Nature of the Euphrates River
The Euphrates rises in Armenia and flows through
Syria and the country beyond to Babylonia. It seems to
discharge itself into the Red Sea; but in point of fact it does
not do so: for its waters are dissipated among the ditches dug
across the fields before it reaches the sea. Accordingly the
nature of this river is the reverse of that of others. For in
other rivers the volume of water is increased in proportion to
the greater distance traversed, and they are at their highest in
winter and lowest in midsummer; but this river is fullest of
water at the rising of the dog-star, and has the
largest volume of water in Syria, which continually decreases as it advances. note The reason of this is that the
increase is not caused by the collection of winter rains, but by
the melting of the snows; and its decrease by the diversion of
its stream into the land, and its subdivision
for the purposes of irrigation. note It was this
which on this occasion made the transport
of the army slow, because as the boats were
heavily laden, and the stream very low, the
forces of the current did exceedingly little to help them
down. . . .
