1840.] from Bactrian and Indo- Scythian coins. 457 



§ 10. 



Indian, Sassanian, and very ancient Indian coins. 



We shall here only touch these two classes as the limits of 

 our investigations, and as points, important for the critical 

 illustration of the former classes. A discovery made by Mr. 

 Prinsep, and fully examined in some treatises by him, gives both 

 classes an unexpected reference to the foregoing ones, viz. that 

 the Indian coins the most ancient we know, have been gradually 

 formed partly out of the different species of Kanerki-coim, partly 

 out of a peculiar class of Sassanian coins.* 



This latter class scarcely belongs to the well known dynasty 

 of Persia Proper, whose coins are brought for sale to the bazars 

 of Cabool, (As. T. VI. 289) but a collateral line of the Sassa- 

 nides must have reigned in Cabul, and Beghram. At the latter 

 place a great number of their coins have been discovered. We 

 observe two different kinds of them, to which a numerous 

 division of coins is joined, already entirely Indian, and having 

 Nagari legends. These latter shall here no further occupy us. 



The first class of the coins, strictly Sassanian, consists of 

 small copper coins, which may be divided, after the head- 

 dresses of their images, into three series : one coin of this class 

 is published by Mr. Masson, As. Trans, v. PI. xliv. The 

 legend appears hardly to be in the characters, known to us. 

 The second class is chiefly distinguished by a buffaloe's head 

 being over the head of the king, and by the fire altar on the 

 reverse. Their legends seem to be a species of the character of 

 Sassanian Pehlvi as found on coins, but they also have Deva- 

 nagari letters, As. Trans, vi. PI. xiv. No. 3. No. 5. No. 6. 



By this they are connected with a class, a few specimens of 

 which are only discovered, two however in Manikyala. They 

 have the complete Sassanian type, with the exception of the fire 

 altar, with legends in Devanagari, As. Trans, in. PI. xxi. p. 

 439. vi. p. 288. A third of these coins from Cabul (As. Trans, 

 in. PI. xxv. No. 6.) distinctly has the name ^pf^TST^T 



* See chiefly As. Trans. IV. p. 621, p. 668, then vol. VI. p. 288. Speci- 

 mens of Hindoo coins, descended from the Parthian type, though the word 

 Parthian in the title for Sassanian is not at its right place. 



3n 



