50 



except only in the fruit of the pomegranate, in which a slight deviation 

 is observable. But on comparing the ancient flora of Egypt with the 

 modern one we find that a change regarding the distribution of several 

 plants has taken place. Many plants at present cultivated in Egypt, not 

 a sign of them has been traced in Ancient Egypt ; and on the other 

 hand, plants which were plentiful 5,000 years ago have disappeared from 

 the Lower Nile territory. There is no doubt that several plants and 

 fruits entombed found their way by commercial intercourse from other 

 parts of the world. 



The fruit trees of modern Egypt are the date, sycamore, nabok 

 {Zizypkus Spina-Christi, Willd.), opuntia, orange, citron, apricot, peach, 

 fig, mulberry, apple, pomegranate, banana, pear, plum, and grape ; of all 

 these fruits only the date, sycamore, fig, grape, and pomegranate, were 

 known to the Ancient Egyptians. It was the happy thought of Pro- 

 fessor Unger to disintegrate and examine the unburnt bricks of 

 which the Pyramids of Dashur Group have been built, with the view to 

 the discovery of the plant materials which had been used in their pre- 

 paration. The bricks were immersed in hot water, the earthy part crum- 

 bled away, leaving the vegetable portion free. Amongst the organic 

 remains detected was Eragrostis Abyssinica (Linn.,) or Teft, a grami- 

 naceous plant, which is cultivated for its grain up to the present day in 

 Abyssinia. This discovery favours the assumption that Teft was culti- 

 vated by the Ancient Egyptians. Prof. Unger found also abundance of 

 wheat and barley straw, grains of both the cereals, and a few capsules of 

 the flax-plant. 



Of cereals found entombed, the Berlin Museum possesses several 

 kinds of wheat. There is some of Triticum vulgare, mixed with which 

 are a few grains of barley ; also Triticum turgidum (Linn.), the prevail- 

 ing kind now in cultivation in Egypt, called Egyptian wheat, and two 

 other kinds — Triticum spelta (Linn.), and Triticum monococcum (Linn.), 

 neither of which is cultivated at the present time. Professor Unger 

 ascertained the fact that from the abundance of the wheat and barley 

 straw in the bricks of the Pyramids of Dashur these cereals must have 

 been extensively cultivated. Triticum vulgare antiquorum likewise 

 occurs in the bricks, and, strange to say the same variety was found by 

 Professor Heer in the remains of the Lake-dwellings in Switzerland. 

 The barley has been determined as Hordeum hexastichon (Linn.) It is 

 stril believed that wheat-grains taken from the Egyptian mummies have 

 germinated ; this is as good as proved to be impossible, and is probably 



