84 ON THE ORIGIN OF CREMATION, 
colonies into Athens and Argos, were Egyptians ; and general- 
ly admitted that Capmus, who founded Thebes in Beeotia, was a 
Phenician. It may therefore be conjectured, that as neither the 
Egyptians nor the Phenicians burnt their dead, while the me- 
mory of these illustrious men retained any considerable influence, 
the colonies planted by them would strictly adhere to the rites 
of sepulture which they had introduced ; especially as these 
had been sanctioned by the authority and example of their an- 
cestors, in the countries from which they had migrated. From 
the institutes of Lycurcus it is evident, that, in his time, the 
ancient mode of inhumation prevailed among the Spartans. 
For he enacted, that the dead should be deposited in the earth, 
wrapt in a covering of scarlet cloth, and surrounded with olive 
leaves *. 
It seems to be generally believed, that, in later ages, the 
Greeks universally burned their dead. Lwucran, indeed, as 
Porter has remarked in his Archeologia, expressly assigns cre- 
mation to Greece, and inhumation to the Persians}. But this 
must be understood with great latitude. From the language 
ascribed by Prato to Socrates, it appears, that both these 
modes had been promiscuously used in his time, according to 
the predilection of individuals. For he speaks of it as a mat- 
ter of indifference to him, whether, after his death, his body 
should be burned or buried. The language of /Zt1an would - 
imply, that inhumation had continued to be the general prac- 
tice at Athens. For he says, “ It is an Athenian law, that if 
“ any one accidentally meet with the corpse of a man not bu- 
“* ried, he shall cover it entirely with earth; and that the dead 
“ shall 
® Prurarcn. in Vit. Lycure. 
t Aucrcpesvor ncerce 20yn res Ta Peec, o wiv EAAny, aveey. ade Megons, ebatev, &c. Lucian. de 
Luctu, Oper. ii. 306. edit. Amstel. 1687. 
