Hindu Law and Custom (Recht und Sitte) c7.186

c7.186

Along with these relative criteria for the determination of the age of our Nār. by comparing it with other Smṛtis, another decisive fact should be taken into consideration for definitely fixing the *terminus a quo*—the reference to *dīnāra*-denarius, once as a gold coin and another time as gold ornament (App. 60 ; I, 2, 3a). As the Denar might have reached India only through the Greeks and as the pronunciation of eta as iota begins generally speaking in the days of the empire about the second century A.D. (dinaria for denaria in an inscription of 161-169 A.D.)¹ so the Dīnāras struck in India in imitation of the Denars could hardly have come into existence before the second century A. D., although coins of the weight of a Denar were issued by the Indoskythian Kings.² For the *terminus ad quem* it is of importance that Asahāya, one of the earliest juridical commentators who may be dated approximately in the eighth century, has written a commentary on our Smṛti. Accordingly Nār. can be dated approximately at about 500 A. D.³ In the seventh century a Nāradiya-dharmaśāstra is mentioned by the poet Bāṇa ¹.