Page 178 was in this manner, as we have before declared, many of the Ancients both Poets and Historians do generally affirm. For Carcinus the Tragaedian, who came often to Syracuse, observing how Zealous the Citizens were in celebrating the Sacreds and Festivals of Ceres, has these Verses in his Poems.
It's not fit we should here omit giving an Account of the Kindness and Bounty of this Goddess to Mankind: For besides that she found out Corn, she taught the Art of Husbandry, and instituted Laws, whereby Men govern'd their actions according to the Rules of Justice and Honesty: For which reason they say, she was call'd the Law-maker And certainly none can bestow greater Benefits than these imparted by her, which include both Being and Well-being. But this concerning the Antiquities of Sicily shall suffice.
But its necessary to say in brief something of the Sicanians, the first Inhabitants of Sicily, because several Historians differ in their Relations concerning them. For Philistus says they were a Colony transplanted from Iberia into this Island, and came thither from the River Sicanus from whence they were call'd Sicani. But Timaeus (condemning the Ignorance of this Writer) proves clearly and evidently that they were the Original Inhabitants; whose Reasons to prove their Antiquity being many we conceive it needless to recite. The Sicanians anciently dwelt in Villages, and built little Towns upon Hills that were naturally strong, for their better Security against Thieves and Robbers. For they were not under one General Monarch, but every Town had each a several Prince. And at first they injoy'd the whole Island, and liv'd by Tillage and improvement of the Ground: But after that Aetna burst out in Flames in many Parts of it, and streams of Fire even overflow'd the neighbouring Territory, the Country lay wast and ruin'd for a great space and Tract of Ground together. And in regard the Fire continu'd thus to spoil the Country for many years together, the Inhabitants in a Consternation forsook the Eastern Parts of Sicily, and went down into the West. At length after many Ages the Sicilians with all their Families transported themselves out of Italy, and setled in that part of the Island before forsaken by the Sicanians. Where out of a covetous desire to gain more, they incroacht still further, and made incursions into the neighbouring Countries, so that there were frequent Wars between them and the Sicanians, till by a mutual Compact and agreement they settl'd the Boundaries of each others Territories; of which we shall give a particular account in their Proper place and time. The last that sent Colonies into Sicily were the Grecians, and those very considerable, who built Cities
The Histories of Herodotus written in 440 BC is considered to be the founding work of history in Western literature. His history included stories and fables but he claimed to have traveled extensively and learned about many countries through direct observation.
The thesis of Stolen Legacy is that the Egyptians created what is wrongly called Greek philosophy. Dr. James argues that the African origin of Greek Philosophy is well known but rarely discussed. Ancient Greek historians such as Herodotus and Diodorus the Sicilian wrote in significant detail about the contributions of Egypt. Egyptian technology and libraries were unmatched and Greek philosophers such as Pythagoras and Plato studied there. The contribution of Africa to the intellectual foundation of modern knowledge is tremendous but unacknowledged.
The Library of History by Diodorus the Sicilian is one of the most highly regarded universal histories in antiquities. His work includes the history of Egypt, Asia, Africa, Greece and Europe. His book is a must read for research of ancient history.
Bible Study The King James Bible (kjv), World English Bible (web) and Bible in Basic English (bbe) are all examples of public domain books. The King James Bible (kjv) online uses the content from these books and open source software to enhance Bible study capabilities. The site includes the verse of the day, search tools, christian literature and links to related content. It demonstrates the use of open source to create a valuable service.