Indian Antiquary Vol 18

SR No.: 032510
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: John Faithfull Fleet, Richard Carnac Temple
Publisher: Swati Publications
Publication Year: 1984
Total Pages: 454
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 19 MB

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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[AUGUST, 1889.
(f)-Vol. XVII. No. 1, January and February,1888. students. Mr. Nicholson passes lightly over the
(1) This number contains an interesting evidence of his predecessors' neglect, though he review, impossible to summarise satisfactorily, ventures to remark that "it may pretty safely be being a summary itself, by M. Eugène Monseur, said that at the beginning of 1884, the collection of Dr. Meyer's work on tie Myth of Achilles. was not known to contain half as many pieces as The foundation of the Iliad appears to Dr. Meyer
were actually in it." to have been a little poem, the Achilleis, com In 1884 the Librarian undertook the reorganiposed, about 850 B.C., by a singer of genius, who
zation of the department. His first work was to was possibly called Homer. This poem consisted examine the multitude of cabinets, and to turn of three parts; the first, the quarrel between
out of the coin-room the hundreds of trays found Achilles and Anmemnon: the second, the defeat to be empty. The contents of the remaining of the Achæans, and the exploits of Agamemnon;
trays and the loose coins were then sorted and and the third, the victory of Achilles over
roughly counted by the Library staff with the Xanthe and Hector. This legend is then worked
assistance of Mr. C. W. C. Oman, Fellow of all out with its parullels in other Åryan nationalities,
Souls, the late Mr. Vaux, F.R.S., and Mr. C. P. including India and Germany. As already
Shipton. explained, it is impossible to summarise this The result obtained from the rough counting portion of the article, which is that most interest.
was that the collection was found to contain in all ing to Indian students. As a rule, Peleus is 50,417 coins, of which 29,677 pieces have been compared with Purúravas, Thetis with Urvasi,
arranged, more or less accurately, and 19,771 have and Achilles with Aya and Arjuna.
been catalogued in 48 catalogues. (2) In the same number M. Paul Regnaud
The Oriental class of coins is defined as "includ. combats Professor Max Müller's theory of the
ing those of all countries east of the Euphrates, Sources of Mythology, and maintains :
those of autonomous Judæa, and all Muham. (i) In the beginning, language was applied to
madan coins." This class comprises 5,249 speci. objects, rather than to the thinking and speaking
mens, of which 2,038 are returned as arranged, subject.
and 1,171 as catalogued in one catalogue. (ii) The conscient idea or image of the objects
The statistics above quoted are for Nov. 8, 1884. is anterior to the names which they have received,
Since that date the Clarendon Press has published and can remain independent even after the
an illustrated catalogue of the Muhammadan creation of the names.
coins, compiled by Mr. Stanley Lane Poole," the (iii) Mythology, which is developed by the
first Bodleian coin-catalogue issued for 138 years." help of words, took its birth independently, and
"In 1884-85 Mr. Oman arranged and labelled rests on an alternate basis which is logical and the Roman Republican coins in terms of Cohen's psychological rather than verbal.
Monnaies de la République Romaine. The sub(g)-Vol. XVII, No. 2, March-April, 1888.
sequent appearance of Babelon's still more com
plete work made it desirable that the latter should This number contains a long review, by M. J.
be substituted as the standard of reference, and Halévy, of Prof. Sayce's Hibbert Lectures on the
an adaptation has been carried out by the LibraReligion of the Ancient Babylonians.
rian as far as the coins without family name are GEO. A. GBIERBON.
concerned.
" In 1886 Mr. Oman began to arrange and label THE BODLEIAN COLLECTION OF COINS.
the Greek' series in terms of the corresponding The richness of the cabinet of coins under volumes of the British Museum ooin-catalogues, the care of the Curators of the Bodleian Library and at the end of 1887 had finished the sections is not, I think, generally known. In his recently comprised in the volumes lettered Italy,' Sicily,' issued valuable report Mr. E. B. Nicholson, Thrace, etc.,' Macedon, etc., Thessaly to Bodley's Librarian, states that "the Bodleian Ætolia,' Central Greece, Crete and Ægean collection of coins and medals numbers upwards Islands,' and 'Seleucid kings of Syria' he had of 50,000 pieces, and is the second largest in the also provisionally arranged the sections for empire."
Attica and the Peloponnese, the volumes correA printed catalogue of its contents was issued sponding to which had not then been issued." in 1750, but since that time many additions had In 1888 I examined the Gupta series of Indian been made, and the coin-room had been so much coins in the collection, and supplied the Librarian neglected that it was of very little service to with a manuscript catalogue of the gold and
1 The Bodleian Library in 1882-87. A Report from the Librarian. Published by permission of the Carators. Oxford : December, 1888.