§6.3.1ἐπεληλυθόσι δʼ ἡμῖν τὰ περὶ τὴν ἀρχαίαν Ἰταλίαν μέχρι Μεταποντίου τὰ συνεχῆ λεκτέον.
Since we have traversed the parts concerning ancient Italy as far as Metapontium, we must speak of those that follow.
συνεχὴς δʼ ἐστὶν ἡ Ἰαπυγία· ταύτην δὲ καὶ Μεσσαπίαν καλοῦσιν οἱ Ἕλληνες, οἱ δʼ ἐπιχώριοι κατὰ μέρη τὸ μέν τι Σαλεντίνους καλοῦσι τὸ περὶ τὴν ἄκραν τὴν Ἰαπυγίαν, τὸ δὲ Καλαβρούς.
Continuous with it is Iapygia; this the Greeks also call Messapia, but the inhabitants call it by parts, calling the part about the Iapygian promontory the Salentini, and the other part the Calabri.
ὑπὲρ τούτους πρόσβορροι Πευκέτιοί τέ εἰσι καὶ Δαύνιοι κατὰ τὴν Ἑλλάδα διάλεκτον προσαγορευόμενοι, οἱ δʼ ἐπιχώριοι πᾶσαν τὴν μετὰ τοὺς Καλαβροὺς Ἀπουλίαν καλοῦσι· τινὲς δʼ αὐτῶν καὶ Ποίδικλοι λέγονται, καὶ μάλιστα οἱ Πευκέτιοι.
Above these, towards the north, are the Peucetii and the Daunii, as they are called in the Greek tongue, but the inhabitants call the whole country after the Calabri Apulia; some of them are also called Poedicli, especially the Peucetii.
ἔστι δέ τι ἐπιχερρονησιάζουσα ἡ Μεσσαπία τῷ ἀπὸ Βρεντεσίου μέχρι Τάραντος ἰσθμῷ κλειομένη σταδίων δέκα καὶ τριακοσίων.
Messapia is somewhat peninsular, being enclosed by the isthmus from Brentesium as far as Taras, of three hundred and ten stadia.
ὅ τε περίπλους ἐστὶ περὶ τὴν ἄκραν Ἰαπυγίαν σταδίων ὁμοῦ τι τετρακοσίων.
And the circumnavigation of the Iapygian promontory is some four hundred stadia.
τοῦ δὲ Μεταποντίου μὲν διέχει σταδίους περὶ διακοσίους καὶ, ὁ δὲ πλοῦς ἐπʼ αὐτὸν πρὸς τὰς ἀνατολάς.
Taras is distant from Metapontium about two hundred and... stadia, and the sail to it is towards the east.
τοῦ δὲ κόλπου παντὸς τοῦ Ταραντίνου τὸ πλέον ἀλιμένου ὄντος, ἐνταῦθα ἐστι μέγιστος καὶ κάλλιστος γεφύρᾳ κλειόμενος μεγάλῃ, σταδίων δʼ ἐστὶν ἑκατὸν τὴν περίμετρον.
While the whole of the Tarentine gulf is for the most part harborless, here there is a very large and beautiful harbor, enclosed by a large bridge, and it is a hundred stadia in circumference.
ἐκ δὲ τοῦ πρὸς τὸν μυχὸν μέρους ἰσθμὸν ποιεῖ πρὸς τὴν ἔξω θάλατταν, ὥστʼ ἐπὶ χερρονήσῳ κεῖσθαι τὴν πόλιν καὶ τὰ πλοῖα ὑπερνεωλκεῖσθαι ῥᾳδίως ἑκατέρωθεν ταπεινοῦ ὄντος τοῦ αὐχένος.
On the side towards the innermost part of the gulf, it forms an isthmus with the outer sea, so that the city lies on a peninsula, and since the neck of land is low, vessels can easily be hauled over from either side.
ταπεινὸν δὲ καὶ τὸ τῆς πόλεως ἔδαφος, μικρὸν δʼ ὅμως ἐπῆρται κατὰ τὴν ἀκρόπολιν.
The site of the city is also low, but is nevertheless raised a little at the acropolis.
τὸ μὲν οὖν παλαιὸν τεῖχος κύκλον ἔχει μέγαν, νυνὶ δʼ ἐκλέλειπται τὸ πλέον τὸ πρὸς τῷ ἰσθμῷ, τὸ δὲ πρὸς τῷ στόματι τοῦ λιμένος, καθʼ ὃ καὶ ἡ ἀκρόπολις, συμμένει μέγεθος ἀξιολόγου πόλεως ἐκπληροῦν.
Now the ancient wall had a great circuit, but now most of it towards the isthmus has been abandoned, but that towards the mouth of the harbor, where the acropolis also is, still remains, filling out the size of a notable city.
ἔχει δὲ γυμνάσιόν τε κάλλιστον καὶ ἀγορὰν εὐμεγέθη, ἐν ᾗ καὶ ὁ τοῦ Διὸς ἵδρυται κολοσσὸς χαλκοῦς, μέγιστος μετὰ τὸν Ῥοδίων.
It has a very beautiful gymnasium and a spacious agora, in which is also set up the bronze colossus of Zeus, the largest next to that of the Rhodians.
μεταξὺ δὲ τῆς ἀγορᾶς καὶ τοῦ στόματος ἡ ἀκρόπολις μικρὰ λείψανα ἔχουσα τοῦ παλαιοῦ κόσμου τῶν ἀναθημάτων· τὰ γὰρ πολλὰ τὰ μὲν κατέφθειραν Καρχηδόνιοι λαβόντες τὴν πόλιν, τὰ δʼ ἐλαφυραγώγησαν Ῥωμαῖοι κρατήσαντες βιαίως· ὧν ἐστι καὶ ὁ Ἡρακλῆς ἐν τῷ Καπετωλίῳ χαλκοῦς κολοσσικός, Λυσίππου ἔργον, ἀνάθημα Μαξίμου Φαβίου τοῦ ἑλόντος τὴν πόλιν.
Between the agora and the mouth of the harbor is the acropolis, containing small remains of the ancient decoration of the dedications; for the Carthaginians destroyed most of them when they took the city, and the Romans plundered the rest when they conquered it by force; among these is also the bronze colossal Heracles in the Capitol, the work of Lysippus, dedicated by Fabius Maximus who took the city.
§6.3.2περὶ δὲ τῆς κτίσεως Ἀντίοχος λέγων φησὶν ὅτι τοῦ Μεσσηνιακοῦ πολέμου γενηθέντος οἱ μὴ μετασχόντες Λακεδαιμονίων τῆς στρατείας ἐκρίθησαν δοῦλοι καὶ ὠνομάσθησαν Εἵλωτες, ὅσοις δὲ κατὰ τὴν στρατείαν παῖδες ἐγένοντο, Παρθενίας ἐκάλουν καὶ ἀτίμους ἔκριναν·
Concerning its founding, Antiochus says that when the Messenian war arose, those of the Lacedaemonians who did not take part in the expedition were adjudged slaves and were named Helots, and those who had children born during the expedition were called Partheniae and were adjudged disenfranchised; and they, not putting up with this (and they were many), conspired against the citizens.
οἱ δʼ οὐκ ἀνασχόμενοι (πολλοὶ δʼ ἦσαν) ἐπεβούλευσαν τοῖς τοῦ δήμου. αἰσθόμενοι δʼ ὑπέπεμψάν τινας, οἳ προσποιήσει φιλίας ἔμελλον ἐξαγγέλλειν τὸν τρόπον τῆς ἐπιβουλῆς.
But the citizens, having perceived it, secretly sent some who under the pretense of friendship were to report the manner of the conspiracy.
τούτων δʼ ἦν καὶ Φάλανθος, ὅσπερ ἐδόκει προστάτης ὑπάρχειν αὐτῶν, οὐκ ἠρέσκετο δʼ ἁπλῶς τοῖς περὶ τῆς βουλῆς ὀνομασθεῖσι.
Among these was also Phalanthus, who seemed to be their leader, but was not pleased at all with those named as the ringleaders.
συνέκειτο μὲν δὴ τοῖς Ὑακινθίοις ἐν τῷ Ἀμυκλαίῳ συντελουμένου τοῦ ἀγῶνος, ἡνίκʼ ἂν τὴν περίθηται ὁ Φάλανθος, ποιεῖσθαι τὴν ἐπίθεσιν· γνώριμοι δʼ ἦσαν ἀπὸ τῆς κόμης οἱ τοῦ δήμου.
Now it had been agreed that during the Hyacinthia, while the contest was being celebrated at the Amyclaeum, when Phalanthus should put on his helmet, they should make the attack; and the citizens were recognizable by their hair.
ἐξαγγειλάντων δὲ λάθρᾳ τὰ συγκείμενα τῶν περὶ Φάλανθον καὶ τοῦ ἀγῶνος ἐνεστῶτος, προελθὼν ὁ κῆρυξ εἶπε μὴ περιθέσθαι κυνῆν Φάλανθον.
But when Phalanthus and his associates had secretly reported what had been agreed, and the contest was underway, the herald came forward and said that Phalanthus should not put on a helmet.
οἱ δʼ αἰσθόμενοι ὡς μεμηνύκασι τὴν ἐπιβουλὴν οἱ μὲν διεδίδρασκον οἱ δὲ ἱκέτευον.
And they, perceiving that they had betrayed the conspiracy, some began to run away and others to supplicate.
κελεύσαντες δʼ αὐτοὺς θαρρεῖν φυλακῇ παρέδοσαν, τὸν δὲ Φάλανθον ἔπεμψαν εἰς θεοῦ περὶ ἀποικίας· ὁ δʼ ἔχρησε
"
Σατύριόν τοι δῶκα Τάραντά τε πίονα δῆμον
οἰκῆσαι, καὶ πῆμα Ἰαπύγεσσι γενέσθαι. "
ἧκον οὖν σὺν Φαλάνθῳ οἱ Παρθενίαι, καὶ ἐδέξαντο αὐτοὺς οἵ τε βάρβαροι καὶ οἱ Κρῆτες οἱ προκατασχόντες τὸν τόπον.
Having told them to be of good courage, they placed them under guard, but sent Phalanthus to the god to inquire about a colony; and the god gave this oracle: "Satyrion I have given to thee, and Taras, a rich land, to dwell in, and to be a bane to the Iapyges." So the Partheniae came with Phalanthus, and they were received by both the barbarians and the Cretans who had previously occupied the place.
τούτους δʼ εἶναί φασι τοὺς μετὰ Μίνω πλεύσαντας εἰς Σικελίαν, καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἐκείνου τελευτὴν τὴν ἐν Καμικοῖς παρὰ Κωκάλῳ συμβᾶσαν ἀπάραντας ἐκ Σικελίας κατὰ δὲ τὸν ἀνάπλουν δεῦρο παρωσθέντας, ὧν τινὰς ὕστερον πεζῇ περιελθόντας τὸν Ἀδρίαν μέχρι Μακεδονίας Βοττιαίους προσαγορευθῆναι.
And these, they say, are those who sailed with Minos to Sicily, and after his death, which occurred at Camici in the house of Cocalus, set sail from Sicily, but on their return voyage were driven hither; some of whom afterwards went around the Adriatic on foot as far as Macedonia and were called Bottiaeans.
Ἰάπυγας δὲ λεχθῆναι πάντας φασὶ μέχρι τῆς Δαυνίας ἀπὸ Ἰάπυγος, ὃν ἐκ Κρήσσης γυναικὸς Δαιδάλῳ γενέσθαι φασὶ καὶ ἡγήσασθαι τῶν Κρητῶν· Τάραντα δʼ ὠνόμασαν ἀπὸ ἥρωός τινος τὴν πόλιν.
And they say that all as far as Daunia were called Iapyges after Iapyx, whom they say was born to Daedalus by a Cretan woman and led the Cretans; and they named the city after a certain hero.