82 MINES IN 



CHAP. II. 



converting into gold whatever he touched, is 

 well known. Like most other streams whose 

 sands yield gold, it became exhausted of its trea- 

 sures ; for in the time of Strabo, according to 

 that author, it yielded none 1 . 



There were other mines in Asia either in opera- 

 tion at the time when Strabo wrote his extensive 

 work, or that had been productive in former 

 periods, which merit some notice. 



" In Armenia," he says 2 , " in the province 

 of Hisperatis, near Cambale, mines of gold were 

 found, which induced Alexander to send Memnon 

 there with his forces ; but they were all cut off by 

 the inhabitants of the country. We may judge 

 of the power of the kingdom of Armenia, by see- 

 ing that Pompey required of Tigranes, the father 

 of Artavasdes (95 years B. C.), six thousand ta- 

 lents of silver, which he instantly distributed 

 among the Roman troops ; each soldier receiving 

 one hundred and fifty drachmas, each centurion 

 one thousand, and each eparch 3 or chiliarch one 

 talent." It appears by a subsequent passage 

 in the same chapter, that this large sum was to 

 be paid by fourteen annual instalments, during 

 which the revenues of Syria, and of several other 



1 Strabo, book xriii. s Strabo, book xi. cap. 19. 



3 The French editors of Strabo suggest that this name de- 

 signates the commanders of the legionary cavalry, though con- 

 fessing that in this they differ from all the manuscripts exist- 

 ing in the present day. 



