Chap. 19.] ACCOUNT OF COUNTRIES, ETC. 33 



back of Mount Paropanisus, 83 over against the sources of the 

 river Indus, and is bounded by the river Ochus. 84 Beyond it 

 are the Sogdiani, 85 the town of Panda, and, at the very extremity 

 of their territory, Alexandria, 86 founded by Alexander the 

 Great. At this spot are the altars which were raised by Her- 

 cules and Father Liber, as also by Cyrus, Semiramis, and 

 Alexander ; for the expeditions of all these conquerors stopped 

 short at this region, bounded as it is by the river Jaxartes, 

 by the Scythians known as the Silis, and by Alexander and 

 his officers supposed to have been the Tanais. This river was 

 crossed by Deraodamas, a general of kings Seleucus and An- 

 tiochus, and whose account more particularly we have here 

 followed. He also consecrated certain altars here to Apollo 

 Didymseus. 87 



CHAP. 19. (17.) THE NATIONS OF SCYTHIA AND THE COUNTRIES 



ON THE EASTERN OCEAN. 



Beyond this river are the peoples of Scythia. The Persians 

 have called them by the general name of Sacae, 88 which properly 



83 Now known as the Hindoo-Koosh ; a part of the great mountain- 

 chain which runs from west to east through the centre of the southern 

 portion of the highlands of Central Asia, and so divides the part of the 

 continent which slopes down to the Indian ocean from the great central 

 table-land of Tartary and Thibet. The native term, Hindoo-Koosh, is 

 only a form of the ancient name " Indicus Caucasus," which was some- 

 times given to this chain. The ancient name was derived probably from 

 the Persian word paru, a " mountain." 



84 Flowing from the north side of the Paropanisus. According to Pliny 

 and Ptolemy, this river flowed through Bactria into the Oxus ; but ac- 

 cording to Strabo, through Hyrcania into the Caspian Sea, Some suppose 

 it to have been only another name for the Oxus. Ansart suggests that it 

 may have been the river now known as the Bash. 



85 D'Anville says that there is still the valley of Al Sogd, in Tartary, 

 beyond the Oxus. The district called Sogdiana was probably composed 

 of parts of modern Turkistan and Bokhara. The site of Panda does not 

 appear to be known. 



86 It was built on the Jaxartes, to mark the furthest point reached by 

 Alexander in his Scythian expedition. It has been suggested that the 

 modern Kokend may possibly occupy its site. 



87 The "twin," of the same birth with Diana. 



88 The Sacse probably formed one of the most numerous and most pow- 

 erful of the Scythian Nomad tribes, and dwelt to the enst and north-c,tst 

 of the Massagetce, as far us Servia, in the steppes of Central Asia, which 



VOL. II. D 



