And at first they committed many outrages against the inhabitants of that region, but later, with the emperor’s permission, they settled in Thrace; and during part of this time they were fighting on the side of the Romans, receiving pay from the emperor every year just as the other soldiers did and being called “foederati”; for so the Romans at that time called them in the Latin tongue, meaning to shew, I suppose, that the Goths had not been defeated by them in war, but had come into peaceful relations with them on the basis of some treaty; for the Latins call treaties in war “foedera,” as I have explained in the previous narrative; but during the rest of the time they were actually waging war against the Romans for no good reason, until they went off to Italy under the leadership of Theoderic. Thus then did the Goths fare.
But the Huns, after killing some of them and driving out the others, as stated, took possession of the land. And the Cutrigurs, on the one hand, summoned their children and wives and settled there in the very place where they have dwelt even to my time. And although they receive from the emperor many gifts every year, they still cross the Ister River continually and overrun the emperor’s land, being both at peace and at war with the Romans. The Utigurs, however, departed homeward with their leader, being destined to live alone in that land thereafter. Now when these Huns came near the Maeotic Lake, they chanced upon the Goths there who are called Tetraxitae. And at first the Goths formed a barrier with their shields and made a stand against their assailants in their own defence, trusting both in their own strength and the advantage of their position; for they are the most stalwart of all the barbarians of that region. Now the head of the outlet of the Maeotic Lake, where the Tetraxitae Goths were then settled, forms a crescent-shaped bay by which they were almost completely surrounded, so that only one approach, and that not a very wide one, was open to those who attacked them. But afterwards, seeing that the Huns were unwilling to waste any time there and the Goths were quite hopeless of holding out for a long time against the throng of their enemy, they came to an understanding with each other, agreeing that they should join forces and make the crossing in common, and that the Goths should settle on the opposite mainland, principally along the bank of the outlet (where they are actually settled at the present time), and that they should continue to be thereafter friends and allies of the Utigurs and live for ever on terms of complete equality with them. Thus it was that these Goths settled here, and the Cutrigurs, as I have said, being left behind in the land on the other side of the lake, the Utigurs alone possessed the land, making no trouble at all for the Romans, because they do not even dwell near them, but, being separated by many nations which lie between, they are forced, by no will of their own, not to meddle with them.
West of the Maeotic Lake, then, and the Tanais River the Cutrigur Huns established their homes over the greater part of the plains of that region, as I have said; and beyond them Scythians and Taurians hold the entire country, a certain part of which is even now called Taurica; and this is the place where they say the Temple of Artemis was, over which Agamemnon’s daughter Iphigeneia once presided. The Armenians, however, claim that this temple was in the part of their land called Celesene, and that at that period all the peoples of this region were called Scythians, citing as evidence the story of Orestes and the city of Comana related by me in that part of my narrative. But as regards these matters, let each one speak according to his wish; for many things which happened elsewhere, or which, perhaps, never really happened at all, men are wont to appropriate to their own country, being indignant if all do not follow their opinion.
Beyond these nations there is an inhabited city on the coast, Bosporus by name, which became subject to the Romans not long ago. From the city of Bosporus to the city of Cherson, which is situated on the coast and has likewise been subject to the Romans from of old, all between is held by barbarians, Hunnic nations. And two other towns near Cherson, named Cepi and Phanaguris, have been subject to the Romans from ancient times and even to my day. But these not long ago were captured by some of the neighbouring barbarians and razed to the ground. From the city of Cherson to the mouth of the Ister River, which is also called the Danube, is a journey of ten days, and barbarians hold that whole region. Now the Ister River rises in the Celtic mountains, skirts the boundaries of Italy, flows into the lands of Dacia, Illyricum, and Thrace, and finally empties into the Euxine Sea. From that point all the territory as far as Byzantium is under the sway of the Roman emperor.
Such is the circuit of the Euxine Sea from Calchedon to Byzantium. As to the length of this circuit, however, I am unable to speak accurately regarding all portions of it, since such vast numbers of barbarians, as stated above, dwell along its shores, and the Romans have no intercourse at all with any of them except for an occasional interchange of embassies; indeed those who have attempted heretofore to ascertain these measurements have not been able to make any definite statement. This, however, is clear, that the right side of the Euxine Sea, from Calchedon, namely, to the Phasis River, is a journey of fifty-two days for an unencumbered traveller. From this fact one could not unreasonably draw the conclusion that the length of the other side of the Pontus likewise is not far from this.
Ἐπεὶ δὲ ἀφικόμεθα ἐνταῦθα τοῦ λόγου, ἀναγράψασθαι οὔ μοι ἀπὸ καιροῦ ἔδοξεν εἶναι ὅσα δὴ ἀμφὶ τοῖς ὁρίοις τῆς τε Ἀσίας καὶ τῆς Εὐρώπης διαμάχονται πρὸς ἀλλήλους οἱ ταῦτα δεινοί. [2] λέγουσι μὲν γάρ τινες αὐτῶν τὰ ἠπείρω ταύτα διορίζειν ποταμὸν Τάναϊν, ἀπισχυριζόμενοι μὲν χρῆναι τὰς τομὰς φυσικὰς εἶναι, τεκμηριούμενοι δὲ ὡς ἡ μὲν θάλασσα προϊοῦσα ἐκ τῶν ἑσπερίων ἐπὶ τὴν ἑῴαν φέρεται μοῖραν, ποταμὸς δὲ Τάναις ἐκ τῶν ἀρκτῴων φερόμενος ἐς ἄνεμον νότον μεταξὺ ταῖν ἠπείροιν χωρεῖ: ἔμπαλιν δὲ τὸν Αἰγύπτιον Νεῖλον ἐκ μεσημβρίας ἰόντα πρὸς βορρᾶν ἄνεμον Ἀσίας τε καὶ Λιβύης μεταξὺ φέρεσθαι. [3] ἄλλοι δὲ ἀπ̓ ἐναντίας αὐτοῖς ἰόντες οὐχ ὑγιᾶ τὸν λόγον ἰσχυρίζονται εἶναι. λέγουσι γὰρ ὡς τὰ μὲν ἠπείρω ταύτα τὸ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ὅ τε ἐν Γαδείροις διορίζει πορθμὸς ἀπ̓ Ὠκεανοῦ ἐξιὼν καὶ ἡ προϊοῦσα ἐνθένδε θάλασσα, καὶ τὰ μὲν τοῦ πορθμοῦ καὶ τῆς θαλάσσης ἐν δεξιᾷ Λιβύη τε καὶ Ἀσία ὠνόμασται, τὰ δὲ ἐν ἀριστερᾷ πάντα Εὐρώπη ἐκλήθη μέχρι που ἐς λήγοντα τὸν Εὔξεινον καλούμενον Πόντον. [4] Τούτων δὲ δὴ τοιούτων ὄντων ὁ μὲν Τάναϊς ποταμὸς ἐν γῇ τῆς Εὐρώπης τικτόμενος ἐκβάλλει ἐς Λίμνην τὴν Μαιώτιδα, ἡ δὲ Λίμνη ἐς τὸν Εὔξεινον Πόντον τὰς ἐκβολὰς ποιεῖται οὔτε λήγοντα οὔτε μὴν κατὰ μέσον, ἀλλ̓ ἔτι πρόσω. [5] τὰ δὲ εὐώνυμα τούτου δὴ τοῦ Πόντου τῇ τῆς Ἀσίας λογίζεται μοίρα. χωρὶς δὲ τούτων ποταμὸς Τάναϊς ἐξ ὀρέων τῶν Ῥιπαίων καλουμένων ἔξεισιν, ἅπερ ἐν γῇ τῇ Εὐρώπῃ ἐστίν, ὥσπερ καὶ αὐτοὶ οἱ ταῦτα ἐκ παλαιοῦ ἀναγραψάμενοι ὁμολογοῦσι. [6] τούτων δὲ τῶν Ῥιπαίων ὀρῶν τὸν Ὠκεανὸν ὡς ἀπωτάτω ξυμβαίνει εἶναι. τὰ τοίνυν αὐτῶν τε καὶ Τανάϊδος ποταμοῦ ὄπισθεν ξύμπαντα Εὐρωπαῖα ἐφ̓ ἑκάτερα ἐπάναγκες εἶναι. [7] πόθεν οὖν ἄρα ποτὲ ἄρχετ�
�ι ἤπειρον ἑκατέραν διορίζειν ὁ Τάναϊς οὐ ῥᾴδιον εἶναι εἰπεῖν. ἢν δέ τινα ποταμὸν διορίζειν ἄμφω τὰ ἠπείρω λεκτέον, [8] οὗτος δὴ ἐκεῖνος ὁ Φᾶσις ἂν εἴη. καταντικρὺ γὰρ πορθμοῦ τοῦ ἐν Γαδείροις φερόμενος ταῖν ἠπείροιν κατὰ μέσον χωρεῖ, ἐπεὶ ὁ μὲν πορθμὸς ἐξ Ὠκεανοῦ ἐξιὼν θάλασσαν τήνδε ἀπεργαζόμενος τὰ ἠπείρω ταῦτα ἐφ̓ ἑκάτερα ἔχει, ὁ δὲ Φᾶσις κατ̓ αὐτόν που λήγοντα μάλιστα ἰὼν τὸν Εὔξεινον Πόντον ἐς τοῦ μηνοειδοῦς τὰ μέσα ἐκβάλλει, τὴν τῆς γῆς ἐκτομὴν ἀπὸ τῆς θαλάσσης διαφανῶς ἐκδεχόμενος. [9] ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἑκάτεροι προτεινόμενοι διαμάχονται. Ὡς δὲ οὐ μόνος ὁ πρότερος λόγος, ἀλλὰ καὶ οὗτος, ὅνπερ ἀρτίως ἐλέγομεν, μήκει τε χρόνου κεκόμψευται καὶ ἀνδρῶν τινῶν παλαιοτάτων δόξῃ, ἐγὼ δηλώσω, ἐκεῖνο εἰδὼς ὡς ἐκ τοῦ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἄνθρωποι ἅπαντες, ἤν τινος φθάσωσι λόγου ἀρχαίου πεποιημένοι τὴν μάθησιν, οὐκέτι ἐθέλουσι τῇ τῆς ἀληθείας ζητήσει ἐμφιλοχωροῦντες ταλαιπωρεῖν, οὐδὲ νεωτέραν τινὰ μεταμαθεῖν ἀμφ̓ αὐτῷ δόξαν, ἀλλὰ ἀεὶ αὐτοῖς τὸ μὲν παλαιότερον ὑγιές τε δοκεῖ καὶ ἔντιμον εἶναι, τὸ δὲ κατ̓ αὐτοὺς εὐκαταφρόνητον νομίζεται εἶναι καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ γελοιῶδες χωρεῖ. [10] πρὸς δὲ τούτοις τανῦν οὐ περὶ νοερῶν ἢ νοητῶν τινὸς ἢ ἀφανῶν ἄλλως γίγνεται ζήτησις, ἀλλὰ περὶ ποταμοῦ τε καὶ χώρας: ἅπερ ὁ χρόνος οὔτε ἀμείβειν οὔτε πη ἀποκρύψασθαι ἴσχυσεν. [11] ἥ τε γὰρ πεῖρα ἐγγὺς καὶ ἡ ὄψις ἐς μαρτυρίαν ἱκανωτάτη, οὐδέν τε παρεμποδισθήσεσθαι οἶμαι τοῖς τὸ ἀληθὲς εὑρέσθαι ἐν σπουδῇ ἔχουσιν. [12] ὁ τοίνυν Ἁλικαρνασεὺς Ἡρόδοτος ἐν τῇ τῶν ἱστοριῶν τετάρτῃ φησὶ μίαν μὲν εἶναι τὴν γῆν ξύμπασαν, νομίζεσθαι δὲ εἰς μοίρας τε καὶ προσηγορίας τρεῖς διαιρεῖσθαι, Λιβύην τε καὶ Ἀσίαν καὶ Εὐρώπην. [13] καὶ αὐτῶν Λιβύης μὲν καὶ τῆς Ἀσίας Νεῖλον τὸν Αἰγύπτιον ποταμὸν μεταξὺ φέρεσθαι, τὴν δὲ δὴ Ἀσίαν τε καὶ Εὐρώπην διορίζειν τὸν Κόλχον Φᾶσιν. εἰδὼς δέ τινας ἀμφὶ Τανάϊδι ποταμῷ ταῦτα οἴεσθαι, καὶ τοῦτο ἐν ὑστέρῳ ἐπεῖπε. [14] καί μοι οὐκ ἀπὸ καιροῦ ἔδοξεν εἶναι αὐτὰ τοῦ Ἡροδότου τὰ γράμματα τῷ λόγῳ ἐνθεῖναι ὧδέ πη ἔχοντα: ‘Οὐδὲ ἔχω συμβαλέσθαι ἀπὸ τοῦ μιῇ ἐούσῃ γῇ ὀνόματα τριφάσια κέαται, ἐπωνυμίην ἔχοντα γυναικῶν, καὶ ὁρίσματα αὐτῇ Νεῖλός τε ὁ Αἰγύπτιος ποταμὸς ἐτέθη καὶ Φᾶσις ὁ Κόλχος. [15] οἱ δὲ Τάναϊν ποταμὸν τὸν Μαιήτην καὶ πορθμήια τὰ Κιμμέρια λέγουσιν.’ ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ τραγῳδοποιὸς Αἰσχύλος ἐν Προμηθεῖ τῷ Λυομένῳ εὐθὺς ἀρχόμενος τῆς τραγῳδίας τὸν ποταμὸν Φᾶσιν τέρμονα καλεῖ γῆς τε τῆς Ἀσίας καὶ τῆς Εὐρώπης. [16] Κἀκεῖνο δέ μοι ἐν τῷ παρόντι εἰρήσεται, ὡς τούτων δὴ τῶν τὰ τοιαῦτα σοφῶν οἱ μὲν τὴν Μαιῶτιν οἴονται Λίμνην ἀπεργάζεσθαι τὸν Εὔξεινον Πόντον, καὶ αὐτοῦ τὸ μὲν ἐν ἀριστερᾷ, τὸ δὲ ἐν δεξιᾷ τῆς Λίμνης χωρεῖν, μητέρα τε διὰ τοῦτο τοῦ Πόντου καλεῖσθαι τὴν Λίμνην. [17] ταῦτά τέ φασι τεκμηριούμενοι, ὅτι δὴ ἐκ τοῦ καλουμένου Ἱεροῦ ἡ τούτου δὴ τοῦ Πόντου ἐκροὴ ἐπὶ Βυζαντίου καθάπερ τις ποταμὸς κάτεισι, καὶ ἀπ̓ αὐτοῦ πέρας εἶναι τοῦτο τοῦ Πόντου οἴονται [18] οἱ δὲ τοῦ λόγου κατηγοροῦντες ἀποφαίνουσιν ὅτι δὴ μία τις ἐξ Ὠκεανοῦ ξύμπασα ἡ θάλασσα οὖσα καὶ οὐδαμῆ ἑτέρωθι ἀπολήγουσα ἐς γῆν τὴν Λαζῶν κατατείνει, πλήν γε εἰ μή τις, φασί, τὸ ἐν τοῖς ὀνόμασι διάλλασσον ἑτερότητα εἴπῃ, ὅτι δὴ τὸ ἐνθένδε ἡ θάλασσα Πόντος ὠνόμασται. [19] Εἰ δὲ τὰ ῥεύματα ἐκ τοῦ Ἱεροῦ καλουμένου κάτεισιν ἐς Βυζάντιον, οὐδὲν τοῦτο πρᾶγμα. τὰ γὰρ ἐν πορθμοῖς ἅπασι ξυμπίπτοντα πάθη οὐδενὶ λόγῳ φαίνεται εἴκοντα, οὐδέ τις αὐτὰ φράσαι πώποτε ἱκανὸς γέγονεν. [20] ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ Σταγειρίτης Ἀριστοτέλης, σοφὸς ἀνὴρ ἐν τοῖς μάλιστα, ἐν Χαλκίδι τῇ τῆς Εὐβοίας τούτου δὴ ἕνεκα γεγονώς, κατανοῶν τε τὸν ταύτῃ πορθμόν, ὅνπερ Εὔριπον ὀνομάζουσι, καὶ λόγον τὸν φυσικὸν ἐς τὸ ἀκριβὲς διερευνᾶσθαι βουλόμενος, ὅπως δὴ καὶ ὅντινα τρόπον ἐνίοτε μὲν τὰ τοῦ πορθμοῦ τούτου ῥεύματα ἐκ δυσμῶν φέρεται, ἐνίοτε δὲ ἐξ ἡλίου ἀνατολῶν, καὶ κατὰ ταῦτα πλεῖν τὰ πλοῖα ξύμπαντα ἐνταῦθα ξυμβαίνει. ἢν δέ ποτε τοῦ ῥοῦ ἐξ ἀνίσχοντος ἡλίου ἰόντος, ἀρξαμένων τε τῶν ναυτῶν ἐνθένδε ξὺν τῇ τοῦ ῥοθίου ἐπιρροῇ ναυτίλλεσθαι, ᾗπερ εἰώθει, ἀπ̓ ἐναντίας αὐτοῦ τὸ ῥεῦμα ἴῃ, ὅπερ πολλάκις ἐνταῦθα φιλεῖ γίνεσθαι, ἀναστρέφει μὲν τὰ πλοῖα ταῦτα εὐθὺς ἔνθεν ὥρμηται, τὰ δὲ ἄλλα ἐκ δυσμῶν ἐπὶ θάτερα πλεῖ, καίπερ αὐτοῖς τῶν ἀνέμων τινὸς ὡς ἥκιστα ἐπιπνεύσαντος, ἀλλὰ γαλήνης τε βαθείας τινὸς καὶ νηνεμίας ἐνταῦθα οὔσης, ταῦτα ὁ Σταγειρίτης ἐννοῶν τε καὶ ἀνακυκλῶν ἐπὶ χρόνου μῆκος, δυσθανατῶν ἐπὶ ξυννοίᾳ ἀφίκετο ἐς τὸ μέτρον τοῦ βίου. [21] οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ κἀν τῷ τὴν Ἰταλίαν τε καὶ Σικελίαν διείργοντι πορθμῷ πολλὰ τῷ παραλόγῳ γίνεσθαι πέφυκε. δοκεῖ γὰρ ἐκ τοῦ Ἀδριατικοῦ καλουμένου πελάγους τὸ ῥεῦμα ἐκεῖσε ἰέναι. [22] καίτοι ἐξ Ὠκεανοῦ καὶ Γαδείρων ἡ τῆς θαλάσσης πρόοδος γίνεται. ἀλλὰ καὶ ἴλιγγοι ἐξαπιναίως ἐνταῦθα συχνοὶ ἀπ̓ οὐδεμιᾶς ἡμῖν φαινομένης αἰτίας τὰς ναῦς διαχρῶνται. [23] καὶ διὰ τοῦτο οἱ ποιηταὶ λέγουσι πρὸς τῆς Χαρύβδεως ῥοφεῖσθαι τὰ πλοῖα, ὅσα ἂν τύχῃ τηνικάδε ὄντα ἐν τῷ πορ
θμῷ τούτῳ. [24] οὗτοι δὲ ταῦτα δὴ ἅπαντα οἴονται τὰ πλείστῳ παραλόγῳ ἐν πᾶσι ξυμβαίνοντα τοῖς πορθμοῖς, ἐκ τῆς ἄγχιστα οὔσης ἑκατέρωθεν ἠπείρου ξυμβαίνειν: βιαζόμενον γάρ φασι τῇ στενοχωρίᾳ τὸ ῥόθιον ἐς ἀτόπους τινὰς καὶ λόγον οὐκ ἐχούσας ἀνάγκας χωρεῖν. [25] Ὥστε εἰ καὶ ὁ ῥοῦς ἐκ τοῦ Ἱεροῦ καλουμένου ἐς Βυζάντιον δοκεῖ φέρεσθαι, οὐκ ἄν τις τήν τε θάλασσαν καὶ τὸν Εὔξεινον Πόντον ἀπολήγειν ἰσχυρίσαιτο ἐνταῦθα εἰκότως. [26] οὐ γὰρ ἐπὶ στερρᾶς τινὸς ὁ λόγος ὅδε φύσεως ἕστηκεν, ἀλλ̓ ἡ στενοχωρία κἀνταῦθα νικάτω. οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ παντάπασι τὸ τοιοῦτον ταύτῃ πη ἔχει. [27] λέγουσι γὰρ οἱ ἀσπαλιεῖς τῶν τῇδε χωρίων ὡς οὐχ ὅλος δὴ εὐθὺ τοῦ Βυζαντίου ὁ ῥοῦς κάτεισιν, ἀλλ̓ αὐτοῦ τὰ μὲν ἄνω, ἅπερ ἡμῖν διαφανῆ ἐστί, κατὰ ταῦτα ἰέναι ξυμβαίνει, τὰ μέντοι ἔνερθεν, ἵνα δὴ ἄβυσσός ἐστί τε καὶ ὠνόμασται, τὴν ἐναντίαν τοῖς ἄνω διαρρήδην χωρεῖν, ἔμπαλίν τε τοῦ φαινομένου ἐσαεὶ φέρεσθαι. [28] ταῦτά τοι, ἐπειδὰν ἄγραν μετιόντες ἰχθύων τὰ λίνα ἐνταῦθά πη ἀπορρίψωσι, ταῦτα δὲ ἀεὶ τῷ ῥεύματι βιαζόμενα τὴν ἐπὶ τὸ Ἱερὸν φέρεσθαι. [29] Ἐν δὲ Λαζικῇ πανταχόθεν ἡ γῆ τῆς θαλάσσης ἀποκρουομένη τὴν πρόοδον καὶ ἀναχαιτίζουσα τὸν αὐτῆς δρόμον, πρῶτόν τε καὶ μόνον ἀπολήγειν αὐτὴν ἐνταῦθα ποιεῖ, τοῦ δημιουργοῦ δηλονότι τὰ ὅρια σφίσι τῇδε θεμένου. [30] ἁπτομένη γὰρ ἡ θάλασσα τῆς ταύτῃ ἠϊόνος οὔτε πρόσω χωρεῖ οὔτε πη ἐς ὕψος ἐπαίρεται μεῖζον, καίπερ πανταχόθεν ἀεὶ περιρρεομένη ποταμῶν ἐκβολαῖς ἀναρίθμων τε καὶ ὑπερφυῶν ἄγαν, ἀλλ̓ ἀναποδίζουσα ὀπίσω ἐπάνεισιν αὖθις καὶ μέτρον διαριθμουμένη τὸ ταύτης ἴδιον, διασώζει τὸν ἐξ αὐτῆς ὅρον, ὥσπερ τινὰ δειμαίνουσα νόμον, ἀνάγκῃ τε τῇ ἀπ̓ αὐτοῦ ἐς τὸ ἀκριβὲς σφιγγομένη μή τι τῶν ξυγκειμένων ἐκβᾶσα φανείη. [31] τὰς γὰρ ἄλλας ἁπάσας τῆς θαλάσσης ἀκτὰς οὐκ ἀπ̓ ἐναντίας αὐτῇ, ἀλλ̓ ἐκ πλαγίου ξυμβαίνει κεῖσθαι. ἀλλὰ περὶ μὲν τούτων γινωσκέτω τε καὶ λεγέτω ἕκαστος ὅπη αὐτῷ δ φίλον.
Delphi Complete Works of Procopius Page 509