﻿CLIMATE 
  AND 
  MIGRATION 
  CUEEY 
  425 
  

  

  many 
  of 
  the 
  facts 
  might 
  be 
  explained 
  in 
  individual 
  cases 
  by 
  other 
  

   theories 
  than 
  that 
  of 
  a 
  simultaneous 
  change 
  of 
  climate 
  over 
  a 
  wide 
  area 
  

   no 
  other 
  theory 
  explains 
  all 
  the 
  facts. 
  A 
  comparison 
  of 
  physiographic, 
  

   historical 
  and 
  archeological 
  data 
  from 
  Russian 
  Turkestan, 
  Chinese 
  

   Turkestan, 
  Persia, 
  Seistan, 
  Baluchistan 
  and 
  from 
  the 
  area 
  draining 
  

   into 
  the 
  Caspian 
  Sea 
  shows 
  that 
  all 
  lines 
  of 
  evidence 
  agree 
  in 
  proving 
  

   that 
  pulsations 
  of 
  climate, 
  corresponding 
  in 
  time 
  and 
  character, 
  have 
  

   been 
  common 
  to 
  all 
  these 
  countries. 
  The 
  lakes 
  and 
  rivers 
  throughout 
  

   the 
  whole 
  of 
  this 
  region 
  have 
  waxed 
  and 
  waned 
  simultaneously^ 
  more 
  

   than 
  once 
  since 
  the 
  first 
  records 
  of 
  Herodotus. 
  In 
  his 
  time 
  the 
  Cas- 
  

   pian 
  stood 
  at 
  a 
  level 
  more 
  than 
  150 
  feet 
  higher 
  than 
  it 
  does 
  at 
  the 
  

   present 
  day. 
  In 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  Alexander 
  it 
  embraced 
  the 
  Sea 
  of 
  Aral, 
  

   and 
  the 
  Oxus 
  and 
  Jaxartes 
  then 
  entered 
  it. 
  This 
  latter 
  statement 
  is 
  

   made 
  on 
  the 
  authority 
  of 
  a 
  survey 
  conducted 
  under 
  the 
  orders 
  of 
  

   Alexander 
  and 
  his 
  generals. 
  To 
  admit 
  the 
  possibility 
  of 
  this 
  it 
  is 
  neces- 
  

   sary 
  to 
  suppose 
  that 
  its 
  level 
  was 
  150 
  feet 
  higher 
  than 
  it 
  is 
  at 
  present. 
  

   From 
  the 
  figures 
  given 
  by 
  Strabo 
  (20 
  a. 
  d.) 
  it 
  is 
  concluded 
  that 
  at 
  that 
  

   time 
  the 
  level 
  was 
  from 
  85 
  to 
  100 
  feet 
  higher 
  than 
  now. 
  In 
  his 
  days 
  

   the 
  trade 
  route 
  from 
  India 
  to 
  Europe 
  led 
  along 
  the 
  banks 
  of 
  the 
  Oxus, 
  

   and 
  crossed 
  the 
  Caspian 
  to 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Cyrus 
  river. 
  Four 
  hun- 
  

   dred 
  years 
  later 
  the 
  trade 
  route 
  was 
  diverted 
  from 
  the 
  Oxus 
  to 
  Aboskun 
  

   in 
  the 
  southeast 
  corner 
  of 
  the 
  sea. 
  About 
  this 
  time 
  the 
  level 
  of 
  the 
  sea 
  

   was 
  lower 
  than 
  it 
  is 
  now. 
  Walls 
  were 
  built 
  at 
  Aboskun 
  and 
  at 
  

   Darbend, 
  on 
  the 
  opposite 
  coast, 
  "as 
  a 
  bulwark 
  against 
  the 
  migratory 
  

   Huns." 
  At 
  the 
  former 
  place 
  the 
  line 
  of 
  the 
  wall 
  can 
  now 
  be 
  traced, 
  

   below 
  water, 
  at 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  18 
  miles 
  from 
  the 
  shore. 
  At 
  Baku 
  and 
  

   at 
  other 
  places 
  are 
  ruins 
  of 
  submerged 
  buildings 
  dating 
  either 
  from 
  

   the 
  fifth 
  or 
  the 
  twelfth 
  centuries. 
  There 
  are 
  several 
  strands 
  at 
  vary- 
  

   ing 
  heights 
  along 
  the 
  southern 
  shores 
  of 
  the 
  Caspian, 
  among 
  the 
  most 
  

   clearly 
  marked 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  those 
  600, 
  250 
  and 
  150 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  

   present 
  level. 
  

  

  Their 
  weak 
  development 
  shows 
  that, 
  as 
  a 
  rule, 
  the 
  sea 
  did 
  not 
  

   stand 
  at 
  any 
  one 
  level 
  for 
  a 
  long 
  time. 
  The 
  state 
  of 
  their 
  preservation 
  

   shows 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  of 
  very 
  recent 
  origin. 
  

  

  The 
  most 
  significant 
  feature 
  of 
  the 
  climatic 
  curve 
  of 
  the 
  Caspian 
  

   Sea 
  is 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  applicable 
  to 
  the 
  whole 
  of 
  western 
  and 
  central 
  Asia. 
  

   At 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  1,000 
  miles 
  to 
  the 
  east 
  in 
  the 
  Tianshan 
  mountains 
  

   there 
  are 
  remains 
  of 
  irrigation 
  channels 
  at 
  a 
  level 
  where 
  there 
  is 
  now 
  

   frost 
  in 
  midsummer 
  and 
  so 
  much 
  moisture 
  that, 
  if 
  agriculture 
  were 
  

   possible 
  under 
  such 
  conditions, 
  irrigation 
  would 
  be 
  unnecessary. 
  Two 
  

   thousand 
  miles 
  to 
  the 
  west 
  in 
  Armenia, 
  in 
  the 
  lake 
  of 
  Gyoljuk, 
  the 
  

   stone 
  houses 
  of 
  a 
  village 
  are 
  standing 
  20 
  to 
  30 
  feet 
  below 
  its 
  surface. 
  

   Local 
  records 
  indicate 
  that 
  they 
  were 
  built 
  about 
  500 
  a. 
  d. 
  

  

  A 
  survey 
  of 
  six 
  distinct 
  basins, 
  viz., 
  Gyoljuk, 
  the 
  Caspian, 
  the 
  

   Seistan 
  Lakes, 
  Lop 
  Nor, 
  Turfan, 
  and 
  Kashmir 
  (the 
  latter 
  being 
  south 
  

  

  