3 88 CHRONOLOGICAL ARRANGEMENT 



"245 B C " (Kitt. cycl. bibl.), returning from his victories iri the East, Ptolemy III. entered 

 Jerusalem ; where he offered sacrifices, and "made magnificent presents to the temple." _ 



Continuing homeward, Ptolemy III. brought back to Egypt the sacred objects earned away by 

 the Persians. He also gave great attention to the increase of the Alexandrian Library and encour- 

 agement of learning. 



A Greek inscription containing the name of Ptolemy III. presents the following form of the let- 

 ter €, and the "earliest " example known of UJ (Franz. 81). " Complications of" hieroglyphic signs 

 also began during his reign (Glidd.). 



" 244 B. C."~(Pauth. p. 208), the " Hioung-nou Tartars " now mentioned in Chinese history : — 

 by some writers identified with the " Hunni " or Huns ; who at a later period invaded Europe from 



the East. 



"243 B. C," the " eighth " year after his liberation of Sicyon (Polyb., and Clint.), Corinth liberated 



by the historian Aratus. 



" The same year " (Strab , and Schlegel journ. asiat. 1828), Theodotus succeeded by Theodotus 

 II., second Greek king of Bactria. 



At this time (Plut. vit. Arat, and G. M. B. in Kitt. cycl. bibl.), a banker in Sicyon, "whose 

 whole business consisted in exchanging one species of money for another." 



242 B. C. = " 19th year" of his reign in an inscription by king Asoka — (Burn. ii. 779). 

 "241 B. C." (Liv., and Clint.), the Carthaginians defeated in naval combat by the Romans at 

 the Aegates Islets off the West end of Sicily; and suing for peace, the First Punic war brought to 

 a close. 



In the Description of Greece by Heraclides Creticus, the head-covering of the women of Boeo- 

 tian Thebes is said to conceal the face all but the two eyes — (Apollon. mir. 19): to the present 

 day, the fashion in Egypt (see figures in Lane's modern Egyptians). The Boeotians therefore may 

 have derived the custom through the Cadmeans from Phoenicia ? 



Carpinus betulus of Europe and the adjoining portion of Asia. Called in Britain hornbeam or 

 horn-beech or yoke-elm (Prior), in Germany " hainbuche " (Fraas). in France " charme " (Nugent), 

 in Italy "carpine bianco o commune" or " carpino " (Lenz), in Greece "gauros" or "agriotzouk- 

 nitha," in which we recognize the " carpi n urn " by some identified with the " zygiam " of the Greeks 

 (Plin. xvi. 26): possibly therefore the ZYTIA frequent on mount Pelion according to Heraclides 

 Creticus : — C. betulus was observed by Sibthorp, and Chaubard, from the environs of Constantinople 

 to the mountains of the Peloponnesus. Westward, the " carpinus " is mentioned by Vitruvius ii. 9, 

 by Columella as furnishing handles for agricultural implements, and by Pliny as growing in Italy 

 both on the mountains and plains : C. betulus is described by Tragus p. 1109, and Gerarde p. 1479; 

 is termed " carpinus " by Tournefort inst. 583, and is known to grow in Italy and throughout middle 

 Europe as far as Britain (Engl. bot. pi. 2032, and Pers.). The wood being exceedingly hard and 

 tough continues to be "used to yoke horned cattle " (Prior ; see Acer campestre). 



"240 B. C." (Cic, and Clint.), first dramatic exhibition of Livius Andronicus : regarded as the 

 beginning of Latin literature. This writer or rather translator was by birth a Greek. — Seven 

 years later, both he and four native Latin writers, Naevius, Plautus, Ennius, and Cato, were all living. 

 Scirpus lacustris of Northern climates. Called in Britain bulrush, in Old English " pole-rush," 

 equivalent to the French "jonc d'eau," in Anglo-Saxon " ea-risc " (Prior): the " scirpus " having 

 no knots according to a Roman proverb — (quoted by Ennius, and Terence), made into rafts in the 

 days of Plautus, employed also on roofs (Isidor.), and for sails on the river Po and along the coast 

 of Barbary in the days of Pliny xvi. 70, may be compared : S. lacustris occurs in debris of the lake- 

 villages of Switzerland (Troyon) ; is described by C. Stephanus p. 520, Tragus, Gesner, Lobel, and 

 C. Bauhin ; is termed " s. palustris altissimus " by Tournefort inst. 528; and is known to grow in 

 shallow water in Barbary, Italy, Portugal, and throughout middle and Northern Europe as far as 

 Lapland and Iceland (Desf., Savi, Brot, Hook., and Wats.). Eastward, was observed by Sibthorp, 

 and Chaubard, in the rivers of Crete and Greece and called " supha ; " is known to grow along the 

 Taurian mountains and throughout Siberia (Gmel., Bieb., Ledeb., and A. Dec), and was observed by 

 Thunberg about mount Fakon in Japan. Farther East, was observed by myself on the Hawaiian 

 Islands and in California and Oregon, by Nuttall in Arkansas, by Pursh in Canada, by Baldwin along 

 the Atlantic as far South as Lat. 29° in Florida ; and doubtless furnished the " rushes " employed by 

 the aboriginal women of New England for making baskets, witnessed by W. Wood ii. 20, and 



or tatties to impart when dashed with water coolness and fragrance to the atmosphere ; used also for 

 covering palanquins and thatching bungalows (Drur.). Farther East, was observed by Mason v. 

 501 " exotic " in Burmah and called " pan-yen," little bunches cultivated by both Karens and Burmese 

 for " its fragrant roots.'' 



