Volume 1

Indian antiquities: or, dissertations relative to the antient geographical divisions, the pure system of primeval theology, the grand code of civil laws, the original form of government, the widely-extended commerce, and the various profound literature of Hindostan: compared, throughout, with the religion, laws, government, and literature, of Persia, Egypt, and Greece. The whole intended as introductory to the history of Hindostan. Upon a comprehensive scale / [Thomas Maurice].

  • Maurice, Thomas, 1754-1824.
Date:
1800-12 [vol. I, 1806]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Indian antiquities: or, dissertations relative to the antient geographical divisions, the pure system of primeval theology, the grand code of civil laws, the original form of government, the widely-extended commerce, and the various profound literature of Hindostan: compared, throughout, with the religion, laws, government, and literature, of Persia, Egypt, and Greece. The whole intended as introductory to the history of Hindostan. Upon a comprehensive scale / [Thomas Maurice]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    fions, delineated on the sphere, though app^? rently allusive to the Argonautic expedition, could not possibly be the fabrication pf Chi^ ron, or any other Grecian, for that purpose; since the greatest part of the st^rs in the con- stellation Argo, and, in particular, Canopus, the brightest pf them, ^ye^e not visible in any part of Greece; and no astronomer vyould so absurd as to delipeate constellations to di.ect the course pf a vessel, the principal stars in wnich “ could not be seen by the rnarinerg, either when they set out, or when they came to tne end of their voyage.’’^ Although, un* doubted!y, many of the figures of the constel^ Jations have the appearance of being antient E- gyptian hieroglyphics, yet, that at least those of the Zodiac could not be of genuine Egyp»* tian origin, among other evident proofs which will be hereafter adduced by me, one or two only shall be stated at present. In the first place, they^ are not adapted to the order ia which the seasons succeeded each other in E- gypt. For instance, the sign Virgo, w’hlch is represented by a young female, with ears of ripened corn in her hand, evidently points to the * I shall, liereafter, have occasion to cite this curious passage of Dr Rutherforth more at length. It is in the second volume of the quarto Edition, page 850, Cambridge, 174-8.