[258] By some writers called Apavareticene, in the south-eastern part of Parthia. Ansart says that it is now known as Asterabad and Ghilan.
[259] Or Dara. A strongly fortified place, built by Arsaces I., and situate on the mountains of the Zapaorteni.
[260] According to Ansart, the district now known as Tabaristan, or Mazanderan, derives the first of those names from the Tapyri.
[261] D’Anville remarks that this river still retains its “starry” name, being the modern Aster or Ester, on which Asterabad is situate.
[262] This district occupied the southern part of modern Khiva, the south-western part of Bokhara, and the north-eastern part of Khorassan. This province of the ancient Persian empire received its name from the river Margus, now the Moorghab. It first became known to the Greeks by the expeditions of Alexander and Antiochus I.
[263] Antiochus Soter, the son of Seleucus Nicator.
[264] The meaning of this, which has caused great diversity of opinion among the Commentators, seems to be, that on rebuilding it, he preferred giving it a name borne by several cities in Syria, and given to them in honour of kings of that country. To this he appears to have been prompted by a supposed resemblance which its site on the Margus bore to that of Antiochia on the Orontes.
[265] The modern Moorghab; it loses itself in the sands of Khiva.
[266] Its remains are supposed to be those of an ancient city, still to be seen at a spot called Merv, on the river Moorghab.
[267] The people of modern Bokhara.