Conduct of ASIA. little. The king received his wives in turns,' and the CHAP. III. latter appear to have enjoyed free communication with each other, excepting during the reign of the harem. Smerdis Magus, when they were kept in separate apartments. The height to which the passions of hatred and jealousy sometimes attained in the confined sphere of the seraglio, is strikingly brought forward in the dreadful story of Xerxes's amour with Artaynte, and the horrible revenge taken by his wife Amestris.3 Persian language. 2 In concluding the present chapter we must remark, that in connexion with the Persian language, Herodotus mentions a circumstance which was only discovered by the Greeks, after having escaped the notice of the Persians themselves. The names of the Persians corresponded with their rank and persons, and all terminated in the same letter, viz. the letter which the Dorians called san, and the Ionians sigma. A translation is also given of the names of three of the Persian kings, viz. Darius, "one who restrains;" Xerxes, "a warrior;" and Artaxerxes, "a mighty warrior." 5 4 1 iii. 69. 2 iii. 68. 3 ix. 108-113. 4 i. 139. 5 vi. 98. CHAPTER IV. UNEXPLORED ASIA: OR EUXINE TRIBES; ARMENIA; MATIENE AND THE SASPEIRES; MEDIA; Region bounded on the west by the frontiers of Asia Minor; north by the Phasis, the Caspian, and the Jaxartes; east by the Indus; south by Syria, Assyria, Cissia, Persis, and the Erythraean.-Divided into twelve satrapies.-19. EASTERN PONTUS, comprising the Moschi, Tibareni, Macrones, Mosynoeci, and Mares, answering to Trebisonde. - Herodotus's account very meagre.-Extent of the satrapy: probably included the Chalybes and Ligyes.-Order of the nations according to Xenophon.— Described by Xenophon as being half barbarous and almost independent of Persia.-13. ARMENIA and PACTYICA, answering to Erzroum and part of Kurdistan. — Difficulty respecting Pactyica. — Armenians, descended from the Phrygians.-Their country the highway between Sardis and Susa.-Watered by four rivers, viz. the Tigris, Zabatus Major, Zabatus Minor, and the Gyndes.-Stream of the Gyndes weakened by the 180 canals of Cyrus.-Commerce with Babylon.-Peculiar merchant boats chiefly freighted with palm wine.-Extent of the Armenia of Herodotus.-18. MATIENE with the Saspeires and Alarodii.—Eastern and western Matiene mentioned by Herodotus.- Eastern Matiene identified with the mountains of Zagros or Kurdistan.-Matieni represented by the modern Kurds.- Western Matiene in Asia Minor. Costume.Country of the Saspeires and Alarodii in the valley of the Aras.-10. MEDIA, with the Paricanii and the Orthocorybantii.-Difficulty respecting the Paricanii.-Orthocorybantii unknown.-General description.Northern Media, or Atropatene, answering to Azerbijan. - Southern Media, or Media Magna, answering to Irak Ajemi.-Two capitals each named Ecbatana.-Media of Herodotus. - Identified by Rennell with Irak Ajemi, and the Ecbatana with Hamadan.-Identified by Col. Rawlinson with Azerbijan, and the Ecbatana with Takhti-Soleiman.-Probably included a large portion of both provinces.-Nisacan plain and horses.-Ecbatana as described by Herodotus.-Story of its walls considered to be a fable of Sabaean origin. Medes divided into six tribes, viz. Busae, Paretaceni, Struchates, Arizanti, and Magi. Anciently called Arians.-Costume.-Language.-11. SOUTH CASPIAN PROVINCES, comprising Caspii, Pausicae, Pantimathi, and Dareitae.-Costume of the Caspii. Identification of this satrapy with Ghilan, Mazanderan, and Astrabad.-16. PARTHIANS, CHORASMIANS, SOGDIANS, and ARIANS, all wearing Bactrian costume.-Vast extent of the satrapy.-Parthia identi ASIA. CHAP. IV. ASIA. CHAP. IV. Region the west by of Asia Mi fied with the mountains north of Khorassan.-Chorasmia with Kharasm, or Khiva. Sogdia with Sogd, or Bokhara.-Aria with Khorassan and western Afghanistan. Arians and Medes the same race.- Caspian Gates. Salt desert.-Remarkable plain described by Herodotus.-Contained the sources of the Aces.-Turned into a lake by the king of Persia. — Difficulties in the geography: Herodotus's apparent confusion between the Helmund and the Oxus.-15. EAST CASPIAN PROVINCES, comprising Sacae and Caspii.-Sacae the Persian name for Scythians: their costume.-Amyrgian Sacae to be considered as a Scythian tribe, conquered by Persia. Situated between the Oxus and Jaxartes.-Caspii north of the ancient course of the Oxus.-12. BACTRIA.-General description. Identified with Balkh between the Hindoo Koosh and the Oxus.-Herodotus's account.-Bactria, a penal settlement.-Costume of the Bactrians.-Aeglae, probably the Ghiljies.-7. GANDARA, comprising the Sattagydae, Gandarii, Dadicae, and Aparytae.-Merely named by Herodotus.-Probably answered to eastern Afghanistan.-Gandarii identified with the people of Candahar.-Dadicae with the Tadjiks.-Sattagydae with the Zhats.-14. CARMANIA, including Sagartii, Sarangees, Thamanaei, Utii, and Myci, and the isles of the Erythraean.-Sarangees identified with the people of Zarang or Sehestan.-Herodotus's account. -Costume of the Sagartii.-Mode of fighting with lassos.-Thamanaei unknown.-Costume of the Sarangees, Utii, and Myci.-17. ASIATIC AETHIOPIA, with the Paricanii.-Herodotus's account.-Equipment of Paricanii. - Aethiopians of Asia contrasted with those of Libya. Strange head-dress.-Identification of Asiatic Aethiopia with Gedrosia, or Beloochistan.-20. NORTHERN INDIA, or the Punjab.-Extent of the satrapy.-Herodotus's account of the people.-Enormous ants.-Anthills of sand and gold-dust.-Mode of carrying off the gold.-Identification of the people with the Rajpoots of the Punjab.-Indian camels.Costume of the people.-Revenue of the twenty satrapies.-Herodotus's error whilst reducing the Babylonian talent to the Euboic standard.— Attempts to account for it.-Error in the sum total: perhaps included taxes paid in kind, tolls, gifts, etc.-The money and gold-dust melted down into ingots. In accordance with our plan of classifying the geography of the Asia of Herodotus according to the several degrees of his knowledge, we once more rebounded on turn to the mountains of Armenia, near the eastern the frontiers frontier of Asia Minor. In the previous chapter we nor; north, described the countries westward of the Tigris, and by the Pha- Cissia and Persis to the south-east of that river. We have now to treat of the immense territory north artes; east, and east of this region, extending from the eastern dus; south, boundary of Asia Minor to the basin of the Indus, and stretching breadthways, at its eastern quarter, Cissia, Per- between the banks of the Jaxartes and coast of the Erythraean. Erythraean. sis, the Cas pian, and the Jax by the In by Syria, Assyria, sis, and the Divided into Twelve satrapies are included in this region, which twelve sa- we shall describe in the following order, commencing at the western extremity. 1. Eastern Pontus, or trapies. ASIA. the tribes along the south-eastern shore of the Euxine, now called Trebisonde. 2. Armenia, or Erz- CHAP. IV. roum and part of Kurdistan. 3. Matiene and the country of the Saspeires, comprising the mountains of Kurdistan and valley of the Aras or Araxes. 4. Media, or Azerbijan and Irak Ajemi. 5. South Caspian districts, or Ghilan, Mazanderan, and Astrabad. 6. Parthia, Chorasmia, Sogdia, and Aria, or Khorassan, western Afghanistan, Khiva, and Bokhara. 7. East Caspian district, comprising Amyrgian Sacae and Caspians, or the country north of the ancient course of the Oxus. 8. Bactria, or Balkh and Budakshan. 9. Gandara, or eastern Afghanistan. 10. Carmania, or Kerman. 11. Asiatic Aethiopia, or Beloochistan. 12. Northern India, or the Punjab. This arrangement is based upon the actual geography of Asia; it includes the seventh satrapy, and the tenth to the twentieth inclusive; and in order to reconcile them with the geographical order laid down, we must take them as follows: viz. 19, 13, 18, 10, 11, 16, 15, 12, 7, 14, 17, and 20. ERN PON prising the XIX. EASTERN PONTUS, or the territory along the XIX. EASTsouth-eastern shore of the Euxine, now called Trebi- Tus comsonde, seems to have composed the nineteenth sa- Moschi, Titrapy, which consisted of the Moschi, Tibareni, Ma- bareni, Macrones, Mosynoeci, and Mares. They paid 300 synoeci, and talents.1 crones, Mo Mares, answering to Herodotus's very mea gre. Herodotus tells us but very little concerning these Trebisonde. tribes. They all joined the army of Xerxes, and account with the exception of the Mares they all wore the same equipment, namely, wooden helmets, small bucklers, and large pointed spears.2 The Macrones were neighbours of the Cappadocian Syrians, who dwelt about Thermodon and the river Parthenius, and at a recent period learnt the practice of circumcision from the Colchians, who apparently bordered them on the north. The Mares wore helmets plaited after the fashion of their country, and carried small leathern shields and javelins.* 3 1 iii. 94. 2 vii. 78. 3 ii. 104. 4 vii. 79. ASIA. Extent of According to the above description of the MaCHAP. IV. crones, this satrapy appears to have consisted of the eastern half of the province subsequently called Ponthe satrapy: tus, and may approximate to the modern province of Trebisonde. Here also we may include the Chalybes, the Chaly if we follow Wesseling's conjecture, and identify probably included bes and Ligyes. them with the nation whose name has been lost.1 The Chalybes carried small shields made of raw hides, and each had two javelins used for hunting wolves. On their heads they wore brazen helmets, and on the helmets were the ears and horns of an ox made of brass. On the top of the whole was a plume of feathers. Their legs were wrapped in pieces of purple cloth. This people possessed an oracle of Ares.2 In this same satrapy we may also place the Ligyes, who probably were a branch of the same widely spread nation which were to be found in Europe, and who wore the same equipment as Order of the the Paphlagonians. Xenophon in his way towards cording to the west passed successively through the territories Xenophon. of the Macrones, the Mosynoeci, the Chalybes, and the Tibareni, between the rivers Phasis (or Rhion) and the Thermodon (or Thermeh). The Moschi are also said to be situated between the sources of the Phasis and those of the Cyrus (or Kur). We may therefore describe this satrapy as consisting of the maritime district between the lofty chain of Armenian mountains and Euxine Sea; and having the Phasis and Cyrus on the east, and the Thermodon on the west.* 4 nations ac 5 3 The manners of some of these tribes, as described by Xenophon, sufficiently assure us of their halfbarbarous character; and we learn that, protected by their woods and mountains, they paid little or no regard to the authority of the Persian king, except when for the sake of plunder they chose to accompany his armies. The Mosynoeci were one of the wildest and most uncivilized nations of Asia. Their king or chief was maintained at the public expense 2 Ibid. 3 vii. 72. 4 Rennell, Geog. of Herod. vol. i. 5 Exped. v. 5, quoted by Heeren. 1 vii. 76. |