Ham

African: dialect of the Otam . See Köelle: “Pol. Af.” Hamah or Hamath . Inscription: interesting series of incised stones found in N. Syria, probably by the ancient Chetas or Hittites. They occupy an intermediate position between picture writing, allied to Egyptian hieroglyphs, and early Semitic characters. They have not been deciphered. See Burton: “Unexplored Syria,” Burckhardt’s “Travels.” ☞ Hamal a i set , see Tavas tri an . Hamarua , Adamowa . Two large districts in W. Africa, as far S. as 9° N.L. Dr. Barth, with his Batta Vocabulary, gives a list of thirty-two languages for these parts, all represented as mutually unintelligible forms of speech, and all names ending in “ntshi,” “nji,” or “nchi.”