Page:Archaeologia Volume 13.djvu/353

Greek Sepulchral Monument. lative to the age of the monument, but from the general appear- ance of the ftone, and from the particular form of the letters, we may gain, perhaps, fome information. The letters, according to Montfaucon[A], are the moft ancient in ufe after the invention of the double vowels, which happened about 450 years before Chrift. The fame writer obferves[/], that the Omega, (fl) which is in fhape like a horfe-fhoe, continued in ufe to the time of Julius Casfar, on whofe coins it may be feen, as well as on infcriptions belonging to that period. He adds, that af- terwards the Omega, which is in lhape like our w, gradually became in ufe, till at length none other remained. The former letter occurs in the prefent infcription fix times, the latter not once. If we take the mean between the invention of the. double vowels and the time of Julius Caefar, we mail find the prefent ftone to be about two thoufand years old. Since, however, the horfe-fhoe Omega may be found on Greek Imperial coins, and on other infcriptions fubfequent to the time of Julius Casfar, nothing can be determined on this point. But it may be obferved, that as that letter occurs remarkably feldom, the ar- gument in favour of the antiquity of the ftone is not therefore entirely loft. [/&] Palaeog. Grsec. p. 336. [/'] Ibid. p. 154. VOL. XIII. P p I XXVII. A