________________
DECEMBER, 1884.]
PTOLEMY'S GEOG. BK. VI, CH. 14.-SKYTHIA.
401
-
-
9. All the territory of this Skythia in the The country of the Skyths is spread over a north, adjoining the unknown regions, is in. vast area in the east of Europe and in Western habited by the people commonly called the
and Central Asia. The knowledge of the Skyths
by the Greeks dates from the earliest period Alanoi Sky thai and the Sou obe noi
of their literature, for in Homer (Iliad, lib. and the Alanorsoi, and the country below
XIII, 1. 4) we find mention made of the Galakto. these by the Saitianoi and the Massai oi
phagoi (milk-eaters) and the Hippemologoi (mareand the Syê boi, and along Imaös on the
milkers) which must have been Skythic tribes, oater side the Tektosakes, and near the
since the milking of mures is a practice distinctive most eastern sources of the river Rhỉ the of the Skyths. Ptolemy's division of Skythis into Rhobosko i below whom the Asma noi. within and beyond Imaös is peculiar to himself,
10. Then the Paniardoi, below whom, and may have been suggested by his division of more towards the river, the country of Kano- India into within and beyond the Ganges. Imaos, dipsa, and below it the Koraxoi, then
as has already been pointed out is the Bolor chain, the Orgasó i, after whom as far as the sea
which has been for ages the boundary between
Turkistan and China. Ptolemy, however, placed the Erymmoi, to east of whom are the
Imaös too far to the east, go further than the Asiðta i, then the A orsoi, after whom aro
meridian of the principal source of the Ganges. the Inxartai, a great race seated along their
The cause of this mistake, as a writer in Smith's homonymous river as far as to where it bends
Dictionary points out, arose from the circumstance towards the Tapoura Mountains, and again that the data upon which Ptolemy came to his conbelow the Saitanioi are the Mologénoi, below clusion were selected from two different sources. whom, as far as the Rymmik range, are the The Greeks first became acquainted with the Samnitai.
Kômodorum Montes when they passed the Indian 11. And below the Massaioi and the Alana
Kaukasos between Kabul and Balkh, and advanced Mountains are the Zaratai and the Sasones,
over the plateau of Bâmiyán along the west slopes and further east than the Rymmik Mountains
of Bolor, where Alexander found in the tribe of
the Sibae the descendants of Hôraklêe, just as are the Tybia kai, after whom, below the
Marco Polo and Burnes met with people who Zaratai, are the Ta biè noi and the I & stai
boasted that they had sprung from the Make. And the Makhai têgoi along the range of
donian conquerors. The north of Bolor was Norosson, after whom are the Norosbeis known from the route of the traffic of the Sêres: and the Norossoi, and below these the The combination of notations obtained from such Ka kha ga i Skytha i along the country of different sources was imperfectly made, and hence the laxartai.
the error in longitude. This section of Skythia 12. Further west than the Aspisia range
comprised Khiva, the country of the Kosaks, are the Aspisioi Skythai, and further
Ferghana, Tashkend, and the parte about the
Balkash. east the Galaktophagoi Sky thai, and
The rivers mentioned in connexion with Skythia in like manner the parts farther east than the
within Imaos are the Oxos, Tazartes, Rha, RhymTapoura and Syêba ranges are inhabited by the
mos, Daix, lästos and Polytimêtos. The Rha is Тароагеоі.
the Volga, which is sometimes called the Rhau 13. The slopes and summits of the Anarea by the Russians who live in its neighbourhood. Mountains and Mount Askatangkas are inhabit- Ptolemy appears to be the first Greek writer who ed by the homonymous Anareoi Sky thai mentions it. The Rhymmos is a small stream below the Alanorsoi, and the Ask atangkai
between the RhA and the Ural river called the NarynSkytha i further east than the Tapoureoi, and
chara. The Dair is the Isik or Ural river. The as far as Mount Imaos.
Iästos was identified by Humboldt with the 14. But the parts between the Tapoura
Kizil-darya, which disappeared in the course of last
century, but the dry bed of which can be traced in Mountains and the slope towards the mouth of
the barren wastes of Kizil-koum in W. Turkestan. the Lazartes and the seacoast between the two
With regard to the Polytimet os, Wilson sa ye rivers are possessed by the Aria ka i, along
(Arian. Antiq. p. 168); "There can be no hesitathe laxartes and below these the Namostai,
tion in recognizing the identity of the Polytimetés then the Sagarau kai, and along the river and the Zarafshận, or river of Samarkand, called Oxos the Rhibioi, who have a town
also the Kohik, or more correctly the river of Dauaba ........
..........104° 45°. the Kohak; being so termed from its passing by
