διορίσαι δὲ τοὺς ὅρους χαλεπὸν τούς τε Βιθυνῶν καὶ Φρυγῶν καὶ Μυσῶν καὶ ἔτι Δολιόνων τῶν περὶ Κύζικον καὶ Μυγδόνων καὶ Τρώων· καὶ διότι μὲν εἶναι δεῖ ἕκαστον φῦλον χωρὶς ὁμολογεῖται (καὶ ἐπί γε τῶν Φρυγῶν καὶ τῶν Μυσῶν καὶ παροιμιάζονται / χωρὶς τὰ Μυσῶν καὶ Φρυγῶν ὁρίσματα), / διορίσαι δὲ χαλεπόν. αἴτιον δὲ τὸ τοὺς ἐπήλυδας βαρβάρους καὶ στρατιώτας ὄντας μὴ βεβαίως κατέχειν τὴν κρατηθεῖσαν, ἀλλὰ πλανήτας εἶναι τὸ πλέον ἐκβάλλοντας καὶ ἐκβαλλομένους. ἅπαντα δὲ τὰ ἔθνη ταῦτα Θρᾴκιά τις εἰκάζοι ἂν διὰ τὸ τὴν περαίαν νέμεσθαι τούτους καὶ διὰ τὸ μὴ πολὺ ἐξαλλάττειν ἀλλήλων ἑκατέρους.
It is difficult to define the boundaries of the Bithynians, Mysians, Phrygians, of the Doliones about Cyzicus, and of the Mygdones and Troes; it is generally admitted that each of these tribes ought to be placed apart from the other. A proverbial saying is applied to the Phrygians and Mysians, The boundaries of the Mysi and Phryges are apart from one another, but it is difficult to define them respectively. The reason is this; strangers who came into the country were soldiers and barbarians; they had no fixed settlement in the country of which they obtained possession, but were, for the most part, wanderers, expelling others from their territory, and being expelled themselves. All these nations might be supposed to be Thracians, because Thracians occupy the country on the other side, and because they do not differ much from one another.
ὅμως δʼ ἐφʼ ὅσον εἰκάζειν οἷόν τε, τῆς μὲν Βιθυνίας μέσην ἄν τις θείη καὶ τῆς ἐκβολῆς τοῦ Αἰσήπου τὴν Μυσίαν, ἁπτομένην τῆς θαλάττης καὶ διήκουσαν μέχρι τοῦ Ὀλύμπου σχεδόν παντός· κύκλῳ δὲ τὴν Ἐπίκτητον κειμένην ἐν τῇ μεσογαία, θαλάττης οὐδαμοῦ ἁπτομένην διατείνουσαν δὲ μέχρι τῶν ἑῴων μερῶν τῆς Ἀσκανίας λίμνης τε καὶ χώρας· ὁμωνύμως γὰρ τῇ λίμνῃ καὶ ἡ χώρα ἐλέγετο, καὶ ἦν αὐτῆς τὸ μὲν Φρύγιον τὸ δὲ Μύσιον ἀπωτέρω δὲ τῆς Τροίας τὸ Φρύγιον. καὶ δὴ καὶ οὕτω δεκτέον τὸ παρὰ τῷ ποιητῇ ὅταν φῇ Φόρκυς δʼ αὖ Φρύγας ἦγε καὶ Ἀσκάνιος θεοειδής, / τῆλʼ ἐξ Ἀσκανίης, / τῆς Φρυγιακῆς, ὡς οὔσης ἐγγυτέρω ἄλλης Ἀσκανίας Μυσιακῆς τῆς πρὸς τῇ νῦν Νικαίᾳ, ἧς μέμνηται ὅταν φῇ Πάλμυν τʼ Ἀσκάνιόν τε Μόρυν θʼ, υἷʼ Ἱπποτίωνος, / Μυσῶν ἀγχεμάχων ἡγήτορα, / οἵ ῥʼ ἐξ Ἀσκανίης ἐριβώλακος ἦλθον ἀμοιβοί. / οὐ θαυμαστὸν δʼ εἰ τῶν Φρυγῶν εἰπών τινα ἡγεμόνα Ἀσκάνιον καὶ ἐξ Ἀσκανίας ἥκοντα, καὶ Μυσῶν τινα λέγει ἡγεμόνα Ἀσκάνιον καὶ ἐξ Ἀσκανίας ἥκοντα· πολλὴ γὰρ ἡ ὁμωνυμία παρʼ αὐτῷ καὶ ἡ ἀπὸ τῶν ποταμῶν καὶ λιμνῶν καὶ χωρίων ἐπίκλησις.
But as far as we are able to conjecture, we may place Mysia between Bithynia and the mouth of the Aesepus, contiguous to the sea, and nearly along the whole of Olympus. Around it, in the interior, is the Epictetus, nowhere reaching the sea, and extending as far as the eastern parts of the Ascanian lake and district, for both bear the same name. Part of this territory was Phrygian, and part Mysian; the Phrygian was further distant from Troy; and so we must understand the words of the poet, when he says,
Phorcys, and the god-like Ascanius, were the leaders of the Phryges far from Ascania, that is, the Phrygian Ascania; for the other, the Mysian Ascania, was nearer to the present Nicaea, which he mentions, when he says, Palmys, Ascanius, and Morys, sons of Hippotion, the leader of the Mysi, fighting in close combat, who came from the fertile soil of Ascania, as auxiliaries.
It is not then surprising that he should speak of an Ascanius, a leader of the Phrygians, who came from Ascania, and of an Ascanius, a leader of the Mysians, coming also from Ascania, for there is much repetition of names derived from rivers, lakes, and places.
καὶ τὸν Αἴσηπον δὲ τῶν Μυσῶν ὅριον παραδίδωσιν αὐτὸς ὁ ποιητής· τὴν γὰρ ὑπὲρ τοῦ Ἰλίου παρώρειαν τῆς Τροίας καταλέξας τὴν ὑπʼ Αἰνείᾳ ἣν Δαρδανίαν ἐκάλεσε, τίθησιν ἐφεξῆς πρὸς ἄρκτον καὶ τὴν Λυκίαν τὴν ὑπὸ Πανδάρῳ ἐν ᾗ ἡ Ζέλεια· καὶ φησίν οἳ δὲ Ζέλειαν ἔναιον ὑπαὶ πόδα νείατον Ἴδης, / ἀφνειοί, πίνοντες ὕδωρ μέλαν Αἰσήποιο / Τρῶες. / τῇ δὲ Ζελείᾳ ὑποπέπτωκε πρὸς θαλάττῃ ἐπίταδε τοῦ Αἰσήπου τὸ τῆς Ἀδραστείας πεδίον καὶ Τήρεια καὶ ἡ Πιτύα καὶ καθόλου ἡ νῦν Κυζικηνὴ ἡ πρὸς Πριάπῳ ἣν ἐφεξῆς καταλέγει, εἶτα ἀνακάμπτει πάλιν ἐπὶ τὰ πρὸς ἕω μέρη καὶ τὰ ἐπέκεινα, ὥστε ἐμφαίνει τὴν μέχρι Αἰσήπου πέρας ἡγούμενος τῆς Τρῳάδος τὸ ἀρκτικὸν καὶ ἑῷον. ἀλλὰ μὴν μετά γε τὴν Τρῳάδα ἡ Μυσία ἐστὶ καὶ ὁ Ὄλυμπος. ἡ μὲν οὖν παλαιὰ μνήμη τοιαύτην τινὰ ὑπαγορεύει τὴν τῶν ἐθνῶν θέσιν. αἱ δὲ νῦν μεταβολαὶ τὰ πολλὰ ἐξήλλαξαν, ἄλλοτʼ ἄλλων ἐπικρατούντων καὶ τὰ μὲν συγχεόντων τὰ δὲ διασπώντων. καὶ γὰρ Φρύγες ἐπεκράτησαν καὶ Μυσοὶ μετὰ τὴν Τροίας ἅλωσιν, εἶθʼ ὕστερον Λυδοὶ καὶ μετʼ ἐκείνων Αἰολεῖς καὶ Ἴωνες, ἔπειτα Πέρσαι καὶ Μακεδόνες, τελευταῖοι δὲ Ῥωμαῖοι, ἐφʼ ὧν ἤδη καὶ τὰς διαλέκτους καὶ τὰ ὀνόματα ἀποβεβλήκασιν οἱ πλεῖστοι, γεγονότος ἑτέρου τινὸς μερισμοῦ τῆς χώρας, οὗ μᾶλλον φροντίσαι δεῖ τὰ νῦν οἷʼ ἔστι λέγοντας, τῇ δὲ ἀρχαιολογίᾳ μετρίως προσέχοντας.
The poet himself assigns the Aesepus as the boundary of the Mysians, for after having described the country above Ilium, and lying along the foot of the mountains subject to Aeneas, and which he calls Dardania, he places next towards the north Lycia, which was subject to Pandarus, and where Zeleia was situated; he says, They who inhabited Zeleia, at the very foot of Ida, Aphneii Trojans, who drink of the dark stream of Aesepus; below Zeleia, towards the sea, on this side of Aesepus, lies the plain of Adrasteia, and Tereia, Pitya, and in general the present district of Cyzicene near Priapus, which he afterwards describes. He then returns again to the parts towards the east, and to those lying above, by which he shows that he considered the country as far as the Aesepus the northern and eastern boundary of the Troad. Next to the Troad are Mysia and Olympus. Ancient tradition then suggests some such disposition of these nations. But the present changes have produced many differences in consequence of the continual succession of governors of the country, who confounded together people and districts, and separated others. The Phrygians and Mysians were masters of the country after the capture of Troy; afterwards the Lydians; then the Aeolians and Ionians; next, the Persians and Macedonians; lastly, the Romans, under whose government most of the tribes have lost even their languages and names, in consequence of a new partition of the country having been made. It will be proper to take this into consideration when we describe its present state, at the same time showing a due regard to antiquity.
ἐν δὲ τῇ μεσογαίᾳ τῆς Βιθυνίας τό τε Βιθύνιον ἔστιν ὑπερκείμενον τοῦ Τιείου καὶ ἔχον τὴν περὶ Σάλωνα χώραν ἀρίστην βουβοσίοις, ὅθεν ἐστὶν ὁ Σαλωνίτης τυρός, καὶ Νίκαια ἡ μητρόπολις τῆς Βιθυνίας ἐπὶ τῇ Ἀσκανίᾳ λίμνῃ (περίκειται δὲ κύκλῳ πεδίον μέγα καὶ σφόδρα εὔδαιμον, οὐ πάνυ δὲ ὑγιεινὸν τοῦ θέρους), κτίσμα Ἀντιγόνου μὲν πρῶτον τοῦ Φιλίππου, ὃς αὐτὴν Ἀντιγόνειαν προσεῖπεν, εἶτα Λυσιμάχου, ὃς ἀπὸ τῆς γυναικὸς μετωνόμασε Νίκαιαν· ἦν δʼ αὕτη θυγάτηρ Ἀντιπάτρου. ἔστι δὲ τῆς πόλεως ἑκκαιδεκαστάδιος ὁ περίβολος ἐν τετραγώνῳ σχήματι· ἔστι δὲ καὶ τετράπυλος ἐν πεδίῳ κείμενος ἐρρυμοτομημένος πρὸς ὀρθὰς γωνίας, ὥστʼ ἀφʼ ἑνὸς λίθου κατὰ μέσον ἱδρυμένου τὸ γυμνάσιον τὰς τέτταρας ὁρᾶσθαι πύλας. μικρὸν δʼ ὑπὲρ τῆς Ἀσκανίας λίμνης Ὀτροία πολίχνη, πρὸς τοῖς ὅροις ἤδη τῆς Βιθυνίας τοῖς πρὸς ἕω· εἰκάζουσι δʼ ἀπὸ Ὀτρέως Ὀτροίαν καλεῖσθαι.
In the inland parts of Bithynia is Bithynium, situated above Tieium, and to which belongs the country about Salon, affording the best pasturage for cattle, whence comes the cheese of Salon. Nicsaea, the capital of Bithynia, is situated on the Ascanian lake. It is surrounded by a very large and very fertile plain, which in the summer is not very healthy. Its first founder was Antigonus, the son of Philip, who called it Antigonia. It was then rebuilt by Lysimachus, who changed its name to that of his wife Nicaea. She was the daughter of Antipater. The city is situated in a plain. Its shape is quadrangular, eleven stadia in circuit. It has four gates. Its streets are divided at right angles, so that the four gates may be seen from a single stone, set up in the middle of the Gymnasium. A little above the Ascanian lake is Otrcaea, a small town situated just on the borders of Bithynia towards the east. It is conjectured that Otrcaea was so called from Otreus.
ὅτι δʼ ἦν κατοικία Μυσῶν ἡ Βιθυνία πρῶτον μαρτυρήσει Σκύλαξ ὁ Καρυανδεὺς φήσας περιοικεῖν τὴν Ἀσκανίαν λίμνην Φρύγας καὶ Μυσούς, ἔπειτα Διονύσιος ὁ τὰς κτίσεις συγγράψας, ὃς τὰ κατὰ Χαλκηδόνα καὶ Βυζάντιον στενά, ἃ νῦν Θρᾴκιος Βόσπορος καλεῖται, πρότερόν φησι Μύσιον Βόσπορον προσαγορεύεσθαι· τοῦτο δʼ ἄν τις καὶ τοῦ Θρᾷκας εἶναι τοὺς Μυσοὺς μαρτύριον θείη· ὅ τε Εὐφορίων Μυσοῖο παρʼ ὕδασιν Ἀσκανίοιο / λέγων, καὶ ὁ Αἰτωλὸς Ἀλέξανδρος οἳ καὶ ἐπʼ Ἀσκανίων δώματʼ ἔχουσι ῥοῶν / λίμνης Ἀσκανίης ἐπὶ χείλεσιν, ἔνθα Δολίων / υἱὸς Σιληνοῦ νάσσατο καὶ Μελίης / τὸ αὐτὸ ἐκμαρτυροῦσιν, οὐδαμοῦ τῆς Ἀσκανίας λίμνης εὑρισκομένης ἀλλʼ ἐνταῦθα μόνον.
That Bithynia was a colony of the Mysians, first Scylax of Caryanda will testify, who says that Phrygians and Mysians dwell around the Ascanian lake. The next witness is Dionysius, who composed a work on the foundation of cities. He says that the straits at Chalcedon, and Byzantium, which are now called the Thracian, were formerly called the Mysian Bosporus. Some person might allege this as a proof that the Mysians were Thracians; and Euphorio says, by the waters of the Mysian Ascanius; / and thus also Alexander the Aetolian, who have their dwellings near the Ascanian waters, on the margin of the Ascanian lake, where Dolion dwelt, the son of Silenus and of Melia. These authors testify the same thing, because the Ascanian lake is found in no other siuation but this.
ἄνδρες δʼ ἀξιόλογοι κατὰ παιδείαν γεγόνασιν ἐν τῇ Βιθυνίᾳ Ξενοκράτης τε ὁ φιλόσοφος καὶ Διονύσιος ὁ διαλεκτικὸς καὶ Ἵππαρχος καὶ Θεοδόσιος καὶ οἱ παῖδες αὐτοῦ μαθηματικοὶ Κλεοχάρης τε ῥήτωρ ὅ Μυρλεανὸς Ἀσκληπιάδης ἰατρός ὁ Προυσιεύς.
Men distinguished for their learning, natives of Bithynia, were Xenocrates the philosopher, Dionysius the dialectician, Hipparchus, Theodosius and his sons the mathematicians, Cleophanes the rhetorician of Myrleia, and Asclepiades the physician of Prusa.
πρὸς νότον δʼ εἰσὶ τοῖς Βιθυνοῖς οἱ περὶ τὸν Ὄλυμπον Μυσοὶ (οὓς Ὀλυμπηνοὺς καλοῦσί τινες, οἱ δʼ Ἑλλησποντίους) καὶ ἡ ἐφʼ Ἑλλησπόντῳ Φρυγία, τοῖς δὲ Παφλαγόσι Γαλάται· ἀμφοτέρων τε τούτων ἔτι πρὸς νότον ἡ μεγάλη Φρυγία καὶ Λυκαονία μέχρι τοῦ Ταύρου τοῦ Κιλικίου καὶ τοῦ Πισιδικοῦ. ἐπεὶ δὲ τὰ τῇ Παφλαγονίᾳ συνεχῆ παράκειται τῷ Πόντῳ καὶ τῇ Καππαδοκίᾳ καὶ τοῖς ἤδη περιωδευμένοις ἔθνεσιν, οἰκεῖον ἂν εἴη τὰ τούτοις γειτονοῦντα μέρη προσαποδοῦναι πρῶτον, ἔπειτα τοὺς ἑξῆς τόπους παραδεῖξαι.
To the south of the Bithynians are the Mysians about Olympus (whom some writers call Bithyni Olympeni, and others Hellespontii) and Phrygia upon the Hellespont. To the south of the Paphlagonians are the Galatians, and still further to the south of both these nations are the Greater Phrygia, and Lycaonia, extending as far as the Cilician and Pisidian Taurus. But since the parts continuous with Paphlagonia adjoin Pontus, Cappadocia, and the nations which we have just described, it may be proper first to give an account of the parts in the neighbourhood of these nations, and then proceed to a description of the places next in order.
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