Page:Ancient India as described by Ptolemy - John Watson McCrindle.djvu/9

Vi PREFACE. ments of convenient length, to each of which I have subjoined a commentary, the main object of which is — Ist, to show, as far as has been ascertained, how each place, named by Ptolemy in his Indian Tables has been identi- fied ; 2nd, to trace the origin or etymology of each name, so far as it is possible to do so ; and ' 3rd, to notice very concisely the most promi- nent facts in the ancient history of the places of importance mentioned. I have, as a rule? quoted the sources from which my information has been derived, but may here state that I have generally adopted the views of M. Vivien de Saint-Martin and those of Colonel Yule, whose map of ancient India in Smith's well- known historical Atlas of Ancient Geography is allowed on all hands to be the best that has yet been produced. These authors have examined the greater part of the Ptolemaic Greography of India, and their conclusions are for the most part coincident. The w^orks of Saint- Martin, which I have consulted, are these : mude sur la Geographie Grecque et Latine de Vlnde, et eii jparticulier sur Vlnde de Ftolemee^ dans ses rapports avec la Geographie Sanshrite j Memoire Analytique sur la Carte de VAsie Centrale et de Vlnde ; et ^tiide sur la Geographie et les popula- tions primitives du Nord-Ouest de Vlnde. d'apres les hymnes vediq_ues. Colonel Yule has expressed his views chiefly in the notes upon the map referred to, but also occasionally in the notes