Aristoboulus says that the Oxos river is navigable so that goods come down from the Indian mountains and are taken to the Caspian sea then carried across to Albania via the Kyros river and through successive places to the Euxine Sea and on through the Dardanelles into the Aegian sea and round the Peloponnesos and onward to Taras, Megara and Syracuse in Sikelia. Goods such as bronze gold honey and wine. Honey is rich near Tape on the edge of the Hyrkanian sea and the bees swarm in the trees and the honey drips from the leaves. Some roll the leaves and it is very sweet. They say the Caspian sea itself is too sweet to be a sea and is sometimes regarded as a huge lake. The Tanais flows into it and links it to the Maiotic gulf. Fir from Indike is popular with boat construction. Eratosthenes backs up what Aristoboulus says. The other river Ochos flows into the Oxos.
The Hyrkanian Massagetians were cannibals and lived in the well watered lands around the Araxes river. When people died they were cut up and mixed with diced lamb and eaten. If a person died of a nasty disease they were thrown into the open and left for wild animals to consume. Massagetians married one woman but were far from loyal partners. They had sex with other women and it was done openly where the man would hang his quiver on the wagon where the intercourse was about to ensue. Some of the Massagetians in the marshes wore tree bark for clothing as animal skins were scarce and they did not kill their sheep as they used the wool and decorated it with bright painted colours
Up near Scythia there were many poisonous creatures including scorpions and phalangia ( spiders ) which could be deadly. On Hyrkania the vine produces a metretes of wine, grown in the gardens of the royal residence at Tape. Can't seem to locate where Tape was, although it might be short for Taprake. Tapyrians are not far as are the Derbikians. Bactra city is also known as Zariaspa. The Medes and Persians had much influence in the area.
In Albania, near the Kaspian sea where the river Alazonios flows, there was a priest of the king who would chain lost and wandering temple slaves to a tree in the forest of Iberia, and the captive would be maintained luxuriously for a year or so. Then he is led to the goddess to be sacrificed and anointed with sacred oils. A member of the audience would step forward and thrust a spear into the victim's heart. His fall to the ground would be analysed carefully for any signs from the gods and then his body is carried to another place to be trampled on where the people walking on the dead person are thus purified. In this region there were 26 languages which made conversation tricky at the best of times.
Arachosians were further towards the east. Same as Sakia. Iberia was obviously linked with Iberia in the west which is now Spain and Portugal. The northern Scythian peoples were generally peaceful farmers but could gather myriads if they were threatened by neighbours. They had the usual weapons and oblong shields. Lots of gold in the region and this reflected in their lavish bridleware. Arians came from the area round the Caucasus and the Kaspian Gates.
There was many fast flowing streams that sprayed over the cliffs and promontories and over the beach into the Caspian. There were holes in the mountains home to Troglodytes ( cave dwellers ). Maybe the song wild thing by the Troggs has its origins in the word Troglodyte. The southern Caucasus was noted as being the highest region.
The Queen of the Amazons was called Thalestria and she was said to have fucked Alexander the Great on quite a regular basis as they both knocked about in the Kaspian region. He had a fair few sprogs running about who wrere taken to the male camp. Some writers embellished the truth with myths regarding Alexander and the Amazons including Homer and Hesiod who understandably wanted to tell a good story while forfeiting the facts. Polykleites was in the area. They say the Amazons were fierce women who conquered many lands and founded Smyrna and Kyme.
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