inscriptions on the rock-sculptures at Nakschi-Roustam, are written in the Persepolitan alphabet; but all the gems that I have examined present the same shaped letters as those used upon the medals of the commencement of the series; and particularly agreeing in form with the characters of the inscriptions at Kirmanshah in commemoration of Sapor I. and Bahran, given by De Sacy in his 'Antiquités de la Perse.' This eminent Orientalist, who was the first to decipher this previously inexplicable alphabet, confesses that, as regards our gems, though the letters on them bear a striking analogy with those of the medals and of the inscriptions, he had been able to make out but one of them, which he attributes to the language in which they are couched being the Pehlevi dialect, and not the Zend. This single one he reads: "Artaschetran-Rami-Minochetri-Rami," "Son of Artaxerxes, of the divine race." The medals of Sapor, for instance, read thus: "Mazdiesn beh Shapouhr malcan malca Iran Minochetri." "The servant of Ormuzd, the excellent Sapor, king of kings of Iran, of the divine race." And this style will serve as a guide in the attempt to elucidate the titles figuring around the gem-portraits.

Narses. Garnet.

Pirouzi Shahpouhri (Sapor II.). Varanes. Nicolo, perforated.
Sardonyx.

The numerous variations in the forms of the same letter appear to arise merely from the carelessness of the die-sinker in not expressing their angular parts, but turning them off

into a curve in order to save trouble, exactly as one would do for expedition's sake in writing them with a pen. Similarly, in the gems, some of the inscriptions are cut in the neatest and clearest character that could be produced by the tool, and such will usually be found on the Garnets and other precious stones, in which a superior artist of the times has displayed his skill, whilst, on the coarse Calcedony seals, the signets of the lower sort, the same letters offer a series of seemingly arbitrary curves, with hardly any distinction of shape between them. It seems, however, to me, that, on a careful comparison of the inscriptions, even of those most carefully finished, a marked difference will be observed between them, whether due, as in those of Nakschi-Roustam, to their being expressed in two different dialects, or from the introduction of combined letters or "nexus" into some, and not into others. I shall now particularise the most important gems of this interesting class that I myself have had an opportunity of examining; and the inscriptions on which I have, in some instances, been able to decipher in a satisfactory manner. The list must be headed by the magnificent Amethyst, one of the chief treasures of the Devonshire Collection; a profile portrait wearing the tiara, a work of extraordinary boldness, though of little finish; the head of Sapor I., surrounded by an inscription, in two lines, of large and well-formed Pehlevi letters. This stone now forms the centre ornament of the comb, in the parure of antique gems, lately combined and set with such exquisite taste by Mr. Hancock, the Duke's jeweller. A Nicolo, now in the Fould

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This series closes with the rude intagli, of extreme rarity, with a design similar to some of those above enumerated in the field, and an ill-cut Cuphic legend running around the sloping sides of the

stone. I have a Nicolo of this class, engraved with two figures joining hands, two stars between them; and the British Museum Collection has a curious Calcedony, hereafter noticed.

Collection, engraved with the bust of a queen, executed in the manner of the best Roman portraits, and surrounded by a legend in very delicately-formed and minute letters. Amongst the Mertens-Schaafhausen Persian stones, No. 52 is a wellexecuted bust of Sapor II. on Sard, with the legend “Pirouzi ... Shapouhri," "the Victorious Sapor." But a still more interesting portrait of the same king, though of inferior workmanship, is that on a Carbuncle in my own collection, where his bust is supported on four wings, the usual Oriental symbol of divinity, and between the sun and moon; at once recalling to our recollection the arrogant style assumed by this same prince in his Epistle to Constantius, given by Ammian (xvii. 5), "Rex regum Sapor, particeps siderum, frater Solis et Lunæ, Constantio Cæsari, fratri meo, salutem plurimam dico." The inscription, very neatly cut, reads distinctly "Pirouz Shahpouhri ;" an interesting corroboration of a circumstance noted by Ammian in his most graphic account of the siege of Amida, conducted by Sapor in person, that the Persian host, investing that city, chaunted throughout the night the name of Sapor, with the titles of "Pyroses" and " Saansaan," that is to say, "Victor," and "King of Kings." A beautiful Guarnaccino, in the Pulsky Collection, has the legend unfortunately defective, but apparently reading -"Narsehi Sha;" the portrait is much like that of the king of that name, and of very fine work. It is not wonderful that both the medals and gems of the second Sapor should so abound, for the duration of his reign and life were commensurate, extending to seventy-two years. Although the portraits on the medals are invariably depicted with the tiara, a balloonshaped turban rising out of a mural crown, from which depend long and streaming ribbons, yet on the gems they usually appear bare-headed. I have met with but two instances on which the tiara occurs: the famous Devonshire Amethyst, and

a front face, apparently of Chosroes, of late work, on Calcedony. The gem figured by De Sacy has also the tiara. It is singular that these princes should appear so often on the gems without this distinctive badge of sovereignty, especially as the engravers always seem to have had much difficulty in rendering the curly locks, the cherished distinction of the Achæmenian race, which they for the most part attempt to represent by a series of drill-holes set close together.

I have dwelt at some length upon this part of my subject, as being one, so far as my researches extend, hitherto untouched; and yet containing a most valuable series of portraits, authenticated by their inscriptions, of those very princes who make so prominent a figure in the history of the later Roman empire. In the point of view of art they have an additional value from the fact, that they supply the only intagli, with the rarest exceptions, capable of serving as historical evidences, that are to be met with subsequent to the age of Constantine.

Assyrian and Persian Seals in Agate and Calcedony.

EARLY PERSIAN GEMS.

Two indubitable intagli of the date of the early Persian monarchy have been examined by me with the greatest interest. One, on striated Onyx, represented a Persian king seated on a throne supported by sphinxes, and engraved in a good but very archaic style. This most valuable gem had been nearly ruined by the folly of the owner in having its surface polished down in order to remove a superficial frac

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ture, thereby destroying the original outline of the figure; otherwise, this intaglio would have ranked amongst the most interesting known. The other was the bust of a Persian, upon a Sard, of ordinary work similar to the better-executed Sassanian gems, but in the field of the design was engraved a ram's head and a doubled cross, precisely as on the coins of Salamis in Cyprus, thus indubitably marking the portrait as that of a Persian satrap of that island, at some period before the age of Alexander, after whose time the Persian dominion over the Greek islands had entirely ceased. have also seen a Roman imperial portrait, a laureated bust, somewhat resembling Caracalla, engraved on Nicolo, accompanied by a Pehlevi legend; a unique instance and very difficult of explanation. It will be observed on the examination of many of these Oriental portraits, that a larger proportion, especially of the best executed, are found on Garnet and Guarnacino than is the case with the intagli of the Roman school, in which good work occurring upon a Garnet is quite the exception to the general rule. In fact, as long as the palmy days of the art lasted, the Sard was preferred to all other stones by both Greek and Italian engravers; the first employing by choice the bright yellow variety, the inhabitants of Magna Grecia and the Etruscans usually contenting themselves with the common European Carnelian, whilst the Romans were supplied by their Indian commerce with the various splendid coloured sorts of the stone, some emulating the Carbuncle, others the deep orange of the Jacinth. A full-length portrait of a Parthian king," on a large Oriental Onyx of the finest quality, the three strata of the stone being perfect in colour and distinctness, brings to our mind an interesting letter of Pliny the Younger when

5 Now in the possession of Mr. Uzielli.