BOOK XVI. Lxxix. 216-219 



having been brought thcre from Zac) nthus with the 

 founders of the city 200 years before the fall of Troy ; 

 it is kept inside the town itself — Hannibal from 

 motives of rehgion spared it — and its beams, made 

 of juniper, are still in existence even now. 

 Memorable above all is the temple of the same 

 goddess at Auhs, built some centuries before the 

 Trojan war ; all knowledge of what kind of timber 

 it was built of has entirely disappeared. Broadly 

 speaking it can at all events be said that those woods 

 have the most outstanding durabihty which have the 

 most agreeable scent. Next in esteem after the 

 timbers mentioned stands that of the mulberry, 

 which even darkens with age. At the same time also 

 some woods last longer when employed in certain 

 ways than they do otherwise : elm lasts best ex- 

 posed to the air, hard oak when used under ground, 

 and oak when submerged under water — oak when 

 above the ground warps and makes cracks in struc- 

 tures. Larch and black alder do the best in damp ; 

 hard oak is rotted by sea water. Beech and walnut 

 are also well spoken of for use in water, these timbers 

 indeed holding quite the first place among those that 

 are used under the ground, and hkewise juniper 

 (which is also very serviceable for structures exposed 

 to the air), whereas beech and Turkey oak quickly 

 decay, and the winter oak also will not stand damp. 

 The alder on the other hand if driven into the ground 

 in marshy places lasts for ever and stands a load of any 

 amount. Cherry is a strong wood, elm and ash are 

 tough but hable to warp, although they are flexible ; 

 and they are more rehable if the trees are left stand- 

 ing and dried by ringing round the trunk. Larch 

 is reported to be hable to wood-worm when used in 



529 



