217), whereby Rome undertook to pay to Parthia an indemnity of above a million and a half of our money.

It is probable that the payment was mostly made in aurei.

Artaxerxes thus found current in the countries, which he overran and formed into an empire, two coinages--a gold and a silver--coming from different sources and possessing no common measure.

It was simpler and easier to retain what existed, and what had sufficiently adjusted itself through the working of commercial needs, than to invent something new; and hence the anomalous character of the New Persian monetary system.
The remarkable bas-relief of Artaxerxes described above and figured below in the chapter on the Art of the Sassanians, is accompanied by a bilingual inscription, or perhaps we should say by two bilingual inscriptions, which possess much antiquarian and some historic interest.
The longer of the two runs as follows:--"Pathkar zani mazdisn bagi Artahshatr, malkan malka Airan, minuchitri min Ydztan, bari bagi Pap-aki malka;" while the Greek version of it is-- [Illustration: INSCRIPTION, PAGE 278] The inscriptions are interesting, first, as proving the continued use of the Greek character and language by a dynasty that was intensely national and that wished to drive the Greeks out of Asia.

Secondly, they are interesting as showing the character of the native language, and letters, employed by the Persians, when they came suddenly into notice as the ruling people of Western Asia.