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νηδύν = κοιλίην above. For the spices cf. iii. 107 seq. It is curious that H. does not mention the ‘asphalt’ employed; perhaps he thought it merely a foundation for the more expensive materials. ‘Frankincense’ was not used, because it was sacred to the gods.

ὀπίσω: they ‘sew up the back passage’, i. e. to prevent the entrance of air.

λίτρῳ is either ‘saltpetre’ (Stein) or ‘soda’ (Wiedemann); the object of this pickling was to remove the moisture and fat, and to harden the skin. The Papyrus Rhind agrees with H. as to the length of time for embalming, ‘seventy’ days; it seems, however, to have varied; cf. Gen. 1. 3 for ‘forty’ days (in the case of Jacob).

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