BOOK VI. xxviii. 109-XXIX. 112 



who roof their houses ^vith the shells and live on the 

 flesh of turtles. These people inhabit the promontory 

 that is reached next after leaving the river Arabis. 

 They are covered all over, except their heads, ^vith 

 shaggy hair, and they wear clothes made of the skins 

 of fishes. After the district belonging to these 

 people, in the dircction of India there is said to be 

 an uninhabitcd island, Cascandrus, 50 miles out at 

 sea, aiid next to it, with a strait flowing between, 

 Stoidis, with a valuable pearl-fishery. After the 

 promontory the Carmanians are adjoined by the 

 Harmozaei, though some authorities place the Arbii 

 between them, stretching all along the coast for 421 

 miles. Here are the Port of the Maccdonians and 

 the Altars of Alexander situated on a promontory ; 

 the rivers are Siccanas and then the Dratinus and 

 the Salsum. After the Salsuin is Cape Themisteas, 

 and the inhabited island of Aphrodisias. Here is 

 the beginning of Farsistan, at the river Tab, which 

 separates Farsistan from Elymais. Off the coast of 

 Farsistan lie the islands of Psilos, Cassandra and 

 Aracha, the last with an extremely lofty moun- 

 tain, and consecrated to Neptune. Farsistan itself 

 occupies 550 miles of coast, facing west. It is 

 wealthy even to the point of luxury. It has long ago 

 changed its name to Parthia. 



We will now give a brief account of the Parthian 

 empire. 



XXIX. The Parthi possess in all eighteen king- Panhia. 

 doms, such being the divisions of their provinces on 

 the coasts of two seas, as we have stated, the Red §4i. 

 Sea on the south and the Caspian Sea on the north. 

 Of these provinces the eleven designated the Upper 

 Kingdoms begin at the frontiers of Armenia and the 



423 



