142 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



difference is that which frequently arises from a confusion of n years with the 

 h'* year. Dr. MacCarthy, indeed, in his translation, has corrected the 21 of 

 B to 22, in accordance with the Eusebian chronicle. Keating connects his 

 date for Partholon's anival with the doctrine that the event took place 300 

 years after the Flood, and this is precisely the unamended teaching of Z. 

 There must, then, have been an early synchronism, akin to Z, which laid 

 down that Partholon came to Ireland in the first year of the Assyrian 

 world-kingdom. 



It only remains to show that Nemed's colony was regarded as contempo- 

 raneous with the Median dj-nasty. According to Z (IV), Xemed came to 

 Ireland 1562 years after the Flood. According to B, the Assyrian monarchy 

 began 300 years after the Flood, and lasted 1240 years. Thus the Median 

 world-kingdom should have begun 15-10 years after the Flood. This brings 

 Nemed's arrival \vithin 22 years of the beginning of the Median period. 

 This difference will be accounted for if we suppose that oiiginally the 

 Assyrian sovereignty was taken to have lasted 1240 years, not from its 

 foundation, but from the birth of Abraham, or what is the same thing, 

 from the beginning of " the Third Age of the World " ; for Ninus founded 

 the Assyrian kingdom 21 or 22 years before this epoch. 



We have thus sufficient indications of the existence of an ancient 

 synchronism arranged on this basis. 



1. Ck>ming of Partholon = beginning of Assyrian world-kingdom. 



2. „ „ Named = „ „ Median 



3. „ „ Fir Bolg = „ „ Persian 



4. „ „ Gaedhil = „ „ Greek „ 



The most striking feature of this scheme is the late period assigned to 

 the Gaelic conquest of Ireland. On that point Z does not waver. With 

 many reiterations, the Gaelic immigration is timed against the world- 

 sovereignty of Alexander the Great. In this respect, too, Z does not stand 



alone. 



7. The Docteike of A, 



In the light of our analysis of Z, Dr. MacCarthy's synchronism A will 

 repay inspection. Dr. MacCarthy regarded A as a very ancient docimient, as 

 old as the sixth century. If this be so, and I see no reason to dispute it,' A, 

 which is written in Middle-Irish, must also have had a Latin original 

 Indeed, like Z, but still more copiously, it preserves many phrases in the 

 original Latin. 



' MacCarthy'a proper inference ihould be that A u founded in part on a very ancient document ; 

 and ao aljo vith regard to his finding that " the AnnaU of Inniif alien are the moat ancient body of 

 [Iriah] chronicles we pooeas." Todd Led. iii., p. 369. 



