Persia

Persia (Heb. Paras', פָּרִס; native Fars, thought to be either from the Zend Pars, "'pure" or "splendid," or from Farash [פָּרָשׁ], "a horse," that animal being abundant there; Sept. Περσίς; Vulg. Perses), the name of one of the interior countries of Hither Asia, varying greatly in application according to time and circumstances. The following account of it embraces the ancient and the modern information, with a special view to Biblical illustration. See PERSIAN.

I. Extent and Physical Features. — The name is used in two or three senses geographically and historically.