The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Seven Great Monarchies Of The Ancient
Eastern World, Vol 6. (of 7): Parthia, by George Rawlinson

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Title: The Seven Great Monarchies Of The Ancient Eastern World, Vol 6. (of 7): Parthia
The History, Geography, And Antiquities Of Chaldaea,
Assyria, Babylon, Media, Persia, Parthia, And Sassanian
or New Persian Empire; With Maps and Illustrations.

Author: George Rawlinson

Illustrator: George Rawlinson

Release Date: July 1, 2005 [EBook #16166]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SEVEN GREAT MONARCHIES ***

Produced by David Widger

THE SEVEN GREAT MONARCHIES

OF THE

ANCIENT EASTERN WORLD;

OR,

THE HISTORY, GEOGRAPHY, AND ANTIQUITIES OF CHALDAEA, ASSYRIA

BABYLON, MEDIA, PERSIA, PARTHIA, AND SASSANIAN,

OR NEW PERSIAN EMPIRE.

BY

GEORGE RAWLINSON, M.A.,

CAMDEN PROFESSOR OF ANCIENT HISTORY IN THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD

IN THREE VOLUMES.

VOLUME III.

WITH MAPS AND ILLUSTRATIONS

[Illustration: MAP of PARTHIA PROPER]

[Illustration: MAP OF PARTHIA]

A HISTORY OF PARTHIA.

CHAPTER I.

_Geography of Parthia Proper, Character of the Region, Climate,
Character of the Surrounding Countries._

The broad tract of desert which, eastward of the Caspian Sea, extends
from the Mougbojar hills to the Indian Ocean, a distance of above 1500
miles, is interrupted about midway by a strip of territory possessing
features of much beauty and attraction. This strip, narrow compared to
the desert on either side of it, is yet, looked at by itself, a region
of no inconsiderable dimensions, extending, as it does from east to
west, a distance of 320, and from north to south of nearly 200 miles.
The mountain chain, which running southward of the Caspian, skirts the
great plateau of Iran, or Persia, on the north, broadens out, after
it passes the south-eastern corner of the sea, into a valuable and
productive mountain-region. Four or five distinct ranges here run
parallel to one another, having between them latitudinal valleys, with
glens transverse to their courses. The sides of the valleys are