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the Caspian sea. These men first granted Pompey passage when he requested it, then becoming no less than forty thousand they attacked him, and being routed they were utterly destroyed in great numbers. And having made a truce with their king, who had sent ambassadors, he departed against the Iberians, who were more warlike than the Albanians and had yielded neither to the Medes nor to the Persians, and had also escaped the Macedonian dominion, since Alexander had quickly departed from Hyrcania. 2.350 But these too he routed in a great battle, killing many and taking more captive. From there he invaded Colchis. And when the Albanians revolted again, he marched against them by a waterless and difficult road, carrying water in many wineskins. And joining battle with them while they were being led by the brother of their king, he was victorious; and when he himself charged him and threw a spear at him, he ran him through and killed him. at which time the Amazons are also said to have fought as allies with the Albanians. For after the battle, as the dead were being despoiled, the Romans came upon Amazonian shields and buskins, but no female body was found. They inhabit the parts of the Caucasus extending toward the Hyrcanian sea. Between the Albanians and them dwell the Gelae and Ligyes. with whom they meet each year around the Thermodon river and cohabit for two months; then departing, they live by themselves; and when they have given birth, they take the males and expose them in the land of the fathers, but the females they raise. And of the concubines of Mithridates who were brought before him, Pompey knew none. But Stratonice, who also held the greatest rank with Mithridates and guarded the most gold-rich of the fortresses, brought many gifts to Pompey and surrendered the fortress. But he, taking only from the things brought to him whatever provided adornment for the temples and splendor for his triumph, ordered Stratonice to have the rest. And when the king of the Iberians sent him a couch, a table, and a throne, all made of gold, he handed these over 2.351 to the quaestors for the public treasury. And since he saw that Mithridates was more difficult in flight than in battle, he said that he would leave him a stronger enemy than himself, namely famine, and he himself advanced with his army. And having subdued through Afranius the Arabs around Amanus, he descended into Syria and declared it a province and possession of the Romans, and he subdued Judaea and captured its king Aristobulus, as has already been related in the histories of the Jews. And great was the name of his power, and greater that of his virtue and gentleness. And the king of the Arabs around Petra, being afraid, wrote to Pompey that he would obey in all things. However, it was announced to him that Mithridates was dead, his son Pharnaces having killed him. Therefore, when Pompey arrived in Amisus, many gifts had been brought from Pharnaces, and many bodies were also brought, and the corpse of Mithridates himself. And returning, he had a painful homecoming on account of his wife Mucia, who had behaved outrageously during his absence; and approaching Italy he sent her a notice of divorce. And in Rome there were rumors about him and there was a disturbance, that he would lead his army against the city and establish a monarchy. But as soon as he set foot in Italy, he assembled the soldiers and ordered each to turn towards his own affairs, and to gather again later for the triumph. And when the army was thus disbanded, the cities, seeing Pompey unarmed and departing with a few men, poured out with pleasure and, escorting him, brought him down to Rome with a greater force. And since the law did not permit 2.352 him to enter the city before his triumph, he sent a message asking the senate to postpone the consular elections. But when Cato opposed it, he did not succeed; for which reason he wished to make the man a kinsman. Therefore, since Cato had two nieces, he sought to take one for himself, and to marry the other to his son. But when Cato refused the marriage alliance, on the grounds that it would be a corruption of his character, his sister and his wife were angry. But when Afranius was seeking the consulship for Pompey, and for this reason was spending money on the tribes, and badly

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τὴν Κασπίαν θάλασσαν. ουτοι πρῶτον μὲν αἰτήσαντι Πομπηίῳ δίοδον εδοσαν, ειτα γενόμενοι τετρακισμυρίων οὐκ ἐλάττους προσέβαλον αὐτῷ, καὶ τραπέντες ἐφθάρησαν παμπληθεῖς. τῷ δὲ βασιλεῖ αὐτῶν πέμψαντι πρέσβεις σπεισάμενος ἀπῄει ἐπὶ τοὺς Ιβηρας μαχιμωτέρους οντας τῶν ̓Αλβανῶν καὶ μήτε Μήδοις μήτε Πέρσαις ὑπείξαντας, διαφυγόντας δὲ καὶ τὴν Μακεδόνων δυναστείαν, ̓Αλεξάνδρου ταχέως ἐκ τῆς ̔Υρκανίας ἀπάραντος. 2.350 ἀλλὰ καὶ τούτους μεγάλῃ μάχῃ τρεψάμενος πολλοὺς ἀνεῖλε καὶ πλείους ἐζώγρησεν. ἐντεῦθεν εἰς τὴν Κόλχων ἐνέβαλεν. αυθις δὲ ̓Αλβανῶν ἀποστάντων ηλαυνεν ἐπ' αὐτοὺς δι' ἀνύδρου καὶ ἀργαλέας ὁδοῦ, υδωρ ἐν ἀσκοῖς πολλοῖς ἐπικομιζόμενος. καὶ συμβαλὼν αὐτοῖς ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ τοῦ σφῶν βασιλέως στρατηγουμένοις ἐνίκησε· καὶ αὐτὸν ἐπελθόντα οἱ καὶ βαλόντα ἐκ χειρὸς διελάσας ἀπέκτεινεν. οτε καὶ ̓Αμαζόνες λέγονται συμμαχῆσαι τοῖς ̓Αλβανοῖς. μετὰ γὰρ τὴν μάχην σκυλευομένων τῶν νεκρῶν, πέλταις ̓Αμαζονικαῖς οἱ ̔Ρωμαῖοι καὶ κοθόρνοις ἐνέτυχον, σῶμα δὲ γυναικεῖον οὐδὲν εὑρέθη. νέμονται δὲ αυται τὰ καθήκοντα πρὸς ̔Υρκανίαν θάλασσαν τοῦ Καυκάσου. μέσον δὲ τῶν ̓Αλβανῶν καὶ αὐτῶν οἰκοῦσι Γέλλαι καὶ Λίγυες. οις ετους ἑκάστου περὶ τὸν Θερμώδοντα ποταμὸν εἰς ταὐτὸν φοιτῶσαι ὁμιλοῦσιν ἐπὶ δύο μῆνας· ειτα καθ' ἑαυτὰς ἀπαλλαγεῖσαι βιοῦσι· τεκοῦσαι δὲ τὰ μὲν αρρενα κομίσασαι περὶ τὴν τῶν πατέρων ἐκτίθενται γῆν, τὰ δέ γε θήλεα τρέφουσι. Τῶν δὲ τοῦ Μιθριδάτου παλλακῶν ἀναχθεισῶν πρὸς αὐτὸν οὐδεμίαν εγνω Πομπήιος. Στρατονίκη δέ, η καὶ μέγιστον παρὰ Μιθριδάτῃ εσχεν ἀξίωμα καὶ τὸ πολυχρυσότατον τῶν φρουρίων ἐφύλαττε, δῶρά τε πολλὰ τῷ Πομπηίῳ προσήγαγε καὶ τὸ φρούριον παρεδίδου. ὁ δὲ τῶν προσαχθέντων οσα κόσμον ἱεροῖς καὶ λαμπρότητα τῷ θριάμβῳ παρεῖχον λαβὼν μόνα, τὰ λοιπὰ τὴν Στρατονίκην εχειν ἐκέλευσε. καὶ τοῦ βασιλέως δὲ τῶν ̓Ιβήρων κλίνην καὶ τράπεζαν καὶ θρόνον χρυσᾶ πάντα πεπομφότος αὐτῷ, καὶ ταῦτα 2.351 τοῖς ταμίαις εἰς τὸ δημόσιον παραδέδωκεν. ὡς δὲ τὸν Μιθριδάτην ἑώρα φεύγοντα χαλεπώτερον η μαχόμενον, τούτῳ μὲν ειπεν ἰσχυρότερον ἑαυτοῦ πολέμιον τὸν λιμὸν ἀπολείψειν, αὐτὸς δὲ προῆγε σὺν στρατιᾷ. χειρωσάμενος δὲ δι' ̓Αφρανίου τοὺς περὶ ̓Αμανὸν Αραβας, καταβὰς εἰς Συρίαν ταύτην μὲν ἐπαρχίαν καὶ κτῆμα ̔Ρωμαίων ἀπέφηνε, τὴν δὲ ̓Ιουδαίαν ὑπέταξε καὶ τὸν βασιλέα αὐτῆς ̓Αριστόβουλον συνέλαβεν, ὡς ἐν τοῖς ̓Ιουδαϊκοῖς ηδη ἱστόρηται. μέγα δ' ην ονομα τῆς αὐτοῦ δυνάμεως καὶ μεῖζον τῆς ἀρετῆς καὶ πρᾳότητος. ὁ δὲ τῶν περὶ τὴν Πέτραν ̓Αράβων βασιλεὺς δείσας εγραψε Πομπηίῳ πάντα πείθεσθαι. ἠγγέλη μέντοι αὐτῷ τεθνεὼς καὶ ὁ Μιθριδάτης, Φαρνάκου τοῦ υἱοῦ διαχρησαμένου αὐτόν. εἰς ̓Αμινσὸν ουν ἀφικομένῳ Πομπηίῳ πολλὰ μὲν δῶρα παρὰ Φαρνάκου κεκόμιστο, πολλὰ δέ γε προσήνεκτο σώματα, καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ Μιθριδάτου νεκρός. ̓Επανιὼν δὲ λυπηρὰν τὴν ἐπάνοδον εσχηκε διὰ τὴν γυναῖκα Μουκίαν ἐξυβρίσασαν παρὰ τὴν ἀποδημίαν αὐτοῦ· καὶ πλησιάσας τῇ ̓Ιταλίᾳ επεμψεν ἐκείνῃ τὴν αφεσιν. εἰς δὲ τὴν ̔Ρώμην λόγοι περὶ αὐτοῦ ἐγίνοντο καὶ θόρυβος ην ὡς τὸ στράτευμα τῇ πόλει ἐπάξοντός τε καὶ μοναρχήσοντος. ὁ δὲ τῆς ̓Ιταλίας τε αμα ἐπέβη καὶ ἐκκλησιάσας τοὺς στρατιώτας ἐκέλευσεν εκαστον πρὸς τὰ οἰκεῖα τρέπεσθαι, αυθις δὲ συναθροισθῆναι διὰ τὸν θρίαμβον. σκεδασθείσης δ' ουτω τῆς στρατιᾶς ανοπλον αἱ πόλεις ὁρῶσαι Πομπήιον καὶ μετ' ὀλίγων ἀπιόντα, ὑφ' ἡδονῆς ἐκχεόμεναι καὶ προπέμπουσαι συγκατῆγον εἰς τὴν ̔Ρώμην μετὰ δυνάμεως πλείονος. τοῦ δὲ νόμου μὴ συγχω2.352 ροῦντος πρὸ τοῦ θριάμβου παρελθεῖν εἰς τὴν πόλιν, πέμψας ἠξίου τὴν βουλὴν ὑπερθέσθαι τὰς τῶν ὑπάτων ἀρχαιρεσίας. Κάτωνος δ' ἐναντιωθέντος οὐκ ετυχε· διὸ καὶ οἰκειώσασθαι τὸν ανδρα ἠθέλησε. δυεῖν ουν ἀδελφιδῶν οὐσῶν ἐκείνῳ, τὴν μὲν αὐτὸς ἐζήτει λαβεῖν, τὴν δὲ τῷ υἱῷ συνοικίσαι. παραιτουμένου δὲ τὴν ἀγχιστείαν τοῦ Κάτωνος, ὡς διαφθορὰν ἐσομένην αὐτῷ τοῦ τρόπου, ἡ ἀδελφὴ καὶ ἡ γυνὴ ἐχαλέπαινον. ̓Αφρανίῳ δὲ Πομπηίου ὑπατείαν μετιόντος, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο πρὸς τὰς φυλὰς ἀργύριον ἀναλίσκοντος, καὶ κακῶς