ἡ δὲ Μηδία δίχα διῄρηται· καλοῦσι δὲ τὴν μὲν μεγάλην, ἧς μητρόπολις τὰ Ἐκβάτανα, μεγάλη πόλις καὶ τὸ βασίλειον ἔχουσα τῆς Μήδων ἀρχῆς· διατελοῦσι δὲ καὶ νῦν οἱ Παρθυαῖοι τούτῳ χρώμενοι βασιλείῳ, καὶ θερίζουσί γε ἐνταῦθα οἱ βασιλεῖς· ψυχρὰ γὰρ ἡ Μηδία· τὸ δὲ χειμάδιόν ἐστιν αὐτοῖς ἐν Σελευκείᾳ τῇ ἐπὶ τῷ Τίγριδι πλησίον Βαβυλῶνος. ἡ δʼ ἑτέρα μερίς ἐστιν ἡ Ἀτροπάτιος Μηδία· τοὔνομα δʼ ἔσχεν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἡγεμόνος Ἀτροπάτου, ὃς ἐκώλυσεν ὑπὸ τοῖς Μακεδόσι γίνεσθαι καὶ ταύτην μέρος οὖσαν μεγάλης Μηδίας· καὶ δὴ καὶ βασιλεὺς ἀναγορευθεὶς ἰδίᾳ συνέταξε καθʼ αὑτὴν τὴν χώραν ταύτην, καὶ ἡ διαδοχὴ σώζεται μέχρι νῦν ἐξ ἐκείνου, πρός τε τοὺς Ἀρμενίων βασιλέας ποιησαμένων ἐπιγαμίας τῶν ὕστερον καὶ Σύρων καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα Παρθυαίων.
MEDIA is divided into two parts, one of which is called the Greater Media. Its capital is Ecbatana, a large city containing the royal seat of the Median empire. This palace the Parthians continue to occupy even at this time. Here their kings pass the summer, for the air of Media is cool. Their winter residence is at Seleucia, on the Tigris, near Babylon.
The other division is Atropatian Media. It had its name from Atropatus, a chief who prevented this country, which is a part of Greater Media, from being subjected to the dominion of the Macedonians. When he was made king he established the independence of this country; his successors continue to the present day, and have at different times contracted marriages with the kings of Armenia, Syria, and Parthia.
κεῖται δὲ ἡ χώρα τῇ μὲν Ἀρμενίᾳ πρὸς ἕω τῇ δὲ μεγάλῃ Μηδίᾳ πρὸς δύσιν, πρὸς ἄρκτον δʼ ἀμφοτέραις· τοῖς δὲ περὶ τὸν μυχὸν τῆς Ὑρκανίας θαλάττης καὶ τῇ Ματιανῇ ἀπὸ νότου παράκειται. ἔστι δʼ οὐ μικρὰ κατὰ τὴν δύναμιν, ὥς φησιν Ἀπολλωνίδης, ἥ γε καὶ μυρίους ἱππέας δύναται παρέχεσθαι, πεζῶν δὲ τέτταρας μυριάδας. λίμνην δʼ ἔχει τὴν Καπαῦτα, ἐν ᾗ ἅλες ἐπανθοῦντες πήττονται· εἰσὶ δὲ κνησμώδεις καὶ ἐπαλγεῖς· ἔλαιον δὲ τοῦ πάθους ἄκος, ὕδωρ δὲ γλυκὺ τοῖς καπυρωθεῖσιν ἱματίοις, εἴ τις κατʼ ἄγνοιαν βάψειεν εἰς αὐτὴν πλύσεως χάριν. ἔχουσι δʼ ἰσχυροὺς γείτονας τοὺς Ἀρμενίους καὶ τοὺς Παρθυαίους, ὑφʼ ὧν περικόπτονται πολλάκις· ἀντέχουσι δʼ ὅμως καὶ ἀπολαμβάνουσι τὰ ἀφαιρεθέντα, καθάπερ τὴν Συμβάκην ἀπέλαβον παρὰ τῶν Ἀρμενίων ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίοις γεγονότων, καὶ αὐτοὶ προσεληλύθασι τῇ φιλίᾳ τῇ πρὸς Καίσαρα· θεραπεύουσι δʼ ἅμα καὶ τοὺς Παρθυαίους.
Atropatian Media borders upon Armenia and Matiane towards the east, towards the west on the Greater Media, and on both towards the north; towards the south it is contiguous to the people living about the recess of the Hyrcanian Sea, and to Matiane.
According to Apollonides its strength is not inconsiderable, since it can furnish 10,000 cavalry and 40,000 infantry.
It contains a lake called Spauta, (Kapauta,) in which salt effloresces, and is consolidated. The salt occasions itching and pain, but oil is a cure for both, and sweet water restores the colour of clothes, which have the appearance of being burnt, when they have been immersed in the lake by ignorant persons for the purpose of washing them. They have powerful neighbours in the Armenians and Parthians, by whom they are frequently plundered; they resist however, and recover what has been taken away, as they recovered Symbace from the Armenians, who were defeated by the Romans, and they themselves became the friends of Caesar. They at the same time endeavour to conciliate the Parthians.
βασίλειον δʼ αὐτῶν θερινὸν μὲν ἐν πεδίῳ ἱδρυμένον Γάζακα, ἐν φρουρίῳ ἐρυμνῷ Ὀυέρα, ὅπερ Ἀντώνιος ἐπολιόρκησε κατὰ τὴν ἐπὶ Παρθυαίους στρατείαν. διέχει δὲ τοῦτο τοῦ Ἀράξου ποταμοῦ τοῦ ὁρίζοντος τήν τε Ἀρμενίαν καὶ τὴν Ἀτροπατηνὴν σταδίους δισχιλίους καὶ τετρακοσίους, ὥς φησιν ὁ Δέλλιος ὁ τοῦ Ἀντωνίου φίλος, συγγράψας τὴν ἐπὶ Παρθυαίους αὐτοῦ στρατείαν ἐν ᾗ παρῆν καὶ αὐτὸς ἡγεμονίαν ἔχων. ἔστι δὲ τῆς χώρας ταύτης τὰ μὲν ἄλλα εὐδαίμονα χωρία, ἡ δὲ προσάρκτιος ὀρεινὴ καὶ τραχεῖα καὶ ψυχρά, Καδουσίων κατοικία τῶν ὀρεινῶν καὶ Ἀμάρδων καὶ Ταπύρων καὶ Κυρτίων καὶ ἄλλων τοιούτων, οἳ μετανάσται εἰσὶ καὶ λῃστρικοί. καὶ γὰρ ὁ Ζάγρος καὶ ὁ Νιφάτης κατεσπαρμένα ἔχουσι τὰ ἔθνη ταῦτα, καὶ οἱ ἐν τῇ Περσίδι Κύρτιοι καὶ Μάρδοι (καὶ γὰρ οὕτω λέγονται οἱ Ἄμαρδοι) καὶ οἱ ἐν τῇ Ἀρμενίᾳ μέχρι νῦν ὁμωνύμως προσαγορευόμενοι τῆς αὐτῆς εἰσὶν ἰδέας.
The summer palace is at Gazaka, situated in a plain; the winter palace is in Vera, a strong fortress which Antony besieged in his expedition against the Parthians. The last is distant from the Araxes, which separates Armenia and Atropatene, 2400 stadia, according to Dellius, the friend of Antony, who wrote an account of the expedition of Antony against the Parthians, which he himself accompanied, and in which he held a command.
The other parts of this country are fertile, but that towards the north is mountainous, rugged, and cold, the abode of the mountain tribes of Cadusii Amardi, Tapyri, Curtii, and other similar nations, who are migratory, and robbers. These people are scattered over the Zagrus and Niphates. TheCurtii in Persia, and Mardi, (for so they call the Amardi,) and those in Armenia, and who bear the same name at present, have the same kind of character.
οἱ δʼ οὖν Καδούσιοι πλήθει τῷ πεζῷ μικρὸν ἀπολείπονται τῶν Ἀριανῶν, ἀκοντισταὶ δʼ εἰσὶν ἄριστοι, ἐν δὲ τοῖς τραχέσιν ἀνθʼ ἱππέων πεζοὶ διαμάχονται. Ἀντωνίῳ δὲ χαλεπὴν τὴν στρατείαν ἐποίησεν οὐχ ἡ τῆς χώρας φύσις, ἀλλʼ ὁ τῶν ὁδῶν ἡγεμών, ὁ τῶν Ἀρμενίων βασιλεὺς Ἀρταουάσδης, ὃν εἰκῆ ἐκεῖνος ἐπιβουλεύοντα αὐτῷ σύμβουλον ἐποιεῖτο καὶ κύριον τῆς περὶ τοῦ πολέμου γνώμης· ἐτιμωρήσατο μὲν οὖν αὐτόν, ἀλλʼ ὀψέ, ἡνίκα πολλῶν αἴτιος κατέστη κακῶν Ῥωμαίοις καὶ αὐτὸς καὶ ἐκεῖνος, ὅστις τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ Ζεύγματος ὁδὸν τοῦ κατὰ τὸν Εὐφράτην μέχρι τοῦ ἅψασθαι τῆς Ἀτροπατηνῆς ὀκτακισχιλίων σταδίων ἐποίησε, πλέον ἢ διπλασίαν τῆς εὐθείας, διὰ ὀρῶν καὶ ἀνοδιῶν καὶ κυκλοπορίας.
The Cadusii have an army of foot soldiers not inferior in number to that of the Ariani. They are very expert in throwing the javelin. In the rocky places the soldiers engage in battle on foot, instead of on their horses. The expedition of Antony was harassing to the army, not by the nature of the country, but by the conduct of their guide, Artavasdes, king of the Armenii, whom Antony rashly made his adviser, and master of his intentions respecting the war, when at the same time that prince was contriving a plan for his destruction. Antony punished Artavasdes, but too late; the latter had been the cause of many calamities to the Romans, in conjunction with another person; he made the march from the Zeugma on the Euphrates to the borders of Atropatene to exceed 8000 stadia, or double the distance of the direct course, [by leading the army] over mountains, and places where there were no roads, and by a circuitous route.
ἡ δὲ μεγάλη Μηδία τὸ μὲν παλαιὸν τῆς Ἀσίας ἡγήσατο πάσης καταλύσασα τὴν τῶν Σύρων ἀρχήν· ὕστερον δʼ ὑπὸ Κύρου καὶ Περσῶν ἀφαιρεθεῖσα τὴν τοσαύτην ἐξουσίαν ἐπὶ Ἀστυάγου διεφύλαττεν ὅμως πολὺ τοῦ πατρίου ἀξιώματος, καὶ ἦν τὰ Ἐκβάτανα χειμάδιον τοῖς Πέρσαις· ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ τοῖς ἐκείνους καταλύσασι Μακεδόσι τοῖς τὴν Συρίαν ἔχουσι, καὶ νῦν ἔτι τοῖς Παρθυαίων βασιλεῦσι τὴν αὐτὴν παρέχεται χρείαν τε καὶ ἀσφάλειαν.
The Greater Media anciently governed the whole of Asia, after the overthrow of the Syrian empire: but afterwards, in the time of Astyages, the Medes were deprived of this extensive sovereignty by Cyrus and the Persians, yet they retained much of their ancient importance. Ecbatana was the winter (royal?) residence of the Persian kings, as it was of the Macedonian princes, who overthrew the Persian empire, and got possession of Syria. It still continues to serve the same purpose, and affords security to the kings of Parthia.
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