Commentary Page 141



	THEOPHRASTUS ON STONES

	jects of yellow jasper have been found, and since it appears to have been the only opaque yellow stone extensively used in antiquity, there is strong support for the identification given here. Yellow jasper was easily available to the peoples of the Mediterranean region. In particular, Lucas²⁷⁴ mentions Sicily and the vicinity of Smyrna in Asia Minor as localities for this stone. 38. coral. The spelling κονραΚιον which appears in the text is a variant of the more usual κοραλλιού. In all probability, Theophrastus is referring here to the precious red coral, Corallium nobile, a species almost entirely confined to die Mediterranean. Both Dioscorides²⁷⁵and Pliny²⁷⁶ clearly describe its characteristic form and color. It is this variety of coral which has been the most important commercially since very early times, owing to its striking color, luster, and fine texture. Red coral occurs frequently along the coasts and around the islands of the Mediterranean, and although the most important fisheries are now located off the African coast, it is still gathered in various areas along the northern side. The important localities are die coast of Provence, around Corsica and Sardinia, and in the vicinity of Naples and Genoa. In ancient times the northern localities were perhaps the only ones known, but Dioscorides mentions the promontory of Pachynos near Syracuse as the most important. This was the southernmost cape of Sicily, now known as Capo di Passaro. Pliny mentions various other localities, most of them around Italy. The manufacture of articles of red coral has for centuries been centered in Italy, particularly at Rome, Naples, and Genoa, and this is still true at die present day. There is little literary evidence that the Greeks used coral to any extent for jewelry or other ornamental purposes. Since recent excavations of the sites of ancient Greek cities have yielded no coral ornaments,²⁷⁷ it is likely that they did not value the material for such purposes. However, there is abundant evidence that ²'⁴ Ancient Egyptian Materials and Industries (London, 1934), p. 347. ²™V, 138 (Wellmann ed., V, 121). ^27e XXXII, 2Ι-22. ^27T S. J. Hickson, An Introduction to the Study of Recent Corals (Manchester, 1924), P· 233.

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