The Ruins; Or, Meditation on the Revolutions of Empires and the Law of Nature. C.-F. Volney

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СКАЧАТЬ formerly sea, became land by the conglomeration of the earth

       of the higher country which was washed down by the Nile.

       They have, like the Egyptians, two species of letters,

       hieroglyphics, and the alphabet; but among the Egyptians the

       first was known only to the priests, and by them transmitted

       from father to son, whereas both species were common among

       the Ethiopians."

       "The Ethiopians," says Lucian, page 985, "were the first who

       invented the science of the stars, and gave names to the

       planets, not at random and without meaning, but descriptive

       of the qualities which they conceived them to possess; and

       it was from them that this art passed, still in an imperfect

       state, to the Egyptians."

       It would be easy to multiply citations upon this subject;

       from all which it follows, that we have the strongest

       reasons to believe that the country neighboring to the

       tropic was the cradle of the sciences, and of consequence

       that the first learned nation was a nation of Blacks; for it

       is incontrovertible, that, by the term Ethiopians, the

       ancients meant to represent a people of black complexion,

       thick lips, and woolly hair. I am therefore inclined to

       believe, that the inhabitants of Lower Egypt were originally

       a foreign colony imported from Syria and Arabia, a medley of

       different tribes of savages, originally shepherds and

       fishermen, who, by degrees formed themselves into a nation,

       and who, by nature and descent, were enemies of the Thebans,

       by whom they were no doubt despised and treated as

       barbarians.

       I have suggested the same ideas in my Travels into Syria,

       founded upon the black complexion of the Sphinx. I have

       since ascertained that the antique images of Thebias have

       the same characteristic; and Mr. Bruce has offered a

       multitude of analogous facts; but this traveller, of whom I

       heard some mention at Cairo, has so interwoven these facts

       with certain systematic opinions, that we should have

       recourse to his narratives with caution.

       It is singular that Africa, situated so near us, should be

       the least known country on the earth. The English are at

       this moment making explorations, the success of which ought

       to excite our emulation.

       *** Ailah (Eloth), and Atsiom-Gaber (Hesien-Geber.) The

       name of the first of these towns still subsists in its

       ruins, at the point of the gulf of the Red Sea, and in the

       route which the pilgrims take to Mecca. Hesion has at

       present no trace, any more than Quolzoum and Faran: it was,

       however, the harbor for the fleets of Solomon. The vessels

       of this prince conducted by the Tyrians, sailed along the

       coast of Arabia to Ophir, in the Persian Gulf, thus opening

       a communication with the merchants of India and Ceylon.

       That this navigation was entirely of Tyrian invention,

       appears both from the pilots and shipbuilders employed by

       the Jews, and the names that were given to the trading

       islands, viz. Tyrus and Aradus, now Barhain. The voyage was

       performed in two different modes, either in canoes of osier

       and rushes, covered on the outside with skins done over with

       pitch: (these vessels were unable to quit the Red Sea, or so

       much as to leave the shore.) The second mode of carrying on

       the trade was by means of vessels with decks of the size of

       our river boats, which were able to pass the strait and to

       weather the dangers of time ocean; but for this purpose it

       was necessary to bring the wood from Mount Libanus and

       Cilicia, where it is very fine and in great abundance. This

       wood was first conveyed in floats from Tarsus to Phoenicia,

       for which reason the vessels were called ships of Tarsus;

       from whence it has been ridiculously inferred, that they

       went round the promontory of Africa as far as Tortosa in

       Spain. From Phoenicia it was transported on the backs of

       camels to the Red Sea, which practice still continues,

       because the shores of this sea are absolutely unprovided

       with wood even for fuel. These vessels spent a complete

       year in their voyage, that is, sailed one year, sojourned

       another, and did not return till the third. This

       tediousness was owing first to their cruising from port to

       port, as they do at present; secondly, to their being

       detained by the Monsoon currents; and thirdly, because,

       according to the calculations of Pliny and Strabo, it was

       the ordinary practice among the ancients to spend three

       years in a voyage of twelve hundred leagues. Such a

       commerce must have been very expensive, particularly as they

       were obliged to carry with them their provisions, and even

       fresh water. For this reason Solomon made himself master of

       Palmyra, which was at that time inhabited, СКАЧАТЬ