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BOOK XII.

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A— Lower pot. B— Upper pot. C—Lid

salty, at Babylon, as Pliny writes, was taken from the wells to the salt worksand heated by the great heat of the sun, and condensed partly into liquidbitumen and partly into salt. The bitumen being lighter, floats on the top,while the salt being heavier, sinks to the bottom. Liquid bitumen, if thereis much floating on springs, streams and rivers, is drawn up in buckets orother vessels ; but, if there is little, it is collected with goose wings, pieces

called petroleum.” Bitumen was used by the Egyptians for embalming from prehistoric times,i.e., prior to 5000 B.c., the term “ mummy ” arising from the Persian word for bitumen, mumiai.It is mentioned in the tribute from Babylonia to Thotmes hi., who lived about 1500 b.c.(Wilkinson, Ancient Egyptians 1., p. 397). The Egyptians, however, did not need to gofurther afield than the Sinai Peninsula for abundant supplies. Bitumen is often cited as thereal meaning of the “ slime ” mentioned in Genesis (xi., 3 ; xiv., 10), and used in buildingthe Tower of Babel. There is no particular reason for this assumption, except the generalassociation of Babel, Babylon, and Bitumen. However, the Hebrew word sift for pitch orbitumen does occur as the cement used for Moses’s bulrush cradle (Exodus 11., 3), and Mosesis generally accounted about 1300 b.c. Other attempts to connect Biblical reference topetroleum and bitumen revolve around Job xxix., 6, Deut. xxxn., 13, Maccabees n..1, 18, Matthew v., 13, but all require an unnecessary strain on the imagination.

The plentiful occurrence of bitumen throughout Asia Minor, and particularly in theValley of the Euphrates and in Persia, is the subject of innumerable references by writersfrom Herodotus (484-424 B.c.) down to the author of the company prospectus of recentmonths. Herodotus (1., 179) and Diodorus Siculus (1) state that the walls of Babylon weremortared with bitumen—a fact partially corroborated by modern investigation. The follow-