DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4719#0440
SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTER.
413
in cm
1 :" "■■■■■■'■
M In
i ' * '■'■■;
vLtkliU
•*
considered to have formed the original Greek alphabet; these
may have been borrowed from the early Greeks, or both nations
may have derived them from a common source. The later
additions to the Greek alphabet are not found in the Lycian,
but that alphabet has several peculiar characters, completing
the series of long and short vowels which are found in most
of the Eastern languages.
The language of the inscriptions resembles the Zend, or
ancient Persian, more nearly than any other with which we
have the means of comparing it; but it also contains words of
Semitic origin; these have not affected the structure of the
language, which is thoroughly Indo- Germanic : the vicinity
of the country of Syria readily accounts for some mixture of
the language of that people in the Lycian.
It may be remembered, that in my Journal I have fre-
quently noticed peculiarities in the arts of the early inha-
bitants, and pointed out parallels in the Persepolitan sculp-
tures: this connection is further borne out by history.
Herodotus says, in speaking of the time of the Trojan War
(book i. c. 4), " It is to be observed that the Persians esteem
Asia, with all its various and barbarous inhabitants, as their
own peculiar possession, considering Europe and Greece as
totally distinct and unconnected." Again, in book iv. c. 12,
we find about the same period (during the reign of Ardyis),
that " the Greeks had no settlement in Asia Minor."
The Greek writers called the country in question by the
general name of Lycia, which, although found several times
in the Greek part of the inscription on the obelisk at Xan-
thus, does not occur in the Lycian part of the same inscrip-
tion, where the people are called Tramilse : for this we
might be in some degree prepared by Herodotus, who says
that they were formerly called Termelse. Stephanus Byzan-
tinus calls them Termilse and Tremilse.
Being enabled to read the characters, we find that the
country consisted of two states or people, the Tramelse and
413
in cm
1 :" "■■■■■■'■
M In
i ' * '■'■■;
vLtkliU
•*
considered to have formed the original Greek alphabet; these
may have been borrowed from the early Greeks, or both nations
may have derived them from a common source. The later
additions to the Greek alphabet are not found in the Lycian,
but that alphabet has several peculiar characters, completing
the series of long and short vowels which are found in most
of the Eastern languages.
The language of the inscriptions resembles the Zend, or
ancient Persian, more nearly than any other with which we
have the means of comparing it; but it also contains words of
Semitic origin; these have not affected the structure of the
language, which is thoroughly Indo- Germanic : the vicinity
of the country of Syria readily accounts for some mixture of
the language of that people in the Lycian.
It may be remembered, that in my Journal I have fre-
quently noticed peculiarities in the arts of the early inha-
bitants, and pointed out parallels in the Persepolitan sculp-
tures: this connection is further borne out by history.
Herodotus says, in speaking of the time of the Trojan War
(book i. c. 4), " It is to be observed that the Persians esteem
Asia, with all its various and barbarous inhabitants, as their
own peculiar possession, considering Europe and Greece as
totally distinct and unconnected." Again, in book iv. c. 12,
we find about the same period (during the reign of Ardyis),
that " the Greeks had no settlement in Asia Minor."
The Greek writers called the country in question by the
general name of Lycia, which, although found several times
in the Greek part of the inscription on the obelisk at Xan-
thus, does not occur in the Lycian part of the same inscrip-
tion, where the people are called Tramilse : for this we
might be in some degree prepared by Herodotus, who says
that they were formerly called Termelse. Stephanus Byzan-
tinus calls them Termilse and Tremilse.
Being enabled to read the characters, we find that the
country consisted of two states or people, the Tramelse and