Histories
Herodotus
Herodotus. Godley, Alfred Denis, translator. Cambridge, MA; London: Harvard University Press; William Heinemann, Ltd., 1920-1925 (printing).
On the north side one of the peninsulas begins at the +Poti [41.683,42.183] (inhabited place), regions under republican jurisdiction, Georgia, Asia Phasis and stretches seaward along the +Black Sea [38,42] (sea) Pontus and the Canakkale Bogazi (strait), Canakkale, Marmara, Turkey, Asia Hellespont, as far as Sigeum in the +Troas (region (general)), Turkey, Asia Troad; on the south side, the same peninsula has a seacoast beginning at the Myriandric gulf that is near +Phoenicia (region (general)), Asia Phoenicia, and stretching seaward as far as the Triopian headland. On this peninsula live thirty nations.
This is the first peninsula. But the second, beginning with Iran [53,32] (nation), AsiaPersia, stretches to the +Red Sea [42,15] (sea) Red Sea, and is Persian land; and next, the neighboring land of Assyria; and after Assyria, Arabian Peninsula [45,25] (region (general)), AsiaArabia; this peninsula ends (not truly but only by common consent) at the Persian Gulf [53.83,25.583] (gulf), AsiaArabian Gulf, to which Darius brought a canal from the Nahr an- Nil [31.1,30.166] (river), AfricaNile.
Now from the Persian country to +Phoenicia (region (general)), Asia Phoenicia there is a wide and vast tract of land; and from +Phoenicia (region (general)), Asia Phoenicia this peninsula runs beside our sea by way of the Syrian Palestine and Egypt [30,27] (nation), Africa Egypt, which is at the end of it; in this peninsula there are just three nations.
So much for the parts of Asia (continent)Asia west of the Persians. But what is beyond the Persians, and Medes, and Saspires, and Colchians, east and toward the rising sun, this is bounded on the one hand by the +Red Sea [42,15] (sea) Red Sea, and to the north by the +Caspian Sea [51,39] (sea) Caspian Sea and the Araxes river, which flows toward the sun's rising.
As far as +India [77,20] (nation), Asia India, Asia (continent)Asia is an inhabited land; but thereafter, all to the east is desolation, nor can anyone say what kind of land is there.