106 ON THE REVOLUTIONS OF 



Babylonians — that these numerous ages, and this long list of kings, 

 placed between the deluge and Semiramis, is a new thing, entirel)' 

 originating from Berosus, and of which Ctesias, and those who followed 

 him, had not the least idea, and which has not even been adoi)ted by 

 any profane author after Berosus. Justin and Velleius considered 

 Ninus as the first of the conquerors, and those who, against all proba- 

 bility, place him highest, only make him forty centuries anterior to the 

 present time *. 



The Armenian writers of the middle age agree very nearly with one 

 of the texts of Genesis, when they date the deluge as 491 6 years ante- 

 rior to their own time ; and it might be imagined, that having col- 

 lected the old traditions, and perhaps extracted the old chronicles of 

 their country, they form an additional authority in favour of the new- 

 ness of nations. But when we reflect, that their historical literature 

 is only dated from the fifth century, and that they were acquainted 

 with Eusebius, we may understand that they accommodated themselves 

 to his chronology and that of the Bible. Moses of Chorene expressly 

 professes to have followed the Greeks, and we may perceive that his 

 ancient history is formed on that of Ctesias f. 



It is, however, certain, that the tradition of the deluge existed in 

 Armenia, even before the conversion of the inhabitants to Christianity ; 

 and the city, which according to Josephus, was called the Place of the 

 Descent, still exists, at the foot of mount Ararat, and bears the name 

 of Nachidchevan, which has the same meaning t. 



By Armenians, we mean the Arabs, Persians, Turks, Mongolians 

 and Abyssians, of the present day. Their ancient books, if they 

 ever had any, exist no longer. They have no other ancient history 

 than that which they have recently made, and which they modelled on 

 the Bible. Thus what they^'say of the deluge is borrowed from Gene- 

 sis,' and adds no testimony to that book. 



It is curious to learn the opinion of the ancient Persians on this 

 subject, before it was modified by Christian and Mahometan creeds. 

 We find it deposited in their Boundehesh or Cosmogony, a work of 

 the prince of the Sassinides, but evidently extracted or translated from 

 more ancient works, and which Anguetil du Perron found among the 

 Parsees of India. The whole duration of the world it states to be 

 only 12,000 years, therefore it cannot yet be very old. The appear- 



* Justin, lib. 1, c. 1 ; Velleius Paterculus, lib. I, c. vii. ~ 

 •f- See Moses Chorenensis. Hist. Armen. lib. 1, c. 1. 



* See the Preface of the two Whistons on Moses of Chorene, p. 4. 



