CHAPTER XI PERSIANS IN EUROPE UNDER DARIUS — THE AVING restored order in his own dominions, as related in the last chapter, Darius began to make preparations for his campaign against the Scythians. From his palace in Susa, he dispatched messengers, some to collect the land forces, others to convene the fleet. Mandrocles of Samos was ordered to build a bridge of boats across the Thracian Bosphorus, to enable the army of Darius to march from Asia into Europe. This army Darius collected from all parts of his dominions. When he reached the Bosphorus it comprised 700,000 men, including the cavalry. His naval force consisted of six hundred ships manned by Ionians, Eolians and Hellespontines. At the mouth of the Bosphorus, on the Euxine, are the Cyanean islands, which the legend says were at one time enchanted floating islands. On the largest of these was erected a magnificent temple, overlooking the broad expanse of the Euxine. When Darius arrived at the Bosphorus, the bridge which he had ordered to be thrown across the strait had been completed. Before crossing from Asia he tarried a short time, to view the Straits and the Euxine. He went on board a ship, and sailed in this land of enchantment to the temple on the Cyanean islands. There, seated beneath its broad arches, he gazed out upon the waters of the Euxine, which of BRIDGE OVER BOSPHORUS 173 all seas, is by nature the most wonderful, doubtless anticipating a complete conquest of the countries on its coasts, as a result of his expedition into Scythia. Having traversed the shores of the Bosphorus, which extends about eighteen miles from the Propontis to the Euxine, Darius erected two columns of white marble, upon which were inscribed the names of all the nations from which his armament was gathered, which included some from every country in his vast empire. These inscriptions were in Greek and Assyrian that all the world might read. Darius was highly gratified and pleased with the bridge of boats which the skillful Mandrocles, the Samian, had constructed. He rewarded him with gifts befitting the generosity of the richest monarch in the world. Mandrocles, elated by his success and good fortune, procured an artist to paint a grand picture, portraying in vivid colors, the structure with its termini in Europe and Asia. Conspicuous in the painting was shown Darius in the seat of honor reviewing his army, as it passed over the bridge. The picture was taken to the temple of Here (Juno), at Samos, to whom it was dedicated, and bore the following inscription: 1 "Mandrocles, having thrown a bridge across the fishy Bosphorus, dedicated to Here a memorial of the raft; laying up for himself a crown, and for the Samians glory, having completed it to the satisfaction of Darius." When all things were in readiness Darius gave orders to his fleet to sail along the western shore of the Euxine to the southern mouth of the Ister (the Danube), where the city of Istria was located, advanced thence up the stream to the apex of its delta, two days' sail from the sea, where the river forks and discharges 1 The fish-fraught Bosphorus, bridged to Here's fame, itself through several mouths into the Euxine. At this point his engineers were instructed to build a bridge across the river, and await the arrival of Darius with the land forces. In all probability the route taken by Darius, after leaving the Bosphorus, was inland, a short distance to Perinthus on the north shore of the Propontis (sea of Marmora), the modern Erekli; thence almost due north through Thrace, across the Hæmus mountains, a spur of the Balkans, into the land of the Getæ, who at that time doubtless dwelt on both sides of the Danube whom the invader subdued, and proceeded thence north to where its channels separate, where the bridge was constructed to enable him to cross with his army, into Scythia. The distance from Perinthus to the delta of the Danube, in a direct line, is about 300 miles. The trail followed by Darius, in view of the fact that he was obliged to cross the Balkans, and allowing for deviations in his route, owing to physical conditions of the country through which he passed, was perhaps in the neighborhood of 350 miles. The sources of the Tearus, in Thrace, are about sixty miles north of Perinthus. It is one of the purest and clearest rivers in Europe, and was noted in that day for the wonderful healing properties of its waters. Its sources are thirty-eight springs or fountains flowing from contiguous rocks, some of which are cold, others hot. It flows southwest through Thrace into the Hebrus, which empties into the Ægean. When Darius reached the springs of the Tearus, he encamped three days, and recorded his satisfaction and delight by erecting a column with this inscription: "FROM THE SPRINGS OF THE TEARUS FLOW THE CLEAREST AND PUREST OF WATERS. TO THEM CAME DARIUS, SON OF HYSTASPES, THE SUPERIOR OF ALL MEN, KING OF THE PERSIANS, AND OF THE WHOLE CONTINENT, LEADING AN ARMY AGAINST THE SCYTHIANS.” TESTIMONY OF JOCHMUS 175 Naaman, the Syrian general, when directed by the prophet Elisha to bathe seven times in the Jordan, as a cure for his leprosy, passed a like encomium upon the waters of his own country. "Are not Abana and Pharpar," he said, " rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel?' This declaration, however, was made nearly four centuries before Darius visited the springs of the Tearus. In corroboration of this part of the narrative of Herodotus, concerning the Scythian expedition, which some modern critics have assumed never took place, it will be interesting to observe the account given by General Jochmus, who visited the headwaters of Tearus in 1847. In an article in the Journal of the Royal Geographical Society (Vol. xxiv, pp. 44, 45), he declares that a fragment of the inscription, written at the command of Darius, in letters described as resembling nails, was extant in that locality, a few years before his visit. He says he conversed with persons who claimed to have seen the ancient inscription, which cannot now be found. He observes further that the thirtyeight sources of the Tearus mentioned by Herodotus may easily be made out in the town of Bunarhissar, and in the village of Yene one hour due north. He corroborates Herodotus as to the locality and declares that Bunarhissar "is at an equal distance from Heræum (Heræopolis), a short distance west of Perinthus (the modern Erekli), and from Apollonia, on the Euxine (the present Sizeboli), being distant two days from both." Jochmus is of opinion that Darius, after crossing the Bosphorus "encamped successively at the sources of the Tearus (Bunarhissar) on the banks of the Teke, or Artiscus (at Doletagach), and following the direction of Burghas and Akhioli, and receiving the submission of the sea towns, he afterwards passed the Balkans by the defiles parallel to the sea-coast from Misevria, to Yovan-Dervish, moving thus from south to north by the same roads which were chosen by Generals Roth and Rudiger, and Marshall Diebitch himself from north to south in 1829." The Russians, also, in 1828, like Darius about 2,300 years before, crossed the Danube at that part of the river where it branched off, that is near the modern Isaltcha." Modern surveys made by the Danube Navigation Commission, under the direction of Charles A. Hartley, its chief engineer, affords us accurate information as to the present location of the channels forming the delta of that great stream. Isaltcha, referred to by General Jochmus, is in Bulgaria, fifteen miles beyond Ismail, which is at the head of the delta. The Danube divides at present near Isaltcha, between Braila and Ismail. It is forty miles below Ibrail, and thirty miles below Galatz, in Moldavia, on the left bank of the Danube, between the mouths of the rivers Sereth and the Pruth, distant 76 miles from the sea following the course of the most northerly, or the Kilia branch; 78 miles following the central or Sulina branch, and 90 miles by the most southerly, or the St. George branch. It is 58 miles from the sea, measuring in a straight line. Mr. Hartley describes the delta of the Danube as bounded north by the Kilia branch, south by the Toulcha and the St. George branch, and on the east by the Black sea. Its area is 1,000 square miles. Of this triangle the Ismail fork is the western apex, and the seacoast from the mouths of the St. George and the Kilia, is the base. Including the island of Dranova, south of the St. George, as part of the delta it contains 1,300 square miles. During extraordinary high floods the delta is almost entirely submerged. It is not fitted for cultivation, with the exception of a few patches. "Reeds of large growth cover a greater portion of its surface, and vast swamps and fresh water lakes are found in every direcOn the islands of St. George and Leti, in the tion. |