E ors some surgical bronze instruments, formerly belon- 
ging to the Palestinean and Syriac collection of the Russian 
Baron v. Ustinow, and now in the possession of the Nor- 
wegian ophthalmologist Dr. med. S. HorrH (Kristiania) is found 
a Ora9ourÀg provided with a stamped mark showing Arabic 
characters. 
In connexion with Dr. Holth's demonstration of the other 
bronze instruments in the Scientific Society of Kristiania the 
above mentioned Arabic inscription will in the following be 
separately dealt with. 
As an introductory remark should be mentioned that these 
bronze instruments including the spathomele, according to infor- 
mation in the sale catalogue, »were found in and near Aska- 
lon«. Of course, this may not exclude that the instruments 
have originally been manufactured in other places; and indeed, 
a closer examination of the inscription on the spathomele might 
turn the attention in the direction of another place for the 
origin of this instrument, at least, viz. Palmyra. 
I am unable to fix the date of the manufacture of the 
spathomele. The inscription gives no date; from the form 
of the characters in the inscription hardly anything absolutely 
sure regarding a precise date can be concluded, nor does the 
configuration of the instrument itself give any accurate infor- 
mation concerning that point. Yet, I will not deny that an 
experienced scholar of Arabic epigraphy or paleography may 
be able to fix a comparatively narrow space of time for the 
make of the said bronze instrument. The fact that the spatho- 
mele is inscribed with a personal name (may be that of the 
manufacturer) which only has been found in Palmyrene inscrip- 
tions might lead to the supposition that the instrument has been 
made within the space of time, in which the Palmyrene inscrip- 
A Palmyrene spatula sound with a stamped mark showing Arabic characters in alto riliavo. Size lA. 
D. 
Fig. 
