IO S. HOLTH. 
M.-N. KL 
The name is also found in epitaphs in Palmyrene and in Greek letters; 
Mr. Fonahn's argumentation requires transcriptions in hebraic letters; 
his essay is printed in the same volume as my lecture. I will here only 
show the Arabic inscription magnified (Fig. 1) together with a few words 
inspired by Mr. Fonahn. 
Bier. 
The Arabic inscription of the spoon spatula Pl. II, rr enlarged X 3/1. 
We have here six Arabic consonants; there are no sign for vocali- 
sing and consequently no »hemza«; as well known the writing must be 
read from the right to the left. The consonants are as follows: 
I. »Alif«; for several reasons, among others from the Greek transcrip- 
tion "A9názefloc, it must be inferred that the vocalisation is a short 4. 
2. stäae=t; vowel: i or e, hardly a, not u. 
3. »*ain« is a diamond resting on a horizontal line; it reminds of one 
of the different Cufic shapes of this consonant. The vowel must be 
A short a, 
4. »kaf« =k; the following »alif« proves, that the vocalisation must be 
a long à. 
5. »alif«. 
6. shat: -— b. 
In Roman transcription the name must be read »Ati akab.« 
It might be supposed that a Palmyrene instrument maker had his 
. business in Ascalon or that the instrument had come to this town in 
some other manner. The most natural surmise is, however, that the instru- 
ment was made and was found in Palmyra, from whence probably the 
greater part of the Ustinov collections came. The spoon spatulas PI. III, 
12— I4 are evidently from the same workshop as No. 11. According to 
newer Arabists, in spite of their modern appearance the letters may be 
older than the Cufic letters. It is however most likely that the inscription 
dates from the epoch after the Mohammedan conquest; probably between 
the 7th and the r2th century A. D. 
Mr. Fonahn says also that he has found in Melchior de Vogüé: »Syrie 
centrale. Inscriptions Sémitiques«, a Palmyrene inscription with the name 
