When Cyrus had conquered this nation, too, he wanted to subject the Massagetae. These are said to be a great and powerful people dwelling towards the east and the sunrise, beyond the Araxes and opposite the Issedones; and some say that they are a Scythian people.

The Araxes is said by some to be greater and by some to be less than the Ister. It is reported that there are many islands in it as big as Lesbos [26.333,39.166] (island), Lesvos, Aegean Islands, Greece, Europe Lesbos, and men on them who in summer live on roots of all kinds that they dig up, and in winter on fruit that they have got from trees when it was ripe and stored for food;

and they know (it is said) of trees bearing a fruit whose effect is this: gathering in groups and kindling a fire, the people sit around it and throw the fruit into the flames; then the fumes of it as it burns make them drunk as the Greeks are with wine, and more and more drunk as more fruit is thrown on the fire, until at last they rise up to dance and even sing. Such is said to be their way of life.

The Araxes The Araxes of this chapter appears to be, from the description of its course, the modern Araks [48.416,40] (river), AsiaAras. But the Araxes of Hdt. 1.205, separating Cyrus' kingdom from the Massagetae, must be either the Amudarya [59,43.75] (river), Asia Oxus (jihon) or Syr-Darya [65,45] (river), Kazakhstan, Asia Jaxartes (Sihon), both of which now flow into the Aral Sea. For a full discussion of the question the reader is referred to Essay IX. in the Appendix to Book I. of Rawlinson's Herodotus. flows from the country of the Matieni (as does the Gyndes, which Cyrus divided into the three hundred and sixty channels) and empties itself through forty mouths, of which all except one issue into bogs and swamps, where men are said to live whose food is raw fish, and their customary dress sealskins.

The one remaining stream of the Araxes flows in a clear channel into the Caspian Sea [51,39] (sea) Caspian sea.This is a sea by itself, not joined to the other sea. For that on which the Greeks sail, and the sea beyond the pillars of Heracles, which they call Atlantic Ocean [-40.000,1.000] (ocean)Atlantic, and the Red Sea [42,15] (sea) Red Sea, are all one:

but the Caspian is separate and by itself. Its length is what a ship rowed by oars can traverse in fifteen days, and its breadth, where it is broadest, is an eight days' journey. Along its western shore stretches the range of Bol'soj Kavkaz [46.833,42] (mountain range), Asia Caucasus, which has more and higher peaks than any other range. Many and all kinds of nations dwell in the Bol'soj Kavkaz [46.833,42] (mountain range), Asia Caucasus, and the most of them live on the fruits of the forest.

Here, it is said, are trees growing leaves that men crush and mix with water and use for painting figures on their clothing; these figures cannot be washed out, but last as long as the wool, as if they had been woven into it from the first. Men and women here (they say) have intercourse openly, like beasts of the flock.