396 CHRONOLOGICAL ARRANGEMENT 



Sotion, and Hegesinus ; the historians, Menodotus of Perinthus, Sosilus, Silenus, and Zenon of 

 Rhodes; the grammarians, Demetrius of Scepsis, and Aristarchus ; other Greek writers, Polemon, 

 Adaeus, and Mnaseas of Patara ; the painters, Nicias, and Athenion (Bryan) ; the Latin writers, 

 Fulvius Nobilior the historian, and Caecilius Statius the comic poet. 



VII. ROMAN DOMINION. 



"The same year" (Liv., and Clint.), war commenced by the Romans against Philippus V. of 

 Macedonia : and an embassy from Ptolemy V., proposing to remain neutral, unless the Romans 

 should desire a different course. 



"In this year" (according to Greek authority, " Megasthenes " in Drur.), teaching writing on 

 school-boards introduced into Hindustan, — the method practised to the present day.* 



" 198 B. C." (Clint, iii. p. 316), the army of Ptolemy V. led by the Aetolian general Scopas, 

 defeated at Panicum by Antiochus III. After inclining towards the cause of Antiochus III., the Jews 

 now submitted voluntarily, and passed from the dominion of Egypt. 



Meum athamanticum of mountainous situations throughout middle Europe. Called in Britain 

 spicknelox mew (Ainsw., and Prior), in the drug-shops "radix mei " (Lindl.), in which we recognize 

 the MHOY root of the theriac of Antiochus Philometor, inscribed on the temple of Aesculapius — 

 (Plin. xx. 100, and Gal. antid. ii. 14), or the " meon athamantikon " of Andromachus, Servilius 

 Damocrates, Paulus Aegineta, described by Dioscorides as abounding in Spain and Macedonia, in 

 stem and leaves resembling " anetho," the roots warm to the taste and fragrant : named according 

 to Pliny xx. 94 as if discovered by Athamas, or by another account found of the best quality in the 

 Athamantian district (in Boeotia). Westward, the " meum " is further mentioned by Pliny as spar- 

 ingly sown in Italy and only by physicians ; M. athamanticum is termed •• bervurtz" by Hildegarde 

 ii. 142, was observed by Bartholem. Urbetanus and A. Palla Juvenatiensis on the mountains of Nursia 

 (Spreng.) ; is described also by Gesner hort. f. 274, and Dalechamp p. 1170 (Spreng.) ; and is known 

 to grow in Northern Italy and throughout middle Europe as far as Britain (jacq. austr. pi. 303, Pers., 

 Engl. bot. pi. 2349, and Lenz). The roots according to Lindley "are aromatic and sweet, something 

 like carrot," and " form an ingredient in Venice treacle." Seeds of " mu '' or " mei " are enumerated 

 by Alpinus as entering into the composition of the Egyptian theriac. 



197 B. C. = "9th year of Ptolemy V.,'' the date of the Rosetta Stone : a decree in hieroglyphic 

 characters, with a translation in demotic, and also in Greek : — thus affording the means of recover- 

 ing'the art of reading hieroglyphic writing. 



" 196 B. C." (Polyb., Liv., and Clint.), at the Isthmian games, Greece declared free by T. Quinc- 

 tius Flamininus. 



" 195 B. C." (Plut., Trog., and Schlegel journ. asiat. 1S2S), Euthydemus succeeded by Apollo- 

 dotus Soter, fourth king of Bactria ; and (according to some authorities) also by Menander Nicator. 

 — Coins of Apollodotus and Menander continued current in Barygaza (Baroach) in the time of the 

 author of the Erythraean Periplus, and to the present day are found in great numbers from Cabul as 

 far East as the Jumna (Sm. ,ueogr. diet.). 



" 194 B. C. = 1st year of Hoei'-ti or Hiao-hoei'-ti, of the Han" or Seventh dynasty (Chinese 

 chron. table, and Pauth. p. 235). He revoked the decree against ancient books. 



"The same year" (Liv., Val. Max., and Clint.), at Roman spectacles, separate seats first assigned 

 to senators. 



" In or about this year" (Suid., and Sm. b. d.), Eratosthenes succeeded by Apollonius Rhodius 

 in the charge of the Alexandrian Library. 



* Ahtonia scholaris of Tropical Eastern Asia and the Malayan archipelago. A tree called in 

 the environs of Bombay " satween " or " shaitan " (Graham), in Bengalee " chhatin," in Telinga 

 '• edakula-ariti " or " edakula-ponna " or " edakula-pala " or " pala-garuda," in Tamil " ezhilaip-palai " 

 (Drur.) ; and furnishing the school-boards in question: — the " saptaparna " with fragrant flowers 

 according to Kalidasa ragh. iv. 23, prescribed medicinally by Susrutas, is referred here by W. Jones, 

 and Hessler : A. scholaris was observed by Rheede i. pi. 45 in Malabar ; by Graham, in " the hilly 

 parts of the Concan pretty common " as far North as Bombay, employed by the natives medicinally 

 but held in " superstitious fear," supposed to assemble " all the trees of the forest once a year to 

 pay homage ; '' was observed by Roxburgh, Wight, Nimmo, and Drury, as far as Travancore, Coro- 

 mandel, and Assam ; and is termed by Rumphius ii. pi. 82 " lignum scholare " from boys learning to 

 write on tablets of the wood (Pers.). Farther East, was observed by Blanco on the Philippines, and 

 called in Tagalo " dita," in Ylocano " dallopaven ; " and apparently the same species, observed by 

 myself as far as the Feejee Islands. 



