14 Facts About Jacob Bryant

Jacob Bryant's father worked in the customs there, but was afterwards moved to Chatham.

Jacob Bryant returned to Eton as private tutor to the Duke of Marlborough.

Jacob Bryant was rewarded by a lucrative appointment in the Board of Ordnance, which allowed him time to indulge his literary tastes.

Jacob Bryant was twice offered the mastership of Charterhouse school, but turned it down.

Jacob Bryant died on 14 November 1804 at Cippenham near Windsor.

Jacob Bryant left his library to King's College, having previously made some valuable presents from it to the king and the Duke of Marlborough.

Jacob Bryant saw all mythology as derived from the Hebrew Scriptures, with Greek mythology arising via the Egyptians.

Jacob Bryant argued that the descendants of Ham had been the most energetic, but the most rebellious peoples of the world and had given rise to the great ancient and classical civilisations.

Jacob Bryant called these people "Amonians", because he believed that the Egyptian god Amon was a deified form of Ham.

Jacob Bryant argued that Ham had been identified with the sun, and that much of pagan European religion derived from Amonian sun worship.

Jacob Bryant wrote a pamphlet in answer to Daniel Wyttenbach of Amsterdam, about the same time.

Sir William Jones frequently mentions Jacob Bryant's model, accepting parts of it and criticising others, particularly his highly conjectural etymologies.

Jacob Bryant referred to the New System as "a profound and agreeable work", adding that he had read it through three times "with increased attention and pleasure, though not with perfect acquiescence in some other less important parts of his plausible system".

Jacob Bryant's theories are widely credited as an influence on the mythological system of William Blake, who had worked in his capacity as an engraver on the illustrations to Bryant's New System.