Tigris and the Jaxartes, within the vast empire of Iran.
“ Aujourd’hui les doptes- qu’on a élevés- sur l’authenticité
de la langue Zend e ne*, sont plus fermes : et il faut bien
admettre que cette langue a vécu quelque part en Asie,
puisqu’au siècle avant notre^ ère elle a voit commencé
^'.vieillir en P erse.
3. Lastly, in respect to the contenus ,of the inscription,
the results of M. Burnouf9s researches have confirmed
many conjectures, and have added much new information.
Four proper names had been decyphered, viz., Achæmenés,
Hystaspes, Darius, andv Xerxqsi^ and a few other words
had been detected. In addition, Burnouf has. completely
explained the two inscriptions of El wand, although, apparently,
without à clue to the discovery.—Hellas, moreover
decyphered, in one of the inscriptions gi vent by Carsten.
Niebuhr, an enumeration of the countries subjecj&to Darius^
which might.he compared, if.it were;mot..more jfo.ncise;
with. the well-known enumeration of Persian- Satrapies,
preserved by Herodotus. The style of^the inscriptions {displays
the pride and pomp of oriental raonarchs in the
titles which Xerxes gives himself of “ king of. kings,$
“ divine king/ ’isif king of., the provinces which : produce
heroes.” This .prince is described, as surrounded by
those “ Pehlvân,” so anciently celebrated through ..all
Asia, whose noble images environ those of the,-. ! king
in the monuments of Persepolis, as; in the .precpdirig
age, the same band of guards had surrounded the great
Gyrus, by whom it was instituted. They furnish a commentary
on those splendid, representations ïjg§ Persian
monarchs, which, after so many ages, decorate, the imperishable
ruins of their ancient palaces.” But a still
more important result for history, is the authentic proof
furnished of the existence of the worship of Ormuzd
in the age of Darius and Xerxes. Ormuzd and the sacred
Homa are mentioned in them : they enumerate the
benefits sent by the^Supreme, under Whose special protection
Darius and Xerxes are represented to be.#
* Mémoire sur deux Inscriptions cunéiformes trouvées près d’Hammadan,
parle Dr.Schulz,par M. Eugène Burnouf, Paris, 1836.
M. Burnoüfs.fgeüétal; results ;are in accordance with
thoAC oitafecd by?». >Lasisefc, whose work appeared during
tyî’eisame year',- aild^e.a'rrièdifurther .'the same inquiries into
the* orthography ‘ and, lanJt|ç^è< of the inscription. Professor
pi^sêaî / h ^ |a fM ’ ;ptraj||ld, ' the - investigation of
in thç inscriptions
discovered by N^buhr, and has compared them with the
en'uinerÉti® of Persian /SMFa.pies *£iven by , Herodotus,
thus {illustrating fhë^'texiîîand confirming .the authenticity
of that; historian.
Thfe language'; of the inscription^, meaning that of the
’ first ^already ?|ecyphef 'ed kind (-for' the-;twd?$Ëhèrs are ,as
yet unknowrt), .^||ppposed,, both11 by.;|Éasjè'ën and Burnouf,
to be va dialect-sg^ewhat nearer to the-Sanskrit than is
the Zend, which yet maintains a! character p|%liar, to itself,
and ibust be-'ëôÊfeiâCtêd'hs a- Hi^ti-kfet idiom. ^Ito soriie, hut
idbt in :ij&m$-ous • •pr'Ntieulars,J it makes ‘an approach: to* the
môdêrn Persan '.dialect^ It was,- doubtless^ Once a real
•spoken, language, in which, as ,thp>‘ generally, understood
or' popular'- idiom, tllëil(scripfidhâi,pn the Wallf' df temples
• in Persepolis"were engrâVëdj aria^^e1 R'èqe^ may cqif-
clude> th a t, at least two ifthr^N^lied dialects, prevailed
in Persia dhring^thê' *-age,|M ’thé|^r aneient| '-monarchy.
lessen teTms this-dialect .of - the mscri'plipns .the Medo-
Persian, in contradistipctibu;'to' the Zend Of< the Magian
books, which he nameè'fSi^Kdo^B^ètri'atf.'1*' That dialectic
Bfferences existed betweep4 diffèrent fribfstfunited under
the monarcy of thé" Aèhæmenidæ appears cleaHy, from
a | passage' already cited from“ Strabb, who says, that
thes|||,nations, namely, the Med|#; the Persians, the
people of Ariana, the - Bactrians, âiidKJ Ihè^.Sogdiauà,
differed from each'other aijittle, andlmt little, in their
languages. And this !àccountiïëcèivès .confirmation from
another testimony, preserved by. the; same .compiler.;
in which it is certified as1 the'declaration of Nearchus,
that most' of the custbms and the language of the
Carmanians are those of the Medek and .Persians.* If
-*Nsap%oç.§l Tà ftXeÎGTCt tOt) kcù fyiïlûXiKTOv TÜvX-ctppaviT&v, UspruKa re icai
Mr)iïucà uprjKe. The expression is muol). stronger as to the identity of the