SOME LINGUISTIC EVIDENCE REGARDING ITS DATE. 221 



had been established at least as early as Tiglath Pileser the First's 

 days, for his inscriptions show that he overran the Iranian 

 plateau about 1100 B.C., while the inscriptions of Shalmaneser 

 mention the Medes (Madai) in the account of his expedition into 

 the land of Namri in 837 B.C.. In 744 B.C. Tiglath Pileser IV 

 carried captive from Media to Calah no less than 60,500 prisoners, 

 and multitudes more in 737 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar had among 

 other wives Amytis, daughter of Astyages (Ishtuvegu), the last 

 king of Media. Others say he married the daughter of Cyaxares 

 (Uvakhshatara), Astyages' father, — in either case a Median 

 princess. This would cause close social and some commercial 

 intercourse between the Iranians and the Babylonians. The 

 result would be some effect on the main trading language of 

 Babylonia, that is to say Aramaic. [In a lesser degree contact 

 with the Greeks might introduce a few Greek words ; for Croesus 

 of Lydia (560 B.C.) was in alliance with Sparta as well as with 

 Nabu-nahid, and he ruled certain important Greek cities in Asia 

 Minor. We are apt to underrate early Greek influence in Asia 

 as well as in Egypt. Greek mercenaries were in Nubia as early 

 as 660 B.C.* Were there no Greeks in Babylonia before Alexan- 

 der ? Sardes fell in 546 B.C. Herodotus found no difficulty in 

 reaching Babylon about 450 B.c.t and in making himself under- 

 stood by means of interpreters. It is not the large number 

 (only two), but the small number of Greek vocables in Daniel 

 which surprises us.] 



It has been said that in Daniel there is an anachronism in the 

 use of so many Persian titles of Court and State officials in 

 references to the time of Nebuchadnezzar, before such Persian 

 officials could have existed at the Babylonian Court. It is true 

 that in chapter iii, 2, 3, out of seven such titles five are Persian. 

 This cannot represent the actual fact. That is to say, these 

 Persian titles must have come into use in Aramaic after the 

 Persian domination had begun. But it must not be concluded, 

 therefore, that a long time must necessarily have elapsed between 

 the Persian conquest and the composition of the book. ^\'Tien 

 England received the Mandate for Mesopotamia, it was not found 

 possible in every instance to express exactly in Arabic the precise 

 titles assumed by the British officials. It Avas not only convenient 

 but necessary to introduce certain English terms. This was 



* Under Psammetichus, 664-610 B.C. 



t He was bom between 490 and 480 B.C., and lived to about 425 b.c. 



