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A llium Ascalonicum of the East Mediterranean countries. Called in Britain scallion or shalot,
in France “ echalote ” (Nugent), in Germany “ schalotte,” in Italy “ scalogno ” or “ ascalonia ” (Lenz),
in Greece “ gethuon” (Zalikogl), and figures in different tombs at Gizeh, agreeing always in the bulb
hardly swelliiig, — appeared to me to belong here (compare Leps. d. ii. pl. 36 and 98); the same
figures doubtless correspond to the “ krommua ” and “ skórótha ” of the interpretation to Herodotus of
the inscription on the Great Pyramid : A. Ascalonicum was observed in Egypt by Alpinus ; and by
Hasselquist in Palestine (Linn.). Farther North, the “ gethuon ” is mentioned by Phrynichus, Anax-
andrides, Alexis, Epaenetus, and Theophrastus ; A. Ascalonicum was observed by Bory and Chaubard
in stony places in the Peloponnesus ; by Visiani, under cultivation in Dalmatia; and according to
Koch, has become naturalized near Fiume on the Adriatic (A. Dec.). Farther West, is termed “ cepa
s te rilis” by C. Bauhin ; is described by Morison iv. pl. 14; is known to occur in Italy (Lenz), and
under cultivation throughout middle Europe. Eastward from Egypt, has been long known in Hindustan
(Roxb., and D ’roz.), and was observed by Graham “ cultivated” around Bombay; by Mason,
“ exotic ” in Burmah ; and by Loureiro, under cultivation in Cochinchina. By European colonists, was
carried to Northeast America, where I have found it cultivated to some extent in our Middle States.
29S2 B. C. ( = 2983 in calendar years = 2920 -j- “ 63 ” of the Afr. Maneth.-table), the accession
of Shafra, fourth king of the Fourth dynasty, maybe placed provisionally at this date.
His name occurs in contemporaneous tombs in the necropolis at Gizeh : — and in the “ Eighty-
sixth ” tomb (Leps. d. ii. pl. 8 to 13), he precedes Menkera.
The small temple of “ alabaster” (stalagmite?) and “ syenite,” situated behind the Great
Sphinx, was built by Shafra (Birch). Shafra also built a pyramid, as appears from the sign of one
accompanying his name ; and (according to Herodotus, and Diodorus i. 64. i) the Middle pyramid at
Gizeh was built by king Képhren or Havruen. A statue of king Shafra, also remarkable as a work of
— is now in the museum at Paris (Mariette 77).
One of the tombs at Gizeh, is supposed to be that of the “ architect” employed by king Shafra.
Fortieth generation. May ist, 2967, mostly beyond youth :
Apart from the hieroglyphic writing, a monkey, Cercopithecus, is figured in tombs at Gizeh ;
havinv of course been brought from Equatorial Africa beyond the De se rt: — the species continues^
the sa"me throughout these tombs (Leps. d. ii. pl. 13 and 36) : but under the Twelfth dynasty at Benihassan,
other species make their appearance, all of them African. Throughout the monuments, I
was unable to discover any connexion of monkeys proper with the Egyptian mythology ; a marked
distinction from the Hindu system.
Typha angustifolia of the Mediterranean countries and the shores of the Atlantic as far as
Northeast America. A smaller kind of cat-tail f a g caWod by the Greeks “ to sazi” (Forsk.), and
possibly that figured among offerings in tombs at Gizeh — (Leps. d. ii. pl. 14, 36, and 68) : T . angustifolia
wa,s observed by Delile on the Mediterranean border of Egypt near Rosetta. Farther North,
was observed by Forskal from Smyrna to Constantinople, having “ two female spikes ” and used for
feedino- horses ; by Sibthorp, and Fraas, in the marshes of Greece Westward, is known to grow m
Italy ("Lenz), and along the Atlantic as far as Britain (Curt. lond. iii. pl. 62): and farther West, has
been observed by myself only in the submaritime pools of Massachusetts Bay in New England.
Typha latifolia of Northern climates. Called in Britain cat's tail or reed-mace or bull-segg or
éool-sedqe (Prior), in Germany “ rohrkolbe” (Grieb), in Italy with other species “ tifa ” or “ sala ” or
“ mazzaJorda” (Lenz), in Greece “ psath e ” J ib th .) : agreeing better with the above figures on the
monuments, the root besides edible — (Linn,), but not met with by modern visitors in Egypt. Farther
North, “ psiathos” mats are mentioned by Aeschylus ag. 1521, and Aristophanes ran. 567; the
“ tuphe,” by Theophrastus i. 8, growing according to Dioscorides in the stagnant water of marshes ;
and in these situations T. latifolia was observed by Sibthorp in Greece. Westward, is described by
Tragus (Spreng.) ; is termed “ t. palustris major” by Tournefort inst. 530 ; and is known to grow
in Italy Alo-eria, Portugal (Brot., Desf., and Munby), and throughout middle and Northern Europe
to the border of the Arctic region (fl. Dan. pl. 645, Fries, and A. Dec.). Eastward from the Mediterranean,
is known to grow about Caucasus, the Caspian, the Altaian mountains, and throughout
Siberia (Gmel., Pall., Bieb., and Ledeb.). Farther East, was observed by Drummond on the Saskatchewan
in Lat. 54°, by Nuttall on the Arkansas, and is known to grow along the Atlantic from
Lat. 51° in Newfoundland to and beyond 31° in Florida (Lapylaie, Ell., Baldw., Chapm.. and myself):
“ flao's” were gathered by the aboriginal women of New England to make mats for their dwellings
(W .Y o o d prosp. ii. 20) ; and the poorer settlers of Virginia were “ very fond ” of the plant “ because
it has a sweetish taste ” (Forst. cat.). ^ r > x -
2960 B. C. (= 2952 -j- his “ 9th y e a r ” in an inscription, Chabas), accession of Ménhéres
fifth king of the Fourth dynasty. The name of king “ Menkaura” occurs in contemporaneous
tombs at Gizeh ; — and in the “ Eighty-ninth ” (Leps.), he is placed after Shafra and before
Aseskef. His name occurs also in the genealogical tables of later times, and in sacred writings
and prayers: for his memory appears to have been long venerated by the Egyptians.
2952 B. C. ( = 2953 in calendar years = 1413 IS4° — 2210 - f “ 16 -j- 43 + 185 +
r „ I d _L ,0 3 ” of Euseb.-Maneth. continued in Afr.-Maneth. + “ 9 + 7 + 22 - f 25 + 33 R
t j - / e a r s ’’T f M6shires in Eratosthenes = 2498- f “ 203 + 448 ” of Eu^b-Maneth. continued m
Afr Maneth — “ 29 — 63 — 66 ” — 38 or 39th year of MSnhgres), end of the first GreM Year.
(The “ heliacal rising of Sirius in the ninth year of Menkeres ” is however placed by Biot “ between
aoo7 and 3010 B. C,” Boston Transcript for Friday, May 5th, 1876). i
The Third pyramid at Gizeh is connected with this e v en t; was attributed to rothSpis (a phcenix
according to C. Muller fragm. Maneth. p. 520 to 555) when Herodotus 11. 100 was in E g y p t ; to
“ nitbkris ” by Manetho, though misplaced under the Sixth dynasty ; “ vokhoris is made the successor
of M/glforinos or Mukgrinos by Diodorus i. 65 ; and the pyramid is known to have been bud
bv Menkaura. Though the smallest of the three, it must have been very costly being exclusively of
sienile brought from the First cataract (in entire accordance with the account of Herodotus 11 134).
In one of the contemporaneous tombs at Gizeh (Leps. d. n. pl. 36), men probab y of the
Race are represented; at least, if we may judge from their wearing the three-lobed em b lem . -A t
Benihassan (Champoll. pl. 361)- ‘ his emblem is clearly a black wntm^stile ,,rinkrinns ”
/rls sisyrinchium of Egypt and the Mediterranean countries. Called in Grewe agnoknnos
f S ib th ) in Egypt “ zambak” (Forsk.), and in other instances seems the three-lobed emblem the
f l l l r s a gl-e e fo fin form and to some extent in c o lo u r - ( th e Ethiopians being termed “ kuanoi” by
Homer) and the growing plant occurring as a hieroglyphic character from the Seventeenth dynasty
to the Ptolemies (Leps. k. pl. sO : L sisyrinchium, the only species known to grow wild m Egypt,
is described by Forskal p. 12 as a flower “ plurim® dignitatis ” m colour “ violaceus medio petalorum
croceo ■ ” was observed by him, and Delile, on the Desert-margin from the Pyramids to Alexandria.
Farthe! North, was observed by Sibthorp, Chaubard, and Fraas, on hills along the sea from Cyprus
to the Peloponnesus; is known to grow also in Barbary, Spam, and 1 ortugal (Tourn. mst. 365, and
^^"Bnona Senegalensis of Tropical Africa. A small tree called in Unyoro “ mtaotao ” (Grant) ; and
as early doubtles's as this date its hard twigs used for rubbing fire by Negro tribes on the Upper Ni e,
- a s It the present day witnessed by Schweinfurth vi to xii : A. Senegalensis was observed also by
Grant from “ 2° to 3° N .” on the Nile, its fruit eaten, and wood made into hoe-handles ; was received
by Jussieu from Senegal (Pers.).
Forty-first generation. Sept. 1st, 2934, mostly beyond youth :
The name of king Menkaura occurs on his own wooden coffin, discovered withm the 0 iird pyramid.
The inscription containing the name, is alleged by Birch to be an extract from the Osiris-
mvth ; ” a sacred drama, whose high’ antiquity is thus demonstrated. _
Cedrus Libani of the Lebanon and Taurian mountains. The Cedar o f Lebanon is called by
the Syrian Arabs “ a r z ” (Royle in Kitt. bibl. cycl.). in Egyptian “ tshinsSifg ” or “ tslfonsevg or
“ tshgnsifi” (transl. Sept.), and is possibly the “ kind of ced ar” of which this coffin is made, there
being no Coniferous trees large enough for the purpose nearer than Palestine : — the ‘ arz is prescribed
by Moses for purifying the unclean and in leprosy .(Lev. xiv. 4, and Num. xix, 6) ; was
broufot for building from Tyre to Jerusalem (2 Sam, v. n , and i K. vi. 9 to 20) ; is meffiioned as
growing on Lebanon in Psalm xxix. 5, xcii. 12, and Jer. xxii. 7 to 23 ; as a lofty t r^ by Amos n. j
Isaiah ii. 13. and Ezekiel xxxi. 3 i is also mentioned in Cant. 1. 17, Zeph 11. 14, Job xL 17, Z e ji- xn b
I Esdr iv 48, and Sirach xxiv. 13; and the “ cedrus magna or cedrelaten, by Phny xin. n and
xxiv II as yieldiim resin, having fruit like “ cupresso,” and incorruptible timber employed for images
of the rods : C. Lfoani has become rare on Lebanon, but a grove continues to be shown to travellers,
and trees have been found in unfrequented portions of this mountain-range by American missionaries
^^'‘ i S r e e l d e l f o d for the coffin was in all probability felled in Syria, and seems to imply the erist-
ence of navigation upon the Mediterranean : _ river-barges, larger than any now u.sed on the Nile
and propelled by numerous oars, are figured at the beginning of the Fifth dynasty in the beautiful
tomb at ^ ^ calendar years = 2953 — 33 = 2983 — “ 63 ” of the Afr.-Maneth.
table), accession of Ratoises, sixth king of the Fourth dynasty ; - to whose reign “ tw en ty
f iv e ” years are assigned. The name of king Ratatef occurs on the monuments (Leps. k.
pl 7), and is referred here by Birch.
Forty-second generation. Jan. ist, 2900, mostly beyond youth : x t, -
2804. B C ( = 2895 in calendar years = 2920 — “ 25 ” of the Afr.-Maneth, table), Ratoises
succeeded by Vihiris, seventh king of the Fourth d y n a s t y t o whose reign “ twenty-two”
vears are assigned. The “ vokhoris ” of Diodorus i, 65, may be compared (see above, M&n-
Ifo'res) : a judicial decision attributed to Vokhoris is preserved by Clemens Alexandrinus
Strom, iv. l i
.a ;