λοιπὴ δʼ ἐστὶν ἡ ἐκτὸς Ἅλυος χώρα τῆς Ποντικῆς ἐπαρχίας ἡ περὶ τὸν Ὄλγασσυν, συναφὴς τῇ Σινωπίδι. ἔστι δʼ ὁ Ὄλγασσυς ὄρος σφόδρα ὑψηλὸν καὶ δύσβατον· καὶ ἱερὰ τοῦ ὄρους τούτου πανταχοῦ καθιδρυμένα ἔχουσιν οἱ Παφλαγόνες. περίκειται δʼ ἱκανῶς χώρα ἀγαθὴ ἥ τε Βλαηνὴ καὶ ἡ Δομανῖτις, διʼ ἧς Ἀμνίας ῥεῖ ποταμός. ἐνταῦθα Μιθριδάτης ὁ Εὐπάτωρ τὰς Νικομήδους τοῦ Βιθυνοῦ δυνάμεις ἄρδην ἠφάνισεν, οὐκ αὐτὸς παρατυχὼν ἀλλὰ διὰ τῶν στρατηγῶν· καὶ ὁ μὲν φεύγων μετʼ ὀλίγων εἰς τὴν οἰκείαν ἐσώθη κἀκεῖθεν εἰς Ἰταλίαν ἔπλευσεν, ὁ δʼ ἠκολούθησε καὶ τήν τε Βιθυνίαν εἷλεν ἐξ ἐφόδου καὶ τὴν Ἀσίαν κατέσχε μέχρι Καρίας καὶ Λυκίας. κἀνταῦθα δʼ ἀπεδείχθη πόλις ἡ Πομπηιούπολις· ἐν δὲ τῇ πόλει ταύτῃ τὸ σανδαρακουργεῖον οὐ πολὺ ἄπωθεν Πιμωλίσων, φρουρίου βασιλικοῦ κατεσκαμμένου, ἀφʼ οὗ ἡ χώρα ἡ ἑκατέρωθεν τοῦ ποταμοῦ καλεῖται Πιμωλισηνή. τὸ δὲ σανδαρακουργεῖον ὄρος κοῖλόν ἐστιν ἐκ τῆς μεταλλείας, ὑπεληλυθότων αὐτὸ τῶν ἐργαζομένων διώρυξι μεγάλαις· εἰργάζοντο δὲ δημοσιῶναι μεταλλευταῖς χρώμενοι τοῖς ἀπὸ κακουργίας ἀγοραζομένοις ἀνδραπόδοις· πρὸς γὰρ τῷ ἐπιπόνῳ τοῦ ἔργου καὶ θανάσιμον καὶ δύσοιστον εἶναι τὸν ἀέρα φασὶ τὸν ἐν τοῖς μετάλλοις διὰ τὴν βαρύτητα τῆς τῶν βώλων ὀδμῆς, ὥστε ὠκύμορα εἶναι τὰ σώματα. καὶ δὴ καὶ ἐκλείπεσθαι συμβαίνει πολλάκις τὴν μεταλλείαν διὰ τὸ ἀλυσιτελές, πλειόνων μὲν ἢ διακοσίων ὄντων τῶν ἐργαζομένων, συνεχῶς δὲ νόσοις καὶ φθοραῖς δαπανωμένων. τοσαῦτα καὶ περὶ τοῦ Πόντου εἰρήσθω.
There remains to be described the country within the Halys, belonging to the province of Pontus, and situated about the Olgassys, and contiguous to the Sinopic district. The Olgassys is a very lofty mountain, and difficult to be passed. The Paphlagonians have erected temples in every part of this mountain. The country around, the Blaene, and the Domanitis, through which the river Amnias runs, is sufficiently fertile. Here it was that Mithridates Eupator entirely destroyed the army of Nicomedes the Bithynian, not in person, for he himself happened to be absent, but by his generals. Nicomedes fled with a few followers, and escaped into his own country, and thence sailed to Italy. Mithridates pursued him, and made himself master of Bithynia as soon as he entered it, and obtained possession of Asia as far as Caria and Lycia. Here is situated Pompeiopolis, in which city is the Sandaracurgium, (or Sandaraca works,) it is not far distant from Pimolisa, a royal fortress in ruins, from which the country on each side of the river is called Pimolisene. The Sandaracurgium is a mountain hollowed out by large trenches made by workmen in the process of mining. The work is always carried on at the public charge, and slaves were employed in the mine who had been sold on account of their crimes. Besides the great labour of the employment, the air is said to be destructive of life, and scarcely endurable in consequence of the strong odour issuing from the masses of mineral; hence the slaves are short-lived. The mining is frequently suspended from its becoming unprofitable, for great expense is incurred by the employment of more than two hundred workmen, whose number is continually diminishing by disease and fatal accidents.
So much respecting Pontus.
μετὰ δὲ τὴν Πομπηιούπολιν ἡ λοιπὴ τῆς Παφλαγονίας ἐστὶ τῆς μεσογαίας μέχρι Βιθυνίας ἰοῦσι πρὸς δύσιν. ταύτης δὲ καίπερ ὀλίγης οὔσης μικρὸν μὲν πρὸ ἡμῶν ἦρχον πλείους, νῦν δʼ ἔχουσι Ῥωμαῖοι τοῦ γένους τῶν βασιλέων ἐκλιπόντος. ὀνομάζουσι δʼ οὖν τὴν ὅμορον τῇ Βιθυνίᾳ Τιμωνῖτιν καὶ τὴν Γεζατόριγος καὶ Μαρμωλῖτίν τε καὶ Σανισηνὴν καὶ Ποταμίαν· ἦν δέ τις καὶ Κιμιατηνή, ἐν ᾗ τὰ Κιμίατα, φρούριον ἐρυμνόν, ὑποκείμενον τῇ τοῦ Ὀλγάσσυος ὀρεινῇ, ᾧ χρησάμενος ὁρμητηρίῳ Μιθριδάτης ὁ κτίστης προσαγορευθεὶς κατέστη τοῦ Πόντου κύριος, καὶ οἱ ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ τὴν διαδοχὴν ἐφύλαξαν μέχρι τοῦ Εὐπάτορος. ὕστατος δὲ τῆς Παφλαγονίας ἦρξε Δηιόταρος, Κάστορος υἱὸς ὁ προσαγορευθεὶς φιλάδελφος, τὸ Μορζέου βασίλειον ἔχων τὰ Γάγγρα πολισμάτιον ἅμα καὶ φρούριον.
Next to Pompeiopolis is the remainder of the inland parts of Paphlagonia as far as Bithynia towards the west. This tract, although small in extent, was governed, a little before our time, by several princes, but their race is extinct; at present it is in possession of the Romans. The parts bordering upon Bithynia are called Timonitis; the country of Gezatorix, Marmolitis, Sanisene, and Potamia. There was also a Cimiatene, in which was Cimiata, a strong fortress situated at the foot of the mountainous range of the Olgassys. Mithridates, surnamed Ctistes, (or the Founder,) made it his head-quarters when engaged in the conquest of Pontus, and his successors kept possession of it to the time of Mithridates Eupator. The last king of Paphlagonia was Deïotarus, son of Castor, and surnamed Philadelphus, who possessed Gangra, containing the palace of Morzeus, a small town, and a fortress.
Εὔδοξος δʼ ὀρυκτοὺς ἰχθῦς ἐν Παφλαγονίᾳ λέγων ἐν ξηροῖς τόποις οὐ διορίζει τὸν τόπον, ἐν ὑγροῖς δὲ περὶ τὴν Ἀσκανίαν λίμνην φησὶ τὴν ὑπὸ Κίῳ, λέγων οὐδὲν σαφές. ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ τὴν ὅμορον τῷ Πόντῳ Παφλαγονίαν ἐκτιθέμεθα, τοῖς δὲ Παφλαγόσιν ὁμοροῦσιν οἱ Βιθυνοὶ πρὸς δύσιν, πειρασόμεθα καὶ τὰ τούτων ἐπελθεῖν· ἔπειτα λαβόντες ἀρχὴν ἄλλην ἔκ τε τούτων καὶ τῶν Παφλαγόνων τὰ ἑξῆς τούτων τὰ πρὸς νότον μέχρι τοῦ Ταύρου συνυφανοῦμεν τὰ παράλληλα τῷ Πόντῳ καὶ τῇ Καππαδοκίᾳ· τοιαύτην γάρ τινα ὑπογράφει τάξιν καὶ μερισμὸν ἡ τῶν τόπων φύσις.
Eudoxus, without defining the spot, says, that fossil fish are found in Paphlagonia in dry ground, and in marshy ground also about the lake Ascanius, which is below Cius, but he gives no clear information on the subject.
We have described Paphlagonia bordering upon Pontus; and as the Bithynians border upon the Paphlagonians towards the west, we shall endeavour to describe this region also. We shall then set out again from the Bithynians and the Paphlagonians, and describe the parts of the country next to these nations lying towards the south; they extend as far as the Taurus, and are parallel to Pontus and Cappadocia; for some order and division of this kind are suggested by the nature of the places.
Cite This Text