RELIGIONS AND CIVILIZATION. 159 



extent as to fill a large volume. The literature upon the subject is 

 vast, and is daily increasing. Nor is the subject an obscure one : on 

 the contrary, many of the connections established are obvious to the 

 most superficial observer. Thus the Syrian and Phoenician Baal is 

 the Babylonian Bel, the Indian Bali, ihe Greek Belus, the German 

 and Celtic Beli. Astarte becomes the Egyptian Athor, the Syrian 

 Athara, the Arabian Athtor, the Chaldean Ishtar, and the Celtic 

 Ostara, (whence Easter) : a closely allied goddess, Anat or Anta of 

 Egypt, is the Persian Anaitis and the Phoenician and Carthaginian 

 Tanaitis : and Anna Perenna of the Romans agrees in all respects 

 with Anna Pourna of the Hindoos. The Persian Tir and the Scandi- 

 navian Tyr are the same; the Etruscan Mantus and the Egyptian 

 Amenthe; the Greek Ceres, the Indian Cris, and the Welsh Ceridwen. 

 In the Egyptian Ptah Soccari and Sem Hercules one can hardly fail 

 to detect the Indian Buddha Soukra and the Sabine Semo Sancus. 

 "The names of the children of Ammon, as well as of Chemosh their 

 god," says Sir J. G. Wilkinson, " are too near to the Khem and 

 Amun of Egypt to be accidental." ^^ Enough, I think, has been said 

 to show that materials are not wanting to justify the position taken by 

 Faber, and to deprive the sceptic of the last argument by which he 

 seeks to overthrow his conclusion. 



It may very naturally be asked, however, that evidence distinct 

 from and in addition to that of a mere community of gods should be 

 given of such an intimate connection' among the various nations of 

 the world as Faber supposes to have existed prior to the historic 

 period. This evidence may be of two kinds : the most satisfactory, 

 that of direct assertion or statement of historical fact ; the second, 

 that of inference, similar to the evidence on which Faber builds his 

 theory. The first of these two kinds of evidence we find very decid- 

 edly in the writings of the Greeks. " Greek traditions establish 

 various relations or mythical connexions between Egypt and Upper 

 Asia. For example, Cepheus, in whom the primitive East is per- 

 sonified, is given as a son of Belus, a supposed King of Egypt, 

 Belus himself is said to have transplanted the Chaldeans from 

 Egypt to Babylonia, and to have naturalized Egyptian institutions 

 there." ^* Perseus is a Greek, but Herodotus tells us that the 

 Persians called him an Assyrian, and that the Egyptians claim him 



'2 RawliEsou's Herodotus, App. Bk. iii., Essay i., Sec. 21. 

 *^ Guigniaut, iii., 601. 



