[3] The configuration of this country resembles a parallelogram, the western side of which is traced by the Pyrenees, the north by the Cevennes; as for the other two sides, the south is bounded by the sea between the Pyrenees and Marseilles, and the east partly by the Alps,1 and partly by a line drawn perpendicularly from these mountains to the foot of the Cevennes, which extend towards the Rhone, and form a right angle with the aforesaid perpendicular drawn from the Alps. To the southern side of this parallelogram we must add the sea-coast inhabited by the Massilienses2 and Salyes,3 as far as the country of the Ligurians, the confines of Italy, and the river Var. This river, as we have said before,4 is the boundary of the Narbonnaise and Italy. It is but small in summer, but in winter swells to a breadth of seven stadia. From thence the coast extends to the temple of the Pyrenæan Venus,5 which is the boundary between this province and Iberia. Some, however, assert that the spot where the Trophies of Pompey stand is the boundary between Iberia and Keltica. From thence to Narbonne is 63 miles; from Narbonne to Nemausus,6 88; from Nemausus through Ugernum7 and Tarusco, to the hot waters called Sextiæ8 near Marseilles, 53;9 from thence to Antipolis and the river Var, 73; making in the total 277 miles. Some set down the distance from the temple of Venus to the Var at 2600 stadia; while others increase this number by 200 stadia; for there are different opinions as to these distances. As for the other road, which traverses the [coun- tries of the] Vocontii10 and Cottius,11 from Nemausus12 to Ugernum and Tarusco, the route is common; from thence [it branches off in two directions], one through Druentia and Caballio,13 to the frontiers of the Vocontii and the commencement of the ascent of the Alps, which is 63 miles; the other is reckoned at 99 miles from the same point to the other extremity of the Vocontii, bordering on the state of Cottius, as far as the village of Ebrodunum.14 The distance is said to be the same by the route through the village of Brigantium,15 Scingomagus,16 and the passage of the Alps to Ocelum,17 which is the limit of the country of Cottius. However, it is considered to be Italy from Scingomagus. And Ocelum is 28 miles beyond this.
1 We shall see in the course of this book, that under the name of Alps Strabo includes the different mountain-chains separated from the range of Alps properly so called. This accounts for his extending those mountains on the west as far as Marseilles, and on the east beyond Istria.
2 The Marseillese.
3 The Salyes inhabited Provence.
4 As Strabo has made no previous mention of this river, the words ‘as we have said before’ are evidently interpolated.
5 This temple was built on Cape Creus, which on that account received the name of Aphrodisium. Many geographers confound this temple with the portus Veneris, the modern Vendres, which is at a short distance from Cape Creus.
6 Nimes.
7 Beaucaire.
8 Aix.
9 Gosselin, who considers that the former numbers were correct, enters at some length on an argument to prove that these 53 miles were 62, and differs also in computing the succeeding numbers.
10 The cantons of Vaison and Die.
11 Cottius possessed the present Briançonnais. That portion of the Alps next this canton took from this sovereign the name of the Cottian Alps. Cottius bore the title of king; and Augustus recognised his independence; he lived till the time of Nero, when his possessions became a Roman province.
12 Nimes.
13 Durance and Cavaillon.
14 Embrun.
15 Briandon.
16 Sezanne, or perhaps Chamlat de Seguin.
17 Uxeau.
The Geography of Strabo. Literally translated, with notes, in three volumes. London. George Bell & Sons. 1903.
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