330 PLnrj'fl NATURAL ntSTORT. [Book XXXVL 



plaisters. 79 It is found in the vicinity of Thebes in Egypt and 

 of Damascus ill Syria, that of Damascus being whiter than the 

 others. The most esteemed kind, however, is that of Car- 

 mania, the next being the produce of India, and then, those of 

 Syria and Asia. The worst in quality is that of Cappadocia, 

 il being utterly destitute of lustre. That which is of a honey 

 colour is the most esteemed, covered with spots curling in 

 whirls/ and not transparent. Alabastrites is considered de- 

 fective, when it is of a white or horn colour, or approaching 

 to glass in appearance. 



CHAP. 13. LYGDINUS; COIULLITIC STONE ; STONK OF ALA11AXDA; 



STONE OF TllEDAlS; STONE OF SVKNK. 



Little inferior to it for the preservation of unguents, in the 

 opinion of many, is the stone, called "lygdinus,"* 1 that is 

 found in Paros, and never of a larger size than to admit of u 

 dish or goblet being made of it. In former times, it was only 

 imported from Arabia, being remarkable for its extreme 

 whiteness. 



Great value is placed also upon two other kinds of stone, of 

 quite a contrary nature ; corallitic" 1 stone, found in Asia, in blocks 

 not more than two cubits in thickness, and of a white some- 

 what approaching that of ivory, and in some degree resembling 

 it ; and Alabandic stone, which, on the other hand, is black, 

 and is so called from the district* 3 which produces it : though 



9 Piaster of Paris is made of gypsum or alabaster, boated and ground. 



80 A feature both of jasper and of sardonyx. 



M By some persons it has been considered to be the same with the " lych- 

 nitis," or white marble, mentioned in Chanter 4 of this Book. Ajasson 

 is of opinion that it has not been identified. 



- 2 Ajassou is in doubt whether this stone was really a marble or a gypsic 

 alabaster. It received its name from the river Curalius or (,'oural, near 

 which it was found ; and it was also known as Sangaric marble. Ajassou 

 thinks that the ancient milk-white marble, still found in Italy, and known 

 to the dealers in antiquities as r t tl<>ml>ino t may have been the ** corallitic" 

 stone. He also mentions the tine white marble known as (Inchttto. 



^ See H. v. c. 20. Sulphuret of manganese is now known as Alaban- 

 dine ; it is black, but becomes of a tarnished brown on exposure to the 

 air. It is not improbable that tin's manganese was used for colouring 

 gla^s, and that in Chapter GO of this Hook Pliny again refers to mnnganeso 

 when speaking of a kind of " magnet'* or load-.stone. Si-e Itecknmnn, 

 Hist. Inv. \ol. II. pp. 2378, Jtohn's Edition; who thinks, that 

 in the present passage Pliny is speaking of a kind of marble. It is 

 the fact, however, that Pyrolusite, or grey'ore of manganese, is used, at a 



