32 BABYLONIAN LITERATURE. 



when Seleucus founded his capital on the 

 banks of the Orontes, he only found an 

 insignificant place there, whose name even 

 has not descended to us. 1 



Proofs stronger still establish satisfac- 

 torily, in my opinion, the fact that the 

 author of "The Book of Nabathsean Agri- 

 culture" had acquaintance with the writings 

 of the Greeks. In various passages of " The 

 Book of Nabathgean Agriculture," which 

 seem to have escaped the attention of M. 

 Quatremere, there are allusions to the 

 Yunanis, and it is well known that it is by 

 that name that the Arabs designate the 

 ancient Greeks, in distinction to the Eoumis, 

 or modern Greeks, Dr. Chwolson gives a 

 very unsatisfactory explanation of this diffi- 

 culty. Starting from the supposition that 

 the Hellenic race arrived in Asia Minor at 

 a very remote period, he deduces from this 

 supposed fact, that from the year 2500 be- 

 fore Christ it will be seen presently that 



1 See Pausanias Damasus, Tlepl 'Avrioxflas, in Miiller's "Frag- 

 menta Historiee Grsecse," vol. iv. p. 467 ff. 



