τῶν δʼ ὑπερθέσεων τῶν ἐκ τῆς Ἰταλίας εἰς τὴν ἔξω Κελτικὴν καὶ τὴν προσάρκτιον ἡ διὰ Σαλασσῶν ἐστιν ἄγουσα ἐπὶ Λούγδουνον· διττὴ δʼ ἐστίν, ἡ μὲν ἁμαξεύεσθαι δυναμένη διὰ μήκους πλείονος ἡ διὰ Κεντρώνων, ἡ δὲ ὀρθία καὶ στενή, σύντομος δέ, ἡ διὰ τοῦ Ποινίνου. τὸ δὲ Λούγδουνον ἐν μέσῳ τῆς χώρας ἐστὶν ὥσπερ ἀκρόπολις, διά τε τὰς συμβολὰς τῶν ποταμῶν καὶ διὰ τὸ ἐγγὺς εἶναι πᾶσι τοῖς μέρεσι. διόπερ καὶ Ἀγρίππας ἐντεῦθεν τὰς ὁδοὺς ἔτεμε, τὴν διὰ τῶν Κεμμένων ὀρῶν μέχρι Σαντόνων καὶ τῆς Ἀκυιτανίας, καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ τὸν Ῥῆνον, καὶ τρίτην τὴν ἐπὶ τὸν ὠκεανόν, τὴν πρὸς Βελλοάκοις καὶ Ἀμβιανοῖς, τετάρτη δʼ ἐστὶν ἐπὶ τὴν Ναρβωνῖτιν καὶ τὴν Μασσαλιωτικὴν παραλίαν. ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἐν ἀριστερᾷ ἀφεῖσι τὸ Λούγδουνον καὶ τὴν ὑπερκειμένην χώραν ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ Ποινίνῳ πάλιν ἐκτροπὴ διαβάντι τὸν Ῥοδανὸν ἢ τὴν λίμνην τὴν Λημένναν εἰς τὰ Ἐλουηττίων πεδία, κἀντεῦθεν εἰς Σηκοανοὺς ὑπέρθεσις διὰ τοῦ Ἰόρα ὄρους καὶ εἰς Λίγγονας· διά τε τούτων ἐπʼ ἄμφω καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν Ῥῆνον καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν ὠκεανὸν δίοδοι σχίζονται.
One of the passages over the mountains from Italy into Transalpine and northern Keltica is that which passes through the country of the Salassi, and leads to Lugdunum. This [route] is divided into two ways, one practicable for carriages, but longer, which crosses the country of the Centrones, the other steep and narrow, but shorter; this crosses the Pennine [Alps]. Lugdunum is situated in the midst of the country, serving as an Acropolis, both on account of the confluence of the rivers, and of its being equally near to all parts. It was on this account that Agrippa cut all the roads from this [as a centre] one running through the mountains of the Cevennes to the Santones and Aquitaine, another towards the Rhine; a third towards the ocean by the country of the Bellovaci and Ambiani, and a fourth towards the Narbonnaise and the coast of Marseilles. The traveller, also, leaving Lugdunum and the country above on his left, may pass over the Pennine Alps themselves, the Rhone, or Lake Leman, into the plains of the Helvetii, whence there is a passage through Mount Jura into the country of the Sequani, and Lingones; here the road separates into two routes, one running to the Rhine, and the other to the ocean.
ἔτι φησὶ Πολύβιος ἐφʼ ἑαυτοῦ κατʼ Ἀκυληίαν μάλιστα ἐν τοῖς Ταυρίσκοις τοῖς Νωρικοῖς εὑρεθῆναι χρυσεῖον οὕτως εὐφυὲς ὥστʼ ἐπὶ δύο πόδας ἀποσύραντι τὴν ἐπιπολῆς γῆν εὐθὺς ὀρυκτὸν εὑρίσκεσθαι χρυσόν, τὸ δʼ ὄρυγμα μὴ πλειόνων ὑπάρχειν ἢ πεντεκαίδεκα ποδῶν, εἶναι δὲ τοῦ χρυσοῦ τὸν μὲν αὐτόθεν καθαρὸν κυάμου μέγεθος ἢ θέρμου, τοῦ ὀγδόου μέρους μόνον ἀφεψηθέντος, τὸν δὲ δεῖσθαι μὲν χωνείας πλείονος σφόδρα δὲ λυσιτελοῦς. συνεργασαμένων δὲ τοῖς βαρβάροις τῶν Ἰταλιωτῶν ἐν διμήνῳ, παραχρῆμα τὸ χρυσίον εὐωνότερον γενέσθαι τῷ τρίτῳ μέρει καθʼ ὅλην τὴν Ἰταλίαν, αἰσθομένους δὲ τοὺς Ταυρίσκους μονοπωλεῖν ἐκβαλόντας τοὺς συνεργαζομένους. ἀλλὰ νῦν ἅπαντα τὰ χρυσεῖα ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίοις ἐστί. κἀνταῦθα δʼ, ὥσπερ κατὰ τὴν Ἰβηρίαν, φέρουσιν οἱ ποταμοὶ χρυσοῦ ψῆγμα πρὸς τῷ ὀρυκτῷ, οὐ μέντοι τοσοῦτον. ὁ δʼ αὐτὸς ἀνὴρ περὶ τοῦ μεγέθους τῶν Ἄλπεων καὶ τοῦ ὕψους λέγων παραβάλλει τὰ ἐν τοῖς Ἕλλησιν ὄρη τὰ μέγιστα, τὸ Ταΰγετον τὸ Λύκαιον Παρνασσὸν Ὄλυμπον Πήλιον Ὄσσαν, ἐν δὲ Θρᾴκῃ Αἷμον Ῥοδόπην Δούνακα· καί φησιν ὅτι τούτων μὲν ἕκαστον μικροῦ δεῖν αὐθημερὸν εὐζώνοις ἀναβῆναι δυνατόν, αὐθημερὸν δὲ καὶ περιελθεῖν, τὰς δʼ Ἄλπεις οὐδʼ ἂν πεμπταῖος ἀναβαίη τίς· τὸ δὲ μῆκός ἐστι δισχιλίων καὶ διακοσίων σταδίων τὸ παρῆκον παρὰ τὰ πεδία. τέτταρας δʼ ὑπερβάσεις ὀνομάζει μόνον· διὰ Λιγύων μὲν τὴν ἔγγιστα τῷ Τυρρηνικῷ πελάγει, εἶτα τὴν διὰ Ταυρίνων ἣν Ἀννίβας διῆλθεν, εἶτα τὴν διὰ Σαλασσῶν, τετάρτην δὲ τὴν διὰ Ῥαιτῶν, ἁπάσας κρημνώδεις. λίμνας δὲ εἶναί φησιν ἐν τοῖς ὄρεσι πλείους μέν, τρεῖς δὲ μεγάλας· ὧν ἡ μὲν Βήνακος ἔχει μῆκος πεντακοσίων σταδίων, πλάτος δὲ τριάκοντα, ἐκρεῖ δὲ ποταμὸς Μίγκιος· ἡ δʼ ἑξῆς Λάριος τετρακοσίων, πλάτος δὲ στενωτέρα τῆς πρότερον, ἐξίησι δὲ ποταμὸν τὸν Ἀδούαν· τρίτη δὲ Ὀυερβανὸς μῆκος ἐγγὺς τριακοσίων σταδίων, πλάτος δὲ τριάκοντα, ποταμὸν δὲ ἐξίησι μέγαν Τικῖνον· πάντες δʼ εἰς τὸν Πάδον συρρέουσι. τοσαῦτα καὶ περὶ τῶν ὀρῶν ἔχομεν λέγειν τῶν Ἀλπεινῶν.
Polybius tells us that in his time the gold mines were so rich about Aquileia, but particularly in the countries of the Taurisci Norici, that if you dug but two feet below the surface you found gold, and that the diggings [generally] were not deeper than fifteen feet. In some instances the gold was found pure in lumps about the size of a bean or lupin, and which diminished in the fire only about one eighth; and in others, though requiring more fusion, was still very profitable. Certain Italians aiding the barbarians in working [the mines], in the space of two months the value of gold was diminished throughout the whole of Italy by one third. The Taurisci on discovering this drove out their fellow-labourers, and only sold the gold themselves. Now, however, the Romans possess all the gold mines. Here, too, as well as in Iberia, the rivers yield gold-dust as well as the diggings, though not in such large quantities. The same writer, speaking of the extent and height of the Alps, compares with them the largest mountains of Greece, such as Taygetum, Lycaeum, Parnassus, Olympus, Pelion, Ossa, and of Thrace, as the Haemus, Rhodope, and Dunax, saying that an active person might almost ascend any of these in a single day, and go round them in the same time, whereas five days would not be sufficient to ascend the Alps, while their length along the plains extends 2200 stadia. He only names four passes over the mountains, one through Liguria close to the Tyrrhenian Sea, a second through the country of the Taurini, by which Hannibal passed, a third through the country of the Salassi, and a fourth through that of the Rhaeti, all of them precipitous. In these mountains, he says, there are numerous lakes; three large ones, the first of which is Benacus, 500 stadia in length and 130 in breadth, the river Mincio flows from it. The second is the Verbanus, 400 stadia [in length], and in breadth smaller than the preceding; the great river Ticino flows from this [lake]. The third is the Larius, its length is nearly 300 stadia, and its breadth 30, the river Adda flows from it. All these rivers flow into the Po. This is what we have to say concerning the Alpine mountains.
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