404 THE HOLY LAND. 
CHAR of the properties of the Babi/ Ionian Lake occurs in 
I ' ' the writings of Fitruvius ', of Pliny ^ of Athen^us^y 
and oi Xipfiilinus'* : from their various testimony 
it is evident that all the phgenomena supposed 
to belong to the Lake Asphnltites, near Babylon, 
were, from the similarity of their names, 
ultimately considered as the natural charac- 
teristics of the Judcean Lake ; the two Asphaltites 
being confounded". Thus, when Dioscorides, 
extolhng the Bitumen Juddicum above all other, 
adds, that it is also found in Babylon^, he is 
evidently referring to the bituminous sources 
mentioned by Diodorus Sictilus'' . The Arabian 
geographers, and among these Ibn Idris^ , ad- 
mitted all the fabu.lous opinions concerning the 
(1) Vitruv.Wh.xw. cai'p.3. Jmst.\6l9. 
(2) Pli?i. lib. XXXV. cap. 15. torn. IH. pp. 459, 460. L. Bat. 1635. 
(3) Jlhen. lib. ii. cap. 5. L. Bat. 1612 
(4) Xipldlin. in Epitome Dionis, p. 252. 
(5) '* Jta quod (le laeu Asphaltite Biihylonia; fama ferebatur, de hoc 
lacu Asphaltite Judaeie narriruiit, et duos hos lacus confuderunt." 
Reland. Pal. III. lib. i. tnm. I c. 36. p. 245. TraJ. Bat. J 714. 
(6) Dioscorides dt- Re Medicft, HI), i. cap. J)9. Francnf. 1598. 
(7) Y).i>XXu)i oi Kz) '?ra,^o^o\a>y ovruv ha[/,ii,Tcat Kara, rhv BafiuXeiinan ol^ 
rixiifra. 6avfji.u.S^iTa,i, ko.) to TTXiiSos Tra iv aur^ •ymufiiv'/i; aripoiXTOv, K. t. X. 
"Malta sane Babylonia continet spectutu digna et admiranda: scd 
inter hac non minimum admirationis meretur bituminis copin ilia exsii- 
dautis, 8(c." Diodor. Sic. lib. ii. cap. 12. ,'Jnist. 1746. 
(8) " Appellatur autem mare inortuum, quia nihil in quo anima 
est ibi invenitur, nee ])iscis, nee reptile, nee aliud quidpiam quod in 
rcliquis aquis generari solet." Vid. Test. Georg. Arab, in Rel. Pal. Illust. 
lih.'i. cap. 38. torn. I. p. 240, Sfc. 
