468 flint's natural histoet. [Book XXXVII. 



CHAP. 69. VENEBI8 CRINES. VEIENTANA. 



Veneris crines^^ is the name given to a stone that is remark- 

 ably black and shining, with an appearance like red hair with- 

 in. Veientana is an Italian stone, found at Veii : it is black, 

 divided by a line of white. 



CHAP. 70. ZA.THENE. ZMILIMPIS. ZOEANISC^A. 



Zathene, according to Democritus, is a native of Media. It 

 is like amber in colour, and, if beaten up with palm-wine and 

 saffron, it will become soft like wax, yielding a very fragrant 

 smell. Zmilampis is found in the river Euphrates : it resem- 

 bles marble of Proconnesus in appearance, and is of a sea- 

 green colour within. Zoraniscaea is found in the river Indus : 

 it is a stone used by magicians, it is said, but I find no further 

 particulars relative to it. 



CHAP. 71. (11.) PBECIOUS STONES WHICH DERIVE THEIR NAMES 



FROM VARIOUS PARTS OF THE HUMAN BODY. HEPATITIS. BTEA- 

 TITIS. ADADUNEPHROS. ADADIJOPHTHALMO&. ADADTJDACTTLOS. 

 TRIOPHTHALMOS. 



There is also another method of classifying stones ; according 

 to the resemblance which they bear to various other objects. 

 Thus, for example, the different parts of the body give the 

 following names to stones : — Hepatitis^® is so called from the 

 liver ; and steatitis^' from its resemblance to the fat of various 

 animals. Adadunephros, adaduophthalmos, and adadudactylos, 

 mean "kidney of Adad," *'eye of Adad," and ''finger of 

 Adad," a god^^ of the Syrians so called. Triophthalmos"*® is a 

 stone found in conjunction with onyx, which resembles three 

 human eyes at once. 



35 <' Venus' hair." As Ajasson remarks, the description renders it next 

 to impossible to say what the stone was. 



36 " Liver stone." Heavy spar, a sulphate of barytes, is sometimes called 

 Hepatite. 



37 '♦ Fat stone.'* Saponite or soapstone, a silicate of magnesia, is also 

 known as Steatite. 



38 An ancient king of Syria, worshipped by the people of that country 

 and the inhabitants of Phrygia. According to Macrobius, the Assyrians 

 worshipped Jupiter and the Sun under this name. 



*» *' Three-eye stone." Some kind of Cat's eye chalcedony, probably. 



