Histories

As I have lately said, +India [77,20] (nation), Asia India lies at the world's most distant eastern limit; and in +India [77,20] (nation), Asia India all living creatures four-footed and flying are much bigger than those of other lands, except the horses, which are smaller than the Median horses called Nesaean; moreover, the gold there, whether dug from the earth or brought down by rivers or got as I have described, is very abundant.

There, too, wool more beautiful and excellent than the wool of sheep grows on wild trees; these trees supply the Indians with clothing.

Again, Arabian Peninsula [45,25] (region (general)), AsiaArabia is the most distant to the south of all inhabited countries: and this is the only country which produces frankincense and myrrh and casia and cinnamon and gum-mastich. All these except myrrh are difficult for the Arabians to get.

They gather frankincense by burning that storax[*](A kind of gum, producing an acrid smoke when burnt, and therefore used as a disinfectant.) which Phoenicians carry to Greece [22,39] (nation), EuropeHellas; they burn this and so get the frankincense; for the spice-bearing trees are guarded by small winged snakes of varied color, many around each tree; these are the snakes that attack Egypt [30,27] (nation), Africa Egypt. Nothing except the smoke of storax will drive them away from the trees.