1842.] collected in the neighbourhood of Herat. 319 



Parthian (?) inhabitants or invaders of Khorassan. Even this meagre in- 

 dex to a solution of the meaning of the type might give an able antiquary 

 the means of following up the investigation with success. 



The cylinder, figured No. 12, in Rich's Memoir of the Ruins of Ba- 

 bylon, differs from that before us as respects the inscription, but with 

 regard to the human figures, is precisely the same. The priest in the 

 striped robe, with his arms raised in the manner (vide Kerr Porter's 

 Travels,) depicted on many of the ancient Persepolitan sculptures, the 

 man with the dagger, as if in the performance of a rite, are exact in 

 the one as in the other ; the emblem between these figures is however 

 different from our's ; it is also **$f t differently placed, and not as 

 standing on the ground ; it is in «^-n-^ » this shape, while the indistinct 

 emblem, which is given in our's (j above the heads of the figures, 

 is replaced in Rich's by a directly solar type, as I conceive it to be. 

 > fj\ This variation in the emblems may account for the inscription 

 \==» of a different written formula. Mr. Rich's brief notice of 

 these curious relics, I extract for readier reference. 



" The Babylonian cylinders are among the most remarkable and in- 

 teresting of the antiques. They are from one to three inches in length : 

 some are of stone, and others apparently of paste, or composition of 

 various kinds. Sculptures from several of these cylinders have been 

 published in different works; and Nos. 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14, are 

 specimens of my own collection. Some of them have Cuneiform writing 

 on them, (as Nos. 12 and 13,) which is of the third species ; but has the 

 remarkable peculiarity, that it is reversed, or written from right to left ; 

 every other kind of Cuneiform writing being incontestably to be read 

 from left to right. This can only be accounted for, by supposing, that 

 they were intended to roll off impressions. The cylinder No. 11, was 

 found in the site of Ninevah. I must not omit mentioning in this 

 place, that a Babylon cylinder was not long ago found in digging in 

 the field of Marathon, and is now in the possession of Mr. Fauvel of 

 Athens. The cylinders are said to be chiefly found in the ruins of 

 Jerbouiya. The people of this country are fond of using them as 

 amulets, and the Persian pilgrims, who come to the shrines of Ali and 

 Hossein, frequently carry back with them some of these curiosi- 

 ties." 



Having done my best to offer some explanation of this curious relic, I 

 have, with inexpressible regret to state, that it is no longer in my posses- 



