its of Haimos flow three other great rivers towards the
North Wind and fall into it, namely Atlas and Auras and Tibisis. Through
Thrace and the Thracian Crobyzians flow the rivers Athrys and Noes
and Artanes, running into the Ister; and from the Paionians and Mount
Rhodope the river Kios, 48 cutting through Haimos in the midst, runs
into it also. From the Illyrians the river Angros flows Northwards and
runs out into the Triballian plain and into the river Brongos, and the
Brongos flows into the Ister; thus the Ister receives both these, being
great rivers. From the region which is above the Ombricans, the river
Carpis and another river, the Alpis, flow also towards the North Wind
and run into it; for the Ister flows in fact through the whole of
Europe, beginning in the land of the Keltoi, who after the Kynesians
dwell furthest towards the sun-setting of all the peoples of Europe;
and thus flowing through all Europe it falls into the sea by the side of
Scythia.

50. So then it is because these which have been named and many others
join their waters together, that Ister becomes the greatest of rivers;
since if we compare the single streams, the Nile is superior in volume
of water; for into this no river or spring flows, to contribute to its
volume. And the Ister flows at an equal level always both in summer and
in winter for some such cause as this, as I suppose:--in winter it is
of the natural size, or becomes only a little larger than its nature,
seeing that this land receives very little rain in winter, but
constantly has snow; whereas in summer the snow which fell in the
winter, in quantity abundant, melts and runs from all parts into the
Ister. This snow of which I speak, running into the river helps to swell
its volume, and with it also many and violent showers of rain, for it
rains during the summer: and thus the waters which mingle with the Ister
are more copious in summer than they are in winter by about as much as
the water which the Sun draws to himself in summer exceeds that which he
draws in winter; and by the setting of these things against one another
there is produced a balance; so that the river is seen to be of equal
volume always.

51. One, I say, of the rivers which the Scythians have is the Ister; and
after it the Tyras, which starts from the North and begins its course
from a large lake which is the boundary between the land of the
Scythians and that of the Neuroi. At its mouth are settled those
He