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Introduction: The Diamond in History

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INTRODUCTION.
mountain tops of Science, have explored the sun itself, can tell us but little more of this splendid production of its creative rays, than is indicated in the Greek. It is to the cutter that we owe the revelation of its love­liness, the development of that radiance which trans­cends all other gems, as the graces of Venus transcend those of all the other goddesses of Olympus. Although the word is found in the oldest Greek records, the substance itself was unknown in Europe until com­paratively recent times. In Homer, Adamas occurs only as a personal name ; in Hesiod, Pindar and the Trajics it is used as signifying either any hard weapon, or a metal, such as steel or an alloy of gold and steel. Even Theophrastus, successor of Aristotle, and author of a short treatise, still extant, on Precious Stones, makes only one casual allusion to the Adamas, which, however, cannot have meant the true Diamond,* as he does not include it in his list of gems. His treatise was composed 300 B.C., after which no further distinct allusion to the Diamond occurs until we come to the Latin poet and astronomer, Manilius, who flourished in the first century of the new era. In the fourth book of the poem entitled Astronamicon, by this writer, occurs the line " Sic Adamas punctum lapidis pretiosior auro," which is supposed to contain the earliest indubitable reference to the true Diamond, which is here spoken of as "more precious than gold." Some writers have
Introduction: The Diamond in History Page of 312 Introduction: The Diamond in History
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