Strabo · Geography Γεωγραφικά

Strabo, Geography 12.8.10–12: Cyzicus and the Dindymene temple

Strabo lists the lakes and peoples around Olympus and describes the island city of Cyzicus, with its harbours, public stores and a temple of Dindymene founded by the Argonauts. He tells how the king besieged it by land and sea and failed, and describes the rivers Rhyndacus and the mountain Artace. Cities of Phrygian Epictetus and the extent of Mysia are listed.

Sections 12.8.10–12 · 698 words · click a number to copy its link

ὁ μὲν δὴ Ὄλυμπος τοιόσδε, περιοικεῖται δὲ πρὸς ἄρκτον μὲν ὑπὸ τῶν Βιθυνῶν καὶ Μυγδόνων καὶ Δολιόνων, τὸ δὲ λοιπὸν ἔχουσι Μυσοὶ καὶ Ἐπίκτητοι. Δολίονας μὲν οὖν μάλιστα καλοῦσι τοὺς περὶ Κύζικον ἀπὸ Αἰσήπου ἕως Ῥυνδάκου καὶ τῆς Δασκυλίτιδος λίμνης, Μυγδόνας δὲ τοὺς ἐφεξῆς τούτοις μέχρι τῆς Μυρλειανῶν χώρας· ὑπέρκεινται δὲ τῆς Δασκυλίτιδος ἄλλαι δύο λίμναι μεγάλαι ἥ τε Ἀπολλωνιᾶτις ἥ τε Μιλητοπολῖτις· πρὸς μὲν οὖν τῇ Δασκυλίτιδι Δασκύλιον πόλις, πρὸς δὲ τῇ Μιλητοπολίτιδι Μιλητούπολις, πρὸς δὲ τῇ τρίτῃ Ἀπολλωνία ἡ ἐπὶ Ῥυνδάκῳ λεγομένη· τὰ πλεῖστα δὲ τούτων ἐστὶ Κυζικηνῶν νυνί.

The description of Olympus is as follows. Around it, to the north, live Bithynians, Mygdonians, and Doliones; the rest is occupied by Mysians and Epicteti. The tribes about Cyzicus from Aesepus as far as Rhyndacus and the lake Dascylitis, are called for the most part Doliones; those next to the Doliones, and extending as far as the territory of the Myrleani, are called Mygdones. Above the Dascylitis are two large lakes, the Apolloniatis, and the Miletopolitis. Near the Dascylitis is the city Dascylium, and on the Miletopolitis, Miletopolis. Near a third lake is Apollonia on the Rhyndacus, as it is called. Most of these places belong at present to the Cyziceni.

ἔστι δὲ νῆσος ἐν τῇ Προποντίδι ἡ Κύζικος συναπτομένη γεφύραις δυσὶ πρὸς τὴν ἤπειρον, ἀρετῇ μὲν κρατίστη μεγέθει δὲ ὅσον πεντακοσίων σταδίων τὴν περίμετρον· ἔχει δὲ ὁμώνυμον πόλιν πρὸς αὐταῖς ταῖς γεφύραις καὶ λιμένας δύο κλειστοὺς καὶ νεωσοίκους πλείους τῶν διακοσίων· τῆς δὲ πόλεως τὸ μὲν ἔστιν ἐν ἐπιπέδῳ τὸ δὲ πρὸς ὄρει· καλεῖται δʼ Ἄρκτων ὄρος· ὑπέρκειται δʼ ἄλλο Δίνδυμον μονοφυές, ἱερὸν ἔχον τῆς Δινδυμήνης μητρὸς θεῶν, ἵδρυμα τῶν Ἀργοναυτῶν. ἔστι δʼ ἐνάμιλλος ταῖς πρώταις τῶν κατὰ τὴν Ἀσίαν ἡ πόλις μεγέθει τε καὶ κάλλει καὶ εὐνομίᾳ πρός τε εἰρήνην καὶ πόλεμον· ἔοικέ τε τῷ παραπλησίῳ τύπῳ κοσμεῖσθαι ὥσπερ ἡ τῶν Ῥοδίων καὶ Μασσαλιωτῶν καὶ Καρχηδονίων τῶν πάλαι. τὰ μὲν οὖν πολλὰ ἐῶ, τρεῖς δʼ ἀρχιτέκτονας τοὺς ἐπιμελουμένους οἰκοδομημάτων τε δημοσίων καὶ ὀργάνων, τρεῖς δὲ καὶ θησαυροὺς κέκτηται, τὸν μὲν ὅπλων τὸν δʼ ὀργάνων τὸν δὲ σίτου· ποιεῖ δὲ τὸν σῖτον ἄσηπτον ἡ Χαλκιδικὴ γῆ μιγνυμένη. ἐπεδείξαντο δὲ τὴν ἐκ τῆς παρασκευῆς ταύτης ὠφέλειαν ἐν τῷ Μιθριδατικῷ πολέμῳ. ἐπελθόντος γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἀδοκήτως τοῦ βασιλέως πεντεκαίδεκα μυριάσι καὶ ἵππῳ πολλῇ καὶ κατασχόντος τὸ ἀντικείμενον ὄρος ὃ καλοῦσιν Ἀδραστείας καὶ τὸ προάστειον, ἔπειτα καὶ διάραντος εἰς τὸν ὑπὲρ τῆς πόλεως αὐχένα καὶ προσμαχομένου πεζῇ τε καὶ κατὰ θάλατταν τετρακοσίαις ναυσίν, ἀντέσχον πρὸς ἅπαντα οἱ Κυζικηνοί, ὥστε καὶ ἐγγὺς ἦλθον τοῦ ζωγρίᾳ λαβεῖν τὸν βασιλέα ἐν τῇ διώρυγι ἀντιδιορύττοντες, ἀλλʼ ἔφθη φυλαξάμενος καὶ ἀναλαβὼν ἑαυτὸν ἔξω τοῦ ὀρύγματος· ὀψὲ δὲ ἴσχυσεν εἰσπέμψαι τινὰς νύκτωρ ἐπικούρους ὁ τῶν Ῥωμαίων στρατηγὸς Λεύκολλος· ὤνησε δὲ καὶ λιμὸς τῷ τοσούτῳ πλήθει τῆς στρατιᾶς ἐπιπεσών, ὃν οὐ προείδετο ὁ βασιλεύς, ὡς ἀπῆλθε πολλοὺς ἀποβαλών. Ῥωμαῖοι δʼ ἐτίμησαν τὴν πόλιν, καὶ ἔστιν ἐλευθέρα μέχρι νῦν καὶ χώραν ἔχει πολλὴν τὴν μὲν ἐκ παλαιοῦ τὴν δὲ τῶν Ῥωμαίων προσθέντων. καὶ γὰρ τῆς Τρῳάδος ἔχουσι τὰ πέραν τοῦ Αἰσήπου τὰ περὶ τὴν Ζέλειαν καὶ τὸ τῆς Ἀδραστείας πεδίον· καὶ τῆς Δασκυλίτιδος λίμνης τὰ μὲν ἔχουσιν ἐκεῖνοι τὰ δὲ Βυζάντιοι· πρὸς δὲ τῇ Δολιονίδι καὶ τῇ Μυγδονίδι νέμονται πολλὴν μέχρι τῆς Μιλητοπολίτιδος λίμνης καὶ τῆς Ἀπολλωνιάτιδος αὐτῆς, διʼ ὧν χωρίων καὶ ὁ Ῥύνδακος ῥεῖ ποταμὸς τὰς ἀρχὰς ἔχων ἐκ τῆς Ἀζανίτιδος, προσλαβὼν δὲ καὶ ἐκ τῆς Ἀβρεττηνῆς Μυσίας ἄλλους τε καὶ Μέκεστον ἀπʼ Ἀγκύρας τῆς Ἀβαείτιδος ἐκδίδωσιν εἰς τὴν Προποντίδα κατὰ Βέσβικον νῆσον. ἐν ταύτῃ δὲ τῇ νήσῳ τῶν Κυζικηνῶν ὄρος ἐστὶν εὔδενδρον Ἀρτάκη· καὶ νησίον ὁμώνυμον πρόκειται τούτου, καὶ πλησίον ἀκρωτήριον Μέλανος καλούμενον ἐν παράπλῳ τοῖς εἰς Πρίαπον κομιζομένοις ἐκ τῆς Κυζίκου.

Cyzicus is an island in the Propontis, joined to the continent by two bridges. It is exceedingly fertile. It is about 500 stadia in circumference. There is a city of the same name near the bridges, with two close harbours, and more than two hundred docks for vessels. One part of the city is in a plain, the other near the mountain which is called Arcton-oros (or Bear-mountain). Above this is another mountain, the Dindymus, with one peak, having on it a temple founded by the Argonauts in honour of Dindymene, mother of the gods. This city rivals in size, beauty, and in the excellent administration of affairs, both in peace and war, the cities which hold the first rank in Asia. It appears to be embellished in a manner similar to Rhodes, Massalia, and ancient Carthage. I omit many details. There are three architects, to whom is intrusted the care of the public edifices and engines. The city has also three store-houses, one for arms, one for engines, and one for corn. The Chalcidic earth mixed with the corn prevents it from spoiling. The utility of preserving it in this manner was proved in the Mithridatic war. The king attacked the city unexpectedly with an army of 150,000 men and a large body of cavalry, and made himself master of the opposite hill, which is called the hill of Adrasteia, and of the suburb. He afterwards transferred his camp to the neck of land above the city, blockaded it by land, and attacked it by sea with four hundred ships. The Cyziceni resisted all these attempts, and were even nearly capturing the king in a subterraneous passage, by working a countermine. He was, however, apprized of it, and escaped by retreating in time out of the excavation. Lucullus, the Roman general, was able, though late, to send succours into the city by night. Famine also came to the aid of the Cyziceni by spreading among this large army. The king did not foresee this, and after losing great numbers of his men went away. The Romans respected the city, and to this present time it enjoys freedom. A large territory belongs to it, some part of which it has held from the earliest times; the rest was a gift of the Romans. Of the Troad they possess the parts beyond the Aesepus, namely, those about Zeleia and the plain of Adrasteia; a part of the lake Dascylitis belongs to them, the other part belongs to the Byzantines. They also possess a large district near the Dolionis, and the Mygdonis, extending as far as the lake Miletopolitis, and the Apolloniatis. Through these countries runs the river Rhyndacus, which has its source in the Azanitis. Having received from Mysia Abrettene, among other rivers, the Macestus, which comes from Ancyra in the Abaeitis, it empties itself into the Propontis at the island Besbicus.

In this island of the Cyziceni is the mountain Artace, well wooded, and in front of it lies a small island of the same name; near it is the promontory Melas (or Black), as it is called, which is met with in coasting from Cyzicus to Priapus.

τῆς δʼ ἐπικτήτου Φρυγίας Ἀζανοί τέ εἰσι καὶ Νακολία καὶ Κοτιάειον καὶ Μιδάειον καὶ Δορυλάειον πόλεις καὶ Κάδοι· τοὺς δὲ Κάδους ἔνιοι τῆς Μυσίας φασίν. ἡ δὲ Μυσία κατὰ τὴν μεσόγαιαν ἀπὸ τῆς Ὀλυμπηνῆς ἐπὶ τὴν Περγαμηνὴν καθήκει καὶ τὸ Καΐκου λεγόμενον πεδίον, ὥστε μεταξὺ κεῖσθαι τῆς τε Ἴδης καὶ τῆς Κατακεκαυμένης, ἣν οἱ μὲν Μυσίαν οἱ δὲ Μαιονίαν φασίν.

To Phrygian Epictetus belong the Azani, and the cities Nacoleia, Cotiaeium, Midiaeium, Dorylaeum, and Cadi. Some persons assign Cadi to Mysia.

Mysia extends in the inland parts from Olympene to Pergamene, and to the plain of Caïcus, as it is called; so that it lies between Ida and the Catacecaumene, which some place in Mysia, others in Maeonia.

People and places in this passage

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.