4i6 A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA chap. 



sacred objects to a foreigner. The two most interesting 

 things I secured are, I think, a hollow cross, which, 

 when opened, discloses a tiny figure of Tecla Haymanot, 

 and the insignia of the Order of the Cross and King 

 Solomon's Seal, which was instituted by the Emperor 

 Theodore, especially to honour Mr, Rassam and the 

 members of his mission. The Order consisted of three 

 classes, the respective insignia of which were to be in 

 gold, silver with gold centre, and plain silver. I made 

 particular inquiry about any other inscribed stones, and 

 a priest told me that, next to the ark, the most jealously 

 guarded treasure in the church was a stone covered 

 with writing, which, however, had been seen by very 

 few, and never by any foreigner. They also brought 

 me several copper coins, but all in a very poor state of 

 preservation, and, as a former English visitor to Axum 

 had, according to them, paid $5 to $6 each for these, 

 they had acquired such an exaggerated, value in their 

 eyes, that I finally bought none. 



With regard to the coins which have at different 

 times been found at Axum, Colonel W. F. Prideaux, 

 who has made a special study of this subject, gives the 

 following description of them, which I quote in a con- 

 densed form from an article contributed by him to the 

 Numismatic Chronicle of 1884 : — 



The Axumite coins may be divided into two great series ; the 

 earlier bearing Greek inscriptions, while those with Ethiopic legends 

 belong to a later period. In the first series all the inscriptions are in 

 Graeco-Coptic character of a debased type. Of all the gold coins 

 known, only one bears a fairly written, intelligible Greek inscription ; 

 the others are either misspelt or are unintelligible. They belong to 

 two classes ; those struck before Christianity was introduced into the 



