Histories

And Babylon [44.4,32.55] (deserted settlement), Babil, Iraq, AsiaBabylon, then for the first time, was taken in this way. I shall show how great the power of Babylon [44.4,32.55] (deserted settlement), Babil, Iraq, AsiaBabylon is by many other means, but particularly by this. All the land that the great King rules is parcelled out to provision him and his army, and pays tribute besides: now the territory of Babylon [44.4,32.55] (deserted settlement), Babil, Iraq, AsiaBabylon feeds him for four of the twelve months in the year, the whole of the rest of Asia (continent)Asia providing for the other eight.

Thus the wealth of Assyria is one third of the entire wealth of Asia (continent)Asia. The governorship of this land, which the Persians call “satrapy,” is by far the most powerful of all the governorships, since the daily income of Tritantaechmes son of Artabazus, who governed this province by the king's will, was an artaba full of silver

(the artaba is a Persian measure, containing more than an Attic medimnus by three Attic choenixes),[*](The Attic medimnus = about 12 gallons; it contained 48xoi/nikes. ) and besides warhorses he had eight hundred stallions in his stables, and sixteen thousand brood mares, each stallion servicing twenty mares.

Moreover he kept so great a number of Indian dogs that four great villages of the plain were appointed to provide food for the dogs and exempted from all other burdens. Such were the riches of the governor of Babylon [44.4,32.55] (deserted settlement), Babil, Iraq, AsiaBabylon.

There is little rain in Assyria. This nourishes the roots of the grain; but it is irrigation from the river that ripens the crop and brings the grain to fullness. In Egypt [30,27] (nation), Africa Egypt, the river itself rises and floods the fields; in Assyria, they are watered by hand and by swinging beams.[*](That is, by the “shadoof,” a familiar object to travellers on the Nahr an- Nil [31.1,30.166] (river), AfricaNile; a lever with a bucket attached, revolving on a post.)

For the whole land of Babylon [44.4,32.55] (deserted settlement), Babil, Iraq, AsiaBabylon, like Egypt [30,27] (nation), Africa Egypt, is cut across by canals. The greatest of these is navigable: it runs towards where the sun rises in winter, from the Euphrates [47.5,31.83] (river), AsiaEuphrates to another river, the Tigris [47.416,31] (river), AsiaTigris, on which stood the city of Nineveh (deserted settlement), Ninawa, Iraq, Asia Ninus. This land is by far the most fertile in grain which we know.