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Book IV Sulphur, amber, Pliny's gems, jet, bitumen, naphtha, camphor, maltha, Samothracian gem, thracius stone, obsidianus stone

Book IV Sulphur, amber, Pliny's gems, jet, bitumen, naphtha, camphor, maltha, Samothracian gem, thracius stone, obsidianus stone Page of 251 Book IV Sulphur, amber, Pliny's gems, jet, bitumen, naphtha, camphor, maltha, Samothracian gem, thracius stone, obsidianus stone Text size:minus plus Restore normal size   Mail page  Print this page
78
DE NATURA FOSSILIUM
garding the places where it occurs. Nicias writes that it occurs in Egypt in the same way as in Europe. Theophrastus says that it occurs in Ethio­pia and Xenocrates, someplace in Numidia. Asarubas, who lived in the time of Pliny, writes that it comes from Lake Cephisida, called Electrum by the Moors, near the Atlantic ocean. When this lake was heated by the sun the amber would rise from the slime on the bottom. Mnesias says it occurs in the same fashion in an African lake near Sicyon from which flows the Cratis river. Theomenes says it is collected from a swamp near Sidra on the north coast of Africa and he was of the opinion that it was the juice of trees. Certainly it occurs in Africa but where, I am not sure. A rough piece was brought from Africa and when broken open was found to be reddish yellow and transparent.
Amber occurs in Asia since Nicias writes that it is found in Syria but he does not give the name of the locality. Pselus says it is found at Silachitis and has a reddish yellow color. He writes that the Moors call both the Arabian and Indian material ambra. In the works of Serapio amber is said to grow out of an earth which is under the sea, in no way different from the manner in which fungus grows out of things that project above the sea. In part it is cast up on the shore along with small pebbles by the waves and storms and then collected and in part it is eaten by fish and when they are killed it is found inside them. That which is found in the stomach is misshapen, the best being found near the spine.13 Avicenna and Pselus are more correct in believing that it flows from springs in the ocean although neither denies that it is found in fish. M. Paulus Venetus asserts that it comes from whales near the island of Madagascar and is found through good fortune. I do not know if amber is to be found in the stomachs of our fish. Even Asiatic amber flows from fountains in the sea and when hardened is cast on the shore in the same fashion as the Euro­pean mineral. The Asiatic material is not brought to us. Instead we re­ceive an artificial substance which smells of musk or civit. This is made either from benzoin, white wax of a new swarm of bees, rotten ashwood and moss of trees, or from storax, labdanum and shavings of aloe wood. Musk or civit is added to each mixture and all is mixed with rose water. It is easy to detect this fraud. Natural amber does not soften in water as readily as does the artificial and it has a different color and odor. So much for amber.
Not far from the place where the Vistula empties into the Gulf of Pucicus and near the monastery called Oliva they find quite hard lumps of congealed bitumen with a form more or less resembling eggs and with either a yellow, gray, reddish or even some other color. It is neither sweet nor pleasant and burns readily. Small shrubs that have a fish-like
" This is probably a reference to ambergris or a related substance. The Arabian term anbar was first given to ambergris, a gray waxy substance secreted by the sperm whale. Later the name amber was derived from this term through the French, and given to the fossil resin.
Book IV Sulphur, amber, Pliny's gems, jet, bitumen, naphtha, camphor, maltha, Samothracian gem, thracius stone, obsidianus stone Page of 251 Book IV Sulphur, amber, Pliny's gems, jet, bitumen, naphtha, camphor, maltha, Samothracian gem, thracius stone, obsidianus stone
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