'The Expedition for the survey of the rivers Euphrates and Tigris, carried on by order of the British government, in the years 1835, 1836, and 1837; preceded by geographical and historical notices of the regions situated between the rivers Nile and Indus. In four volumes. With fourteen maps and charts, and embellished with ninety-seven plates, besides numerous wood-cuts. Volume the first.' [‎94] (143/905)

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ancient cities.
[chap. v.
Site of Orchoe. sumed, marks the site of the ancient capital of Aur, the
Orchoe of Ptolemy, from whence the territory bearing the
same name extended along the right bank of the Euphrates.
Being irrigated by the Pallacopas, this territory must, when
the canal was in full operation, have been extremely fertile.
At several places within it, as well as in Kurdistan, may still
be found the descendants of the ancient Chaldeans, who
speak, although in a corrupted manner, the original language
of that people.
Ancient and In Ptolemy's time, the name Chaldea was evidently applied
m m ci 1 • a ^ rac t 0 f coun try touching the south-western extremity of
old Babylonia, and extending from thence to the Persian
Gulf, along both sides of the Shatt-el-Arab, and therefore
including some of the territory lying eastward of Ur of the
Chaldees. In this section of the country Ptolemy places the
towns and cities of Shunda, Rahacharta, Shalatha, Atha, and
Teredon, all on or near the river; whilst inwards from thence
were situated Chumara, Bethara, Beramba, and Orchoe.
Instead of these places, we now find the modern city of Bas
rah, and the towns of Diwaniyeh, Imam-Ali, Lamlum,
Semavah, Kut, Suk-el-shuyukh, Mujayah, Kurnah, Girdelan,
Zobeid, Mohammarah, Wasit, and Kut-el-'amarah. Having
briefly noticed the changing limits of Chaldea, we pass to
that interesting and most ancient kingdom, of which the
Cushdim territory before-mentioned (the Armeno-Chalybes
of Pliny l ) formed but a small part. 2
A rmenia.
Divisions of The upper Euphrates is nearly in the centre of the great
range of territory called by the ancients Armenia, which ex
tended eastward from that river to the Caspian Sea, and
again westward over a part of Asia Minor. The former por
tion was almost universally known by the name of the
Greater, and the latter by that of the Less Armenia; but
1 Lib. VI., c. iv.
2 The Chaldeans, and their neighbours the Tibareni, were subject to Armenia.
—Strabo, XII., p. 555.