Geography

​And we must also speak of the details concerning the rivers, as many as are useful for geography and of which we have received the history. For otherwise, the rivers, being certain natural boundaries both of the sizes and the shapes of the countries, afford great suitability for our whole present subject. But the Nile and the rivers in India have a certain advantage over the others because the country is uninhabitable without them, being at the same time navigable and agricultural, and not being able to be traveled in other ways or inhabited at all. Therefore, of those flowing down into the Indus, we record those worthy of mention and the countries through which their course is, but of the others there is more ignorance than knowledge. For Alexander, who most of all discovered these parts, at first indeed, when those who assassinated Darius set out for the rebellion of Bactria, judged it to be of the utmost importance to pursue and destroy them. He came indeed near India through the Ariani, but leaving it on his right, he crossed the Paropamisus into the northern parts and Bactria; and having subdued all things there that were under the Persians, and still more, then at last he desired India too, many indeed speaking of it but not clearly. At any rate, he returned, crossing over the same mountains by other, more shortcut routes, having India on his left, and then turned immediately toward it and its western boundaries, and the river Cophen and the Choaspes, which empties into the river Cophen near the city of Plemyrium, after flowing past another city, Gorydis, and passing through both Bandobene and Gandaritis. And he learned that the mountainous and northern part was most habitable and fruitful; but the southern part was partly waterless, partly flooded by rivers and completely burnt by heat, suited more for wild beasts than for men. He set out therefore to conquer first the praised part, at the same time thinking that the rivers would be easier to cross near their sources, which it was necessary to cross, as they were transverse and cutting through the land he was invading. At the same time, he also heard that several of them, uniting into one, flowed together, and that this happened more and more the further forward they proceeded, so that it became more difficult to cross, and that too in a lack of boats. Fearing this, therefore, he crossed the Cophen, and subdued all the mountainous country that was turned toward the east.

​And after the Cophen was the Indus, then the Hydaspes, then the Acesines and the Hyarotis, and last the Hypanis. For he was prevented from advancing further, partly paying attention to certain oracles, and partly forced by his army, which was already exhausted by the hardships; and they suffered most from the waters, being continuously rained upon. These things, therefore, became known to us of the eastern parts of India, as many as are within the Hypanis, and whatever those who went further beyond the Hypanis after him as far as the Ganges and Palibothra reported in addition. Now, after the Cophen flows the Indus; and the space between these two rivers is held by the Astaceni, the Masiani, the Nysaei, and the Hypasii; then the land of Assacanus, where is the city of Masoga, the royal residence of the country. And indeed, near the Indus again is another city, Peucolaitis, near which a bridge being made, he crossed his army over.