Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  ) 
July,  1877.  J 
Varieties. 
377 
sculptures,  and  was  called  Lychnites  lithos,  from  Kv^yoe,  a  light  or  lamp,  some 
authors  asserting  that  the  name  was  applied  to  it  because  it  had  to  be  quarried  with 
the  aid  of  lamps. 
In  many  other  places  of  Greece  valuable  marbles  are  found,  of  white,  green,  red, 
black  and  other  colors. 
Use  of  Sulphur — Some  years  ago  an  argillaceous  lamp,  similar  to  those  con- 
tained in  ancient  tombs,  was  found  in  the  Akropolis,  near  the  Parthenon.  It  had  a 
wick  of  asbestos  inserted  in  a  substance,  the  nature  of  which  was  not  difficult  to 
tell,  it  being  sulphur  and  had  evidently  been  melted  and  ignited  by  the  wick  for 
making  fumigations  in  honor  of  Minerva. 
It  is  singular  that  the  Greek  name  for  brimstone  is  t/ieion,  while  God  is  theos,  and 
so  the  name  of  brimstone,  theion  signifies  divine,  godly. 
In  another  lamp  I  have  found  a  mass  which  consisted  of  different  resinous  sub- 
stances, such  as  labdanum,  myrrh,  olibanum  and  storax,  materials  which  were 
generally  used  for  making  the  so-called  urnresin. 
Ancient  Colors — The  inalterableness  of  the  colors  of  the  ancient  Greeks  has 
always  attracted  the  attention  of  scientific  men.  From  chemical  investigations 
made  a  number  of  years  ago,  I  am  convinced  that  all  these  colors  are  of  mineral 
origin.  Red  ocher,  red  lead  and  vermillion  were  the  principal  red  colors,  and  the 
latter  was  prepared  artiflcally  by  Kallias,  of  Athens,  in  the  92  Olyrhpiade.  The 
white  colors  consisted  of  carbonate  of  lead,  a  white  argillaceous  mineral  from  the 
island  of  Mylos,  and  sometimes  of  chalk.  The  blue  and  green  colors  contained 
copper  and  were  made  by  the  aid  of  vinegar,  wine  must  and  salt.  Bone  charcoal 
was  often  used  for  pictures  on  account  of  its  agreeable  shade ;  wood  charcoal  was 
likewise  employed.  The  yellow  colors  were  mainly  ocher  and  yellow  oxide  of 
lead  The  gilding  of  marble  and  other  objects  was  well  known  to  the  ancient 
Greeks,  and  was  effected  upon  metals  by  the  aid  of  mercury,  and  upon  other  articles 
by  means  of  the  white  of  eggs  and  of  sarcocolla,  the  gummy  matter  obtained  from 
Penaea  mucronata. 
Emery  and  Mirrors. — Emery,  smyris  of  the  Greek,  was  called  Naxine  pulvis, 
powder  of  Naxos,  by  the  Romans,  who  obtained  the  mineral  from  that  island.  It 
has  been  found  in  ancient  tombs  usually  contained  in  clay  vessels,  and  was  doubt- 
less used  for  polishing  the  mirrors  of  which  two  or  three  are  often  found  in  the 
tombs  of  women.  These  mirrors  were  made  of  copper,  round  or  oval,  and  often 
had  two  holes  for  hanging  them  up. 
For  the  Destruction  of  Earth  Worms  gardeners  and  others  used  the  decoction 
of  the  extremely  bitter  species  of  Lupinus,  together  with  the  leaves  of  the  oleander 
and  of  tobacco,  principally  of  Nicotiana  rustica.  By  using  this  liquid  in  watering, 
the  worms  are  either  destroyed  or  else  they  descend  deeper  into  the  ground,  while 
the  useful  plants,  such  as  the  artichoke,  lettuce,  radish,  etc.,  are  not  affected,  nor  do 
they  absorb  the  bitterness. 
