254 



DICKSON ON THE EARLY 



Europe, we cannot fail to progress in agriculture, any more 

 than in commercial matters, or mechanical inventions. 



Although Egypt, as we have seen, appears to have been the 

 country in which the manufacture of linens earliest commenced 

 as a branch of national industry, yet in the age of Joshua, 

 weaving establishments were found in the land of Shinar, and 

 most probably in the chief city of that district, ancient 

 Babylon. "A mantle of Shinar/' a " Babylonish garment," 

 was secreted by Achan from the spoils of Jericho : and the 

 delinquent speaks of it as the most valuable part of his 

 plunder. Herodotus says, i 1 The Babylonians wear a gown of 

 linen flowing down to the feet, over this an upper woollen 

 garment, and a white tunic covering the whole." Such a 

 dress, particularly the white tunic made of woollen, as the 

 venerable historian seems to intimate, must have been too 

 heavy for so warm a climate, particularly in summer ; and 

 hence we may be led to suspect that Herodotus included 

 vegetable and animal wood in his description, especially as we 

 know from other authorities, that the cotton manufacture was 

 established in Babylon at a very early period. 



Homer declares that the Theban Queen, Alcandra, pre- 

 sented Helen with a silver work-basket as well as a golden 

 distaff (Odyss. iv.) ; and from the paintings on ancient vases, 

 we see that the calathi of ladies of rank were tastefully 

 wrought and neatly ornamented. The Eomans called the 

 female slaves employed in spinning quasillarice ; and these 

 were regarded as the meanest in the household. 

 T The material used for spinning was lapped loosely round the 

 distaff; the flax being hackled by processes not very dissimilar 

 to those used by our hacklers of the present day. The ball 

 thus formed on the distaff required to be arranged with some 

 neatnes and skill, in order that the fibres should be sufficiently 

 loose to be drawn out by the hand of the spinner. Ovid 

 declares that \ ' Arachne's skill in this simple process excited 



