CHAPTER II. Of ASIA. } V SECTION I. ARIOUS are the opinions as to the common name of ASIA ; some of the ancient geographers derive it from Afia, the daughter of Oceanus and Thetis, wife of Japetus, and by him mother to Prometheus; others deduce it from Afius, the fon of Atys, king of Lydia, from whom that kingdom, first, and in length of time the whole continent, was named Afia. But all that has or can be said on this head is bare conjecture; it will not, therefore, be worth our while to dwell on enquiries of this nature *. The boundaries of this extensive country on the north and east could not be determined by the Ancients; on the west, it was separated from Lybia or Afri ca by the Egyptian Isthmus, now the Isthmus of Suez, and the Sinus Arabicus or Red Sea; and from Europe by the Ægean Sea, the Hellespont, the Propontis, the Bofphorus, the Euxine Sea, and the river Tanais; and, on the fouth, by the Oceanus Eons, or Indian Ocean, failed over by Nearchus, under Alexander. Afia is divided into Major and Minor; but this is a distinction perhaps of the lower age. The Ancients diftinguished it into Citerior, or Asia Minor, and Ulterior, or Afia Magna. : : : This vast extent of territory was successively governed by the Affyrians, the Medes, the Persians, and • Eratosthenes thinks it most probable, that this part of the ancient world received its name from Afia, a small district about the river Cayfter and mount Tmolus. 3 the the Greeks; but the immense regions of India and modern China were very little known to Alexander, or the conquerors of the ancient world. The principal regions that divide this country are as follow. SECTION II. ANCIENT geographers are not agreed upon the exact extent of this country; I shall, therefore, confine myself to the proper Syria; to which we may venture to fet bounds, and determine its dimensions. SYRIA PROPER lay between the Mediterranean on the west, and the river Euphrates on the east; and between mount Taurus on the north, and Arabia the Defert, Palestine, and Phænice, on the south. This country, in the very early ages of time, was varioufly divided; in after-ages, it was divided into four principal kingdoms, Zobab, Damascus, Hamath, and Geshur; of which Beth-rehob, Ishtob, and Maacha, names found in the Scripture, were sub-divifions. Afterwards it was divided into the following provinces; namely, COMMAGENE. SELEUCIS, in which stood the famous city of ANTIOCH. APAMENE. CYRRHESTICA, where stood the city of Hierapolis. CALCIDENE. CHALYBONTIS. PALMYRENE, remarkable for its capital city Palmyra, whose ruins are deservedly esteemed one of the wonders of the present world. COELE-SYRIA, where were feated the cities Heliopolis, now Balbeck, whose magnificent ruins claim the admiration of travellers; and Damascus, now Sham. LAODICENE. The people were called Syri, and Aramæi, by the facred writers, and were of a voluptuous and flavish turn *. * Strabo. The 1 The rivers of the country are the Orontes; and the Chryforrboas or Barrady. The rivers Abana and Pharphar were only branches of the latter. SECTION IIL BABYLONIA or CHALDEA. THE most ancient names by which this country was known were, Shinar, Sennaar, Senjar, Singara, &c. Babylonia is universally supposed to have been borrowed from the tower and city of Babel, and Chaldea from the Chaldeans or Chasdim. The inhabitants were much addicted to, and noted for aftrology. This extensive region was bounded eastward by the river Tigris, which divided it from Affyria; fouthward by the conflux of the two rivers and the Persian gulph; and westward by Arabia Deserta; how far it extended northward is very uncertain; but it must have been bounded by fome part of Mesopotamia, but by what part of it is past our determination. Its metropolis was BABEL * or BABYLON, built by Nimrod, and the oldest city in the world. It was in compass 60 miles, with walls 200 feet high, and 50 broad, built with brick and bitumen. SECTION IV. THIS tract of land was bounded on the west by Bosphorus Thracius and part of the Propontis; on the south by the river Rhyndacus and mount Olympus; on the north by the Euxine sea; and on the east by the river Parthenius. * Mofes. It It had anciently the names of Mysia, Mygdonia, Bebrycia, Mariandynia, and Bithynia. The metropolitan city of this country was NI- COMEDIA. مر 1 SECTION V. THE boundaries affigned to Persia has varied very much in different ages; Ptolemy makes it extend on the north to Media, on the east to Carmania, on the west to Sufiana, and on the fouth to the Perfian gulph, but this relates to Persia considered only as a province. I shall here consider it in another light, and give the boundaries of the Persian empire as they anciently stood. In which extent was included Media and Affyria. The ancient empire of Persia then extended in length from the Hellefpont to the mouth of the river Indus, about 2800 English miles; and in breadth from the Pontus to the mouth of the Arabian Gulph, about 2000 miles. This extensive tract of land was divided into the following provinces: GEDROSIA, CARMANIA, DRANGIANA, ARACHOSIA, PAROPAMISUS, BACTRIA, MARGIANA, HYRCANIA, ARIA, PARTHIA, PERSIS, SUSIANA. TO these were added the provinces of MEDIA and AsSYRIA; but as they made so great a figure in ancient history, I reserve a particular description of them to the following Sections. No country has had a greater variety of names given to it than Persia; in the holy Scripture we find it called ELAM and PARAS; and in the oriental writers AGJEM, IRAN, and SHAHISTAN, that is, the dominions of the SHAH. * Strabo. In 1 In respect to rivers, there is but one navigable stream in the whole country, which is called ARAXIS. SECTION VI. THIS country, once the feat of a powerful empire, received its name from Madai, the third fon of Japhet. It was bounded on the north by part of the Cafpian sea; on the south by Perfis, Sufiana, and Affyria; on the east by Parthia and Hyrcania; and on the west by Armenia Major. Its division anciently was into the following provinces; namely, TROPATANE; CHAROMITHRENE; DARITES; MARCIANE ; AMARIACE; and SYROMEDIA. All these, by a later division, were reduced to two only, called MEDIA MAGNA, and MEDIA ATROPATIA, or fimply ATROPATIA *. The capital city of all Media was Ecbatan, celebrated by the Ancients for its walls. The rivers of note in Media were the Straton, the Amardus, the Cyrus, and the Cambyses. THIS very extensive country received its name from Ashur, the second son of Shem, its first planter after the flood †. The exact extent of Affyria is very uncertain; but it is agreed upon by most geographers, that it lay eastward of the Tigris, and extended almost north • Strabo, + Mofes. caft |