at Achmetha.

750 miles from Seleucia the Great,

20 miles from the Caspian passes,

450 miles from Susa, and the same from Gazae Atropatene, and in lat.

37 deg.

45 min., long.

88 deg., according to Ptolemy. The building of the city is ascribed to Semiramis by Diodorus, but to Deioces by Eusebius, (in Chr.

Esras 1:1
Det var i perserkongen Kyros' første år; da vakte Herren, forat hans ord gjennem Jeremias' munn skulde opfylles, slike tanker i perserkongen Kyros' ånd at han lot utrope i hele sitt rike og dessuten kunngjøre ved en skrivelse:

,) and Herodotus, who states that it was surrounded by seven walls, strong and ample, built in circles one within another, rising each above each by the height of their respective battlements; each being distinguished by a different colour, the first white, the second black, the third purple, the fourth blue, the fifth orange, the sixth plated with silver, and the seventh with gold. The largest of these was nearly the extent of Athens, i.e.

200 furlongs, according to Dion Chrysostom; but Diodorus Siculus states the circumference of Ecbatana to be

250 furlongs. Within the inner circle stood the king's palace and the royal treasury, so much celebrated for its splendour and riches by Polybius. It is highly probable, as D'Anville and Major Rennel suppose, that the present Hamadan, whose ruins attest its former splendour, occupies the site of Ecbatana. It is situated in Al Gebal, at the foot of the lofty mountain Alwend, about

80 leagues from Ispahan, and also from Bagdad.)