247 
1890.] pxmch-marhed coins of Hindustan, ^c. 
219. Food eeceptacle within bailing with two ‘ chatras.’ Fig. 121. 
A distinctly Buddhist symbol.* 
220. The Caduceds, oe staff op JUscdlapius, oe Heemes. Fig. 135. 
This symbol in its classic form is rare on the coins, but occurs on a 
copper coin procui’ed by Sir A. Cunningham at Eran ; there are two 
aspects under which this symbol may be regarded. It may be identi- 
fied with the staff of Aesculapius or the wand of Hermes, endowed with 
power of life or death, which Cyllenios bore when conducting the souls 
of the suitors to Hades. 
““Exe Sc pdjiSov fj-cra x*P<rt 
KaXTjF, xprucojF, Tg t’ dvSpwv oppara OlXyti, 
(Sv iOiXti, Tovs 8’ auTC km vTTvuiovTas cyctpci.” 
or it may be regarded simply as an astronomical symbol, representing 
the Sun and Moon conjoined, and equally applicable as a symbol of 
Kature-worship. I prefer, however, to look further back and regard it 
apart from Greek association, and to view it as a variant of the still 
more ancient symbol of Egyptian worship, the Crux ansata. The Crux 
ansata is compounded of three elements, an upright staff, two cross 
limbs and a circle. How, the classic caducous in its simplest form as 
in fig. 135, is similarly made up of these three elements, slightly modi- 
fied, and their relative position changed. Take the Crux ansata and 
remove the side limbs of the cross, and we have a circle supported by a 
staff. Slightly curve these two limbs and replace them above the circle, 
and we have the classic ‘ caduceus ’ represented by fig. 135, and this I 
take to be the origin of the symbol, and if so, it affords an interesting 
proof of the widely spread belief and the extreme antiquity of some of 
the symbols used to typify it, which recur on these coins. 
221. In symbol 221, (fig. 107) we peehaps have the ‘caduceus’ in a 
STAGE OF AEEESTED GEOWTH, OR A VARIANT PRODUCED DURING PROCESS 
OP CONVEESION. Fig. 107. 
A still further proof of the plasticity of mythological symbolism 
lies in the fact that the ‘ Caducous ’ is either represented as two serpents 
turned round a rod (its classic form), or in place of two serpents a 
lighter form of the ‘ Caduceus ’ is made by simply attaching No. 3 sym- 
bol to a staff as in the round copper coin of Azes (Ariana Antiqua, PI. 
VII, fig. 12), though the symbol on the coin there figured, is really a 
slight variant from the usual type, the bottom part of No. 3 symbol 
being there formed by a loop of the staff, formed by the top being bent 
# The ‘ chatras ’ on the railing, are accidentally omitted in the figure. 
