§6.1.5ἀπὸ δὲ Λάου πρώτη πόλις ἐστὶ τῆς Βρεττίας Τεμέση (Τέμψαν δʼ οἱ νῦν καλοῦσιν) Αὐσόνων κτίσμα, ὕστερον δὲ καὶ Αἰτωλῶν τῶν μετὰ Θόαντος, οὓς ἐξέβαλον Βρέττιοι, Βρεττίους δὲ ἐπέτριψαν Ἀννίβας τε καὶ Ῥωμαῖοι.
From Laüs, the first city of Bruttium is Temesa (which they now call Tempsa), a foundation of the Ausonians, and later also of the Aetolians with Thoas, whom the Bruttians expelled, and the Bruttians themselves were worn down by Hannibal and the Romans.
ἔστι δὲ πλησίον τῆς Τεμέσης ἡρῷον ἀγριελαίοις συνηρεφὲς Πολίτου τῶν Ὀδυσσέως ἑταίρων, ὃν δολοφονηθέντα ὑπὸ τῶν βαρβάρων γενέσθαι βαρύμηνιν, ὥστε τοὺς περιοίκους δασμολογεῖν αὐτῷ κατά τι λόγιον καὶ παροιμίαν εἶναι πρὸς τοὺς ἀηδεῖς, τὸν ἥρωα τὸν ἐν Τεμέσῃ λεγόντων ἐπικεῖσθαι αὐτοῖς.
Near Temesa is the hero-temple, covered with wild olive trees, of Politus, one of the companions of Odysseus, who, having been treacherously murdered by the barbarians, became so wrathful that the inhabitants paid him tribute according to a certain oracle, and it became a proverb against disagreeable people, when they said that the hero in Temesa was pressing upon them.
Λοκρῶν δὲ τῶν Ἐπιζεφυρίων ἑλόντων τὴν πόλιν, Εὔθυμον μυθεύουσι τὸν πύκτην καταβάντα ἐπʼ αὐτὸν κρατῆσαι τῇ μάχῃ, καὶ βιάσασθαι παραλῦσαι τοῦ δασμοῦ τοὺς ἐπιχωρίους.
When the Epizephyrian Locrians took the city, they mythologize that Euthymus the boxer went down against him, conquered him in battle, and forced him to release the locals from the tribute.
ταύτης δὲ τῆς Τεμέσης φασὶ μεμνῆσθαι τὸν ποιητήν, οὐ τῆς ἐν Κύπρῳ Ταμασσοῦ· λέγεται γὰρ ἀμφοτέρως.
And they say that the Poet mentions this Temesa, and not Tamassos in Cyprus; for the name is spoken in both ways.
καὶ δείκνυται χαλκουργεῖα πλησίον, ἃ νῦν ἐκλέλειπται.
And copper mines are shown nearby, which are now abandoned.
ταύτης δὲ συνεχὴς Τερῖνα, ἣν Ἀννίβας καθεῖλεν οὐ δυνάμενος φυλάττειν, ὅτε δὴ εἰς αὐτὴν καταπεφεύγει τὴν Βρεττίαν.
Continuous with this is Terina, which Hannibal destroyed because he was unable to guard it, when indeed he had fled into Bruttium itself.
εἶτα Κωσεντία μητρόπολις Βρεττίων· μικρὸν δʼ ὑπὲρ ταύτης Πανδοσία φρούριον ἐρυμνόν, περὶ ἣν Ἀλέξανδρος ὁ Μολοττὸς διεφθάρη.
Then comes Cosentia, the metropolis of the Bruttians; and a little above this is Pandosia, a strong fortress, around which Alexander the Molossian perished.
ἐξηπάτησε δὲ καὶ τοῦτον ὁ ἐκ Δωδώνης χρησμὸς φυλάττεσθαι κελεύων τὸν Ἀχέροντα καὶ τὴν Πανδοσίαν δεικνυμένων γὰρ ἐν τῇ Θεσπρωτίᾳ ὁμωνύμων τούτοις, ἐνταῦθα κατέστρεψε τὸν βίον.
The oracle from Dodona deceived him too, ordering him to guard against Acheron and Pandosia; for while places homonymous with these were shown in Thesprotia, he ended his life here.
τρικόρυφον δʼ ἐστὶ τὸ φρούριον, καὶ παραρρεῖ ποταμὸς Ἀχέρων.
The fortress has three peaks, and the river Acheron flows by it.
προσηπάτησε δὲ καὶ ἄλλο λόγιον
"
Πανδοσία τρικόλωνε, πολύν ποτε λαὸν ὀλέσσεις. "
ἔδοξε γὰρ πολεμίων φθοράν, οὐκ οἰκείων δηλοῦσθαι.
Another oracle also deceived him: "Pandosia of the three hills, one day you will destroy many people." For it seemed to signify the destruction of enemies, and not of his own people.
φασὶ δὲ καὶ βασίλειόν ποτε γενέσθαι τῶν Οἰνωτρικῶν βασιλέων τὴν Πανδοσίαν.
And they say that Pandosia was once the seat of the Oenotrian kings.
μετὰ δὲ τὴν Κωσεντίαν Ἱππώνιον Λοκρῶν κτίσμα· Βρεττίους δὲ κατέχοντας ἀφείλοντο Ῥωμαῖοι καὶ μετωνόμασαν Ὀυιβῶνα Ὀυαλεντίαν.
After Cosentia is Hipponion, a foundation of the Locrians; which, while the Bruttians held it, the Romans took from them and renamed Vibo Valentia.
διὰ δὲ τὸ εὐλείμονα εἶναι τὰ περικείμενα χωρία καὶ ἀνθηρὰ τὴν Κόρην ἐκ Σικελίας πεπιστεύκασιν ἀφικνεῖσθαι δεῦρο ἀνθολογήσουσαν· ἐκ δὲ τούτου ταῖς γυναιξὶν ἐν ἔθει γέγονεν ἀνθολογεῖν τε καὶ στεφανηπλοκεῖν, ὥστε ταῖς ἑορταῖς αἰσχρὸν εἶναι στεφάνους ὠνητοὺς φορεῖν.
Because the surrounding lands are beautiful meadows and full of flowers, they believe that Kore arrived here from Sicily to gather flowers; and from this it became a custom for the women to gather flowers and weave crowns, so that at festivals it is disgraceful to wear purchased crowns.
ἔχει δʼ ἐπίνειον, ὃ κατεσκεύασέ ποτε Ἀγαθοκλῆς ὁ τύραννος τῶν Σικελιωτῶν κρατήσας τῆς πόλεως.
It has a port, which Agathocles, the tyrant of the Siceliotes, once constructed when he gained control of the city.
ἐντεῦθεν δʼ ἐπὶ τὸν Ἡρακλέους λιμένα πλεύσασιν ἄρχεται ἐπιστρέφειν τὰ ἄκρα τῆς Ἰταλίας τὰ πρὸς τῷ πορθμῷ πρὸς τὴν ἑσπέραν.
For those sailing from here to the Port of Hercules, the promontories of Italy near the strait begin to turn towards the west.
ἐν δὲ τῷ παράπλῳ τούτῳ Μέδμα πόλις Λοκρῶν τῶν αὐτῶν, ὁμώνυμος κρήνῃ μεγάλῃ, πλησίον ἔχουσα ἐπίνειον καλούμενον Ἐμπόριον· ἐγγὺς δὲ καὶ Μέταυρος ποταμὸς καὶ ὕφορμος ὁμώνυμος.
On this coastal voyage is Medma, a city of the same Locrians, homonymous with a great spring, having nearby a port called Emporium; and close by is also the river Metauros and an anchorage of the same name.
πρόκεινται δὲ τῆς ᾐόνος ταύτης αἱ τῶν Λιπαραίων νῆσοι διέχουσαι τοῦ πορθμοῦ σταδίους διακοσίους.
Off this shore lie the islands of the Liparaeans, at a distance of two hundred stadia from the strait.
οἱ δʼ Αἰόλου φασίν, οὗ καὶ τὸν ποιητὴν μεμνῆσθαι κατὰ τὴν Ὀδύσσειαν· εἰσὶ δʼ ἑπτὰ τὸν ἀριθμὸν ἐν ἀπόψει πᾶσαι καὶ τοῖς ἐκ τῆς Σικελίας καὶ τοῖς ἐκ τῆς ἠπείρου τοῖς κατὰ τὴν Μέδμαν ἀφορῶσι· περὶ ὧν ἐροῦμεν, ὅταν περὶ τῆς Σικελίας λέγωμεν.
They say they are the islands of Aeolus, whom the Poet also mentions in the Odyssey; they are seven in number, all within view both to those looking from Sicily and to those looking from the mainland near Medma; concerning which we shall speak when we speak of Sicily.
ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ Μεταύρου ποταμοῦ ἕτερος· ἐκδέχεται δʼ ἐντεῦθεν τὸ Σκύλλαιον, πέτρα χερρονησίζουσα ὑψηλή, τὸν ἰσθμὸν ἀμφίδυμον καὶ ταπεινὸν ἔχουσα, ὃν Ἀναξίλαος ὁ τύραννος τῶν Ῥηγίνων ἐπετείχισε τοῖς Τυρρηνοῖς κατασκευάσας ναύσταθμον, καὶ ἀφείλετο τοὺς λῃστὰς τὸν διὰ τοῦ πορθμοῦ διάπλουν.
After the river Metauros is another; from there succeeds Scyllaeum, a high rock forming a peninsula, having a low isthmus accessible from both sides, which Anaxilas, the tyrant of the Rhegians, fortified against the Tyrrhenians, constructing a naval station, and deprived the pirates of their passage through the strait.
πλησίον γάρ ἐστι καὶ ἡ Καῖνυς διέχουσα τῆς Μέδμης σταδίους πεντήκοντα καὶ διακοσίους, ἡ τελευταία ποιοῦσα ἄκρα τὰ στενὰ τοῦ πορθμοῦ πρὸς τὴν ἐκ τῆς Σικελίας ἄκραν τὴν Πελωριάδα· ἔστι δʼ αὕτη μία τῶν τριῶν τῶν ποιουσῶν τρίγωνον τὴν νῆσον, νεύει δὲ ἐπὶ θερινὰς ἀνατολάς, καθάπερ ἡ Καῖνυς πρὸς τὴν ἑσπέραν, ἀνταποστροφήν τινα ἀπʼ ἀλλήλων ποιουμένων αὐτῶν.
For near is also Caenys, at a distance of two hundred and fifty stadia from Medma, forming the last promontory of the narrows of the strait opposite Pelorias, the promontory from Sicily; this is one of the three which make the island triangular, and it slopes towards the summer sunrise, just as Caenys does towards the west, making a turn away from each other.
ἀπὸ δὲ Καίνυος μέχρι τοῦ Ποσειδωνίου, τῆς Ῥηγίνων στυλίδος, τοῦ πορθμοῦ διήκει στενωπὸς ὅσον ἑξαστάδιος, μικρῷ δὲ πλέον τὸ ἐλάχιστον διαπέραμα· ἀπὸ δὲ στυλίδος ἑκατὸν εἰς Ῥήγιον, ἤδη τοῦ πορθμοῦ πλατυνομένου, προϊοῦσι πρὸς τὴν ἔξω καὶ πρὸς ἕω θάλατταν τὴν τοῦ Σικελικοῦ καλουμένου πελάγους.
From Caenys to the Poseidonion, the monument of the Rhegians, the narrow passage of the strait extends for about six stadia, and the shortest crossing is slightly more; and from the monument it is one hundred stadia to Rhegium, the strait already widening as one proceeds towards the outer and eastern sea of what is called the Sicilian Sea.