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it seemed most necessary, not to recount the mythical or otherwise ancient tales concerning them, nor where poets say Prometheus was once bound in the Euxine Pontus; 8.1.13 for I think that myth is very far removed from history; but to go through in detail both the names and the facts, as many as are now current for each of those places. 8.2.1 This Pontus, then, begins from Byzantium and Chalcedon, and ends at the land of the Colchians. 8.2.2 And on the right as one sails into it are settled the Bithynians and, adjoining them, the Honoriatae and Paphlagonians, who possess other places and the coastal cities of Heraclea and Amastris, and after them the people called Pontici, as far as the city of Trapezus and its boundaries. Here are situated other coastal towns and Sinope and Amisus, and very near Amisus is the place called Themiscuron and the Thermodon river, where they say the camp of the Amazons was. But concerning the Amazons it will be written 8.2.3 by me not much later. And the boundaries of the Trapezuntines extend to the village of Susourmena and the place called Rhizaeum, which is a two days' journey from Trapezus for one going along the coast to Lazica. 8.2.4 And having mentioned Trapezus, I must not pass over the most paradoxical thing that happens there. For the honey in all the regions around Trapezus is bitter, with the opinion about it being divided only there. 8.2.5 And to the right of these places rise all the mountains of Tzanica, and beyond them dwell the Armenians, subjects of the Romans. 8.2.6 From these Tzanic mountains descends a river named Boas, which, going into very extensive thickets and winding through a hilly country, is borne very near the regions of Lazica, and makes its outlet into the so-called Euxine Pontus, not, 8.2.7 however, being called Boas. For when it comes near the sea, it gives up this name, and henceforth partakes of another appellation, acquiring a name from what happens to it. 8.2.8 For the natives henceforth call it Acampsis, for this reason, that it is impossible to bend it when it has mixed with the sea, since it makes its outlets with so great a force and swiftness of current, creating a great disturbance of the surf before it, so that going as far as possible into the sea it makes passage there impracticable; and those who sail here in the Pontus, whether sailing straight for Lazica or setting out from there, are no longer able to sail along the coast. 8.2.9 For they are in no way able to bend the river's current, but by putting out very far into the sea there, and going somewhere to the middle of the Pontus, they are thus able to get clear of the river's mouth. Such, then, are the facts concerning the river Boas. 8.2.10 After Rhizaeum come the borders of an independent people, who are settled between the Romans and the Lazi. And a certain village, Athenae by name, is situated there, not because colonists from the Athenians established it here, as some think, but because a certain woman named Athenaea had in former times been mistress of the country, whose tomb is there even to my time. 8.2.11 After Athenae are situated Archabis and Apsarous, an ancient city, which is distant from Rhizaeum about a three days' journey. 8.2.12 This was anciently named Apsyrtus, having become homonymous with the man because of his fate. For the natives say that here Apsyrtus was made to disappear from among men by the plotting of Medea and Jason, and for this reason the place received its name. For he died in that place, 8.2.13 and it was named after him. But the great length of time that has flowed by since then, and flourished with countless successions of men, has itself been able to corrupt the basis of the facts from which this name is composed, and to reshape the appellation of the place into its present form. 8.2.14 And the tomb of this Apsyrtus is in the parts of the city towards the rising sun. This was in ancient times a populous city, and a great circuit of wall surrounded it, and it was adorned with a theatre and a hippodrome and with the

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ἀναγκαιότατον ἔδοξεν εἶναι, οὐ τὰ μυθώδη περὶ αὐτῶν ἀπαγγέλλοντι ἢ ἄλλως ἀρχαῖα, οὐδὲ ὅπη ποτὲ Πόντου τοῦ Εὐξείνου δεθῆναι τὸν Προμηθέα 8.1.13 ποιηταὶ λέγουσι· μύθου γὰρ ἱστορίαν παρὰ πολὺ κεχωρίσθαι οἶμαι· ἀλλ' ἐς τὸ ἀκριβὲς διεξιόντι τά τε ὀνόματα καὶ τὰ πράγματα, ὅσα δὴ τανῦν ἐπιχωριάζει τῶν τόπων ἐκείνων ἑκάστῳ. 8.2.1 Οὗτος τοίνυν ὁ Πόντος ἄρχεται μὲν ἐκ Βυζαντίου καὶ Καλχηδόνος, τελευτᾷ δὲ ἐς Κόλχων τὴν γῆν. 8.2.2 καὶ αὐτὸν ἐν δεξιᾷ ἐσπλέοντι Βιθυνοί τε καὶ οἱ αὐτῶν ἐχόμενοι Ὁνωριάται καὶ Παφλαγόνες ᾤκηνται, οἳ δὴ ἄλλα τε χωρία καὶ Ἡράκλειάν τε καὶ Ἄμαστριν ἐπιθαλασσίας πόλεις ἔχουσι, καὶ μετ' αὐτοὺς οἱ Ποντικοὶ ἐπικαλούμενοι μέχρι ἐς Τραπεζοῦντα πόλιν καὶ τὰ ταύτης ὅρια. ἐνταῦθα πολίσματά τε ἄλλα ἐπιθαλασσίδια καὶ Σινώπη τε καὶ Ἀμισὸς οἰκεῖται, Ἀμισοῦ δὲ ἄγχιστα τό τε Θεμίσκουρον καλούμενον καὶ Θερμώδων ποταμός ἐστιν, οὗ δὴ τὸ τῶν Ἀμαζόνων στρατόπεδον γεγενῆσθαί φασιν. ἀλλὰ περὶ μὲν Ἀμαζόνων γεγράψεταί 8.2.3 μοι οὐ πολλῷ ὄπισθεν. Τραπεζουντίων δὲ τὰ ὅρια διήκει ἔς τε κώμην Σουσούρμενα καὶ τὸ Ῥιζαῖον καλούμενον χωρίον, ὅπερ Τραπεζουντίων διέχει δυοῖν ἡμέραιν ὁδὸν διὰ τῆς παραλίας ἐς Λαζικὴν ἰόντι. 8.2.4 Τραπεζοῦντος δέ μοι ἐπιμνησθέντι οὐ παριτέον τὸ πλείστῳ παραλόγῳ τῇδε ξυμβαῖνον. τὸ γὰρ μέλι ἐν ἅπασι τοῖς περὶ Τραπεζοῦντα χωρίοις πικρὸν γίνεται, ἐνταῦθα μόνον στασιαζομένης τῆς ἀμφ' αὐτὸ δόξης. 8.2.5 τούτων δὲ δὴ τῶν χωρίων ἐν δεξιᾷ τὰ Τζανικῆς ὄρη πάντα ἀνέχει, ἐπέκεινά τε αὐτῶν Ἀρμένιοι Ῥωμαίων 8.2.6 κατήκοοι ᾤκηνται. ἐκ τούτων δὲ τῶν Τζανικῶν ὀρῶν κάτεισι ποταμὸς Βόας ὄνομα, ὃς δὴ ἔς τε λόχμας παμπληθεῖς ἰὼν καὶ χώραν λοφώδη περιερχόμενος φέρεται μὲν ἄγχιστα τῶν Λαζικῆς χωρίων, ποιεῖται δὲ τὰς ἐκβολὰς ἐς τὸν Εὔξεινον καλούμενον Πόντον, οὐ 8.2.7 μέντοι Βόας καλούμενος. ἐπειδὰν γὰρ τῆς θαλάσσης ἐγγὺς ἵκηται, τὸ μὲν ὄνομα μεθίησι τοῦτο, ἑτέρας δὲ τὸ ἐνθένδε προσηγορίας μεταλαγχάνει, ἐκ τῶν οἱ ἐπι8.2.8 γινομένων ὄνομα κτώμενος. Ἄκαμψιν γὰρ αὐτὸν τὸ λοιπὸν καλοῦσιν οἱ ἐπιχώριοι, τούτου δὴ ἕνεκα, ὅτι δὴ κάμψαι αὐτὸν τῇ θαλάσσῃ ἀναμιχθέντα ἀμήχανά ἐστιν, ἐπεὶ ξὺν ῥύμῃ τοσαύτῃ καὶ ὀξύτητι τοῦ ῥοῦ τὰς ἐκβολὰς ποιεῖται, ταραχὴν τοῦ ῥοθίου πολλὴν ἐπίπροσθεν ἐργαζόμενος, ὥστε ὡς πορρωτάτω τῆς θαλάσσης ἰὼν ἄπορον ποιεῖται τὸν ταύτῃ διάπλουν· οἵ τε ναυτιλλόμενοι ἐνταῦθα τοῦ Πόντου, εἴτε Λαζικῆς εὐθὺ πλέοντες εἴτε καὶ ἐνθένδε ἀπάραντες, οὐκέτι ἑξῆς 8.2.9 διαπλεῖν δύνανται. κάμψαι γὰρ τοῦ ποταμοῦ τὸν ῥοῦν οὐδαμῆ ἔχουσιν, ἀλλὰ πορρωτάτω μὲν ἀναγόμενοι τοῦ ἐκείνῃ πελάγους, ἐπὶ μέσον δέ που τὸν Πόντον ἰόντες, οὕτω δὴ ἀπαλλάσσεσθαι τῆς τοῦ ποταμοῦ ἐκβολῆς δύνανται. τὰ μὲν οὖν ἀμφὶ ποταμὸν Βόαν τοιαῦτά ἐστι. 8.2.10 Μετὰ δὲ τὸ Ῥιζαῖον αὐτονόμων ἀνθρώπων ὅροι ἐκδέχονται, οἳ δὴ Ῥωμαίων τε καὶ Λαζῶν μεταξὺ ᾤκηνται. καὶ κώμη τις, Ἀθῆναι ὄνομα, ἐνταῦθα οἰκεῖται, οὐχ ὅτι Ἀθηναίων ἄποικοι, ὥσπερ τινὲς οἴονται, τῇδε ἱδρύσαντο, ἀλλὰ γυνή τις Ἀθηναία ὄνομα ἐν τοῖς ἄνω χρόνοις κυρία ἐγεγόνει τῆς χώρας, ἧσπερ ὁ τάφος ἐν8.2.11 ταῦθα καὶ εἰς ἐμέ ἐστι. μετὰ δὲ Ἀθήνας Ἄρχαβίς τε οἰκεῖται καὶ Ἀψαροῦς, πόλις ἀρχαία, ἣ τοῦ Ῥιζαίου 8.2.12 διέχει ὁδῷ ἡμερῶν τριῶν μάλιστα. αὕτη Ἄψυρτος τὸ παλαιὸν ὠνομάζετο, ὁμώνυμος τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ διὰ τὸ πάθος γεγενημένη. ἐνταῦθα γάρ φασιν οἱ ἐπιχώριοι ἐξ ἐπιβουλῆς Μηδείας τε καὶ Ἰάσονος τὸν Ἄψυρτον ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἀφανισθῆναι, καὶ δι' αὐτὸ τὴν ἐπωνυμίαν τὸ χωρίον λαβεῖν. ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἐν ἐκείνῳ ἀπέ8.2.13 θνησκε, τὸ δὲ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ ὠνομάζετο. ἀλλὰ πολὺς ἄγαν μετὰ ταῦτα ἐπιρρεύσας ὁ χρόνος καὶ ἀνθρώπων ἀναρίθμοις διαδοχαῖς ἐνακμάσας αὐτὸς διαφθεῖραι μὲν τὴν τῶν πραγμάτων ἐπιβολὴν ἴσχυσεν ἐξ ὧν τὸ ὄνομα ξύγκειται τοῦτο, ἐς δὲ τὸν νῦν φαινόμενον τρόπον 8.2.14 μεταρρυθμῆσαι τὴν προσηγορίαν τῷ τόπῳ. τούτου δὲ τοῦ Ἀψύρτου καὶ τάφος ἐς τῆς πόλεως τὰ πρὸς ἀνίσχοντα ἥλιόν ἐστιν. αὕτη πόλις ἦν τὸ παλαιὸν πολυάνθρωπος, καὶ τείχους μὲν αὐτὴν περιέβαλε μέγα τι χρῆμα, θεάτρῳ δὲ καὶ ἱπποδρόμῳ ἐκαλλωπίζετο καὶ τοῖς