εἶτʼ εἰς Πασαργάδας ἧκε· καὶ τοῦτο δʼ ἦν βασίλειον ἀρχαῖον. ἐνταῦθα δὲ καὶ τὸν Κύρου τάφον εἶδεν ἐν παραδείσῳ, πύργον οὐ μέγαν, τῷ δάσει τῶν δένδρων ἐναποκεκρυμμένον, κάτω μὲν στερεὸν ἄνω δὲ στέγην ἔχοντα καὶ σηκὸν στενὴν τελέως ἔχοντα τὴν εἴσοδον, διʼ ἧς παρελθεῖν εἴσω φησὶν Ἀριστόβουλος κελεύσαντος τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ κοσμῆσαι τὸν τάφον· ἰδεῖν δὲ κλίνην τε χρυσῆν καὶ τράπεζαν σὺν ἐκπώμασι καὶ πύελον χρυσῆν καὶ ἐσθῆτα πολλὴν κόσμον τε λιθοκόλλητον· κατὰ μὲν οὖν τὴν πρώτην ἐπιδημίαν ταῦτʼ ἰδεῖν, ὕστερον δὲ συληθῆναι, καὶ τὰ μὲν ἄλλα ἐκκομισθῆναι τὴν δὲ κλίνην θραυσθῆναι μόνον καὶ τὴν πύελον, μεταθέντων τὸν νεκρόν, διʼ οὗ δῆλον γενέσθαι διότι προνομευτῶν ἔργον ἦν, οὐχὶ τοῦ σατράπου, καταλιπόντων ἃ μὴ δυνατὸν ἦν ῥᾳδίως ἐκκομίσαι· συμβῆναι δὲ ταῦτα, καίπερ φυλακῆς περικειμένης Μάγων, σίτισιν λαμβανόντων καθʼ ἡμέραν πρόβατον, διὰ μηνὸς δʼ ἵππον. ἀλλʼ ὁ ἐκτοπισμὸς τῆς Ἀλεξάνδρου στρατιᾶς εἰς Βάκτρα καὶ Ἰνδοὺς πολλά τε ἄλλα νεωτερισθῆναι παρεσκεύασε, καὶ δὴ καὶ τοῦθʼ ἓν τῶν νεωτερισθέντων ὑπῆρξεν. οὕτω μὲν οὖν Ἀριστόβουλος εἴρηκε, καὶ τὸ ἐπίγραμμα δὲ ἀπομνημονεύει τοῦτο ὦ ἄνθρωπε, ἐγὼ Κῦρός εἰμι, ὁ τὴν ἀρχὴν τοῖς Πέρσαις κτησάμενος καὶ τῆς Ἀσίας βασιλεύς· μὴ οὖν φθονήσῃς μοι τοῦ μνήματος. Ὀνησίκριτος δὲ τὸν μὲν πύργον δεκάστεγον εἴρηκε· καὶ ἐν μὲν τῇ ἀνωτάτω στέγῃ κεῖσθαι τὸν Κῦρον· ἐπίγραμμα δʼ εἶναι Ἑλληνικόν, Περσικοῖς κεχαραγμένον γράμμασιν ἐνθάδʼ ἐγὼ κεῖμαι Κῦρος βασιλεὺς βασιλήων. καὶ ἄλλο περσίζον πρὸς τὸν αὐτὸν νοῦν.
He next came to Pasargadae, which also was an ancient royal residence. Here he saw in a park the tomb of Cyrus. It was a small tower, concealed within a thick plantation of trees, solid below, but above consisting of one story and a shrine which had a very narrow opening; Aristobulus says, he entered through this opening, by order of Alexander, and decorated the tomb. He saw there a golden couch, a table with cups, a golden coffin, and a large quantity of garments and dresses ornamented with precious stones. These objects he saw at his first visit, but on a subsequent visit the place had been robbed, and everything had been removed except the couch and the coffin which were only broken. The dead body had been removed from its place; whence it was evident that it was the act not of the Satrap, but of robbers, who had left behind what they could not easily carry off. And this occurred although there was a guard of Magi stationed about the place, who received for their daily subsistence a sheep, and every month a horse. The remote distance to which the army of Alexander had advanced, to Bactra and India, gave occasion to the introduction of many disorderly acts, and to this among others.
Such is the account of Aristobulus, who records the following inscription on the tomb. “O MAN, I AM CYRUS, I ESTABLISHED THE PERSIAN EMPIRE AND WAS KING OF ASIA. GRUDGE ME NOT THEREFORE THIS MONUMENT.
Onesicritus however says that the tower had ten stories, that Cyrus lay in the uppermost, and that there was an inscription in Greek, cut in Persian letters, I CYRUS, KING OF KINGS, LIE HERE. And another inscription to the same effect in the Persian language.
μέμνηται δʼ Ὀνησίκριτος καὶ τὸ ἐπὶ τοῦ Δαρείου τάφῳ γράμμα τόδε φίλος ἦν τοῖς φίλοις· ἱππεὺς καὶ τοξότης ἄριστος ἐγενόμην· κυνηγῶν ἐκράτουν· πάντα ποιεῖν ἠδυνάμην. Ἄριστος δʼ ὁ Σαλαμίνιος πολὺ μέν ἐστι νεώτερος τούτων, λέγει δὲ δίστεγον τὸν πύργον καὶ μέγαν, ἐν δὲ τῇ Περσῶν διαδοχῇ ἱδρῦσθαι, φυλάττεσθαι δὲ τὸν τάφον· ἐπίγραμμα δὲ τὸ λεχθὲν Ἑλληνικὸν καὶ ἄλλο Περσικὸν πρὸς τὸν αὐτὸν νοῦν. τοὺς δὲ Πασαργάδας ἐτίμησε Κῦρος, ὅτι τὴν ὑστάτην μάχην ἐνίκησεν Ἀστυάγην ἐνταῦθα τὸν Μῆδον, καὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν τῆς Ἀσίας μετήνεγκεν εἰς ἑαυτὸν καὶ πόλιν ἔκτισε καὶ βασίλειον κατεσκεύασε τῆς νίκης μνημεῖον.
Onesicritus mentions also this inscription on the tomb of Darius: “I WAS A FRIEND TO MY FRIENDS, I WAS THE FIRST OF HORSEMEN AND ARCHERS, I EXCELLED AS HUNTER, I COULD DO EVERYTHING.
Aristus of Salamis, a writer of a much later age than these, says, that the tower consisted of two stories, and was large; that it was built at the time the Persians succeeded to the kingdom (of the Medes); that the tomb was preserved; that the above-mentioned inscription was in the Greek, and that there was another to the same purport in the Persian language.
Cyrus held in honour Pasargadae, because he there conquered, in his last battle, Astyages the Mede, and transferred to himself the empire of Asia; he raised it to the rank of a city, and built a palace in memory of his victory.
πάντα δὲ τὰ ἐν τῇ Περσίδι χρήματα ἐξεσκευάσατο εἰς τὰ Σοῦσα καὶ αὐτὰ θησαυρῶν καὶ κατασκευῆς μεστά· οὐδὲ τοῦθʼ ἡγεῖτο τὸ βασίλειον, ἀλλὰ τὴν Βαβυλῶνα, καὶ διενοεῖτο ταύτην προσκατασκευάζειν· κἀνταῦθα δʼ ἔκειντο θησαυροί. φασὶ δὲ χωρὶς τῶν ἐν Βαβυλῶνι καὶ τῶν ἐν τῷ στρατοπέδῳ τῶν παρὰ ταῦτα μὴ ληφθέντων αὐτὰ τὰ ἐν Σούσοις καὶ τὰ ἐν Περσίδι τέτταρας μυριάδας ταλάντων ἐξετασθῆναι· τινὲς δὲ καὶ πέντε λέγουσιν· ἄλλοι δὲ πάντα πάντοθεν συναχθῆναι παραδεδώκασιν εἰς Ἐκβάτανα ὀκτωκαίδεκα μυριάδας ταλάντων· τὰ δὲ Δαρείῳ φυγόντι ἐκ τῆς Μηδίας συνεκκομισθέντα τάλαντα ὀκτακισχίλια διήρπασαν οἱ δολοφονήσαντες αὐτόν.
Alexander transferred everything that was precious in Persis to Susa, which was itself full of treasures and costly materials; he did not, however, consider this place, but Babylon, as the royal residence, and intended to embellish it. There too his treasure was deposited.
They say that, besides the treasures in Babylon and in the camp of Alexander, which were not included in the sum, the treasure found at Susa and in Persis was reckoned to amount to 40,000, and according to some writers to 50,000, talents. But others say, that the whole treasure, collected from all quarters, and transported to Ecbatana, amounted to 180,000 talents, and that the 8,000 talents which Darius carried away with him in his flight from Media became the booty of those who put him to death.
τὴν γοῦν Βαβυλῶνα ὁ Ἀλέξανδρος προέκρινεν ὁρῶν καὶ τῷ μεγέθει πολὺ ὑπερβάλλουσαν καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις. εὐδαίμων δʼ οὖσα ἡ Σουσὶς ἔκπυρον τὸν ἀέρα ἔχει καυματηρὸν καὶ μάλιστα τὸν περὶ τὴν πόλιν, ὥς φησιν * ἐκεῖνος· τὰς γοῦν σαύρας καὶ τοὺς ὄφεις θέρους ἀκμάζοντος τοῦ ἡλίου κατὰ μεσημβρίαν διαβῆναι μὴ φθάνειν τὰς ὁδοὺς τὰς ἐν τῇ πόλει, ἀλλʼ ἐν μέσαις περιφλέγεσθαι, ὅπερ τῆς Περσίδος μηδαμοῦ συμβαίνειν καίπερ νοτιωτέρας οὔσης· λουτρὰ δὲ ψυχρὰ προτεθέντα ἐκθερμαίνεσθαι παραχρῆμα, τὰς δὲ κριθὰς διασπαρείσας εἰς τὸν ἥλιον ἅλλεσθαι καθάπερ ἐν τοῖς ἰπνοῖς τὰς κάχρυς· διὸ καὶ ταῖς στέγαις ἐπὶ δύο πήχεις γῆν ἐπιτίθεσθαι, ὑπὸ δὲ τοῦ βάρους ἀναγκάζεσθαι στενοὺς μὲν μακροὺς δὲ ποιεῖσθαι τοὺς οἴκους, ἀπορουμένους μακρῶν μὲν δοκῶν δεομένους δὲ μεγάλων οἴκων διὰ τὸ πνῖγος. ἴδιον δέ τι πάσχειν τὴν φοινικίνην δοκόν· στερεὰν γὰρ οὖσαν, παλαιουμένην οὐκ εἰς τὸ κάτω τὴν ἔνδοσιν λαμβάνειν, ἀλλʼ εἰς τὸ ἄνω μέρος κυρτοῦσθαι τῷ βάρει καὶ βέλτιον ἀνέχειν τὴν ὀροφήν. αἴτιον δὲ τῶν καυμάτων λέγεται τὸ ὑπερκεῖσθαι πρὸς ἄρκτον ὄρη ὑψηλὰ τὰ προεκδεχόμενα ἅπαντας τοὺς βορείους ἀνέμους· ὑπερπετεῖς δὴ πνέοντες ἀπὸ τῶν ἀκρωτηρίων μετέωροί τε τῶν πεδίων οὐ προσάπτονται, ἀλλὰ παρελαύνουσιν εἰς τὰ νοτιώτερα τῆς Σουσίδος· αὕτη δὲ νηνεμίαις κατέχεται, καὶ μάλιστα τότε ἡνίκα ἐτησίαι τὴν ἄλλην γῆν καταψύχουσιν ἐκκαομένην ὑπὸ τῶν καυμάτων.
Alexander preferred Babylon, because he saw that it far surpassed the other cities in magnitude, and had other advantages. Although Susis is fertile, it has a glowing and scorching atmosphere, particularly near the city, as he (Aristobulus?) says. Lizards and serpents at mid-day in the summer, when the sun is at its greatest height, cannot cross the streets of the city quick enough to prevent their being burnt to death mid-way by the heat. This happens nowhere in Persis, although it lies more towards the south.
Cold water for baths is suddenly heated by exposure to the sun. Barley spread out in the sun is roasted like barley prepared in ovens. For this reason earth is laid to the depth of two cubits upon the roofs of the houses. They are obliged to construct their houses narrow, on account of the weight placed upon them, and from want of long beams, but, as large dwellings are required to obviate the suffocating heat the houses are long.
The beam made of the palm tree has a peculiar property, for although it retains its solidity, it does not as it grows old give way downwards, but curves upwards with the weight, and is a better support to the roof.
The cause of the scorching heat is said to be high, overhanging mountains on the north, which intercept the northern winds. These, blowing from the tops of the mountains at a great height, fly over without touching the plains, to the more southern parts of Susis. There the air is still, particularly when the Etesian winds cool the other parts of the country which are burnt up by heat.
πολύσιτος δʼ ἄγαν ἐστὶν ὥστε ἑκατοντάχουν διʼ ὁμαλοῦ καὶ κριθὴν καὶ πυρὸν ἐκτρέφειν, ἔστι δʼ ὅτε καὶ διακοσιοντάχουν· διόπερ οὐδὲ πυκνὰς τὰς αὔλακας τέμνουσι· πυκνούμεναι γὰρ κωλύουσιν αἱ ῥίζαι τὴν βλάστην. τὴν δʼ ἄμπελον οὐ φυομένην πρότερον Μακεδόνες κατεφύτευσαν κἀκεῖ καὶ ἐν Βαβυλῶνι, οὐ ταφρεύοντες ἀλλὰ παττάλους κατασεσιδηρωμένους ἐξ ἄκρων πήττοντες, εἶτʼ ἐξαιροῦντες, ἀντὶ δʼ αὐτῶν τὰ κλήματα καθιέντες εὐθέως. ἡ μὲν δὴ μεσόγαια τοιαύτη· ἡ δὲ παραλία τεναγώδης ἐστὶ καὶ ἀλίμενος· διὰ τοῦτο γοῦν καὶ φησὶν ὁ Νέαρχος μηδὲ καθοδηγῶν ἐπιχωρίων τυγχάνειν ἡνίκα τῷ στόλῳ παρέπλει πρὸς τὴν Βαβυλωνίαν ἐκ τῆς Ἰνδικῆς, ὅτι προσόρμους οὐκ εἶχεν, οὐδʼ ἀνθρώπων εὐπορεῖν οἷός τʼ ἦν τῶν ἡγησομένων κατʼ ἐμπειρίαν.
Susis is so fertile in grain, that barley and wheat produce, generally, one hundred, and sometimes two hundred fold. Hence the furrows are not ploughed close together, for the roots when crowded impede the sprouting of the plant.
The vine did not grow there before the Macedonians planted it, both there and at Babylon. They do not dig trenches, but thrust down into the ground iron-headed stakes, which when drawn out are immediately replaced by the plants.
Such is the character of the inland parts. The sea-coast is marshy and without harbours; hence Nearchus says, that he met with no native guides, when coasting with his fleet from India to Babylonia, for nowhere could his vessels put in, nor was he able to procure persons who could direct him by their knowledge and experience.
γειτνιᾷ δὲ τῇ Σουσίδι τῆς Βαβυλωνίας ἡ Σιτακηνὴ μὲν πρότερον Ἀπολλωνιᾶτις δὲ ὕστερον προσαγορευθεῖσα. ἀπὸ τῶν ἄρκτων δʼ ὑπέρκεινται ἀμφοῖν πρὸς ἕω Ἐλυμαῖοί τε καὶ Παραιτακηνοί, λῃστρικοὶ ἄνδρες καὶ ὀρεινῇ τραχείᾳ πεποιθότες· μᾶλλον δʼ οἱ Παραιτακηνοὶ τοῖς Ἀπολλωνιάταις ἐπίκεινται, ὥστε καὶ χεῖρον ἐκείνους διατιθέασιν. οἱ δὲ Ἐλυμαῖοι κἀκείνοις καὶ τοῖς Σουσίοις, τούτοις δὲ καὶ οἱ Οὔξιοι προσπολεμοῦσιν· ἧττον δὲ νῦν, ὡς εἰκός, διὰ τὴν τῶν Παρθυαίων ἰσχύν, ὑφʼ οἷς εἰσιν ἅπαντες οἱ ταύτῃ. εὖ μὲν οὖν πραττόντων ἐκείνων, εὖ πράττουσιν ἅπαντες καὶ οἱ ὑπήκοοι αὐτῶν· στασιαζόντων δέ, ὅπερ συμβαίνει πολλάκις, καὶ δὴ καὶ ἐφʼ ἡμῶν, ἄλλοτʼ ἄλλως συμβαίνει καὶ οὐ τὰ αὐτὰ πᾶσι· τοῖς μὲν γὰρ συνήνεγκεν ἡ ταραχή, τοῖς δὲ παρὰ γνώμην ἀπήντησεν. ἡ μὲν δὴ χώρα ἥ τε Περσὶς καὶ ἡ Σουσιανὴ τοιαύτη.
The part of Babylonia formerly called Sitacene, and afterwards Apolloniatis, is situated near Susis.
Above both, on the north and towards the east, are the Elymaei and the Paraetaceni, predatory people relying for security on their situation in a rugged and mountainous country. The Paraetaceni lie more immediately above the Apolloniatae, and therefore annoy them the more. The Elymaei are at war with this people and with the Susians, and the Uxii with the Elymaei, but not so constantly at present as might be expected, on account of the power of the Parthians, to whom all the inhabitants of those regions are under subjection. When therefore the Parthians are quiet, all are tranquil, and their subject nations. But when, as frequently happens, there is an insurrection, which has occurred even in our own times, the event is not the same to all, but different to different people. For the disturbance has benefited some, but disappointed the expectation of others.
Such is the nature of the countries of Persis and Susiana.
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