1840.] from Bactrian and Indo- Scythian coins, 459 



but Bactrian kings.* Mionnetf arranges both under the kings 

 Characene, upon the authority of Visconti, who first properly 

 determined the coins of this dynasty, (I-conographie Grecque. 

 in. p. 260.—) 



I do not find, that among the acknowledged coins of Monneses 

 any one is noted, which has upon the reverse a legend in native 

 characters, and supposing that the Mo upon the coin of Swinton 

 supplies Monneses, this king was not a native of Charax, 

 but of Cabul; for the native legend obviously is the following : 

 yyyyfyyyyh'K viz. in the ordinary form : *JlT»un *anl 

 (ma)harajo raja dirajo. 



The writing has exactly the strokes of the characters in the 

 topes. 



The head dress of this coin has rather a Parthian than a 

 Sassanian character, as the victory also intimates a Parthian, 

 not a Sassanian dynasty. The form of the native character 

 leads us, however, almost down to the age of the Sassanides, 

 and certainly fixes Cabul as the native country of this coin 

 The existence of the Greek writing must, however, prevent us 

 from assigning this coin to a later period than that, when the 

 Greek writing was still in use upon the coins in the countries 

 of Iran. The Sassanides never made use of it, as far as I know, 

 upon coins, and with the Kanerki-coins it fell into disuse in the 

 border countries of India. The coin may therefore belong to 

 the period, preceding that of the Sassanides. 



The type of the coins, which are proved to refer to Monneses, 

 is at variance with the supposition, that the king on the coin 

 under discussion was likewise called Monneses. But as there 

 now is none in the series, known to us, of the Parthian kings, 

 whose name commences with Mo, we must be allowed to sup- 

 pose, as of the Sassanides, so of the Arsakides, a collateral line 

 to have established an independent kingdom on the borders 

 of Kabulistan. But it would be proper to examine, whether 

 the initials preserved of the name rather be not ME, in this case 

 Meherdates might be conjectured. 



To return to the real subject of this chapter, I conclude these 

 remarks by observing, that no Indian imitation of the Kadphises- 



* Doctr. num. vel. i. vol. hi. p. 560. f Tome vm. p. 510. v. p. 706. 



