§7.3.13ῥεῖ δὲ διʼ αὐτῶν Μάρισος ποταμὸς εἰς τὸν Δανούιον, ᾧ τὰς παρασκευὰς ἀνεκόμιζον οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι τὰς πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον· καὶ γὰρ τοῦ ποταμοῦ τὰ μὲν ἄνω καὶ πρὸς ταῖς πηγαῖς μέρη μέχρι τῶν καταρακτῶν Δανούιον προσηγόρευον, ἃ μάλιστα διὰ τῶν Δακῶν φέρεται, τὰ δὲ κάτω μέχρι τοῦ Πόντου τὰ παρὰ τοὺς Γέτας καλοῦσιν Ἴστρον·
And the Marisus River flows through their territory into the Danuvius, by which the Romans used to bring up their supplies for the war; for indeed they used to call the upper parts of the river, namely those near the sources as far as the cataracts, which flow mostly through the Dacians, the Danuvius, whereas they call the lower parts as far as the Pontus, those along the Getae, the Ister.
ὁμόγλωττοι δʼ εἰσὶν οἱ Δακοὶ τοῖς Γέταις.
The Dacians speak the same language as the Getae.
παρὰ μὲν οὖν τοῖς Ἕλλησιν οἱ Γέται γνωρίζονται μᾶλλον διὰ τὸ συνεχεῖς τὰς μεταναστάσεις ἐφʼ ἑκάτερα τοῦ Ἴστρου ποιεῖσθαι καὶ τοῖς Μοισοῖς ἀναμεμῖχθαι· καὶ τὸ τῶν Τριβαλλῶν δʼ ἔθνος, Θρᾳκικὸν ὄν, τὸ αὐτὸ πέπονθε τοῦτο.
Now among the Greeks the Getae are better known because they make continuous migrations to either side of the Ister and have mingled with the Moesi; and the tribe of the Triballi, being Thracian, has experienced this same thing.
μεταναστάσεις γὰρ δέδεκται, τῶν πλησιοχώρων εἰς τοὺς ἀσθενεστέρους ἐξαναστάντων, τῶν μὲν ἐκ τῆς περαίας Σκυθῶν καὶ Βασταρνῶν καὶ Σαυροματῶν ἐπικρατούντων πολλάκις, ὥστε καὶ ἐπιδιαβαίνειν τοῖς ἐξελαθεῖσι καὶ καταμένειν τινὰς αὐτῶν ἢ ἐν ταῖς νήσοις ἢ ἐν τῇ Θρᾴκῃ· τῶν δʼ ἐκ θατέρου μέρους ὑπʼ Ἰλλυριῶν μάλιστα κατισχυομένων.
For they have received migrations, because those who live nearby have driven out the weaker, since the Scythians, Bastarnae, and Sauromatae on the other side often prevailed, so that they even crossed over after those who had been driven out, and some of them remained either in the islands or in Thrace; while those on the other side were especially overpowered by the Illyrians.
αὐξηθέντες δʼ οὖν ἐπὶ πλεῖστον οἵ τε Γέται οἵ τε Δακοί, ὥστε καὶ εἰκοσιμυριάδας ἐκπέμπειν στρατείας, νῦν ὅσον εἰς τέτταρας μυριάδας συνεσταλμένοι τυγχάνουσι, καὶ ἐγγὺς μὲν ἥκουσι τοῦ ὑπακούειν Ῥωμαίων, οὔπω δʼ εἰσὶν ὑποχείριοι τελέως διὰ τὰς ἐκ τῶν Γερμανῶν ἐλπίδας πολεμίων ὄντων τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις.
At any rate, the Getae and the Dacians, having increased to the greatest extent so that they even sent out an army of two hundred thousand, have now happened to be reduced to about forty thousand, and they have come close to obeying the Romans, but are not yet completely subject to them because of their hopes in the Germans, who are enemies to the Romans.
§7.3.14μεταξὺ δὲ τῆς Ποντικῆς θαλάττης τῆς ἀπὸ Ἴστρου ἐπὶ Τύραν καὶ ἡ τῶν Γετῶν ἐρημία πρόκειται πεδιὰς πᾶσα καὶ ἄνυδρος, ἐν ᾗ Δαρεῖος ἀποληφθεὶς ὁ Ὑστάσπεω, καθʼ ὃν καιρὸν διέβη τὸν Ἴστρον ἐπὶ τοὺς Σκύθας, ἐκινδύνευσε πανστρατιᾷ δίψῃ διαλυθῆναι· συνῆκε δʼ ὀψὲ καὶ ἀνέστρεψε.
Between the Pontic Sea from the Ister to the Tyrus lies also the desert of the Getae, which is entirely flat and waterless, in which Darius the son of Hystaspes, at the time when he crossed the Ister against the Scythians, was caught and ran the risk of his entire army perishing of thirst; but he realized it late and retreated.
Λυσίμαχος δʼ ὕστερον στρατεύσας ἐπὶ Γέτας καὶ τὸν βασιλέα Δρομιχαίτην οὐκ ἐκινδύνευσε μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑάλω ζωγρίᾳ· πάλιν δʼ ἐσώθη τυχὼν εὐγνώμονος τοῦ βαρβάρου, καθάπερ εἶπον πρότερον.
And Lysimachus later, having made an expedition against the Getae and their king Dromichaetes, not only ran a risk but was also taken alive; but he was saved again, meeting with a generous barbarian, as I said before.
§7.3.15πρὸς δὲ ταῖς ἐκβολαῖς μεγάλη νῆσός ἐστιν ἡ Πεύκη· κατασχόντες δʼ αὐτὴν Βαστάρναι Πευκῖνοι προσηγορεύθησαν· εἰσὶ δὲ καὶ ἄλλαι νῆσοι πολὺ ἐλάττους, αἱ μὲν ἀνωτέρω ταύτης αἱ δὲ πρὸς τῇ θαλάττῃ.
And near the mouths is a large island, Peuce; and the Bastarnae, having occupied it, were called Peucini; and there are also other islands much smaller, some above this one and others near the sea.
ἑπτάστομος γάρ ἐστι· μέγιστον δὲ τὸ ἱερὸν στόμα καλούμενον, διʼ οὗ σταδίων ἀνάπλους ἐπὶ τὴν Πεύκην ἑκατὸν εἴκοσιν, ἧς κατὰ τὸ κάτω μέρος ἐποίησε τὸ ζεῦγμα Δαρεῖος· δύναιτο δʼ ἂν ζευχθῆναι καὶ κατὰ τὸ ἄνω.
For the river has seven mouths; and the largest is called the Sacred Mouth, through which there is a voyage of one hundred and twenty stadia up to Peuce, at the lower part of which Darius made his bridge; but it could have been bridged at the upper part as well.
τοῦτο δὲ καὶ πρῶτόν ἐστι στόμα ἐν ἀριστερᾷ εἰσπλέοντι εἰς τὸν Πόντον· τὰ δʼ ἑξῆς ἐν παράπλῳ τῷ ἐπὶ τὸν Τύραν· διέχει δʼ ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ τὸ ἕβδομον στόμα περὶ τριακοσίους σταδίους.
And this is also the first mouth on the left as one sails into the Pontus; and the others follow in order during the voyage to the Tyrus; and the seventh mouth is about three hundred stadia distant from it.
γίνονται οὖν μεταξὺ τῶν στομάτων νησῖδες.
Therefore, small islands are formed between the mouths.
τὰ μὲν δὴ τρία στόματα τὰ ἐφεξῆς τῷ ἱερῷ στόματί ἐστι μικρά, τὰ δὲ λοιπὰ τοῦ μὲν πολὺ ἐλάττονα τῶν δὲ μείζονα· Ἔφορος δὲ πεντάστομον εἴρηκε τὸν Ἴστρον.
Indeed, the three mouths next in order after the Sacred Mouth are small, and the rest are much smaller than it, but larger than the others; but Ephorus says that the Ister has five mouths.
ἐντεῦθεν δʼ ἐπὶ Τύραν ποταμὸν πλωτὸν ἐνακόσιοι στάδιοι· ἐν δὲ τῷ μεταξὺ δύο λίμναι μεγάλαι, ἡ μὲν ἀνεῳγμένη πρὸς τὴν θάλατταν ὥστε καὶ λιμένι χρῆσθαι, ἡ δʼ ἄστομος.
From there to the navigable Tyrus River is nine hundred stadia; and in the interval are two large lakes, one open to the sea so that it can also be used as a harbor, and the other mouthless.
§7.3.16ἐπὶ δὲ τῷ στόματι τοῦ Τύρα πύργος ἐστὶ Νεοπτολέμου καλούμενος καὶ κώμη Ἑρμώνακτος λεγομένη.
And at the mouth of the Tyrus is what is called the Tower of Neoptolemus, and a village called Hermonax.
ἀναπλεύσαντι δὲ ἑκατὸν τετταράκοντα σταδίους ἐφʼ ἑκάτερα πόλεις, ἡ μὲν Νικωνία ἡ δʼ ἐν ἀριστερᾷ Ὀφιοῦσσα· οἱ δὲ προσοικοῦντες τῷ ποταμῷ πόλιν φασὶν ἀνιόντι ἑκατὸν καὶ εἴκοσι σταδίους.
And for one who sails up one hundred and forty stadia, there are cities on both sides, Niconia on one side and Ophiussa on the left; but those who live near the river say that there is a city for one who goes up one hundred and twenty stadia.
διέχει δὲ τοῦ στόματος ἡ νῆσος ἡ Λευκὴ δίαρμα πεντακοσίων σταδίων, ἱερὰ τοῦ Ἀχιλλέως, πελαγία.
And the island Leuce, sacred to Achilles, lies in the open sea at a crossing of five hundred stadia from the mouth.