382 On the Epoch of the Gupta Dynasty. [No. 5. 



of our era.* The complete decay of the Indo-Scythic empire, 

 whether due on the one hand to successive losses of frontier pro- 

 vinces, or to the less perceptible fusionf of the races of conquerors 

 and conquered on the other, was manifestly a work of time, and 

 apparent traces of the surviving power of the race were to be 

 detected west of the Indus so late as the end of the 4th century." 



But, for reasons already stated — I by no means concur in the 

 supposition that "they were finally overthrown by Gupta," either 

 in A. D. 319 or that at any time this monarch made any great 

 progress against them. The coins of the dynasty in this respect, 

 bear out the general tendency of the inscriptions — and would lead us 

 to conclude that the more important acquisitions of territory were 

 not made by the Gupta family until the reign of Chandra Gupta 

 1st, or more decisively under the rule of Samudra Gupta— Ghatot 

 Kacha, though he imitates Scythian devices in his mintages,! a0es n °t 

 directly adopt their more special type, with the Parvati APAOKPO 



* Note upon Ma-twan-Hn, J. A. S. B., \\. 63 ; also Pauthier, " Thian-tchu," 

 extract from the Journal Asiatique, 1839, note, p. 9. 



t M. Pauthier (Thian-tchu, Journal Asiatique, 1839) notices a curious enquiry, 

 suggested by the similarity of meaning existing between the words Youe chi and 

 Chandra Vansa : subjoined are M. Pauthier's translation of the Chinese text and 

 his own notes on this head : — 



" Dans la Relation des contrees occidentales (Si-yu), le royaume du Thian-tchu 

 est nomme par quelques-uns Chin-thou ; et on le dit situe au sud-est des Youe-chi* 

 ou ' peuple de race lunaire' a la distance de quelque milliers de li. Les mceurs de 

 ses habitants sont les memes qui celles des Youe-chi."f Page 7. 



* " Youe-chi, mots elhniques qui signifient de race lunaire, absolument comme le 

 terme Sanskrit ^*Si "31 tchandra vansa. Voy. la notice sur ce peuple celebre (que 

 Ton croit etre les Indo-Scythes des historiens occidentaux), que nous avons traduite du 

 Pian-i-tian, liv. L1I. art. 2." 



t "Sou yu you't chi-thoung : mores cum (rod) Yout-chi (moribus) iidem. Quelque 

 extraordinaire que cette assertion paraisse, elle confirmerait le soupcon que nous avons 

 deja emis ailleurs, que les Youe Chi ou hommes de race lunaire pourraient bien avoir 

 la meme origine que les rois lndiens, aussi de race lunaire, Tcluindra-vansa." 



May not these coincidences, conjoined to the curious verbal similarity to be 

 detected between NANAIA and NANO, suggest the possibility of the meaning of 

 the latter referring to the moon, and thus PAO NANO PAO being, the King, the 

 Lunar King, or King of the Lunar Race ? 



% J. A. S. B. Vol. V. pi. xxxvi. fig. 12. Ariana Antiqua, pi. xviii. 14. 



