1892.] ^'■^*J [Brlnton. 



of the line is given, " Call ye, in turns, on all the Semones." I 

 should prefer to consider that semones refers distinctively to the two 

 gods named Mannar and Berber, and that advocapit is an abbre- 

 viated form of the passive future, used impersonally, while conctos 

 should have its original meaning, not "all," but "conjoined," 

 "united," referring solely to the two divinities who are appealed 

 to in the Song. It should then be rendered, "To these united 

 gods of the crops (/. e., the one of the early, the other of the later, 

 season) praise shall be rendered." 



The last lines offer no particular difficulties, so I offer this free 

 paraphrase of the whole Song : 



The Song of the Arval Brethren. 



Come to our aid, O Lares ! 



O Marmar 1 Let nor blight nor ruin fall upon the flowers. 



The sown seeds, O Marmar ! protect ; and favor the product, O Berber ! 



Praise shall be paid in turn to these associated gods of the crops. 



Come to our aid, O Marmar ! 



Shout for joy ! shout for joy ! shout for joy ! 



The similarities which I here point out have an additional interest 

 in the light of some recent discoveries in Egyptian archaeology. 



It has been generally accepted that the Tur-sha, who, about the 

 close of the thirteenth century B.C., invaded Egypt from the West 

 along with the Libyans, were Etruscans ; but only recently has it 

 been shown by conclusive evidence that the Etruscans continued to 

 live in the Western Fayoom and on the Libyan boundary of Egypt 

 for many centuries afterwards. One part of this evidence is from 

 Egyptian inscriptions. At Medinet Gurob, close to the Libyan 

 boundary, Mr. Flinders Petrie exhumed the coffin of a man bearing 

 the inscription A?i- en- Tur-sha, "A man of the Tur-sha," showing 

 that prominent citizens of Egypt (the coffin was that of a wealthy 

 person) were at that time recognized as of the Tur-sha blood. 



Still more extraordinary was the discovery of an Etruscan Ritual 

 Book in this portion of Egypt, the celebrated Agram Codex, which 

 has lately been published by Prof. Krall, of Vienna. He considers 

 it conclusive as to the existence of an Etruscan settlement in this 

 part of the Egyptian dominions.* 



* Die Etruakischen Miimienbinden des Agramer National-Museums, ss. 18, 19 (Wien, 1892). 

 He quotes and discusses Petrie's researches at Medinet Gurob. 



