368 Lassen on the History traced [No. 100. 



was to be read without any flexion, as other coins exhibit 

 KaSaQeg. The less reason is there then to connect mo, which 

 has no flexion, with Kadphises. It is evident, that much is 

 here left to be explained, but chiefly the word which has been 

 proved superfluous, whether it be in the middle or on the end. 

 We shall likewise mention the two symbols J* and f , No. 23 

 and 24, as wanting confirmation. 



The most ancient coins, on which appear the characters 

 hitherto discussed, come down to about the year 180 — 160. b. c. 

 The kings Yndopherres and Kadphises probably reigned in the 

 first century a. c. A variety of the same characters, more like 

 italic characters, but not essentially differing, is met with among 

 relics in Manikyala, where are discovered likewise coins of the 

 Sassanides ; traces of these characters are even to be observed 

 upon the coins of the Sassanides themselves ; we can therefore 

 assign to this alphabet a period from the year 160 b. c. at least 

 to the year 226. a. c, a period therefore of four hundred years. 

 From Menandros and Eukratides to Yndopherres this difference 

 alone is remarkable, that the characters of the native alphabet con- 

 tinue to be well formed and regular, while the Greek deteriorate 

 more and more to a barbarian level. The italic letters out of the 

 topes probably exhibit, rather the running hand in daily use, while 

 the characters upon the coins represent the monumental form. 



This remark may serve to introduce a variety of the writing 

 upon the coins, of a peculiar spiral form, which we have no 

 reason for assigning to a later period than to that of Kadphises, 

 and which would therefore appear to be a provincial deviation 

 from it. 



§6. 

 Variety of the characters of coins upon some coins of Hermaios. 



I here bring together another class of coins, not yet very 

 numerous, which, like the preceding, present upon the one side 

 Greek, upon the other side native legends in a peculiar form 

 of the alphabet, to which, however, Mr. Prinsep has already 

 drawn our attention. As. Trans, iv. p. 347. Besides the Greek 

 has become much more rough, and we do not know, if we 

 meet with barbarian words, or with Greek ones in the dis- 



