DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4569#0032
THE
INSCRIPTIONS.
TH E antient infcriptions we found at Palmyra were all Greek, or Pal-
myrene, except one in Latin. The greateft number of thofe in Greek
were publifhed by the Engliih merchants of Aleppo, with fome errors,
but fuch as did not in any remarkable degree perplex, or alter the fenfe. Doctor
Halley made fome remarks, and Mr. Seller wrote a Commentary on them, in
which he often takes the liberty of corrupting the genuine reading, to favour his
own conjectures.
It is rather to correct the errors of the commentators, than thofe of the firft
copy, that we publifh thefe infcriptions, upon which we mail only make fuch
remarks as obvioufly occured to us on the journey, with a view to prepare them
for a more critical examination ; and beginning with thofe which have dates, we
fhall place them according to their antiquity.
I. Upon the architrave of the door of the nioft entire maufoleum, in that
•seePiateii vale * through which we arrived at Palmyra; it is repeated in a larger character,
higher up, on the front of the fame building.
The letters c* W* € are ufed for s. n. e. as well in this, as in all the infcrip-
tions of Palmyra. As this contradicts a rule eftablifhed by antiquarians (who
have decided, that thofe letters are not to be met with in that form on coins, or
marbles before the time of Domitian) we were careful in examining the date,
which is very legibly in both infcriptions, A J T and being read from the right
to the left (the only way the dates of Palmyra are intelligible,) makes the 314th
tseeinfcrip.year of theiEra j- of Seleucus, anfwering to the 3d year of Chrift.
We took, as exactly as we could, from the marbles, the fhape of the cha-
racter, which is bad, and have obferved the fame number of lines. We are
at a lofs whether to attribute fo much bad fpelling, and different ways of fpel-
ling the fame word, as may be obferved in thefe infcriptions, to the miftakes of the
engraver or to their ignorance of the Greek language at Palmyra. Longinus
complains that he found it difficult to find a perfon there to copy Greek.
lv.^lv? II. Upon the front of that maufoleum § of which we have given the plan,
elevation and ornaments. Befides that we found no difficulty in reading it, both
grammar and fenfe fo evidently authorife the difference of this copy from that
already publiihed, that we fhall not trouble the reader with any defence of it.
III. On the fhaftof the great column marked F, in plate XLIII. If we are
not miftaken, it is more difficult to underftand than to tranflate it. This will
appear by rendering it literally, which is eafieft done in Latin thus : Q SenatUS
c populufque Alialamenem, Pani filium, Mocimi nepotem iEranis pro-
c nepotem, Mathas abnepotem &iEranem patrem ejus, viros pios &c Pa-
cmnt'Pofu"C tri£eamicos & omnimodo placentes patriae patriifque diis, honoris gratia J
c anno 450 menfe Aprili.'
Our
INSCRIPTIONS.
TH E antient infcriptions we found at Palmyra were all Greek, or Pal-
myrene, except one in Latin. The greateft number of thofe in Greek
were publifhed by the Engliih merchants of Aleppo, with fome errors,
but fuch as did not in any remarkable degree perplex, or alter the fenfe. Doctor
Halley made fome remarks, and Mr. Seller wrote a Commentary on them, in
which he often takes the liberty of corrupting the genuine reading, to favour his
own conjectures.
It is rather to correct the errors of the commentators, than thofe of the firft
copy, that we publifh thefe infcriptions, upon which we mail only make fuch
remarks as obvioufly occured to us on the journey, with a view to prepare them
for a more critical examination ; and beginning with thofe which have dates, we
fhall place them according to their antiquity.
I. Upon the architrave of the door of the nioft entire maufoleum, in that
•seePiateii vale * through which we arrived at Palmyra; it is repeated in a larger character,
higher up, on the front of the fame building.
The letters c* W* € are ufed for s. n. e. as well in this, as in all the infcrip-
tions of Palmyra. As this contradicts a rule eftablifhed by antiquarians (who
have decided, that thofe letters are not to be met with in that form on coins, or
marbles before the time of Domitian) we were careful in examining the date,
which is very legibly in both infcriptions, A J T and being read from the right
to the left (the only way the dates of Palmyra are intelligible,) makes the 314th
tseeinfcrip.year of theiEra j- of Seleucus, anfwering to the 3d year of Chrift.
We took, as exactly as we could, from the marbles, the fhape of the cha-
racter, which is bad, and have obferved the fame number of lines. We are
at a lofs whether to attribute fo much bad fpelling, and different ways of fpel-
ling the fame word, as may be obferved in thefe infcriptions, to the miftakes of the
engraver or to their ignorance of the Greek language at Palmyra. Longinus
complains that he found it difficult to find a perfon there to copy Greek.
lv.^lv? II. Upon the front of that maufoleum § of which we have given the plan,
elevation and ornaments. Befides that we found no difficulty in reading it, both
grammar and fenfe fo evidently authorife the difference of this copy from that
already publiihed, that we fhall not trouble the reader with any defence of it.
III. On the fhaftof the great column marked F, in plate XLIII. If we are
not miftaken, it is more difficult to underftand than to tranflate it. This will
appear by rendering it literally, which is eafieft done in Latin thus : Q SenatUS
c populufque Alialamenem, Pani filium, Mocimi nepotem iEranis pro-
c nepotem, Mathas abnepotem &iEranem patrem ejus, viros pios &c Pa-
cmnt'Pofu"C tri£eamicos & omnimodo placentes patriae patriifque diis, honoris gratia J
c anno 450 menfe Aprili.'
Our