Ινδικη 10.5

10.5

μεγίστην δὲ πόλιν ἐν Ἰνδοῖσιν εἶναι τὴν Παλίμβοθρα καλεομένην, ἐν τῇ Πρασίων γῇ, ἵνα αἱ συμβολαί εἰσι τοῦ τε Ἐραννοβόα ποταμοῦ καὶ τοῦ Γάγγεω· τοῦ μὲν Γάγγεω, τοῦ μεγίστου ποταμῶν· ὁ δὲ Ἐραννοβόας τρίτος μὲν ἂν εἴη τῶν Ἰνδικῶν ποταμῶν, μέζων δὲ τῶν ἄλλῃ καὶ οὗτος. ἀλλὰ συγχωρέει τῷ Γάγγῃ, ἐπειδὰν ἐμβάλῃ ἐς αὐτὸν τὸ ὕδωρ.

I have received from a friend who inspected the excavation the following particulars of this interesting and remarkable discovery: — "During the cold season 1876, whilst digging a tank in Sheikh Mithia Ghari, a part of Pâtnâ almost equally distant from the chauk (market-place) and the railway station, the excavators, at a depth of some 12 or 15 feet below the swampy surface, discovered the remains of a long brick wall running from N.W. to S.E. How far this wall extended beyond the limits of the excavation — probably more than a hundred yards — it is impossible to say. Not far from the wall, and almost parallel to it, was found a line of palisades; the strong timber of which it was composed inclined slightly towards the wall. In one place there appeared to have been some sort of outlet, for two wooden pillars rising to a height of some 8 or 9 feet above what had evidently been the ancient level of the place, and between which no trace of palisades could be discovered, had all the appearance of door or gate posts. A number of wells and sinks were also found, their mouths being in each case indicated by heaps of fragments of broken mud vessels. From the best-preserved specimens of these, it the Helots as slaves, and these Helots do servile labour; but the Indians do not even use aliens as slaves, and much less a countryman of their own.