Page:Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire vol 5 (1897).djvu/565

APPENDIX 543 after Manuel had recovered it, in a.d. 645 (he. cit., p. 443).^ Mr. Brooks' chrono- logy is as follows : — A.D. 639. Dec, Amru enters Egypt. ,, 640. c. Jul}', battle of Heliopolis. c. Sept., Alexandria and Bab3-lou besieged. ,, 641. April 9, Babylon captured. Oct. 17, Alexandria capitulates. As to the digressive notice of Theophanes suh anno 6126, which places an invasion of Egypt by the Saracens in a.d. 638, it would be rash, without some further evi- dence, to infer that there was any unsuccessful attempt made on Egypt either in that year, or before a. d. 639. ■* By this means Mr. Brooks most plausibly explains the origin of the traditional self- contradictory date, Friday, ist of Muharram, a.h. 20. In that year Muharram i did not fall on Friday ; but it fell on Friday in a.h. 25, the year of the recapture. ABERDEEN UNIVERSITY PRESS.