ERYMANDRUS
ERYMANDRUS or
ERYMANTHUS (
Ἐρυμάνδρος, Arrian,
Anab. 4.6;
Ἐρυμάνθος,
Plb. 11.32;
Plin. Nat. 6.23. s. 25;
Curt. 8.9.20), the principal river of Drangiana, which rises in the lower range of the Paropamisan mountains, and, after flowing through Arachosia and Drangiana, enters the lake
Zarah. Its present name is
Ilmend or
Hilmend. The name of the river is not given by Ptolemy. M. Burnouf has supposed it to be the Arachotus; but Professor Wilson believes the Arachotus to have been one of the tributaries of the Helmend, and probably the modern
Arkand-ab. (Wilson,
Ariana, pp. 156, 157.) Arrian supposed, incorrectly, that it was lost in the sands; he places on its banks a tribe called Euergitae, whom Professor Wilson suspects are really the Agriaspae.
The modern river is described by Pottinger in his travels in
Baluchistan. It appears to be of great size, and carries down with it a great body of water. (Pottinger,
Baluchistan, p. 405.)
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