DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.53502#0045
Introduction
37
board of Megasthenes inspect and sell manufactured
articles both old and new, which primitive arrange-
ment cannot be compared to the active and highly
developed state of private and public commerce in
the A. The sixth board collect the tenth of prices of
articles sold, which percentage agrees with the general
rule of the A. (I, 13) that the king is to receive the
tenth part of articles sold but is hardly reconcilable
with its complicated system of tolls and fares, import
and export duties.
The organization of the War Office, with the
Commander of the Fleet at the head of its likewise six
divisions of Five, has been parallelized with K.’s
statements about the Navadhyaksa and other military
commanders. The Navadhyaksa, however, is no ad-
miral, he is simply an inspector of ships who raises
tolls and taxes, watches ferries, provides for the ship-
wrecked, and keeps off pirate ships (II, 28). The
third of the sixth divisions, consisting of the comman-
ders of foot-soldiers, horse, war-chariots, and elephants
corresponds to K.’s inspectors of horses, elephants,
chariots and infantry (II, 30-34), but the latter are
single and independent in the A. against the boards of
Five in Megasthenes.
As regards the seven classes of the Indian people
(fr. 1), all attempts at reconciling this peculiar classi-
fication of Megasthenes with the Caturvari^ya of Sans-
krit literature having failed, it has been rightly observ-
ed by Sir V. Smith that the seven classes have little
to do with the four regular castes of Hinduism. It is
possible to identify the names of the seven classes
with the designations of as many professions in the
37
board of Megasthenes inspect and sell manufactured
articles both old and new, which primitive arrange-
ment cannot be compared to the active and highly
developed state of private and public commerce in
the A. The sixth board collect the tenth of prices of
articles sold, which percentage agrees with the general
rule of the A. (I, 13) that the king is to receive the
tenth part of articles sold but is hardly reconcilable
with its complicated system of tolls and fares, import
and export duties.
The organization of the War Office, with the
Commander of the Fleet at the head of its likewise six
divisions of Five, has been parallelized with K.’s
statements about the Navadhyaksa and other military
commanders. The Navadhyaksa, however, is no ad-
miral, he is simply an inspector of ships who raises
tolls and taxes, watches ferries, provides for the ship-
wrecked, and keeps off pirate ships (II, 28). The
third of the sixth divisions, consisting of the comman-
ders of foot-soldiers, horse, war-chariots, and elephants
corresponds to K.’s inspectors of horses, elephants,
chariots and infantry (II, 30-34), but the latter are
single and independent in the A. against the boards of
Five in Megasthenes.
As regards the seven classes of the Indian people
(fr. 1), all attempts at reconciling this peculiar classi-
fication of Megasthenes with the Caturvari^ya of Sans-
krit literature having failed, it has been rightly observ-
ed by Sir V. Smith that the seven classes have little
to do with the four regular castes of Hinduism. It is
possible to identify the names of the seven classes
with the designations of as many professions in the