Strabo · Geography Γεωγραφικά

Strabo, Geography 12.1.1–12.2.2: Cappadocia: boundaries and provinces

Strabo opens the book with the bounds of Cappadocia, the Cataonians and Melitene, and the ten provinces into which its kings divided the country. He explains how the Persians and Macedonians split it into Cappadocia Proper and Pontus, and contrasts the country within the Halys with the wider name of Asia. Melitene, with its fruit-trees and the wine Monarites, and the plain of Cataonia, ringed by the Amanus and Anti-Taurus, are described.

Sections 12.1.1–12.2.2 · 871 words · click a number to copy its link

[…] καὶ ἡ Καππαδοκία δʼ ἐστὶ πολυμερής τε καὶ συχνὰς δεδεγμένη μεταβολάς. οἱ δʼ οὖν ὁμόγλωττοι μάλιστά εἰσιν οἱ ἀφοριζόμενοι πρὸς νότον μὲν τῷ Κιλικίῳ λεγομένῳ Ταύρῳ, πρὸς ἕω δὲ τῇ Ἀρμενίᾳ καὶ τῇ Κολχίδι καὶ τοῖς μεταξὺ ἑτερογλώττοις ἔθνεσι, πρὸς ἄρκτον δὲ τῷ Εὐξείνῳ μέχρι τῶν ἐκβολῶν τοῦ Ἅλυος, πρὸς δύσιν δὲ τῷ τε τῶν Παφλαγόνων ἔθνει καὶ Γαλατῶν τῶν τὴν Φρυγίαν ἐποικησάντων μέχρι Λυκαόνων καὶ Κιλίκων τῶν τὴν τραχεῖαν Κιλικίαν νεμομένων.

CAPPADOCIA consists of many parts, and has experienced frequent changes.

The nations speaking the same language are chiefly those who are bounded on the south by the Cilician Taurus, as it is called; on the east by Armenia, Colchis, and by the intervening nations who speak different languages; on the north by the Euxine, as far as the mouth of the Halys; on the west by the Paphlagonians, and by the Galatians, who migrated into Phrygia, and spread themselves as far as Lycaonia, and the Cilicians, who occupy Cilicia Tracheia (Cilicia the mountainous).

καὶ αὐτῶν δὲ τῶν ὁμογλώττων οἱ παλαιοὶ τοὺς Κατάονας καθʼ αὑτοὺς ἔταττον, ἀντιδιαιροῦντες τοῖς Καππάδοξιν ὡς ἑτεροεθνέσι, καὶ ἐν τῇ διαριθμήσει τῶν ἐθνῶν μετὰ τὴν Καππαδοκίαν ἐτίθεσαν τὴν Καταονίαν, εἶτα τὸν Εὐφράτην καὶ τὰ πέραν ἔθνη, ὥστε καὶ τὴν Μελιτηνὴν ὑπὸ τῇ Καταονίᾳ τάττειν, ἣ μεταξὺ κεῖται ταύτης τε καὶ τοῦ Εὐφράτου συνάπτουσα τῇ Κομμαγηνῇ, μέρος τε τῆς Καππαδοκίας ἐστὶ δέκατον κατὰ τὴν εἰς δέκα στρατηγίας διαίρεσιν τῆς χώρας. οὕτω γὰρ δὴ οἱ καθʼ ἡμᾶς βασιλεῖς οἱ πρὸ Ἀρχελάου διατεταγμένην εἶχον τὴν ἡγεμονίαν τῆς Καππαδοκίας· δέκατον δʼ ἐστὶ μέρος καὶ ἡ Καταονία. καθʼ ἡμᾶς δὲ εἶχε στρατηγὸν ἑκατέρα ἴδιον· οὔτε δʼ ἐκ τῆς διαλέκτου διαφορᾶς τινος ἐν τούτοις πρὸς τοὺς ἄλλους Καππάδοκας ἐμφαινομένης οὔτε ἐκ τῶν ἄλλων ἐθῶν, θαυμαστὸν πῶς ἠφάνισται τελέως τὰ σημεῖα τῆς ἀλλοεθνίας. ἦσαν δʼ οὖν διωρισμένοι, προσεκτήσατο δʼ αὐτοὺς Ἀριαράθης ὁ πρῶτος προσαγορευθεὶς Καππαδόκων βασιλεύς.

Among the nations that speak the same language, the ancients placed the Cataonians by themselves, contra-distinguishing them from the Cappadocians, whom they considered as a different people. In the enumeration of the nations they placed Cataonia after Cappadocia, then the Euphrates, and the nations on the other side of that river, so as to include even Melitene in Cataonia, although Melitene lies between Cataonia and the Euphrates, approaches close to Commagene, and constitutes a tenth portion of Cappadocia, according to the division of the country into ten provinces. For the kings in our times who preceded Archelaus usually divided the kingdom of Cappadocia in this manner.

Cataonia is a tenth portion of Cappadocia. In our time each province had its own governor, and since no difference appears in the language of the Cataonians compared with that of the other Cappadocians, nor any difference in their customs, it is surprising how entirely the characteristic marks of a foreign nation have disappeared, yet they were distinct nations; Ariarathes, the first who bore the title of king of the Cappadocians, annexed the Cataonians to Cappadocia.

ἔστι δʼ ὥσπερ χερρονήσου μεγάλης ἰσθμὸς οὗτος, σφιγγόμενος θαλάτταις δυσὶ τῇ τε τοῦ Ἰσσικοῦ κόλπου μέχρι τῆς τραχείας Κιλικίας καὶ τῇ τοῦ Εὐξείνου μεταξὺ Σινώπης τε καὶ τῆς τῶν Τιβαρηνῶν παραλίας· ἐντὸς δὲ τοῦ ἰσθμοῦ λέγομεν χερρόνησον τὴν προσεσπέριον τοῖς Καππάδοξιν ἅπασαν, ἣν Ἡρόδοτος μὲν ἐντὸς Ἅλυος καλεῖ· αὕτη γὰρ ἔστιν ἧς ἦρξεν ἁπάσης Κροῖσος· λέγει δʼ αὐτὸν ἐκεῖνος τύραννον ἐθνέων τῶν ἐντὸς Ἅλυος ποταμοῦ. οἱ δὲ νῦν τὴν ἐντὸς τοῦ Ταύρου καλοῦσιν Ἀσίαν, ὁμωνύμως τῇ ὅλῃ ἠπείρῳ ταύτην Ἀσίαν προσαγορεύοντες. περιέχεται δʼ ἐν αὐτῇ πρῶτα μὲν ἔθνη τὰ ἀπὸ τῆς ἀνατολῆς Παφλαγόνες τε καὶ Φρύγες καὶ Λυκάονες, ἔπειτα Βιθυνοὶ καὶ Μυσοὶ καὶ ἡ Ἐπίκτητος, ἔτι δὲ Τρῳὰς καὶ Ἑλλησποντία, μετὰ δὲ τούτους ἐπὶ θαλάττῃ μὲν Ἑλλήνων οἵ τε Αἰολεῖς καὶ Ἴωνες τῶν δʼ ἄλλων Κᾶρές τε καὶ Λύκιοι, ἐν δὲ τῇ μεσογαίᾳ Λυδοί.

This country composes the isthmus, as it were, of a large peninsula formed by two seas; by the bay of Issus, extending to Cilicia Tracheia, and by the Euxine lying between Sinope and the coast of the Tibareni.

The isthmus cuts off what we call the peninsula; the whole tract lying to the west of the Cappadocians, to which Herodotus gives the name of the country within the Halys. This is the country the whole of which was the kingdom of Croesus. Herodotus calls him king of the nations on this side the river Halys. But writers of the present time give the name of Asia, which is the appellation of the whole continent, to the country within the Taurus.

This Asia comprises, first, the nations on the east, Paphlagonians, Phrygians, and Lycaonians; then Bithynians, Mysians, and the Epictetus; besides these, Troas, and Hellespontia; next to these, and situated on the sea, are the Aeolians and Ionians, who are Greeks; the inhabitants of the remaining portions are Carians and Lycians, and in the inland parts are Lydians.

We shall speak hereafter of the other nations.

περὶ μὲν οὖν τῶν ἄλλων ἐροῦμεν ὕστερον. τὴν δὲ Καππαδοκίαν εἰς δύο σατραπείας μερισθεῖσαν ὑπὸ τῶν Περσῶν παραλαβόντες Μακεδόνες περιεῖδον τὰ μὲν ἑκόντες τὰ δʼ ἄκοντες εἰς βασιλείας ἀντὶ σατραπειῶν περιστᾶσαν· ὧν τὴν μὲν ἰδίως Καππαδοκίαν ὠνόμασαν καὶ πρὸς τῷ Ταύρῳ καὶ νὴ Δία μεγάλην Καππαδοκίαν, τὴν δὲ Πόντον, οἱ δὲ τὴν πρὸς τῷ Πόντῳ Καππαδοκίαν. τῆς δὲ μεγάλης Καππαδοκίας νῦν μὲν οὐκ ἴσμεν πω τὴν διάταξιν· τελευτήσαντος γὰρ τὸν βίον Ἀρχελάου τοῦ βασιλεύσαντος, ἔγνω Καῖσάρ τε καὶ ἡ σύγκλητος ἐπαρχίαν εἶναι Ῥωμαίων αὐτήν. ἐπʼ ἐκείνου δὲ καὶ τῶν πρὸ αὐτοῦ βασιλέων εἰς δέκα στρατηγίας διῃρημένης τῆς χώρας, πέντε μὲν ἐξητάζοντο αἱ πρὸς τῷ Ταύρῳ, Μελιτηνὴ Καταονία Κιλικία Τυανῖτις Γαρσαυρῖτις, πέντε δὲ λοιπαὶ Λαουιανσηνὴ Σαργαραυσηνὴ Σαραουηνὴ Χαμανηνὴ Μοριμηνή. προσεγένετο δʼ ὕστερον παρὰ Ῥωμαίων ἐκ τῆς Κιλικίας τοῖς πρὸ Ἀρχελάου καὶ ἑνδεκάτη στρατηγία, ἡ περὶ Καστάβαλά τε καὶ Κύβιστρα μέχρι τῆς Ἀντιπάτρου τοῦ λῃστοῦ Δέρβης, τῷ δὲ Ἀρχελάῳ καὶ ἡ τραχεῖα περὶ Ἐλαιοῦσσαν Κιλικία καὶ πᾶσα ἡ τὰ πειρατήρια συστησαμένη.

The Macedonians obtained possession of Cappadocia after it had been divided by the Persians into two satrapies, and permitted, partly with and partly without the consent of the people, the satrapies to be altered to two kingdoms, one of which they called Cappadocia Proper, and Cappadocia near the Taurus, or Cappadocia the Great; the other they called Pontus, but according to other writers, Cappadocia on Pontus.

We are ignorant at present how Cappadocia the Great was at first distributed; upon the death of Archelaus the king, Caesar and the senate decreed that it should be a Roman province. But when the country was divided in the time of Archelaus and of preceding kings into ten provinces, they reckoned five near the Taurus, Melitene, Cataonia, Cilicia, Tyanitis, and Garsauritis; the remaining five were Laviansene, Sargarausene, Saravene, Chamanene, Morimene. The Romans afterwards assigned to the predecessors of Archelaus an eleventh province formed out of Cilicia, consisting of the country about Castabala and Cybistra, extending to Derbe, belonging to Antipater, the robber. Cilicia Trachea about Elaeussa was assigned to Archelaus, and all the country which served as the haunts of pirates.

ἔστι δʼ ἡ μὲν Μελιτηνὴ παραπλησία τῇ Κομμαγηνῇ· πᾶσα γάρ ἐστι τοῖς ἡμέροις δένδροις κατάφυτος, μόνη τῆς ἄλλης Καππαδοκίας, ὥστε καὶ ἔλαιον φέρειν καὶ τὸν Μοναρίτην οἶνον τοῖς Ἑλληνικοῖς ἐνάμιλλον· ἀντίκειται δὲ τῇ Σωφηνῇ, μέσον ἔχουσα τὸν Εὐφράτην ποταμὸν καὶ αὐτὴ ἡ Κομμαγηνὴ ὅμορος οὖσα. ἔστι δὲ φρούριον ἀξιόλογον τῶν Καππαδόκων ἐν τῇ περαίᾳ Τόμισα· τοῦτο δʼ ἐπράθη μὲν τῷ Σωφηνῷ ταλάντων ἑκατόν, ὕστερον δὲ ἐδωρήσατο Λεύκολλος τῷ Καππάδοκι συστρατεύσαντι ἀριστεῖον κατὰ τὸν πρὸς Μιθριδάτην πόλεμον.

MELITENE resembles Commagene, for the whole of it is planted with fruit-trees, and is the only part of all Cappadocia which is planted in this manner. It produces oil, and the wine Monarites, which vies with the wines of Greece. It is situated opposite to Sophene, having the river Euphrates flowing between it and Commagene, which borders upon it. n the country on the other side of the river is Tomisa, a considerable fortress of the Cappadocians. It was sold to the prince of Sophene for a hundred talents. Lucullus presented it afterwards as a reward of valour to the Cappadocian prince for his services in the war against Mithridates.

ἡ δὲ Καταονία πλατὺ καὶ κοῖλόν ἐστι πεδίον πάμφορον πλὴν τῶν ἀειθαλῶν. περίκειται δʼ ὄρη ἄλλα τε καὶ Ἀμανὸς ἐκ τοῦ πρὸς νότον μέρους ἀπόσπασμα ὂν τοῦ Κιλικίου Ταύρου, καὶ ὁ Ἀντίταυρος εἰς τἀναντία ἀπερρωγώς. ὁ μὲν γὰρ Ἀμανὸς ἐπὶ τὴν Κιλικίαν καὶ τὴν Συριακὴν ἐκτείνεται θάλατταν πρὸς τὴν ἑσπέραν ἀπὸ τῆς Καταονίας καὶ τὸν νότον· τῇ δὲ τοιαύτῃ διαστάσει περικλείει τὸν Ἰσσικὸν κόλπον ἅπαντα καὶ τὰ μεταξὺ τῶν Κιλίκων πεδία πρὸς τὸν Ταῦρον· ὁ δʼ Ἀντίταυρος ἐπὶ τὰς ἄρκτους ἐγκέκλιται καὶ μικρὸν ἐπιλαμβάνει τῶν ἀνατολῶν, εἶτʼ εἰς τὴν μεσόγαιαν τελευτᾷ.

Cataonia is a plain, wide and hollow, and produces everything except evergreen trees. It is surrounded by mountains, and among others by the Amanus on the side towards the south, a mass separated from the Cilician Taurus, and also by the Anti-Taurus, a mass rent off in a contrary direction. The Amanus extends from Cataonia to Cilicia, and the Syrian sea towards the west and south. In this intervening space it comprises the whole of the gulf of Issus, and the plains of the Cilicians which lie towards the Taurus. But the Anti-Taurus inclines to the north, and a little also to the east, and then terminates in the interior of the country.

English translation by H. C. Hamilton and W. Falconer (1854). Original text: August Meineke (ed.), Strabonis Geographica, 3 vols., Leipzig: Teubner, 1877 (Greek text as digitised by Perseus).

Greek text and translation from the Perseus Digital Library, Tufts University, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Perseus Digital Library); translation public domain. Introductions, summaries and notes © GreekMythology.com.