1837.] to the Buddhist group of ancient coi?is. 467 



is called by Syncellus, "Eirapx°* tt)j nepm/crjs, while Photius calls 

 him (under an erroneous name) 'Sarpdirriv ourfjy rrjs x<>>P a s Ka.Taa-ri.vT a, 

 appointed by Antiochus Theos ; so that no doubt whatever could 

 exist as to their identity, although until the discovery of the coins, 

 there was no third evidence whence the learned could decide be- 

 tween the two names. The presumption might have been in favor of 

 Agathocles, because among the body-guard of Alexander was found 

 an Antylocus, son of Agathocles, who by the prevailing custom of his 

 country would have named his son Agathocles, after his own father." 

 M. Raoul de Rochette proceeds to identify this eparch of Persia 

 with Diodotus or Theodotus the founder of the Bactrian independency. 

 Supposing him to have seized the opportunity of striking the blow 

 during the confusion of Antiochus' war with Ptolemy, and while he 

 was on deputation to the distant provinces of the Oxus, — that he was 

 at first chary of placing his own head on his coin, contenting himself 

 with a portrait of Bacchus, — and his panther on the reverse : — but 

 afterwards emboldened to adopt the full insignia of royalty. Thus 

 according to our author a singular shift of authorities took place — 

 Arsaces the satrap of Parthia quits that place and sets up for himself 

 in Persia, in consequence of the aggression of Diodotus (or Agatho- 

 cles) king of Bactria who had originally been eparch of Persia : — 

 both satraps becoming kings by this curious bouleversement. The 

 non-discovery of Theodotus' medals is certainly in favor of M. 

 Raoul de Rochette's argument, but the present fact of a Hindi legend 

 on his coin militates strongly against his kingdom being thrown ex- 

 clusively to the northward. By allowing it to include Parthia Proper, 

 or Seistan, and the provinces of the Indus, this difficulty would be got 

 rid of ; but still there will remain the anomaly of these Indian le- 

 gends being found only on Agathocles and Pantaleon's coins, while 

 those of Menander, who is known to have possessed more of India 

 Proper, have only the Pehlevi reverse. Agathocles' rule must have 

 included a sect of Buddhists somewhere, for besides the letters we find 

 their peculiar symbol present on many of the panther coins. At any 

 rate we have certainty of the existence of our alphabet in the third 

 century before Christ, exactly as it exists on our Indian monuments, 

 which is all that on the present occasion it is relevant to insist on. 

 § 3. Application of die alphabet to other inscriptions, particularly those 

 of the Idts of Upper India. 

 Another convenient test by which the newly found alphabet can 

 be proved was the Rev. Mr. Stevenson's facsimile of the Carli 

 inscriptions published in the 3rd volume of the Journal, p. 428. I 



