THE ANCIENT ERA 



THIS may be said to begin with the earliest records of 

 plant diseases (to be found chiefly in ancient religious 

 writings, especially the Bible), and extending down to 

 about the time of the fall of the Roman Empire in the 

 fifth century (476 A. D.). It falls naturally into three 

 periods: the Hebraic, the Theophrastian, and the Plinian. 



HEBRAIC PERIOD 



The Hebraic period includes the centuries covered by 

 the Old Testament down to the rise and development of 

 ancient Greece, about 500 B.C., when the Jews as a free 

 people ceased to exist. 



The data recorded by Hebrew writers consist largely of 

 mention of blightings, blastings, rusts, mildews, and 

 smuts of the crops of this ancient people. The cause of 

 these maladies was laid to the Deity, of whose wrath or 

 disfavor they were regarded as an expression. The 

 general character of these records will be seen by consult- 

 ing the following Biblical references: Genesis 41 : 23; 



1 Kings 8:37; Deut. 28:22; Amos 4:9; Haggai 2 : 16, 17 ; 



2 Chron. 6 : 28. 



THEOPHRASTIAN PERIOD 



The Theophrastian or Greek period covers the time 



from the rise of the Greek peoples, about 500 B. C., to the 



end of the Macedonian supremacy about 320 B. C. 



The recorded observations on plants and plant diseases 



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