πολυπίδακον δὲ τὴν Ἴδην ἰδίως οἴονται λέγεσθαι διὰ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ἐξ αὐτῆς ῥεόντων ποταμῶν καθʼ ἃ μάλιστα ἡ Δαρδανικὴ ὑποπέπτωκεν αὐτῇ καὶ μέχρι Σκήψεως καὶ τὰ περὶ Ἴλιον. ἔμπειρος δʼ ὢν τῶν τόπων ὡς ἂν ἐπιχώριος ἀνὴρ ὁ Δημήτριος τοτὲ μὲν οὕτως λέγει περὶ αὐτῶν· ἔστι γὰρ λόφος τις τῆς Ἴδης Κότυλος· ὑπέρκειται δʼ οὗτος ἑκατόν που καὶ εἴκοσι σταδίοις Σκήψεως, ἐξ οὗ ὅ τε Σκάμανδρος ῥεῖ καὶ ὁ Γράνικος καὶ Αἴσηπος, οἱ μὲν πρὸς ἄρκτον καὶ τὴν Προποντίδα ἐκ πλειόνων πηγῶν συλλειβόμενοι, ὁ δὲ Σκάμανδρος ἐπὶ δύσιν ἐκ μιᾶς πηγῆς· πᾶσαι δʼ ἀλλήλαις πλησιάζουσιν ἐν εἴκοσι σταδίων περιεχόμεναι διαστήματι· πλεῖστον δʼ ἀφέστηκεν ἀπὸ τῆς ἀρχῆς τὸ τοῦ Αἰσήπου τέλος, σχεδόν τι καὶ πεντακοσίους σταδίους. παρέχει δὲ λόγον πῶς φησὶν ὁ ποιητής κρουνὼ δʼ ἵκανον καλλιρρόω, ἔνθα δὲ πηγαὶ / δοιαὶ ἀναΐσσουσι Σκαμάνδρου δινήεντος· / ἡ μὲν γάρ θʼ ὕδατι λιαρῷ ῥέει, / ὅ ἐστι θερμῷ· ἐπιφέρει δέ ἀμφὶ δὲ καπνὸς / γίγνεται ἐξ αὐτῆς ὡσεὶ πυρός. / ἡ δʼ ἑτέρη θέρεϊ προρέει εἰκυῖα χαλάζῃ / ἢ χιόνι ψυχρῇ. / οὔτε γὰρ θερμὰ νῦν ἐν τῷ τόπῳ εὑρίσκεται, οὔθʼ ἡ τοῦ Σκαμάνδρου πηγὴ ἐνταῦθα ἀλλʼ ἐν τῷ ὄρει, καὶ μία, ἀλλʼ οὐ δύο. τὰ μὲν οὖν θερμὰ ἐκλελεῖφθαι εἰκός, τὸ δὲ ψυχρὸν κατὰ διάδυσιν ὑπεκρέον ἐκ τοῦ Σκαμάνδρου κατὰ τοῦτʼ ἀνατέλλειν τὸ χωρίον, ἢ καὶ διὰ τὸ πλησίον εἶναι τοῦ Σκαμάνδρου καὶ τοῦτο τὸ ὕδωρ λέγεσθαι τοῦ Σκαμάνδρου πηγήν· οὕτω γὰρ λέγονται πλείους πηγαὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ ποταμοῦ.
Ida is thought to be appropriately described by Homer, as abounding with springs on account of the multitude of rivers which issue from it, particularly where Dardania as far as Scepsis lies at its foot, and the places about Ilium.
Demetrius, who was acquainted with these places, (for he was a native,) thus speaks of them: There is a height of Ida called Cotylus; it is situated about 120 stadia above Scepsis, and from it flow the Scamander, the Granicus, and the Aesepus; the two last, being the contributions of many smaller sources, fall into the Propontis, but the Scamander, which has but a single source, flows towards the west. All these sources are in the neighbourhood of each other, and are comprised within a circuit of 20 stadia. The termination of the Aesepus is farthest distant from its commencement, namely, about 500 stadia.
We may, however, ask why the poet says, They came to the fair fountains, whence burst forth two streams of the eddying Scamander, one flowing with water warm, that is, hot; he proceeds, however, around issues vapour as though caused by fire—the other gushes out in the summer, cold like hail, or frozen as snow, for no warm springs are now found in that spot, nor is the source of the Scamander there, but in the mountain, and there is one source instead of two. It is probable that the warm spring has failed, but the cold spring flowing from the Scamander along a subterraneous channel emerges at this place; or, because the water was near the Scamander, it was called the source of that river, for there are several springs, which are said to be its sources.
συμπίπτει δʼ εἰς αὐτὸν ὁ Ἄνδιρος ἀπὸ τῆς Καρησηνῆς, ὀρεινῆς τινος πολλαῖς κώμαις συνοικουμένης καὶ γεωργουμένης καλῶς, παρακειμένης τῇ Δαρδανικῇ μέχρι τῶν περὶ Ζέλειαν καὶ Πιτύειαν τόπων· ὠνομάσθαι δὲ τὴν χώραν φασὶν ἀπὸ τοῦ Καρήσου ποταμοῦ, ὃν ὠνόμακεν ὁ ποιητής Ῥῆσός θʼ Ἑπτάπορός τε Κάρησός τε Ῥοδίος τε· / τὴν δὲ πόλιν κατεσπάσθαι τὴν ὁμώνυμον τῷ ποταμῷ. πάλιν δʼ οὕτως φησίν ὁ μὲν Ῥῆσος ποταμὸς νῦν καλεῖται Ῥοείτης, εἰ μὴ ἄρα ὁ εἰς τὸν Γράνικον ἐμβάλλων Ῥῆσός ἐστιν. Ἑπτάπορος δέ, ὃν καὶ Πολύπορον λέγουσιν, ἑπτάκις διαβαινόμενος ἐκ τῶν περὶ τὴν καλὴν πεύκην χωρίων ἐπὶ Μελαινὰς κώμην ἰοῦσι καὶ τὸ Ἀσκληπίειον, ἵδρυμα Λυσιμάχου. περὶ δὲ τῆς καλῆς πεύκης Ἄτταλος ὁ πρῶτος βασιλεύσας οὕτως γράφει· τὴν μὲν περίμετρον εἶναί φησι ποδῶν τεττάρων καὶ εἴκοσι, τὸ δὲ ὕψος ἀπὸ μὲν ῥίζης ἀνιέναι ἐπὶ ἑξήκοντα καὶ ἑπτὰ πόδας, εἶτʼ εἰς τρία σχιζομένην ἴσον ἀλλήλων διέχοντα, εἶτα πάλιν συναγομένην εἰς μίαν κορυφήν, ἀποτελοῦσαν τὸ πᾶν ὕψος δυεῖν πλέθρων καὶ πεντεκαίδεκα πηχῶν· Ἀδραμυττίου δὲ διέχει πρὸς ἄρκτον ἑκατὸν καὶ ὀγδοήκοντα σταδίους. Κάρησος δʼ ἀπὸ Μαλοῦντος ῥεῖ, τόπου τινὸς κειμένου μεταξὺ Παλαισκήψεως καὶ Ἀχαιίου τῆς Τενεδίων περαίας· ἐμβάλλει δὲ εἰς τὸν Αἴσηπον. Ῥοδίος δὲ ἀπὸ Κλεανδρίας καὶ Γόρδου, ἃ διέχει τῆς καλῆς πεύκης ἑξήκοντα σταδίους· ἐμβάλλει δʼ εἰς τὸν Αἴνιον.
The Andirus empties itself into the Scamander; a river which comes from the district of Caresene, a mountain ous country, in which are many villages. It is well cultivated by the husbandmen. It adjoins Dardania, and extends as far as the places about Zeleia and Pityeia. The country, it is said, had its name from the river Caresus, mentioned by the poet, the Rhesus, Heptaporus, Caresus, and Rhodius, / but the city of the same name as the river is in ruins.
Demetrius again says, the river Rhesus is now called Rhoeites, unless it is the Rhesus which empties itself into the Granicus.
The Heptaporus, which is called also Polyporus, is crossed seven times in travelling from the places about Cale Peuce (or the beautiful pitch tree) to the village Melaenae and to the Asclepieium, founded by Lysimachus.
Attalus, the first king, gives this account of the beautiful pitch tree; its circumference, he says, was 24 feet; the height of the trunk from the root was 67 feet; it then formed three branches, equally distant from each other; it then contracts into one head, and here it completes the whole height of two plethra, and 15 cubits. It is distant from Adramyttium 180 stadia towards the north.
The Caresus flows from Malus, a place situated between Palaescepsis and Achaeïum, in front of the isle of Tenedos, and empties itself into the Aesepus.
The Rhodius flows from Cleandria and Gordus, which are distant 60 stadia from Cale Peuce, and empties itself into the Aenius (Aesepus?).
τοῦ δʼ αὐλῶνος τοῦ περὶ τὸν Αἴσηπον ἐν ἀριστερᾷ τῆς ῥύσεως αὐτοῦ πρῶτον ἔστι Πολίχνα τειχῆρες χωρίον, εἶθʼ ἡ Παλαίσκηψις, εἶτʼ Ἀλαζόνιον. τοῦτʼ ἤδη πεπλασμένον πρὸς τὴν τῶν Ἁλιζώνων ὑπόθεσιν, περὶ ὧν εἰρήκαμεν. εἶτα Κάρησος ἐρήμη καὶ ἡ Καρησηνὴ καὶ ὁμώνυμος ποταμός, ποιῶν καὶ αὐτὸς αὐλῶνα ἀξιόλογον, ἐλάττω δὲ τοῦ περὶ τὸν Αἴσηπον. τὰ δʼ ἑξῆς ἤδη τὰ τῆς Ζελείας ἐστὶ πεδία καὶ ὀροπέδια καλῶς γεωργούμενα· ἐν δεξιᾷ δὲ τοῦ Αἰσήπου μεταξὺ Πολίχνας τε καὶ Παλαισκήψεως ἡ Νέα κώμη καὶ Ἀργυρία. καὶ τοῦτο πάλιν πλάσμα πρὸς τὴν αὐτὴν ὑπόθεσιν, ὅπως σωθείη τὸ ὅθεν ἀργύρου ἐστὶ γενέθλη. / ἡ οὖν Ἀλύβη ποῦ ἢ Ἀλόπη ἢ ὅπως βούλονται παρονομάζειν; ἐχρῆν γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο πλάσαι παρατριψαμένους τὸ μέτωπον, καὶ μὴ χωλὸν ἐᾶν καὶ ἕτοιμον πρὸς ἔλεγχον ἅπαξ ἤδη ἀποτετολμηκότας. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἔνστασιν ἔχει τοιαύτην, τἆλλα δὲ ὑπολαμβάνομεν, ἢ τά γε πλεῖστα, δεῖν προσέχειν ὡς ἀνδρὶ ἐμπείρῳ καὶ ἐντοπίῳ, φροντίσαντί τε τοσοῦτον περὶ τούτων ὥστε τριάκοντα βίβλους συγγράψαι στίχων ἐξήγησιν μικρῷ πλειόνων ἑξήκοντα, τοῦ καταλόγου τῶν Τρώων. φησὶ δʼ οὖν τὴν Παλαίσκηψιν τῆς μὲν Νέας διέχειν πεντήκοντα σταδίους, τοῦ δὲ ποταμοῦ τοῦ Αἰσήπου τριάκοντα· ἀπὸ δὲ τῆς Παλαισκήψεως ταύτης διατεῖναι τὴν ὁμωνυμίαν καὶ εἰς ἄλλους πλείους τόπους. ἐπάνιμεν δὲ ἐπὶ τὴν παραλίαν ὅθενπερ ἀπελίπομεν.
In the valley about the Aesepus, on the left of its course, the first place we meet with is Polichna, a walled stronghold; then Palaescepsis, next Alizonium, a place invented for the supposed existence of the Halizoni whom we have mentioned before. Then Caresus, a deserted city, and Caresene, and a river of the same name, (Caresus,) which also forms a considerable valley, but less than that about the Aesepus. Next follow the plains of Zeleia, and the mountain plains, which are well cultivated. On the right of the Aesepus, between Polichna and Palaescepsis is Nea-Come, and Argyria, (the silver mines,) which are another fiction framed to sup port the same hypothesis, in order that the words of Homer may be defended, where silver is produced. /
Where then is Alybe, or Alope, or in whatever way they please to play upon the name? For they ought to have had the impudence to invent this place also, and not to leave their system imperfect and exposed to detection, when they had once ventured so far. This is the contradiction which may be given to Demetrius.
As to the rest, we ought at least in the greatest number of instances to attend to a man of experience, and a native of the country, who also had bestowed so much thought and time on this subject as to write thirty books to interpret little more than 60 lines of the catalogue of the Trojan forces.
Palaescepsis, according to Demetrius, is distant from Aenea 50, and from the river Aesepus 30, stadia, and the name of Palaescepsis is applied to many other places.
We return to the sea-coast, from which we have digressed.
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