BOOK V. x.xvii. 97-99 



the balaiice bctween a countless nuiuber of tribcs ; 

 its right-hand side, where it first riscs out of the 

 Indian Ocean, faces north, and its left-hand side faces 

 south ; it also stretches westward, and would divide 

 Asia in two at the middle, were it not that in 

 dominating the land it encounters the opposition of 

 seas. It thcrefore recoils in a northerly dircction, 

 and forming a curve starts on an immense route, 

 Nature as it were designedly throwing seas in its 

 way at intervals, here the Phoenician Sea, here the 

 Black Sea, there the Caspian and the Hyrcanian, 

 and opposite to them the Sea of Azov. Consequently 

 owing to their impact the mountain twists about 

 between these obstacles, and neverthcless sinuously 

 emerging victorious rcaches the kindred ranges of 

 the llipaean Mountains. The range is designated by 

 a number of names, receiving new ones at each point 

 in its advance : its first portion is called Imaus, 

 then Emodus," Paropanisus, Circius, Cambades, 

 Pariades, Choatras, Oregcs, Oroandcs, Niphates, 

 Taurus, and where it overtops even itsclf, Cau- 

 casus, while wherc it occasionally throws out 

 arms as if trying to invade the sea, it becomes 

 Sarpedon, Coracesius, Cragus, and once again 

 Taurus ; and even where it gapes open and makes a 

 passage for mankind, ncverthelcss claiming for itself 

 an unbroken continuity by giving to these passes 

 the name of Gates : in one place they are callcd 

 the Armenian Gates, in anothcr the Caspian, and 

 in another the CiHcian. Moreover when it has 

 been cut short in its carecr, rctiring also from the 

 sea, it fiUs itself on either side with the namcs of 

 numerous races, on the right-hand side being called 

 the Hyrcanian Mountain and the Caspian, and on 



295 



