BOOK y\. xvi. 4i-\vn. 43 



Caucasiis range. Greater Armenia, which occupies 

 the front of the mountain sloping towards Comma- 

 gene, is adjoined, as we have said, by Cephenia, §28. 

 which Hcs on the descent on both sides of it, and this 

 bv Adiabene, where the land of the Assyrians begins ; 

 the part of Adiabene nearest to Syria is Arbilitis, 

 where Alcxander conquered Darius. The Mace- 

 donians have given to thc whole of Adiabenc the 

 namc of Mvgdonia, from its likcness to Mygdonia in 

 Macedon. Its towns are Alcxandria and Antiochia, 

 the native name for which is Ncsebis ; it is 750 miles 

 from Artaxata. There was also once the town of 

 Nineveh, which was on thc Tigris facing west, and was 

 formerly very famous. Adjoining thc other front of 

 Greater Armenia, which stretches to the Caspian 

 Sea, is Atrapatene, separated from the district of 

 Otene in Armenia h\ the Aras ; its chief tovm is 

 Gazae, 450 miles from Artaxata and the samc 

 distance from Hamadan, the city of the Medes, to 

 which race the Atrapatcni bclong. 



XVII. Hamadan, thc capital of Media, which was iiedia. 

 foundcd by King Scleucus, is 750 miles from Great 

 Selcucia and 20 milcs from the Caspian Gatcs. The 

 other towns of Media are Phazaca, Aganzaga and 

 Apamea, called Rhei. The reason for the name 

 ' Gates ' is thc same as that stated above : the § so. 

 range is here pierccd by a narrow pass 8 miles long, 

 scarccly broad enough for a single line of waggon 

 traffic, the whole of it a work of enginecring. It is 

 overhung on either side by crags that look as if they 

 had bccn exposed to the action of fire, tlie countrv 

 over a range of 28 milcs being entirely w.atcrless ; 

 the narrow passage is impedcd by a stream of salt 

 water that coUects from thc rocks and fmds an exit 



369 



