τὰ δʼ ἑξῆς ἐπὶ τὰ νότια μέρη τοῖς τόποις τούτοις ἐμπλοκὰς ἔχει μέχρι πρὸς τὸν Ταῦρον, ὥστε καὶ τὰ Φρύγια καὶ τὰ Καρικὰ καὶ τὰ Λύδια καὶ ἔτι τὰ τῶν Μυσῶν δυσδιάκριτα εἶναι παραπίπτοντα εἰς ἄλληλα· εἰς δὲ τὴν σύγχυσιν ταύτην οὐ μικρὰ συλλαμβάνει τὸ τοὺς Ῥωμαίους μὴ κατὰ φῦλα διελεῖν αὐτούς, ἀλλὰ ἕτερον τρόπον διατάξαι τὰς διοικήσεις, ἐν αἷς τὰς ἀγοραίους ποιοῦνται καὶ τὰς δικαιοδοσίας. ὁ μέν γε Τμῶλος ἱκανῶς συνῆκται καὶ περιγραφὴν ἔχει μετρίαν ἐν αὐτοῖς ἀφοριζόμενος τοῖς Λυδίοις μέρεσιν, ἡ δὲ Μεσωγὶς εἰς τὸ ἀντικείμενον μέρος διατείνει μέχρι Μυκάλης ἀπὸ Κελαινῶν ἀρξάμενον, ὥς φησι Θεόπομπος, ὥστε τὰ μὲν αὐτοῦ Φρύγες κατέχουσι τὰ πρὸς ταῖς Κελαιναῖς καὶ τῇ Ἀπαμείᾳ, τὰ δὲ Μυσοὶ καὶ Λυδοί, τὰ δὲ Κᾶρες καὶ Ἴωνες. οὕτω δὲ καὶ οἱ ποταμοὶ καὶ μάλιστα ὁ Μαίανδρος τὰ μὲν διορίζοντες τῶν ἐθνῶν, διʼ ὧν δὲ μέσοι φερόμενοι δύσληπτον ποιοῦσι τἀκριβές· καὶ περὶ τῶν πεδίων δὲ τῶν ἐφʼ ἑκάτερα τῆς τε ὀρεινῆς καὶ τῆς ποταμίας ὁ αὐτὸς λόγος. οὐδʼ ἡμῖν ἴσως ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον φροντιστέον ὡς ἀναγκαῖον χωρομετροῦσιν, ἀλλὰ τοσοῦτον μόνον ὑπογραπτέον ὅσον καὶ οἱ πρὸ ἡμῶν παραδεδώκασι.
The places situated next to these towards the south, and extending to Mount Taurus, are so intermixed, that parts of Phrygia, Lydia, Caria, and Mysia running into one another are difficult to be distinguished. The Romans have contributed not a little to produce this confusion, by not dividing the people according to tribes, but following another principle have arranged them according to jurisdictions, in which they have appointed days for holding courts and administering justice.
The Tmolus is a well compacted mass of mountain, of moderate circumference, and its boundaries are within Lydia itself. The Mesogis begins, according to Theopompus, from Celaenae, and extends on the opposite side as far as Mycale, so that Phrygians occupy one part, towards Celaenae and Apameia; Mysians and Lydians another; Carians and Ionians a third part.
So also the rivers, and particularly the Maeander, are the actual boundaries of some nations, but take their course through the middle of others, rendering accurate distinction between them difficult.
The same may be said of plains, which are found on each side of a mountainous range and on each side of a river. Our attention however is not required to obtain the same degree of accuracy as a surveyor, but only to give such descriptions as have been transmitted to us by our predecessors.
τῷ δὴ Καϋστριανῷ πεδίῳ μεταξὺ πίπτοντι τῆς τε Μεσωγίδος καὶ τοῦ Τμώλου συνεχές ἐστι πρὸς ἕω τὸ Κιλβιανὸν πεδίον πολύ τε καὶ συνοικούμενον εὖ καὶ χώραν ἔχον σπουδαίαν· εἶτα τὸ Ὑρκάνιον πεδίον, Περσῶν ἐπονομασάντων καὶ ἐποίκους ἀγαγόντων ἐκεῖθεν (ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ τὸ Κύρου πεδίον Πέρσαι κατωνόμασαν)· εἶτα τὸ Πελτηνὸν πεδίον, ἤδη Φρύγιον, καὶ τὸ Κιλλάνιον καὶ τὸ Ταβηνόν, ἔχοντα πολίχνας μιξοφρυγίους ἐχούσας τι καὶ Πισιδικόν, ἀφʼ ὧν αὐτὰ κατωνομάσθη.
Contiguous on the east to the plain of Caÿster, which lies between the Mesogis and Tmolus, is the plain Cilbianum. It is extensive, well inhabited, and fertile. Then follows the Hyrcanian plain, a name given by the Persians, who brought colonists from Hyrcania (the plain of Cyrus, in like manner had its name from the Persians). Next is the Peltine plain, belonging to the Phrygians, and the Cillanian and the Tabenian plains, the latter of which contains small towns, inhabited by a mixed population of Phrygians, with a portion of Pisidians. The plains have their names from the towns.
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