1858. ] Buddhism and Odinism. 65 



" Having thus demonstrated that Snorro places the birth-place 

 of the Ases in Turkistan, we see that Chinese, Greek and Latin, 

 writers speak of a people or of a race of Ases in the same regions. 

 A Chinese author mentions that, in the second century before Jesus 

 Christ, there arrived at Lo-Jang, capital of China, a Saman* of the 

 race of Ases, who lived on the banks of the river Oxus, and who had 

 translated the holy book which he had brought with him, and which 

 led to the conversion of a large portion of mankind to Buddhism. f 

 StraboJ says that, among the people who, issuing forth from beyond 

 the banks of the Jaxartes, invaded Bactria and snatched the posses- 

 sions of Alexander's successors, the most distinguished were called 

 the (Ao-ioi) Asioi. Trogus Pompeius makes mention of the same cir- 

 cumstance in these words ' Sarancse et Asiani Bactra oceupavere,' 

 and in another place, he calls " reges Tocharorum Asiani,"§ expres- 

 sions which led M. Lassen to start the opinion that the Asii or 

 Asiani were not the same people, but tribes of a distinguished 

 race, from whom the kings of Tochares deduce their origin. || This 

 hypothesis acquires some appearance of truth, if we suppose that 

 it is the same name which we read on the coins with the legend 

 BA2IAEOS BA2IAEQN MErAAOY AZOY. A great number of 

 these coins were discovered in the topes ; and they have been 

 found elsewhere, particularly to the North and East of Peshawur, in 

 much larger quantities than any other variety. It is worthy of 

 remark that the coins of Azes present a greater number of types 

 than those of any other sovereign whose coins have been found 

 in the topes ; a reason which led Mr. Wilson to suppose that they 

 are not to be attributed to one single king, but to Azes and several 

 of his successors who nourished in the first century before Christ 

 and laterally.^" The hypothesis of M. Lassen is supported by Jor- 

 nandes, who says, Gothi proceres suos anses, i. e. semideos voca- 



* " Saman or rather Cramana, " ascetics who have subdued their senses," is 

 a terra which designates the Buddhist clergy." 



f Zeitschrift f. d. Tc. de Morgenl. III. p. 121 — 123. 



% Strabol. XI. 8, 2, (p. 511). 



§ Trog. Pomp. XLI. XLIL 



|| Indisclte Altert7iums7cunde, II. p. 360. 



T[ Ariana Antiqva, p. 320, et seq. 



K 



