CEREALS OF ANTIQUITY 67 
being quite exceptional in this respect, although probably it was 
derived from a small-grained wheat in very remote times, and 
gave rise to the other forms of spelt. Spelt was most anciently 
cultivated in Eastern temperate Europe and the neighbouring 
countries of Asia. 
Of barley, there are three principal forms or species: Hordeum 
atstichon (two-rowed), A. vulgare (one-rowed) and A. hexastichon 
with six rows of grains in the ear. The last-named was the kind 
most commonly cultivated by the ancient Egyptians, and by the 
lake-dwellers of the stone age in Switzerland and of the age of 
bronze in Italy and Savoy. The only form now found wild is A. 
distichon, the least productive ; it was cultivated by the Swiss lake- 
dwellers. A. vulgare seems to have been less cultivated in anti- 
quity than either of the other species. A. distichon was probably 
the ancestral form, anterior to the time when the monuments were 
built by the ancient Egyptians. 
Rice, Oryza sativa, was one of the cereals anciently cultivated in 
Southern Asia. In the Chinese ceremony already mentioned, great 
importance was attached to the sowing of this grain. Its cultiva- 
tion in India dates at least from the Aryan invasion ; spreading 
westward, it was cultivated in the Euphrates valley 400 years B.C., 
and reached Egypt in the early centuries of the Christian era. It 
was introduced into Spain by the Arabs, first cultivated in Italy in 
1468, and twenty-five years later carried by Columbus to America. 
Rice probably existed before all cultivation in Southern Asia; there 
are now more than 100 varieties. 
Maize, Zea Mais, was unknown to the people of the old world 
until the discovery of America. It was then in cultivation over a 
very large part of that continent, and was the only cereal. The 
discovery of ears and grains of maize in the burial-mounds of 
North America (of the race preceding the present native race), and 
in the tombs of the Incas of Peru, is evidence that this grain was 
extensively cultivated in America in the early part of the Christian 
era; and from the numerous varieties of maize found in these 
monuments, it is inferred that it was in cultivation for a long period 
previous. Maize does not appear to occur anywhere in a wild 
state. Columbus brought it to Europe; it then spread rapidly 
eastward, and within half a century was diffused throughout South- 
east Asia and the East Indian Archipelago. 
The cultivation of oats and rye is not so ancient as that of the 
other cereals, perhaps not earlier than the Christian era. The 
numerous varieties of the oat may be grouped under two species: 
A. sativa and A. ortentalis. It is doubtful whether oats and rye 
(Secale cereale) occur really wild, though half-wild and naturalized 
forms are frequent in Eastern temperate Europe and Asia Minor— 
probably the original habitat. 
Some of the millets (grasses with small grains) were cultivated 
in very ancient times. Sefarza ztalica is one of the five plants 
whose seeds are sown in the observance of the Chinese ceremony, 
and its cultivation was very common in the temperate parts of the 
