This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1856 Excerpt: ...have risen to their extreme height, and all their fields are overflowed, there appears above the surface an immense quantity of plants of the lily species, which the Egyptians call the lotos, and which they cut down and dry in the sun. The seed of the flower which resembles that of the poppy, they bake, and make into a ...
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This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1856 Excerpt: ...have risen to their extreme height, and all their fields are overflowed, there appears above the surface an immense quantity of plants of the lily species, which the Egyptians call the lotos, and which they cut down and dry in the sun. The seed of the flower which resembles that of the poppy, they bake, and make into a kind of bread; they also eat the root of this plant, which is round, of an agreeable flavor, and about the size of an apple. This plant is also described by Theophrastus: "The lotus of Egypt grows in the inundated fields. Its flowers are white, and the'j petals are like those of the lily. They grow close to one another in grea... numbers. The flowers close at the setting-of the sun, and sink below the water; but when the sun rises they again open and reappear. This they do daily until the fruit is completely formed and the flower has fallen. The fruit is equal to that of a large poppy, and contains a large number of grains resembling those of millet." It is singular that neither of these ancient authors ascribe a sacred character to the plant, but we learn from later sources that it denoted fertility, and was consecrated to Isis and Osiris as an emblem of the creation of the world from water; and was also considered emblematic of the rising of the Nile and the return of the sun. This account is confirmed by the frequency of its occurrence in the bas-reliefs and paintings in the Egyptian temples, in all representations of sacrifices, religious ceremonies, &c., and in tombs, and whatever is connected with death and.mother life. One class of writers in their anxiety to.show that the religion and arts of Egypt were derived from India, were formerly disposed to contend that the true lotus described by Herodotus and Theophrastus was t...
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Add this copy of The Wonders of the World, in Nature, Art, and Mind to cart. $69.86, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2016 by Palala Press.