Produced by Dave Maddock, Keith Edkins and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net Transcriber's note: A few typographical errors have been corrected: they are listed at the end of the text. A NEW SYSTEM; OR, AN ANALYSIS OF ANTIENT MYTHOLOGY: WHEREIN AN ATTEMPT IS MADE TO DIVEST TRADITION OF FABLE; AND TO REDUCE THE TRUTH TO ITS ORIGINAL PURITY, BY JACOB BRYANT, ESQ. _THE THIRD EDITION._ IN SIX VOLUMES. WITH A PORTRAIT AND SOME ACCOUNT OF THE AUTHOR; A VINDICATION OF THE APAMEAN MEDAL; Observations and Inquiries relating to various Parts of Antient History; A COMPLETE INDEX, AND FORTY-ONE PLATES, NEATLY ENGRAVED. VOL. II. LONDON: PRINTED FOR J. WALKER; W.J. AND J. RICHARDSON; R. FAULDER AND SON; R. LEA; J. NUNN; CUTHELL AND MARTIN; H.D. SYMONDS; VERNOR, HOOD, AND SHARPE; E. JEFFERY; LACKINGTON, ALLEN, AND CO.; J. BOOKER; BLACK, PARRY, AND KINGSBURY; J. ASPERNE; J. MURRAY; AND J. HARRIS. 1807. * * * * * A NEW SYSTEM OR AN ANALYSIS OF ANTIENT MYTHOLOGY. * * * * * PHŒNIX AND PHŒNICES. As there has been much uncertainty about the purport and extent of these terms; and they are of great consequence in the course of history; I will endeavour to state their true meaning. Phoinic, or Poinic, was an Egyptian and Canaanitish term of honour; from whence were formed Φοινιξ, Φοινικες, Φοινικοεις of the Greeks, and Phoinic, Poinicus, Poinicius of the Romans; which were afterwards changed to Phœnix, Punicus, and [1]Puniceus. It was originally a title, which the Greeks made use of as a provincial name: but it was never admitted as such by the people, to whom it was thus appropriated, till the Greeks were in possession of the country. And even then it was but partially received: for though mention is made of the coast of Phœnice, yet we find the natives called Sidonians, Tyrians, and [2]Canaanites, as late as the days of the Apostles. It was an honorary term, compounded of Anac with the Egyptian prefix; and rendered at times both Phoinic and Poinic. It signified a lord or prince: and was particularly assumed by the sons of Chus and Canaan. The Mysians seem to have kept nearest to the original pronunciation, who gave this title to the God Dionusus, and called him Ph'anac. [3]Ogygia me Bacchum vocat, Osirin Ægyptus putat, Mysi Phanacem.