Sailing Around Erythraean Sea: Thirty Eight

In the last Section, we had a glimpse of the Parsidae ( modern day Fars) on the eastern coast of Persian Gulf; of Chabahar Bay and port in Balochistan. Thirty Eight below:

Beyond this region, the continent making a wide curve from the east accross the depths of the bays, there follows the coast district of Scythia, which lies above towards the north; the whole marshy; from which flows down the river Sindhus [Indus River], the greatest of all the rivers that flow into the Erythraean Sea, bringing down an enormous volume of water; so that a long way out at sea, before reaching this country, the water of ocean is fresh from it. Now as a sign of approach to this country to those coming from the sea, there are serpents coming forth from the depths to meet you; and a sign of the places just mentioned and in Persia are those called graea. This river has seven mouths, very shallow and marshy, so that they are not navigable, except the one in the middle; at which by the shore, is the market-town Barbaricum. Before it there lies a small island, and inland behind it is the metropolis Scythia, Minngara; it is subject to Parthian princes who are constantly driving each other out.

My Search:-

1. Scythia here means Indo Scythian kingdom extended from Arachosia (Afghanistan) to the region to the east of Jhelum, including Gandhara and Taxila, i.e. in modern day Pakistan, Northwestern India ( Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan) and Afghanistan. Also known as Saka kingdom, they ruled the above region from around 150BCE to 400CE.

2. Graea: Ancient Greek term for a type of snakes. It may refer to horned viper or Arabian cobra.

3. Barbaricum: Bhambore on the northern bank of Gharo Creek. It is Southeast of Karachi.

4. Minnagara might be around Dhabeji Fort, around 4 kilometres north of Bhambore. Min  may also mean bright as a star. So it may mean chief nagara or city, i.e. a metropolis, where the seat of chieftain stood.

End of the Section 



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

( 16 )CHARLES DICKENS: DAVID COPPERFIELD: CHAPTER 16: I AM A NEW BOY IN MORE SENSES THAN ONE

Next morning, after breakfast, I entered on school life again.  I went, accompanied by Mr Wickfield to the scene of my future studies- a grave building in a courtyard, with a learned air about it that suited very well to the stray rooks and jackdaws who came down from the Cathedral tower to walk with a clerkly bearing on the grass plot - and was introduced to my new master, Doctor Strong. Doctor Strong looked almost as rusty, to my thinking, as the tall iron rails and gates outside the house; and almost as stiff and heavy as the great stone urn that flanked them, and were set up, on the top of red brick wall, at regular distances all round the court, like sublimated skittles for Time to play at.  Doctor Strong was in his library, with his clothes not particularly well brushed, and his hair not particularly combed, his knee-small unbraced, his long black gaiters unbuttoned, and his shoes  yawning like two caverns on the hearth-rug.  Turning upon me a lustreless eye, t...
Read more

Sailing Around Erethraean Sea: Three

Updated 29/11/2024 Below the Calf-Eaters there is a little market-town on the shore after sailing about four thousand stadia from Berenice, called Ptolemais of Hunts, from which the hunters started for the interior under the dynasty of Ptolemies. This market town has true land to rtoise in small quantities; it is white and smaller in the shells. And here also is found a little ivory, like that of Adulis. But the place has no harbour, and is reached by small boats. 1. Calf-Eaters: Cattle rearing nomadic tribes. 2. Stadia is the plural of stadion. Ten  stadia= one mile. 3. Ptolemais of Hunts: Ptolemies Theron is the exact Greek term,  located at the Bay of Anfile or Amphila Bay on the coast of Eritrea. Facing the bay is Hando island. It is, in fact, a double bay, an inner bay within, between promontories M'edr and Lelisa. End of the Section 
Read more

Travels Of Marco Polo: Thirty

Now, let me tell of the beasts which his Majesty keeps for hunting.  Among these are Leopards and lynxes or stag-wolves well fitted for that purpose.  He has also many lions larger than those of Babylon of a beautiful hair and colour, striped length ways black red and white, and trained to catch stags, wild oxen, hogs, wild goats and asses; it is delightful to see one of these chases, where the hunters go out, carrying the lion in a cage, and with him a small dog.  They have likewise abundance of eagles, with which they capture hares, foxes and even wolves; those which are trained to catch these last are very large, and of great weight, so that no wolf can escape them. ____________________________________ 1. The lion here described by the author is manifestly the tiger. It is probable that tiger was unknown in Europe when Marco left, he might have viewed it as a variety of lion. 2. Lion and tigers are wild animals and cannot be domesticated. Still human societies used to ...
Read more