1881.] A. Cunningham —Relics from Ancient Persia. 159 
of the ancient Magi that has come down to ns is that of Strabo, who had 
no doubt frequently witnessed the Magian worship. “ The Persians” he says 
“ have also certain large shrines, called Pyrcetheia. In the middle of these 
is an altar, on which is a great quantity of ashes where the Magi maintain 
an unextinguished fire. They enter daily and continue their incantation 
for nearly an hour holding before the fire a bundle of rods, and wear round 
their heads high turbans of felt, reaching down on each side, so as to 
cover the lips and the sides of the cheeks.” Here I think there must have 
been some mistake of the copyist, as Herodotus mentions that when all was 
ready, the Magus “chanted a hymn,” which he could hardly do when his 
mouth was covered with the lappets of his head-dress.^ The figure in 
Plate XIV certainly has his lips quite free. I think therefore that we 
might venture to change to, yeiAea the “lips” to rpdyrjXov the “throat.” 
Strabo’s description would then tally exactly with the representation of the 
Magus on the gold plate, having both his throat and the sides of his cheeks 
covered by the lappets of his head-dress. The dress of the Magus was 
white according to Diogenes Laertius,f but nothing is said about its orna¬ 
mentation, which is conspicuous in the Plate, both on the shoulders and 
round the edges of the tunic, which reaches only to the knees. He has a 
short sword on his right side, and holds the barsom, or “ holy wand of 
twigs,” in his right hand before him. 
Strabo describes the sacrifices of the Magi in another place, where he 
says that “ they continue their incantations for a long time, holding in their 
hands a bundle of slender myrtle rods.” But in neither place does he men¬ 
tion in which hand the Magus held the barsom, or wand of twigs. This 
omission is very unfortunate, as the Parsi priests of the present day hold 
the sacred wand in the left hand, in utter disagreement with the ancient 
custom as represented on the gold plate. At first I thought it possible 
that the artist might have made a blunder in placing both the barsom and 
the sword on the right. But I see that the Persian soldiers given in Raw- 
linson’s ancient monarchies wear exactly the same short swords on the right 
side. J It is clear therefore that the present practice of the Parsis is an 
actual departure from the custom of the Magi of old. 
In Yusna 57, as published by Haug, I find the following passage 
regarding the barsom, or holy wand of twigs.§ “ He who first arranged 
the bundle of sacred twigs (barsom), that with 3, that with 5, that with 7, 
and that with 9 stalks, those which were so long as to go up to the knees, 
* Herodot. I. 132. Curtius also speaks of the Magi singing, HI. 3.7. 
f ’ EcrO^s A v Xevicfi quoted by Rawlinson, Anct. Monarchies, Vol. II, 347- 
2nd edition. 
t Ancient Monarchies, 2nd edition, Vol. Ill, pp. 172-174, 176. 
§ Haug’s Essays, by West, p. 189. 
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