258 
times of their nation. The account which Berosus gives is as 
follows : — Formerly there existed nothing but darkness and an 
abyss of waters, wherein resided most hideous beings, the 
produce of a twofold principle. Then appeared men, some of 
whom had two wings; others four, with two faces. They had 
one body, but two heads ; one that of a man, the other that of 
a woman* Human beings existed, some with legs and horns 
of goats, others with horses’ hind-quarters, &c. There were 
creatures in which were combined the limbs of eveiy species of 
animals, of all which were preserved delineations in the temple 
of Belus at Babylon. The person who presided over them was 
a woman, named Omoroca, which in the Chaldsean tongue 
signifies Thalath, but in Greek Thalassa — i.e. “ the sea,” and 
which might equally be interpreted “the moon.” All things 
being thus, Belus, who is Jupiter, came find cut the woman 
in sunder, and of one half of her he formed the Earth, 
and of the other half the Heavens. All this, Berosus teaches, 
was an allegorical description of nature. For the whole 
univei'se consisting of moisture, and animals being continu- 
ally genei'ated therein, the deity above-mentioned took off 
his own head ; upon which the other gods mixed the blood, 
as it gushed out, with the earth ; and from thence were 
formed men. On this account it is that they are rational, and 
partake of divine knowledge. Thus Belus divided the darkness, 
and separated the heavens from the earth, and reduced the 
universe to order. But the animals, not being able to bear the 
prevalence of light, died. Belus, therefore, seeing a vast space 
unoccupied, though by nature fruitful, commanded one of the 
gods to take off his head, and to mix the blood with the 
earth, and from thence to form the existing race of animals 
aixd rnen.f 
19. Continuing our researches in Asia previous to investi- 
gating the Grecian mind on this subject, we find the cosmo- 
logical notions entertained by the Hindoos to be represented 
in their Shasters on this wise : — “ All the germs of the world 
which subsequently came into existence were condensed in 
the shape of an egg, of which Brahm took possessioix in the 
form of Brahma. One thousand jugs, which equal three 
hundred million years, elapsed before the egg was hatched. 
* In the Royal Museum at Naples arc sculptures of Grecian art, represent- 
ing men as described by Berosus, showing how the theory of the 
Chaldeans was accepted by the learned Greeks. There are certain figures 
represented in the sculptures, each with two heads ; one evidently that of a 
male, the other of a female. — Ttoccolfa <lc' Monum. del R. Mi is. Borbonico. 
Napoli, 1842. 
t Eusebius, Chrovicon. v. 8. 
