52 



pared from olive-leaves have been found, but these belong to the period 

 ©f Osarkon, 22nd and 25th dynasties ; they were the symbol of vindica- 

 tion of the departed soul before the judgment of Osiris. There are other 

 funeral wreaths in the possession of museums made of the leaves of 

 Mimusops Rummel, embellished with flowers of Acacia Nilotica (Del.), but 

 tbey belong to a later epoch, that of the Roman-Greek. The use of the 

 flowers of this common Egyptian tree for wreaths has been mentioned by 

 Theophrastus. Chrysanthemum coronarium (Linn.), a native of the Medi- 

 terranean, and cultivated at the present time in our gardens, is only found 

 in Egypt growing near Alexandria, and was no doubt cultivated in the 

 flower gardens of the Ancient Egyptians. A Centaurea, the species of 

 which could not be determined, occurs. Other wreaths are decorated 

 with the flowers of th^^jlue lotus. 



The before-mentioned Acacia Nilotica was the only tree of any size 

 in Ancient Fgypt producing a durable wood suitable for ship building, 

 but this only in lengths of, at the most, nine to ten feet. 



Amongst the entombed fruits are also found juniper berries, probably 

 of Juniperus excelsa (Bbrst.), which kind inhabits Asia Minor, the Island 

 Tharos, and Abyssinia ; whilst the common juniper, Juniperus Phoenicia is 

 a native of the Mediterranean, and does not, as is the case with all the 

 ConiferEe, appear in Modern Egypt ; therefore it is doubtful if the 

 tree was wild or was cultivated in Ancient Eyypt ; and it is more admis- 

 sible, that the berries of Juniperus Phoenicia and also the objects made 

 from coniferous wood found their way from Syria or Asia Minor. No 

 doubt the juniper berries were used for fumigation as at present. 



The culture of the date palm in Ancient Egypt was undoubtedly as 

 extensive as at the present time. The tree extends over the whole of 

 North Africa and part of Asia Minor ; but its real home is not known. 

 Its fruit is found abundantly in the tombs ; so also that of another palm, 

 Hyphozne Thebaica (Mart.). The latter palm, which is frequently men- 

 tioned by ancient authors, is distributed over the greatest part of North 

 Africa, and is found in Guinea. A third kind of palm fruit is that of 

 Hyphozne Argun (Mart.), which at present grows in the Nubian Desert ; 

 the finding of this fruit in the tombs is the more interesting because the 

 tree is not cultivated in Modern Egypt, nor was it, it is believed, in 

 Ancient Egypt. 



The pomegranate, Punica granata (Linn.), has not only been fre- 

 quently found entombed, bat also represented on monumental structures. 

 The ancient fruits are smaller than the modern ones, and differ from them 



