834 Notice of the Inscriptions [June, 



such as 9, ii, 1, 1> **!. J 1 , u, S, ""k, &c. : but for want of a perfect alpha- 

 bet, or of a Roman version of the inscription, no comparison can yet 

 be made. The learned Lichtenstein, in his dissertation on the arrow- 

 headed character, has furnished a plate of all the varieties of Pe hie viand 

 Zend, as known in his time, from the travels of Niebuhr, &c. By way 

 of exhibiting the analogy which exists between these and our new 

 character, I have carefully set them in comparison, in Plate XIX., tak- 

 ing Lichtenstein's imperfect alphabet of what he designates the 

 Arabico-Persic Zend, as the only available one of this type. The Pehlevi 

 inscription alphabet I have taken from Ker Porter's facsimiles ; and 

 the Pehlevi of coins from plates of coins in Marsden, Ker Porter, 

 Hyde, &c, and from actual coins : but in most of the latter that I 

 have seen, the letters are so very indistinctly formed, that it is quite 

 impossible to read them ; and, indeed, most of the attempts hitherto 

 made have failed to pass the common titles : — the names are very ob- 

 scure. A reflection here forces itself, that if the coins of the Sassanian 

 court were so illegible, we need not be surprised at equal or 

 greater difficulties attending those of the Bactrian princes. 



In the 6th column I have inserted, at random, such of the letters on 

 the cylinders, as approach in appearance to the coin types. No reli- 

 ance however must be placed on this allocation, until a reading has 

 been effected of some portion. It is only intended to shew, that the 

 characters of the cylinders and coins are identical in their nature. 



In the last column I have added the Zend alphabet, as restored with 

 so much ability by M. Burnouf. It has a few points of accord- 

 ance with the Pehlevi; but the genius of it follows rather the Sanscrit 

 type ; and the constant expression of the vowels, long and short, 

 distinguishes it essentially from the alphabets of Semitic origin. 



Having thus completed our survey of the characters found on the 

 Bactrian coins, and on the curious inscriptions extracted from the 

 topes, (in which latter however we must expect to find such deviations 

 from kaligraphy as a written text naturally exhibits,) let us now apply 

 our uncertain knowledge, with circumspection, to the various names 

 and titles on the coins themselves, and see how they may be read in 

 Roman characters. 



Plate XX. contains them all arranged — first, according to the full 

 inscriptions ; secondly, the names and titles separated. From what 

 has been said above, I would venture thus to express the names of the 

 Greek sovereigns in Roman letters. 



Apollodotou T^MPO Apaladado 



Antilakidou, *PtL>i+i1 + l9 Atikalikado. 



Antimachou, TSvj^9 Atimacho. 



