Page:The Indian Antiquary, Vol. 4-1875.djvu/53

 40 THE INDIAN AOTTQUABY. [Februart, 1875. in the word tis (pi. int. -azx), apparently re- presenting the Arabic j*&, rsa, ' nail/ in order to indicate the inch. The passage in -which this measnre occurs is mac** Tirnw ane (Hal. 199, 1), 47 inches. Among the weights used by the Sabteans only One can be recognized with any probability; it is n in a-n cmpo ronno sto (Hal. 148, 7). It is possible that some current coin was de- signated by yte int. pi. [o]rx»«i thus crtcs ron {Hal. 152, 8-9), 'five sela.' The word ^ means ' rock, stone, ' and designates in the Rab- binical writings the weight of half a drachm or zusa, wm. Other names, apparently designating weights and measures, are of a still more ques- tionable character. These are : — 1st. The Vw, occurring in the phrase c'm nrwa (Hal. 598, 2), ' for one azlm ;' 2nd. The (d)tcti, which occurs in Hal. 148, 8-9, ib. 154, 18, and ib. 151, 10; and lastly, 3rd. The "ton* mentioned twice in the same inscription: tr^rn con (Hal. 152, 6, 7), 'five haialaym,' and crbwn to? (ib. 152, 5), ' ten haia- lay«n.* The words apparently indicating weights and measures are these ; — 1. 7Tz# cubit. 7. rfca (int. pi. ratea.) 2. [d]msm finger. 8. [d]Vw, 3. [d]ip ga&. 9. [o]"en. 4. tyro(int.pl,cmo)foot? 10. [n]Vrr- 5. tm (int. pi. ma=«) nail, 11. Ih (£T«Z. 50, Jr. 9)? inch? 6. r. 12. ma (Os. i. 8). The Sabraan year began, it seems, towards the autumnal equinox, because the word mn, which designates the year, means strictly the autumn, i.e. the rainy season, in opposition to the other half of the year, called jnfn, from the root my — mji, ' to germinate, to produce plants,' during which the earth is covered with vegetation. The months are lunar, as may be concluded from the name fn ' month,* properly ! moon ;' accordingly they must have been in the same position as the Muhammadans still are in our times, whose months rotate through every season, and do not serve to ascertain it. The names of the ten months discovered in the texts are as follows : — ijfrpirfl] (Hal. 3,4). p*>"[i rrri] (H. 0. end), Munzingcr's copy jm-rr. owruC'iirn] (H. 51, 19, 20). ^[ifm] («&. 51, 10,11). Mhfrl*] (ib. 48, 11, 13). «CtfN] (B. 188,7). ma txs [rrn] (ib. 5). twte[=irrn] (ib, 152, 15). nrfr^ fill] (ib. 16), jnoip d-otoi (ib. 149, 14), On the assumption • that the names of the months actually corresponded with the seasons they etymologieally designate, HaleVy supposes that the month rnn must, according to its name, have fallen in autumn, and that tstt, designating greenness, began after the cessation of the rains, when everything becomes green. The expres- sion nrraip larai means, no doubt, 'harvest,' ttno being derived from ira = tstt Aram wan, ' to har- vest ;' and the first harvest is in the Wadi-Saba collected in March ; from the form of this word the conclusion may be drawn that there was also another month bearing nearly the form nmh tntJTCfl, ' month of the second harvest,' the latter taking place about three months after- wards. The name traa nei means probably * rais- ing of buildings.' The months vn*n and Iu 'ju T appear to be of mythological origin ; fovn means ' of the fathers,' and suggests the month an of the Hebrews ; it was perhaps sacred to the deceased. The other name fvfti seems to be composed of W, ' force,' and of ft?, the abbrevia- tion of the divine name inns, the Astarte of the northern Semites. This is not extraordinary among a people like the Sabceans, who named certain days after celebrated personages, perhaps revered as demigods. For example : — nrovr m cr (Hal. 50, 1, 2), " The day of Ha' Harmatm ?" rp en (Ab. i. 5), " On the day Naof." pa rho aTWan d»i en Vrofr wn (Hal 485, 5), karib, kings of Ma 'in.' jro -pa -re? rrw dhi rrr Sct^i cdhtd era (Hal. 504 3, 4), ' On the day of their masters Waqhael the saviour, and his son Eliafa the just, kings of Ma'in.' Vm farffl w (Hal. 145, 6, 7 j 146, 6, 7 ; 148, 12, 23), ' On the day of Ydhmannalik and of WatraeL* * •tftai -pcrKfr era (Hal 153, 8, 9), ' On the day of Ydhmannalik and of Watracl.' vsisai •parav era (Hal. 153, 8, 9), ' On the day of Ydhmannalik and by A'ttar.' town st3k ora (Hal. 209, 2), ' On the day of Abyada' and of Yta'el.* Djro r&a w> tonp ban jns htarr rrora (Hal 522,
 * On the day Yta'el Riyam and his son Tobba'-