356 



possessed a very extensive knowledge of ancient history, and especially 

 that of Eastern countries. His native place of Viterbo was an ancient 

 town of Etruscan origin and celebrity, and in very early life he devoted 

 himself to the study of Etruscan antiquities with great zeal and enthu- 

 siasm. It is admitted, even by those who consider him an impostor, 

 that he was a man of vast oriental and antiquarian erudition. He died 

 in Eome, in 1502. 



Two editions of his historical fabrications, entitled Antiquitatum 

 Variarum volumina octodecim," are in my possession, both in 4to, one 

 published by Joannes Petit, in Jodoco Badio, 1512; the other, by the 

 same Petit, in 1515. The work is divided into seventeen books. The 

 fifteenth book, headed "Super Berosum," contains the historical frag- 

 ments ascribed to Berosus, entitled "De Antiquitatibus Berosi,"* of 

 which the commentaries of Annius form the principal part. 



In the introductory chapter to Berosus, Annius says : — " In laudem 

 Berosi" — he knew the Greek tongue, and ''taught the Athenians the 

 Chaldean sciences, especially astronomy, in which they excelled." He 

 quotes Pliny in confirmation of the account given by some ancient writers 

 of the great honour in which Berosus was held by the Athenians. " The 

 cause," says Annias, " of Berosus writing and transmitting these Chal- 

 daic traditions was because the Greeks traced back their history only to 

 the time of the King of Greece, Phoroneus Prisons, and that their history 

 was mixed with many errors concerning ancient matters. 



" Berosus (according to Annius) divided this work of his into five 

 books : — 



''In the 1st, he relates what the Chaldeans wrote of the times 

 before the first deluge. 



" In the 2nd, he treats of what they wrote of the genealogies of the 

 primaeval gods — Primonm Deorim — after the deluge. 



" In the 3rd, what they wrote concerning the ancient father Janus, 

 whom they call I^oah. 



" In the 4th, what was written of the antiquities of the kingdoms of 

 the whole world in general. 



" In the 5th, explanations of each kingdom referred to." 



The sixteenth book of the " Antiquitates" of Annius contains the 

 fragment of Assyrian history ascribed to Manetho the Egyptian, and is 

 headed, " Super Supplementum Manetlionn ad.Berosumy The text and 

 commentary occup}^ fourteen pages. The text hardly extends to a tenth 

 part of the matter of this book. 



JSTot one word is said by Annius in the introduction to either of 

 " these long lost works" of Berosus and Manetho, of the mode in which 

 they were discovered by him. There are verj^ conflicting accounts as to 

 the way in which Annius pretended to have come by these alleged an- 

 cient historical treasures. Some writers assert that he declared these 



* Annius says the ancient title of the Chaldaic fragments was "Defloratio Babylonise 

 Berosi Chalclaici." 



