Page:Discovery and Decipherment of the Trilingual Cuneiform Inscriptions.djvu/363

334 the names that occur from the time of Darius clearly beloiiix to that race. Mada became a oeographical name which embraced the whole population of the couiitry now under an Aryan aristocracy, and Hero- dotus was therefore fully justified in speaking of the Med(^s and Persians as one in s])eech and descent. The theory of the Turanian origin of the Median dvnastv has been almost universally abandoned.^ The attack upon it was led by the Jesuit scholar Delattre,- and the whole controversy has been a])ly summarised by

ft' V «.

Weisbach. Uecent writers have tliought it so necessary to insist upon the Aryan race of the Median kings that they decline to give to the Turanian language of the second column the name of Median. Tt has accordingly come into fashion to indicate in an uiunistakeable manner the source from which it has sprung. Delattre called it " Anzanisch ' from the name of the territory ruled by the Malamir kiniis. llalevy adopted a suirues- tion made l)y Mr. Savce, and calls it ' Amardian.' "^ Hnnimel s|)eaks of it as ' Susian-^Fediau ' and ' Susian,' * a term which Weisbach has qualified by calling it New Susiaii. The more i)rol)able oi)inin seems to be that it Ava^ the lanuiiaiie of k^usa at the time of the Persian cnquest, and possil)ly also of some of the subjugated tribes in Media. The name of Susian is thei-efore more ap])rpriate than one that might confuse the people who spoke it with th(^ Aryan conquerors of their country. Still it is very far from satisfa(*tory. The great importance of the inscriptions recently dis- covered in the Old Susian hniLiiiaLit^ will tend more and

^ Saycf scorns to be the only not»nvort]iy ♦•\cej)tion. See Earhf li^vmly p. 'IVl. "

- I J Pen pie ru\elles, Iss:;.

• 7'm??.s>. .V. n. A, iii. 4t)S.

' llomin»'l (Dr. Fritz), Gesc/tichte ftfthi/buiicnn und Afsyriens {Y^QvYwiy IBS.")), p. 10].