, enclosing both the temple and the water in a deep and low-lying place.
τὰς μὲν οὖν πηγὰς ὁρᾶν ἔστιν, ἐξ ὧν ἡ λίμνη πληροῦται· τούτων δʼ ἐστὶν ἡ Ἠγερία καλουμένη, δαίμονός τινος ἐπώνυμος· αἱ δʼ ἀπορρύσεις ἐνταῦθα μὲν ἄδηλοί εἰσιν, ἔξω δὲ δείκνυνται πόρρω πρὸς τὴν ἐπιφάνειαν ἀνέχουσαι.
Now one can see the springs from which the lake is filled; among these is the one called Egeria, named after a certain nymph; but the outlets here are unseen, though they are shown far off rising to the surface outside.
§5.3.13πλησίον δʼ ἐστὶ τῶν χωρίων τούτων καὶ Ἀλβανὸν ὄρος πολὺ ὑπερκῦπτον τοῦ Ἀρτεμισίου καὶ τῶν περὶ αὐτὸ ὀφρύων, καίπερ ὑψηλῶν οὐσῶν καὶ ὀρθίων ἱκανῶς.
Near these places is also the Alban mount, which rises far above the Artemisium and the ridges around it, although they are sufficiently high and quite steep.
ἔχει δὲ καὶ τοῦτο λίμνην πολὺ μείζω τῆς κατὰ τὸ Ἀρτεμίσιον.
This also has a lake much larger than the one near the Artemisium.
προσωτέρω δὲ τούτων αἱ λεχθεῖσαι πρότερον πόλεις τῆς Λατίνης εἰσί.
Further than these are the previously mentioned cities of Latium.
μάλιστα δʼ ἐν μεσογαίᾳ τῶν Λατίνων πόλεων ἐστὶν ἡ Ἄλβα ὁμοροῦσα Μαρσοῖς· ἵδρυται δʼ ἐφʼ ὑψηλοῦ πάγου λίμνης Φουκίνας πλησίον, πελαγίας τὸ μέγεθος· χρῶνται δʼ αὐτῇ μάλιστα μὲν Μαρσοὶ καὶ πάντες οἱ πλησιόχωροι.
Most inland of the Latin cities is Alba, bordering on the Marsi; it is situated on a high hill near Lake Fucinus, which is like a sea in size; it is used chiefly by the Marsi and all the neighbors.
φασὶ δʼ αὐτὴν καὶ πληροῦσθαί ποτε μέχρι τῆς ὀρεινῆς καὶ ταπεινοῦσθαι πάλιν ὥστʼ ἀναψύχειν τοὺς λιμνωθέντας τόπους καὶ γεωργεῖσθαι παρέχειν, εἴτε μεταστάσεις τῶν κατὰ βάθους ὑγρῶν σποράδην καὶ ἀδήλως γίνονται πάλιν δʼ ἐπισυρρέουσιν, ἢ τελέως ἐκλείπουσιν αἱ πηγαὶ καὶ πάλιν συνθλίβονται, καθάπερ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἀμενάνου συμβαίνειν φασὶ τοῦ διὰ Κατάνης ῥέοντος· ἐκλείπει γὰρ ἐπὶ πολλὰ ἔτη καὶ πάλιν ῥεῖ.
And they say that it is sometimes filled even up to the mountainous parts, and sinks again so as to dry the lake-covered places and make them fit for cultivation, whether the movements of the waters in the depths take place sporadically and invisibly and flow back again, or the springs completely fail and are compressed again, as they say happens in the case of the Amenanus which flows through Catana; for it fails for many years and then flows again.
ἐκ δὲ τῆς Φουκίνας εἶναι τὰς πηγὰς ἱστοροῦσι τοῦ Μαρκίου ὕδατος τοῦ τὴν Ῥώμην ποτίζοντος καὶ παρὰ τἆλλα εὐδοκιμοῦντος ὕδατα.
And they relate that the springs of the Marcian water, which supplies Rome and is famous above other waters, are from Fucinus.
τῇ δὲ Ἄλβᾳ διὰ τὸ ἐν βάθει τῆς χώρας ἱδρῦσθαι καὶ διὰ τὸ εὐερκὲς ἀντὶ φρουρᾶς ἐχρήσαντο πολλάκις Ῥωμαῖοι, τοὺς φυλακῆς δεομένους ἐνταῦθα καθείργοντες.
And on account of its being situated deep in the country and its strong defense, the Romans often used Alba instead of a prison, shutting up there those who needed guarding.