102 CHRONOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS 



Birch speaks of mummies " as late as the time of Constantine, if not 

 indeed a century later." 



In " A. D. 337," Constantine, in the daily expectation of death, de- 

 clared his intention of becoming a Christian, and received baptism. 

 In the same year, he was succeeded by Constantius II. 



In " A. D. 341" (Clinton), a law was promulgated against the an- 

 cient religious rite of sacrifices. 



The cultivated koctoc of Damogeron, of the Capitularia of Charle- 

 magne, and the Geoponica vii. 13 and xi. 27, according to Forskal's 

 account of the Greek usage, is the Bcdsamita vulgaris. — This plant was 

 seen by Forskal and Delile in gardens at Cairo. 



In " A. D. 357," Constantius II. visited Rome : and by his direc- 

 tion, an obelisk (the same now called the " Lateran obelisk") was 

 brought to that city from Egypt. 



In " A. D. 361," the accession of Julian, the forty-fifth Roman Em- 

 peror, took place : and ancient Heathenism once more, and for the last 

 time, became the religion of the State. Julian, however, permitted 

 the Jews to make an attempt to rebuild their temple at Jerusalem ; 

 and in fact tolerated all religions. 



In " A. D. 363," the accession of Jovian, the forty-sixth Roman Em- 

 peror, took place. He declared himself a Christian ; and issued an 

 edict, placing Christianity upon a legal basis : at the same time, he 

 equally protected the followers of the ancient religion. 



In " A. D. 364," the accession of Valentinian, the forty-seventh 

 Roman Emperor, took place. He took up his residence in Italy, and 

 gave the Eastern portion of the Empire to his brother Valens. 



The taypeae<dac, an Indian animal mentioned in the Pseudo-Cal- 

 listhenes iii. 17, may be compared with the buffalo (Bos bubalus). — 

 This important domestic animal was introduced into the Mediterra- 

 nean countries some centuries later. It is mentioned by Eltamini and 

 Allatafet ; and is now extremely common in Egypt. 



In " A. D. 375," the accession of Gratian, the forty-eighth Roman 

 Emperor, took place. From this time, religious liberty was no longer 

 permitted ; but the Christians, gaining the ascendency, began to exer- 

 cise persecutions towards the followers of the ancient religion, and 

 towards certain sects of their own body. 



