Indian Antiquary Vol 18

Author(s): John Faithfull Fleet, Richard Carnac Temple
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 37

JANUARY, 1889.)
MISCELLANEA.
27
Goldziher's paper, read before the Oriental those admitted as mythical in the lists of the Congress at Vienna, in 1886, on the Mahdist Shahnama. If the Avesta were written at the movement of North Africa.
time of Zarathustra, we should expect to find Next comes a facsimile of an Arabic and his contemporaries divided into two great Chinese inscription from a mosque at Canton, camps of believers and unbelievers; but inwith notes and translation by Herr K. Himly. stead of this we find the Avesta to be a fanatical The inscription is in a mosque described by book, showing us the existence of various kinds Dennys in the Treaty Ports of China and Japan, of heretics. The historical arguments for the and dates from the year 1350 A.D.
antiquity of the Avesta, - viz. (1) that, with the Dr. O. von Böhtlingk contributes a short note exception of Ragha, it mentions none of the on the Maurya question and the Mahabh- noteworthy towns of the time of the Achæmeshya, in which he replies to Dr. Kielhorn's nides or Párthians, (2) that it contains none criticisms on a former paper of his on the of the more usual later tribe-names, and (3) subject.
that it contains no historical notices, -are met The number concludes with an appreciative by the contention that it does not deal with review by the same scholar of Dr. J. S. Speijer's historical reminiscences, but only with the Sanskrit Syntax.
mythio period of Iranian Folklore, Places (6) Dr. George Ebers, the well-known which occur in the folk-myths are menEgyptologist, opens the second part with a tioned, and not others. The argument that notice of the life of Dr. Gustav Seyffarth, who Zarathustra speaks of himself in the Gáthás died in New York in Nov. 1886, at the age of in the first person, is met by the fact that 89. Dr. Seyffarth was the first professor of Ahura Mazda does the same. The author Egyptian Language and Antiquities at Leip-who dared to speak under the name of the zig. He was the first discoverer of polyphonic highest God would not hesitate to speak under hieroglyphs, and, with some reservations, of the the name of his prophet. Four other argusyllable-signs of that system of writing. ments for the antiquity of the Avesta are :
This biographical sketch is followed by a (1) that the people of the Avesta did not appear continuation of Dr. Carl Lang's translation of to know salt; (2) that they did not know Ibn-al-Mu'tass's heroic poem regarding Mu'ta- glass; (3) that coined money was not current did as Prince and Regent, already noticed. among them; (4) that they did not know the
Dr. F. von Spiegel contributes & second article working of iron. All that can be said abort on the Fatherland and Age of the Avesta the first three is that they are not mentioned The paper is devoted to a reply to criticisms of in the hymns, which considering their character Dr. Geiger and others on his theories con- is not extraordinary. Moreover in north and cerning the late age of this work. He first east Iran, cattle and farm-produce are still used deals with the linguistic side of the argument, instead of money. Regarding the fourth conand shows that the fact of the Avesta being tention it rests on the interpretation of the written in an ancient dialect is not necessarily word ayagh, which the upholders of the age a proof of the antiquity of the work. He draws of the Avesta translate as 'bronze.'Dr. S. Spiegel, attention to the habit of scholars writing at the however, maintains that, as in Sanskrit, it present day both in Sanskrit and in Latin. meant metal' in general, and also 'iron.' He further maintains that the language of the An appendix to the article is devoted to Avesta, while agreeing in many points with disproving the existence of the so-called Bak. Sanskrit, has also some hitherto unexplained trian Kingdom of Vistakpe, which has hitherpoints of difference, which seem to show traces to been dealt with by writers on ancient of the influence of modern Persian, and which history as a reality. can only have come into existence in later ages, 1 Dr. David Kaufmann contributes a note on whether owing to corruption of the dialect or to Hebrew lexicography, and is followed by a the fact that portions of the Avesta were paper by Dr. J. H. Mordtmann on the typowritten in & dead language. Moreover the graphy of Northern Syria, according to Greek whole work rests on a mythic foundation, and inscriptions. The same author also gives a the kings mentioned in it are the same as short note on five forgotten Himyaritio