Читать книгу The Natural History of Pliny (Vol. 1-6) - Pliny the Elder - Страница 224

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The first place in Troas is Hamaxitus4124, then Cebrenia4125, and then Troas4126 itself, formerly called Antigonia, and now Alexandria, a Roman colony. We then come to the town of Nee4127, the Scamander4128, a navigable river, and the spot where in former times the town of Sigeum4129 stood, upon a promontory. We next come to the Port of the Achæans4130, into which the Xanthus4131 flows after its union with the Simois4132, and forms the Palæscamander4133, which was formerly a lake. The other rivers, rendered famous by Homer, namely, the Rhesus, the Heptaporus, the Caresus, and the Rhodius, have left no vestiges of their existence. The Granicus4134, taking a different route, flows into the Propontis4135. The small city of Scamandria, however, still exists, and, at a distance of a mile and a half from its harbour, Ilium4136, a place exempt from tribute4137, the fountain-head of universal fame. Beyond the gulf are the shores of Rhœteum4138, peopled by the towns of Rhœteum4139, Dardanium4140, and Arisbe4141. There was also in former times a town of Achilleon4142, founded near the tomb of Achilles by the people of Mitylene, and afterwards rebuilt by the Athenians, close to the spot where his fleet had been stationed near Sigeum. There was also the town of Æantion4143, founded by the Rhodians upon the opposite point, near the tomb of Ajax, at a distance of thirty stadia from Sigeum, near the spot where his fleet was stationed. Above Æolis and part of Troas, in the interior, is the place called Teuthrania4144, inhabited in ancient times by the Mysians. Here rises the river Caïcus already mentioned. Teuthrania was a powerful nation in itself, even when the whole of Æolis was held by the Mysians. In it are the Pioniæ4145, Andera4146, Cale, Stabulum, Conisium, Teium, Balcea4147, Tiare, Teuthranie, Sarnaca, Haliserne, Lycide, Parthenium, Thymbre, Oxyopum, Lygdamum, Apollonia, and Pergamum4148, by far the most famous city in Asia, and through which the river Selinus runs; the Cetius, which rises in Mount Pindasus, flowing before it. Not far from it is Elæa, which we have mentioned4149 as situate on the sea-shore. The jurisdiction of this district is called that of Pergamus; to it resort the Thyatireni4150, the Mosyni, the Mygdones4151, the Bregmeni, the Hierocometæ4152, the Perpereni, the Tiareni, the Hierolophienses, the Hermocapelitæ, the Attalenses4153, the Panteenses, the Apollonidienses, and some other states unknown to fame. The little town of Dardanum4154 is distant from Rhœteum seventy stadia. Eighteen miles thence is the Promontory of Trapeza4155, from which spot the Hellespont first commences its course.

Eratosthenes tells us that in Asia there have perished the nations of the Solymi4156, the Leleges4157, the Bebryces4158, the Colycantii, and the Tripsedri. Isidorus adds to these the Arimi4159, as also the Capretæ, settled on the spot where Apamea4160 stands, which was founded by King Seleucus, between Cilicia, Cappadocia, Cataonia, and Armenia, and was at first called Damea4161, from the fact that it had conquered nations most remarkable for their fierceness.