168 Mr. George Tate on Ancient Sculptured Rocks, Hfc. 



is thouglit, the egg and serpent, emblems in Phoenician 

 worship. 



I have examined the Egyptian, Assyrian, and other east- 

 ern inscriptions in the British Museum and elsewhere, hut I 

 have not been able to detect any figure like the typical forms 

 of the Northumberland inscriptions. Circles with a central 

 boss may be seen ; among Egyptian hieroglyphics there is a 

 circle around a central dot ; and the same kind of circle with 

 the addition of a short curve from the circumference, expres- 

 sive of the God Phre ; but nowhere is seen the circle around 

 the hollow along with the radial groove. 



One of the symbols on the Scottish stones — that which is 

 called the spectacle ornament, formed by two groups of con- 

 centric circles round a hollow, the groups being united by 

 two or more curved grooves — has a resemblance to some 

 of the compound figures of Northumbrian stones ; but still 

 the Scottish symbol has not the radial groove. The Scottish 

 symbolical stones belong, I believe, to a later period than the 

 Northumberland sculptures — to the age immediately preced- 

 ing the introduction of Christianity. 



IX. BY WHOM AND AT WHAT PERIOD THE INSCRIPTIONS 



WERE MADE. 



We are now somewhat better prepared to consider the 

 questions — who made these inscriptions and at what period ? 

 by what kind of tools have they been made? and what do 

 they mean ? 



