BOOK VI. XXX. 118-121 



of Gaiigamcla, and also Suae on a cliff. Above the 

 Silices are the Sitrae, tlirough whom flows the Lycus 

 from its source in Armenia, and south-east of the 

 Sitrae the to^ATi of Azochis, and then in level country 

 the towns of Zeus's Spring, Pol}i:elia, Stratonicea and 

 Anthemus. In the neighbourhood of the Euphrates 

 is Nicephorion, mentioned above ; it was founded v. sc. 

 by order of Alexander because of the convenience of 

 the site. \Ve have also mentioned Apamea opposite v. 8c. 

 Bridgetown ; travelling eastward from which one 

 comes to the fortified town of Cnphrena, which 

 formerly measured 8| miles in extent and was callcd 

 the Court of the Satraps, being a centre for the collec- 

 tion of tribute, but which has now been reduced to a 

 fortress. Thebata i-emains in the same condition as 

 it was formerly, and so does the place which marked 

 the limit of the Roman Empire under the leader- 

 ship of Pompey, Oruros, 250 miles from Bridgetown. 

 Some writers record that the Euphrates was diverted 

 into an artificial channel by the governor Gobares at 

 the place where we have stated that it divides, in v. 89. 

 order to prevent the violence of its current from 

 threatening damage to the district of Babylonia ; and 

 that its name among the whole of the Assyrians is 

 Narmalchas, which mcans the Iloyal River. At the 

 point where the channel divides there was once a 

 very large town named Agranis, which was destroyed 

 by the Persians. 



Babylon, which is the capital of the Chaldaean DabyUm. 

 races, long held an outstanding celebrity among the 

 cities in the whole of the world, and in consequence 

 of this the remaining part of Mesopotamia and 

 Assyria has received the name of Babylonia. It has 

 two walls with a circuit of 60 miles. each wall being 



429 



