640 Lassen on the History traced [No. 103. 



Though I cannot therefore discover the Afghans on the Indian 

 frontier at so early a period^ yet I willingly allow^ that the ori- 

 ginal seats of the Afghans^ may have had a situation sufficiently 

 near Cabul. On this supposition^ it would by no means be sur- 

 prising^ if their language were not a purely Iranian dialect, but 

 rather like that on the coins, forming the transitional dialect 

 between the Iranian and the Indian, but approaching (in point 

 of locality), the west, with a prevailing affinity to Iranian pecu- 

 liarities. I dare, however, not indulge myself by pursuing 

 this interesting investigation. 



§ 14. 



The Kings. Classes of coins, and places of their discovery. 



There is much more difficulty in obtaining for the seat of the 

 different empires, established by the coins, and for the series of 

 their kings, even that degree of probability, which we have, I think, 

 succeeded in arriving at for both the language and alphabet. 



It will here be necessary, first to have before us the materials 

 to be arranged ; I shall accordingly enumerate the names of the 

 kings according to the coins, adding the facts, which hence 

 result, as regard the aera, the succession, or any remarkable cir- 

 cumstance with respect to each of those kings. I have invari- 

 ably noted the places, where the coins have been discovered, if it 

 appeared to be instrumental in determining the native country 

 of the kings. The classes I have adopted, are founded on the 

 language and alphabet, and their sub-divisions upon the numis- 

 matic inquiries of Mr. Raoul-Rochette, and upon the titles of 

 the kings. 



Concerning this catalogue, I must premise, that it has been 

 only made with a view to facilitate succeeding investigations, 

 and that it does not pretend to giving a numismatic description. 



I. Coins with merely Greek characters. 

 § 1. Greek characters, and purely Greek names and titles, 

 Euthy demos. Head with diadem; on the reverse Hercules, 

 either standing with the club raised in his left hand, the lion's 

 skin over the arm, and in the right hand a crown, or else a com- 

 mon Hercules, seated, leaning on his left hand, in the right the 



