4

THE RECORDS OF THE

the early inhabitants of the earth inscribed theirrecords.

Engraving, or sculpture on stone, appears to havebeen the first method of writing; the great andnoble actions of nations and men were cut on entirerocks and mountains . 11 This custom was continuedfor many ages, and remains still exist in Denmark ,Norway, the deserts of Tartary, and Judea . Theabsence of rocks in many situations, or for the betterkeeping before the eye of youth the acts and deeds oftheir forefathers, doubtless suggested the pillar orcolumn. Josephus makes mention of two, one ofstone, the other of brick, on which the children ofSeth wrote their inventions and astronomical disco-veries .' 1 Porphyri also speaks of some stone pillarsin Crete , on which the ceremonies of the Corybantesin their sacrifices were recorded." Many of theobelisks brought from Egypt are of this character,and there are some ancient monuments of the samekind of writing remaining in that country, moreparticularly among the ruins of Persepolis/ Theseinscriptions commemorated events in historv anddiscoveries in science, and to them the ancienthistorians, Sanchoniatho and Herodotus , acknow-ledge their obligations.® Mr. Drummond, however,is of opinion that the first essays in the art of writing

c Job xix. v. 24.- <! Antiquities of the Jews, hook i. c. 2.

-- * Warton’s English Poetry, vol. i. p. xxvii. &c. -

f Maurice’s Babylon, p. 186.- * Herculanensia ;—Hon. "W*.

Drummond, p. 98.