1854.] On the Ballads and Legends of the Punjab. 85 



Nevertheless the appearance of these coins in Buddhistic topes 

 renders it highly probable that Buddhism had been extensively 

 adopted when those coins were struck, and leaves not a doubt that 

 it prevailed whilst the coins were yet current. 



If we go back to the first coin of the Scytho- Greek series, that 

 of Kadphises, it is impossible to resist the conviction that it was 

 the work of fire-worshippers. In many of the golden coins, the prin- 

 cipal figure has a pyramidal helmet, i. e. a helmet shaped like a 

 flame of fire, and a flame of fire issues from the helmet. A flame 

 also rises from either shoulder. He is pointing down to an altar 

 and looking up, sometimes with the left arm akimbo, at others rest- 

 ing it upon a trident, and manifestly demonstrating the necessity 

 of the worship he inculcates. His features are Turkish, his dress is 

 that of Bokhara, and Bulkh the land of Zertoosht, when indeed he 

 is not clad in Grecian mail. He has the club of Hercules denoting 

 Heraclean origin, and the trident, as descendant of the rulers of the 

 waves. He has sometimes* the Barn's horns as Aonun Ea or Amun 

 Helios, not of Egypt but of Greece. f These horns appear in old 

 coins of Alexander, but were not adopted by any of his successors 

 in Ariana. Upon the coins are the legends BACIAEYC OOHMO 

 KAA$ICHC. BACIAEYC BACIAEON MEIAC OOHMO KAA$ICEC. 

 BACIAEYC BACIAEON COTHP MEIAC OOMHN KAAMCHC. 

 KOrCO KOZOYAO KAA$IZOY. 



But it is certainly not the figure of Kadphises that is sacrificing. 

 For we have the head of that monarch upon other coins exhibiting 

 purely Greek traits, and not at all resembling in any particular the 

 full length portrait. 



It seems to me highly probable that the full length figure repre- 

 sents Zertoosht, and that Kadphises introduced the system of that 

 sectarian into his dominions. There is as yet nothing savoring of 

 the Buddhistic doctrines. But they seem to have sprung out of 



* See No. 9, of the Plate. 



f The Greeks seem to have been mistaken in attributing the ram's head to 

 Amun. It more properly belonged to Kneph. But they could not have fallen 

 into this error uuless the two Deities had been in their day confounded together 

 by the Egyptians themselves. See Bunsen. 



