History of the Peloponnesian War

Sitalces, accordingly, beginning with the Odrysians, summoned to his standard, first the Thracians under his sway between the mountains Haemus[*](The modern Balkans.) and Rhodope[*](Now Despotodagh.) and the sea,—as far as the shores of the Euxine and the Hellespont,— then, beyond Haemus, the Getae, and all the other tribes that are settled south of the river Ister[*](Danube.) in the general direction of the seaboard of the Euxine sea; and the Getae and the people of that region are not only neighbours of the Scythians but are also equipped like them, all of them being mounted archers.

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.