VII.—On the three Kinds of Persepolitan Writing, and on the Babylonian 
Lapidary Characters. By the Rev. Evwarp Hincxs, D.D. 
Read 30th November, and 14th December, 1846. 
SINCE my paper “On the first and second Kinds of Persepolitan Writing” 
was printed, I have received a copy of the Bisitun inscriptions of the first kind; 
and I am happy to be able to say, that they completely confirm the three general 
corrections of Lassen’s mode of reading which I proposed in that paper. I will 
mention some points that appear to me very strongly in favour of my views. 
1st. Instances occur, in which words which terminate in 33, 16, zy, or 26, 2, 
uw, when they stand alone, are deprived of the final semivowel when an enclitic 
is attached to them. Thus, imiya, “these” (as Major Rawlinson reads it, after 
Lassen), which occurs alone, IV. 80, occurs 1V. 77, with the enclitic wd, “and,” 
and is written wniwd. Huwa, “he, with the enclitic for «to him,’ is written 
hushiya i the Persepolitan inscription H. 3. This I regard as positive proof 
that, in these words, the final syllable, as the Major writes them, should be 
dropped. We cannot, however, infer that, where the semivowel was retained 
before the enclitic, it was sounded as wa or ya. This same word is, in ILI. 11, 
written Awwa before an enclitic, and yet it must have been sounded hu. In 
some words it was sounded as in har’wwashim, from har’uwa, “all,” and shim, 
“him,” II. 90; but by no means in all. According to my mode of reading, 
these words would be imé, imé-wa; hu, hi-shé; haruwa, haruwa-shim ; the 
enclitic making no change in the pronunciation of the word to which it is 
attached. , 
2nd. Instances occur in which prepositions which terminate with the semi- 
yowel, when alone, omit it in composition with words beginning with consonants, 
Thus, patiya is found alone, II. 43, and an’uwa, I. 92. Both these occur, also, 
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