44 BRONZE COMPOSED OF COPPER AND TIN. 



The above- given dates must not, of course, be considered 

 as exact ; but there is no reason to doubt their general ac- 

 curacy. Not only do the writings of Hesiod and Homer, 

 which certainly are not of a later date than 800 B.C., 

 and probably somewhat earlier, show, that the nations on 

 the eastern shores of the Mediterranean were at that time 

 highly civilised, and had a considerable commerce, but we 

 have very valuable evidence of the same fact in the Biblical 

 narrative. Indeed, brass is mentioned in the fourth chapter 

 of Genesis, which would be, according to the chronology 

 of the established version, 3875 B.C. ; but there is so much 

 doubt about these dates, that I do not feel disposed to rely 

 on this isolated passage. The high civilisation of Egypt in 

 the time of Joseph is, however, apparent to every reader of the 

 book of Exodus. Again, when Solomon prepared to build 

 the temple in Jerusalem, he sent unto the king .of Tyre for 

 cedar- trees out of Lebanon, "for thou knowest," he said, 

 " that there is not among us any that can skill to hew timber 

 like unto the Sidonians " (1 Kings v. 6) ; and again we read, 

 (I. c. vii. 13, 14) that "King Solomon sent and fetched Hiram 

 . out of Tyre. He was a widow's son of the tribe of Naphtali, 

 and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in brass : and he 

 was filled with wisdom, and understanding, and cunning to 

 work all works in brass." It is evident that the word which 

 here, and in so many other passages, is translated "brass," 

 should rather be " bronze." This latter, which was the com- 

 mon metal of antiquity, is never mentioned in our version, 

 while on the other hand, the alloy which we now term brass, 

 and which is composed of copper and zinc, was not known 

 in ancient times. 



Now this bronze, which from the wholly independent 

 statements of Homer and of the Book of Kings, we find 

 to have been so abundant in the East three thousand years 

 ago, was composed of copper and tin, in the proportions of 



