§7.1.3ἔστι δὲ τὰ μὲν πρῶτα μέρη τῆς χώρας ταύτης τὰ πρὸς τῷ Ῥήνῳ μέχρι τῶν ἐκβολῶν ἀπὸ τῆς πηγῆς ἀρξαμένοις· σχεδὸν δέ τι καὶ τοῦτʼ ἔστι τὸ ἑσπέριον τῆς χώρας πλάτος, ἡ ποταμία πᾶσα.
Now the first parts of this country are those along the Rhine, beginning from its source and extending to its outlets; and this river-land in its entirety is, one might say, the western breadth of the country.
ταύτης δὲ τὰ μὲν εἰς τὴν Κελτικὴν μετήγαγον Ῥωμαῖοι, τὰ δʼ ἔφθη μεταστάντα εἰς τὴν ἐν βάθει χώραν, καθάπερ Μαρσοί· λοιποὶ δʼ εἰσὶν ὀλίγοι καὶ τῶν Σουγάμβρων μέρος.
Of this land, the Romans transferred some parts to the Celtic territory, while other parts forestalled them by migrating into the interior, as did the Marsi; and only a few are left, including a part of the Sugambri.
μετὰ δὲ τοὺς παραποταμίους τἆλλά ἐστιν ἔθνη τὰ μεταξὺ τοῦ Ῥήνου καὶ τοῦ Ἄλβιος ποταμοῦ, ὃς παράλληλός πως ἐκείνῳ ῥεῖ πρὸς τὸν ὠκεανόν, οὐκ ἐλάττω χώραν διεξιὼν ἤπερ ἐκεῖνος.
After the river-dwellers come the other tribes between the Rhine and the river Albis, which flows approximately parallel to the former toward the ocean, traversing a territory no less extensive than that.
εἰσὶ δὲ μεταξὺ καὶ ἄλλοι ποταμοὶ πλωτοὶ (ὧν ἐν τῷ Ἀμασίᾳ Δροῦσος Βρουκτέρους κατεναυμάχησε), ῥέοντες ὡσαύτως ἀπὸ νότου πρὸς βορρᾶν καὶ τὸν ὠκεανόν.
Between them there are also other navigable rivers (on one of which, the Amasias, Drusus defeated the Bructeri in a naval battle), likewise flowing from south to north and toward the ocean.
ἐξῆρται γὰρ ἡ χώρα πρὸς νότον καὶ συνεχῆ ταῖς Ἄλπεσι ποιεῖ ῥάχιν τινὰ πρὸς ἕω τεταμένην, ὡς ἂν μέρος οὖσαν τῶν Ἄλπεων· καὶ δὴ καὶ ἀπεφήναντό τινες οὕτως διά τε τὴν λεχθεῖσαν θέσιν καὶ διὰ τὸ τὴν αὐτὴν ὕλην ἐκφέρειν· οὐ μὴν ἐπὶ τοσοῦτό γε ὕψος ἀνίσχει τὰ ταύτῃ ὄρη.
For the country rises toward the south and forms, contiguous to the Alps, a certain ridge extending toward the east, as if it were a part of the Alps; and indeed, some have so declared, both because of the said position and because it produces the same kind of timber; however, the mountains in this region do not rise to such a great height.
ἐνταῦθα δʼ ἐστὶν ὁ Ἑρκύνιος δρυμὸς καὶ τὰ τῶν Σοήβων ἔθνη, τὰ μὲν οἰκοῦντα ἐντὸς τοῦ δρυμοῦ, ἐν οἷς ἐστι καὶ τὸ Βουίαιμον τὸ τοῦ Μαροβόδου βασίλειον, εἰς ὃν ἐκεῖνος τόπον ἄλλους τε μετανέστησε πλείους καὶ δὴ καὶ τοὺς ὁμοεθνεῖς ἑαυτῷ Μαρκομμάνους.
Here is the Hercynian Forest, and the tribes of the Suevi, some of them dwelling inside the forest, among whom is also Boihaemum, the royal seat of Maroboduus, into which place he relocated several other tribes, and in particular the Marcomanni, who were of his own stock.
ἐπέστη γὰρ τοῖς πράγμασιν οὗτος ἐξ ἰδιώτου μετὰ τὴν ἐκ Ῥώμης ἐπάνοδον· νέος γὰρ ἦν ἐνθάδε καὶ εὐεργετεῖτο ὑπὸ τοῦ Σεβαστοῦ, ἐπανελθὼν δὲ ἐδυνάστευσε καὶ κατεκτήσατο πρὸς οἷς εἶπον Λουγίους τε, μέγα ἔθνος, καὶ Ζούμους καὶ Γούτωνας καὶ Μουγίλωνας καὶ Σιβίνους καὶ τῶν Σοήβων αὐτῶν μέγα ἔθνος, Σέμνωνας.
For this man, after his return from Rome, rose from a private station to the head of affairs; for when he was a youth he was there and was favored by Augustus, and on his return he established a dynasty and acquired, in addition to those I have mentioned, the Lugi, a great tribe, and the Zumi, the Gutones, the Mugilones, the Sibini, and the Semnones, a great tribe of the Suevi themselves.
πλὴν τά γε τῶν Σοήβων, ὡς ἔφην, ἔθνη τὰ μὲν ἐντὸς οἰκεῖ, τὰ δὲ ἐκτὸς τοῦ δρυμοῦ, ὅμορα τοῖς Γέταις.
However, the tribes of the Suevi, as I said, dwell partly inside and partly outside the forest, bordering on the Getae.
μέγιστον μὲν οὖν τὸ τῶν Σοήβων ἔθνος· διήκει γὰρ ἀπὸ τοῦ Ῥήνου μέχρι τοῦ Ἄλβιος· μέρος δέ τι αὐτῶν καὶ πέραν τοῦ Ἄλβιος νέμεται, καθάπερ Ἑρμόνδοροι καὶ Λαγκόβαρδοι· νυνὶ δὲ καὶ τελέως εἰς τὴν περαίαν οὗτοί γε ἐκπεπτώκασι φεύγοντες.
Now, the tribe of the Suevi is the largest; for it extends from the Rhine to the Albis; and a part of them even dwell beyond the Albis, as, for instance, the Hermondori and the Langobardi; but at the present time these latter, at least, have been completely driven out in flight into the country beyond the river.
κοινὸν δʼ ἐστὶν ἅπασι τοῖς ταύτῃ τὸ περὶ τὰς μεταναστάσεις εὐμαρὲς διὰ τὴν λιτότητα τοῦ βίου καὶ διὰ τὸ μὴ γεωργεῖν μηδὲ θησαυρίζειν, ἀλλʼ ἐν καλυβίοις οἰκεῖν ἐφήμερον ἔχουσι παρασκευήν· τροφὴ δʼ ἀπὸ τῶν θρεμμάτων ἡ πλείστη καθάπερ τοῖς νομάσιν, ὥστʼ ἐκείνους μιμούμενοι τὰ οἰκεῖα ταῖς ἁρμαμάξαις ἐπάραντες ὅπῃ ἂν δόξῃ τρέπονται μετὰ τῶν βοσκημάτων.
It is a common characteristic of all the people in this region that they migrate with ease, because of the simplicity of their mode of life and because they do not cultivate the soil or store up wealth, but dwell in small huts and possess only temporary provisions; and most of their food is derived from their herds, as is the case with the nomads, so that, in imitation of them, they load their households upon their wagons and turn whithersoever they think best, along with their cattle.
ἄλλα δʼ ἐνδεέστερά ἐστιν ἔθνη Γερμανικὰ Χηροῦσκοί τε καὶ Χάττοι καὶ Γαμαβρίουιοι καὶ Χαττουάριοι· πρὸς δὲ τῷ ὠκεανῷ Σούγαμβροί τε καὶ Χαῦβοι καὶ Βρούκτεροι καὶ Κίμβροι Καῦκοί τε καὶ Καοῦλκοι καὶ Καμψιανοὶ καὶ ἄλλοι πλείους.
Other Germanic tribes are more insignificant, such as the Cherusci, the Chatti, the Gamabrivii, and the Chattuarii; and next to the ocean are the Sugambri, the Chaubi, the Bructeri, the Cimbri, the Cauci, the Caulci, the Campsiani, and several others.
ἐπὶ ταὐτὰ δὲ τῷ Ἀμασίᾳ φέρονται Βίσουργίς τε καὶ Λουπίας ποταμός, διέχων Ῥήνου περὶ ἑξακοσίους σταδίους, ῥέων διὰ Βρουκτέρων τῶν ἐλαττόνων.
In the same direction as the Amasias flow also the Visurgis and the Lupias, the latter being distant from the Rhine about six hundred stadia, and flowing through the territory of the Lesser Bructeri.
ἔστι δὲ καὶ Σάλας ποταμός, οὗ μεταξὺ καὶ τοῦ Ῥήνου πολεμῶν καὶ κατορθῶν Δροῦσος ἐτελεύτησεν ὁ Γερμανικός.
There is also the river Salas, between which and the Rhine Drusus Germanicus, while carrying on war and achieving success, met his end.
ἐχειρώσατο δʼ οὐ μόνον τῶν ἐθνῶν τὰ πλεῖστα, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς ἐν τῷ παράπλῳ νήσους, ὧν ἐστι καὶ ἡ Βυρχανίς, ἣν ἐκ πολιορκίας εἷλε.
He subdued not only most of the tribes, but also the islands along the coasting voyage, among which is Byrchanis, which he took by siege.