1866.] Meynard's Ibn Khordddbeh. 131 



2 Greek feet == 82 Arabic inches = 273.32 lignes de Paris. The 

 Arabs have besides a cubit of 24 inches (the ^lelji), and one (the 

 black cnbit) of 27 inches ; the proportion of the former to the Haschi- 

 mite cnbit is as 3 : 4. 



Regarding the square measures I am in the dark. According to 

 an extract from the Akhwanalcafa, inserted by Dieterici in the Zeitsch. 

 d. D.M.Gr., 1 Jaryb of 10 Qafyz = 3600 Haschimite square 

 cubits. I suspect that there must have existed a Jaryb of \ of this 

 value or = 6300 Haschimite square cubits = 22700 □ Pieds de 

 Paris. This is, however, a question which ought to be further inves- 

 tigated by those who have better soui'ces. 



The history of the finances of the East, as handed down by the 

 Arabs, begins with the Susanians, but the two accounts which we 

 have of their revenue, are extremely difficult to be reconciled with each 

 other. Ibn Khordadbeh, p. 42, says : ^j^- ^ K y>.iy.\ lsj~^I cs^ ^ 3 

 kiJf c j.j.m£ j (jLftjL«o «_aJ| o^f &*ijl *£JL« &* \^ £ cfU-* Aw ^'s &\ZI.+x> 

 ^jju^J j L.4&. j «_flj| \Jd) AjI/o £A.« **ji>J| ej^J lSJ'& &y£<l jliU/o <Jd\ 



JlsLo i_fl'i vJU| *jUa*» aixl+zo iJU^. o*£JU +i (_ftJ| »JJ| 



Qodama, in my incorrect extracts from the corrupted text, says : 



j AiLo ^k ijLe &I+} *i«j ^ **1*J-J <U=>di ^jnS^I Jjj^j| ^j^S ^! JlftJ 



l^ji l^tyJl ^jU j ^^-~J| jy* aJL-s/ Iii*«s j jdJ/,S U 8<>J ^ u;($ l#i| 



^jf i^j£+)\ &*> sUx* M U ^ j caJsA ^Ji ^!< *<y=» ^i/ *_^A*..J| Jl^i 



There is no doubt that both accounts refer to the same fact, yet 

 there is only one figure " 600 millions of Dirhams" in both identical. 

 This figure appears to me to express the amount of revenue in Musul- 

 man Dirhams. Ten Musulman Dirhams are in weiglit equal to 7 

 Mithqals, consequently 600 millions Dirhams = 420 millions Mithqals 

 or 5,833,333J Roman pounds. The first figure of Ibn Khordadbeh is 

 consequently to be read 420 millions instead of 24 millions. At the 

 time of Qodama 15 Dirhams (silver) had the value of one Dynar or 

 Mithqal (of gold) ; consequently gold was only 9J times more valuable 

 than silver. It seems, however, that gold had at times a higher rate, 

 and that a pound of gold was equal in value to 10 pounds of silver. 

 420 Mithqals of silver were therefore equal to 42 Mithqals or Dynars 

 of gold in value, I consequently propose to read in Qodama 42 mil- 



