106 Scientific Reviews. 



" That part (of Assyria) which borders on Armenia is called Ar- 

 rapachitis ; that which borders on Susiana, Sitacene ; the Garamaei 

 occupy the centre. The district between Sitacene and the Garamaei 

 is called Appolloniatis ; that between Arrapachitis and the Gara- 

 maei, Adiabene."* Here Mr. Williams' quotation ends. We subjoin 

 the remainder of Ptolemy's text ; and, as will immediately appear 

 for a very good reason, Appolloniatis lies between the Garamaei 

 and Sitacene. " The nation of the Sambatae overlooks this district 

 (Appolloniatis;) and Calacine, (Calachine, the Classitaae of Pliny,) 

 overlooks Adiabene ; and the region of Arbelitis (Arbela) overlooks 

 the Garamaei." Now, an uninformed reader would imagine from 

 the extract given by Williams, that the Garamaei are only twice 

 mentioned, whereas the name occurs four times in this description 

 of Assyria. Now, it would be extraordinary, indeed, if Ptolemy, 

 or his transcribers, had all along in this description given Garanuei 

 instead of Gordyaei, the truer reading. The error, it seems, is re- 

 peated four several times ; and, consequently, according to Wil- 

 liams, the name Gordyaei should be substituted for Garamaei not 

 less than four times. There is a nation, besides, called Sambatae, 

 described as lying above Appolloniatis. Williams gives us two 

 reasons for these emendations, of Gordycei for Garamaei. The 

 first is, that such a people as the Garamaei never existed there or 

 any where; and the second is, that his favourite Gordycei or 

 Koords occupy the very spot assigned to that non-existent people. 

 His first assertion is incorrect, as either madein ignorance, or flowing 

 from careless reading. The name Garamaei does not occur in any 

 author before Ptolemy. But there is a passage in Tacitus' Annals, 

 Lib. xii. c. 14. where, in describing the contest between Gotarzes 

 and Mithridates for the Parthian sceptre, he says, that Gotarzes 

 having offered sacrifices to Hercules, and the gods of the place, on 

 Mount Sambylus, he descended and encamped in the plain, having 

 the river Carma between him and the enemy. On this plain, in- 

 tersected by the Carma, a battle was fought, which terminated in 

 favour of Gotarzes. Now the Carma and Sambylus of Tacitus 

 manifestly bear a strong resemblance to the Garamaei and Sambatae 

 of Ptolemy. As Gordyene often appears Cordyene or Corduene — 

 as the Carduchi were clearly identical with the Gordyaei — in other 

 words, as the initial consonant of such words is indifferently K or 

 G — Carma may be Garma, and the tribe inhabiting its banks the 

 Carmaei or Garmaei, or Garamaei. There can be as little doubt 

 that Mount Sambylus was inhabited by the Sambatae ; and Mount 

 Sambylus exactly corresponds to the Karad-sjogh of Niebuhr, or 



• As IMr. Williams has not given the whole of Ptolemy's words, we shall 

 here subjoin them : — 



" Regionis vero pars, qufe juxta Arminiam est, vocatur Arrapachitis : quae 

 vcro juxta Susianam est, Slttacene : Media teneret Garamaei ; vocatur autem ea 

 qusB inter Arrapachitidem et Garamasos est, Adiabene. Quae autem inter Gara- 

 maeos et Sittacenem interjacet, Apolloniatis, cui superjacet gens Sambatae. Et 

 supra Adiabenen, Calacine, autem Garamaeis, Arbelitis regio irn'^'"'-"* " 



