Γεωγραφικά 15.2.8

15.2.8

τὸ μὲν δὴ νότιον τῆς Ἀριανῆς πλευρὸν τοιαύτην τινὰ ἔχει τὴν τῆς παραλίας διάθεσιν καὶ τῆς ὑπερκειμένης πλησίον γῆς τῆς τῶν Γεδρωσίων καὶ Ὠριτῶν. πολλὴ δʼ ἐστὶ καὶ εἰς τὴν μεσόγαιαν ἀνέχουσα καὶ ἡ Γεδρωσία μέχρι τοῦ συνάψαι Δράγγαις τε καὶ Ἀραχωτοῖς καὶ Παροπαμισάδαις, περὶ ὧν Ἐρατοσθένης οὕτως εἴρηκεν· οὐ γὰρ ἔχομέν τι λέγειν βέλτιον περὶ αὐτῶν. ὁρίζεσθαι μὲν γάρ φησι τὴν Ἀριανὴν ἐκ μὲν τῶν πρὸς ἕω τῷ Ἰνδῷ, πρὸς νότον δὲ τῇ μεγάλῃ θαλάττῃ, πρὸς ἄρκτον δὲ τῷ Παροπαμισῷ καὶ τοῖς ἑξῆς ὄρεσι μέχρι Κασπίων πυλῶν, τὰ δὲ πρὸς ἑσπέραν τοῖς αὐτοῖς ὅροις οἷς ἡ μὲν Παρθυηνὴ πρὸς Μηδίαν ἡ δὲ Καρμανία πρὸς τὴν Παραιτακηνὴν καὶ Περσίδα διώρισται· πλάτος δὲ τῆς χώρας τὸ τοῦ Ἰνδοῦ μῆκος τὸ ἀπὸ τοῦ Παροπαμισοῦ μέχρι τῶν ἐκβολῶν μύριοι καὶ δισχίλιοι στάδιοι (οἱ δὲ τρισχιλίους φασί)· μῆκος δὲ ἀπὸ Κασπίων πυλῶν, ὡς ἐν τοῖς Ἀσιατικοῖς σταθμοῖς ἀναγέγραπται, διττόν. μέχρι μὲν Ἀλεξανδρείας τῆς ἐν Ἀρίοις ἀπὸ Κασπίων πυλῶν διὰ τῆς Παρθυαίας μία καὶ ἡ αὐτὴ ὁδός· εἶθʼ ἡ μὲν ἐπʼ εὐθείας διὰ τῆς Βακτριανῆς καὶ τῆς ὑπερβάσεως τοῦ ὄρους εἰς Ὀρτόσπανα ἐπὶ τὴν ἐκ Βάκτρων τρίοδον ἥτις ἐστὶν ἐν τοῖς Παροπαμισάδαις· ἡ δʼ ἐκτρέπεται μικρὸν ἀπὸ τῆς Ἀρίας πρὸς νότον εἰς Προφθασίαν τῆς Δραγγιανῆς· εἶτα πάλιν ἡ λοιπὴ μέχρι τῶν ὅρων τῆς Ἰνδικῆς καὶ τοῦ Ἰνδοῦ· ὥστε μακροτέρα ἐστὶν αὕτη ἡ διὰ τῶν Δραγγῶν καὶ Ἀραχωτῶν, σταδίων μυρίων πεντακισχιλίων τριακοσίων ἡ πᾶσα. εἰ δή τις ἀφέλοι τοὺς χιλίους τριακοσίους, ἔχοι ἂν τὸ λοιπὸν τὸ ἐπʼ εὐθείας μῆκος τῆς χώρας, μυρίων καὶ τετρακισχιλίων· οὐ πολὺ γὰρ ἔλαττον τῆς παραλίας, κἂν παραύξωσί τινες αὐτὸ πρὸς τοῖς μυρίοις τὴν Καρμανίαν ἑξακισχιλίων τιθέντες· ἢ γὰρ σὺν τοῖς κόλποις φανοῦνται τιθέντες ἢ σὺν τῇ ἐντὸς τοῦ Περσικοῦ κόλπου παραλίᾳ τῇ Καρμανικῇ. ἐπεκτείνεται δὲ τοὔνομα τῆς Ἀριανῆς μέχρι μέρους τινὸς καὶ Περσῶν καὶ Μήδων καὶ ἔτι τῶν πρὸς ἄρκτον Βακτρίων καὶ Σογδιανῶν· εἰσὶ γάρ πως καὶ ὁμόγλωττοι παρὰ μικρόν.

The position of the southern side of Ariana is thus situated, with reference to the sea-coast, the country of the Gedrosii and the Oritae lying near and above it. A great part of Gedrosia extends into the interior until it touches upon the Drangae, Arachoti, and Paropamisadae, of whom Eratosthenes speaks in the following manner: we cannot give a better description. Ariana, he says, “is bounded on the east by the Indus, on the south by the Great Sea, on the north by the Paropamisus and the succeeding chain of mountains as far as the Caspian Gates, on the west by the same limits by which the territory of the Parthians is separated from Media, and Carmania from Paraetacene and Persia.
The breadth of the country is the length of the Indus, reckoned from the Paropamisus as far as the mouths of that river, and amounts to 12,000, or according to others to 13,000, stadia. The length, beginning from the Caspian Gates, as it is laid down in Asiatic Stathmi, is estimated in two different ways. From the Caspian Gates to Alexandreia among the Arii through Parthia is one and the same road. Then a road leads in a straight line through Bactriana, and over the pass of the mountain to Ortospana, to the meeting of the three roads from Bactra, which is among the Paropamisadae. The other branch turns off a little from Aria towards the south to Prophthasia in Drangiana; then the remainder leads as far as the confines of India and of the Indus; so that the road through the Drangae and the Arachoti is longer, the whole amounting to 15,300 stadia. But if we deduct 1300 stadia, we shall have the remainder as the length of the country in a straight line, namely, 14,000 stadia; for the length of the coast is not much less, although some persons increase this sum by adding to the 10,000 stadia Carmania, which is reckoned at 6000 stadia. For they seem to reckon it either together with the gulfs, or together with the Carmanian coast within the Persian Gulf. The name also of Ariana is extended so as to include some part of Persia, Media, and the north of Bactria and Sogdiana; for these nations speak nearly the same language.