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Alexandria Prophthasia
Alexandria Prophthasia ( el, Αλεξάνδρεια η Προφθασία) also known as Alexandria in Drangiana was one of the seventy-plus cities founded or renamed by Alexander the Great. The polis, town was founded during an intermediate stop between Herat, in what is now Afghanistan, the location of another of Alexander's fortresses, and Kandahar. It is mentioned by Strabo, Pliny the Elder, Ammianus Marcellinus, Isidore of Charax, Stephanus of Byzantium and Pseudo-Plutarch. Alexander the Great, arrived in Drangiana in November 330 BC on his way to Kandahar, and found a well-organized province of the Achaemenid empire. He appointed a new satrap, Arsames, and renamed the capital city as Prophthasia, ("Anticipation"), because Alexander had here discovered a conspiracy against his life, organized by his companion Philotas. Location The location of Prophthasia is currently unknown. Orthodox opinion is that Prophthasia was at Farah, Afghanistan, Farah (also known as Phra) and t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Province
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outside Italy. The term ''province'' has since been adopted by many countries. In some countries with no actual provinces, "the provinces" is a metaphorical term meaning "outside the capital city". While some provinces were produced artificially by colonial powers, others were formed around local groups with their own ethnic identities. Many have their own powers independent of central or federal authority, especially in Canada and Pakistan. In other countries, like China or France, provinces are the creation of central government, with very little autonomy. Etymology The English word ''province'' is attested since about 1330 and derives from the 13th-century Old French , which itself comes from the Latin word , which referred to th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gerardus Mercator
Gerardus Mercator (; 5 March 1512 – 2 December 1594) was a 16th-century geographer, cosmographer and Cartography, cartographer from the County of Flanders. He is most renowned for creating the Mercator 1569 world map, 1569 world map based on a new Mercator projection, projection which represented sailing courses of constant bearing (rhumb lines) as straight lines—an innovation that is still employed in nautical charts. Mercator was a highly influential pioneer in the history of cartography.Mark Monmonier, Monmonier, Mark: ''Rhumb Lines and Map Wars: A Social History of the Mercator Projection''. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2004)Van der Krogt, Peter (2015), 'Chapter 6: Gerhard Mercator and his Cosmography: How the 'Atlas' became an Atlas,'; in: Gerhard Holzer, et al. (eds.), ''A World of Innovation: Cartography in the Time of Gerhard Mercator''. (Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2015), pp. 112–130 Along with Gemma Frisius and Abraham Ortelius, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Encyclopedia Iranica
An encyclopedia (American English) or encyclopædia (British English) is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge either general or special to a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedias are divided into articles or entries that are arranged alphabetically by article name or by thematic categories, or else are hyperlinked and searchable. Encyclopedia entries are longer and more detailed than those in most dictionaries. Generally speaking, encyclopedia articles focus on ''factual information'' concerning the subject named in the article's title; this is unlike dictionary entries, which focus on linguistic information about words, such as their etymology, meaning, pronunciation, use, and grammatical forms.Béjoint, Henri (2000)''Modern Lexicography'', pp. 30–31. Oxford University Press. Encyclopedias have existed for around 2,000 years and have evolved considerably during that time as regards language (written in a major international or a ve ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nad Ali District
Nad Ali or Nad-e Ali is a district in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Marja is an unincorporated agricultural district in Nad Ali. The area is irrigated by the Helmand and Arghandab Valley Authority (HAVA).The Helmand Valley Project in Afghanistan: AID Evaluation Special Study No. 18 C. Clapp-Wicek & E. Baldwin, US Agency for International Development, published December 1983 (pdf) A small town of the same name lies 11 km to the west of the Helmand River, at the coordinates shown at the top of the page. The town of Nad-e Ali was built in 1954 as part of the HAVA irrigation project, and was settled by 3,000 predominantly Pashtun families who were given newly |
Zaranj
Zaranj or Zarang ( Persian/Pashto/ bal, زرنج) is a city in southwestern Afghanistan, near the border with Iran, which has a population of 160,902 people as of 2015. It is the capital of Nimruz Province and is linked by highways with Lashkargah and Kandahar to the east, Farah to the north and the Iranian city of Zabol to the west. Zaranj is a major border crossing between Afghanistan and Iran, which is of significant importance to the trade-route between Central Asia and South Asia with the Middle East. The history of Zaranj dates back over 2500 years and Ya'qub ibn al-Layth al-Saffar, founder of the Saffarid dynasty, was born in this old civilization. History Modern Zaranj bears the name of an ancient city whose name is also attested in Old Persian as ''Zranka''. In Greek, this word became Drangiana. Other historical names for Zaranj include Zirra, Zarangia, Zarani etc. Ultimately, the word Zaranj is derived from the ancient Old Persian word ''zaranka'' ("waterland"). A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
William Woodthorpe Tarn
Sir William Woodthorpe Tarn (26 February 1869 – 7 November 1957) was a British classical scholar and a writer. He wrote extensively on the Hellenistic world, particularly on Alexander the Great's empire and its successor states. Life William Woodthorpe Tarn was born in London on the 26 of February 1869, eldest of two sons and one daughter of William Tarn (b. 1841/2), a silk merchant, and Frances Arthy (b. 1843/4). He studied at Eton College, where he was school captain and a king's scholar, graduating in 1888. He studied at Trinity College, Cambridge with Henry Jackson, sparking a lifelong interest in Greek philosophy. He then studied law at the Inner Temple, becoming a chancery barrister in 1894. In 1896 he married Flora Macdonald (d. 1937). He had one daughter, Otta, for whom he wrote a fairy story, ''The Treasure of the Isle of Mist'' (1919). Following the long illness of Flora, Tarn had a breakdown and retired from law. He left London for Scotland, where he made his home ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eratosthenes
Eratosthenes of Cyrene (; grc-gre, Ἐρατοσθένης ; – ) was a Greek polymath: a mathematician, geographer, poet, astronomer, and music theorist. He was a man of learning, becoming the chief librarian at the Library of Alexandria. His work is comparable to what is now known as the study of geography, and he introduced some of the terminology still used today. He is best known for being the first person known to calculate the circumference of the Earth, which he did by using the extensive survey results he could access in his role at the Library; his calculation was remarkably accurate. He was also the first to calculate Earth's axial tilt, which has also proved to have remarkable accuracy. He created the first global projection of the world, incorporating parallels and meridians based on the available geographic knowledge of his era. Eratosthenes was the founder of scientific chronology; he used Egyptian and Persian records to estimate the dates of the ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Farah Citadel
The Citadel of Farah (Pashto ; prs, ارگ فراه), also known as the Citadel of Alexander, and locally known as Shar-e-Farahdun. When Alexander the Great invaded the area it was known as Prophthasia in Drangiana: the Drangian capital Phrada was just renamed in October 330; 'Prophthasia' means 'Anticipation', modern Farâh, Afghanistan. The Citadel sits on the edge of Farah City. Looking out over this western desert city, the Citadel covers the distance of one kilometre from the corner of an interior wall to the opposite corner. The fortress walls are 50 feet high. History Occupations of the citadel stretch back at least 2,500 years. The massive, weathered earthen walls of an ancient citadel remain atop a low rise a short distance from Farah’s main bazaar. The origins of the Citadel have been lost in the vast passage of time since its construction. Some claim it was built by Alexander the Great. Others say the citadel is to have been built by Zoroastrian warriors in the time ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Farah, Afghanistan
Farah (Pashto/Dari: ) is the capital and largest city of Farah Province in western Afghanistan. It is located on the Farah River, close to the border with Iran. It is one of the largest cities of western Afghanistan in terms of population, with about 1.5 million people living in its urban area. Land use Farah is located in western Afghanistan between Kandahar and Herat, close to the border with Iran, although it lacks a direct road connection with the latter. Farah has a very clear grid of roads distributed through the higher-density residential areas. However barren land (35%) and vacant plots (25%) are the largest land uses and combine for 60% of total land use. History Ancient history The Citadel at Farah is probably one of a series of fortresses constructed by Alexander the Great, the city being an intermediate stop between Alexandria Arachosia (modern Kandahar) and Herat, the location of another of Alexander's fortresses. The "Alexandria" prefix was added to th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Philotas
Philotas ( el, Φιλώτας; 365 BC – October 330 BC) was the eldest son of Parmenion, one of Alexander the Great's most experienced and talented generals. He rose to command the Companion Cavalry, but was accused of conspiring against Alexander and executed. Biography When Alexander became king of Macedonia (336 BC) with Parmenion's support, he and his relations were rewarded with offices and commissions. Philotas was promoted, from a commander of a cavalry squadron to commander of the Companions, the corps of Macedonian cavalry that also provided bodyguards and attendants to the King. In battle, Alexander rode with and led this cavalry corps; they were, literally, his "companions," hence the name. Philotas, though a highly capable officer, was widely perceived as arrogant and pompous; he was never able to master the role of courtier, was often a center of conflict, and often earned the King's disfavour. He would serve alongside Alexander in numerous battles, fighting at ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arsames
Arsames ( peo, 𐎠𐎼𐏁𐎠𐎶 Aršāma, modern Persian:،آرسام، آرشام Arshām, Greek: ) was the son of Ariaramnes and the grandfather of Darius I. He was traditionally claimed to have briefly been king of Persia during the Achaemenid dynasty, and to have given up the throne and declared loyalty to his relative Cyrus II of Persia before retiring to his family estate in the Persian heartland of Parsa, living there peacefully for the rest of his life, perhaps nominally exercising the duties of a "lesser king" under the authority of the "Great King". However, the claim that he or his son were ever kings is rejected by historians such as Pierre Briant. In an inscription allegedly found in HamadanThe inscription is known among Old Persian scholars by the code AsH. he is called "king of Persia", but the document is widely argued to be a fake, either modern or ancient. Another attestation of his reign is the Behistun Inscription, where his grandson Darius I lists h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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