man authority: but as their country was never reduced to the form of a province, they probably were permitted to retain their ancient form of government.

IBERIA.

IBERIA, now distinguished by the name of Georgia, was bounded on the north by Mount Caucasus; on the east by Albania; on the south by Armenia; and on the west by Colchis.

The ancient inhabitants, supposed by Josephus, to have descended from Tubal, the brother of Gomer, were a very brave and warlike people, who maintained their independence against the utmost exertions of the Medes, Persians, and Macedonians, and even combated the Romans with astonishing fortitude and resolution.

Their government appears to have been monarchical. After the defeat of Mithridates, Artoces, their prince, assembled an army of 70,000 men, who were designed to attack the Romans; but the Iberians were at length overthrown, with considerable loss, 9,000 being killed upon the spot, and 10,000 taken prisoners.

Of the successors of Artoces, nothing is related worthy of notice. It is, however, very probable that the Iberians continued to be governed by their own kings, who were tributary to Rome; for Iberia is not numbered, by any writer, among the provinces of the empire. Of their history we know very little. Their country was conquered by the Seljuks, in 1072. Zingis Khan conquered it in 1222, Timour, in 1394, and Jehan Shah in 1452. In 1536, it surrendered to the Turks.

BOSPORUS.

THIS ancient kingdom comprised the Chersonesus Taurica, in Europe, and the extensive tract which lies between the Euxine Sea, and the Palus Mæotis, in Asia.

The Bosporians appear to have lived under a monarchical government from the earliest ages; but no satisfactory account is given of their kings. One of them, Parisades III., being unable to pay an exorbitant tribute to the king of Scythia, and knowing his inability to resist so formidable an enemy, voluntarily resigned the crown of Bosporus to Mithridates the Great, after it had been possessed by his ancestors, for upwards of four hundred years.

BACTRIA.

BACTRIA, now distinguished by the name of Chorassan, is described as a large, fruitful, and populous country, having the river Oxus on the north, and Asiatic Scythia on the

east.

The inhabitants were a brave and martial people, constantly engaged in war, and enemies to every species of luxury. Their manners were totally unpolished, their morals loose, and some of their customs strongly tinged with cruelty. Their old people, when they had attained to a certain age, were exposed to be devoured by fierce mastiffs, which, being kept expressly for that purpose, were called sepulchral dogs.

Their government seems to have been monarchical from the earliest ages; but nothing is recorded concerning their VOL. II.

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kings till the time of Antiochus Theos, when Theodotus, governor of Bactria, assumed the regal title, and strengthened himself so effectually in his new dignity, that the king of Syria could never after dispossess him.

His successors were Theodatus, Euthydemus, Demetrius, and Eucratides. The last of these founded the city of Eucratidia, and led his gallant forces into India, where he reduced all those provinces, which had formerly sunk beneath the victorious arms of Alexander. On his return to Bactria, however, he was treacherously assassinated by his own son, to whom he had intrusted the public administration, during his absence.

The vile parricide did not long enjoy the fruits of his wickedness; for, being invaded, shortly afterwards, both by the Scythians and Parthians, he was chased, ignominiously, from the kingdom, and slain in attempting to recover it. Upon his death, the country was divided between the Parthians and Scythians, the latter of whom held it, till they were, in their turn, driven out by the Huns.

EDESSA.

THE ancient city of Edessa, once famous for a magnificent temple of the Syrian goddess, and distinguished by the epithet of Hierapolis, or the Holy City, was situated in Mesopotamia, between Mount Massius and the Euphrates.

This city, together with its fertile territory, was seized by one Abgarus, and erected into an independent state, under the name of the kingdom of Edessa. The time, however, when this event took place is no where recorded, nor have historians given any farther account of the enterprising individual, who first assumed the crown, than that he gained

several decisive victories over the Syrians, and, at his decease, left his new dominions in a very flourishing condition. His successors were Abgarus second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth. The last of these was employed by the emperor Severus, in the wars which he waged in the East; but being afterwards accused of corresponding with the enemies of the republic, he was thrown into confinement, and his kingdom reduced to the form of a Roman province.

EMESSA.

WHILST the affairs of Syria were disordered by the contentions of the Seleucidæ, an Arabian, named Sampsiceramus, seized on the city of Emessa, which was situated on the Orontes.

Jamblichus succeeded his father on the throne of Emessa, and rendered some important services to Cicero, while that illustrious Roman resided at Cilicia, in quality of pro-consul. In the civil wars of Rome, he sided, first with Julius Cæsar, against Pompey, and afterwards with Antony against Octavius. But after the memorable battle of Actium, Antony suspected his fidelity, and caused him to be put to 'death.

His brother Alexander was raised to the throne by favour of Mark Antony; but his reign was of short duration; for Octavius having taken him prisoner, exhibited him to the Romans, among the other princes who adorned his triumph, and afterwards sentenced him to death. However, his son, Jamblichus the second, conciliated the esteem of the conqueror, and was restored to his paternal kingdom.

What became of this little territory, cannot now be determined, though it seems probable that it was seized by the Arabians, as, after a chasm of several years, we find it possessed by the Ituræans.

ADIABENE.

THIS principal province of Assyria was well watered by the rivers Adiaba and Diaba; and is celebrated, by the ancients, on account of its luxuriant fertility.

Of its erection into a kingdom, it is only requisite to observe, that it resulted from the intestine commotions of the Seleucidæ.

The first kings of Adiabene, noticed by historians, appear to have reigned in the time of the Mithridatic war, and to have joined Tigranes against Lucullus.

In the reign of the emperor Claudius, one Monobazus possessed the crown, and married his own sister Helena, by whom he had two sons named Monobazus and Izates. The latter of these succeeded to the crown. He embraced the Jewish religion, and the other branches of the royal family followed his example. After some time the Adiabeneans were subjected to the crown of Persia.

Characene, Elymais, Comagene, and Chalcidene, all situated in Asia Minor, were severally formed into kingdoms, in the turbulent period that followed the death of Alexander. After they had exercised sovereign power for a short period, they were merged in the Parthian or Roman empires, leaving few or no traces of their short-lived separate existence, as independent kingdoms.

THRACE.

THRACE contained the city of Byzantium, at present called Constantinople. This is sufficient to fix the position of the country. Taken in general, it was sometimes called a kingdom, though it was only an assemblage of different provinces,