Elements of South-Indian Palæography, from the Fourth to the Seventeenth Century A.D. c4.8

c4.8

Again, passages in Megasthenes have been understood by Schwanbeck to imply the use of writing at the period when he visited India. These are: (1) some passages which describe the proclamation at the beginning of the year of a sort of astrological calendar for the coming seasons[^5); again, (2) the statement that births were considered for astrological purposes[^6). But it is obvious that such usages afford but a faint presumption that writing was necessarily employed to enable them to be practised. There are many savage tribes still existing which are utterly ignorant of writing, and nevertheless do exactly the same things. Thus the description given by Megasthenes might apply to the 'Medicine men' of America, and the Fetish priests of parts of Africa at the present day who are utterly ignorant of any art at all like writing. The Aztecs who, at the best, had only an imperfect hieroglyphic character, were great astrologers. Megasthenes also mentions (3) songs in honour of gods and deceased persons[^7); but there is no necessity to assume that these were written. The (4) milestones that he describes, I have already mentioned. On the other hand it is expressly stated by Megasthenes that the Indians had no *written* laws, and strangely enough this is quoted by much later writers like Strabo, who must have been able to correct this statement if wrong at their time.