On the Origin of the Indian Brahma Alphabet c8.16

c8.16

The accompanying Comparative Table, Plate II,¹ illustrates the details of the derivation, as I understand it. Cols. I and II have been reproduced by photozincography from Professor Euting's Tabula Scripturae [51] Aramaicae, Argentorati 1892, and give the twenty Aramaic signs, which, as I believe, have been utilised by the Hindus, *Theth* and *Ain* being rejected by them.² In Col. I the fat signs belong to the Teima inscription (Euting, Col. 9) with the exception of No 1, I, b and No 9, I, b—c, which come from the Stele Vaticana (Euting, Col. 12). The thin signs have been taken from the Saqqārah inscription (Euting, Col. 11) with the exception of No 4, I, a; No 9, I, a; No 10, I, b and No 20, I, a, which are from the Assyrian Weights and the Babylonian Seals and Gems (Euting, Cols. 6, 8), as well as of No 17, I, a—b, which are from the Serapeum inscription (Euting, Col. 12), and of No 10, I, a, which Professor Euting has kindly added on once more looking over the Babylonian Aramaic inscriptions.³