290 THE EASTERN ORIGIN OP THE CELTS. 



governed by a queen.^^ These are the modern Amharas. There dwelt 

 the Agrii, and there we meet with Esar, Tasitia, Mosylon or Mos- 

 sylicns, Eumenes, Acila, and Darada. Deire, which is said to have 

 denoted " the neck," and thus to have been a G-reek word, may have 

 been originally derived from Dar, a pearl, a string of pearls forming 

 an ornament for the neck, for it is the TorquA of the Celts, in whose 

 language dorc or torch signified a collar or necklace.^^ Although 

 generally of gold, the torques were sometimes composed of amber 

 beads. The Indian ornament Mekhali, the necklace of Manlius 

 Torquatus, the golden collar of the Irish Malachi, serve to unite 

 Mahalah and his son Darda in the invention of this article of dress.^* 

 Circumcision prevailed among some of these Ethiopian tribes."* 



The Zimri passed into Lower Egypt, whether by way of Arabia 

 Petrsea or upwards from Ethiopia I cannot tell. An early historical 

 notice of the sons of Keturah is given by Josephus, in which he unites 

 them with the Egyptian Hercules,, and makes Epher, the second son 

 of Midian, the namer of Africa.®" A part of Zimran's family must 

 have entered the land of the Pharaohs in this migration. Milukhi, 

 a kingdom mentioned in the Assyrian inscriptions, and Vi^hich Lenor- 

 niant at first identified with Meroe, the land of the Sembritse, was in 

 the Delta.®^ Metelis and Menelaus, which, according to Aristides, 

 had its origin long before the time of the Lacedemonian hero, doubt- 

 less indicate the position of this Mahalite kingdom.®^ Schsedia, near 

 at hand, is a perfect representation of Ishod ; and two places named 

 Taposiris, in the same region, are in all probability the memorials of 

 Abiezer. Glaucus, near Libya, may unite Chalcol. There was a 

 Beirut between Metelis and Schsedia, and a Tarichsea north of the 

 latter city. It is worthy of note that the god Malouli was wor- 

 shipped at Talmis, in Ethiopia.®^ 



The old tradition that Northern Africa was in great part peopled 

 by the Homeritae is undoubtedly true,®^ It is also true that Celts^ 



56 Strab. xvi. 4, 8. 



"'' lb. xvi. 4, 4-. . 



68 The necklace of Eriphyle is the key to this as-sociation of terms and legends, in so far as 

 mythology can afford a key. 



Si) Strab. &vi. 4, 5. 



6f Josephus' Ant,, i. 15. 



61 Lenormant & Chevalier, i. 394. 



^2 Ap. Bryant, Analysis of Ancient Mythology, iv. 315. 



53 Rawlinson's Herodotus, App. Book ii. ch. 8. The authors of the Ancient Universal His- 

 tory mention among the Arab rulers of Egypt, Asmar ; Sedeth ; Ecros, Hadares, Budesir ; 

 Malinus, Malil ; Culcan ; Darkun. An. U. Hist. ii. 109 seq. 



^* Russell's Connection of Sacred and Profane History, ii. 248. 



