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THEOPHRASTUS ON STONES
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made of some natural material. Though this may have been malachite, serpentine is an attractive possibility, since not only is this green stone found in large blocks but some varieties are translucent enough to allow light to shine through the stone if it is in thin layers.
25. Hera\les. In reality, this was probably the Tyrian Mel\art, the Baal of the Old Testament, whom the Greeks identified with Herakles.
25. false smaragdos. Since this was found in copper mines in pieces of considerable size, it seems clear that it must have been malachite, the green basic copper carbonate. Probably the term was applied only to massive malachite, which was good enough to be used for ornamental purposes, since the earthy forms of this mineral were apparently included under the name chrysokolla. It is reasonably certain that the term "false smaragdos" was not applied to imitation green stones composed of glass or stained rock crystal.
25. Choice don. All the manuscripts have the reading Καρχηδόνι (Carthage), and this was accepted by Hill and the editors who preceded him. Schneider and Wimmer have changed the name to Χαλκηδόνι (Chalcedon). This must be right, as there are no islands near the site of ancient Carthage that are known to have any copper minerals on them. On the other hand, at least one of the Prince Islands in the Sea of Marmora close to the shore of ancient Chalcedon is known to have been the site of ancient copper deposits. The author of De Mirabilibus Auscultationibus™ names Αημόνησος (Demonesos) as an island of the Chalcedonians where the copper minerals kyanos and chrysokolla were found, as well as the copper that was used for making certain ancient statues. Pliny129 lists Demonnesus as one of the islands in the Sea of Marmora at the entrance to the Bosporus. This island has been plausibly identified with the modern Khalki, upon which there are copper minerals and traces of ancient mining operations.130
128 Sec. 58.
12BV, 151.
130 Pauly-Wissowa, Real-Encyclopadie, III*, p. 2093; V1, p. 145.
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