MEDLA. (me'df-a), (Heb."..r.P, rendered "Madai," Gen. x:2; Chron. i:5; "Media," Esth. i:3, 14, 18; x:2; Is. xxi:2; Dan. viii:2o; "Median," Dan. v:31; NM, "Media," R. V. Ezra vi:2).
(1) Location. Media lay directly south of Armenia and was bounded on the northeast by the mountains beside the Caspian Sea. To the east and southeast were Hyrcania and Parthia. Elam or Susiana lay on the southern side, and the mighty Assyrian power was on the west.
(2) Cities. In Great Media lay the metropolis of the country, Ecbatana (Plin. Hist. Nat. vi. 17), as well as the province of Rhagiana and the city Rhagx, with the plain of Nismum, celebrated in the time of the Persian empire for its horset and horse-races (Herod. iii. 1°6; Arrian, vii. 13; eeren, i. 1. 3o5). This plain was near the city Nisrea, around which were fine pasture lands producing excellent clover (Herb° Medica). The horses were entirely white, and of extraordinary height and beauty. as well as speed. They con stituted a part of the luxury of the great, and a tribute in kind was paid front them to the mon arch, who, like all Eastern sovereigns, used to de light in equestrian display.
(3) Tribute. Some idea of the opulence of the country may be had when it is known that, independently of imposts rendered in money, Media paid a yearly tribute of not less than 3.000 horses, 4,000 mules, and nearly too,000 sheep.
(4) Products. The horse-races, once celebrated through the world, appear to exist no more; but Ker Porter saw the Shah ride on festival oc casions a splendid horse of pure white. Cattle abounded, as did the richest fruits, as pines, cit rons, oranges, all of peculiar excellence. growing as in their native land. Ilere also was found the Silphium (probably assafcctida), which formed a considerable article in the commerce of the an cients, and was accounted worth its weight in gold. The Median dress was proverbially splen did; the dress, that is, of the highest class, which seems to have gained a sort of classical authority, and to have been at a later period worn at the Persian court, probably in part from its antiquity. This dress the Persian monarchs used to present to those whom they wished to honor, and no oth ers were permitted to wear it. It consisted of a long white loose robe, or gown, flowing down to the feet, and enclosing the entire body, speci mens of which, as now used in those countries, may be seen in plates given in Perkin's Resi dence in Persia, New York, 1843. The nature
and the celebrity of this dress combine with the natural richness of the country to assure us that the ancient Medians had made no mean progress in the arts ; indeed, the colors of the Persian textures are known to have been accounted sec ond only to those of India. If these regal dresses were of silk, then was there an early commerce between Media and India ; if not, weaving, as well. as dyeing. must have been practiced and carried to a high degree of perfection in the former country (Ammian. Marcell. xxiv. 6. p. 353, ed. Bip.; Xenoph. Cyrop. i. 3. 2 ; Athen. xii. pp. 512, 514, sq.; Heeren, 'deo!, i. 205, 3o7; Ilerod. vi. 112 ; Strabo, xi. p. 525; Dan. iii:2t).
(5) Religion. The religion of the Medes con sisted in the worship of the heavenly bodies, more particularly the sun and moon, and the planets Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Mercury, and Mars (Strabo, xv. p. 732). (See STARS.) The famous Median dress. comprised the miter, as well as the flowing robe. The priestly caste were denominated magi; they were a separate tribe, and had the charge not only of religion, but of all the higher culture.
(6) Language. The language of the ancient Medes was not connected with the Semitic, but the Indian ; and divided itself into two chief branches, the Zend, spoken in North Media, and the Peldvi, spoken in Lower Media and Parthia ; which last was the dominant tongue among the Parthians.
(7) Early History. The Medes originally consisted of six tribes, of which the Magi were one (Herod. i :tot). Being overcome by Ninus, they formed a part of the great Assyrian empire, which, however, lost in course of time the primi tive simplicity of manners to which its dominion was owing, and fell into luxury and consequent weakness; then Arbaces, who governed the coun try as a satrap for Sardanapalus,taking advantage of the effeminacy of that monarch, threw off his yoke, destroyed his capital, Nineveh, and became himself sovereign of the Medes, in the ninth cen tury before the Christian era (Diod. Sic., ii. 1. 2, 24, 32). According to Diodorus, this empire extended through nine monarchs, enduring 3to years, until Astyages, son of Cyaxares, was de throned by Cyrus in the year of the world 3495, when Media became a part of the Persian empire, sinking front the same inevitable causes as those which enabled it to gain over the Assyrian power the dotninion of Asia. The account given by Herodotus varies from that now set forth.