TAA i.3.2.13

                                                                                 10.

          Ficus Sycomorus L. <[>Moraceae<]>; a species of fig known 

as the Sycamore Fig.

          The specimens are the fruits of this species, which is 

cultivated throughout the Mediterranean Region, and occurs fre-

quently as an escape; it is found wild in East and South Tropical 

Africa (Herb. Kew.).

          The fruit is edible, and specimens have been discovered 

in ancient Egyptian tombs (Schx[?]/<w>. 1). Where branches of the 

tree have been found, it is suggested by Schweinfurth that they 

may have been a symbolic significance. The tree is to be seen 

today throughout Upper and Lower Egypt, generally in cemeteries, 

and certainly has religious significance, especially in ancient 

Egyptian ritual (Carter).

                                         no. 564.