Chapter III: BHATTIPROLU.--On the report in the stûpa of Bhattiprolu, a (1)

former letter is referred to in which an account is given of
certain inscribed caskets, and other relics found in the centre
of the dome some time before. The reports continue with the
account of further excavations by means of trenches. Those
about the exterior discovered an unbroken procession path at
the small east quadrant, the face of the dome too at this point
is intact to a height of over 5 ft. In the trenches at the
north side there was found two pieces of a marble umbrella,
having a curve of a radius of 1 foot 6 in., a small piece of a
pilaster base from a slab, a pilaster capital with horses and
riders, and the half of what had been a large slab carved with
the lower portion of a draped figure.

At some distance from the basement, or procession path, the
remains of six marble bases of the rail were found standing in
position--they are 1 ft. 11., by 12 in., by 1 ft. 10 in., in
height, spaced by a distance of 1 ft. 7 in. in each, they are
sunk 1 ft. 6 in. below the brick floor, and rest on a broad
marble slab.

A large number of ancient sites and mounds were examined in the
neighborhood of Repalle. At _Anantaiarum, Buddhâní, Chandavôlu_
and _Puapuâ_. Considerable surface has been excavated for
various purposes; the earth, a kind of black mud, is found to
be thickly mixed with broken pottery and bones of animals;
occasionally a pillar or other building stone is turned up. At
Môrakûru, copper, lead and rarely gold and silver coins are
found mixed with the broken pottery.

At _Krudarnudi, Maudura, Mûlpûrn_ and _Periarli_, mounds were
examined, the earth was found to consist of black mud mixed
with pottery and ashes. The mounds differ only in extent, and
portions of several have been removed.

BHATTIPROLU.--A BUDDHIST STUPA.--Mr. Rea during last season
examined the remains of a stûpa at Bhattiprolu in the Kistna
district, the marble casing of which had been used by the Canal
engineers; and in it he has made discoveries of very
considerable interest.

He found the stûpa had been a solid brick building 132 feet in
diameter, surrounded by a procession path about eight feet
wide. It must thus have been of very nearly the dimensions of
the Amaravati stûpa. Fragments or chips only of the outer
Page 125 casing of marble were found in the area he excavated. When the
dome and portions of the drum had been previously demolished
for the materials, inside the dome there was found "a casket
made of six small slabs of stone dove-tailed into one another,
measuring about 2-1/2 feet by 1-1/2 by 1 foot; inside this was
a clay _chatti_ containing a neat soap-stone casket, which
enclosed a crystal phial. In this latter was a pearl, a few
little bits of gold leaf, and some ashes." Mr. Rea considered
that there might still be another deposit of relics; and having
discovered the centre of the original brickwork, he found there
a shaft or well 9-1/2 inches in diameter filled with earth,
which went down about 15 feet. Following this he found at one
side near the bottom a stone box about 11 inches by 8 and 5
inches deep, with an inscription round the upper lip. Inside
was a small globular blackstone relic casket, two small
hemipsherical metal cups a little over an inch in diameter,
with a gold bead on the apex of one, and the bead (fallen out)
of the other; another small bead, two double pearls, also four
gold lotus flowers 1.2 inch in diameter, two _trisulas_ in thin
plates 1.2 by 1 inch, seven triangular bits of gold, a single
and a double gold bead--the weight of these gold articles being
about 148 grains. There was also a hexagonal crystal 2.56
inches long by 0.88 inch in diameter, pierced along the axis,
and with an inscription lightly traced on the sides. The stone
relic casket measures 4-1/2 inches each way, the lid fitting on
with a groove, and it contained a cylindric crystal phial 2-1/2
inches in diameter and 1-1/4 inches high, moulded on the sides
and flat on top and bottom; the lid fitted in the same way as
that of the casket. Inside was a flattish piece of
bone--possibly of the skull--and under the phial were nine
small lotus flowers in gold leaf; six gold beads and eight
small ones; four small lotus flowers of thin copper; nineteen
small pierced pearls; one bluish crystal bead; and twenty-four
small coins in a light coloured metal, possibly brass, smooth
on one side and with lotus flowers, _trisulas_, feet, &c., on
the obverse. These had been arranged on the bottom and attached
in the form of a _svastika_.

Two and a half feet below this was a second deposit on the
opposite or north side of the shaft. The central area of the
cover, in this case, has an inscription in nineteen lines with
two lines round it--the letters being filled in with white. In
the lower stone was a receptacle 6-1/4 inches deep, by 7-1/2 in
diameter, having a raised rim 1-1/2 inches broad, bearing
another inscription of two lines on the upper surface--the
letters also filled in with lime. The cavity was nearly filled
with earth, and contained a phial 1-5/8 inches in diameter and
2-3/4 inches high, with a lid moulded like a _dagoba_. The
Page 126 phial and lid were lying separate, and there was no sign of a
relic. Mixed with the earth were 164 lotus leaves and buds, two
circular flowers, a trisula and a three-armed figure like a
_svastika_, all in gold leaf, two gold stems for lotus flowers,
six gold beads, and a small gold ring--weighing, collectively,
about 310 grains; also two pearls, a garnet, six coral beads, a
bluish, flat, oval bead, a white crystal bead, two greenish,
flat, six-sided crystal drops, a number of bits of corroded
copper leaf in the shape of lotus flowers, a minute umbrella,
and some folded pieces about 2 inches by 1-3/8, showing traces
of letters or symbols pricked upon them with a metal point, but
too corroded to permit of unfolding or decipherment.

Next, at a slightly lower level on the east side of the shaft,
he came upon a third black stone cover, with an inscription of
eight lines cut on the under surface in a sunk, circular area
in the centre. The lower stone again bears an inscription round
the rim of the cavity in one line--the letters being whitened.
The receptacle was 5-3/4 inches deep, 7-1/2 wide at the top,
and 5 at the bottom. It was also nearly filled with earth, and
contained a crystal phial similar to that in the second, the
lid lying apart; but close to it was the relic casket, perhaps
of chrysolite, less than half an inch each way by
three-eighths, in which is drilled a circular hole 0.28 inch in
diameter, closed by a small, white crystal stopper with
hexagonal top. The neck is covered with gold leaf, and a sheet
of the same was fixed outside to the bottom. This unique casket
contains three small pieces of bone. With it were found a
bluish bead 5/8 inch long, a smaller one, and one of yellow
crystal, a small hexagonal crystal drop, slightly yellowish in
colour, a flat one of white crystal, a bone bead, six pearls,
thirty-two seed pearls--all pierced, thirty lotus flowers, a
quatrefoil, and a small figure of gold leaf.

The alphabet of the inscriptions presents features of peculiar
interest, which I leave to be discussed by Prof. Bühler.--Jas.
Burgess in _Acad._ May 21.

N.B.--Further details are given under the headings "_New
variety of Maurya inscriptions_", and also under "_Buddhist
Stupas in the Kistna district._"

GAUHATI.--ASSAM.--Mr. Joseph Chunder Dutt has reprinted from
the _Indian Nation_ (Calcutta) an account of an archægeological
visit to Gauhati, the ancient capital of Assam. The temples,
&c., he describes mostly date only from the eighteenth century,
as is shown by the inscriptions which he is careful to quote.
There are, however, many ruins of older buildings and fragments
of sculpture, which would perhaps repay more detailed
examination. The destruction of some of these is due to the
misdirected activity of British engineers.--_Academy_, Feb. 6.
Page 127

PANJAB.--REMAINS OF ANCIENT BUDDHIST TEMPLES.--The _Journal of
the Royal Asiatic Society_ for October, 1892, contains a note
in "Ancient remains of Temples on the Bannu Frontier," an
unfrequented part of the Panjab. The ruins of two temples stand
on a hillock rising from the Indus. The tradition with regard
to them is that the Paridwas retired here to spend twelve years
of exile after being defeated by the Kerwá. A short distance
from these ruins is the site of a third temple now completely
demolished. This temple was completely demolished. This temple
was built of bricks of light pressed (?) clay about 12x9x3
inches in size. On breaking some of the bricks they were found
to bear distinctly the impression of tree leaves, and brought
under the influence of a petrifying spring which exists not far
from the spot.

The remains are undoubtedly of great antiquity, and appears to
have been Buddhist temples of the tall, conical kind. Their
Buddhistic origin is made certain by the eight-leafed lotus
ornaments which characterize the carvings.

THIBET.

Mr. Rockhill, who made himself so well-known by his first
expedition to Thibet, is at present engaged in a second
journey, in the hope of this time reaching the capital Lhassa.

The Duke of Orleans and his companion have already published
the results of their journey undertaken shortly after Mr.
Rockhill's first.

CHINA.

THE GAME OF WEI-CHI.--At a meeting in Shanghai of the Chinese
Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, M. Volpicelli read a paper
on "The Game of Wei-Chi," the greatest game of the Chinese,
especially with the literary class and ranked by them superior
to chess. Like chess, this game is of a general military and
mathematical character, but is on a much more extensive scale,
the board containing 361 places and employing nearly 200 men on
a side. All of the men, however, have the same value and
powers.

The object is to command as many places on the board as
possible--this may be done by enclosing empty spaces or by
surrounding the enemy's men. Very close calculation is always
essential in order that a loss in one region may be met by
gains in another, thus employing skillful strategy when the
contestants are evenly matched. The game has come down from
great antiquity, being first mentioned in Chinese writings
Page 128 about B.C. 625. It was in all probability introduced by the
Babylonian astronomers who were at that time the instructors of
all the East.--_Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society_, 1892, p.
421.

CENTRAL ASIA.

EXPEDITION OF M. DUTREUIL DE RHINS.--The _Académie des
Inscriptions_ sent M. Dutreuil de Rhins some time since on an
archæological expedition to Further Asia. Beside the income of
the Gamier fund previously accorded to him for the purpose, it
has accorded him a grant of 30,000 francs. The last news from
him was a report.--_Chron. des Arts_, 1892, No. 22.

THE ORKHON INSCRIPTIONS.--We quote from the _Times_ the
following report of two papers read before the Oriental
Congress, in the section of China and the Far East:

"A paper was contributed by Mr. E. Delmar Morgan on 'The
Results of the Russian Archæological Researches in the Basin of
the Orkhon in Mongolia.' Mr. Morgan drew attention to a
splendid atlas of plates presented to the Congress by Dr.
Radlof, of St. Petersburg, containing photographs and
facsimiles of inscriptions copied by the members of the
archæological expedition sent by the Imperial Academy of
Sciences to investigate the ruins on the Orkhon. These ruins
comprise (1) the remains of an ancient Uighur town west of the
Orkhon, (2) the ruins of a Mongol palace to the east of that
river, and a large granite monument shattered into pieces.
Excavations were also made of the burial places of the Khans of
the Tukiu or Turks inhabiting this part of Asia previously to
the Uighurs, who drove them out. The earliest inscription dates
from 732 A.D.., and refers to a brother of the Khan of the
Tukiu mentioned in Chinese history. Additional interest
attaches to these inscriptions owing to the fact that some of
the characters are identical with those discovered on the
Yenissei. The expedition to which the paper referred visited
the monastery of Erdenitsu, and found there a number of stones
with inscriptions in Mongol, Tibetan, and Persian, brought from
the ruins of a town not far off. These ruins have been
identified with Karakoram, the capital city of the first Khans
of the dynasty of Jenghiz Khan.

"Prof. Donner wished to present to the Congress a publication
by the Société Finno-Ougrienne at Helsingfors, containing
inscriptions from the valley of the Orkhon, brought home by the
Finnish Expedition in 1890. There are three large monuments,
the first erected 732 A.D.., by the order of the Chinese
Emperor in honour of Kiuèh-Jeghin, younger brother of the Khan
Page 129 of the Tukiu (Turks). On the west side it has an inscription in
Chinese, speaking of the relations between the Tukiu and
Chinese. The Tartar historian, Ye-lu-chi, of the thirteenth
century, saw it and gave some phrases from the front of it. On
all the other sides is a long inscription of 70 lines in runic
characters, which cannot be a mere translation of the Chinese
because it numbers about 1400 words, while the Chinese
inscription contains only about 800. The other monument has
also a Chinese inscription on one side, but greatly effaced. On
the other sides are runic inscriptions in 77 lines at least.
This monument was erected, by order of the Chinese Emperor, in
honour of Mekilikn (Moguilen), Khan of the Tukiu, who died 733
A.D.. About two-thirds of its runic inscription nearly line for
line contains the same as the first monument, a circumstance of
importance for the true reading of the text. The third
monument, which has been the largest one, was destroyed by
lightning and shattered into about fifty fragments. It is
trilingual--viz., Chinese, Uighur, and runic or Yenissei
characters. On comparing the texts they are found to contain
many identical words and forms, proving that the languages were
nearly identical. M. Devéria thinks that this is the memorial
stone which the Uighur Khan, 784 A.D.., placed at the gateway
of his palace to record the benefits the Uighurs had done to
the Chinese Empire. Concerning the characters of these
inscriptions they show small modifications. The tomb
inscriptions at Yenissei seem to be the more original; some
characters have been altered in the Tukiu alphabet and also in
the third monument, representing in that way the three several
nations--the Tukiu, the Uighurs, who followed them, and the
Hakas, or Khirgiz, at Yenissei. A comparison of the characters
themselves with the alphabets in Asia Minor shows that about
three-fourths of them are identical with the characters of the
Ionian, Phrygian, and Syrian [?]. The other part has
resemblances with the graphic systems of India and Central
Asia. We can now expect that the deciphering of these
interesting inscriptions will soon give us reliable specimens
of the oldest Turk dialects."--_Academy_, Sept. 17.

SIMFEROPOL.--At Simferopol Prof. Messelowski has made the most
interesting discovery of a Scythian warrior's grave, dating
probably from about the second or third century. The skeleton
lay on its back facing the east, on the head was a cap with
gold ornaments, and little gold plates were also fixed to
portions of the dress. Near the head stood two amphoræ and a
leathern quiver containing copper-headed arrows. At the feet
were the bones of an ox, an iron knife, four amphoraæ and some
lances--these were in a very rusty condition. The quiver had a
Page 130 fine gold-chased ornament upon it representing a flying eagle
gripping in its talons a small animal. It is admirably worked.
The skeleton itself fell to pieces immediately.--_Biblia_,
Oct., 1892.

SEMITIC EPIGRAPHY AND ANTIQUITIES.--M. Clermont-Ganneau has
published in the _Journal Asiatique_ for 1892, No. 1, a series
of the discoveries and investigations made in Semitic epigraphy
and antiquities during the year 1891. It is the address by
which he opened his course at the Collège de France. He
commences with Phornicia and notices besides such discoveries as
are reported in the Journal, such books as Goblet d'Aviella's
_La migration des symboles_, which is a comparative study of
Oriental art symbols, and Ph. Berger's _Histoire de l'écriture
dans l'antiquité_, which treats especially of the development
of the Phornician alphabet. As an original supplement he
describes some antiquities recently sent to him, which had been
found in the necropolis of Sidon, _e.g._, a terracotta head of
Egyptian style; a smaller head of Cypriote style; a statuette
of Bes; two gold ear-rings; bottom of a Greek vase with a
Phornician inscription; piece of a diorite scarcophagus cover of
Egyptian origin, probably that of a king of Sidon. Another
complete anthropoid sarcophagus from the same site at Sidon has
been sent to Constantinople. Still another sarcophagus of this
type has been found in Spain, at Cadiz, the ancient Gades. Its
importance is incalculable, as it proves for the first time the
passing of the Phornicians to Spain. Mr. Clermont-Ganneau then
takes up Aramean antiquities and inscriptions, especially those
of Palmyra. Among them are a number secured by the writer
himself; they are three fine monumental funerary inscriptions
and six funerary busts of men and women, two of which are
finely executed and remarkably well preserved; all are
inscribed and several are dated. He notices the publication of
the valuable _Journal d'un voyage en Arabie_ (1883-1884) by
Charles Huber, in which the five note-books of the traveller
are reproduced. It will be remembered that he was treacherously
murdered during his journey. Dr. Euting in his _Sinaïtische
Inschriften_ publishes 67 inscriptions copied by him in the
Sinaitic peninsula. His readings are very careful and accurate.
Three of the texts are dated and are important in view of the
controversy as to the age of all these inscriptions.

Palestine and Hebrew antiquities are very fully treated. M.
Clement-Ganneau reads the famous Lachish inscription [Hebrew:
jons] = _ad libandum_; he calls attention to hematite weight
with an early inscription found at Sebaste; mentions the
vandalism perpetrated in cutting away the famous Pool of Siloam
inscription, _etc._ He notes the importance of the discovery by
MM. Lees and Hanauer in the subterranean structures at
Page 131 Jerusalem called "Solomon's Stables," of the spring of an
immense ancient arch, analogous to Robinson's arch. It
introduces quite a new element in the complicated problem of
the Jewish Temple. Mr. Wrightson, an English engineer,
concludes that the two arches or bridges formed part of a
continuous system of parallel arches which occupied, between
the two east and west walls, the sub-structure of the entire
southern part of the esplanade of the temple. Mr. Schick's
investigations are carefully noticed. Finally praise is given
to the new publication of the Abbé Vigouroux, _Dictionnaire de
la Bible_.

ARABIA.

A HISTORY OF YEMEN.--The British Museum acquired in 1886 the
MS. of Omârah's 'History of Yemen,' a work of which it was long
feared that no copy was at the present day in existence.
Omârah's 'History' extends over a period of about three hundred
and fifty years. It commences with the foundation of the city
and principality of Zabid in the ninth century, and extends
down to the eve of the conquest by the Ayyûbites in the
twelfth. Mr. Henry C. Kay, a member of the Council of the Royal
Asiatic Society, has prepared the MS. for publication, together
with an English translation, notes and indices. The volume also
contains, besides other similar matter, an account and
genealogical list of the Imams of Yemen, down to the thirteenth
century, derived from the Zeydite MSS. recently added to the
British Museum library.--_Athenæum_.

COINS OF THE BENU RASOOL DYNASTY OF SULTANS.--Out of the
fourteen sovereigns who composed the Benu Rasool dynasty, we
are in possession of the coins of only eight, and these the
first eight; their inscriptions are in Arabic, and it is by no
means easy to decipher all of them. The mints of these are:
Aden, Zebîd, El-Mahdjâm, Thabat, Sana and Taiz, and each is
characterized by a particular figure, a fish for Aden, a bird
for Zebîd, a lion for El-Mahdjâm, and other symbols. There are
also noticed several coins struck by rebels under the Benu
Rasool dynasty.--_Revue Numismatique_, III s. tom. 10, III
trim. 1892, p. 350.

BABYLONIA.

A BAS-RELIEF OF NARAM-SIN.--At a meeting of the _Acad. des
Inscriptions_ M. Maspero exhibited a photograph of a Chaldean
bas-relief from Constantinople. It was erected by, and bears
the name of King Naram-sin, who reigned over Babylonia about
3800 B.C. Though much mutilated, what remains shows workmanship
of a refined kind. It represents a human figure standing,
Page 132 clothed (as on the most ancient cylinders) with a robe that
passes under one arm and over the shoulder, and wearing a
conical head-piece flanked with horns. The general appearance
strikingly recalls Egyptian monuments of the same date. The
relief is extremely low, the lines clear, but not stiff. There
is no muscular exaggeration as is often the case in the
cylinders. Naram-sin, like his father, Sargon I, has left the
reputation (perhaps legendary) of a great conqueror; a campaign
against Magan is attributed to him. M. Maspero was disposed to
explain the style of the bas-relief by the Egyptian influence.
It differs widely from the sculptures of Telloh, which are less
refined and artistically advanced. But these, though of later
date, come from a provincial town, not from a capital. M.
Menant mentioned that the collection of M. de Clerq contains a
cylinder, also of remarkable workmanahip, with an inscription
with characters of the same style as those on the bas-relief in
question; but it bears the name of Sargani, king of Agyadi, who
is several generations earlier than Sargon I. Both of these are
examples of an art which was never surpassed in
Chaldea.--_Academy_, Oct. 15; _Chron. des Arts_, 1892, No. 33.

TELLOH.--BABYLONIAN SCULPTURE--The later excavations of M. de
Sarzec at Telloh, in so far as they concern sculpture, are
treated by M. Heuzey in some communications to the _Acad. des
Inscriptions_. M. de Sarzec has reconstructed from some
fragments a series of reliefs relating to King Ur-Nina, the
ancestor of King E-anna-du, who is commemorated in the _stele
of the vultures_. The sculptures of Ur-Nina are of rude and
primitive workmanship and belong to the earliest period of
Babylonian sculpture. The king is represented more than once,
either carrying on his head the sacred basket, or seated and
raising in his hand the drinking-horn. Around him are ranged
his children and servants, all with their names inscribed upon
the drapery. Among them is A-kur-gal, who is to succeed his
father, replacing another prince, his older brother. The
reunion of these fragments has given us an historic and
archæological document of the highest antiquity.--_Revue
Critique_, 1892, No. 44.

At a meeting of the _Acad. des Inscr._ M. Heuzey read a paper
upon the "Stèle des Vautours." M. de Sarzec has been able to
find and piece together several additional fragments, from
which it appears that the name of the person who set up the
pillar was E-anna-du, king of Sirpula, son of A-kur-gal, and
grandson of King of Ur-Nina. He is represented in front of his
warriors, beating down his enemies, sometimes on foot,
sometimes in a chariot, of which only a trace remains. The
Page 133 details of the armor resemble in some respects that of the
Assyrians of a much later date. From what can be read of the
inscription, it seems that the conquered enemies belonged to
the country of Is-ban-ki. There is also mention of a city of
Ur, allied with Sirpula. The pillar was sculptured on both
faces. On the reverse is a royal or divine figure, of large
size, holding in one hand the heraldic design of Sirpula (an
eagle with the head of a lion), while the other brandishes a
war-club over a crowd of prisoners, who are tumbling one over
another in a sort of net or cage. In illustration of this
scene, M. Heuzey quoted the passage from Habakkuk (i. 15),
describing the vengeance of the Chaldeans: "They catch them in
their net and gather them in their drag."--_Academy_, Sept. 3.

THE BABYLONIAN STANDARD WEIGHT.--Prof. Sayce writes: "Mr.
Greville Chester has become the possessor of a very remarkable
relic of antiquity, discovered in Babylonia, probably on the
site of Babylon. It is a large weight of hard green stone,
highly polished, and of a cone-like form. The picture of an
altar has been engraved upon it, and down one side runs a
cuneiform inscription of ten lines. They read as follows:

"One maneh standard weight, the property of Merodach-sar-ilani,
a duplicate of the weight which Nebuchadrezzar, king of
Babylon, the son of Nabopolassar, king of Babylon, made in
exact accordance with the weight prescribed by the deified
Dungi, a former king."

The historical importance of the inscription is obvious at the
first glance. Dungi was the son and successor of Ur-Bagas, and
his date may be roughly assigned to about 3000 B.C. It would
appear that he had fixed the standard of weight in Babylonia;
and the actual weight made by him in accordance with this
standard seems to have been preserved down to the time of
Nebuchadrezzar, who caused a duplicate of it to be made. The
duplicate again became the standard by which all other weights
in the country had to be tested.

The fact that Dungi is called "the deified" is not surprising.
We know of other early kings of Chaldaea who were similarly
raised to the rank of gods. One of them prefixes the title of
"divine" to his own bricks; another, Naram-Sin, the son of
Sargon, of Accad, is called "a god" on the seal of an
individual who describes himself as his "worshipper. It is
possible that in this cult of certain Babylonian kings we have
an evidence of early intercourse with Egypt."--_Academy_, Dec.
19.

CATALOGUE OF BRITISH MUSEUM TABLETS.--Stored in the British
Museum are some 50,000 inscribed pieces of terracotta or
clay-tablets, forming the libraries of Assyria and Babylonia.
Page 134 The great impetus given to cuneiform studies has made it
necessary that the tablets should be catalogued, and the
trustees have now issued a descriptive catalogue of some 8,000
inscribed tablets. The inscriptions in question come from the
Kuyuryik Mound, at Nineveh. The tablets embrace every class of
literature, historical documents, hymns, prayers and
educational works, such as syllabaries or spelling-books, and
dictionaries. The catalogues, of which the second is just
issued, are prepared by Dr. Bezold.--_Biblia_, Sept., 1892.

ASHNUNNAK.--M. Pognon, French Consul at Bagdad, has announced
to the _Acad. des Inscriptions_ that he has discovered the
exact location of the region called anciently the land of
Ashnunnak. He declares that he is not yet ready to announce his
discovery more exactly, but publishes several bricks with the
names and titles of several princes of Ashnunnak hitherto
unknown. These are Ibalpil, Amil and Nulaku.

PERSIA.

M. de MORGAN'S RESEARCHES IN PERSIA AND LURISTAN.--In a
communication to the _Acad. des Inscr._ M. de Morgan gives a
report upon his mission in Persia and Luristan, of which the
following are a few extracts. "In the valley of the Lar, I made
a study of the subterranean habitations excavated in the rock
and made a plan of the very ancient castle, Molla-Kölo, which
once defended the pass of Vahné. Finally, in the ravine called
_Ab-é-pardöma_, I discovered in the alluvion some stone
instruments presenting very ancient paleolithic characters. At
Amol, I studied the ruins of the ancient city and gathered some
interesting collections containing quite a number of pieces of
pottery and some bronzes of the xiv century."..... "Near
Asterabad there is a mound called _Khaighruch-tépè_. I
attempted to make some excavations of this point; unfortunately
my work here was arrested by order of the Persian government
just when, after twenty days of working with sixty laborers, I
had reached a depth of 11½ meters. In this excavation I found
some human bones, some pottery, some whorls and some thin
objects composed of bronze much decomposed; all in the midst of
ashes and cooking-debris. At the bottom was a skeleton
stretched upon a very regular bed of pebbles, and I am of the
opinion that _Khaighruch-tépè_ was primitively raised as a tomb
and afterwards served for the construction of a village, the
successive ruins of which coming to increase the importance of
the mound. At a depth of 11½ meters I found more cinders and
debris, indicating that I had not yet come to the level of the
earliest works.".... "The _tépès_ are near together in the
Page 135 eastern part of the Mazanderan and in the Turkoman steppe; but
in the Lenkoran, the Ghilan and the western Mazanderan they are
entirely wanting. It is concluded from this observation that
the people who built here were not aborigines of the north of
Persia, but that their migration moreover has left traces on
the right and on the left of the Caspian. The Scythians of
Herodotus present a very satisfactory solution for the problem
of the Caspian _tépès_".... "From an archaeological point of
view the Lenkoran was absolutely virgin soil and the finding of
the first tomb was not an easy task. Finally, after long and
minute research in the forests, I discovered the necropolis of
Kravelady, composed of dolmens almost completely despoiled, but
in sufficiently good condition to permit me to organize the
natives in research for burial places of the same sort. I at
first encountered much repugnance on the part of the
inhabitants to excavate the tombs; finally, with some money and
very long explanations, I brought them to terms and, thanks to
my tomb-hunters, I found and excavated the necropoli of Horil,
Beri, Djon, Tülü, Mistaïl, Hiveri, _etc._ These tombs present,
according to their age, very different characteristics; the
most ancient and at the same time the largest, contain rude
arms of bronze. Those of the period following show the bronze
well worked, iron, gold and silver being employed as jewels.
Although we saw iron in very small quantities in the tombs of
the second period, it is not until the third that it appears as
the material of arms; at the same time, the jewels take the
forms of animals, which change, as I have shown in the case of
Russian Armenia in my preceding mission, indicates the
appearance of a strange tribe possessed of special arts. During
the last epoch all the arms are of iron. The pottery found in
the tombs is glazed.

"As to the form of the monuments, it is very variable at
different ages; there are some covered passages or chambers
completely closed, some dolmens with openings like those of
India. At the very time when my excavations were attaining
their greatest importance I was compelled to discontinue them
by order of the Russian administration and was obliged to leave
the country, having only made a beginning in archaeology. An
_ukase_ of the Czar reserves the excavations in all his great
empire for the Archæological Society of St. Petersburg. But
this interdict did not arrive until after I had excavated about
two hundred and twenty tombs, so that we now possess more than
fifteen hundred objects, vases, arms, trinkets of gold, bronze,
silver, _etc._

"At Moukri, thanks to the kindness of a Kurd chief, I was
enabled to excavate a tomb which, although it held no objects
Page 136 of value, still contained some interesting relics. I have not
yet been able to assign a date to any of them." .... "During my
stay at Moukri I set up a map on the scale of 1/250000, and
marked upon it all the ruins, mounds and ancient tombs....

"Although blockaded by snow at Hamadan I was able to visit the
ancient Ecbatana and there acquired a small collection of Greek
jewels and Chaldean cylinders. I found no trace whatever of the
ancient palace; they told me that the last debris had been
reduced to lime and that houses had been built over the rest.
On the other hand, the trilingual inscription of the Elvend,
the _Ghendj-nûméh_, is still admirably preserved, but the cold
prevented me from taking a squeeze. After having visited and
photographed the ruins of Dinâver, Kinghârer, Bisoutoun and
several remains encountered on the route, I visited
Tagh-é-Bostan, near Kirmanshahan; I took numerous photographs
and squeezes of the more interesting fragments, like the
pahlavi inscriptions of the smallest monument. At Zohab, I took
the inscriptions of Ler-é-poul and of Hourin-cheïkh-khan, made
plans of the ruins of Ler-é-poul, those of the Sassanian palace
of Kasr-é-Chirîon and of Haoueh-Ruri; drew up a map on a scale
of 1/250000 of the gates of the Zagros, and of the country
around." ..... "Having arrived at Houleilan,..... I found the
remains of a large number of towns and castles of the Sassanian
epoch, besides some very ancient _tépès_. At Chirvan, near the
fort of the Poncht-é-Kouh, are the ruins of a Sassanian town. I
made a plan of it. Near it is a great _tell_ of unburnt
brick...... In the valleys, situated near the plain, in the
passes are some _tells_, and it is near one of them that I had
the good fortune to find more than eight hundred objects carved
in flint. Beyond these _tells_ which guard the frontier of the
Semite border, the Poncht-é-Kouh does not contain a single
ruin. In antiquity, as to-day, it was inhabited by nomads. On
leaving the Poncht-é-Kouh, I entered the valley of the Kukha,
where I encountered numerous ruins. I then advanced into
Louristan, continually finding _tells_, of which the principal
ones are those of Zakha and of Khorremâbâd. ..... Finally
arriving at Susiana, we again found civilization, but also a
country well known and that does not form a part of my
mission."--_Journal Asiatique_, No. 2, 1892, pp. 189-200.

COINS OF THE SATRAPS.--1. Money had been invented and was in
circulation in the Greek cities of Asia Minor almost two
hundred years, when Darius I introduced the daric. The Greek
coins in circulation along the coast had not penetrated far
from the Mediterranean, even the new Persian coinage was used
chiefly in the commerce with the Greeks on the frontier, and
Page 137 for the payment of Greek mercenaries, enrolled in the armies of
the Great King. The interior of the empire, during the whole
period of the Achæmenidæ, continued to employ wedges of
precious metals in exchange. The coinage of the Persian empire
divides into four clearly defined groups, according to the
direct authority of its issue. (1) The coinage of the Great
King; (2) The coinage of the tributary Greek towns; (3) The
coinage of the tributary dynasties; (4) The coinage
occasionally struck for the satraps, chiefs of the Persian
army. It is the last category that is described in the paper
here summarized. The towns then, and the tributary dynasties,
and, under some circumstances, the satraps enjoyed the right to
coin money but only in electrum, silver and bronze; the great
King reserved the exclusive right to issue coins in gold; and
this principle became universally acknowledged, so that gold
effectually became the unique standard of the Persian empire.
The few departures from this rule are not worthy of
consideration. The towns of Asia Minor paying tribute to the
great King continued to issue money, just as they had during
their independence, retaining their own types, and betraying in
no way their subjection. The tributary kings placed under the
surveillance of satraps were allowed various degrees of liberty
in issuing coinage, according to their countries and to their
varying relations to the persian monarch; the dynasties of
Caria, of Cyprus, of Gebal and of Tyre, like the tributary
cities mentioned above, continued their old coinage, while
those of Sidon and of Cilicia placed upon their coins, the
figure of the Achæmenidean prince.

Besides the coinage already mentioned there exists a number of
coins bearing the names of satraps, and the questions are
raised, under what circumstances were these issued, and with
what extraordinary powers was a satrap invested, who was
permitted to issue money in his own name? The theory is
advanced, that the satraps of the Persian empire never held the
right to coin money in their capacity as satraps. All the
instances we have of satrapal coins were issued by satraps
invested with the command of armies. Fr. Lenormant says: "All
the pieces known, which bear the names of high functionaries of
Persia, mentioned in history, particularly those of Cilicia,
should be ranged in the class of military coins; that is, coins
issued by generals placed at the head of armies, on a campaign,
and not as satraps exercising their regular powers." The only
satrapies in which money was coined, before Alexander, are the
following. The sixth satrapy, which comprised Egypt and
Cyrenaica. The fifth satrapy or that of Syria, comprising
Arabia, Mesopotamia, Syria, Phornicia, Palestine and the island
of Cyprus. The fourth satrapy or that of Cilicia, which
Page 138 acquired in the V century the states north of the Taurus. The
first satrapy or that of Ionia, comprising Pamphilia, Lycia,
Caria, Pisidia, Ionia and Eolis. The twelfth satrapy, known as
the satrapy of Sardis, or of Lydia. The thirteenth satrapy,
known also as the satrapy of Phrygia, which comprised, besides
the coast of the Hellespont, all the central region of Asia
Minor between the Taurus and the Black Sea. This huge province
was divided in the fifth century into the satrapies of Greater
Phrygia, Lesser Phrygia, and Cappadocia.

2. The coinage in circulation in Egypt, during the Achæmenidean
supremacy was all of foreign origin, the staters of the Kings
of Tyre and Sidon and the tetradrachmas of Athens. The commerce
with Greece, and especially the incessant wars in which Greek
mercenaries were largely employed, tended to make Athenian
silver popular in the eastern countries. For the pay of these
mercenaries, the Persians and Egyptians had recourse to silver
money, and especially to those types with which the Greeks were
acquainted. Thus the prevalence of Athenian coins in the Orient
is accounted for by these circumstances. The generals of the
Persian and Egyptian armies made use of the Athenian coins
which had long been in circulation in the country. They merely
imprinted upon the coin of Attic origin a counter-mark to
officially authorize the circulation, and when the original
Athenian coins in the country were insufficient to pay the
troops, they struck off others as nearly like them as
possible--these, however, are easily recognized by the defects
of workmanship and altered inscriptions. One sort has in place
of the Greek lettering an Aramean inscription. On a certain
number of these we find the name Mazaios, the famous satrap of
Cilicia, who undertook to subdue the insurgent king of Sidon.

The imitation of Athenian coins and the coins of Alexander was
continued in Arabia down to the first century of our era. The
Athenian coins were not the only ones copied in Egypt,
Palestine, and Arabia. The coinage of the kings of Sidon were
frequently imitated by the Aramean chiefs, of whom Bagoas was
one. Then, too, the kings of Sidon had supreme command of the
imperial fleet and had the paying of the naval army. Later,
Mazaios, placed at the head of the Persian army, for a time
imitated the Sidonian coins, substituting his name for that of
the Sidonian dynasty. Bagoas, in turn, did likewise.

3. In Phornicia and northern Syria, which formed the greater
part of the fifth satrapy, a great quantity of coins were
struck off by the tributary dynasties. The kings of Tyre,
Sidon, Gebal, and Aradus had their own coinage, but there seems
to have been no satrapal coinage struck off in Phornicia. In
Page 139 northern Syria, when Mazaios added this satrapy to his own, he
levied and assembled troops from that entire region; this
accounts for the numerous issues of coins in northern Syria at
that time.

4. The dynasties of Cilicia coined money under the same
conditions as did the cities of Phornicia, Caria and Lydia. The
chief mint of Cilicia was at Tarsus, but money was also coined
at Soli and at Mallus. About the end of the fifth century a
coinage was issued from these mints which is ascribed to
uncertain satraps. The distinguishing mark of these coins,
according to Mr. Waddington, is the use of the neuter adjective
in [Greek: ikon], but this theory is not conclusive. Besides
these anonymous coins there were others coined in Cilicia
bearing the names of satraps, who were the envoys of the great
king to raise armies and equip fleets. The satrap Tiribazus
employed the mints at Issus, at Soli and Mallus; the satrap
Pharnabazus established his mints in various cities in Cilicia,
particularly at Nagidus; Datamus also issued coinage in
Cilicia. M. Six holds that Mazaios coined money, not only in
Cilicia, but also in Syria and Mesopotamia, and preserved the
right to a coinage under Alexander, but always in a military
capacity.

5. After the conquest of Alexander, his generals issued coinage
under his name in their satrapal authority. These were the
coins of Alexander, bearing on one side the particular symbol
of the generals who had issued them; there were the eagle of
Ptolemy, the demi-lion of Lysimachus or the horned horse of
Seleucus. Those of the generals who became kings, in 306,
issued coins in their own name, preserving on them the personal
emblems which they had employed in their satrapal authority.
The generals who did not become kings never issued a coinage in
their own names.

6. On the island of Cyprus are found numerous coins which
present all the distinctive signs of satrapal money; they are
believed to have been struck by Evagoras II, the successor of
Nicocles I; but the question arises, Were these satrapal pieces
of Evagoras coined on the island? It has been held that they
were issued from a mint on the continent, in Caria, because the
army of Evagoras was recruited in Asia Minor, and because their
weights are Rhodian, but the form of the letters is Phornician,
as upon all Cypriote corns; while, on the other hand, in Asia
Minor the Semitic money is inscribed with Aramean characters.
Moreover, all symbols and types which figure on these coins are
essentially Cypriote.--E. BABELON in _Revue Numismatique_,
1892, p. 277.

SASSANIAN COINS.--The Museum of the Hermitage has just come
into possession of the collection of coins of General Komarof,
Page 140 once governor of Russian Turkistan. It consists of more than
two thousand pieces, of which sixty are of gold. The most
remarkable coins of this rich collection are: Four Sassanian
pieces in gold, unpublished, (one of Hormuzd II and three of
Sapor II), a dinar of Nasr I, a dinar of Kharmezi of Tamerlan,
a dinar of Abdallah-ben-Khazim, and about fifty unpublished
Sassanian silver coins.--_Revue Numismatique_, 1892, p. 348.

PERSEPOLIS.--CASTS OF SCULPTURES.--The English archæologist Mr.
Cecil Smith has lately returned from an expedition to Persia.
He had with him two Italian makers of casts, and by their means
has obtained a valuable series of casts of the sculptures of
Persepolis from moulds of a fibrous Spanish paper. Among the
casts are those of a long frieze (perron) which decorated the
stairway of the main hall or "apadâna," erected by Xerxes; it
represents a procession of figures presenting to the king the
reports of his governors and the offerings of his subjects.
Another cast is that of the famous monolith of Cyrus.--_Chron.
des Arts_, 1892, No. 31. We understand that the collection of
casts of the Metropolitan Museum is to receive a copy of all
these casts.

SYRIA.

EDESSA.--HISTORICAL SKETCH.--M. Rubens Duval, the eminent
Syriac scholar, has been publishing in the _Journal Asiatique_
a history of the city of Edessa under the title: "_Histoire
religieuse et litteraire d'Edesse jusqu' à la première
Croisade_", (_Jour. As._ t. 18, No. 1 to t. 19, No. 1). This
monograph has been crowned by the French Academy. It includes a
considerable amount of information concerning the monuments of
the city, especially those belonging to the early Christian
period, and some idea can be gained of them by the following
abridged note. As Edessa was one of the principal cities of the
Christian East, the information is of interest. Edessa was from
its position a fortress of the first rank and reputed
impregnable. The citadel rose on a peak on the southwest angle
of the rampart. At the west end there still remain two columns
with Corinthian capitals, one of which bears an inscription
with the name of Queen Shalmat, daughter of Ma'nu, probably the
wife of King Abgar Ukhama. Within the citadel, on the great
square called Beith-Tebhara, King Abgar VII built, after the
inundation of 202, a winter palace, safe from the river floods,
and the nobles followed his example. In the city itself were
the porticoes or forum near the river, the Antiphoros or
town-hall, restored by Justinian. In 497, the governor of the
city, Alexander, built a covered gallery near the Grotto Gate
Page 141 and Public Baths, near the public storehouse; both the summer
and winter baths were surrounded by a double colonnade. To the
south, near the Great Gate, were other baths, and near them the
theatre. Within the Beth Shemesh Gate was a hospital and
outside it a refuge for old men. North of the city, near the
wall, was the hippodrome, built by Abgarus IX on his return
from Rome. The city had six gates which still exist under
different names.

Edessa is one of the few cities that are known to have had a
Christian church as early as the second century. This church
was destroyed by the inundation of 201, was then rebuilt, being
the only church in the city, suffered from the inundation of
303 and was rebuilt from its foundations in 313 by Cona, bishop
of Edessa, and his successor Sa'd. It was called the Ancient
Church, "the cathedral," also sometimes the Church of St.
Thomas, because in 394 it received the relics of the apostle
Thomas. The Frankish pilgrim woman who visited it at the close
of the fourth century, or later, speaks of its size, beauty and
the novelty of its arrangement. Duval believes her words to
relate to Justinian's building, believing in a later date than
is usually assigned to the above document. In 525 the church
was overthrown by an inundation and then rebuilt by Justinian
in such splendor as to be regarded as one of the wonders of the
world. It was overthrown by earthquakes in 679 and 718.

The other churches were as follows:

370. The Baptistery is built.
379. Church of S. Daniel or S. Domitius, built by Bishop
Vologese.
409. Church of S. Barlaha, built by Bishop Diogenes.
412. Church of S. Stephen, formerly a Jewish synagogue,
built by Bishop Rabbula.
435. The New Church, called later the Church of the Holy
Apostles, built by Bishop Hibhas.
" Church of S. John the Baptist and S. Addasus, built by
Bishop Nonnus (died 471), successor of Hibhas.
" Church of S. Mar Cona.
489. Church of the Virgin Mother of God, built on the site
of the School of the Persians after its destruction in
489.
c.505. Martyrium of the Virgin, built by Bishop Peter early in
VI century.

Outside the walls were the following churches:

Towards the N. Chapel of SS. Cosmas and Damian, built by Nonnus
(middle V century).

E. Church of SS. Sergius and Simeon, which was burned in 503 by
the Persian King Kawad.
Page 142
W. Church of Confessors, built in 346 by Bishop Abraham,
and burned by Kawad in 503.
Church of the Monks, near the citadel.

The cliffs to the west had been from early times excavated for
burial purposes. In the midst of the tombs rose the mausoleums
of the family of the Abgars, especially that of Abshelama, son
of Abgarus. They were also honeycombed with anchorites' cells.
This mountain received the name of the Holy Mountain and was
covered with monasteries, among which were the following:
Eastern Monks; S. Thomas; S. David; S. John; S. Barbara; S.
Cyriacus; Phesilta; Mary _Deipara_; of the Towers; of Severus;
of Sanin; of Kuba; of S. James. Arab writers mention over 300
monasteries around Edessa. Two aqueducts, starting from the
villages of Tell-Zema and Maudad to the north, brought
spring-water to the city; they were restored in 505 by Governor
Eulogius.

Bishop Rabbulas (412-435) built a hospital for women from the
stones of four pagan temples which were destroyed. He destroyed
the church of the sect of Bardesanes and the church of the
Arians, erecting other structures with their materials. After
the Persian wars (505) Eulogius, governor of Edessa, rebuilt
many of the damaged public monuments. He repaired the outer
ramparts and the two aqueducts; rebuilt the public baths, the
prætorium, and other structures. The bishop, Peter, restored
the cathedral and built the Martyrium of the Virgin, and also
covered with bronze one of the cathedral doors. Justinian
restored and rebuilt many buildings after the inundation of
524-25. Even under the early period of Muhammadan rule the
Christian structures were cared for. Under the Khalif
Abd-el-Malik (685-705) the Edessene Christian Athanasius, who
enjoyed great political influence, rebuilt the Church of the
Virgin, which was on the site of the School of the Persians;
rebuilt also the Baptistery in which he placed the portrait of
Christ sent to Abgarus and placed in it fountains like those of
the Ancient Church, decorating it also with gold, silver and
bronze revetments. He also built two large basilicas at Fostat
in Egypt. There is an interesting account of an artistic
treasure of great value discovered in a house belonging to a
noble family of the Goumêaus in 797 and belonging to the Roman
and Byzantine period; it is supposed to have been hidden in
609. The churches were often destroyed and rebuilt according to
the tolerance or intolerance of the Muhammadan governors. At
one period of persecution, c. 825, a mosque was built in the
_tetrapylum_ in front of the Ancient Church. It is not
important to trace the vicissitudes of the building of Edessa
any further.
Page 143

COINS OF THE KINGS OF EDESSA.--Marquis de Vogué sends to M.E.
Babelon a description of a bronze coin brought from Syria,
found either in the province of Alep or of Damas. It bears the
name of Abgarus, the name of several of the kings of Edessa.
The type is that of the small bronze pieces attributed to
Mannou VIII; the character and inscriptions are the same. It
must then be attributed to a king Abgarus whose reign
approaches as nearly as possible that of Mannou VIII. Mr.
Rubens Duval, in his history of Edessa, mentions two kings of
this name, Abgarus VIII, whose reign cut into that of Mannou
VIII, and Abgarus IX, who succeeded him. It is to one of these
two princes that this coin must be assigned. It is possible
that this monument may shed some light upon a portion of
Oriental chronology, hitherto very dark. Two other coins are
described from M. Vogué's collection, one of which, it seems,
should be attributed to the same king Abgarus as the preceding;
the other bears a name which M. Duval assigns to Abgarus XI,
who reigned for two years during a short restoration of the
government of Edessa.--_Revue Numismatique_, 1892, p. 209.

SINJIRLI.--SEMITIC INSCRIPTIONS.--The German Oriental Committee
discovered, as is well known, an ancient city buried under a
number of mounds at a place called Sinjirli in the Amanus
Mountains. Here were found a number of statues bearing cuniform
inscriptions, Hittite inscriptions and two long Aramean
inscriptions of the VIII or IX century B.C.

M. Helévy, the well-known French Orientalist, was sent by the
Paris Institute to the Museum of Berlin, where these statues
are placed, to report upon the inscriptions. M. Helévy finds
that the two kings were rulers of Yadi and that their reigns
were a century apart. The first statue is that of Panémon,
founder of his dynasty--a 40 line inscription relates the
events of his reign, the protection of the Jews, _etc._ The
second is a king who was a vassal of Tiglath-Pilezer, king of
Assyria. The inscription describes wars of his father, his own
relations with Assyria, his defeats and victories. It gives an
account of his own reign and terminates by invoking the
protection of the gods.

M. Helévy says that these inscriptions are not in the Aramean
language, as was first supposed, but a Phornician dialect very
analogous to Hebrew, which was spoken by the people whom the
Assyrians named Hatte, that is to say, Hittites or Hetheim. He
adds that the current opinion as to their not being of Semitic
race is quite erroneous and that the hieroglyphics discovered
in various parts of Asia Minor are of Anatolian and not of
Assyrian origin, the few texts of this kind found at Hamath and
Page 144 Aleppo being due to Anatolian conquerors, whose domination,
however, was very temporary in character.--_Journal of the
Royal Asiatic Society_, 1892, Oct., p. 887.