Page:The geography of Strabo (1854) Volume 1.djvu/137

 CHAP. i. 25, 26. INTRODUCTION. 123 thence through Gaugamela, 1 the Lycus, 2 Arbela, 3 and Ecba- tana, 4 whither Darius fled from Gaugamela to the Caspian Gates, makes up the 10,000 stadia, which is only 300 stadia too much. Such is the measure of the northern side given by Eratosthenes, which he could not have supposed to be pa- rallel to the mountains, nor yet to the line drawn 'from the Pillars of Hercules through Athens and Rhodes. For Thap- sacus is far removed from the mountains, and the route from Thapsacus to the Caspian Gates only falls in with the moun- tains at that point. 5 Such is the boundary on the northern side. 25. Thus, says Eratosthenes, we have given you a description of the northern side ; as for the southern, we cannot take its measure along the sea, on account of the Persian Gulf, which intercepts [its continuity], but from Babylon through Susa and Persepolis to the confines of Persia and Carmania there are 9200 stadia. This he calls the southern side, but he does not say it is parallel to the northern. The differ- ence of length between the northern and southern sides is caused, he tells us, by the Euphrates, which after running south some distance shifts its course almost due east. 26. Of the two remaining sides, he describes the western first, but whether we are to regard it as one single straight line, or two, seems to be undecided. He says, From Thap- sacus to Babylon, following the course of the Euphrates, there are 4800 stadia ; from thence to the mouth of the Euphrates 6 and the city of Teredon, 3000 7 more ; from Thapsacus north- ward to the Gates of Armenia, having been measured, is stated to be 1100 stadia, but the distance through Gordysea and Armenia, not having yet been measured, is not given. The eastern side, which stretches lengthwise through Persia from the Red Sea towards Media and the north, does not appear to be less than 8000 stadia, and measured from certain headlands above 9000, the rest of the distance through Parsetacena and Media to the Caspian Gates being 3000 stadia. The rivers Tigris and Euphrates flowing from Armenia towards the south, after having passed the 1 Karmelis. 2 The Altun-Suyi, or River of Gold. 3 Erbil. 4 Hamedan. 5 Viz. at the Gates of the Caspian. 6 This ancient embouchure of the Euphrates is now known as Khor- Abdillah. , 7 Read 3300.