History of the Peloponnesian War

And he summoned also many of the mountain Thracians who are independent and wear short swords, who are called Dii, most of them inhabiting Rhodope; and some of these were won to his service by pay, while others came along as volunteers.

He called out, further, the Agrianians and Laeaeans, and all the other Paeonian tribes which were under his sway.[*](Paeonian tribes that dwelt in the mountain regions bordering on Macedonia, watered by the Upper Strymon and the Axius; most of them were afterwards subject to Macedonia.)These peoples were at the outer limits of his empire ; for the bounds of his empire extended, on the side towards the Paeonians, who are independent, as far as the Laeaean Paeonians and the river Strymon,[*](Now Struma.) which flows from mount Scombrus through the country of the Agrianians and the Laeaeans.

On the side toward the Triballi, who also are independent, the boundary is formed by the Treres and Tilataeans; and these dwell to the north of Mount Scombrus and extend toward the west as far as the river Oscius.[*](Now Isker.)This river has its source in the same mountains as the Nestus[*](Now Masta.) and the Hebrus[*](Now Maritza.)-a mountain range of great extent and uninhabited that is adjacent to Rhodope.

Now the empire of the Odrysians[*](Coinciding in the main with modern Bulgaria.) in respect to its size extended along the sea-coast from the city of Abdera to the Euxine Sea as far as the river Ister. This stretch of coast constitutes a voyage for a merchant-vessel, if the shortest course is taken and the wind keeps steady astern, of four days and as many nights; but the journey by land from Abdera to the Ister can be accomplished by an active man, taking the shortest route, in eleven days.