Texte grec :
| [14,1] Ἡ δὲ Κελτικὴ κεῖται μὲν ἐν τῷ πρὸς τὴν
ἑσπέραν καθήκοντι τῆς Εὐρώπης μέρει μεταξὺ τοῦ
τε βορείου πόλου καὶ τῆς ἰσημερινῆς δύσεως· τετράγωνος
δὲ οὖσα τῷ σχήματι τοῖς μὲν Ἀλπείοις ὄρεσι
μεγίστοις οὖσι τῶν Εὐρωπείων συνάπτει κατὰ τὰς
ἀνατολάς, τοῖς δὲ Πυρρηναίοις κατὰ μεσημβρίαν τε καὶ
νότον ἄνεμον, τῇ δὲ ἔξω στηλῶν Ἡρακλείων θαλάττῃ
κατὰ τὰς δύσεις, τῷ δὲ Σκυθικῷ τε καὶ Θρᾳκίῳ γένει
κατὰ βορέαν ἄνεμον καὶ ποταμὸν Ἴστρον, ὃς ἀπὸ τῶν
Ἀλπείων καταβαίνων ὀρῶν μέγιστος τῶν τῇδε ποταμῶν
καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν ὑπὸ τοῖς ἄρκτοις ἤπειρον διελθὼν
εἰς τὸ Ποντικὸν ἐξερεύγεται πέλαγος. Τοσαύτη
δὲ οὖσα τὸ μέγεθος, ὅση μὴ πολὺ ἀποδεῖν τετάρτη
λέγεσθαι μοῖρα τῆς Εὐρώπης, εὔυδρός τε καὶ πίειρα
καὶ καρποῖς δαψιλὴς καὶ κτήνεσιν ἀρίστη νέμεσθαι,
σχίζεται μέση ποταμῷ Ῥήνῳ, μεγίστῳ μετὰ τὸν Ἴστρον
εἶναι δοκοῦντι τῶν κατὰ τὴν Εὐρώπην ποταμῶν.
καλεῖται δ´ ἡ μὲν ἐπὶ τάδε τοῦ Ῥήνου Σκύθαις καὶ
Θρᾳξὶν ὁμοροῦσα Γερμανία, μέχρι δρυμοῦ Ἑρκυνίου
καὶ τῶν Ῥιπαίων ὀρῶν καθήκουσα, ἡ δ´ ἐπὶ θάτερα
τὰ πρὸς μεσημβρίαν βλέποντα μέχρι Πυρρήνης ὄρους,
ἡ τὸν Γαλατικὸν κόλπον περιλαμβάνουσα, Γαλατία τῆς
θαλάττης ἐπώνυμος. Κοινῷ δ´ ὀνόματι ἡ σύμπασα
πρὸς Ἑλλήνων καλεῖται Κελτική, ὡς μέν τινές φασιν,
ἀπό τινος γίγαντος Κελτοῦ αὐτόθι δυναστεύσαντος,
ἄλλοι δὲ ἐξ Ἡρακλέους καὶ Ἀστερόπης τῆς Ἀτλαντίδος
δύο γενέσθαι μυθολογοῦσι παῖδας, Ἴβηρον καὶ Κελτόν,
οὓς θέσθαι ταῖς χώραις, ὧν ἦρξαν ἀμφότεροι, τὰς
ὀνομασίας ἀφ´ αὑτῶν. οἱ δὲ ποταμὸν εἶναί τινα λέγουσι
Κελτὸν ἐκ τῆς Πυρρήνης ἀναδιδόμενον, ἀφ´ οὗ
πρῶτον μὲν τὴν συνεγγύς, ἔπειτα δὲ καὶ τὴν ἄλλην
χώραν σὺν χρόνῳ κληθῆναι Κελτικήν. φασὶ δὲ καί
τινες, ὅτι τοῖς πρώτοις Ἕλλησιν εἰς τήνδε τὴν γῆν
περαιουμένοις αἱ νῆες ἀνέμῳ βιαίῳ φερόμεναι κατὰ
τὸν κόλπον ἔκελσαν τὸν Γαλατικόν, οἱ δ´ ἄνδρες,
ἐπειδὴ τοῦ αἰγιαλοῦ ἐλάβοντο, Κελσικὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ συμβάντος
αὐτοῖς πάθους τὴν χώραν ἐκάλεσαν, ἣν ἑνὸς
ἀλλαγῇ γράμματος οἱ μεταγενέστεροι Κελτικὴν ὠνόμασαν.
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Traduction française :
| [14,1] The country of the Celts lies in the part of Europe which extends toward
the West, between the North pole and the equinoctial setting of the sun. Having
the shape of a square, it is bounded by the Alps, the loftiest of the European
mountains, on the East, by the Pyrenees toward the meridian and the south wind,
by the sea that lies beyond the Pillars of Hercules on the West, and by the
Scythian and Thracian nations toward the north wind and the river Ister, which,
descending from the Alps as the largest of the rivers on this side, and flowing
through the whole continent that lies beneath the Bears, empties into the Pontic
sea. 2 This land, which is so large in extent that it may be called almost
the fourth part of Europe and is well-watered, fertile, rich in crops and most
excellent for grazing cattle, is divided in the middle by the river Rhine,
reputed to be the (p261) largest river in Europe after the Ister. 3 The part on
this side of the Rhine, bordering upon the Scythians and Thracians, is called
Germany, and extends as far as the Hercynian forest and the Rhipaean mountains;
the other part, on the side facing the South, as far as the Pyrenees range and
embracing the Gallic gulf, is called Gaul after the sea. 4 The whole country
is called by the Greeks by the common name Celtica (Keltikê), according to some,
from a giant Celtus who ruled there; others, however, have a legend that to
Hercules and Ateropê, the daughter of Atlas, were born with sons, Iberus and
Celtus, who gave their own names to the lands which they ruled. 5 Others state
that there is a river Celtus rising in the Pyrenees, after which the
neighbouring region at first, and in time the rest of the land as well, was
called Celtica. There are also some who say that when the first Greeks came to
this region their ships, driven by a violent wind, came to land in the Gallic
gulf, and that the men upon reaching shore called the country Celsica (Kelsikê)
because of this experience of theirs; and later generations, by the change of
one letter, called it Celtica.
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