λείπεται δὲ τοῦ Πόντου μεταξὺ ταύτης τε τῆς χώρας καὶ τῆς Ἀμισηνῶν καὶ Σινωπέων, πρός τε τὴν Καππαδοκίαν συντείνοντα καὶ Γαλάτας καὶ Παφλαγόνας. μετὰ μὲν οὖν τὴν Ἀμισηνῶν μέχρι τοῦ Ἅλυος ἡ Φαζημωνῖτις ἔστιν, ἣν Πομπήιος Νεαπολῖτιν ὠνόμασε κατὰ Φαζημῶνα κώμην, ἀποδείξας τὴν κατοικίαν καὶ προσαγορεύσας Νεάπολιν. ταύτης δὲ τῆς χώρας τὸ μὲν προσάρκτιον πλευρὸν ἡ Γαζηλωνῖτις συγκλείει καὶ ἡ τῶν Ἀμισηνῶν, τὸ δὲ ἑσπέριον ὁ Ἅλυς, τὸ δʼ ἑῷον ἡ Φανάροια, τὸ δὲ λοιπὸν ἡ ἡμετέρα χώρα ἡ τῶν Ἀμασέων, πολὺ πασῶν πλείστη καὶ ἀρίστη. τὸ μὲν οὖν πρὸς τῇ Φαναροίᾳ μέρος τῆς Φαζημωνίτιδος λίμνη κατέχει πελαγία τὸ μέγεθος ἡ Στιφάνη καλουμένη, πολύοψος καὶ κύκλῳ νομὰς ἀφθόνους ἔχουσα καὶ παντοδαπάς· ἐπίκειται δʼ αὐτῇ φρούριον ἐρυμνὸν ἔρημον νῦν Ἰκίζαρι, καὶ πλησίον βασίλειον κατεσκαμμένον· ἡ δὲ λοιπὴ ψιλὴ τὸ πλέον καὶ σιτοφόρος χώρα. ὑπέρκειται δὲ τῆς τῶν Ἀμασέων τά τε θερμὰ ὕδατα τῶν Φαζημωνιτῶν ὑγιεινὰ σφόδρα, καὶ τὸ Σαγύλιον ἐπὶ ὄρους ὀρθίου καὶ ὑψηλοῦ πρὸς ὀξεῖαν ἀνατείνοντος ἄκραν ἔρυμα ἱδρυμένον ἔχον καὶ ὑδρεῖον δαψιλές, ὃ νῦν ὠλιγώρηται, τοῖς δὲ βασιλεῦσιν ἦν χρήσιμον εἰς πολλά. ἐνταῦθα δὲ ἑάλω καὶ διεφθάρη ὑπὸ τῶν Φαρνάκου τοῦ βασιλέως παίδων Ἀρσάκης, δυναστεύων καὶ νεωτερίζων, ἐπιτρέψαντος οὐδενὸς τῶν ἡγεμόνων· ἑάλω δὲ οὐ βίᾳ τοῦ ἐρύματος ληφθέντος ὑπὸ Πολέμωνος καὶ Λυκομήδους, βασιλέων ἀμφοῖν, ἀλλὰ λιμῷ· ἀνέφυγε γὰρ εἰς τὸ ὄρος παρασκευῆς χωρὶς εἰργόμενος τῶν πεδίων, εὗρε δὲ καὶ τὰ ὑδρεῖα ἐμπεφραγμένα πέτραις ἠλιβάτοις· οὕτω γὰρ διετέτακτο Πομπήιος, κατασπᾶν κελεύσας τὰ φρούρια καὶ μὴ ἐᾶν χρήσιμα τοῖς ἀναφεύγειν εἰς αὐτὰ βουλομένοις λῃστηρίων χάριν. ἐκεῖνος μὲν οὖν οὕτω διέταξε τὴν Φαζημωνῖτιν, οἱ δʼ ὕστερον βασιλεῦσι καὶ ταύτην ἔνειμαν.
There remain to be described the parts of Pontus, situated between this country and the districts of Amisus, and Sinope, extending towards Cappadocia, the Galatians, and the Paphlagonians.
Next to the territory of the Amiseni is Phazemonitis, which extends as far as the Halys, and which Pompey called Neapolitis. He raised the village Phazemon to the rank of a city, and increasing its extent gave to it the name of Nea, polls. The northern side of this tract is bounded by the Gazelonitis, and by the country of the Amiseni; the western side by the Halys; the eastern by Phanaroea; the remainder by the territory of Amasis, my native country, which surpasses all the rest in extent and fertility.
The part of Phazemonitis towards Phanaroea is occupied by a lake, sea-like in magnitude, called Stiphane, which abounds with fish, and has around it a large range of pasture adapted to all kinds of animals. Close upon it is a strong fortress, Cizari, [Icizari,] at present deserted, and near it a royal seat in ruins. The rest of the country in general is bare, but produces corn.
Above the district of Amasis are the hot springs of the Phazemonitee, highly salubrious, and the Sagylium, a stronghold situated on a lofty perpendicular hill, stretching upwards and terminating in a sharp peak. In this fortress is a reservoir well supplied with water, which is at present neglected, but was useful, on many occasions, to the kings. Here the sons of Pharnaces the king captured and put to death Arsaces, who was governing without the authority of the Roman generals, and endeavouring to produce a revolution in the state. The fortress was taken by Polemo and Lycomedes, both of them kings, by famine and not by storm. Arsaces, being prevented from escaping into the plains, fled to the mountains without provisions. There he found the wells choked up with large pieces of rock. This had been done by order of Pompey, who had directed the fortresses to be demolished, and to leave nothing in them that could be serviceable to robbers, who might use them as places of refuge. Such was the settlement of the Phazemonitis made by Pompey. Those who came afterwards divided this district among various kings.
ἡ δʼ ἡμετέρα πόλις κεῖται μὲν ἐν φάραγγι βαθείᾳ καὶ μεγάλῃ, διʼ ἧς ὁ Ἶρις φέρεται ποταμός, κατεσκεύασται δὲ θαυμαστῶς προνοίᾳ τε καὶ φύσει, πόλεως τε ἅμα καὶ φρουρίου παρέχεσθαι χρείαν δυναμένη· πέτρα γὰρ ὑψηλὴ καὶ περίκρημνος κατερρωγυῖα ἐπὶ τὸν ποταμόν, τῇ μὲν ἔχουσα τὸ τεῖχος ἐπὶ τῷ χείλει τοῦ ποταμοῦ καθʼ ὃ ἡ πόλις συνῴκισται, τῇ δʼ ἀνατρέχον ἑκατέρωθεν ἐπὶ τὰς κορυφάς· δύο δʼ εἰσὶ συμφυεῖς ἀλλήλαις πεπυργωμέναι παγκάλως· ἐν δὲ τῷ περιβόλῳ τούτῳ βασίλειά τʼ ἐστὶ καὶ μνήματα βασιλέων· αἱ κορυφαὶ δʼ ἔχουσιν αὐχένα παντάπασι στενόν, πέντε ἢ ἓξ σταδίων ἑκατέρωθεν τὸ ὕψος ἀπὸ τῆς ποταμίας ἀναβαίνοντι καὶ τῶν προαστείων· ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ αὐχένος ἐπὶ τὰς κορυφὰς ἄλλη σταδιαία λείπεται πρόσβασις ὀξεῖα καὶ πάσης βίας κρείττων· ἔχει δὲ καὶ ὑδρεῖα ἐντὸς ἀναφαίρετα, συρίγγων τετμημένων δυεῖν, τῆς μὲν ἐπὶ τὸν ποταμὸν τῆς δʼ ἐπὶ τὸν αὐχένα· ἐπέζευκται δὲ γέφυρα τῷ ποταμῷ μία μὲν ἀπὸ τῆς πόλεως ἐπὶ τὸ προάστειον, ἄλλη δʼ ἀπὸ τοῦ προαστείου πρὸς τὴν ἔξω χώραν· κατὰ γὰρ τὴν γέφυραν ταύτην ἀπολήγει τὸ ὄρος τὸ τῆς πέτρας ὑπερκείμενον. αὐλὼν δʼ ἐστὶν ἀπὸ τοῦ ποταμοῦ διήκων οὐ πλατὺς τὸ πρῶτον τελέως, ἔπειτα πλατύνεται καὶ ποιεῖ τὸ Χιλιόκωμον καλούμενον πεδίον· εἶθʼ ἡ Διακοπηνὴ καὶ ἡ Πιμωλισηνὴ χώρα πᾶσα εὐδαίμων μέχρι τοῦ Ἅλυος. ταῦτα μὲν τὰ ἀρκτικὰ μέρη τῆς τῶν Ἀμασέων χώρας, μῆκος ὅσον πεντακοσίων σταδίων· ἔπειθʼ ἑξῆς ἡ λοιπὴ πολὺ ταύτης ἐπιμηκεστέρα μέχρι τοῦ Βαβανόμου καὶ τῆς Ξιμήνης, ἥπερ καὶ αὐτὴ καθήκει μέχρι πρὸς τὸν Ἅλυν· τοῦτο μὲν δὴ τὸ μῆκος, πλάτος δὲ τὸ ἀπὸ τῶν ἄρκτων πρὸς νότον ἐπί τε τὴν Ζηλῖτιν καὶ τὴν μεγάλην Καππαδοκίαν μέχρι τῶν Τροκμῶν. εἰσὶ δʼ ἐν τῇ Ξιμήνῃ ἅλαι ὀρυκτῶν ἁλῶν, ἀφʼ ὧν εἰκάζουσιν εἰρῆσθαι Ἅλυν τὸν ποταμόν. ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἐρύματα πλείω κατεσκαμμένα ἐν τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ χώρᾳ καὶ ἔρημος γῆ πολλὴ διὰ τὸν Μιθριδατικὸν πόλεμον. ἔστι μέντοι πᾶσα μὲν εὔδενδρος, ἡ δʼ ἱππόβοτος καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις θρέμμασι πρόσφορος· ἅπασα δʼ οἰκήσιμος καλῶς. ἐδόθη δὲ καὶ ἡ Ἀμάσεια βασιλεῦσι, νῦν δʼ ἐπαρχία ἐστί.
My native city, Amaseia, lies in a deep and extensive valley, through which runs the river Iris. It is indebted to nature and art for its admirable position and construction. It answers the double purpose of a city and a fortress. It is a high rock, precipitous on all sides, descending rapidly down to the river: on the margin of the river, where the city stands, is a wall, and a wall also which ascends on each side of the city to the peaks, of which there are two, united by nature, and completely fortified with towers. In this circuit of the wall are the palace, and the monuments of the kings. The peaks are connected together by a very narrow ridge, in height five or six stadia on each side, as you ascend from the banks of the river, and from the suburbs. From the ridge to the peaks there remains another sharp ascent of a stadium in length, which defies the attacks of an enemy. Within the rock are reservoirs of water, the supply from which the inhabitants cannot be deprived of, as two channels are cut, one in the direction of the river, the other of the ridge. Two bridges are built over the river, one leading from the city to the suburbs, the other from the suburbs to the country beyond; for near this bridge the mountain, which overhangs the rock, terminates.
A valley extends from the river; it is not very wide at its commencement, but afterwards increases in breadth, and forms the plain called the Chiliocomon (The Thousand Villages). Next is the Diacopene, and the Pimolisene, the whole of which is a fertile district extending to the Halys.
These are the northern parts of the country of the Amasenses, and are in length about 500 stadia. Then follows the remainder, which is much longer, extending as far as Babanomus, and the Ximene, which itself reaches to the Halys. The breadth is reckoned from north to south, to the Zelitis and the Greater Cappadocia, as far as the Trocmi. In Ximene there is found fossile salt, (ἄλες, Hales,) from which it is supposed the river had the name of Halys. There are many ruined fortresses in my native country, and large tracts of land made a desert by the Mithridatic war. The whole of it, however, abounds with trees. It affords pasture for horses, and is adapted to the subsistence of other animals; the whole of it is very habitable. Amaseia was given to the kings, but at present it is a (Roman) province.
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