ASIA. and Jewish features. The lower class consists of the little, dark-complexioned, and unsightly Jauts, who CHAP. IV. are plainly alluded to in Herodotus's account of the Independent Indians.' camels. In connexion with the account of India, we have Indian a notice of the Indian camels. These were as swift as horses, and much better able to carry burdens.2 The males however were inferior in speed to the females, and in the race from the ant-heaps were the soonest tired, whilst the female, being anxious to return to her young, never slackened her pace. As the camel was known to the Greeks, only two other facts are mentioned, namely, that it had four thighs and four knees in the hinder legs, or rather two thighs, two shins in each leg, and that the genitals of the male were turned towards the tail.3 the Indians. The Indians in the army of Xerxes wore cotton Costume of garments, and carried bows made of cane, (or bamboo,) and arrows of the same material, but tipped with iron.* Their cavalry were equipped in the same manner, and besides saddle-horses, had chariots drawn by horses and wild asses." the twenty This account of the Indians who paid tribute to Revenue of Darius concludes the geography of the twenty satra- satrapies." pies. The revenue of the whole may be summed up as follows; it being remembered that Herodotus does not include sums smaller than a talent. 1. Western and south-western Asia Minor 2. Lydian Asia Minor 3. Northern Asia Minor 4. South-eastern or Cilician Asia Minor Also 360 white horses. 5. Phoenicia, Palaestine, and Cyprus 6. Aegypt and Libya. Silver Talents. 400 500 360 500 350 700 Also 120,000 measures of corn and fish from Lake Moeris: the latter producing one talent a day for six months, and 20 minas a day for the remaining six months. 7. Sattagydae, Gandarii, Dadicae, and Aparytae 8. Cissia, or Susiana 170 300 10. Media, including the Paricanii and Orthocorybantii 11. Caspii, Pausicae, Pantimathi, and Dareitae 12. Bactria, including the Aeglae and the nations intervening 14. Sagartii, Sarangae, Thamanaei, Utii, Myci, and Ery thraean isles 450 200 360 400 600 250 300 17. Paricanii and Asiatic Aethiopia 400 200 19. Moschi, Tibareni, Macrones, Mosynoeci, and Marsi 300 7740 20. Indians.. 360 talents of gold-dust, 13 times the value of 4680 15. Sacae and Caspii 16. Parthi, Chorasmii, Sogdi, and Arii 18. Matieni, Saspeires, and Alarodii Babylonian talents, each equal to 70 Euboic minas Herodotus's error whilst talent to the Euboic standard. The silver talents paid by the first nineteen satrareducing the pies were according to the Babylonian standard, Babylonian which Herodotus calculates to be equal to 70 Euboic minas. But we have now to deal with one of those arithmetical errors so frequent in our author, and which are generally laid to the charge of faulty transcribers. The sum total paid by the first nineteen satrapies, reduced to Euboic talents, he calculates at 9540 talents. Now the Euboic talent 2 was equal to 60 minas, being a proportion of 7 to 6 in comparison with the Babylonian talent. Consequently the case stand thus. Attempts to account for it. 7740 Babylonian talents according to Herodotus's calculation Ditto, according to our calculation, as 6 to It is really impossible to account for this discrepancy, though it may be somewhat lessened by supposing, as Aelian asserts, that the Babylonian talent was really equal to 72 Euboic minas, and therefore 1 iii. 89. 2 The Euboic talent was really slightly heavier than the Attic talent, 70 Euboic minas being equal to 72 Attic minas. This however makes not the slightest difference in the calculation, as we reckon by Euboic and not by Attic minas. ASIA. stood in proportion to the Euboic talent as 5 to 6; and that Herodotus merely said 70 minas for the CHAP. IV. sake of using round numbers, though in his calculation he reckoned it at 72 minas. This however will not explain the whole error, as, according to Herodotus's calculation, the Babylonian was to the Euboic talent nearly in the proportion of 4 to 5. sum total: paid in kind, etc. Close upon the foregoing we have another unac- Error in the countable mistake. Herodotus calculates the 360 perhaps intalents of Indian gold-dust to be thirteen times the cluded taxes value of silver, and accordingly reckons the gold as tolls, gifts, equal to 4680 Euboic talents. Here, for a wonder, he appears to be correct; the gold was to be paid in according to the Euboic talent, and thirteen times 360 is really 4680. Next, in order to arrive at the sum total collected from the twenty satrapies, he adds the 4680 talents to the 9540 talents. The result ought to be 14,220 talents, but he makes it 14,560 talents.' Some commentators have endeavoured to reconcile this difference, by supposing that Herodotus tacitly included in the sum total the 360 white Cilician horses mentioned in the fourth satrapy; the 240 talents produced by the fish in Lake Moeris, and the 120,000 measures of corn, mentioned in the sixth satrapy; the 500 eunuchs sent from the ninth satrapy; together with the exactions levied from the nations of the fourteenth and sixteenth, who dwelt round the enclosed plain, and paid toll for the water they obtained through the sluice-gates which blocked up the five mountain ravines.2 Amongst these additions might perhaps be included that branch of the revenue which was received in the shape of gifts, and was sent by the following nations. The Aethiopians on the borders of Aegypt, who were subdued by Cambyses, took every 3 years 2 choenices of unmolten gold, 200 blocks of ebony, 5 Aethiopian boys, and 20 large elephants' tusks. The Colchians and neighbouring nations, as far as Mount Caucasus, which bounded the Persian empire, furnished every five years 100 boys and 100 virgins. ASIA. The Arabians also sent every year 1000 talents of CHAP. IV. frankincense. Subsequently the islands (probably those in the Aegean) paid tribute, together with the inhabitants of Europe as far as Thessaly. The Persians alone occupied their land without paying taxes, though indeed they brought gifts,' which were probably regarded as voluntary marks of homage. The money and gold When the tribute was all collected it was melted dust melted and poured into earthen jars; and these moulds were afterwards removed, and the king had the metal cut off as occasion required.2 down into ingots. CHAPTER V. INDEPENDENT ASIA : OR SOUTHERN INDIA, COLCHIS, AND ARABIA. Three Asiatic nations independent of the Persian empire, viz. Southern Indians, Colchians, and Arabians.-I. SOUTHERN INDIA.-General description of the India of Herodotus.-Morning the hottest part of the day. Superior size of the birds and quadrupeds.-Camels.-Dogs.Gold.-Cotton-trees.-Two nations of Indians.-Southern Indians of Northern Hindostan.-The most easterly of all the Asiatic nations.Divided into tribes who spoke different languages.-Four tribes_mentioned by Herodotus.-Herodotus's superior and correct knowledge_of India derived from the report of Scylax.-Great merit of Scylax.-Indian fishermen on the marshes of the Indus.-Identified with the pullafishers of Sinde.-Singular coincidence between the report of Scylax and that of Lieut. Wood.-Nomade Indians or Padaei. — Killed and ate their sick relations.-Identified with the barbarous tribes of the deserts of Sinde. Vegetarian Indians, who lived chiefly on rice.Identified with the Hindoos.-Calatians, who ate their parents.-Probably the same as the Padaei. Shameless manners and black complexion of the Indians.-Probably referred to the Jauts of Rajpootana. II. COLCHIS. Description of the country.-Political relations with Persia. -Costume.-Manufacture of linen.-Gifts to Persia.-Colchians believed by Herodotus to be of Aegyptian origin, from their complexion and hair, their practice of circumcision, their manufacture of linen, and their life and language.-Value to be placed on his testimony.-III. ARABIA. General description of the country.-Herodotus's description.— African mountain range between the Nile valley and Arabian Gulf, included in Arabia.-Land of frankincense.-His account of the Arabian Gulf. Supposed it to be much narrower than it is in reality.-Causes of his error.-More correct as to its length. His real knowledge of Arabia confined to Arabia Petraea.—Assigns the Philistine territory to the Arabs. -Nature of the soil.-City of Patumos.-River Corys.-Defile near Buto containing the bones of winged serpents.-Fabulous story concerning the serpents.-Rare productions of Arabia.--Frankincense guarded by serpents. Cassia guarded by bats.-Curious manner of obtaining cinnamon from the nests of large birds.-Ledanum obtained from the beards of goats.-Sheep with enormous tails.-Political relations of the Arabians with Persia-Costume. Manner of making contracts.-Worship of Dionysus, named Orotal, and of Urania, called Alilat and Alitta. X ASIA. CHAP. V. |