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WRITING— THE BEGINNINGS 115 own, runs from left to right. Only the legend on one coin (described in Cunningham's Coins of Ancient Indi)' and a few short inscriptions in Ceylon, not yet published, run from right to left. Certain groups of letters also, in the inscriptions of the third century B.C., are intended to be read, as
OS
FIG. 25.--ERIX COINS.
[See pp. 321, 322.)
we should say, backwards.' The direction of the writing was open to fluctuation when these (by no means the most ancient) records were made.
The third line of evidence is that best brought to. gether by Mr. Kennedy in his article in the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society for 1898. It tends to show:
1. That continued and extensive trading took place in the seventh century B.C. between Babylon and ports on the west coast of India.
2. That it is highly improbable that there was any such trade much before that time.
3. That it is not at all likely that the Indian
The coin to. I is reproduced here by the kindness of Mr. Head and Mr. Rapson, from the coin itself, now in the British Museum ; No. 2 is in Mr. White King's collection.
? See Mr. Wickramasinha's letter in the 7. R. A. S. 1995. 3 See Vr. Wickramasinha's article in the 7. R. A. S. 1901.
Shree Sudharmaswami Gyanbhandar-Umara, Surat
www.umaragyanbhandar.com
