Page 263 - Records of Bahrain (2)(ii)_Neat

Topography and archaeology, 1878-1879 589

208 THE ISLANDS OF BAHREIN.

imitation of tho Priests and Astrologers of Egypt. ”l On
Iho other side, it is to bo noted that native tradition, as pre­
served by a certain Semironius of Babylon, who is quoted by
tho author of tho Paschal Chronicle, described tho famous
primitive teacher of Astronomy to tho Babylonians as Andu-
barius the Indian, this name of Audubar applying to the myth­
ical personage usually called Izdubar by Assyriologists, whose
adventures, as translated by George Smith, have recently
created so much interest amongst Oriental and Biblical
students.2 In the name of ^ >^- we have for tho
first element >~>~y An, a God, and secondly, Dubar or Thubar
(Arabic ^UL ‘a sort of palm-tree*), preceded by the de­

terminative of wood, which, as usual, is not pronounced.
Andubar, as I long ago pointed out, was tho impersonation
of the Sun ; this identification being rendered certain by the
hymn translated by Smith (Discoveries, p. 394), where all
the usual solar epithets, “ judge of mankind, etc./’ arc applied
to tho hero in question, and his twelve cantos, illustrating tho
sun’s passage through tho twclvo signs of tho Zodiac, may
thus have well been considered as a popular introduction to
Astronomy. There was also a saying familiar amongst the
pcoplo of the SowAd at the time of tho Arab invasion, and
which the early traditionists repeated without understanding,
that Niffer was tho original Babil, Modain was Ctesiphon, and
Abillah (tho port of entry at tho mouth of the Euphrates)
was a dependency of 1find or India, this connexion of the two
names seeming to point to tho original immigration.3
But tho worship of Hea or Neptune was not the only cult

1 Sco Diod. Sic. lib. i. cap. 2. It lias also occurred to mo that the epithet
fivoapbs, applied to Oannes oy Borosus, and hitherto uucxplaincd, may possibly
represent tho ethnic titlo Mitftari, or Egyptian, in allusion to tho nationality of tho
primitive colony.
3 This curious passngo I transcribe at longth: ’Ey rots xp&volt rVs vv'pyo*odas
Ik tov ytrovs rod 'ApepafiB hvl]p ns 'IvSbs avvpdvT) aotpos ifTTpovdfios drifjuan
*AvBovfldpioSf os Kai oupeypa^J/aro npcoros *Iv5ois b.orpovopiav,—Fuseli. Chron. cd.
Dindorf, vol. i. p. 04. Observo that although Andubar is said to have taught tho
Indians, tho wholo chapter copied from Sonuronius relates to Babylonian tradition,
and tho namo of Arplmxad, who was tho supposed father of tho Ohakhvans, points
in tho same direction. It was common to uamo teachers after trees; thus tho
preceptor of Manes was named Muddd or * tho Tcrobinth trco.’
3 AacCit in yoco Niff or.

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