OF THE UNIVERSE. ROMAN 1/MPIRB. 191 



as an historic monument of the commercial relations 

 between the West and the most distant regions of southern 

 and central Asia. ( 297 ) One of the most important geographical 

 results of these relations was the correct opinion of the 

 insulation of the Caspian Sea, which was restored by Ptolemy 

 after the contrary error had lasted five hundred years. The 

 truth on this subject had been recognised both by Herodotus 

 and by Aristotle, the latter having fortunately written his 

 Meteorologica before the Asiatic campaigns of Alexander. 

 The Olbiopolites, from whose lips the father of history had 

 gathered the account which he followed, were familiar with 

 the northern shores of the Caspian between the Kuma, the 

 Volga (Rha), and the Jaik (Ural) ; and there was nothing 

 there which could give them an idea of an outlet to the Icy 

 Sea. Yery different reasons produced the erroneous im- 

 pression received by the Macedonian army, when, passing 

 through Hecatompylos (Damaghan), they descended into 

 the humid forests of Mazanderan, and, at Zadracarta, a little 

 to the west of the present Asterabad, saw the apparently 

 boundless expanse of the Caspian in the northern direction. 

 Plutarch tells us in his Life of Alexander that this sight first 

 caused the hypothesis that the Sfca thus seen was a gulf of 

 the Euxine. ( 298 ) The Macedonian expedition, although 

 it was upon the whole very favourable to the progress of 

 geographical knowledge, yet gave rise to particular errors 

 which long maintained themselves. The Tanais was con- 

 founded with* the Jaxartes (the Araxes of Herodotus), and 

 the Caucasus with the Paropanisus (the Hindoo Coosh). 

 Ptolemy, during his residence at Alexandria, was able to 

 obtain certain accounts from countries immediately adjoining 

 the Caspian,(from Albania, Atropatene, and Hyrcania), of the 



