Chap. 52.] ALUMEN. 295 



that are made of alumen ;^^ by which name is understood a 

 sort of brine^'^ which exudes from the earth. Of this, too, 

 there are several kinds. In Cyprus there is a white alumen, 

 and another kind of a darker colour. The difference, however, 

 in their colour is but trifling in reality, though the uses made 

 of them are very dissimilar ; the white liquid alumen being 

 employed for dyeing^^ wool of bright colours, and the black, 

 on the other hand, for giving wool a tawny or a sombre tint. 

 Gold, too, is purified^* by the agency of black alumen. Every 

 kind of alumen is a compound of slime and water, or in other 

 words, is a liquid product exuding from the earth ; the concre- 

 tion of it commencing in winter, and being completed by the 

 action of the summer sun. That portion of it which is the 

 first matured, is the whitest in appearance. 



The countries which produce this substance, are Spain, 

 .^gypt, Armenia, Macedonia, Pontus, Africa, ^^ and the islands 

 of Sardinia, Melos, Lipara, and Strongyle:^^ the most es- 

 teemed, however, is that of Egypt, ^' the next best being the 

 produce of Melos. Of this last kind there are also two 

 varieties, the liquid alumen, and the solid. Liquid alumen, 

 to be good, should be of a limpid, milky, appearance : when 

 rubbed between the fingers it should be free from grit, and 

 productive of a slight sensation of heat. The name given to it 

 is '' phorimon."^^ The mode of detecting whether or not it has 

 been adulterated, is by the application of pomegranate-juice ; 

 for if genuine, it will turn black on combining with the 

 juice. The other, or solid alumen, is pale and rough in ap- 



1^ Beckmann is of opinion that our alum was not known to the Greeks 

 or Eomane, and that what the latter called " alumen" was green vitriol, 

 or sulphate of the protoxide of iron, in an impure state. Hist. Inv. Vol. l! 

 p. 180. Bohn's Edition, Dr. Pereira remarks, however, that "there 

 can be little doubt that Pliny was acquainted with our alum, but did not 

 distinguish it from sulphate of iron, for he informs us that one kind of 

 aliyn was white, and was used for dyeing wool of bright colours." Materia 

 Medica, Vol. I, Delafosse identifies the " alumen" of Pliny with double 

 sulphate of alum and iron. 12 u Salsugo terra." 



13 See Note 11 above. 1* For gilding, Hardouin says. 



15 The Eoman provinces in Africa, other than Egypt. 



16 Now Strombolo. See B. iii. c. 14. 



" Herodotus, B. ii., mentions the fact that King Amasis sent the people 

 of Delphi a thousand talents of this substance, as his contribution towards 

 rebuilding their temple. is " Fruitful," or '< useful." 



