ἔστι δὲ καὶ Ἀρτεμίτα πόλις ἀξιόλογος, διέχουσα πεντακοσίους τῆς Σελευκείας σταδίους, πρὸς ἕω τὸ πλέον, καθάπερ καὶ ἡ Σιτακηνή· καὶ γὰρ αὕτη πολλή τε καὶ ἀγαθὴ μέση Βαβυλῶνος τέτακται καὶ τῆς Σουσίδος, ὥστε τοῖς ἐκ Βαβυλῶνος εἰς Σοῦσα βαδίζουσι διὰ τῆς Σιτακηνῆς ἡ ὁδὸς ἅπασα πρὸς ἕω· πρὸς ἕω δʼ ἐστὶ καὶ τοῖς ἐκ Σούσων εἰς τὴν μεσόγαιαν τῆς Περσίδος διὰ τῆς Οὐξίας καὶ τοῖς ἐκ τῆς Περσίδος εἰς τὰ μέσα τῆς Καρμανίας. τὴν μὲν οὖν Καρμανίαν ἐγκυκλοῦται πρὸς ἄρκτον ἡ Περσὶς πολλὴ οὖσα· ταύτῃ δὲ συνάπτει ἡ Παραιτακηνὴ καὶ ἡ Κοσσαία μέχρι Κασπίων πυλῶν, ὀρεινὰ καὶ λῃστρικὰ ἔθνη· τῇ δὲ Σουσίδι ἡ Ἐλυμαῒς καὶ αὐτὴ τραχεῖα ἡ πολλὴ καὶ λῃστρική· τῇ δὲ Ἐλυμαΐδι τὰ περὶ τὸν Ζάγρον καὶ ἡ Μηδία.
At the distance of 500 stadia from Seleuceia is Artemita, a considerable city, situated nearly directly to the east, which is the position also of Sitacene. This extensive and fertile tract of country lies between Babylon and Susiana, so that the whole road in travelling from Babylon to Susa passes through Sitacene. The road from Susa into the interior of Persis, through the territory of the Uxii, and from Persis into the middle of Carmania, leads also towards the east.
Persis, which is a large country, encompasses Carmania on the [west] and north. Close to it adjoin Paraetacene, and the Cossaean territory as far as the Caspian Gates, inhabited by mountainous and predatory tribes. Contiguous to Susiana is Elymaïs, a great part of which is rugged, and inhabited by robbers. To Elymaïs adjoin the country about the Zagrus and Media.
κοσσαῖοι μὲν οὖν εἰσι τοξόται τὸ πλέον, καθάπερ καὶ οἱ συνεχεῖς ὀρεινοί, προνομεύοντες ἀεί· χώραν γὰρ ἔχουσιν ὀλίγην τε καὶ λυπρὰν ὥστʼ ἐκ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων ἀνάγκη ζῆν· ἀνάγκη δὲ καὶ ἰσχύειν· ἅπαντες γάρ εἰσι μάχιμοι· τοῖς γοῦν Ἐλυμαίοις συνεμάχουν μύριοι καὶ τρισχίλιοι πολεμοῦσι πρός τε Βαβυλωνίους καὶ Σουσίους. οἱ δὲ Παραιτακηνοὶ μᾶλλον μὲν τῶν Κοσσαίων ἐπιμελοῦνται γῆς· ὅμως δὲ καὶ αὐτοὶ λῃστηρίων οὐκ ἀπέχονται. Ἐλυμαῖοι δὲ καὶ μείζω τούτων κέκτηνται χώραν καὶ ποικιλωτέραν. ὅση μὲν οὖν ἀγαθὴ γεωργοὺς ἔχει τοὺς ἐνοικοῦντας, ἡ δʼ ὀρεινὴ στρατιώτας τρέφει τοξότας τοὺς πλείστους· πολλὴ δὲ οὖσα πολὺ καὶ τὸ στρατιωτικὸν παρέχεται, ὥστε καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς αὐτῶν δύναμιν κεκτημένος μεγάλην οὐκ ἀξιοῖ τῷ τῶν Παρθυαίων βασιλεῖ παραπλησίως τοῖς ἄλλοις ὑπήκοος εἶναι· ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ πρὸς τοὺς Μακεδόνας πρότερον τοὺς τῆς Συρίας ἄρχοντας διέκειτο. Ἀντίοχον μὲν οὖν τὸν μέγαν τὸ τοῦ Βήλου συλᾶν ἱερὸν ἐπιχειρήσαντα ἀνεῖλον ἐπιθέμενοι καθʼ αὑτοὺς οἱ πλησίον βάρβαροι. ἐκ δὲ τῶν ἐκείνῳ συμβάντων παιδευθεὶς ὁ Παρθυαῖος χρόνοις ὕστερον ἀκούων τὰ ἱερὰ πλούσια παρʼ αὐτοῖς, ὁρῶν δʼ ἀπειθοῦντας, ἐμβάλλει μετὰ δυνάμεως μεγάλης, καὶ τό τε τῆς Ἀθηνᾶς ἱερὸν εἷλε καὶ τὸ τῆς Ἀρτέμιδος, τὰ Ἄζαρα, καὶ ἦρε ταλάντων μυρίων γάζαν· ᾑρέθη δὲ καὶ πρὸς τῷ Ἡδυφῶντι ποταμῷ Σελεύκεια, μεγάλη πόλις· Σολόκη δʼ ἐκαλεῖτο πρότερον. τρεῖς δʼ εἰσὶν εἰς τὴν χώραν εὐφυεῖς εἰσβολαί· ἐκ μὲν τῆς Μηδίας καὶ τῶν περὶ τὸν Ζάγρον τόπων διὰ τῆς Μασσαβατικῆς, ἐκ δὲ τῆς Σουσίδος διὰ τῆς Γαβιανῆς (ἐπαρχίαι δʼ εἰσὶν αὗται τῆς Ἐλυμαίας ἥ τε Γαβιανὴ καὶ ἡ Μασσαβατική), τρίτη δʼ ἐστὶν ἡ ἐκ τῆς Περσίδος. ἔστι δὲ καὶ Κορβιανὴ ἐπαρχία τῆς Ἐλυμαΐδος. ὅμοροι δʼ εἰσὶ τούτοις Σαγαπηνοί τε καὶ Σιλακηνοί, δυναστεῖαι μικραί. τοσαῦτα μὲν καὶ τοιαῦτα ἔθνη πρὸς ἕω τὰ ὑπερκείμενα τῆς Βαβυλωνίας. πρὸς ἄρκτον δὲ τὴν Μηδίαν ἔφαμεν καὶ τὴν Ἀρμενίαν· ἀπὸ δὲ δύσεώς ἐστιν ἡ Ἀδιαβηνὴ καὶ ἡ Μεσοποταμία.
The Cossaei, like the neighbouring mountaineers, are for the most part archers, and are always out on foraging parties. For as they occupy a country of small extent, and barren, they are compelled by necessity to live at the expense of others. They are also necessarily powerful, for they are all fighting men. When the Elymaei were at war with the Babylonians and Susians, they supplied the Elymaei with thirteen thousand auxiliaries.
The Paraetaceni attend to the cultivation of the ground more than the Cossaei, but even these people do not abstain from robbery.
The Elymaei occupy a country larger in extent, and more varied, than that of the Paraetaceni. The fertile part of it is inhabited by husbandmen. The mountainous tract is a nursery for soldiers, the greatest part of whom are archers. As it is of considerable extent, it can furnish a great military force; their king, who possesses great power, refuses to be subject, like others, to the king of Parthia. The country was similarly independent in the time of the Persians, and afterwards in the time of the Macedonians, who governed Syria. When Antiochus the Great attempted to plunder the temple of Belus, the neighbouring barbarians, unassisted, attacked and put him to death. In after-times the king of Parthia heard that the temples in their country contained great wealth, but knowing that the people would not submit, and admonished by the fate of Antiochus, he invaded their country with a large army; he took the temple of Minerva, and that of Diana, called Azara, and carried away treasure to the amount of 10,000 talents. Seleuceia also, a large city on the river Hedyphon, was taken. It was formerly called Soloce.
There are three convenient entrances into this country; one from Media and the places about the Zagrus, through Massabatice; a second from Susis, through the district Gabiane. Both Gabiane and Massabatice are provinces of Elymaea. A third passage is that from Persis. Corbiane also is a province of Elymaïs.
Sagapeni and Silaceni, small principalities, border upon Elymaïs.
Such, then, is the number and the character of the nations situated above Babylonia towards the east.
We have said that Media and Armenia lie to the north, and Adiabene and Mesopotamia to the west of Babylonia.
τῆς μὲν οὖν Ἀδιαβηνῆς ἡ πλείστη πεδιάς ἐστι, καὶ αὐτὴ τῆς Βαβυλωνίας μέρος οὖσα ἔχουσα δʼ ὅμως ἄρχοντα ἴδιον, ἔστιν ὅπη καὶ τῇ Ἀρμενίᾳ προσχωροῦσα. οἱ γὰρ Μῆδοι καὶ οἱ Ἀρμένιοι τρίτοι δὲ Βαβυλώνιοι τὰ μέγιστα τῶν ἐθνῶν τῶν ταύτῃ διετέλουν οὕτως ἐξ ἀρχῆς συνεστῶτες ὥστʼ ἀλλήλοις ἐπιτίθεσθαι κατὰ καιροὺς τοὺς οἰκείους ἕκαστοι καὶ πάλιν διαλύεσθαι· καὶ τοῦτο καὶ μέχρι τῆς τῶν Παρθυαίων ἐπικρατείας διέμεινε. τῶν μὲν οὖν Μήδων καὶ τῶν Βαβυλωνίων ἐπάρχουσι Παρθυαῖοι, τῶν δʼ Ἀρμενίων οὐδʼ ἅπαξ· ἀλλʼ ἔφοδοι μὲν γεγόνασι πολλάκις, ἀνὰ κράτος δʼ οὐχ ἑάλωσαν, ἀλλʼ ὅ γε Τιγράνης καὶ ἐρρωμένως ἀντεπεκράτησεν, ὡς ἐν τοῖς Ἀρμενιακοῖς εἴρηται. ἡ μὲν οὖν Ἀδιαβηνὴ τοιαύτη· περὶ δὲ τῆς Μεσοποταμίας ἐροῦμεν ἐφεξῆς καὶ τῶν πρὸς μεσημβρίαν ἐθνῶν, ἐπιόντες ἐπὶ μικρὸν πρότερον τὰ λεγόμενα περὶ τῶν ἐθῶν τῶν παρὰ τοῖς Ἀσσυρίοις.
The greatest part of Adiabene consists of plains, and, although it is a portion of Babylon, has its own prince. In some places it is contiguous to Armenia. For the Medes, Armenians, and Babylonians, the three greatest nations in these parts, were from the first in the practice, on convenient opportunities, of waging continual war with each other, and then making peace, which state of things continued till the establishment of the Parthian empire.
The Parthians subdued the Medes and Babylonians, but never at any time conquered the Armenians. They made frequent inroads into their country, but the people were not subdued, and Tigranes, as I have mentioned in the description of Armenia, opposed them with great vigour and success.
Such is the nature of Adiabene. The Adiabeni are also called Saccopodes.
We shall describe Mesopotamia and the nations towards the south, after premising a short account of the customs of the Assyrians.
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