456 Lassen on the History traced [No. 101. 



Mr. Prinsep (V. p. 640) calls to mind the names Phraates, 

 Phraortes, Phradates. The last especially is very plausible; and 

 Phradates might have been substituted for Pharadates ; Phara 

 would be the root for Pharo. Mithradates and so many simi- 

 lar names are sufficiently known. Phradates cannot, however, 

 be but fradata, i. e. fra cannot be but the preposition. I ob- 

 serve in Vendidad Sade, p. 50, a wordfrd (bjo), which I, how- 

 ever, cannot explain. 



XII. Mr. Mueller cites, according to the coin, vol. in. 

 PI. xxv. No. 11, another figure of a god, with the legend 

 OAYOBOYAAKANA ; AAA, however is uncertain. I have 

 no conjecture to offer whatever, (there is only one figure) on 

 this word. 



The word MA9P0 which Mr. Prinsep reads on some coins 

 of the king, riding on an elephant (As. Trans, in. p. 453), per- 

 haps is merely MIBPO, a little indistinct. Thus we at least 

 observe it upon one of those coins ; vol. v. PI. li. No. 10. 



I have thus subjected these coins also, as briefly as I possibly 

 could do it, to an examination, with reference to their philolo- 

 gical facts. The principal historical fact, resulting from them, 

 that the dynasty of Kanerki, Oerki, and of their successors, how- 

 ever they may have been styled, were addicted to a doctrine, 

 which compounded of those of Mithra and Zoroaster, cannot 

 have been produced, but while they passed through Bactria to 

 India, scarcely required so long a discussion ; while on the other 

 hand, as regards the religious history, a discussion, much more 

 exact, must be undertaken, as many new materials will proba- 

 bly be supplied from additional coins. The mixture of an Indian 

 ingredient in that mythology derived from the Siva worship, may 

 be considered as a discovery, casually obtained. All these names 

 of gods do not properly fix the native country of the coins, but 

 bear the impress of those countries, in which the gods origina- 

 ted, and not necessarily or exclusively of the region in which 

 the Kanerkis reigned, when the coins were struck by their order. 

 The words of Zend, however, incidentally concur in proving 

 the Zend to have been at that period the language of Bactria, 

 and perhaps of Sogdiana. In a strict sense, PAONANOPAO 

 and KOPANO alone hint at the native country of the coins. 



