48. HALYS. The modern Kizil Irmak flows into the Black Sea about 600 kilometres east of Istanbul. André compares Apollonius' description of the river (II 366-67) 'ῥοαὶ Ἅλυος ποταμοῖο / δεινὸν ἐρεύγονται'.
49-50. The three rivers mentioned in these lines are all named for their swiftness.
49. PARTHENIVSQVE RAPAX. The modern Bartin flows into the Black Sea about 280 kilometres east of Istanbul and about 240 kilometres west of Sinop. It is in fact a very calm river: this information was available to Ovid from Apollonius II 936-37 'Παρθενίοιο ῥοὰς ἁλιμυρήεντος, / πρηυτάτου ποταμοῦ' (cited by André).
49. VOLVENS SAXA. Similar phrasing at Met VIII 552-53 '[undae ...] ferre trabes solidas obliquaque uoluere magno / murmure saxa solent'.
49. CINAPSES BC CINAPSIS L TYNAPSES H CINASPES FIT NIPHATES M. Editors read CYNAPSES; but since the river is not otherwise known, restoration is dangerous. M's reading looks like an interpolation from Lucan III 245 'Armeniusque tenens uoluentem saxa Niphaten' (cited by Micyllus).
50. NVLLO TARDIOR = uelocior omni; André mistranslates 'le plus lent des fleuves'. Compare Tr I v 1 'O mihi post nullos umquam [uar ullos numquam] memorande sodales' and EP I iii 65-66 'Zmyrna uirum tenuit, non Pontus et hostica tellus, / paene minus nullo Zmyrna petenda loco'.
50. TYRAS. The modern Dnestr flows into the Black Sea about fifty miles south of Odessa; near its mouth is the city of Ovidiopol. The river is briefly mentioned at Pliny NH IV 82 & 93, and at Mela II 7, where it is called the 'Tyra'; this however seems to be a scribal error induced by the following separat.
51. THERMODON. The modern Terme flows into the Black Sea about 100 kilometres southeast of the mouth of the Kizil Irmak (Halys). It was conventional to mention the Amazons in connection with the river (Met XII 611, Aen XI 659-60, Prop III xiv 13-14, Ammianus Marcellinus XXII 8 17). Professor E. Fantham suggests to me that Ovid may here be providing Albinovanus with material for the part of his Theseid dealing with Theseus' expedition against the Amazons.
Ovid also mentions the Thermodon at Met I 248-49 (the story of Phaethon) 'arsit et Euphrates Babylonius, arsit Orontes / Thermodonque citus Gangesque et Phasis et Hister'. As in the present distich, the Thermodon and Phasis, both prominent in mythology, are mentioned together.
51. TVRMAE BCM TVRBAE FHILT. There is a similar variation among the manuscripts at AA III l-2 'Arma dedi Danais in Amazonas; arma supersunt / quae tibi dem et turmae, Penthesilea, tuae'. From other descriptions of the Amazons, the Auctor Electorum Etonensium aptly compares Val Fl IV 603 (cateruas) and 607 (turma); compare as well Statius Sil I vi 56 (turmas). It is possible that turma should be read at Prop III xiv 13-14 'qualis Amazonidum nudatis bellica mammis / Thermodontiacis turba lauatur aquis'; but this would make bellica redundant.