246 Rev. Epwarp Hincxs on the three Kinds of Persepolitan Writing, 
A character which represents a consonant followed by a generally loses its 
vowel, if it precedes a character in the same word which represents any syllable 
beginning with the same consonant; and a character which represents a conso- 
nant followed by w generally loses its vowel, if it precedes a character of the 
same value. In these cases I substitute an apostrophe for the vowel that is to be 
suppressed. If three characters which represent syllables commencing with the 
same consonant concur, two only are to be sounded ; and those which are equiva- 
lent in value, if concurring, are to be reduced to one syllable. Thus, 35, 43, 41, 
ba, bu, bu, in the name of Babylon, are to be read ba.b’bw. It is possible, how- 
ever, that this may have been regarded as a compound word, and that, on this 
account, the first syllable was pronounced distinct; for, in other instances, the 
first and second syllables seem to be reduced to one, and the third to be pro- 
nounced separately. 
The vowels 7 and w are scarcely distinguished ; and, in the application of the 
preceding rule, syllables commencing with the same consonant, and terminating 
with 7 and w, are regarded as equivalent. I have, therefore, classed them toge- 
ther, placing, however, those characters first which appear most decidedly to have 
contained 7, and those last which always expressed w. or greater distinctness 4 
is added to these ambiguous syllables when 7 is intended to be pronounced, and 
6 when w. Iam not sure whether 5 be not an ambiguous or intermediate vowel, 
or whether it be equivalent to 6. 
The consonants R and L are not distinguished; nor are B, P, W, and M; 
nor K, G and KH;; nor S and the other sibilants, except in one instance: see 
note on 65. CH appears to have been expressed by S, and J by K; but, per- 
haps, not in every instance. 
1. Rather Aleph than A. In some cases it appears to have the value 7 ; and 
it is remarkable that the Median character which corresponds in form, No. 72, 
was an I. This character is used in the Persepolitan inscriptions to express 
“son of.” 
2. This is interchanged with both the preceding and following. I should 
give it the value a, if I could depend on the manner in which the name of 
Artaxerxes is written on the Venice vase being correct. [I suspect, however, that 
2 was used by mistake for 46; see the Gener pte In other cases, the charac- 
