7 
1898.] M. A. Stein — New inscriptions discovered by Major Deane. 
M. Senart had already clearly recognized the fact that the inscrip¬ 
tions before him showed at least three distinct types of writing, each of 
which, on examining the find-spots of the inscriptions exhibiting it, 
could be connected with a well-defined locality or territorial division. 
These types which he accordingly distinguished under the very appro¬ 
priate name of Spankharra, Boner and Mahaban , are all largely re¬ 
presented among the new inscriptions. It is a fresh proof of M. Senart’s 
well-known penetration and sagacity as an epigraphist that the local 
distribution of the new inscriptions entirely supports his grouping. 
This fact is most convincingly illustrated in the case of M. Senart’s 
first group, that of Spankharra. Though M. Senart had only a single 
small inscription — probably a fragment—to place under this head, he 
did not fail to realize that its characters, both in form and execution, 
differ considerably from those met with in the other two classes. Their 
curiously irregular scrawly lines made M. Senart compare them 
rightly enough to mere Sgraffitti. These we now find reappearing on not 
less than twenty-three specimens which all, with one doubtful exception, 
come from the same locality or its immediate vicinity. Spankharra 
lies in Ranizai territory just beyond the northernmost point of the 
Hashtnagar Tahsil, circ. 71° 42' E. Long. 34° 27' N. Lat. according 
to the Revenue Survey Map of the Peshawar District. 3 
No. 1 is a fragment resembling closely M. Senart’s No. 1 . More 
interesting is the collection of small stones Nos. 3-19, 21-23 which were 
foutid packed together “ in a small receptacle at the foot of a cliff ” 
near Darwazyai , about a mile from Spankharra. It w^ould be of little 
use in the absence of an accurate description of the spot to make con¬ 
jectures as to the purpose of this peculiar deposit. But it deserves to 
be noted that all the little stones show different groups of characters, 
some so curiously twisted and cursive as to suggest monograms or 
signatures. Some stones, in particular Nos. 18, 19, seermto contain 
also a few characters resembling those found on the inscriptions of the 
second (Boner) and third (Mahaban) classes. But from the majority 
of the characters and the general appearance of the writing it is evident 
that none of the stones can be specially connected with either of these 
3 “ District Peshawar ” ; scale 1 inch to 4 miles; photozincographed at the Survey 
of India Offices, Calcutta, 1884. This map shows the “ independent ” territory 
immediately to the north of the Peshawar District with more detail than the 
corresponding sheet of the Atlas of India or other maps at present accessible to 
the public. As the topography of the hill tracts beyond the border is (apart from 
peaks fixed trigonometrically) not shown on the basis of any x’egular survey, the 
geographical positions indicated above for localities in that territory cannot be 
accurate. They are intended merely to facilitate identification on the map named. 
