gg CHRONOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS 



seen by him in the Desert near Cairo ; but some doubt in regard to the 

 species, is expressed by Delile. 



According to Theopompus (fr. Ill) and C. Muller, The accession of 

 Nechtneb or Nectanebus, the first king of the Thirtieth Egyptian Dy- 

 nasty, took place prior to B. C. 376. His name has been found by 

 Champollion, on small temples at Medinet-Habu and Philae ; on stones 

 employed in building the citadel at Cairo, and the Coptic church at 

 Keft ; and on movable articles, now in the museums of Europe. 



According to Birch, The earliest Zodiacal -projection observed on a 

 sarcophagus, is of the time of King Nectanebus. 



Athenaeus ii. 73 (after noticing the silence of Ctesias on the subject), 

 refers to Eubulus and Antiphanes as the earliest writers who speak 

 of the nEnEH, or black pepper. — The nEnEn, is mentioned in the trea- 

 tise " De Vict. Acut." (considered as a genuine work of Hippocrates) ; 

 and was of course imported from India ; or, perhaps, through India 

 from the Malay countries. I saw in the Thebaid, a quantity of black 

 pepper that had been imported by the way of Mecca. 



The etangemon of Hippocrates, Asclepiades, and Pliny, referred by 

 Galen to the "chamaimelon," appears to be the true chamomile (An- 

 themis nobilis). — Macer Floridus mentions chamomile flowers ; and 

 Alpinus speaks of their medicinal use in Egypt ; where the living 

 plant, according to Clot-Bey and Figari, has been only recently in- 

 troduced. 



The ammi of Hippocrates (as quoted by Pliny), and of Dioscorides 

 and Paul us iEgineta, is referred by Sprengel to the Ptychotis ajowan ; 

 so abundantly cultivated, for the sake of its seeds, in Hindostan. — 

 Forskal (Mat. Med.) speaks of the importation of" ammi" seeds from 

 India ; and also states, that some are produced in Egypt. 



The nEnAioN of Hippocrates (referred by Dioscorides iv. 150 to the 

 nEnAis, and mentioned under the latter name by Rufus Ephesius and 

 Galen), according to the received opinion, is the Euphorbia peplis. — 

 This plant Avas seen by Delile, growing spontaneously at Alexandria. 



The ErreroAANON of Hippocrates (De Vict. Acut.), Theophrastus, 

 and Dioscorides, according to the received opinion, is the madder; 

 mentioned also by Philon Judseus (Quis rer. Divin. Heres) under its 

 well-known Egyptian name, " phoya." Some of the mummy cloths 

 are said to be dyed with madder ; imported, perhaps, as in modern 

 times, from the island of Cyprus. — The madder plant (Rubia tincto- 

 rum) was seen by Delile in gardens at Damietta ; but according to 



