Consertae celsorum montium summitates Haemi et Rhodopae, quorum alter ab ipsis Histri marginibus, alter ab Axii fluminis citeriore parte consurgit, in angustias tumulosis collibus desinentes, Illyrios interscindunt et Thracas, hinc vicinae mediterraneis Dacis et Serdicae, inde Thracias despectantes et Philippopolim, civitates amplas et nobiles, et tamquam natura in dicionem Romanam redigendas nationes circumsitas praenoscente, ita figuratae consulte, inter artos colles quondam hiantes obscurius, ad magnitudinem splendoremque postea rebus elatis, patefactae sunt et carpentis, aditibusque aliquotiens clausis, magnorum ducum populorumque reppulere conatus.
The closely united summits of the lofty mountain ranges Haemus and Rhodope, of which the one rises immediately from the banks of the Danube and the other, from those of the Axius, on our side, end with swelling hills in a narrow pass, and separate Illyricum and Thrace. On the one side they are near to the midlands of Dacia and to Serdica, on the other they look down upon Thrace and Philippopolis, great and famous cities; and as if nature had fore-knowledge that the surrounding nations must come under the sway of Rome, the pass was purposely so fashioned that in former times it opened obscurely between hills lying close together, but afterwards, when our power rose to greatness and splendour, it was opened even for the passage of carts; and yet it could sometimes be so closed as to check the attempts of great leaders and mighty peoples.
final_alignments\Ammianus_Marcellinus_Book21.json