A NEW SYSTEM; OR, AN ANALYSIS OF ANTIENT MYTHOLOGY: WHEREIN AN ATTEMPT IS MADE TO DIVEST TRADITION OF FABLE; BY JACOB BRYANT, ESQ. SOME ACCOUNT OF THE AUTHOR ; A VINDICATION OF THE APAMEAN MEDAL; A COMPLETE INDEX, AND FORTY-ONE PLATES, NEATLY ENGRAVED. VOL. IV. LONDON: PRINTED FOR J. WALKER; W. J. AND J. RICHARDSON; 1788 Α NEW SYSTEM; OR, AN ANALYSIS OF ANTIENT MYTHOLOGY. OF THE MIGRATION AND DISPERSION OF NATIONS. Εγω δε περι πολλές τον αληθη λογον τιμεμενος και το ακρι βες ανιχνεύσαι δια σπεδης πρόθεμην, ενθεν ὁρμηθεις εν τη προ ταύτης προτάξει όλας εκπορίζων έμαυτῳ, χρονων αναγραφας συνέλεξα παντοίας. Georgius Monachus, P. 66. IN the Mosaic history we have an account of the antediluvian world being destroyed by a deluge, the family of one man excepted, which was providentially preserved. The manner of their preservation I have described; and have shewn, VOL. IV. that the ark rested upon Mount Ararat, in a province of Armenia. This was the region in which mankind first began to multiply, and from whence they afterwards proceeded to their different places of allotment. It will therefore be necessary to give some account of this country; as from such an inquiry we shall find innumerable evidences still arise in confirmation of the primæval history: and there will be also many proofs obtained, in confirmation of my opinion, concerning the migration of mankind. case. I Armenia lay to the north of Aramea, or Mesopotamia and one might be led to think, from the similarity of terms, that Armenia and Aramea were the same name. This, however, was not the Aramea was the land of Aram: but Armenia, which was separated from it by Mount Taurus, was denominated from Ar-Men, and HarMen, the mountain where the ark rested. It was a branch of the abovementioned Taurus: and was distinguished by several appellations, each of which was significant, and afforded some evidence to the history of the deluge. It was called Ararat, Baris, Barit, Luban, which last signified Mons Lunaris, or the Mountain of Selene. 2 It Strabo. 1. 11. p. 792. 798. 2 See vol. iii. of this work, p. 318. |