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It is the land of the Apsilians; but the Apsilians are subjects of the Lazi and became Christians from of old, just as also all the other nations which I have mentioned up to this point in my account. 8.3.1 Above this country is the Caucasus mountain. This mountain, the Caucasus, rises to such a height that neither rains nor snows ever touch its peaks. For it happens that they are higher than all the clouds. And the middle parts down to the lowest are perpetually 8.3.2 full of snow. and from it the foothills happen to be exceedingly high, in no way inferior to the 8.3.3 crags on the other mountains. Of the foothills of the Caucasus mountain, some, turned toward the north wind and the setting sun, extend to the Illyrians and Thracians, while the others, toward the rising sun and the south wind, reach to the very passes, which lead the Hunnic nations settled there into the land of both the Persians 8.3.4 and the Romans. Of these, one is called Tzur, and the other was called from of old the Caspian Gates. And this country, which extends from the Caucasus mountain as far as the Caspian Gates, the Alans hold, an independent nation, who for the most part are allied with the Persians, and march against the Romans and other enemies. So the situation concerning the Caucasus mountain is roughly this. 8.3.5 The Huns, called Sabirs, are settled there and some other Hunnic nations. From here they say the Amazons set out, and encamped around Themiscyra and the Thermodon river, as was recently stated by me, where indeed the city in the present time is Amisus. 8.3.6 But now nowhere in the regions around the Caucasus mountain is any memory or name of the Amazons preserved, and yet by Strabo and some others many accounts 8.3.7 have been told about them. But it seems to me that those spoke most truthfully of all concerning the Amazons, who said that a race of brave women has never existed, nor that in the Caucasus mountain alone the nature of mankind departs from its proper customs, but that barbarians from these regions with a great army, together with their own women, marched against Asia, and having made their camp around the Thermodon river, they left the women there, and they themselves, overrunning much of the land of Asia, when the inhabitants there met them in battle, were all wiped out from mankind, and not one of them at all returned to the women's stockade, and for the future these women, compelled by fear of their neighbors and by lack of provisions, put on men's attire, not at all willingly, and took up the equipment of arms left behind by the men in the camp, and having armed themselves with this as best they could, they displayed deeds of valor with excellence, necessity driving them to this, until it befell them all 8.3.8 to be destroyed. And that these things happened somewhat in this way and that the Amazons marched with their men, I myself also think, judging from what in fact happened in my own 8.3.9 time. For the customs of ancestors, 8.3.10 being handed down to their descendants, become a reflection of their nature. For instance, when the Huns had often overrun the Roman dominion, and had come to blows with those who met them, it happened that some of them fell there, and after the barbarians' withdrawal, the Romans, while searching the bodies of the 8.3.11 fallen, found women among them too. Another 8.3.11 army of women, however, has never been seen to be native to any part of Asia or Europe. Nor indeed have we ever heard that the Caucasus mountains have been destitute of men. So much, then, shall be said concerning the Amazons. 8.3.12 After the Apsilians and the other beginning of the crescent-shaped shore, the Abasgi are settled on the coast, extending as far as the Caucasus mountains. The Abasgi were subjects of the Lazi from of old, but they always had two rulers 8.3.13 of their own race. Of whom one was established in the parts of the country toward the west, and the other in the parts toward the rising 8.3.14 sun. But these barbarians, up to my time, groves and woods

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Ἀψιλίων ἡ χώρα ἐστί· Λαζῶν δὲ κατήκοοί εἰσι καὶ Χριστιανοὶ γεγόνασιν ἐκ παλαιοῦ οἱ Ἀψίλιοι, ὥσπερ καὶ τἄλλα ξύμπαντα ἔθνη, ὧνπερ ἐμνήσθην ἐς τόδε τοῦ λόγου. 8.3.1 Ταύτης δὲ τῆς χώρας καθύπερθεν ὄρος τὸ Καυκάσιόν ἐστι. τοῦτο δὲ τὸ ὄρος, ὁ Καύκασος, ἐς τοσόνδε ὕψος ἀνέχει, ὥστε δὴ αὐτοῦ τῶν μὲν ὑπερβολῶν οὔτε ὄμβρους οὔτε νιφετοὺς ἐπιψαύειν ποτέ. τῶν γὰρ νεφελῶν αὐτὰς ἁπασῶν καθυπερτέρας ξυμβαίνει εἶναι. τὰ δὲ μέσα μέχρι τῶν ἐσχάτων χιόνων ἔμπλεα 8.3.2 διηνεκές ἐστι. καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ οἱ πρόποδες ὑψηλοὶ ἐσάγαν τυγχάνουσιν ὄντες, οὐδέν τι καταδεέστεροι τῶν 8.3.3 ἐν τοῖς ὄρεσι τοῖς ἄλλοις σκοπέλων. τῶν δὲ τοῦ Καυκασίου ὄρους προπόδων οἱ μὲν πρός τε βορρᾶν ἄνεμον καὶ ἥλιον δύοντα τετραμμένοι ἔς τε Ἰλλυριοὺς καὶ Θρᾷκας διήκουσιν, οἱ δὲ πρός τε ἀνίσχοντα ἥλιον καὶ ἄνεμον νότον ἐς τὰς διεξόδους ἐξικνοῦνται αὐτὰς, αἳ τὰ τῇδε ᾠκημένα Οὐννικὰ ἔθνη ἐς γῆν τήν τε Περσῶν 8.3.4 καὶ Ῥωμαίων ἄγουσιν. ὧνπερ ἁτέρα μὲν Τζοὺρ ἐπικέκληται, ἡ δὲ δὴ ἑτέρα Πύλη ἐκ παλαιοῦ Κασπία ἐκλήθη. ταύτην δὲ τὴν χώραν, ἣ ἐξ ὄρους τοῦ Καυκάσου ἄχρι ἐς τὰς Κασπίας κατατείνει Πύλας, Ἀλανοὶ ἔχουσιν, αὐτόνομον ἔθνος, οἳ δὴ καὶ Πέρσαις τὰ πολλὰ ξυμμαχοῦσιν, ἐπί τε Ῥωμαίους καὶ ἄλλους πολεμίους στρατεύουσι. τὰ μὲν οὖν ἀμφὶ τῷ ὄρει τῷ Καυκασίῳ ταύτῃ πη ἔχει. 8.3.5 Οὖννοι δὲ, οἱ Σάβειροι ἐπικαλούμενοι, ἐνταῦθα ᾤκηνται καὶ ἄλλα ἄττα Οὐννικὰ ἔθνη. ἐνθένδε μὲν τὰς Ἀμαζόνας ὡρμῆσθαί φασιν, ἀμφὶ δὲ τὸ Θεμίσκουρον καὶ ποταμὸν τὸν Θερμώδοντα ἐνστρατοπεδεύσασθαι, ᾗπέρ μοι ἔναγχος εἴρηται, οὗ δὴ πόλις ἐν τῷ παρόντι Ἀμισός 8.3.6 ἐστι. τανῦν δὲ οὐδαμῆ τῶν ἀμφὶ τὸ Καυκάσιον ὄρος χωρίων Ἀμαζόνων τις μνήμη ἢ ὄνομα διασώζεται, καίτοι καὶ Στράβωνι καὶ ἄλλοις τισὶ λόγοι ἀμφ' αὐταῖς 8.3.7 πολλοὶ εἴρηνται. ἀλλά μοι δοκοῦσι μάλιστα πάντων τά γε κατὰ τὰς Ἀμαζόνας ξὺν τῷ ἀληθεῖ λόγῳ εἰπεῖν, ὅσοι ἔφασαν οὐ πώποτε γένος γυναικῶν ἀνδρείων γεγονέναι, οὐδ' ἐν ὄρει μόνῳ τῷ Καυκασίῳ τὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων φύσιν θεσμῶν τῶν οἰκείων ἐξίστασθαι, ἀλλὰ βαρβάρους ἐκ τῶνδε τῶν χωρίων στρατῷ μεγάλῳ ξὺν γυναιξὶ ταῖς αὐτῶν ἰδίαις ἐπὶ τὴν Ἀσίαν στρατεῦσαι, στρατόπεδόν τε ἀμφὶ ποταμὸν Θερμώδοντα ποιησαμένους ἐνταῦθα μὲν τὰς γυναῖκας ἀπολιπεῖν, αὐτοὺς δὲ γῆν τῆς Ἀσίας τὴν πολλὴν καταθέοντας, ὑπαντιασάντων σφίσι τῶν τῇδε ᾠκημένων, ἅπαντας ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἀφανισθῆναι, οὐδένα τε αὐτῶν τὸ παράπαν ἐπανήκειν ἐς τῶν γυναικῶν τὸ χαράκωμα, καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν ταύτας δὴ τὰς γυναῖκας, δέει τῶν περιοίκων καὶ ἀπορίᾳ τῶν ἐπιτηδείων ἀναγκασθείσας, τό τε ἀρρενωπὸν ἀμφιέσασθαι οὔτι ἐθελουσίας καὶ ἀνελομένας τὴν πρὸς τῶν ἀνδρῶν ἐν τῷ στρατοπέδῳ ἀπολελειμμένην τῶν ὅπλων σκευὴν, καὶ ταύτῃ ἐξοπλισαμένας ὡς ἄριστα ἔργα ἀνδρεῖα ξὺν ἀρετῇ ἐπιδείξασθαι, διωθουμένης ἐς τοῦτο αὐτὰς τῆς ἀνάγκης, ἕως δὴ ἁπάσαις 8.3.8 διαφθαρῆναι ξυνέπεσε. ταῦτα δὲ ὧδέ πη γεγονέναι καὶ ξὺν τοῖς ἀνδράσι τὰς Ἀμαζόνας στρατεύσασθαι καὶ αὐτὸς οἴομαι, τεκμηριούμενος οἷς δὴ καὶ χρόνῳ τῷ 8.3.9 κατ' ἐμὲ ξυνηνέχθη γενέσθαι. τὰ γὰρ ἐπιτηδεύματα μέχρι ἐς τοὺς ἀπογόνους παραπεμπόμενα τῶν προγε8.3.10 γενημένων τῆς φύσεως ἴνδαλμα γίνεται. Οὔννων τοίνυν καταδραμόντων πολλάκις τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἀρχὴν, τοῖς τε ὑπαντιάσασιν ἐς χεῖρας ἐλθόντων, τινὰς μὲν αὐτῶν πεσεῖν ἐνταῦθα τετύχηκε, μετὰ δὲ τῶν βαρβάρων τὴν ἀναχώρησιν Ῥωμαῖοι διερευνώμενοι τῶν πεπτω8.3.11 κότων τὰ σώματα καὶ γυναῖκας ἐν αὐτοῖς εὗρον. ἄλλο 8.3.11 μέντοι γυναικῶν στράτευμα οὐδαμῆ τῆς Ἀσίας ἢ τῆς Εὐρώπης ἐπιχωριάζον ἐφάνη. οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ τὰ Καυκάσια ὄρη ἀνδρῶν ἔρημα γεγενῆσθαι πώποτε ἀκοῇ ἴσμεν. περὶ μὲν οὖν τῶν Ἀμαζόνων τοσαῦτα εἰρήσθω. 8.3.12 Μετὰ δὲ Ἀψιλίους τε καὶ τοῦ μηνοειδοῦς τὴν ἑτέραν ἀρχὴν ἐς τὴν παραλίαν Ἀβασγοὶ ᾤκηνται, ἄχρι ἐς τὰ Καυκάσια ὄρη διήκοντες. οἱ δὲ Ἀβασγοὶ Λαζῶν μὲν κατήκοοι ἐκ παλαιοῦ ἦσαν, ἄρχοντας δὲ ὁμογενεῖς 8.3.13 δύο ἐσαεὶ εἶχον. ὧν ἅτερος μὲν ἐς τῆς χώρας τὰ πρὸς ἑσπέραν, ὁ δὲ δὴ ἕτερος ἐς τὰ πρὸς ἀνίσχοντα 8.3.14 ἥλιον ἵδρυτο. οἱ δὲ βάρβαροι οὗτοι μέχρι μὲν ἐς ἐμὲ ἄλση τε καὶ ὕλας