§5.4.8Ἐχόμενον δὲ φρούριόν ἐστιν Ἡράκλειον ἐκκειμένην εἰς τὴν θάλατταν ἄκραν ἔχον, καταπνεομένην λιβὶ θαυμαστῶς ὥσθʼ ὑγιεινὴν ποιεῖν τὴν κατοικίαν.
Adjoining this is the fortress of Herculaneum, which has a promontory projecting into the sea, wonderfully blown upon by the southwest wind, so that it makes the settlement a healthy place to live in.
Ὄσκοι δὲ εἶχον καὶ ταύτην καὶ τὴν ἐφεξῆς Πομπηίαν ἣν παραρρεῖ ὁ Σάρνος ποταμός, εἶτα Τυρρηνοὶ καὶ Πελασγοί, μετὰ ταῦτα δὲ Σαυνῖται· καὶ οὗτοι δʼ ἐξέπεσον ἐκ τῶν τόπων.
The Oscans used to hold both this and Pompeii next to it, past which flows the river Sarnus, then the Tyrrhenians and the Pelasgians, and after that the Samnites; and these too were cast out from the places.
Νώλης δὲ καὶ Νουκερίας καὶ Ἀχερρῶν, ὁμωνύμου κατοικίας τῆς περὶ Κρέμωνα, ἐπίνειόν ἐστιν ἡ Πομπηία, παρὰ τῷ Σάρνῳ ποταμῷ καὶ δεχομένῳ τὰ φορτία καὶ ἐκπέμποντι.
Pompeii is the port of Nola, Nuceria, and Acerrae (a settlement of the same name as that near Cremona), being situated by the river Sarnus, which both receives cargoes and sends them out.
ὑπέρκειται δὲ τῶν τόπων τούτων ὄρος τὸ Ὀυέσουιον, ἀγροῖς περιοικούμενον παγκάλοις πλὴν τῆς κορυφῆς· αὕτη δʼ ἐπίπεδος μὲν πολὺ μέρος ἐστίν, ἄκαρπος δʼ ὅλη, ἐκ δὲ τῆς ὄψεως τεφρώδης, καὶ κοιλάδας φαίνει σηραγγώδεις πετρῶν αἰθαλωδῶν κατὰ τὴν χρόαν, ὡς ἂν ἐκβεβρωμένων ὑπὸ πυρός, ὡς τεκμαίροιτʼ ἄν τις τὸ χωρίον τοῦτο καίεσθαι πρότερον καὶ ἔχειν κρατῆρας πυρός, σβεσθῆναι δʼ ἐπιλιπούσης τῆς ὕλης.
Immediately above these places lies Mount Vesuvius, which is surrounded by very beautiful fields except on its summit; this is flat for the most part, but entirely barren, and in appearance ashy, showing cave-like cavities of rocks which are soot-colored in hue, as if they had been eaten away by fire, so that one would infer that this place formerly burned and had craters of fire, but was extinguished when the fuel failed.
τάχα δὲ καὶ τῆς εὐκαρπίας τῆς κύκλῳ τοῦτʼ αἴτιον, ὥσπερ ἐν τῇ Κατάνῃ, φασί, τὸ κατατεφρωθὲν μέρος ἐκ τῆς σποδοῦ τῆς ἀνενεχθείσης ὑπὸ τοῦ Αἰτναίου πυρὸς εὐάμπελον τὴν γῆν ἐποίησεν.
And perhaps this is also the cause of the fertility of the surrounding country, just as at Catana, they say, the part that was covered with ash from the dust carried up by the fire of Aetna made the land well-suited for vines.
ἔχει μὲν γὰρ τὸ λιπαῖνον καὶ τὴν ἐκπυρουμένην βῶλον καὶ τὴν ἐκφέρουσαν τοὺς καρπούς· πλεονάζουσα μὲν οὖν τῷ λίπει πρὸς ἐκπύρωσιν ἐπιτηδεία, καθάπερ ἡ θειώδης πᾶσα, ἐξικμασθεῖσα δὲ καὶ λαβοῦσα σβέσιν καὶ ἐκτέφρωσιν εἰς καρπογονίαν μετέβαλε.
For the fertilizing substance contains both the burning clod and the one that bears fruit; therefore, when it abounds in richness, it is fit for burning, like all sulfurous land, but when it has dried out and has been extinguished and turned to ash, it changes into a fruit-bearing state.
συνεχὲς δέ ἐστι τῇ Πομπηίᾳ τὸ Συρρεντὸν τῶν Καμπανῶν, ὅθεν πρόκειται τὸ Ἀθήναιον, ὅ τινες Σειρηνουσσῶν ἀκρωτήριον καλοῦσιν· ἔστι δὲ ἐπʼ ἄκρῳ μὲν Ἀθηνᾶς ἱερόν, ἵδρυμα Ὀδυσσέως.
Sorrentum of the Campanians is continuous with Pompeii, from where projects the Athenaeum, which some call the Promontory of the Sirenum; on the summit is a temple of Athena, a foundation of Odysseus.
διάπλους δʼ ἐνθένδε βραχὺς εἰς Καπρέας νῆσον.
The crossing from here to the island of Capreae is short.
κάμψαντι δὲ τὴν ἄκραν νησῖδές εἰσιν ἔρημοι πετρώδεις ἃς καλοῦσι Σειρῆνας.
Rounding the cape, there are barren, rocky islets which they call the Sirens.
ἐκ δὲ τοῦ πρὸς Συρρεντὸν μέρους ἱερόν τι δείκνυται καὶ ἀναθήματα παλαιὰ τιμώντων τῶν πλησίον τόπον.
On the side facing Sorrentum, a certain temple is shown, with ancient offerings of those who honor the place near by.
μέχρι μὲν δεῦρο ἔχει τέλος ὁ κόλπος ὁ κρατὴρ προσαγορευόμενος, ἀφοριζόμενος δυσὶν ἀκρωτηρίοις βλέπουσι πρὸς μεσημβρίαν, τῷ τε Μισηνῷ καὶ τῷ Ἀθηναίῳ.
Up to this point ends the gulf called the Crater, bounded by two promontories facing south, Misenum and the Athenaeum.
ἅπας δʼ ἐστὶ κατεσκευασμένος τοῦτο μὲν ταῖς πόλεσιν ἃς ἔφαμεν, τοῦτο δὲ ταῖς οἰκοδομίαις καὶ φυτείαις, αἳ μεταξὺ συνεχεῖς οὖσαι μιᾶς πόλεως ὄψιν παρέχονται.
The whole gulf is adorned, on the one hand, by the cities which we have mentioned, and on the other hand, by the buildings and plantations, which, being continuous between them, present the appearance of a single city.
§5.4.9τοῦ μὲν οὖν Μισηνοῦ πρόκειται νῆσος ἡ Προχύτη, Πιθηκουσσῶν δʼ ἔστιν ἀπόσπασμα.
Now, in front of Misenum lies the island of Prochyte, which is a fragment broken off from Pithecussae.
Πιθηκούσσας δʼ Ἐρετριεῖς ᾤκισαν καὶ Χαλκιδεῖς, εὐτυχήσαντες διʼ εὐκαρπίαν καὶ διὰ τὰ χρυσεῖα ἐξέλιπον τὴν νῆσον κατὰ στάσιν, ὕστερον δὲ καὶ ὑπὸ σεισμῶν ἐξελαθέντες καὶ ἀναφυσημάτων πυρὸς καὶ θαλάττης καὶ θερμῶν ὑδάτων· ἔχει γὰρ τοιαύτας ἀποφορὰς ἡ νῆσος, ὑφʼ ὧν καὶ οἱ πεμφθέντες παρὰ Ἱέρωνος τοῦ τυράννου τῶν Συρακοσίων ἐξέλιπον τὸ κατασκευασθὲν ὑφʼ ἑαυτῶν τεῖχος καὶ τὴν νῆσον· ἐπελθόντες δὲ Νεαπολῖται κατέσχον.
The Eretrians and Chalcidians colonized Pithecussae, and though they prospered because of the fertility of the soil and the gold mines, they abandoned the island because of a factional strife, and later they were also driven out by earthquakes and eruptions of fire, sea, and hot waters; for the island has such emissions, because of which even those sent by Hieron, the tyrant of Syracuse, abandoned the fortress built by themselves and the island; and the Neapolitans came and took possession of it.
ἐντεῦθεν καὶ ὁ μῦθος ὅτι φασὶ τὸν Τυφῶνα ὑποκεῖσθαι τῇ νήσῳ ταύτῃ, στρεφομένου δὲ τὰς φλόγας ἀναφυσᾶσθαι καὶ τὰ ὕδατα, ἔστι δʼ ὅτε καὶ νησῖδας ἐχούσας ζέον ὕδωρ.
Hence also the myth that they say Typhon lies under this island, and when he turns, flames and waters are blown up, and sometimes even islets containing boiling water.
πιθανώτερον δὲ Πίνδαρος εἴρηκεν ἐκ τῶν φαινομένων ὁρμηθείς, ὅτι πᾶς ὁ πόρος οὗτος ἀπὸ τῆς Κυμαίας ἀρξάμενος μέχρι τῆς Σικελίας διάπυρός ἐστι καὶ κατὰ βάθους ἔχει κοιλίας τινὰς εἰς ἓν συναπτούσας πρός τε ἀλλήλας καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἤπειρον.
But Pindar has spoken more plausibly, starting from the phenomena, that this whole passage, beginning from the Cumaean land as far as Sicily, is fiery and has certain cavities deep down that connect with one another and with the mainland.
διόπερ ἥ τε Αἴτνη τοιαύτην ἔχειν δείκνυται φύσιν οἵαν ἱστοροῦσιν ἅπαντες, καὶ αἱ τῶν Λιπαραίων νῆσοι καὶ τὰ περὶ τὴν Δικαιάρχειαν καὶ Νεάπολιν καὶ Βαίας χωρία καὶ αἱ Πιθηκοῦσσαι.
Therefore, not only Aetna is shown to have such a nature as all record, but also the islands of the Liparaeans, and the places around Dicaearchia, Neapolis, Baiae, and Pithecussae.
ταῦτʼ οὖν διανοηθεὶς τῷ παντὶ τόπῳ τούτῳ φησὶν ὑποκεῖσθαι τὸν Τυφῶνα
νῦν γε μὰν ταί θʼ ὑπὲρ Κύμας ἁλιερκέες ὄχθαι Σικελία τʼ αὐτοῦ πιέζει στέρνα λαχνάεντα. καὶ Τίμαιος δὲ περὶ τῶν Πιθηκουσσῶν φησιν ὑπὸ τῶν παλαιῶν πολλὰ παραδοξολογεῖσθαι, μικρὸν δὲ πρὸ ἑαυτοῦ τὸν Ἐπωπέα λόφον ἐν μέσῃ τῇ νήσῳ τιναγέντα ὑπὸ σεισμῶν ἀναβαλεῖν πῦρ καὶ τὸ μεταξὺ αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς θαλάττης ἐξῶσαι ἐπὶ τὸ πέλαγος, τὸ δʼ ἐκτεφρωθὲν τῆς γῆς μετεωρισμὸν λαβὸν κατασκῆψαι πάλιν τυφωνοειδῶς εἰς τὴν νῆσον, καὶ ἐπὶ τρεῖς τὴν θάλατταν ἀναχωρῆσαι σταδίους, ἀναχωρήσασαν δὲ μετʼ οὐ πολὺ ὑποστρέψαι καὶ τῇ παλιρροίᾳ κατακλύσαι τὴν νῆσον, καὶ γενέσθαι σβέσιν τοῦ ἐν αὐτῇ πυρός· ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ ἤχου τοὺς ἐν τῇ ἠπείρῳ φυγεῖν ἐκ τῆς παραλίας εἰς τὴν Καμπανίαν.
Pindar, therefore, having this in mind, says that Typhon lies under this whole region: "Indeed, now the sea-girding hills above Cyme and Sicily press upon his shaggy breast." And Timaeus also says concerning Pithecussae that many wonderful things are related by the ancients, and that shortly before his own time Epopeus, a hill in the middle of the island, was shaken by earthquakes and cast up fire, and pushed the land between it and the sea out into the deep; and the ground, having been reduced to ash and raised on high, fell back again like a whirlwind upon the island, and the sea retreated for three stadia, but after a short time returned and flooded the island with its backwash, and extinguished the fire in it; and because of the noise, those on the mainland fled from the coast into Campania.
δοκεῖ δὲ τὰ θερμὰ ὕδατα ἐνταῦθα θεραπεύειν τοὺς λιθιῶντας.
The hot waters here are thought to cure those suffering from stones.
αἱ δὲ Καπρέαι δύο πολίχνας εἶχον τὸ παλαιόν, ὕστερον δὲ μίαν.
Capreae in ancient times had two small towns, but later only one.
Νεαπολῖται δὲ καὶ ταύτην κατέσχον, πολέμῳ δὲ ἀποβαλόντες τὰς Πιθηκούσσας ἀπέλαβον πάλιν, δόντος αὐτοῖς Καίσαρος τοῦ Σεβαστοῦ, τὰς δὲ Καπρέας ἴδιον ποιησαμένου κτῆμα καὶ κατοικοδομήσαντος.
The Neapolitans held this also, but having lost Pithecussae in war, they received it back again, after Caesar Augustus gave it to them, having made Capreae his own private property and built upon it.
αἱ μὲν οὖν παράλιοι πόλεις τῶν Καμπανῶν καὶ αἱ προκείμεναι νῆσοι τοιαῦται.
Such, then, are the coastal cities of the Campanians and the islands lying in front of them.