Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 10.djvu/739

* INSCRIPTIONS. 653 INSCRIPTIONS. unfeigned religious spirit. In style the Old Per- sian inscriptions show in many phrases the in- tiuence of the earlier Assyro-Babylonian tablets, although the freer Aryan spirit is manifest throughout. The Old Persian inscriptions have been edited several times. The best editions are by Kawlinson, ''The Persian Cuneiform Inscrip- tion at Behistun," in ./ourna? 0/ //le Royul Asiatic Society, old series x.xi. (London, 1846) ; Spie- gel, Allijcrsische Kcilinschriften (Leipzig, 1881) ; Weissbach and Bang, Altpcrsische Keilinschriften (ib., 1893) ; Tolman, Persian Inscriptions (Xew York, 1892). Consult also the bibliography of Cuneiform Inscbiptions. Far more numerous than the remains of the Semitic peoples are the inscriptions in Greek and Latin. It was the custom of botli peoples to record in this form all documents which it seemed desirable to bring or keep before the public eye. Hence, almost any excavation on a large scale brings to light a' multitude of in- scribed stones. The number of these monuments is entirely unknown; in 1891 Larfeld estimated the Greek inscriptions alone at 50,000, and the intervening years have brought large increase. The Latin inscriptions are far more numerous, and any estimate must be merely conjectural. Gbeek. The earliest inscriptions, if the primi- tive form of the letters does not mislead, are the rock-cut names of the island of Thera (Santo- rin), which may be dated in the seventh century. With these, though probably later, may be classed the rude names carved by the Greek mercenaries of King Psammeticus of Egypt on the colossi at Abu-Simbel. It is still a matter of dispute whether Psammeticus is the first (B.C. 654-617) or second (B.C. 594-589) of that name, but the analogy of other early inscriptions seems to favor the former date. The archaic inscriptions, writ- ten in local, or cpichoiic, alphabets, are tolerably numerous, but for the most part of interest and value cliiefly for the history of the alphabet or the language, as they form one of the most im- portant sources for the study of the Greek dia- lects. These early inscriptions are frequently written retrograde, that is. from right to left, or houstrophedon (/SoixrTpo^TjSii-), that is alter- nately from right to left and left to right. By the end of the fifth century, the various local alphabets were generally superseded by the Ionic alphabet of Miletus, but the local dialects lived much longer. Progress of course varied with the locality. Crete, for example, long retained the ancient forms, and the longest and most impor- tant of archaic inscriptions, the laws of the Cre- tan Gnrtyna. in alphabet and dialect appears so primitive, that it is still placed by some scholars early in the sixth century B.C.. though the weight of competent authoritv is in favor of a date in the last half of the fifth. The classification of Greek inscriptions is in the first place geographi- cal. If the number of inscriptions from a local- ity is very great, or changes in the alphabet sharply marked, it is often found convenient to introduce chronological subdivisions. A good example is the arrangement of the collection of the .Vttic inscriptions, by which the first volume contains the inscriptions before B.C. 40.'?. when in the archonship of Euclidcs the old .ttic alpha- bet was officially replaced by the Ionian ; the second vohime includes the period from B.C. 40.3 to B.C. 31, the date of the battle of Actium. which was chosen for practical convenience rather thau from any natural cleavage at this point, and the third embraces the inscriptions of the Koman imperial period. Such elaborate subdivision was needed in this case, because of the enormous mass of Attic inscriptions, which far exceed those from any other locality. Under the several localities, or periods, the inscriptions are grouped according to their contents. Two great groups may be distinguished, according as the inscrip- tions proceed from the governing body of the community, or from private individuals or asso- ciations. The public inscriptions include decrees and ordinances of all kinds, treaties, lists of mag- istrates and reports of official boards; they are naturally of the greatest value for the study of governmental institutions, and ancient com- munal life. Thus our knowledge of the details of the organization of the Athenian empire, the assessment of the tribute, and the relations of the subject-cities, rests in large part upon the records of the Hellenotamiie, and the decrees of the Athenian assembly. The private inscrip- tions are even more inclusive, as they touch an- cient life at almost every point. Mortuary in- scriptions naturally form the largest class, but we have also many honorary inscriptions, and especially dedications to the gods. Here also belong the numerous records of manumissions, such as covered the wall of the portico of the Athenians at Delphi, in which the slave is by a legal fiction purchased by the god. An important group is composed of the records of private cor- porations, either business, religious or social. Of great value for the history of art are the nu- merous signatures of ancient artists, usually on the pedestals which once bore their works. " See Loewy, Inschriften Griechischer Bildhauer (Leip- zig, 1885). A curious example of a private in- scription, which also illustrates the importance attached to this mode of publication, is furnished by Diogenes of CEnoanda, in Southeastern Cari.-t", who recorded on the wall of a portico for the edi- fication of his fellow-townsmen a long summary of the teachings of Epicurus, with letters and other quotations from the writings of the master. (See Bulletin do Corres,pondance Hellenique, xxi. 1897.) A detailed discussion of the charac- teristics of the several classes of Greek inscrip- tions does not lie within the scope of this article, but it will be well to add a brief notice of the material and the places used for these records. In general, stone, usually marble, is the ma- terial employed. Relatively very few of the Greek inscriptions are on bronze. In the case of graves, votive-offerings or honorary statvies, the inscription is obviously an accessory, and the place is primarily determined by other conditions. For decrees, treaties, records of officials, royal letters, or any other documents for which pub- licity was desired, the market-place, or Acropolis, of a city, or the precincts or even walls of a temple, were the favorite places. The great sanc- tuaries, such as the Acropolis of Athens. Delos. Delphi, and OlTOipia were crowded not only with statues and works of art, but also with inscribed slabs of stone, often containing some vote of a distant community. The expense of private in- scriptions was of course borne usually by the persons concerned, and piblic enactments were in like manner engraved at the expense of the State, but there are very many cases where the decree of a State or corporation honoring an in- dividual was published in stone at the expense