Page 72 the Sacae; whereupon arose a War between the Sacae and the Medes, which continu'd many years, and after many Battles fought, and great Slaughter on both sides, at length Peace was made upon these Conditions, That the Parthians should return to their ancient Subjection, and that both sides should quietly whatever enjoy they didbefore, and should ever after be Friends and Confederates. Zanara at that time was Queen of the Sacae, a Woman of a warlike Spirit, far exceeding any of her Sex among the Sacae for Courage and Activity in Martial Affairs. For this Nation is remarkable for brave spirited Women that use to go out to the Wars as Fellow-souldiers with the Men; and they say that this Virago was extraordinarily beautiful, and admirable for Courage and Council in all her Affairs. For she conquer'd the neighbouring Princes who had proudly oppress'd the Sacae, and civiliz'd the most part of the Country, and built many Cities, and every way improv'd and inrich'd her People; and therefore the Citizens after her Death in Gratitude for the many Advántages they injoy'd by her and to preserve the Memory of her Virtues, built for her a Sepulcher far higher than any of the rest. For they rear'd up for her a Pyramid Triangular from the Foundation Three Furlongs broad on every side, spiring up in a sharp Point at the Top a Furlong in Height. They plac'd likewise upon her Tomb a Colossus in Gold representing her, and ador'd her as a Demi-Goddess, and perform'd all other things with more State and Grandeur than to any of her Predecessors.
After the Death of Astibara King of the Medes, who dy'd old in Ecbatana, his Son Apandas (whom the Grecians call Astyages) succeeded, who being conquer'd by Cyrus the Persian, the Empire devolv'd upon the Persians. Of which we shall write distinctly in its proper Place.
Having therefore said enough (as we conceive) of the Empire of the Assyrians and Medes, and the Differences among Writers concerning them, we shall pass over to India, and give a particular Account of Things said to be done there.
INDIA is of a Quadrangular Form, one side lying towards the East, and the other to the South, inviron'd and washt by the great Ocean; that side on the North is divided by the Mountain Hemodus from Scythia, where the Sacae inhabit: The Fourth part towards the West, is bounded with the River Indus, the greatest of all others next to the River Nile.
The whole Extent of India from East to West, is Eight and Twenty Thousand Furlongs; and from North to South Two and Thirty Thousand Furlongs. The Extent of India being thus very large, it seems most of any other part of the World to lye under the Tropick of Capricorn. And in many remote parts of India, the Sun casts no Shadow, neither is the North Pole seen there in the Night, nor any of the Constellation call'd Arcturus, in the utmost parts; and for this reason they say, the Shadows bend towards the South.
The Mountains of India abound with all sorts of Fruit Trees, and the Fields every where cloath'd with Fruits of the Earth, full of pleasant Plains, watered with many Rivers; so that the Country bears Two Crops in the Year. It breeds likewise divers sorts of Creatures, both Volatile and Terrestrial, for strength and largeness remarkable above others. It affords plentiful Pastures for multitudes of mighty Elephants, in so much as those kind of Beasts which are bred there, are far stronger than those in Africa. And therefore many of them being taken in Hunting, and inur'd to Martial Exercises, are of great use and advantage to them for the obtaining of Victories. And such is the plenty there of all sorts of Fruits, that the Men are taller and bigger than any elsewhere; and the Air is so pure, and the Water so clear and wholsom, that by the help of these natural Advantages, the Inhabitants are very quick and ingenious in any Art or Profession. As the Earth is fruitful in the producing plenty of pleasant Fruits, so in the Bowels of it are to be found all sorts of Metals: For it abounds in Mines of Gold and Silver, Brass, Iron and Tin, and richly affords all other things useful both as to Pleasure and Profit, and likewise for Service in Times of War. Besides Corn, abundance of Millet grows there, being richly water'd by the overflowing of the Rivers: There's likewise great store of all sorts of Pulse and Rice, and that which they call Bosphorus, and many other Fruits for the sustaining of Man's Life. To all these may be added many other Fruits useful for
The Histories of Herodotus written in 440 BC is considered to be the founding work of history in Western literature. His history included stories and fables but he claimed to have traveled extensively and learned about many countries through direct observation.
The thesis of Stolen Legacy is that the Egyptians created what is wrongly called Greek philosophy. Dr. James argues that the African origin of Greek Philosophy is well known but rarely discussed. Ancient Greek historians such as Herodotus and Diodorus the Sicilian wrote in significant detail about the contributions of Egypt. Egyptian technology and libraries were unmatched and Greek philosophers such as Pythagoras and Plato studied there. The contribution of Africa to the intellectual foundation of modern knowledge is tremendous but unacknowledged.
The Library of History by Diodorus the Sicilian is one of the most highly regarded universal histories in antiquities. His work includes the history of Egypt, Asia, Africa, Greece and Europe. His book is a must read for research of ancient history.
Bible Study The King James Bible (kjv), World English Bible (web) and Bible in Basic English (bbe) are all examples of public domain books. The King James Bible (kjv) online uses the content from these books and open source software to enhance Bible study capabilities. The site includes the verse of the day, search tools, christian literature and links to related content. It demonstrates the use of open source to create a valuable service.