§7.5.10τὸν μὲν οὖν παράπλουν ἅπαντα τὸν Ἰλλυρικὸν σφόδρα εὐλίμενον εἶναι συμβαίνει καὶ ἐξ αὐτῆς τῆς συνεχοῦς ᾐόνος καὶ ἐκ τῶν πλησίον νήσων, ὑπεναντίως τῷ Ἰταλικῷ τῷ ἀντικειμένῳ ἀλιμένῳ ὄντι· ἀλεεινοὶ δὲ καὶ χρηστόκαρποι ὁμοίως· ἐλαιόφυτοι γὰρ καὶ εὐάμπελοι, πλὴν εἴ τί που σπάνιον ἐκτετράχυνται τελέως.
Now, the entire Illyrian coastal voyage happens to be extremely well-harbored, both from the continuous coast itself and from the neighboring islands, quite the opposite of the opposing Italian coast, which is harborless; they are likewise warm and fruitful, for they are well-planted with olives and fertile in vines, except where some part here and there is completely rugged.
τοιαύτη δʼ οὖσα ὠλιγωρεῖτο πρότερον ἡ Ἰλλυρικὴ παραλία, τάχα μὲν καὶ κατʼ ἄγνοιαν τῆς ἀρετῆς, τὸ μέντοι πλέον διὰ τὴν ἀγριότητα τῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ τὸ λῃστρικὸν ἔθος.
Although it was of such a character, the Illyrian coast was formerly neglected, perhaps through ignorance of its excellence, but rather more on account of the wildness of the inhabitants and their piratical habit.
ἡ δʼ ὑπερκειμένη ταύτης πᾶσα ὀρεινὴ καὶ ψυχρὰ καὶ νιφόβολός ἐστιν, ἡ δὲ προσάρκτιος καὶ μᾶλλον, ὥστε καὶ τῶν ἀμπέλων σπάνιν εἶναι καὶ ἐν ταῖς ὑψώσεσι καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἐπιπεδωτέροις.
But the region lying above this is entirely mountainous, cold, and snowy, and the northern part even more so, so that there is a scarcity of vines both on the heights and in the flatter parts.
ὀροπέδια δʼ ἐστὶ ταῦτα ἃ κατέχουσιν οἱ Παννόνιοι, πρὸς νότον μὲν μέχρι Δαλματέων καὶ Ἀρδιαίων διατείνοντα, πρὸς ἄρκτον δὲ ἐπὶ τὸν Ἴστρον τελευτῶντα, πρὸς ἕω δὲ Σκορδίσκοις συνάπτοντα τῇ δὲ παρὰ τὰ ὄρη τῶν Μακεδόνων καὶ Θρᾳκῶν.
These are tablelands which the Pannonians occupy, extending southward as far as the Dalmatians and the Ardiaei, ending northward at the Ister, and joining eastward the Scordisci and the region along the mountains of the Macedonians and Thracians.
§7.5.11Αὐταριᾶται μὲν οὖν τὸ μέγιστον καὶ ἄριστον τῶν Ἰλλυριῶν ἔθνος ὑπῆρξεν, ὃ πρότερον μὲν πρὸς Ἀρδιαίους συνεχῶς ἐπολέμει περὶ ἁλῶν ἐν μεθορίοις πηγνυμένων ἐξ ὕδατος ῥέοντος ὑπὸ ἄγκει τινὶ τοῦ ἔαρος· ἀρυσαμένοις γὰρ καὶ ἀποθεῖσιν ἡμέρας πέντε ἐξεπήγνυντο οἱ ἅλες.
Now the Autariatae were the greatest and best tribe of the Illyrians, who formerly were continuously at war with the Ardiaei over the salt-pans which in their borderlands were formed from water flowing under a certain glen in the spring; for when they had drawn the water and put it aside for five days, the salt would condense.
συνέκειτο δὲ παρὰ μέρος χρῆσθαι τῷ ἁλοπηγίῳ, παραβαίνοντες δὲ τὰ συγκείμενα ἐπολέμουν·
It had been agreed that they should use the salt-pan alternately, but they would go to war when violating the agreements.
καταστρεψάμενοι δέ ποτε οἱ Αὐταριᾶται Τριβαλλοὺς ἀπὸ Ἀγριάνων μέχρι τοῦ Ἴστρου καθήκοντας ἡμερῶν πεντεκαίδεκα ὁδὸν ἐπῆρξαν καὶ τῶν ἄλλων Θρᾳκῶν τε καὶ Ἰλλυριῶν· κατελύθησαν δʼ ὑπὸ Σκορδίσκων πρότερον, ὕστερον δʼ ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων, οἳ καὶ τοὺς Σκορδίσκους αὐτοὺς κατεπολέμησαν πολὺν χρόνον ἰσχύσαντας.
Once the Autariatae, having subdued the Triballi, who extended from the Agrianes as far as the Ister a journey of fifteen days, ruled also over the rest of the Thracians and Illyrians; but they were destroyed first by the Scordisci, and later by the Romans, who also subdued the Scordisci themselves, who had been powerful for a long time.
§7.5.12ὤικησαν δʼ οὗτοι παρὰ τὸν Ἴστρον διῃρημένοι δίχα, οἱ μὲν μεγάλοι Σκορδίσκοι καλούμενοι οἱ δὲ μικροί· οἱ μὲν μεταξὺ δυεῖν ποταμῶν ἐμβαλλόντων εἰς τὸν Ἴστρον, τοῦ τε Νοάρου τοῦ παρὰ τὴν Σεγεστικὴν ῥέοντος καὶ τοῦ Μάργου (τινὲς δὲ Βάργον φασίν), οἱ δὲ μικροὶ τούτου πέραν, συνάπτοντες Τριβαλλοῖς καὶ Μυσοῖς.
These people dwelt along the Ister, divided into two parts, the one being called the Great Scordisci and the other the Small; the former dwelt between two rivers that empty into the Ister, the Noarus which flows past Segestica and the Margus (some call it Bargus), while the Small Scordisci dwelt on the other side of this river, joining the Triballi and the Mysians.
εἶχον δὲ καὶ τῶν νήσων τινὰς οἱ Σκορδίσκοι· ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον δʼ ηὐξήθησαν ὥστε καὶ μέχρι τῶν Ἰλλυρικῶν καὶ τῶν Παιονικῶν καὶ Θρᾳκίων προῆλθον ὀρῶν· κατέσχον οὖν καὶ τὰς νήσους τὰς ἐν τῷ Ἴστρῳ τὰς πλείους, ἦσαν δὲ καὶ πόλεις αὐτοῖς Ἑόρτα καὶ Καπέδουνον.
The Scordisci also held some of the islands; and they increased to such an extent that they advanced even as far as the Illyrian, Paeonian, and Thracian mountains; they therefore occupied also most of the islands in the Ister, and they had cities, Heorta and Capedunum.
μετὰ δὲ τὴν τῶν Σκορδίσκων χώραν παρὰ μὲν τὸν Ἴστρον ἡ τῶν Τριβαλλῶν καὶ Μυσῶν ἔστιν, ὧν ἐμνήσθημεν πρότερον, καὶ τὰ ἕλη τὰ τῆς μικρᾶς καλουμένης Σκυθίας τῆς ἐντὸς Ἴστρου· καὶ τούτων ἐμνήσθημεν.
After the territory of the Scordisci, along the Ister, is that of the Triballi and Mysians, whom we mentioned before, and the marshes of what is called Little Scythia, which is on this side of the Ister; and of these we have also made mention.
ὑπεροικοῦσι δʼ οὗτοί τε καὶ Κρόβυζοι καὶ οἱ Τρωγλοδύται λεγόμενοι τῶν περὶ Κάλλατιν καὶ Τομέα καὶ Ἴστρον τόπων.
These people, as well as the Crobyzi and those called Troglodytes, dwell above the parts around Callatis, Tomis, and the Ister.
εἶθʼ οἱ περὶ τὸ Αἷμον καὶ οἱ ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ οἰκοῦντες μέχρι τοῦ Πόντου Κόραλλοι καὶ Βέσσοι καὶ Μαίδων τινὲς καὶ Δανθηλητῶν.
Then come the people around the Haemus and those dwelling above it as far as the Pontus, namely the Coralli, the Bessi, and some of the Maedi and Dantheletae.
πάντα μὲν οὖν ταῦτα λῃστρικώτατα ἔθνη, Βέσσοι δέ, οἵπερ τὸ πλέον τοῦ ὄρους νέμονται τοῦ Αἵμου, καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν λῃστῶν λῃσταὶ προσαγορεύονται, καλυβῖταί τινες καὶ λυπρόβιοι, συνάπτοντες τῇ τε Ῥοδόπῃ καὶ τοῖς Παίοσι καὶ τῶν Ἰλλυριῶν τοῖς τε Αὐταριάταις καὶ τοῖς Δαρδανίοις.
Now all these are most piratical tribes, but the Bessi, who inhabit the greater part of the mountain Haemus, are called "bandits" even by the bandits, being tent-dwellers and living a wretched life; they join Rhodope, the Paeonians, and of the Illyrians, both the Autariatae and the Dardanians.
μεταξὺ δὲ τούτων τε καὶ τῶν Ἀρδιαίων οἱ Δασαρήτιοι εἰσὶ καὶ Ἀγριᾶνες καὶ ἄλλα ἄσημα ἔθνη, ἃ ἐπόρθουν οἱ Σκορδίσκοι μέχρι ἠρήμωσαν τὴν χώραν καὶ δρυμῶν ἀβάτων ἐφʼ ἡμέρας πλείους ἐποίησαν μεστήν.
Between these and the Ardiaei are the Dasaretii, the Agrianes, and other obscure tribes, which the Scordisci used to ravage until they depopulated the country and made it full of impassable forests for a journey of several days.