Indian Antiquary Vol 17

SR No.: 032509
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: John Faithfull Fleet, Richard Carnac Temple
Publisher: Swati Publications
Publication Year: 1984
Total Pages: 430
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 19 MB

Page 105

APRIL, 1888.]. ZOROASTRIAN DEITIES ON INDO-SCYTHIAN COINS.
93
coupled in all formulas and invocations of we shall scarcely be blamed for not surrenderthe Apesta with that of Verethraghna." Weing at once on this particular point even to so prefer this explanation all the more to the great an authority. Taking the combined hitherto accepted theory, which identified characters El, which are indeed perfectly OANINA A with the star Vanant (a male clear, for granted, and viewing the preceding deity!), as it disposes effectually of the two strokes as a single independent character, we difficulties involved by the latter. Both the have no difficulty in recognizing the letter T. female representation of OANINAA and the Its rounded shape is in perfect keeping with iota of the name are now easily accounted for; the general character of Scythic epigraphy, and the former by the feminine gender of vanainti the explanation of its having so long escaped (uparatát) and the latter by the well-known discovery is contained in the fact that T is exactly phonetic influence of epenthetic i
one of those few letters which by chance have The type shown in fig. x. presents us with not yet occurred on the Turusbka coinage. unusual difficulties. It is found only on & In order to obtain the link which is unique gold coin of Havishka, now in the wanted in the chain of evidence for the identiBritish Museum," and is accompanied by a fication of the god, whose name we now read legend, which has sorely puzzled numismatists TEIPO, we have once more to recur to the by its curiously contracted characters. The list of Cappadocian months. There we find late Mr. Thomas identified the figure with an the name of Tir, the fourth Zoroastrian archaic representation of Artemis, but the month, rendered in the two best MSS. of the supposed resemblance to the type of a gold second class by Tepel, a form to which the coin of Augustus has been disputed by von variants of the other two MSS. Tipe and Ted Sallet." The bow and arrow in the hand of (for TEIP) may easily be reconciled. Whatthe deity are, however, unmistakable and may ever explanation we shall have to give in give us, perhaps, some clue to its true character. future of Tipne or Tips, the reading of the first Scanning the ranks of Zoroastrian deities, class of MSS. and probably a much older form, we cannot help being reminded of Tishtrya, it will not affect the conclusive evidence we the star Sirius, whose later name, Tir, in derive from Tepet for the substantial identity Pahlavi and Persian actually means "arrow." of TEIPO with Tir. It will be an object for That the word in this second meaning is ety- future research to determine the exact phonetic mologically derived from the Zend tighri" stage in the transition from tighri to tir, which is on the one hand certain ; on the other, there has been recorded by the cariously identical are very great grammatical objections against spelling of the Cappadocian and Scythic forms. a direct derivation of Tir, “Sirius," from the In view of the philological evidence given Avestic word Tishtrya. We are thus led to above for the identity of TEIPO with the suspect a replacement of the genuine derivative later name of Tishtrye, we need not attach of tishtrya by the more common word for much importance to the difficulty presented "arrow," which, in popular conception, was by the apparently female character of the type. evidently an attribute of the star. In a passage The latter is evidently a mere reproduction of of the Ilir Yasht (viii. 37) we find the swift the Greek Artemis, which was a type ready at Light of the star Tishtrya directly compared hand for an Indo-Scythian die-cutter wishing with that of an arrow."
to exhibit in his type the characteristic emblems The legend of our coin, to which we must now of the Deity, bow and arrow. turn, has been read ZEPO by Mr. Thomas, and,
If the god who appears in figs. xi. xii., and with greater accuracy, MEIPO by Herr von in similar types on the gold coins of Sallet. As, however, the latter's reading sup- Huvishka" has hitherto completely escaped poses a ligature between M and the follow- recognition, it was certainly not owing to ing El, which is unparellelled on Scythic coins, want of clearness in the legend or of dis
" Comp. 6.9. Yasna, i. 6; Vispered, i. 6; Yasht, * My attention was called to this passage by Prof. xiv. 0.
Darmestetor, who further suggests an etymological conCat., pp. lxi and 144. . " op. cit. p. 202.
nexion between tishtrya (*tij-tr-ya) and tigh-ri (tfr). * Comp. Eustathius ad Dionys, 994: Midou yap 11 Comp. Cat. Pl. xxviii. 17-19. Τίγριν καλούσι το τόξευμα.