Geography 11.8 and 15.2

Strabo is indispensable for the Scythian shelf because he holds together the Greek geographical memory of the eastern Iranian world: Hyrcania, Parthia, Aria, Bactria, Sogdiana, the Saka, the Massagetae, the Dahae, and the Tochari.

This is the classical map behind many later confusions. It does not make all nomads one people. It shows how Greek geography saw the northern side of Iran and Central Asia filled by Scythian and nomadic peoples, named broadly and then by smaller names.

The translation below is from the Greek text of Strabo in Perseus.

Translation

As one goes eastward from the Hyrcanian Sea, the mountains lie on the right, stretching as far as the Indian Sea. The Greeks call them Taurus, beginning from Pamphylia and Cilicia and running continuously from the west to this point, though they receive different names from place to place. Along their northern parts dwell first the Gelae, Cadusii, Amardi, and some of the Hyrcanians; then the nations of the Parthians, Margians, and Arians; then the desert, which the Sarnius River marks off from Hyrcania for those going eastward toward the Ochus. After that comes Bactriana, then Sogdiana, and last the nomad Scythians.

Opposite these peoples, on the left, lie the Scythian and nomadic nations, filling the whole northern side. Most of the Scythians, beginning from the Caspian Sea, are called Dahae. Those farther east than these are called Massagetae and Saka, while the rest are called Scythians in common, though each people has its own proper name. All are for the most part nomads. The best known of the nomads are those who took Bactriana from the Greeks: the Asii, Pasiani, Tochari, and Sacarauli. They set out from the land beyond the Iaxartes, adjoining the Saka and Sogdians, a land once held by the Saka.

The name Ariana is extended to part of Persia and Media, and also to the Bactrians and Sogdians toward the north; for in some fashion they are nearly of one speech.

Colophon

This Good Works Translation was prepared for the Scythian shelf by the New Tianmu Anglican Church from the source text printed below. The English is an independent rendering from the source-language transliteration or Greek text, with existing public translations used only as controls for damaged or conventional passages.

Compiled and formatted for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.

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Source Text: Strabo, Geography 11.8.1-2 and 15.2.8

Ancient Greek source text from Perseus. Presented here for reference, study, and verification alongside the English translation above.

Geography 11.8.1: apo de tes Hyrkanias thalattes proionti epi ten heo dexia men esti ta ore mechri tes Indikes thalattes parateinonta haper hoi Hellenes onomazousi Tauron. prosoikousi d' autou ta prosarktia mere protoi men hoi Gelai kai Kadousioi kai Amardoi kai ton Hyrkanion tines, epeita to ton Parthyaion ethnos kai to ton Margianon kai ton Arion kai eremos hen apo tes Hyrkanias horizei Sarnios potamos pros heo badizousi kai epi ton Ochon. eith' Baktriane esti kai Sogdiane, teleutaioi de Skythai nomades.

Geography 11.8.2: en aristera de toutois antiparakeitai ta Skythika ethne kai ta nomadika hapasan ekplerounta ten boreion pleuran. hoi men de pleious ton Skython apo tes Kaspias thalattes arxamenoi Daai prosagoreuontai, tous de proseoous touton mallon Massagetas kai Sakas onomazousi, tous d' allous koinos men Skythas onomazousin, idia d' hos hekastous. hapantes d' hos epi to poly nomades. malista de gnorimoi gegonasi ton nomadon hoi tous Hellenas aphelomenoi ten Baktrianen, Asioi kai Pasianoi kai Tocharoi kai Sakarauloi, hormethentes apo tes peraias tou Iaxartou tes kata Sakas kai Sogdianous hen kateichon Sakai.

Geography 15.2.8: epekteinetai de t'ounoma tes Arianes mechri merous tinos kai Person kai Medon kai eti ton pros arkton Baktrion kai Sogdianon; eisi gar pos kai homoglottoi para mikron.

Source Colophon

Greek source inspected from Perseus, Strabo Geography 11.8.1, 11.8.2, and 15.2.8, using the A. Meineke Greek text entered by Perseus and released under CC BY-SA 3.0 United States. The English rendering above is newly prepared from the Greek, with the public-domain Hamilton/Falconer English used only as a control.

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