Illustrated Gazetteer of the Maritime Kingdoms

The various regions are each bounded by the ancient Gushu Mountains original: 古疏山 (Gushu shan); likely referring to the Zagros or Kurdistan mountain ranges. The southern boundary is the sea, which is what Matteo Ricci The influential Jesuit missionary (1552–1610) whose world maps introduced European geography to China called the Mediterranean Sea original: 默生丁海 (Moshengding hai). Although this term usually refers to the Mediterranean, in the context of Persia’s southern border, the text likely refers to the Persian Gulf or the Arabian Sea.

The states recorded in the historical annals were also famous ancient nations, such as Assyria, Babylonia, and the capital of the Kingdom of Anxi The Parthian Empire, which were all located within the borderlands of Persia.

Later, the Greeks original: 西臘士 (Xilashi), a phonetic rendering of Hellas from within the region conquered Babylonia, and the land then came to be called the Kingdom of Persia. Taking Isfahan as their capital and relying on their military might, they subsequently seized Syria, Ionia, Asia Minor, and India on their eastern border. The vastness of its territory was unprecedented in antiquity. Later, due to excessive luxury and unrestrained profligacy, the empire was overthrown by Alexander the Great original: 額力西 (Elixi).

Alexander (also written as Eleji) is located to the east of Italy and is now incorporated into Western Turkey Likely referring to the Ottoman territories in the Balkans, known as Rumelia.

Consequently, places such as Persia and India were all reduced to tribal divisions. It was not until the year 226 of the Christian Era the first year of the Yankang era of the Han Dynasty that Artaxerxes Ardashir I, the founder of the Sassanid Empire first reclaimed Persia, established himself as King, and defeated the armies of Rome. Seven hundred years later during the Tianshou era of Empress Wu of the Tang Dynasty 690–692 AD, it became...