[ 86 ] 
preceded the elder Dionyfius, who afcended the 
throne of Syracufe about 404 years before the 
birth of Christ ; which if we admit, it will per- 
haps be allowed probable, that the coins of Gozo 
Syracufian hiftory for the interval between the expulfion of 
Thrafybulus and the beginning of the rider Dionyfius’s reign, or 
rather for that part of this interval terminated by the afpiration 
of Tyndarides to the regal dignity; or, at leaf!:, the hiftory 
of Syracufe during this period muft be allowed to be very im- 
perfect, jejune, and indiftinfl. It is therefore more eafy and 
natural to place queen Philiftis there thru in any part of the 
fubfequent interval, between Dionyfius’s acceflion and the re- 
duction cf Syracufe by the Romans : efpeciaiiy, as the 'Syracufian 
hiftory during that period is full of great events, contains 
a pretty regular feries of the kings, tyrants, pretors, and 
-Talers of that city ; and confequently will not, at leaft: with fo 
much propriety, afford us room for a princefs never mentioned 
therein. 2. Philiftis’s filver medals fo much referable thofe of 
Gelo, kin? of Syracufe, as’ has been already obferved, that we 
may from thence conclude her not to have been many years pof- 
terior to that prince. 3. She was queen of Malta and Gozo, 
•when the Phoenicians, in conjunction with the Greeks, occupied 
thofe iflands, and confequently before they were poflefled by the 
Carthaginians. But it feerr.s extremely probable, from the tefti- 
monyof Thucydides, that the Phoenicians (till remained there, 
when he wrote his hiftory, and confequently at. the time of the 
Peloponnefian war. Nor do I find them mentioned, as poflefled 
of Malta and Gozo, by any later writer. From whence we 
may conclude it not improbable, that the Carthaginians might 
have begun to fettle there not many years after the end of that 
war ; efpeciaiiy, as they feem to have been poflefled of thofe 
iflands fome time, at leaft, before Scylax of Caryanda, who, ac- 
cording to the very learned Mr. Dodwell, was cotemporary with 
Polybius., wrote his Periplus Maris Mcdittrranei , as we learn 
from that curious and valuable author. A.s therefore the nrft 
appearance of Philiftis’s Phoenician coins, ftruck in the ifle of 
Gozo, muft have preceded the earlieft fettlement of the Cartha- 
ginians there and in Malta, which probably happened not many 
years after the concluflon of the Peloponnefian war ; and as 
queen Philiftis’s reign feems to have been fucceeded by the 
exaltation of Tyndarides, which preceded, at leaft, 20 years 
the commencement of that war ; we may, I would prefume, 
now 
