Strabo
μὲν οἱ περιρρέοντες πόλιν Καουάρων1 καὶ Οὐάρων2 κοινῷ ῥείθρῳ συμβάλλοντες εἰς τὸν Ῥοδανόν, τρίτος δὲ Σούλγας, ὁ κατὰ Οὔνδαλον πόλιν μισγόμενος τῷ Ῥοδανῷ, ὅπου Γναῖος Ἀηνόβαρβος μεγάλῃ μάχῃ πολλὰς ἐτρέψατο Κελτῶν μυριάδας. εἰσὶ δὲ ἐν τῷ μεταξὺ πόλεις καὶ Αὐενιὼν καὶ Ἀραυσίων καὶ Ἀερία, τῷ ὄντι, φησὶν Ἀρτεμίδωρος, ἀερία διὰ τὸ ἐφ᾿ ὕψους ἱδρῦσθαι μεγάλου. ἡ μὲν οὖν ἄλλη πᾶσά ἐστι πεδιὰς καὶ εὔβοτος, ἡ δ᾿ ἐκ τῆς Ἀερίας εἰς τὴν Δουρίωνα ὑπερθέσεις ἔχει στενὰς καὶ ὑλώδεις. καθ᾿ ὃ δὲ συμπίπτουσιν ὁ Ἴσαρ ποταμὸς καὶ ὁ Ῥοδανὸς καὶ τὸ Κέμμενον ὄρος, Κόϊντος Φάβιος Μάξιμος Αἰμιλιανὸς οὐχ ὅλαις τρισὶ μυριάσιν εἴκοσι μυριάδας Κελτῶν κατέκοψε, καὶ ἔστησε τρόπαιον αὐτόθι λευκοῦ λίθου καὶ νεὼς δύο, τὸν μὲν Ἄρεως, τὸν δ᾿ Ἡρακλέους. ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ Ἴσαρος εἰς Οὐίενναν τὴν τῶν Ἀλλοβρίγων μητρόπολιν κειμένην ἐπὶ τῷ Ῥοδανῷ C 186 στάδιοί εἰσι τριακόσιοι εἴκοσι. πλησίον
Geography, 4.1
Rhodanus, namely, two that flow round a city of the Cavaran Vari,1 and coming together in a common stream empty into the Rhodanus; and a third, the Sulgas, which mingles its waters with the Rhodanus near the city of Undalum,2 where in a great battle Gnaeus Ahenobarbus turned many myriads of Celti to flight. And there are in the intervening space3 the cities of Avenio,4 Arausio,5 and Aeria6—“an ‘Aeria’ in reality,” says Artemidorus, “because it is situated on a lofty elevation.” All the country, however, is level and good for pasturage, except that the stretch from Aeria to Durio7 has mountainous passes that are narrow and wooded. But where the Isar River and the Rhodanus and the Cemmenus Mountain meet, Quintus Fabius Maximus Aemilianus, with less than thirty thousand men all told, cut down two hundred thousand Celti; and on the spot he set up a trophy of white marble, and also two temples, one in honour of Ares, the other in honour of Heracles. From the Isar to Vienna, the metropolis of the Allobroges, situated on the Rhodanus, the distance is three hundred and twenty
- 1Groskurd, believing with Gosselin that the Ouvèze and the Mède are the rivers meant by Strabo, emends “and the Vari” to “Carpenteron”—the “Carpentoracte” (to-day Carpentras) of Pliny (3. 5). Several scholars (see critical note above, on this page) omit “and the Vari” altogether. Ukert (Geogr. 1832, vol. iii, page 138) thinks he recognizes in “Cavari” and “Vari” the corrupted names of the rivers now called Rubion and Jabrou, and that the city (which he thinks has fallen out of the text) is Akousio (mentioned by Ptolemaeus), to-day Anconne. But Béretta (Les Cités Mystérieuses de Strabo, pp. 36–44) rightly defends the Greek text and seems to prove that the city in question was what is now Bédarrides, at the confluence of the Ouvèze and the Mède.
- 2What is now Sorgnes, according to Béretta (op. cit. p. 49). The name is also spelled “Vindalum.”
- 3Between the Druentia and the Isar.
- 4Now Avignon.
- 5Now Orange.
- 6Béretta (op. cit. pp. 50–73) convincingly identifies Aeria with what is now Carpentras.
- 7A. Béretta (op. cit. 74–100) identifies Durio with what is now Malaucène. Some scholars emend to “Luerio,” a place referred to in 4. 6. 3, but otherwise unknown, while others, including Meineke, wrongly emend to Avenio (Avignon).