566 Note on the Coins discovered at Mdnikydla. [Nov. 



accordance with the reign of Shapur II. of Persia, in the middle of the 

 fourth century, the date already assigned to the principal tope from, the 

 presence of that sovereign's coins. We may therefore now look upon 

 the epoch of the Hindu or Indo-scythian Rao Kanerki, as established 

 from these two concurring evidences, and it may serve as a fixed point 

 whence to trace backwards the line of strange names of other equally 

 unknown and obscure monarchs, whose names are now daily coming to 

 light through the medium of these coins, until they fall in with the 

 well-known kings of the Bactrian provinces. 



I once more stop the press for the purpose of noticing a very impor- 

 tant paragraph in the second volume of Marsderis Numismata Orienta- 

 Ha, this moment received from England, materially affecting the anti- 

 quity of the Manikyala monument. 



It will be remembered, that the Sassanian coins deposited there were 

 all of that species distinguished by an ornament of two wings upon 

 the head-dress, and that I assigned them on the authority of Ker Por- 

 ter, and for other reasons which appeared conclusive, to Shapur II. 

 A. D. 310-380. There was also on some of them a curious cypher, 

 (vide Plate XXI.) of O oj «-^J-3 which seemed to defy scrutiny. 



It seems that Mr. Marsden, on the authority of Sir William 

 Ouseley, backed by the Baron de Sacy, attributes all this class of 

 coins to Khosrtt-parviz, A. D. 589, the Zend word Hoslui (for KhosruJ 

 being stated to exist on many of them. They have also a cypher 

 somewhat resembling the above. 



A multitude of these coins have also been discovered bearing Arabic 

 names, Omar, Said, Harir, &c. in addition to their usual inscription, 

 and the fact had been explained by Mr. Froehn of the Petersburgh 

 Academy*, by extracts from history, proving that the early Muham- 

 medan conquerors of Persia retained the national coinage until 75-76, 

 A. H., when the Khalifs Ab-dul Malek, and Hajjaj substituted their 

 Cuficcoin. Makrizi, in particular, makes the following decisive as- 

 sertion : " Omar caused dirhems to be struck with the same impressions 

 as were in use under the Khosroes, and of the same form, with the 

 addition only of certain Arabic sentences, upon some, and upon others 

 the name of the Khalif." The curious cypher above alluded to, is ac- 

 cordingly set down by the Baron de Sacy as Arabic, and he reads it, 

 uJumo, ,j _ ls^ The form in the original is a little different from 

 our Manikyala type, the termination of the first cypher having an op- 

 posite curvature }0 [/(L^C-fro. In this form it might possibly be read 

 Hajdj, although, as Mr. Marsden remarks, it is difficult to discover 

 bin Ydsuf in the context : — but if the flourish upon the Manikyala coin 



* This circumstance was pointed out to me by Captain Jenkins, as noticed on 

 *he cover of the last Journal. 



