420 
CUNEIFORM CHARACTERS. 
fewer sloping wedges, and none that cross each other. The 
third shows more sloping wedges than the second, and also 
admits their crossing. The tablet over the winged figure at 
Mourg-aub* contains specimens of these three modes of inscrip¬ 
tion : the two parallel lines at the top show the first species ; 
the center line the second species ; and the bottom line the 
third. All that I have seen of the cuneiform inscriptions of Persia 
appear less complicated than those on the bricks of Babylon. 
Plate LXX\ II. gives specimens from different bricks, which are 
all of a full and varied character of the third species. The result 
of these observations furnishes the following general principles; 
that the characters are alphabetical, and to be read from left to 
right. This fact will be found established by an attentive exami¬ 
nation of the brick inscriptions on Plate LXXVII., and most 
particularly by a comparison with that of four lines with that of 
seven. The specimen (g) is singularly curious and valuable, 
having the impressions of many seals upon it; they are now very 
faint, but enough remains to show the forms of animals and 
talismanic symbols. It is on baked clay, and was found at 
Babylon. The application of the first general principle to the 
first species has been decidedly established in the discovery that 
the v/edge so frequently repeated sloping to the left, was here 
only used as a mark at the separation of each word ; and, from 
the progress Professor Grotefund has made in deciphering this 
species in the Persian relics, its language is found to be the 
Zend. With respect to the second and third species, he has 
succeeded in dividing several lines of them into words ; (Mines 
de POrient, vol. iv.) by which he proves, that in these, as well 
as in the first, the characters must be combined to form words. 
In Plate XIII. Vol. I. 
