hich will be
touched upon later. He also speaks[19] of "179, 876, 755, expressed in
Indian ciphers," thus again attributing these forms to Hindu sources.

Preceding Al-B[=i]r[=u]n[=i] there was another Arabic writer of the tenth
century, Mo[t.]ahhar ibn [T.][=a]hir,[20] author of the _Book of the
Creation and of History_, who gave as a curiosity, in Indian (N[=a]gar[=i])
symbols, a large number asserted by the people of India to represent the
duration of the world. Huart feels positive that in Mo[t.]ahhar's time the
present Arabic symbols had not yet come into use, and that the Indian
symbols, although known to scholars, were not current. Unless this were the
case, neither the author nor his readers would have found anything
extraordinary in the appearance of the number which he cites.

Mention should also be made of a widely-traveled student, Al-Mas`[=u]d[=i]
(885?-956), whose journeys carried him from Bagdad to Persia, India,
Ceylon, and even {8} across the China sea, and at other times to
Madagascar, Syria, and Palestine.[21] He seems to have neglected no
accessible sources of information, examining also the history of the
Persians, the Hindus, and the Romans. Touching the period of the Caliphs
his work entitled _Meadows of Gold_ furnishes a most entertaining fund of
information. He states[22] that the wise men of India, assembled by the
king, composed the _Sindhind_. Further on[23] he states, upon the authority
of the historian Mo[h.]ammed ibn `Al[=i] `Abd[=i], that by order of
Al-Man[s.][=u]r many works of science and astrology were translated into
Arabic, notably the _Sindhind_ (_Siddh[=a]nta_). Concerning the meaning and
spelling of this name there is considerable diversity of opinion.
Colebrooke[24] first pointed out the connection between _Siddh[=a]nta_ and
_Sindhind_. He ascribes to the word the meaning "the revolving ages."[25]
Similar designations are collected by Sedillot,[26] who inclined to the
Greek origin of the sciences commonly attributed to the Hindus.[27]
Casiri,[28] citing the _T[=a]r[=i]kh al-[h.]okam[=a]_ or _Chronicles of the
Learned_,[29] refers to the work {9} as the _Sindum-Indum_ with the meaning
"perpetuum aeternumque." The reference[30] in this ancient Arabic work to
Al-Khow[=a]razm[=i] is worthy of note.

This _Sindhind_ is the book, says Mas`[=u]d[=i],[31] which gives all that
the Hindus know of the spheres, the stars, arithmetic,[32] and the other
branches of science. He mentions also