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Nineveh  And  Its 

/ 

Palaces: 
The  Discoveries  Of 
Botta  And  Layard 

Applied  To  The 
Elucidation  Of  Holy 

Writ 


Joseph  Bonomi 


UAKULD  15.  LhJb  LlBKAKl 

BRIGHAM  YOUNG  UNIYERSITV 
PRO  VO,  UTAH 


NINEVEH  AND   ITS  PALACES. 


THE 


DISCOVERIES  OF  BOTTA  AND  LAYARD,  APPLIED  TO  THE 
ELUCIDATION  OP  HOLY  WRIT. 


BY  JOSEPH  BONOMI,  F.R.S.L. 


'The  first  was  like  a  lion,  and  bad  eagle's  wings."— Dar.  vii.  4. 


THIRD   EDITION,   REVISED    AND    AUGMENTED. 


WITH   TWO    HUNDRED    AND    FORTY    ENGRAVINGS,    INCLUDING    THE    RECENT 
ADDITIONS   TO  THE  NATIONAL  COLLECTION. 


LONDON: 
H.   G.   BOHN,  YORK   STREET,   COVENT  GARDEN. 

1857. 


tXAHOLD  B.  Lbb  LlBKAKl 

BRIGHAM  YOUNG  UNIVERSTT^ 

PROVO,  UTAH 


Printing  Statement: 

Due  to  the  very  old  age  and  scarcity  of  this  book, 
many  of  the  pages  may  be  hard  to  read  due  to  the 
blurring  of  the  original  text,  possible  missing  pages, 
missing  text  and  other  issues  beyond  our  control. 

Because  this  is  such  an  important  and  rare  work,  we 
believe  it  is  best  to  reproduce  this  book  regardless  of 
its  original  condition. 

Thank  you  for  your  understanding. 


PREFACE  TO  THE  SECOND  EDITION. 

In  preparing  the  first  edition  of  **  Nineveh  and  its  Palaces  "  it 
was  deemed  desirable  to  follow  a  system  of  arrangement  origi- 
nated by  the  highly  suggestive  sculptures  which  have  been 
discovered.  Thus,  after  carefully  examining  the  remains  in 
our  Museum  and  in  the  Louvre,  and  studying  the  ground-plans 
of  the  respective  structures  with  the  original  situations  of  the 
friezes,  I  selected  a  starting-point,  and  then  pursued  a  regular 
and  systematic  course  through  the  ruined  chambers,  reading 
the  sculptures  upon  the  walls  together  with  the  Scriptures  as 
I  progressed.  Whether  the  line  of  reasoning  adopted  was 
erroneous  or  just,  is  still  open  to  consideration  ;  but  though  my 
inferences  and  conclusions  may  be  questioned  by  many,  the 
approbation  of  the  public  is,  at  least,  an  evidence  that  my 
speculations  were  not  altogether  unwarranted,  while  the  facts 
and  subject-matter  must  indisputably  continue  interesting  to  all. 

The  present  edition  has  been  most  carefully  revised,  and 
comprehends  many  additions,  including  a  full  description  of 
the  recent  discoveries  in  Nimroud  and  Khorsabad,  which 
have  completed  the  collection  from  those  places  in  the  British 
Museum. 

In  conclusion,  I  would  wish  to  avail  myself  of  this  opportu- 
nity of  expressing  my  acknowledgments  to  the  officers  of  the 
British  Museum,  for  the  uniform  urbanity  and  liberal  aid  they 
have  always  afforded  me :  and  likewise  for  the  co-operation 
I  have  met  with  from  many  kind  Mends.    To  Mr.  Samuel 


IV  PBEFACE. 

Sharpe  I  am  indebted  for  his  valuable  chapter  on  Assyrian 
History  and  Chronology ;  to  Dr.  Lepsius,  for  his  prompt  in- 
formation respecting  the  Cyprus  monument ;  to  Dr.  Lee,  of 
Hartwell,  for  the  papers  of  Dr.  Grotefend ;  and  to  Mr.  Ro- 
maine,  for  liis  sketches  on  the  very  spots  whence  the  anti- 
quities were  derived  :  to  each  and  all  of  these,  as  well  as  to 
other  friends  who  have  kindly  promoted  my  labours,  my  heart- 
felt thanks  are  cordially  returned. 

JOSEPH  BONOMl. 
March  2ith,  1853. 


A  Third  Edition  having  been  called  for,  the  work  has  under- 
gone further  revision,  and  is  considerably  enlarged  both  in 
matter  and  plates.  It  comprehends,  among  the  additions,  a 
full  account  of  the  important  discoveries  which  have  been  made 
at  Kouyunjik  and  other  places  during  the  last  few  years,  and 
engravings  of  many  of  the  most  interesting  of  the  Assyrian 
sculptures  recently  added  to  the  stores  of  the  British  Museum. 
Chronological  tables,  founded  on  modern  research,  have  also  been 
added,  and  will,  no  doubt,  be  appreciated  by  the  scriptural  and 
antiquarian  student.  In  the  compilation  of  these  tables  I  have 
been  mainly  indebted  to  Mr.  Samuel  Sharpe,  Mr.  Bosanquet, 
and  Mr.  John  von  Gumpach,  to  whom  I  take  this  public  occasion 
of  tendering  my  grateful  acknowledgments. 

J.  B. 
November,  1857. 


CONTENTS. 


SECTION  I.— DISCOVERIES. 

CHAPTER  I. 

The  buried  city  and  its  discoverers — Rich — Examination  of  presumed 
site  of  Nineveh,  2 — Buildings  on  Nebbi  Yunis,  partly  ancient  cham- 
bers, 4 — Inscriptions,  and  ancient  passages  in  Mound,  ib. — Inscribed 
slabs  with  bitumen  on  under-sides,  5 — ^Assyrian  antiquities  and  iu- 
Bcriptions,  5  and  6. 

CHAPTER  II. 

Botta — Appointed  Consul  at  Mdsul  —  Qualifications — M.  Mohl,  8 — 
Botta's  Kesearches  and  Disappointments,  8,  10 — Opens  the  Moimd 
of  Kouyimjik,  11 — ^Excavations  at  Shorsabad,  12 — Success  of  his 
first  operations,  12,  13 — Gh*ant  by  the  French  Government  for  their 
continuance,  14 — Difficulties  with  the  Governor  of  Mosul,  ib. — The 
excavations  stopped,  ib. — Turkish  Official  Delinquencies,  15 — ^Addi- 
tional Grant  of  Money,  18 — Permission  to  continue  the  Excavations, 
19 — Arrival  of  M.  Flandin,  ib. — ^The  Village  of  Khorsabad  purchased, 
ib. — Difficulties  attending  this  arrangement,  20 — ^Workmen  engaged, 
and  the  Researches  resimied,  22 — Return  of  M.  Flandin  to  Paris, 
24 — The  discovered  Relics  packed  and  transmitted  to  Paris,  25. 

CHAPTER  III. 

Layard,  29 — Early  Travels,  tb. — ^Proceeds  to  Asia,  ib, — Excursion  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  the  Tigris  and  Nineveh  to  Kalah  Sherghat  and  AI 
Hadhr,  30— Visits  Plain  of  Mel  ATnir  and  Susan,  30^  31— The  River 
Karun,  32 — Tower  of  Living  Men,  ib. — Returns  to  Mosul,  ib. — Pro- 
ceeds to  Constantinople,  33 — Sir  Stratford  Canning,  ib. — Returns  to 
Mosul,  ib. — ^Arrives  at  Naifa,  ib. — ^Explorations  and  Success,  ib. — 
Visits  Pasha  of  M<5sul,  34 — Proceedings  interdicted,  35 — Resumes 
Excavations,  ib. — ^A  third  interdict,  and  Works  stopped,  36 — ^Visits 
Arab  Sheikhs,  ib. — Ishmael  Pasha  superseded  by  Tahyar  Pasha,  ib, — 
Favours  Layard — Despatch  of  a  Vizerial  order — Opening  of  the  Great 
Mound  of  Kouyunjik,  ib. — A  rich  collection  of  Sculptures,  ib. — 


yi  CONTENTS. 

Their  transport  to  Bagdad,  37 — Layard  visits  the  DeTil-worshippers^ 
ib. — Grant  from  British  Museum,  ib. — Fresh  excavations  at  Ninaroud, 
38 — Great  success,  ib. — Embarcation  of  Marble  Obehsk,  ib. — Ex- 
amines Mound  at  Kalah  Shcrghat,  39 — K«moval  of  Lion  and  Bull 
fc-om  Nimroud,  ib. — Operations  necessary,  39,  40 — Leaves  Nimroud, 
42 — Departs  for  Europe,  ib. 

SECTION  II.— HISTORICAL. 

CHAPTER  I.— ASSYRIA  AND  MESOPOTAMIA. 

The  Nineveh  of  the  Bible,  44 — Nimrod,  ib. — His  name  expressive  of 
his  character,  45 — His  Kingdom,  ib. — Babel,  Erech,  Accad,  and  Cal- 
neh,  ib. — Their  present  sites,  46 — Assliur,  48 — His  kingdom,  ib. — 
Nineveh,  Calah,  Resen,  Rehoboth,  ib. — Their  locaUties  traced,  49 — Ex- 
tent and  population  of  Nineveh,  according  to  Jonah,  50 — The  Assyrian 
Kings,  52 — Their  wars  and  conquests,  ib. — Deportation  of  Samaria, 
54— Mr.  Dickinson's  remarks,  ib. — Destruction  of  the  Assyrian  army, 
56 — Death  of  Sennacherib,  57 — Esarhaddon,  58 — Nebuchodonosor, 
59— The  fall  of  Nineveh,  61. 

CHAPTER  II;— THE  ASSYRIA  AND  MESOPOTAMIA  OF 
CLASSICAL  WRITERS. 

The  Nineveh  of  the  classical  writers,  63 — Boundaries  of  Assyria  and 
Mesopotamia,  64 — Median  WaU,  65 — Ninus,  ib. — Descendant  of  As- 
shur,  ib. — Asshur  founder  of  the  Assyrian  monarchy,  66  —  Ninue 
founder  of  the  united  empire  of  Assyria,  ib. — Semiramis,  ib. — Ninyas, 
67 — ^The  Chedorlaomer  of  Scripture,  68 — Mesopotamia  named  on 
Egyptian  monimients,  69  —  Obelisk  of  the  Atmeidan  and  Tablet  oi 
Kamak,  ib. — Teutamus  assists  Priam  at  siege  of  Troy,  70 — Sardana- 

?alus,  71 — The  revolt  of  the  Medes,  ib. — Ctesias  and  Herodotus,  71, 
2 — Final  overthrow  of  Nineveh,  ih. — Period  according  to  Mr.  Bo- 
sanquet,  ib. — Rise  and  Fall  of  tlie  Babylonian  Empire,  74. 

CHAPTER  III.— SKETCH  OF  ASSYRIAN  HISTORY, 

BY  SAMUEL  SHAEPE,  ESQ. 

The  ancient  Assyrian  empire  ends  with  Sardanapalus  and  the  conquest 
of  Nineveh  by  the  Medes,  77 — Rise  of  the  modem  empire,  78 — 
Pul,  ib. — Tiglath  Pileser,  ib. — Shalmaneser,  79 — Sennacherib,  ib. — 
The  conquest  of  Israel,  ib. — Esarhaddon,  81 — The  conquest  of  Baby- 
lon, ib. — The  Chaldees,  ib. — Nabopolasser,  king  of  Babvlon,  conquers 
Nineveh,  82 — Nebuchadnezzar,  83 — The  conquest  of  Judah,  ib. — 
Babylon  and  Assyria  conquered  by  the  Medes,  84 — Cyrus  is  king  of 
Persia,  Media,  Babylon,  and  Assyria,  ib. — Table  of  Chronology,  85 — 
Egyptian  art  and  fashions  copied  at  Nineveh,  at  Babylon,  and  at 
Persepdlis,  86,  87. 


CONTENTS.  TU 


SECTION  III.— TOPOGRAPHY. 

CHAPTER  I.— KHORSABAD. 

Banks  of  the  Tigris,  90 — Relative  position  of  Mounds,  ib. — Situation 
of  Khorsabad,  91 — Botta  remarked  no  trace  of  "Wall  of  Nineveh, 
94 — Character  of  Mounds  on  which  Assyrian  Palaces  stood,  95 — 
Ehorsabad,  ib. — ^Well,  96 — Dimensions  of  fortified  Enclosure,  97 — 
Salt  Swamps  within  Wall,  99  —  Neighbouring  Swamps  accounted 
for,  101. 

CHAPTER  n.~NIMROUI>,  KOUTUNJIK:,  AND  NEBBI  YUNIS. 

Yarumjeh,  103 — Zikru-1-awaz,  ib. — Resen,  104 — Larissa  of  Xenophon, 
ib, — Chesney,  ib. — ^Ainsworth's  observations,  105 — ^Nimroud,  ib. — 
Koujunjik  and  Nebbi  Tunis,  ib. — Discoveries  mentioned  by  Rich, 
106 — Xaramles,  ib. — Area  of  ancient  Nineveh,  ib. — Layard's  view  not 
tenable,  107 — All  Tels  and  Koums,  probable  sites  of  Ruins,  ib. — 
Gebel  Makloub,  ib. — Mounds  within  boundary  line,  109 — ^Width  of 
Wall  nearly  identical  with  that  of  Khorsabad  Palace,  110 — Course  of 
Tigris  changed,  ib, — Nimroud  distant  from  Boundary  of  Nineveh, 
111— Sites  of  Cities  of  Holy  Writ,  ib. 

CHAPTER  III.— KALAH  SHERGHAT. 

Ainsworth,  112 — The  Jubailah,  113 — Hamman  Ali,  ib.  —  Bitimien 
Springs,  114— Zalah  Sherghat,  t6.— Dr.  Ross,  115— Al  Hadhr,  115 
to  118. 

CHAPTER  IV.— BABYLON,  PERSEPOLIS,  BEHISTUN, 
NAHR-AL-KELB,  AND  CYPRUS. 

Babylon,  119 — Birs  Nimroud,  ib. — Mujallibeh  and  Kasr,  120 — The 
Western  Palace,  ib. — Al  Heimar,  t6. — Bridge  of  Masonry  and  Road 
of  Semiramis,  ib. — PersepoKs,  121 — Tel-el-Minar,  ib. — Diodorus'  de- 
scription, ib. — Terraced  Platform,  122 — Parapet  and  Palisades,  123 — 
Grand  Flights  of  Stairs,  t6.— Portal,  ib. — Winged  Bulls,  ib. — Cis- 
tern and  Subterraneous  Aqueducts,  126 — Palace  of  Forty  Pillars, 
ift.— Second  Terraced  Building,  ib. — Third  ditto,  127 — Fourth  ditto, 
129— Fifth  ditto,  ib. — Large  edifice,  »6.— Tombs,  132— Pasargad« 
of  PKny,  I*. — Tomb  of  Cyrus,  ib. — Mourgaub,  ib. — Hareem  of  Jem- 
shid,  134 — Naksh-i-Roustam,  ib. — Tomb  of  Darius  Hystapses,  135— 
Inscribed  Stone  on  Mount  Elwand,  137 — Ecbatana,  ib. — Behistun, 
138 — Semiramis,  ib. — Bas-i:elief  and  Inscriptions,  ib. — Pass  and  In- 
scription of  teli-Shin,  141 — Inscriptions  at  Lake  Van,  142 — Ditto, 
at  Nahr-al-Kelb,  ib. — First  Ancient  Assyrian  Monument  brought  to 
England,  142, 144— Inscription  at  Cyprus,  144 — Dr.  Lepsius,  ib. — 
Inscription  in  the  Desert  between  the  Nile  and  the  Red  Sea,  145. 


VIU  CONTENTS. 


SECTION  IV.— DISCOVERIES. 
CHAPTEE  I.— KHORSABAD. 

The  Palaces  of  Assyria,  147 — Plan  and  construction  of  Mound,  147, 
148 — Entrance  guarded  by  Winged  Bulls,  151 — First  Court,  «i. — 
The  Cherubim,  152  -  Gigantic  Figure  of  Nimrod,  154— The  Bomme- 
reng,  anciently  and  universally  used,  ib. — Egyptian,  Assyrian,  South 
Airican,  and  Australian  Examples,  155 — Court  n— Four-winged  Divi- 
nity,157 — Cronus  or  Ilus,158 — Presenting  Fir-Cone  to  those  who  enter 
the  Chamber,  ib. — Similar  idea  on  Egyptian  Monuments,  ib. — Tomb  of 
Rhamses  IV.  ib — Bas-reliefs  of  Kings,  Attendants,  and  Officers,  159 — 
Their  Dresses  and  Peculiarities,  160 — North-Western  side  of  Court, 
165 — Repetitions  of  King  and  Court,  ib. — Historical  Frieze,  166 — 
Assyrian  and  Egyptian  Ships,  166,  167 — Maritime  Subject,  167 — 
Dagon,  168 — Passage  Chamber  between  Courts,  170 — Wooden  lock, 
ib. — Inscriptions  on  Bulls  and  Pavement,  171 — Procession  of  Tribute- 
bearers  in  Passage,  ib. — Tartan,  Chief  of  Tribute,  ib. — Rabsaris,  172 — 
Rabshakeh,  ib. — Governors  of  Provinces,  ib. — Sultan  Medinet,  t*.— 
Their  Insignia,  173 — Second  upper  line  of  Tribute-bearers,  ib. — The 
Deputy  Chief  of  Tribute,  ib. — Lower  line  of  Procession,  right-hand 
side,  174— Sagartii,  ib. — Ditto,  left-hand  side,  175 — Tribute  from  ex- 
tremities of  the  Empire,  ib. — Conflagration  of  Wooden  Door,  t*. — 
Second  Court,  the  King's  Court,  176— The  Porch  for  the  Throne,  ib. — 
The  Prophet  Daniel,  ib. — King's  Gate  at  Babylon  and  Shushan,  ib. — 
Facade,  177— Doorways,  ib. — South-Eastem  Side — Repetition  of  Ilus, 
King  and  Court,  178 — North- Western  Side,  179— Pavement,  ib. — 
Secret  Cavities  containing  images,  i6.— Inscribed  Slabs  in  Doorways, 
180— Teraphim,  180,  181— Superstition  of  the  Evil  Eye,  181— South- 
eastern side  of  Court,  182 — Isolated  Building,  ib. — Historical  Cham- 
bers, ib. — Symbolic  Tree,  ib. — Egyptian  Symbol,  ib. — Historical 
Illustration,  183— Siege  of  Fortified  City,  ib. — Nysians,  a  Colony  of 
Lydians,  184— War  engines,  185 — Inner  Chamber,  186 — Sack  of 
City,  i6.— Gable  Roof,  187— Sacred  Edifice,  i6.— No  Upper  Story, 
188— Divining  Chamber,  ib. — Magic,  189— Interior  of  the  Palace, 
390— Chamber  VIII.,  i6.— The  Hall  of  Judgment,  t6.— Fettered  Pri- 
soners, 191 — Flaying  a  Man  alive,  192— The  Chief  of  the  Slayers, 
if). — Second  scene.  Introduction  of  Prisoners — Sagartii,  a  pastoral 
people,  193 — Third  scene.  King  thrusting  out  the  eyes  of  a  Suppli- 
cant, 194 — Prisoners  led  by  rings  in  their  Lower  Lips,  «6. — Fourth 
scene,  similar  representation— Chamber  IV.,  195 — Chamber  of  Judg- 
ment— Repetition  of  King  Judging  Prisoners,  ib. — Bridle  in  lips, 
196, 198 — Jews,  197 — Isaiah's  Prophetic  Message  embodied  on  Wdls, 
198— Chamber  VII.,  ib. — Pleasure  House,  199 — Altars  in  high  places, 
ib. — King  following  the  Chase,  200 — King's  Sons,  ditto,  ib. — Shoot- 
ing at  Target,  201 — King's  Foresters,  202 — Himting  and  Himtsmen, 
ib. — Chamber  V.,  ib. — Hall  of  Historical  Records,  203 — Battle  Scenes, 
204— Chamber  VI.,  209— The  Chamber  of  Audience— King  giving 


COJfTENTS.  IJJ 

audience  to  Deputy  G^oremors— Milyee  from  Coast  of  Cilicia,  210— 
Chamber  XI.,  211 — Imier  Presence  Chamber,  212  —  Teraania,  or 
Porters,  ib. — Chamber  XII.,  ib. — Private  Council  Chamber — Cham- 
ber II.,  Banqueting  Hall,  213— Sieges,  214— Banquet  j  Wine  Vase, 
215 — Drinking  Cups,  ib. — ^Assyrian  and  Greek,  216^Lyre8,  ib. — 
Assyrian,  Greek,  and  Nubian,  ib. — The  Guests,  217 — High  Seats,  ib. 
— Ahasuerus'  Feast,  «6. — Second  line  of  Friezes,  218 — Battles  and 
Conquests,  ib. — Impalement  of  Prisoners,  219 — Numbering  the  Heads 
of  the  Slain,  220— Cities  and  Fort  in  Flames,  221,  222— Circular- 
headed  Tablet  represented  on  Frieze,  223 — Spare  Bow-string,  224 — 
Moveable  Breastwork,  225 — Chamber  III.,  226 — Retiring  Chamber — 
Castellated  Hills,  ib, — Jerusalem,  227 — Court  L.,  ib. — Wheeled  Chair, 
229 — High  Seat  or  Throne,  ib. — Seat  of  Judgment  for  Master  of 
House  or  Heads  of  Tribes,  ib. — ^Ancient  Customs — Altar,  230— Heavy 
Chariot,  231— Mighty  Men,  ift.— Horses,  232— Tables,  233— Cham- 
ber I.,  234,  Divining  Chamber — Curvetto Moulding,  235— The  Temple, 
236— Court,  Court  of  the  King's  House,  237— King's  Private  Way 
ib. — Chaldeeans  on  Walls,  Ezekiel  -yYiii.  14,  238 — Instructive  charac- 
ter of  Sculptures  and  Animus  displayed  in  the  details,  240,  241 — 
Construction  of  Assyrian  Palaces,  241 — Walls,  ib. — Roofs,  242, 243— 
Roller,  ib. — Means  of  Lighting ;  Windows  ;  Sleeping  Apartments, 
243 — Columns  in  Court,  244 — Awnings  fastened  to  rings  in  Pave- 
ment, and  in  backs  of  bronze  Lions,  ifc.— Gable  or  Pitched  Roofs,  ib. 
— Fergusson's  Restorations,  245 — Botta's  Opinion  on  the  Destruction 
of  the  Khorsabad  Palace,  245,  248. 

CHAPTER  II.— NIMROUD  AND  THE  SCULPTURES  IN  THE 
BRITISH  MUSEUM. 

The  Assyrian  Relics  in  the  British  Museum,  249— Layard's  Contri- 
butions, 250 — North-western  ruins  of  Palace  of  Nimroud,  250,  251 — 
Antechamber,  251 — Colossal  Winged  Figures,  ib. — King  and  Eunuchs, 
ib. — Winged  Lions  at  entrance,  ib. — Gh*eat  Hall  with  historical  sub- 
jects, ib. — Nisroch,  252,  295 — Siege  of  City  by  King  in  person,  255 — 
Assyrian  and  Egyptian  Chariots,  255,  256 — Return  after  Victory, 
258— Procession  of  Standard-bearers,  260 — Eunuch  receiving  Pri- 
soners of  rank,  261 — Mummers,  262 — Cittern  and  Plectrum,  262, 
263 — Modem  Example,  Tamboura,  ib. — Curry-combing  Horse,  ib. — 
Royal  Kitchen,  263— -Second  Series  of  Battle  Scenes,  265 — Trained 
Birds  of  Prey,  267 — Lower  line  of  Illustration,  268— Siege  of  City, 
Celts,  269,  270— Damascus,  272— Procession  of  King  and  Officers, 
and  Reception  of  Prisoners,  273 — Passage  *of  River  by  King  and 
Troops,  274,  275,  276— Ancient  and  Modem  Boats  and  Rafts,  277, 
278,  279— Colossal  Figures  of  winged  beings,  279— King  and  Eu- 
nuchs, ib. — ^Winged  Bulls  at  Entrance,  280 — Siege,  ib. — Lion  Hunt, 
283— Claw  in  Lion's  Tail,  283,  284— Bull  Hunt,  284r-Prisoners  with 
Spoil,  285 — ^The  Treaty  of  Peace,  287— Royal  Sceptre-bearer,  ib. — 
Return  from  the  Chase,  288,  291— Royal  Cup-bearer,  289— Colossal 
Group  at  end  of  Hall,  291 — ^Baal,  ib. — Comparison  and  Original, 


CONTENTS. 

292 — Remains  of  Bones  and  Fragments  of  Gold  Leaf  under  stone 
slab,  293 — Sacrificial  Stones  and  Conduit,  ib. — Four-winged  Divinity, 
ib. — ^Winged  Lions  with  Human  Heads  and  Arms,  tb. — Parthian 
Bowmen,  294 — Deified  man  with  Fallow-deer,  ib. — Lions  with  Human 
Heads  and  Arms,  carrying  Stag  and  Flower,  295 — Divinity  with  Fir- 
Cone,  ib. — Irregular  Arrangement  of  Subjects,  297 — Inference,  ib.-— 
Selikdar,  or  Sword-bearer,  ib. — Outer  Chamber,  300 — King  and  Offi- 
cers receiving  Tribute,  ib. — Winged  Bulls,  ib. — Symbolical  form  in 
allusion  to  name  of  people,  301.  See  M.  A.  de  Longperier — Hall 
of  Nisroch,  303 — Figures  of  Nisroch  before  SymboUe  Tree,  ib. — 
The  HaU  of  Divination,  ib. — The  King  drinking  in  the  presence  of 
the  Divinities  of  Assyria,  ib. — Metaphor  in  the  Psalms,  306^  Alter- 
nation of  subjects.  King  with  Attendants,  and  King  with  Divinities, 
1*6. — Square  Slabs  with  Hole  in  the  Centre,  ib. — Divining  Cup,  306, 
307--Cup  of  Jemshid,  307— Babylon,  a  Golden  Cup,  308— Divining 
by  Cup  and  Arrows,  ib. — Recesses  in  the  Walls,  309, 314 — ^The  Hall  of 
the  Oracle,  309 — Chamber  entirely  covered  with  Inscriptions,  ib. — 
Chamber  of  Divinities,  309 — Divinities  and  Symbolic  Tree,  ib. — The 
Oracle,  310 — Beardless  Figure  with  four  Wings,  ib. — Mysterious 
Rites,  311 — Rimmon,  312 — The  King,  ib. — Inscribed  Chamber,  314 
— Chamber  with  Inscribed  Walls,  ib. — Central  Court,  ib. — Second 
Hall  of  Divinities,  t6. — Hall  with  Slabs  inscribed  across  the  middle, 
but  without  sculpture,  315 — Small  chamber  where  ivories  and  or- 
naments were  foimd,  ib. — Deified  Man  with  Goat  and  Ear  of 
Wheat,  ib. — Images  in  Fiery  Furnace,  ift.^'Representations  on  Walls 
of  Babylon  and  Nineveh,  317 — South-western  and  Centre  Ruins,  ib. — 
Assault  on  City  containing  Date  Tree,  ib. — Impalement  of  Prisoners, 
Evacuation  of  City,  and  taking  account  of  the  Spoil,  320 — Slialma- 
neser,  321 — Not  a  City  of  Samaria,  ib. — Date  Trees  do  not  bear  fruit 
in  Northern  parts  of  Syria,  ib. — ^Attack  on  a  Citadel  near  a  Torrent, 
322 — Pursuit  of  Enemy,  Vulture  above,  ib. — ^Arab  on  Dromedary, 
pursued  by  Spearmen,  323 — Female  Captive  followed  by  Camels,  324 
— ^Warrior  hunting  the  Lion,  ib. — Eunuch  introducing  Prisoners,  ib.— 
King  holding  two  Arrows,  and  addressing  Warrior,  325 — Man  driving 
Flock  of  Sheep  and  Goats,  ib. — Fragments,  ib. — King  and  Selikdar,  326 
— Priests,  ib. — Grifibn  pursued  by  Ilus,  ib. — Contention  of  Good  and 
Evil  Spirits,  328— Cannes,  the  Chaldaean  Dagon,  329— Miss  Fanny 
Corbeaux  on  the  Rephaim,  330— Colossal  Lion,  t6. — Statue  of  High 
Priest,  ib. — Portrait  of  King  in  Chronological  Tablet,  332 — CircularAl- 
tar,334 — Cup  bearer,  335— King  and  cup-bearer,  t6.— Priest,  t6.— Four 
other  Fragments,  335, 336— Colossal  Heads,  336— Portraits  of  Kings, 
ib. — Glass,  Ivories,  Bronzes,  t6. — TerraCottaVases,  &c.  ib. — SmallLions, 
Weights — Inscribed  Slabs,  337 — Mode  of  Reading,  ib. — Basaltic 
Statue,  ib. — The  ObeUsk  and  Description  of  its  Four  sides,  338, 
347— Mr.  Hector's  Contributions,  347— Sir  H.  Rawlinson's  Collec- 
tion from  Khorsabad,  354 — Resemblance  and  Comparisons  between 
the  Palaces  of  Khorsabad  and  Ninu-oud,  t6. — Sculptures  integral  Part 
of  Plan  at  Khorsabad,  355 — Sculptures  adapted  at  Nimroud,  ib. — Regal 
and  Historical  Character  of  Palace  of  Khorsabad,  355 — Regal  and 


CONTENTS.  Zl 

Sacred  Character  of  Palace  at  Nimroud,  ib.  356 — Chambers  at  Kim- 
roud  devoted  exclusively  to  Divinities,  and  to  King  attended  by 
Divinities,  ib. — Divinities  peculiar  to  Nimroud  and  to  Khorsabad,  ib. 
—Baal,  ib. — Beardless  Four-winged  Divinity  and  Deified  Man,  seen 
only  at  Nimroud,  ib. — Nimrod  at  Khorsabad  only,  ib. — King  Divining 
at  Nimroud,  ib. — ^Trained  Bird  of  Prey  at  Nimroud,  ib. — King  Drink- 
ing, ib. — "Wars  with  Sheep-skin  clad  People  at  Khorsabad,  ib. — With 
People  wearing  Fillet  at  Nimroud,  ib. — Tribute  obligatory  at  Nim- 
roud, ib. — ^Voluntary  at  Khorsabad,  ib. — Inscriptions  across  Sculp- 
tures at  Nimroud,  357 — No  Analogous  Inscription  at  Khorsabad,  ib. — 
Appendage  to  Chariot  pecidiar  to  Nimroud,  »6.— Difierences  in  Styles 
of  Art,  16. — Inferences,  ib. — Khorsabad  finished  Palace,  ib. — Nimroud 
Incomplete,  ib. — Evidences,  358 — Tribute,  359 — Inscriptions,  ti.— - 
Trained  birds  of  Prey,  ib. — Chariots,  360— Divinities,  t*. — Human- 
Headed  wingedLion,  tb. — Four-wingedBeardlessDivinity,tJ. — Deified 
Mortals,  ib. — Degeneracy  of  the  system  of  religion  at  Nimroud,  361 — 
Nisroch,  ib. — Baal  foimd  at  Persepolis,  ib. — Nimroud  intermediate  be- 
tween Khorsabad  and  Persepolis,  ib. — Conclusion,  ib. — Plan  of  N.W. 
Palace  at  Nimroud,  362. 

CHAPTER  in.— KOUYUNJIK. 

Layard's  Kesearches  and  Discoveries  at  Kouyunjik  j  opens  seventy-two 
halls;  chambers,  and  passages,  365 — Discoveries  of  Kassam  and 
Loftus,  365 — Sculptures  from  North  Palace,  Sennacherib,  &c.  367 — 
Double-banked  war  galley,  ib. — Cup-bearer  sent  to  Hezekiah,  368 — 
Combat  by  river  side,  and  battle  in  a  marsh,  ib. — Beed  Marshes 
of  Chaldeea,  ib. — Bafts  and  boats  made  of  reeds,  ib. —  Depor- 
tation of  the  People,  369 — Slingers  and  Archers,  370 — Assyrian 
Cavalry,  ib. — Spearmen,  371 — ^Various  Divisions  and  Begiments  of 
Assyrian  army,  ib. — Procession  of  Horses  and  Grooms  on  inclined 
way,  372 — Procession  bearing  food  for  a  Banquet,  ib. — Ashiu'akbal 
III.  in  battle  with  the  Susians,  373 — Grinding  com,  and  kneading 
bread,  td.— King  of  the  Susians,  his  fate,  ib. — Leathern  coverings  of 
horses,  374 — Cruelties  of  the  Assyrians,  flaying,  pulling  ofi"  ears, 
tearing  out  tongues,  spitting  in  face,  bufietting,  &c.,  375 — Musicians 
and  Dancers  followed  by  Women  playing  on  Musical  Instruments, 
378 — Baising  water  to  the  Hanging  Gardens,  379 — King  in  Wheeled 
Chair,  380— Captives  constructing  an  Inclined  Plane,  ib. — Embodi- 
ment of  Metaphors  in  Scripture,  ^.—Jewish  Captives,  381 — Quarry- 
ing, 382 — Wicker  Boats,  with  oars  of  peculiar  form,  ib.  383 — Saws, 
Shovels,  and  Pick-axes,  ib. — Ninety  camel-loads  of  Picks  found  at 
Khorsabad,  383, 412— Car  drawn  by  Eunuchs,  ib.  384— Siege  of  citv  at 
embouchure  of  Tigris  and  Euphrates,  ib. — Lion  Himt  Chamber 
386 — Hunting  Ground  in  Paradeisos,  or  Boyal  Park,  several  mile«  in 
extent,  387 — Temporary  Stable  and  Coach-house,  ib. — Eunuch  hold- 
ing Screens,  ib. — Harnessing  the  Horses,  388 — Embroidered  mitten 
on  King's  hand,  ib. — Lions  brought  in  cages  to  the  Hunting  Ground, 
if>. — The  H\mt,  390 — Blood  Hoimds  used  in  the  chase,  ib. — Courage 


Xll  CONTENTS. 

of  the  King,  392 — Cavity  for  Lock,  ib. — Wounded  Lions  and  Lion- 
esses, 393 — Establishment  for  keeping  and  rearing  Lions,  ib. — Pro- 
cession to  Hunting  Ground,  395 — Driving  and  snaring  Ghime,  396 — 
Hunting  Ground  enclosed  with  Nets,  397 — Men  setting  Trap  or 
Gin,  td.— King  on  foot  slaying  Lions,  ib. — Lions  drugged  or  pre- 
pared to  render  them  Tame,  398 — Dead  Lions  at  King's  feet.  Musi- 
cians, and  Attendants,  ib. — Thanksgiving  to  the  God  of  Victory  or 
the  Chase,  399 — Inscription  translated  by  Eawlinson,  ib. — King  on 
horseback  hunting  Lions  and  Gazelles,  399 — King  hunting  Wild 
Horse,  400 — The  Lasso,  King  superintending  dissection  of  Lion, 
ib. — Kuig  feasting  with  Queen  in  the  garden  of  his  Palace,  400 
— Genina,  or  Garden  Place  of  Pleasure,  ib. — Queen  in  raiment  of 
Needle  Work,  ib. — Malema,  or  Chiefs  of  the  Hareem,  ib. — ^Young 
Women  in  attendance,  ib.  —  Ivory  Casket,  402  —  One  which  be- 
longed to  Haroun  e'  Kashid,  ib. — Musical  Instnmients,  mentioned 
in  Daniel,  405 — Harp,  Psaltery,  Sackbut,  Flute,  Timbrel,  Cymbals, 
Dulcimer,  and  Drum,  shown  on  sculptures,  406,  409 — Chief  of  the 
Musicians,  408 — Musicians  Dancing,  409 — Large  Susian  City  on  the 
banks  of  a  river ;  its  Magnificent  Susian  Palace,  410 — Assyrians  and 
Egyptians  acquainted  with  the  True  Arch ;  Eastern  Ethiopians,  412 
— Destruction  of  another  city  of  the  Susians,  412 — King  hunting 
the  Wild  Horse  with  the  Lasso  and  Dogs ;  King  present  at  dissec- 
tion of  Lion,  ib. — Samaritan  Priests,  or  the  Chiefs  of  the  Jewish 
inhabitants  of  Susiana,  ib. — King  with  his  foot  on  Captive,  bi. — Mu- 
sicians, 413 — Garden  with  Fruit-Trees  and  Flowers,  and  Tame  Lions, 
ib. — Divinities,  ib. — Guardians  of  Entrances,  ib. — Tablet  of  Tiglath 
Pileser,  414 — Pavement  Slabs,  415 — List  of  Sculptures  from  Nim- 
roud,  Khorsabad,  and  Kouyunjik,  now  in  the  British  Museimi,  415. 

SECTION  v.— COSTUME. 

Assyrian  Art,  Industry,  Dress,  Ornaments,  and  Equipages ;  Perfection 
of  the  Art  of  Sculpture  in  Nineveh,  425 — Assyrian  Art  intermediary 
between  the  Grecian  and  Egyptian,  426 — Vases  and  Furniture,  430 — 
Splendour  of  Costumes,  ib. — Head-dresses,  431 — Warlike  Weapons, 
ib.  434 — Extreme  care  of  Beards,  434 — Love  of  Ornament,  435 — 
Earrings,  ib. — Bracelets,  435,  436 — The  Style  of  Art  which  charac- 
terised their  Ornaments — Comparison  with  more  famiUar  forms  of 
Greek  Art,  437 — Assyrian  Industry,  ib.— The  high  degree  of  perfec- 
tion it  attained,  ib. — ^Acquaintance  with  the  Art  of  working  various 
Metals,  4<38 — Pottery,  t6.— Tablets  of  Gold  and  Silver,  Copper,  and 
Lead,  440 — Bronze  Lion,  ib. — Its  Use,  441 — Bronzes,  ib. — Seals  oi 
Clay,  443— Fimereal  Urns,  444 — Painted  Bricks,  445 — Altars,  ib. — 
Nails,  ib. — Burnt  clay  Idols,  446 — Chariot-Wheels,  ib. — Lapis  Ollaris, 
447 — Commerce  of  Ancient  Assyria,  448 — Babylonian  boast  of  Skill 
in  Archery,  449— Its  Chief  Branches  of  Traffic,  ib. — ^Tribute  ob- 
tained by  the  Egyptians  from  Mesopotamia,  450 — Image  set  up  in  the 
Plain  of  Dui'a,  ib. — Wooden  Pillars  encased  with  Copper  and  Plated 
with  Gold,  ib, — Ivories  with  Egyptian  figures,  451, 459— Copper  and 


•  •• 


CONTENTS.  Xlll 

Bronze  Vessels,  Mother  of  Pearl  ornaments,  &c.,  457 — Q-lass  Vessels 
and  Statuettes,  found  at  Susa,  459 — Inscribed  Cones  of  Chaldsea,  ib. 
— ^Writing  Implements,  t6. — Needles,  Wine  Strainer,  and  BeUs,  ib. — 
Chain  Armour,  ib. — Hatchets,  Knives,  and  Ladles,  460 — Clay  Re- 
cords, Glass  Vases,  ib. — Fertility  of  Assyria^  ib, — Condition  of  the 
Burns,  461. 

SECTION    VI.— INSCRIPTIONS    AND    LATEST    PRO- 
CEEDINGS AND  DISCOVERIES. 

CHAPTER  I. 

Assyrian  Inscriptions  and  their  Interpretation,  463 — ^The  Arrow-Head 
Character,  464 — How  it  came  to  be  deciphered  by  Professor  Grote- 
fend,  465 — Suggestions  of  M.  Boumouf  and  Professor  Lassen,  Col. 
Rawlinson  and  the  Behistun  Inscription,  468 — Process  of  analyzing 
the  Assyrian  Text,  469 — The  Inscriptions  at  Ehorsabad,  the  Situations 
in  which  they  were  found,  470 — ^Botta's  opinion  of  these  Inscriptions, 
471 — Colonel  RawHnson's  Account  of  the  Labours  of  his  predecessors 
and  of  himself,  472,  477 — The  Babylonian  unquestionably  the  most 
ancient  Cuneiform  Writing,  477 — Tablets  at  the  Mouth  of  the  Nahr- 
al-Kelb,  482 — Cuneiform  Writing  confined  exclusively  to  Sculptures 
and  Impressions,  484 — The  Inscription  on  the  Obelisk  found  at  Nim- 
roud,  486— Col.  Rawlinson's  translation  and  remarks,  486,  496 — Dr. 
Grotefend's  reading  of  the  ObeHsk,  497 — Shalmaneser,  498 — Dr. 
Hincks'  reading  of  some  names — Jehu,  499 — Identification  of  the 
king  who  built  Kouyunjik  with  the  Sennacherib  of  Scripture,  by  Col. 
Rawlinson,499 — ^Esar-Haddon,  503 — Language  and  mode  of  writing 
the  ancient  Assyrian,  504 — Difference  between  the  two  systems  of 
CoL  Rawlinson  and  Dr.  Hincks  in  interpreting  Inscriptions,  505 — Mr. 
Bosanquet,  Dr.  Hincks'  further  Discoveries  j  Dr.  Grotefend  on  the 
Plan  of  Nimroud,  609. 

CHAPTER  IL 

Latest  Proceedings  and  Discoveries  in  Assyria,  512 — Intelligence  of 
Layard,  1849, 1850, 1851,  612 — Communication  from  Col.  Rawlinson 
read  at  the  Asiatic  Society,  id. — ^Excavations  of  M.  Place,  513 — Col. 
Rawlinson  on  Cuneiform  Inscriptions,  514 — His  Report  on  Inscrip- 
tion containing  name  of  Pul,  515 — ^Assyrian  Antiquities  forwarded  by 
him  to  British  Museum,  616 — His  Article  on  the  Cylinders  of  Baby- 
lon and  Assyria,  iS. — Chronology  of  the  Assyrians,  by  M.  Oppert, 
518— Chronological  Table,  521. 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


^preserve  the  original  nuTiibering,  the  cuts  added  to  this  edition  are  starred;  they  oceut 
principaily  from  185  to  204. 


Page 

1.  Frontispiece — Amval  of  Sculp- 

tures at  British  Museum,  Feb. 
1852 

2.  Map  of  Nineveh  and  surrounding 

country  to  f  axe  page 

3.  Assyrian  winged-lion  N.W.  palace 

Nimroud 

The  Great  Mound  of  Kouyunjik, 

opposite  Mosul  to  face  page 

Mosul,  from  the  Eastern  bank  of 

the  Tigris  tojaaepage 

4.  Plains  of  ancient  Nineveh 

5.  Mound  of  Khorsabad,  western  side 

6.  Village  of  ditto        

Jebouri  Arabs  employed  at  the 

excavations         

Arab  Tents,  near  the  Mound,  re- 
sidence of  the  Jebouri  work< 
people        to  face  page 

7.  Mound  at  Nimroud 

Nestorians  employed  at  the  exca- 
vations       

Tunnel  opened  in  Eouyunjik 

to  face  page 

fi.  Plain  and  Mounds  of  Nimroud    ... 

9.  Map  of  Assyria  and  Mesopotamia 

Group  of  the  present  inhabitants  of 

Koordistan  (Ancient  Assyria) 

to  fade  page 

10.  Comparative  size  of  cities 

11.  Nimrod  from  palace  of  Khorsabad 
Head  of  Herodotus 

11.*  Baby^ian  and  Egyptian  seals... 

12.  Lion  from  the  great  Mound,  Nim- 

roud   

Table  of  Chronology         

13.  Name  on  ivory  box  found  at  Nim- 

roud   

14.  Head  of  Cyrus  in  Egyptian  head- 

dress          

15.  Name — ObenRa      

16.  Amun  Ra,  or  Oben  Ra      

17—18.  Babylonian  Cylindrical  Seals 


19. 

20. 

1 

21. 

1 

22. 

23. 

2 

24. 

25. 

4 

26. 

6 

27. 

7 

28. 

19 

29. 

30. 

28 

31. 

32. 

29 

29 

33. 

34 

34. 

38 

35. 

42 

43 

86. 

37. 

44 

38. 

51 

39. 

62 

63 

40. 

76 

41. 

77 

42. 

85 

43. 

86 

44. 

45. 

^b. 

87 

46. 

iJ. 

88 

47. 

Page 
Plan    of    Mound    of    Khorsabad 

(Botta,  pl.2)         89 

Ditto  of  Platform  on  which  palace 

of  Khorsabad  stood        96 

Eastern  side  of  mounds  of  Khorsa- 
bad   102 

Obelisk  from  Nimroud       103 

Boundary  of  ancient  Nineveh      . . .  108 

Walls  of  Nineveh Ill 

Statue  at  Kalah  Sherghat 112 

Ruins  at  Al  Hadhr 118 

Birs  Nimroud  119 

Persepolitan  Column         126 

Plan  of  the  Ruins  of  Persepolis  ...  130 
Monument  at  Nahr-al-Kelb         ...144 
View  on  the  Euphrates,  near  Bagh- 
dad  146 

Forepart  of  Bull  on  jamb  of  door 

(Khorsabad)  148 
Portal  of  the  Palace  of  Khor- 
sabad (Botta,  pi.  24)      ...    (do.)  149 
Plan  of  the  Palace  or  Khorsabad 

(Botta,  pi.  6)         150 

Portal  of  Palace,  with  figure  of 
Nimroud  (Botta,  pi.  7) 

(Khorsabad)  152 
Figure  of  Nimrod  (Botta,  pi.  41)...  153 

Egyptian  Bommereng       154 

Bommereng  in  Nimrod's  hand    ...    ih, 
Hunga    Munga,    from    Southern 

Africa        155 

Trombash,  from  Central  Africa  ...    t6. 
£s  Selem,  from  the  Desert  between 
the  Nile  and  the  Red  Sea       ...    ift. 

Auftralian  Bommereng    ih. 

Divinity  Ilus  (Botta,  pi.  28) 

(Khorsabad)  157 

Egyptian  Symbol  of  Life 168 

Egyptian    King     Rhamses    IV. 

(Thehes)  159 
The  great  King  and  his  officers 

(Botta,  pis.  13, 14)  (Khorsabad)    \b. 
The  great  King  (Botta,  pL  14)    (do.)  160 


XVI 


LIST    OF   ILLUSTRATIONS. 


54. 
55. 

56. 

57. 


60. 
61. 


66- 

68. 


69. 


70. 


ih. 
168 

170 

t&. 


(do.)  172 

(do.)  174 
(do.)  178 
(do.)  ib. 

(do.)  179 
(do.)  182 


183 
185 
186 


48—49.  Fly  flaps  (Botta,  pi. 

161)     (Khorsabad)  162 

50.  Preparations     for    building 

road  or  port  (Botte,  pi.  36)    (do.)  166 

51.  Assyrian  ship  (do.)     ib. 

62.  Egyptian  ship  ...       (Thebes)  167 

53.  Maritime   subject  (Botta,  pis.  32, 

33,  34)        (  Khorsabad) 

Dagoa  

Key  of  wooden  lock  of  Oriental 

door  

Merchant  of  Cairo  carrying  the 

key  of  his  magazine     

Tartan,  chief  of  Tribute   (Botta, 

pi.  130)      (Khorsabad)  171 

58.  Sultan  Medinet  (Botta,  pi. 

36.)  

59.  One  of  the  Sagartii  (Botta, 
pi.  129)       

Priest  

Eagle-headed  Divinity     ... 
62—63.  Teraphim  found  in  secret 
cavities  (Botta,  pi.  152)  ... 

64.  Symbolic  tree  

65.  Siege   with    battering-rams 
(Botta,  pi.  145)     (do.) 

-67.  War-engines  or  batter- 
ing-rams (Botta,  pi.  160)      (do.) 

Sacred  edifice  with  gable 
roof(Botta,  pi.  141)         ...    (do.) 

Hewing  a  figure  to  pieces 

(Botta,  pi.  140)      (do.)  188 

Flaying  alive  (Botta,  pi.  120)    (do.)  192 

71.  King  putting  out  the  eyes  of 

acaptive  (Botte,  pi.  118)...   (do.)  194 

72.  Bridle  in  the  lips     (do.)  196 

73.  Kiosk     or     pleasure-house 

(Botta,  pi.  114)     (do.)  199 

74.  The   great   King  following 

the  chase  (Botte,  pi.  113)     (do.)  200 

75.  The  King's  sons  ditto  (part 

of  the  preceding)  (Botte, 

pi.  112)       (do.)     ib. 

Shooting  at  a  terget  (Botta, 

pi.  11)         (do.)  201 

The  King's  foresters  (Botta, 

pi.  110)      (do.)  202 

Hunting     and      huntsmen 

(Botta,  pi.  108)     

The  charge  (Botta, pi. 92)  ... 
Attack  of  an  advanced  fort 

(Botta,  pi.  93)       (do.)  206 

Captives  and    spoil  (Botta,. 

pi.  92)         (do.)  207 

62.  One   of    the    Milyse,   from 

Cilicia  (Botta,  pi.  106  bis) 

83.  Clasp  of  dress  

84.  Attack  of  a  city;  setting  fire 

tothe  gates  (Botte,  pi.  70)   (do.)  213 

85.  Attack  of    a  city    of    the 

sheepskin-clad  race  (Bot- 
te, pi.  77)   (do.)  214 

86.  Feast;     drinking-cups    and 

wine-vases  (Botte,  pi.  76)    (do)  215 

87.  Assyrian  wine-cup (do.)  216 


76. 

77. 

78. 

79. 
80. 

81. 


(do.) 
(do.) 


^] 


ib. 
204 


209 
210 


Paqe 

88.  Greek  wine-cnp     ...(Khorsabad)  216 

89.  Assyrian  lyre         (do.)     ib. 

90.  Guests  at  table — the  toast 
(Botte,  pis.  64,  65)  ...    (do.)  217 

91.  Assault  of  a  city,  and  im- 
palement   of    prisoners 
(Botte,  pi.  55)       (do.)  219 

92.  Burning  of  a  besieged  city 
(Botta,  pi.  68  Ma) (do.)  221 

93.  Burning  of  a  fort  and  pur- 
suit of  the  conquered 
(Botta,   pi.   76)    (do.)  222 

^94.  Part  of  besieged  city  on 
hill,  showing  circular- 
headed  tablet  (Botte,  pi. 
64) (do.)  223 

95.  Attack  by  bow  and  spear- 
roen ;  setting  fire  to  gates 
of  a  city  (Botta,  pi.  61)   ...    (do.)  224 

96.  Bowmen  charging  under 
cover  of  moveable  shield 
(Botta,  pi.  99)       (do.)  225 

97.  Sculpture  representing  Je- 
rusalem (Botta,  pi.  78)   ...    (do.)  226 

98.  Procession  of  tribute-bearers 
with   cups    and  wheeled 
chair  (Botta,   pi.  15,  16, 
17)  ...        ...        (do.)  228 

99.  Continuation  of  above,  with 
chair  of  state,  alter,  and 
chariot  (Botte,  pis.  18, 19, 
90) (do.)  230 

100.  Ditto,  with  horses,  tobies, 
and  vases  (Botte,  pis.  21, 
22,  23)        (do.)  232 

101.  Cnrvetto  moulding  of  ter- 
race on  platform  (Botte, 
pi.  150)       (do.)  235 

102.  Priest  with  gazelle  (Botte, 
pi. 43)...  (do.)  2.38 

103.  Section,  shewing  construc- 
tion of  wall  and  ceiling...    (do.)  242 

Procession,  showing  divi- 
sion of  slab  and  doorway 
(Botta,  pis.  21, 22,  23)      ...    (do.)  248 

View  of  pyramidal  mound 
atNiraroud  (do.)  249 

Winged  human-headed  lion 

(N.  W.  Palace,  Nimroud)  251 

King  in  his  chariot,  be- 
sieging city  (do.)  254 

Egyptian  chariot 255 

Assyrian  do.  (N.  W.  P.,  Nimroud)  256 

Stendard-bearers  (Continu- 
ation of  Fig.  104) (do.)  258 

111.  King  in  procession  after 
victory       (do.)  259 

112.  Stendard-bearers  in  pro- 
cession after  victoiy     ...    (do.)  259 

113.  Chamberlain  receiving  pri- 
soners         1  (do.)  260 

114.  Mummer.'i  dancing 2  (do.)  261 

115-116.  Tanibouia       262 

117.  Tlie  stable— curry-combing 

a  horse      3  (do.)  363 


104. 


105. 

106. 

107. 

108. 
109. 
110. 


IIST    OP    ILLrSTEATIONS. 


Pagt 

118.  Egyptian  hieroglyphic^  de- 

terminative of  countiy  or 

district  (N.  W.  Palace,  Nimroud)  268 

119.  Interior  of  the  royal  kitchen 

(1,  %  3,  and  4,  one  8lab)  ..A  (do.)  264 

120.  King  in  battle  —  Divinity 

above— Bird  of  prey  tear- 

ing  the  dying       (do.)  265 

121.  Eunuch  warrior  in   battle 

— bird  of  prey  above     ...    (do.)     ih. 

122.  Rout    and    flight    of    the 

enemy  (N.  W.  Palace,  Nimroud)  266 

123.  Standard-bearers  in  battle     (do.)  267 

124.  Chariot  and  officers  of  the 
.«.   „&»eatking (do.)  268 

125.  Siege  of  DamaBCus— final 

assault       (do.)   270 

126.  Completion  of  siege-'people 

led  into  captivity  ...    (do.)  271 

127.  Triumphal  procession   be-  | 

fore  the  walls  of  a  city  ...   (do.)  273 

128.  Passage  of  a  river  by  the 

great  king  and  his  allies     (do.)  274 

129.  Troops     and     equipments 

crossing  the  river  ...    (do.)  275 

130.  Preparations    for  crossing 

the   river,  and   embark- 
ation of  the  chariots     ...    (do.)  276 

131.  Kufah  modem  round  basket 

boat  used  upon  Euphrates 

and  Tigris 277 

132.  Kellek,  or  large  rafts  used 

on  Tigris  and  Euphrates         ...  278 

133.  Tent  cabin  on  kellek        279 

134.  Fugitives  crossing  a   tor- 

rent    (N.  W.  Palace,  Nimroud)  280 

135.  The  great  king  on  foot,  at- 

tacking a  fortified  city  ...    (do.)  281 

136.  The  lion  hunt         (do.)  283 

137.  Claw  in    lion's   tail,  from 

Nimroud  sculpture         ...   (do.)  284 

138.  Ditto,  from  a  living  animal, 

full  size      (do.) 

139.  The  bull  hunt        (do.) 

140.  Procession  of  captives  with 

tribute       (do.)  286 

141.  The   league    or  treaty  of 

peace         (do.)  287 

142.  A  royal  sceptre-bearer     ...   (do.)  288 

143.  The  royal  cup-bearer        ...   (do.)  289 

144.  The   king  returning  from 

the  bull  hunt       (do.)  291 

145.  The    king    and  divinities 

before  Baal  and  the  sym- 
bolic tree 

146.  Baal 

147.  Symbol  of  Baal       

148.  Egyptian  symbol 

149.  The  flight-Parthian  bow- 

men  

150.  Deified   man,  with  fallow- 

deer   

131.  Divinity,  with  egg-shaped 
head-dress,  pine-cone,  and 
basket        (do.)  295 

152.  Niaroch        (do.)  296 


^t! 


310 
313 


ih. 
285 


xvu 

Page 

153.  Selikdar,  or  sword-bearer 
(N.  W.  Palace,  Nimrond)  297 

154.  Captive  heading  procession 
of  tribute-bearers  ...  (do.)  298 

155.  Attendant,  with  monkeys 
as  tribute (do.)  299 

156.  Winged  human-headed  bull   (do.)  301 

157.  Nisroch    before     symbolic 

.ro   J^^^ (^0-)  302 

158.  King  drinking  or  divining 

in  the  presence  of  the  gods 
,^„      of  Assyria (do.)  304 

159.  Divinities  kneeling  before 
symbolic  tree       (do.)  309 

160.  Beardless  divinity  with 
four  wings 

161.  The  great  king      

162L  Divinity  with  egg-shaped 

and  homed  cap (do.)  316 

163.  Deified  man  carrying  goat 
and  ear  of  wheat (do.)  317 

164.  Impetuous  assault  on  a 
city — artificial  mount  — 
felling  trees 

*n^   «.  (Centre  ruins,  Nimroud)  318 

165.  Siege,  prisoners  impaled  be- 
fore the  walls  of  the  city     (do.)  319 

166.  Evacuation  of  a  city         ...   (do.)  321 

167.  Bowmen  discharging  arrows 
f^om    behind    moveable 

i«a    a"^^®'-**         (^«-)  322 

ibo.  Assyrian    mercenaries   in 

pursuit,  vulture  with  en- 
trails  (do.)  323 

169.  Cavalry  pursuing  man  on 

*r,r.  ^'!??®^*''y  (do.)  324 

170.  Warrior  in  his  chariot 
hunting  the  lion (do.)  325 

171.  A  griffon  pursued  by  the  god 
Ilus       (Great  mound,  Nimroud)  327 

172  ^ •■^-  * •      '^  -    •    --- 

173 
174, 


Oaunes,  the  Assyrian  Dagou  (do.)  329 


do.) 
'do.) 

;do.5 


(do.) 
(do.) 


292 

ih. 

293 

ih. 

294 


Statue  of  high-priest 
Portrait  of  King  in  Chrono- 
logical Tablet      

175.  Cup-bearer  to  the  King  of 
Nineveh 

176.  Human  head  of  winged  bull 

177.  Lion  weight  

178.  Front  view  of  obelisk       ... 

179.  Left  side  of  ditto    ... 

180.  Back  of  ditto  ...         ".i, 

181.  Fourth  side  of  ditto 

182.  Tribute  horses       

183.  Native  of  the  coast  of  the 
Mediterranean     ...(Khorsabad;  352 

184.  Portrait  of  the  cup-bearer 
oftheKingof  Khorsabad   (do.)  353 

185.  King's  Foresters— frieze  in 
basalt         

185.*  Plan  of  the  principal  Edi- 
fice :the  N.  W.  palace)  at 
Nimroud,  whence  most  of 
the  sculptures,  the  bronze 
and  the  ivories  now  in  the 
British  Museum,  were 
discovered  a(}2 


(do.)  833 

(do.)  334 

(do.)  336 

(do.)  a37 

(do.)  339 

(do.)  342 

(do.)  344 

(do.)  345 

(do.)  350 


(do.)  355 


XVlll 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTKATIONS. 


Fagt 

186.*  Procession  returning  from 

thechase(N.Palace,Kouyunjik)  363 

186.**  The    reed    marshes     of 

Chaldsea  lojacepnge  368 

187*  The  accuser  spits  upon,  and 

buffets  the  accused        ...    ^do.^  376 

188*  Jewish  captives    (do.)  381 

189**  Oar  to  propel  wicker  boat        ...  382 

189.*  Men  holding  screens       ...    (do.)  387 

190.*  King    in     hunting     car, 

backing  horse      (do.)  389 

191.*  Lion  in  cage         ...  (Kouyunjik)  390 

192*  Huntsmen  and  dogs        ...    (do.)  391 

193.*  Wounded  lioness (do.)  393 

194.*  Wounded  lion       (do.)  394 

197.*  Huntsmen  proceeding  to 

the  hunting-grounds.  .        (do.)   395 

198.*  Driving  and  snaring  game    (do.)  396 

199.*  King  on  horseback  hunt- 
ing lions     (do.)  398 

199.*  King  and  queen  feasting 

in  garden (do.)  401 

255.    Fragment  of  an  ivory  casket    ...  403 

200.*  Harp,  psaltery,    sackbut, 

flute    (Kouyunjik)  406 

201.*  Timbrel,  psaltery,  cym- 
bals, psaltery  with  danc- 
ing   (do.)  407 

202.*  Dulcimer,  and  a  chief  of 

the  musicians      (do.)  408 

203.*  Drum  (do.)  409 

204.*  Chronological      Tablet  — 

Tiglath  Pileser (do.)  414 

186.  Head  dress  from  Khorsabad 

(Botta,  pi.  163)     (do.)  423 

187—189.  Vases  (Botta,  pi.  162)     (do.)  430 

190—191.  Girbeh  (do.)     ih. 

192—196.  Assyrian   head-dress, 

(Botta,  pi.  163)     ...        ••    (do.)  431 

197—201.  Assyrian  shields  (Bot- 
ta, pi.  160) (do.)  432 

202—207.  Assyrian  bow,  arrows, 

and  quiver  (Botta,  pi.  159)    (do.)  433 

208—211.  Assyrian  helmets,  and 
head-dresses  (Botta,  pi. 
163)  (do.)  434 


(do.)  435 
(do^ 
(do.) 
(do.)  436 


435 
ib. 


Page 
212 — 214.  Assyrian  swords  ( Bot- 
ta, pi.  159) (Kouyunlik)  434 

215.  Sceptre  (Botta,  pi,  159)     ...    (do.)     ib. 

216.  Assyrian  umbrella  (Botta, 

pi.  161)       

217.  Assyrian  standard  (Botta, 

pl.l58)       

218 — 222.  Assyrian  earrings 

(Botta,  pi.  161) 

223 — 230.  Assyrian  armlets  and 

bracelets  (Botta.  pi.  161)... 
231—239.  Group  of  pottery  from 

Nineveh     

240.  Bronze  lion  on  altar  (Botta, 

pi.  151)       

241—245.  Group  of  bronzes  from 

Nineveh     

426,247.  Section   and    plan    of 

Tombs  (Botta,  pi.  165)  ... 
248 — 249.  Miniature  arrow-head 

and  crescent  (Botta,  pi.  154)  (do.)  447 
250—251.  Fragments  of  heads  in 

ivory  

252.  Side  of  a  casket  in  ivory  ... 

253.  Ditto  with  Egyptian  figures 

254.  Egyptian  example 

256 — 259.  Fragments  in  ivory... 

260.  Figure  of  a  gazelle  in  ivoiy 

261.  Two  hands  joined,  do. 

262.  Fragments,  probably  of  a 

box 

263.  Ditto 

264— 2G5.    Ditto,  ornaments     ... 

266.  Part  of  a  box  with  flowers 

of  lotus       

267.  Tomb  of  Jonah  on  Nebbi 

Yunis         

268.  View  from  Mosul,  over  the 

plains  of  Nineveh 

269.  Cunieform  inscription  on  a 

slab  the  in  British  Mu- 
seum, undeciphered     to /ace  page  464 

270.  Arab  tent 510 

271.  View  in  the  excavations 611 

273.  Group  of  Arabs      618 

272.  Arab  Sheikh         625 


(do.)  439 

(do.)  440 

(do.)  442 

(do.)  444 


do.)  451 

do.)  ib. 

do.)  452 

(do.)  453 

(do.)  455 

(do.)  456 

(do.)  ib. 

(do.)  457 

(do.)  458 

(do.)  ib. 

(do.)  459 

...  462 

463 


MAP  OF  NINEVEH 
&  tlie  Surroun-ding  Country. 

Erujlish   Jlli2c» 


o      20      40     ao      to     too 


EC.  4,4  XotiijiXiuIc         MaJtt  4  6  af         Grtmnfieh  43 


Fig.  3. — "the  FIBST  WAS  LIKE  A  LION,  AND  HAD  EAOLE'S  WJNGS."— DflBlW,  vii.  4. 


SECTION   I. 


THE  BURIED  CITY  AND  ITS  DISCOVERERS. 


CHAPTER   I. 


EESEAECHES    OF    BICH. 


Far  away  from  the  highways  of  modern  commerce,  and  the 
tracks  of  ordinary  travel,  lay  a  city  buried  in  the  sandy  earth 
of  a  half-desert  Turkish  province,  with  no  certain  trace  of  its 
place  of  sepulture.  Vague  tradition  said  that  it  was  hidden 
somewhere  near  the  river  Tigris  ;  but  for  a  long  series  of  ages 
its  existence  in  the  world  was  a  mere  name — a  word.  That 
name  suggested  the  idea  of  an  ancient  capital  of  fabulous 
splendour  and  magnitude ;  a  congregation  of  palaces  and  tem- 
ples, encompassed  by  vast  walls  and  ramparts, — of  "  the  re- 
joicing city  that  dwelt  carelessly ;  that  said  in  her  heart,  I 
am,  and  there  is  none  beside  me ;"  and  which  was  to  become 
** a  desolation  and  dry  like  a  wilderness."^ 
More  than  two  thousand  years  had  it  lain  in  its  unknown 

^  Zephaniali,  c.  ii.  v.  15,  13. 


2  iriNEVEH   AND   ITS   DISCOVERERS. 

grave,  when  a  French  sava7it  and  a  wandering  English  scholar 
sought  the  seat  of  the  once  powerful  empire,  and  searching 
till  they  found  the  dead  city,  threw  off  its  shroud  of  sand  and 
ruin,  and  revealed  once  more  to  an  astonished  and  curious 
world  the  temples,  the  palaces,  and  the  idols ;  the  representa- 
tions of  war  and  the  chase,  of  the  cruelties  and  luxuries,  of 
the  ancient  Assyrians.  The  Nineveh  of  Scripture,  the  Nine- 
veh of  the  oldest  historians ;  the  Nineveh  —  twin  sister  of 
Babylon  — glorying  in  pomp  and  power,  all  traces  of  which 
were  believed  to  be  gone ;  the  Nineveh,  in  which  the  cap- 
tive tribes  of  Israel  had  laboured  and  wept,  and  against 
which  the  words  of  prophec)'^  had  gone  forth,  was,  after  a  sleep 
of  twenty  centuries,  again  brought  to  light.  The  proofs  of 
ancient  splendour  were  again  beheld  by  living  eyes,  and,  by 
the  skill  of  draftsmen  and  the  pen  of  antiquarian  travellers, 
made  known  and  preserved  to  the  world. 

The  immense  mounds  of  bricks  and  rubbish  which  marked 
the  presumed  sites  of  Babylon  and  Nineveh  had  been  used  as 
quarries  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  surrounding  conntrj'',  from 
time  immemorial,  without  disclosing  to  other  eyes  than  those 
of  the  wild  occupier  of  the  soil  the  monuments  they  must 
have  served  to  support  or  cover.      Though  carefully  explored 
by  Niebnhr  and  Claudius  James  Bich,  no  other  traces  of  build- 
ings than  a  few  portions  of  walls,  of  which  they  could  not 
understand  the  plan,  had  been  presented  ;  if,  however,  the  in- 
vestigations of  these  travellers  produced  few  immediate  results, 
the  first-named  certainly  has  the  merit  of  being  the  first  to 
break  the  ground,  and  by  his  intelligence,  to  have  awakened 
the  enterprise  of  others.     Bich,  who  was  the  East  India  Com- 
])any'8  resident  at  Baghdad,  employed  his  leisure  in  the  inves- 
tigation of  the  antiquities  of  Assyria.    He  gave  his  first  atten- 
tion to  Babylon,  on  which  he  wrote  a  paper,  originally  pub- 
lished in  Germany — his  countrjMiien  apparently  taking  less 
interest  in  such  matters  than  did  the  scholars  of  Vienna.     In 
a  note  to  a  second  memoir  on  Babylon,  printed  in  London  in 
1818,  we  find  Nineveh  thus  alluded  to  by  Rich.     He  says: 
*'  Opposite  the  town  of  Mosul  ^  is  an  enclosure  of  a  rectangular 
ibrm,  corresponding  with  the  cardinal  points  of  the  compass  ; 
the  eastern  and  western  sides  being  the  longest,  the  latter 

1  Correctly  '*  El-Mosil." 


BICH.  3 

facing  the  river.  The  area,  which  is  now  cultivated  and  oifers 
no  vestiges  of  building,  is  too  small  to  have  contained  a  town 
larger  than  M6sul,  but  it  may  be  supposed  to  answer  to  the 
palace  of  Nineveh.  The  boundary,  which  may  be  perfectly 
traced  all  round,  now  looks  like  an  embankment  of  earth  or 
rubbish,  of  small  elevation ;  and  has  attached  to  it,  and  in  its 
line,  at  several  places,  mounds  of  greater  size  and  solidity. 
The  first  of  these  forms  the  south-west  angle ;  and  on  it  is 
built  the  village  of  Nebbi  Younis,  the  prophet  Jonah  (described 
and  delineated  by  Niebuhr  as  Nurica),  where  they  show  the 
tomb  of  the  prophet  Jonah,  much  revered  by  the  Moham- 
medans. The  next,  and  largest  of  all,  is  the  one  which  may 
be  supposed  to  be  the  monument  of  Ninus.  It  is  situated  near 
the  centre  of  the  western  face  of  the  enclosure,  and  is  joined 
like  the  others  by  the  boundary  wall ; — the  natives  call  it 
Kouyunjik  Tepe.  Its  form  is  that  of  a  truncated  pyramid, 
with  regular  steep  sides  and  a  flat  top ;  it  is  composed,  as  I 
ascertained  from  some  excavations,  of  stones  and  earth,  the 
latter  predominating  sufficiently  to  admit  of  the  summit  being 
cultivated  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  village  of  Kouyunjik, 
which  is  built  on  it  at  the  north-east  extremity.  The  only 
means  I  had,  at  the  time  I  visited  it,  of  ascertaining  its  dimen- 
sions, was  by  a  cord  which  I  procured  from  M^sul.  This  gave 
178  feet  for  the  greatest  height,  1850  feet  for  the  length  of 
the  summit  east  and  west,  and  1147  for  its  breadth  north  and 
south.  In  the  measurement  of  the  length  I  have  less  confi- 
dence than  in  the  others,  as  I  fear  the  straight  line  was  not 
very  correctly  preserved ;  and  the  east  side  is  in  a  less  perfect 
condition  than  the  others.  The  other  mounds  on  the  boundary 
wall  ofi'er  nothing  worthy  of  remark  in  this  place.  Out  of 
one  in  the  north  face  of  the  boundary  was  dug,  a  short  time 
ago,  an  immense  block  of  stone,  on  which  were  sculptured  the 
figures  of  men  and  animals.  So  remarkable  was  this  fragment 
of  antiquity,  that  even  Turkish  apathy  was  roused,  and  the 
Pasha  and  most  of  the  principal  people  of  Mosul  came  out  to 
see  it.  One  of  the  spectators  particularly  recollected,  among 
the  sculptures  of  this  stone,  the  figure  of  a  man  on  horseback 
with  a  long  lance  in  his  hand,  followed  by  a  great  many  others 
on  foot.  The  stone  was  soon  afterwards  cut  into  small  pieces 
for  repairing  the  buildings  of  M6sul,  and  this  inestimable  spe- 
cimen of  the  arts  and  manners  of  the  earliest  ages  irrecoverably 

3  2 


4  NINEVEH   AND   ITS  DISCOVEEEES. 

lost.  Cylinders,  like  those  of  Babylon,  and  some  other  an- 
tiques, are  occasionally  found  here ;  but  I  have  never  seen  or 
heard  of  inscriptions.  From  the  assurances  given  me  by  the 
Pasha  of  Mosul,  I  entertain  great  hopes  that  any  monument 
which  may  be  hereafter  discovered  will  be  rescued  from  destruc- 
tion.^ A  ruined  city,  as  Major  Rennel  justly  observes,  is  a  quarry 
above  ground.  It  is  very  likely  that  a  considerable  part  of 
Mosul,  at  least  of  the  public  works,  was  constructed  with  the 
materials  found  at  Nineveh.-  Kouyunjik  Tep^  has  been  dug 
into  in  some  places  in  search  of  them  ;  and  to  this  day  stones 
of  very  large  dimensions,  which  sufficiently  attest  their  high 
antiquity,  are  found  in  or  at  the  foot  of  the  mound  which 
forms  the  boundary.  These  the  Turks  break  into  small  frag- 
ments, to  employ  in  the  construction  of  their  edifices.  The 
permanent  part  of  the  bridge  of  Mosul  was  built  by  a  late  Pasha 
wholly  with  stones  found  in  the  part  of  the  boundary  which 
connects  the  mound  of  Kouyunjik  with  the  mound  of  Nebbi 
Younis  (the  prophet  Jonah),  and  which  is  the  least  consider- 
able of  all.  The  small  river  Khausar  traverses  the  area  above 
described  from  east  to  west,  and  divides  it  into  two  nearly 
equal  parts  ;  it  makes  a  sweep  round  the  east  and  south  sides 
of  Kouyunjik  Tep^,  and  then  discharges  itself  into  the  Tigris 
above  the  bridge  of  M6sul.  It  is  almost  superfluous  to  add, 
that  the  mount  of  Kouyunjik  Tep6  is  wholly  artificial." 

Rich  remarks  that  the  ramparts  and  hollows  among  the 
ruins  of  Nineveh,  would  seem  to  indicate  that  the  city  had  a 
double  wall ;  and  farther,  that  the  walls  on  the  east  side  had 
become  quite  a  concretion  of  pebbles,  like  the  natural  hills. 
The  jealousy  with  which  every  motion  was  watched  rendered 
actual  surveys  difficult ;  nevertheless,  his  examination  of  the 
buildings  upon  Nebbi  Younis  satisfied  him  that  they  were 
partly  formed  of  ancient  chambers.  In  the  kitchen  of  a 
wretched  house  an  inscribed  piece  of  gypsum  was  found,  which 
appeared  to  form  part  of  the  wall  of  a  small  passage,  said  to 
reach  far  into  the  mound.  The  passage  itself  had  been  dug 
into,  but  was  subsequently  closed  up  with  rubbish,  from  an 

*  Similar  assurances  had  been  given  to  the  English  and  French  Consuls 
of  Egypt  by  Mohammed  Ali ;  nevertheless,  since  that  time,  all  the  ruins 
that  marked  the  site  of  Antinopolis,  and  some  nearly  perfect  temples,  have 
entirely  disappeared. 

'^  This  is  partially  contradicted  by  Botta, 


BICH. 


apprehension  of  underminiDg  the  houses  above.  In  another 
small  room,  not  far  distant,  and  parallel  with  the  passage 
before  mentioned,  an  inscription  was  seen,  which  was  the 
more  curious,  because  it  seemed  to  occupy  its  original  position : 
for  it  was  discovered  on  building  the  room,  and  left  just  where 
it  was  found.  At  Kouyunjik,  Rich  also  saw  a  piece  of  coarse 
grey  stone,  shaped  like  the  capital  of  a  column,  such  as  at  this 
day  surmounts  the  wooden  pillars  or  posts  of  Turkish  or  Persian 
verandahs.  On  the  south  side,  or  face  of  the  enclosure,  and 
not  far  from  Nebbi  Younis,  some  people  who  had  been  digging 
for  stones  had  turned  up  many  large  hewn  stones,  with 
bitumen  adhering  to  them.  The  excavation  was  about  ten 
feet  deep,  and  consisted  of  huge  stones  laid  in  separate  layers  of 
bitumen  and  lime  mortar;  there  were  also  some  very  thick  layers 
of  red  clay,  which  had  become  as  hard  as  burnt  brick,  but  with- 
out any  indication  of  reeds  or  straw  having  been  used,  sand- 
stone cut  into  blocks,  and  large  slabs  of  inscription  with 
bitumen  adhering  to  the  under  side.  E,ich*s  opinion  was,  that 
all  the  vestiges  of  the  building  were  of  the  same  period ;  that 
they  did  not  mark  the  entire  extent  of  the  great  city  itself ; 
but  that  these  mounds  and  ruins  were  either  the  citadel  or 
royal  precincts.  He  finally  inferred  that  very  few  bricks  were 
used  in  building  Nineveh,  but  that  the  walls,  &c.,  were  formed 
of  the  rubbish  of  the  country,  well  rammed  down  with  a  wash 
of  lime  poured  upon  it.  which  in  a  short  time  would  convert 
the  whole  into  a  solid  mass.  At  the  present  day  the  natives 
mix  pebbles,  lime,  and  red  earth,  or  clay,  together,  and  after 
exposure  to  water,  they  become  like  the  solid  rock.* 

Rich  made  Nineveh  the  subject  of  a  further  paper,  but  all 
the  results  he  arrived  at  were  that  a  granite  lion  at  Babylon, 
the  fragment  of  a  statue  at  Kalah  Sherghat  on  the  banks  of 
the  Tigris,  and  a  bas-relief  at  the  mouth  of  the  Nahr-el-Kelb, 
near  Beyrout,  were  productions  of  Assyrian  art.  In  the  various 
museums  of  Europe  a  small  number  of  seals  and  cylinders, 
covered  with  mythological  emblems,  were  carefully  collected, 
which  prove  that  the  Assyrians  were  acquainted  with  the  pro- 
cess of  working  the  hardest  materials,  but  which  were,  gener  jdly, 
little  calculated  to  give  us  a  just  idea  of  the  skill  they  had  ac- 
quired in  the  art  of  representing  objects.  In  a  word,  it  may  be 
said  that  though  we  had  some  belief  in  the  existence  of  Assyrian 
^  Kick's  "  Residence  in  Koordistau." 


6  NINEVEH   AND   ITS   DISCOVEBERS. 

art,  Assyrian  architecture  and  Assyrian  sculpture  were  totally 
unknown  to  us. 

As  to  inscriptions,  we  were  no  richer  in  them  than  in  other 
Assyrian  works.  The  chief  were  an  inscription  engraven  upon 
a  stone  sent  to  London  by  Sir  Harford  Jones,  and  preserved  in 
the  Museum  of  the  East  India  Company ;  a  circular-headed 
tablet ;  two  egg-shaped  stones ;  and  still  more  recently  the  cast 
from  the  Nahr-el-Kelb  monument,  in  the  British  Museum  : 
and  another  of  the  same  form  in  the  Cahinet  des  Antiques  of  the 
National  Library  of  Paris,  known  by  the  name  of  Caillou  de 
Michaud.  The  mottoes  of  a  few  cylinders  and  some  insignifi- 
cant fragments  completed  all  that  was  known  in  Europe.  Copies 
of  inscriptions  were  more  numerous,  but  they  all  came  from  mo- 
numents situated  beyond  the  limitsofAssj-ria,  properly  so  called. 
M.  Schulz  had  collected  a  considerable  number  on  the  banks  of 
the  lake  Van,  and  the  Assyrian  transcriptions  of  the  inscriptions 
of  Persepolis  had  also  been  more  or  less  faithfully  copied. 

Thus  although  up  to  within  a  short  time  we  possessed  no- 
thing which  could  add  to  what  the  ancient  writers  had  handed 
down  to  us  concerning  the  history  and  the  arts  of  Assyria ; 
yet  all  interested  in  the  subjects  anticipated  far  different  results 
when  favourable  circumstances  should  allow  the  ground  to  be 
more  attentively  explored. 

That  these  hopes  were  not  disappointed  is  now  a  matter  of 
history,  and  the  two  following  chapters  will  therefore  be 
devoted  to  a  description  of  the  labours  of  those  whose  exertions 
have  revealed  the  monuments  of  ancient  Assyrian  civilisation, 
of  which  all  trace  seemed  to  be  lost. 


-*.  vnvj*;'>/«v^» 


f  ijj.  4.--THE  PLAINS  OK   ANCIENT  NINRVBB. 


**>         Fig.  5. —MOUND  OK  KHOHSABAI),   WE3TEUN   3IUE. 


CHAPTER  11. 


BOTTA. 

BoTTA,  in  the  narrative  of  his  researches  at  Nineveh,  which 
has  been  published  in  five  handsome  folio  volumes  through  the 
liberality  of  the  French  government,  after  summing  up  the 
amount,  or  rather  the  deficiency,  of  our  knowledge  of  the  great 
Assyrian  cities  before  the  period  of  the  recent  excavations, 
prefaces  his  adventures  at  Khorsabad  by  an  account  of  the  cir- 
cumstances that  led  him  to  the  neighbourhood  of  that  place. 

The  French  government  having  come  to  the  conclusion  that 
it  was  advisable  to  send  a  consular  agent  to  M6sul,  chose  Botta 
to  fulfil  that  office, — a  selection  that  reflected  the  highest  credit 
on  its  judgment.  Botta,  the  nephew  of  the  celebrated  historian 
of  Italy,  was  himself  entirely  devoted  to  science.  His  long 
residence  in  Egypt,  Sennaar,  El  Yemen,  and  Syria,  undertaken 
regardless  of  difficulties,  or  of  the  dangers  of  climate,  solely 
to  further  his  scientific  pursuits,  had  eminently  adapted  him 
for  an  appointment  in  the  East.  He  could  assimilate  himself 
to  the  habits  of  the  people ;  was  conversant  with  their  lan- 
guage ;    possessed  energy  of  character ;    and  was  besides  an 


8  NINEVEH    AND   ITS   DISCOVERERS. 

intelligent  and  practised  observer  :  with  such  qualifications  it 
was  obvious  that  his  residence  in  the  vicinity  of  a  spot  that 
history  and  tradition  agreed  in  pointing  out  as  the  site  of 
Nineveh  could  not  but  be  productive  of  important  results. 
Accordingly  upon  his  departure  for  Mosul,  in  the  beginning  of 
the  year  1842,  his  friend  Monsieur  J.  Mohl,  the  accomplished 
translator  of  **  Firdousi,"  called  his  attention  to  the  archaeo- 
logical interest  of  the  place,  and  strongly  pressed  him  to  make 
excavations  in  the  neighbourhood. 

Botta  promised  that  he  would  not  forget  this  good  advice, 
but  he  felt  that  before  being  enabled  to  keep  his  promise,  the 
definitive  establishment  of  the  consulship  at  Mosul  must  place 
at  his  disposal  both  more  considerable  pecuniary  resources,  and 
more  powerful  means  of  action  than  he  then  possessed.  In 
the  meanwhile  he  employed  himself  in  collecting  every  small 
object  of  antiquity  which  appeared  to  be  at  all  interesting,  and 
made  the  necessary  inquiries  for  pitching  upon  a  favourable  spot 
for  really  serious  researches. 

Botta  was  not  so  fortunate  in  his  acquisition  of  antiquities 
as  he  could  have  hoped  from  the  report  of  Rich,  who  had  had 
the  good  fortune  to  purchase  in  tlie  neighbourhood  of  Mosul 
several  objects  of  interest.  Botta  had,  in  consequence,  pic- 
tured to  himself  the  locality  as  a  most  fruitful  mine,  but  a 
residence  of  several  years  caused  him  to  entertain  a  different 
opinion.  Mr.  Rich,  being  the  first  to  enter  upon  the  still 
virgin  ground,  had  at  once  collected  all  that  chance  had 
amassed  in  the  hands  of  the  inhabitants  during  a  long  series 
of  years,  and  no  conclusion,  therefore,  as  to  the  real  abundance 
of  objects  of  antiquity  to  be  found  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
Mosul  could  properly  be  drawn  from  this  fact.  With  the 
exception  of  a  few  fragments  of  bricks  and  pottery,  Botta  had 
never  been  able  to  collect  anything  in  the  way  of  antiquities 
which  he  could  be  sure  were  indigenous  (so  to  speak) ;  and  as 
he  spared  neither  time  nor  expense  to  procure  them,  he  had 
good  reason  to  believe  that  they  were  not  common ;  the  cylinders 
in  particular,  those  relics  of  Assyria  so  curious  on  account  of 
the  emblems  with  which  they  are  covered,  were  very  rare  at 
M6sul,  and  out  of  all  those  which  fell  into  his  hands,  there  was 
not  one  that  he  knew  of,  which  had  been  found  upon  the  terri- 
tory of  Nineveh.  All  those  which  he  could  trace — and  this 
was  the  case  with  the  greater  number — had  been  brought  from 


BOTTA.  9 

Baghdad,  and  consequently  from  Babylon  and  its  neighbour- 
hood. The  source  of  the  others  was  unknown.  The  same 
held  good  with  the  Assyrian  seals ;  almost  all  of  them  came 
from  Baghdad ;  and  in  the  following  pages  the  reader  will  find 
that  this  rare  occurrence  of  small  objects  of  antiquity  was 
confirmed  by  the  researches  made  by  Botta  at  Kouyunjik  and 
Khorsabad ;  for  during  the  whole  period  of  the  excavations 
not  a  single  cylinder  was  discovered.  Our  antiquary  draws 
attention  to  this  fact,  because  it  is  one  that  was  scarcely 
expected,  and  which  will  perhaps  modify  the  received  opinions 
regarding  the  real  source  of  these  engraved  mythological  stones. 
The  success  of  Botta's  inquiries  with  a  view  to  find  a  fitting 
spot  for  his  researches  was  not  more  encouraging ;  and  the 
reports  of  the  inhabitants  furnished  him  with  nothing  certain 
on  this  head.  The  spot  which  appeared  to  ofifer  the  greatest 
chance  of  success,  and  to  which  he  naturally  first  directed  his 
attention,  was  the  mound  on  which  is  built  the  village  of 
Niniouah,  then  believed  to  be  the  last  remnant  of  the  immense 
city  of  which  it  preserves  the  name ;  for  it  was  there  that  Mr. 
Rich  had  observed  subterranean  walls  covered  with  cuneiform 
inscriptions — too  valuable  a  sign  to  be  overlooked.  The  number 
and  importance,  however,  of  the  houses  with  which  the  mound 
was  covered  did  not  allow  of  Botta  making  any  researches. 
Every  attempt  of  the  kind  was  repelled  by  the  religious  preju- 
dices of  the  inhabitants,  for  it  is  there  that  the  mosque  of  Kebbi 
Younis  is  built.  He  was  thus  obliged  to  look  for  some  other 
spot ;  but  in  the  vast  space  covered  with  the  traces  of  ancient 
edifices  which  surrounds  the  village  of  Niniouah,  there  was  no- 
thing that  could  guide  him  with  any  degree  of  certainty.  A 
great  many  erroneous  opinions  (according  to  Botta)  have  been 
disseminated  with  regard  to  the  actual  condition  of  the  ruins  of 
Nineveh ;  they  have  been  represented  as  a  mine  in  constant 
requisition  for  supplying  bricks  and  stones  for  the  erection  of 
the  houses  of  Mdsul,  and  thus  assimilated  to  the  ruins  of 
Babylon,  which  have  for  ages  furnished  the  necessary  building 
materials  for  the  surrounding  towns.  **  Such,  however,"  says 
Botta,  "  can  scarcely  have  been  the  case  at  Nineveh  at  any 
period,  and  very  certainly  it  is  not  so  in  the  present  day.  The 
reason  is  plain ;  all  that  exists  of  the  ruins  of  the  ancient  city, 
boundary  walls,  and  mounds,  is  formed  of  bricks  which  were 
merely  baked  in  the  sun :  these  bricks  have  been  reduced  by 


10  KnTETEH   A3n>  US  DTSCOTOLEBS. 

ag€  iiits  mm.  entbj  state,  and  eonaeqaentlT  cannot  be  used 
agn."  BottagoeBon  to  taj:  ''Time  can  be  no  doabt  but 
ttai  ia  Ae  cuaalmetioa  of  tbeae  aimeat  binlduigs  more  solid 
tDBesaBd  kiln-bumt  bricks,  were  eomedmes 
^s  sccoonto  for  Uieir  hamg  accidentally  dis- 
hat  they  were  merdj  eiBplo3red  as  aeeenories — the 
■aai  of  the  walls  was  coanpooed  of  unbunit  bricks.  Tbns,  in 
Ikia  paiticalar,  there  is  not  the  least  similuity  between  Xine- 
tA  and  Bobyloo :  tiie  ruins  of  die  latter  aty  offer  an  immense 
qaaatity  of  excellent  bricks ;  they  hare,  eooaeqaently,  been 
'■*p«Mi»  of  being  used  as  qnairies,  fant  the  masses  of  earth, 
whidi  are  the  only  remains  of  Nineveh,  could  not  be  employed 
tor  a  like  pmpoae.  It  would,  besides,  be  difficult  to  under- 
stand why  peeple  should  tmai  to  chance  fiw  obtaining  a  few 
raw  aMttaiabv  when  quaniea  of  gypsom,  whi^  are  far  less 
expensire  to  work  than  a  series  of  uncertain  excavations  would 
be,  are  sitoated  at  tiie  gates  of  Mosul." 

Tbia  is  the  case  now ;  but  formerly,  when  those  mounds  of 
crade  brii^  wete  incmsted  with  limestone  and  slabs  of  gypsum, 
it  was  olherwiae,  aa  tiie  fmtt  of  die  almost  entire  disappearance 
of  this  uBSt,  or  cssng;  abundantly  testifies. 

BoCta  fortiier  tdls  ns  that  it  was  only  in  the  immediate 
▼idni^  of  Mdsol,  and  Tciy  often  within  the  city  itself,  that  the 
inhahitanta  had  Buasetiaics  locJced  ftr  materialB.  They  had 
§mad  dicre,  at  the  depth  of  a  few  feet,  die  remains  of  ancient 
iwwMiiig*;  hat,  in  ^te  of  all  his  researches,  he  could  not 
■gn  which  would  allow  of  his  assigning 
to  a  period  anterior  to  the  foundation  of  the 
it  town.  XeTer,  to  his  knowledge,  had  dieae  operations 
Wonght  to  light  ancient  bricks  or  stones  with  cnneif<Hm  in- 
seriptiais,  with  both  of  which  the  inhabitants  are  at  present 
wcH  acquainted,  and  of  which  they  would  certainly  have 
htong^t  him  the  •^•H^^*^  remnant,  had  they  found  any  ;  he 
wiM  dmefine  eonrineed  that  the  walls  existing  under  the 
gnnrnd  in  the  interior  of  If  dsul,  or  near  the  city  gates,  were 
eomparatiTely  modem— eidMr  the  fiMnndations  or  the  subter- 
lanean  apartaMnto'  of  die  hooaea  which  were  ruined  at  a  time 


1  la  Oe  hMKS  «f  M 6nl,  m  wcD  ss  ia  Oms  af  BieUad,  ttcR  is  al- 

■  mkl ■■  ifSilTat.  fiHiil  IB  flinrr  jirli.  ffrnffr.  ^  iaksbi. 

retwtthitter,  la  saiMU,  t0  p—  tiie  hstest  haaw  of  fte  day.    Ia 
to  be  iraiffTr*  iafcalaisMf.  dMse  aaartmcalB  hare  to  b«  eoated  wUh 


11 

-viieii  the  dtj,  as  vas  ihe  ctse  bat  &  few  rears  sgo,  oeeo^Med 
a  modi  mere  eoosidenUe  ^aee  dum  it  does  al  tibe  pcoent 

Aaiegnded^ndBsateited  oa  Oe  laiiiii  hmktii^ 

of  aettegal  yei.  Hat  «y  i  ii  ■■  rf Imi  wtn  — fe  Awe  fcr  Ae 


Hetti  Tooi^  Botta  wlffcfad  tibe  Boad  tf  K:     ^    ^ 

AeMK&y  flMiW&«e  of  Kir'— ^h  tDvU^  7 

evideai^  an  artificial  B^' ^    ^li.  to  all  appcanae^    :  -zitj  t 
aayliilthepriaBqpal  r-l       of  tke  knei  af  As  : :  a 

fewhotknoi  Ahm^mMK     :_ ri  vith 
ifMfii^ 


12  NINEVEH   AND   ITS  DISCOVERERS. 

the  remains  of  some  ancient  building,  and  it  was  here  there- 
fore that  Botta  commenced  his  investigations  in  the  month  of 
December,  1842. 

The  results  of  these  first  works  were  in  themselves  unim- 
portant, though  they  possessed  considerable  interest  when 
connected  with  the  discoveries  subsequently  made.  The  work- 
men brought  to  light  numerous  fragments  of  bas-reliefs  and 
inscriptions,  but  nothing  in  a  perfect  state  was  obtained  to 
reward  the  trouble  and  outlay,  during  the  three  months  that 
the  researches  were  continued. 

Botta's  proceedings  had  meanwhile  attracted  attention. 
"Without  exactly  knowing  what  was  their  object,  the  inhabi- 
tants were  aware  that  he  was  in  quest  of  stones  bearing  in- 
scriptions, and  that  he  bought  all  that  were  offered.  In  con- 
sequence of  this,  and  so  early  as  December,  1842,  an  inhabi- 
tant of  Khorsabad  had  been  induced  to  bring  him  two  large 
bricks  with  cuneiform  inscriptions,  which  had  been  found  near 
the  village,  and  offered  to  procure  him  as  many  more  as  he 
wished.  This  man  was  a  dyer,  and  built  his  ovens  of  the 
bricks  obtained  from  the  mound  on  which  the  village  was 
built ;  but,  reckoning  on  the  success  of  the  first  excavations, 
Botta  did  not  immediately  follow  up  the  faint  and  solitary  hint. 
Three  months  later,  however,  about  the  20th  of  March,  1843, 
being  weary  of  finding  in  the  mound  of  Kouyunjik  nothing  save 
small  fragments  without  any  value,  he  called  to  mind  the 
bricks  of  Khorsabad,  and  sent  a  few  workmen  to  sound  the 
ground  there.  Such  was  the  manner  in  which  he  was  led  to 
the  discovery  of  an  immense  monument,  to  be  compared,  with 
regard  to  richness  and  ornament,  to  the  most  sumptuous  pro- 
ductions bequeathed  to  us  by  Egypt. 

Three  days  after  the  commencement  of  the  works  at  Khor- 
sabad, one  of  Botta*s  workmen  brought  intelligence  that  some 
figures  and  inscriptions  had  been  dug  up  ;  but  the  description 
which  he  gave  was  so  confused,  that  the  antiquary  himself 
would  not  run  the  chance  of  making  the  journey  for  nothing  ; 
instead,  therefore,  of  going  in  person,  he  contented  himself 
with  sending  one  of  his  servants,  and  ordering  him  to  copy  a 
few  of  the  characters  of  the  inscriptions.  Having  thus 
acquired  the  certainty  that  the  inscriptions  were  cuneiform,  he 
hesitated  no  longer  to  proceed  personally  to  Khorsabad,  where, 
with  a  feeling  of  pleasure  which  the  reader  will  easily  under- 


BOTTA.  13 

stand,  he  saw,  for  the  first  time,  a  new  world  of  antiquities 
revealed. 

His  workmen  had  been  fortunate  enough  to  commence  the 
excavations  precisely  in  that  part  of  the  mound  where  the 
monument  was  in  the  most  perfect  state  of  preservation,  so  that 
he  had  only  to  follow  the  walls  which  had  already  been  dis- 
covered, to  succeed  most  certainly  in  laying  bare  the  whole 
edifice.  In  a  few  days,  all  that  remains  of  a  chamber,  with  a 
fa9ade  covered  by  bas-reliefs,  had  been  discovered.  On  his 
arrival  at  the  scene  of  action  he  immediately  perceived  that 
these  remains  could  form  but  a  very  small  portion  of  some  con- 
siderable building  buried  in  the  mound,  to  assure  himself  of 
which,  he  had  a  well  sunk  a  few  paces  further  on,  and  instantly 
came  upon  other  bas-reliefs,  that  offered  to  view  the  first  per- 
fect figures  he  had  seen.  He  found  also,  during  this  his  first 
visit,  two  altars,  and  those  portions  remaining  of  the  facade 
which  jutted  out  above  ground  at  the  other  extremity  of  the 
mound ;  and  finally,  his  attention  was  drawn  to  a  line  of  mounds 
which  formed  the  grand  enclosure. 

In  a  letter  dated  the  5th  of  April,  1843,  he  hastened  to  an- 
nounce the  success  of  his  first  operations  to  Monsieur  Mohl, 
and  to  send  him  a  plan  of  all  that  had  as  yet  been  laid  bare ; 
adding  some  copies  of  different  inscriptions,  and  some  drawings. 
The  letter  was  laid  before  the  Academy  of  Inscriptions  and 
Belles- Lettres,  in  Paris,  July  7th,  1843,  and  was  subsequently 
printed  in  the  Journal  of  the  Asiatic  Society  of  that  city. 

Notwithstanding  some  difficulty,  occasioned  by  the  unfavour- 
able disposition  of  the  Pasha  of  Mosul,  and  the  fears  of  the 
inhabitants  of  the  village,  Botta  caused  the  works  to  be  con- 
tinued with  a  degree  of  activity  continually  increased  by  the 
abundant  harvest  which  they  yielded ;  and  on  the  2nd  of  May, 
1843,  he  was  enabled  to  send  to  Monsieur  Mohl  a  second 
letter,  more  important  than  the  former,  and  accompanied  with 
fresh  inscriptions,  drawings,  and  descriptions  of  doors,  chambers, 
and  portions  of  another  wall,  ornamented  with  bas-reliefs, 
which  the  excavations  had  laid  bare.  Botta*s  second  letter  was, 
like  the  first,  communicated  to  the  Academy  of  Inscriptions, 
and  inserted  in  the  Journal  of  the  Asiatic  Society  of  Paris. 

Up  to  this  epoch  the  works  of  Khorsabad,  as  well  as  those 
in  the  mound  of  KouyuDJik,  had  been  carried  on  at  Botta's 
expense,  and  the  smallness  of  his  personal  resources  threatened 


14  NINEVEH   AND   ITS   DISCOVERERS. 

soon  to  put  an  end  to  them,  even  though  his  learned  friend  had 
been  kind  enough  to  come  to  his  assistance.  However,  the  at- 
tention of  the  antiquarian  world  had  in  the  meantime  been 
greatly  excited  by  the  accounts  of  the  first  fruits  of  researches, 
the  subsequent  success  of  which  was  certain ;  and  on  the  de- 
mand of  Monsieur  Mohl,  whom  Messrs.  Vitel  and  Letronne 
hastened  to  support  with  their  influence,  the  French  govern- 
ment decided  on  giving  a  fresh  proof  of  that  generosity  with 
"which  it  is  always  so  ready  to  facilitate  scientific  researches. 
By  a  decision  of  the  24th  of  May,  1843,  Duchatel,  Minister  of 
the  Interior,  placed  at  Botta*s  disposal  a  sum  of  3000  francs, 
that  he  might  thenceforward  carry  on  the  works  with  more 
activity,  and  on  a  more  extensive  scale. 

Notwithstanding  this  important  aid,  Botta  had  to  contend 
"with  fresh  obstacles  at  every  step.  The  marshy  environs  of 
the  village  of  Khorsabad  have  a  proverbial  reputation  for  in- 
salubrity— a  reputation  which  was  fully  justified  by  his  own 
personal  experience,  and  by  that  of  the  workmen  employed ; 
for  they  all,  in  turns,  felt  its  dangerous  effects,  and  on  one 
occasion  the  antiquary  himself  was  very  near  falling  a  victim. 
But  this  was  the  least  of  his  difficulties  ;  the  unfavourable  dis- 
position of  the  local  authorities  was  one  which  caused  even 
more  uneasiness,  and  one  which  was  most  difficult  to  surmount. 
It  is  a  well-known  fact,  that  the  Moslems,  too  ignorant  them- 
selves to  understand  the  real  motives  of  scientific  researches, 
always  attribute  them  to  cupidity,  which  is  the  only  spring  of 
their  own  actions.  Not  being  able  to  comprehend  that  the 
sums  laid  out  were  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  ancient  remains, 
they  believed  that  the  search  was  for  treasure.  The  inscrip- 
tions, copied  with  so  much  care  by  Botta,  were  in  their  eyes 
the  talismanic  guardians  of  these  treasures,  or  to  point  out  the 
spots  where  they  were  concealed,  for  the  benefit  of  the  Frank 
who  should  succeed  him.  Others,  who  no  doubt  thought  them- 
selves more  cunning  than  their  neighbours,  proposed,  by  way 
of  explanation  of  Botta's  researches,  a  still  more  eccentric  idea ; 
they  imagined  that  their  country  formerly  belonged  to  the 
Europeans,  and  that  these  latter  search  for  their  inscriptions  in 
order  to  discover  therein  the  title  by  which  their  rights  might 
be  proved,  and  by  the  help  of  which  they  may  one  day  or  other 
lay  claim  to  the  whole  Ottoman  empire  ! 

These  absurd  notions  did  not  fail  to  influence  the  avaricious 


BOTTA.  15 

and  suspicious  mind  of  Mohammed  Pasha,  who  was  then 
governor  of  the  province  of  M6sul,  and  it  was  not  long  ere  he 
began  to  grow  uneasy  at  the  researches  which  he  had  at  first 
authorised.  Taken  with  the  idea  of  the  treasure  being  bidden 
in  the  ruins  which  were  being  brought  to  light,  he  at  first  con- 
fined himself  to  having  the  workmen  watched  by  guards,  and 
when  the  slightest  object  formed  of  metal  was  found  in  the 
course  of  the  excavations,  it  was  seized  and  carried  to  him. 
These  relics  he  submitted  to  every  possible  kind  of  proof,  to 
convince  himself  that  they  were  not  gold  ;  and  then  fan- 
cying that,  despite  this  watching,  the  men  who  were  em- 
ployed might  still  succeed  in  keeping  from  him  objects  of 
value,  he  threatened  them  with  the  torture  to  make  them 
reveal  the  existence  of  the  imaginary  treasures.  Several  of 
the  workmen  were,  in  consequence,  on  the  point  of  leaving 
Botta's  service,  notwithstanding  all  his  assurances  of  protection, 
so  well  did  they  know  the  cruel  disposition  of  Mohammed 
Pasha.  Each  day  threatened  some  fresh  difficulty,  and  Botta, 
who  had  continually  to  recommence  his  negotiations,  would 
perhaps  have  been  driven  to  throw  the  matter  up  in  disgust, 
had  he  not  been  encouraged  by  the  certainty  of  the  extreme 
interest  of  his  discovery.  The  works,  however,  although  often 
interrupted  by  these  petty  annoyances,  gradually  advanced 
until  about  the  commencement  of  the  month  of  October,  1843, 
when  the  Pasha,  in  obedience  perhaps  to  hints  emanating  from 
Constantinople,  formally  prohibited  all  further  search.  Some 
pretext  or  other  was  necessary,  but  a  Turkish  governor  is  never 
at  fault  in  this  respect,  and  the  following  is  the  one  he  invented. 
Botta  had  built,  with  the  governor's  express  permission,  a 
small  house  at  Khorsabad,  in  order  that  he  might  have  a  place 
in  which  to  reside  when  he  visited  the  ruins ;  nevertheless 
the  Pasha  pretended  that  this  house  was  a  fortress  erected  to 
command  the  country,  he  informed  his  government  of  this  grave 
fact,  and  any  further  excavation  was  immediately  prohibited, 
and  the  innocent  researches  of  the  zealous  antiquary  suddenly 
assumed  the  proportions  of  an  international  question  ! 

Botta  lost  no  time  in  taking  measures  to  obtain  the  removal 
of  the  prohibition.  On  the  15th  of  October,  1843,  he  de- 
spatched a  courier  to  the  French  ambassador  at  Constantinople, 
informing  him  of  what  had  occurred,  and  begging  him  to  apply 
to  the  Sultan  for  such  orders  as  might  be  necessary  to  enable 


16  NINEVEH   AND   ITS   DISCOVERERS.  • 

him  to  continue  without  impediment  the  works  which  were, 
at  that  period,  being  executed  at  the  command  and  expense  of 
the  French  government.  While  awaiting  the  result  of  the 
steps  taken  by  the  ambassador,  he  had  the  greatest  difficulty 
in  prevailing  upon  Mohammed  Pasha  not  to  pull  down  his 
house  at  Khorsabad,  nor  to  fill  up  the  excavations,  which  he 
affected  to  believe  were  the  ditches  of  the  pretended  fortress. 
At  last,  however,  he  granted  the  persecuted  savans  a  respite, 
in  the  hope  that  his  falsehoods  would  gain  credit  at  Constan- 
tinople, and  that  the  Sultan  would  approve  of  his  conduct. 
The  means  which  he  employed  for  this  purpose  were  very 
curious,  and  afford  an  illustration  of  the  way  in  which  the 
Turkish  government  is  continually  being  deceived  as  to  what 
takes  place  in  the  provinces  of  the  empire.  The  inhabitants 
of  M6sul  knew,  from  long  experience,  that  Mohammed  Pasha 
shrunk  from  no  means  by  which  he  might  attain  his  ends,  and 
fear  rendered  them  obedient  to  his  will.  He  first  obliged  the 
Cadi  of  M6sul  to  go  to  Khorsabad  and  draw  up  a  false  account 
of  the  extent  of  the  pretended  fortress  :  this  report  was  sent 
to  Constantinople,  accompanied  by  an  imaginary  plan,  calcu- 
lated to  inspire  the  most  horrible  ideas  of  poor  Botta's  hut. 
He  then  had  a  petition  against  the  continuation  of  the  re- 
searches drawn  up,  which  he  compelled  the  inhabitants  of 
Khorsabad  to  sign ;  this  petition  also  was  sent  to  Constan- 
tinople. During  all  this  period  Mohammed  Pasha  never 
desisted  from  his  protestations  of  friendliness  towards  Botta ; 
he  assured  him  that  he  was  a  complete  stranger  to  all  the  diffi- 
culties that  impeded  the  scientific  work,  and  gave  him,  in 
writing,  the  most  favourable  orders,  while  he  immediately 
afterwards  threatened  the  inhabitants  with  the  bastinado  in 
case  they  were  unfortunate  enough  to  obey  him.  One  single 
trait  in  this  long  comedy  will  show  the  manner  in  which 
Mohammed  Pasha  played  his  part.  "  I  told  him  one  day," 
says  Botta,  ''  that  the  first  rains  of  the  season  had  caused  a 
portion  of  the  house  erected  at  Khorsabad  to  fall  down." 
"  Can  you  imagine,"  said  he,  laughing  in  the  most  natural 
manner,  and  turning  to  the  numerous  officers  by  whom  he  was 
surrounded,  **  anything  like  the  impudence  of  the  inhabitants 
of  Khorsabad  ?  they  pretend  that  the  French  consul  has  con- 
structed a  redoubtable  fortress,  and  a  little  rain  is  sufficient  to 
destroy  it.     I  can  assure  you,  sir,  that,  were  I  not  afraid  of 


BOTTA.  it 

hurting  your  feelings,  I  would  have  them  all  bastinadoed  till 
they  were  dead ;  they  would  richly  deserve  it,  for  having 
dared  to  accuse  you."  **  It  was  in  this  manner,"  continues 
the  justly  indignant  Frank,  **  that  he  spoke,  while  he  him- 
self was  the  author  of  the  lie,  and  his  menaces  alone  were 
the  obstacle  which  prevented  the  inhabitants  from  exposing 
it." 

At  the  expiration  of  a  little  time,  however,  Mohammed 
Pasha  perceived  that  the  shameful  tricks  he  was  carrying  on 
did  him  more  harm  than  good.  His  position  was  no  longer 
sure,  and  as  he  desired  a  reconciliation,  Botta  was  in  full  hope 
of  obtaining  permission  to  continue  his  operations,  when  the 
Pasha*s  death,  which  took  place  in  the  interval,  afforded  him 
the  wished-for  opportunity.  But  by  this  time  he  knew  the 
intentions  of  the  French  government,  and  was  expecting  that 
the  draftsman  he  had  asked  for  was  on  his  way  to  M6sul.  He 
had  found  how  quickly  the  sculptures  lost  their  freshness  when 
once  exposed  to  the  air,  and  thought  it  better  to  await  this 
gentleman's  arrival,  as  he  could  then  copy  the  baa-reliefs  as 
they  were  dug  out.  Besides  this,  he  had  no  doubt  that  the 
French  ambassador  would  obtain  such  orders  as  would  effec- 
tually prevent  all  future  annoyance,  and  he  therefore  did  not 
think  it  advisable  to  take  advantage  of  the  opportunities 
afforded  by  the  Pasha*s  demise,  but  preferred  commencing 
when  he  had  obtained  the  means  of  continuing  the  work 
without  fear  of  interruption,  and  with  every  chance  of  turning 
it  to  account.  During  the  interval  of  delay  he  finished  the 
copies  of  the  inscriptions  already  discovered,  and  conveyed 
into  the  court-yard  of  his  house  at  Khorsabad  all  the  bas-re- 
liefs which  he  judged  worthy  of  being  sent  to  France. 

Up  to  the  period  of  his  researches  being  interrupted,  he  had 
brought  to  light  a  large  number  of  monuments.  He  had 
opened  a  door,  and  at  the  feet  of  one  of  the  winged  bulls  which 
ornamented  it,  had  found  a  bronze  lion,  the  only  one  remaining 
of  all  which  must  formerly  have  been  placed  at  the  entrances. 
"While  the  workmen  were  digging  to  lay  the  foundations  of  his 
house,  they  had  discovered  the  head  of  one  of  the  bulls  of  an- 
other door ;  and  this  single  fact  would  have  convinced  him, 
had  he  not  been  before  satisfied,  that  the  whole  space  was  full 
of  ancient  remains.  Lastly,  the  accounts  received  from  the 
inhabitants  of  the  town  allowed  no  room  for  doubting  that  there 

c 


18  NINEVEH   AND   ITS  DISCOVEEEES. 

were  also  ruins  buried  at  the  place  where,  at  a  later  period,  he 
found  the  small  monument  of  basaltic  stones.  He  possessed, 
therefore,  the  most  unmistakeable  signs  of  the  existence  of 
archaeological  treasures  throughout  the  whole  extent  of  the 
mound,  and  his  conviction  on  this  head  was  so  great,  that  he 
invariably  expressed  it  in  his  letters  to  his  friend  Mohl. 

The  Paris  Academy  of  Inscriptions  and  Belles-Lettres  had 
followed  the  progress  of  Botta's  discoveries  with  the  liveliest 
interest.     The  certainty  there  was  of  arriving  at  still  greater 
results  than  those  already  obtained  had  induced  them  to  second 
the  demand  he  had  made  for  an  artist  who  was  better  qualified 
than  himself  to  preserve,  by  an  exact  copy,  those  sculptures 
which  it  would  be  impossible  to  send  to  Prance.     This  demand 
had  been  granted,  and  by  decisions  of  the  5th  and  12th  of 
October,  1 843,  precisely  at  the  period  that  the  Pasha  of  M6sul 
was  stopping  his  researches,  the  Ministers  of  the  Interior  and 
of  Public  Instruction  had  adopted  measures  for  furnishing  him 
with  means  of  terminating  his  undertaking  in  a  manner  worthy 
of  the  French  government.     A  fresh  sum  of  money  was  placed 
at  his  disposal  for  the  continuation  of  the  works,  and,  on  the 
suggestion  of  the  Academy,  Monsieur  E.  Flandin,  a  young 
artist,  who,  conjointly  with  Monsieur  Coste,  had  formerly  been 
employed  on  a  similar  mission,  was  selected  to  proceed  to 
Khorsabad  to  copy  the  sculptures  already  found,  and  which 
might  yet  be  discovered.      At  the  same  time,  the  Ministers 
decided  that  all  the  sculptures  which  were  in  a  state  to  admit 
of  their  removal  should  be  conveyed  to  France,  and  that  a  pub- 
lication, dedicated  especially  to  the  purpose,  should  make  the 
world  acquainted  with  Botta's  discoveries. 

We  must  now  return  to  Khorsabad.  Botta  still  had  to  obtain 
the  consent  of  the  Porte ;  and  those  who  are  ignorant  of  the 
resources  which  Ottoman  diplomacy  derives  from  misrepresen- 
tation, would  hardly  imagine  all  the  difficulties  that  the  French 
Embassy  had  to  overcome  in  order  to  prevail  upon  the  Divan 
no  longer  to  feign  a  pretence  of  a  belief  in  those  phantom  forti- 
fications, said  to  have  been  erected  by  the  Consul  of  France  at 
Mosul.  Some  more  real  obstacles,  however,  founded  upon 
certain  peculiarities  of  the  Mohammedan  law,  were  added  to 
this  ridiculous  pretext.  The  village  of  Khorsabad  was  built 
over  the  monument  it  was  desirable  to  lay  bare.  To  do  this, 
it  was  necessary  that  the  inhabitants  should  remove  to  some 


BOITA.  19 

other  spot,  and  pull  down  their  old  houses.  But  the  law  per- 
mits no  encroachment  upon  lands  suitable  for  cultivation,  and, 
consequently,  the  space  destined  for  the  new  village  could  not 
be  taken  &om  the  grounds  of  this  description  around  the 
mound. 

The  perseverance  of  the  French  Ambassador,  Baron  de  Bour- 
queney,  finally  triumphed  over  the  reluctance  of  the  Porte. 


By  virtue  of  a  special  agreement,  the  inhabitants  of  Khorsabad 
were  authorised  to  sell  their  houses  and  to  locate  themselves 
temporarily  at  the  foot  of  the  mound.  Botta's  house,  which 
had  been  the  cause  of  so  many  disputes,  he  was  allowed  to 
retain  until  the  conclusion  of  the  works.  The  researches  were 
permitted,  on  condition  that  the  ground  should  be  restored  to 
the  state  in  which  Botta  found  it,  in  order  that  the  village 
might  be  rebuilt  on  its  former  site,  and  a  commissioner  was 
sent  to  Khorsabad  from  the  Porte  to  prevent  any  fresh  diffi- 
culties. These  arrangements,  however,  owing  to  the  un- 
willingness of  the  Divan  to  ratify  them,  had  taken  up  much 
time,  and  it  was  not  before  the  4th  of  May,  1844,  that  Mon- 
sieur Flandin  could  reach  Mosul,  bringing  wdth  him  the  fir- 
mans which  had  been  asked  for  seven  or  eight  months  pre- 
viously. 

Nothing  now  prevented  the  resumption  of  the  excavations. 
Botta  had  at  his  disposal  funds  sufficient  for  clearing  the  whole 
building ;  the  artist  Flundin  had  arrived  to  copy  the  bas-reliefs, 
besides  affording  other  active  and  cordial  co-operation.  The 
necessary  measures  for  immediately  commencing  the  works 
were  taken,  and  they  were  pushed  on  briskly.     In  the  first 

c2 


20  NINEVEH   AND   ITS   DISCOVEREBS, 

place  it  was  necessary  to  clear  the  ground  of  the  houses  upon 
it — an  easy  task,  as  there  was  little  difficulty  in  satisfying  the 
humble  proprietors,  who  themselves  desired  the  removal  of  the 
village,  and  were  but  too  happy  to  effect  it  at  the  expense  of 
the  stranger  antiquary  ;  but  Botta  had  likewise  to  indemnify 
the  proprietors,  or  rather  the  tenants  of  the  ground  on  which 
the  new  village  was  to  be  built,  and  their  expectations  were  so 
exorbitant  that  they  would  have  swallowed  up  a  great  part  of 
the  sum  placed  at  his  disposal,  if  the  new  Pasha,  by  acciden- 
tally reminding  him  of  one  of  the  peculiarities  of  the  Moham- 
medan law,  had  not  himself  supplied  the  means  of  obliging 
them  to  moderate  their  demands. 

It  had  been  said  that  the  village  and  the  surrounding  grounds 
were  the  property  of  a  mosque,  and  consequently  could  not  be 
sold  without  infringing  the  law,  which  does  not  allow  the 
sale  of  any  property  which  has  become  walcf:  this  was  not  the 
case.  The  houses  belonged  to  the  peasants  who  lived  in  them, 
but  the  ground  on  which  the  village  was  built,  as  well  as  the 
ground  in  the  neighbourhood,  was  owned  by  several  individuals, 
each  of  whom  had  a  greater  or  less  share  of  the  profits.  These 
persons,  however,  were  not  the  real  proprietors,  for  in  Moham- 
medan countries  there  is  no  real  property,  but  a  simple  right 
of  possession  ppiid  for  every  year  by  a  ground -rent.  All  the 
soil  intended  for  cultivation,  with  the  exception  of  the  gardens 
and  orchards,  belongs  to  an  abstract  being,  the  Imaum,  who 
represents  the  Mohammedan  community,  and  is  himself  repre- 
sented by  the  sovereign.  The  latter  being,  as  it  were,  nothing 
more  than  a  guardian,  can  never  concede  more  than  a  tempo- 
rary grant  of  land,  in  return  for  an  annual  rent  or  service. 
Sometimes,  it  is  true,  these  grants  were  transmitted  by  means 
of  inheritance  or  sales ;  but  this  was  an  abuse,  a  real  infriDge- 
ment  of  the  law.  In  this  manner  the  Viceroy  of  Egypt, 
Mohammed  Ali,  was  able  to  recover,  without  difficulty,  from 
the  usurpers  of  the  public  domain,  the  possession  which  long 
abuse  had  perpetuated  in  their  families ;  and  during  Botta's 
residence  at  Mosul  this  example  was  followed,  without  any  more 
ado,  by  the  Turkish  government.  In  1845  the  Porte  revoked 
all  the  old  grants  of  land  in  this  province,  and  commanded 
that  for  the  future  they  should  be  annual,  and  sold  by  public 
auction. 

Such  was  the  state   of  matters  at  Khorsabad.     The  seven 


BOTTA.  21. 

individuals  who  owned  the  ground  between  them — the  prin- 
cipal of  whom  was  Yahia  Pasha,  a  former  governor  of  Mosul 
— had  no  right  of  real  property,  but  merely  a  right  of  posses- 
sion perpetuated  by  abuse  in  their  families ;  this  furnished  a 
weapon  against  their  cupidity.  When  Botta  was  treating  be- 
fore the  Pasha  for  the  purchase  of  the  houses,  the  accredited 
agent  of  these  persons  had  the  imprudence  to  claim  an  in- 
demnity for  the  land  they  stood  on.  The  Pasha  replied  that 
they  had  no  right  to  any,  because  the  Sultan  alone  was  lord 
of  the  soil,  and  disposed  of  it  as  he  chose.  This  was  a  hint 
for  the  plundered  antiquary,  who  henceforward  easily  pre- 
vailed upon  the  proprietors  to  accept  with  gratitude  a  reason- 
able indemnity,  which  he  could,  had  he  chosen,  have  had  the 
right  to  refuse.  They  themselves,  however,  felt  so  clearly  how 
little  their  demand  was  really  founded  on  right,  that  they  re- 
fused to  give  him  a  receipt,  and  begged  him  to  be  silent  on 
the  matter,  for  fear  their  conduct  should  reach  the  Pasha's 
ears. 

To  return  to  Botta' s  narration.  The  misfortunes  of  others 
now  placed  at  his  disposal  the  number  of  workmen  necessary 
for  the  speedy  clearance  of  the  rest  of  the  monuments.  A  few 
months  previously,  the  fanaticism  of  the  Kurds  had  terminated 
by  triumphing  over  the  resistance  which  the  courage  of  the 
Nestorians  had  for  ages  made  against  them.  Intrenched  in 
the  lofty  mountains  where  the  Zab  takes  its  rise,  these  Chris- 
tians, who  were  the  remains  of  one  of  the  most  ancient  sects 
that  separated  from  the  Catholic  church,  had  been,  up  to  that 
time,  enabled  to  escape  from  the  Mohammedan  yoke ;  but  in 
1843  their  own  internal  divisions  weakened  them  so  much  as 
to  incapacitate  them  from  contending  longer  against  the  con- 
tinually increasing  power  of  their  enemies.  After  a  courageous 
but  useless  resistance,  some  ITestorian  tribes  wero  destroyed 
by  the  Kurds :  and  in  order  to  escape  a  general  massacre,  a 
great  number  of  these  Christians,  following  the  example  of 
their  patriarch,  Mar-shimoun,  took  refuge  either  at  Mdsul,  or 
in  some  of  the  villages  of  the  neighbourhood,  where  they 
could  at  least  be  certain  of  safety  in  exchange  for  their  in- 
dependence. Previous  to  this  event,  Botta  had  been  charged 
with  distributing  among  these  unhappy  Christians  the  direct 
assistance  of  the  French  government,  —  not  the  first  relief 
afforded  by  that  power  to  the  victims  of  fanaticism  in  the. 


22  NINEVEH  AND   ITS  DISCOTEEEKS. 

East;  and  now  the  continuation  of  the  researches  at  Khorsa- 
bad  placed  at  Botta*8  disposal  new  means  of  alleviating  tho 
misery  of  the  refugees.  He  found  among  them  a  whole 
population  of  labourers  at  once  robust  and  docile,  whose  as- 
sistance was  the  more  useful,  as  it  was  almost  impossible  to 
procure  the  requisite  number  of  workmen  among  the  inhabi- 
tants of  the  environs.  Besides  their  demand  for  high  wages, 
the  natives  had  certain  singular  superstitions  which  inspired 
them  with  repugnance  for  the  work  he  offered,  and  this  in- 
fluence was  trebly  powerful  when  it  was  proposed  to  interfere 
with  the  village  of  Khorsabad  itself.  They  said  they  were 
afraid  it  would  bring  misfortune  upon  themselves  and  their 
families.  As  regarded  the  Nestorians,  although  they  suffered 
a  great  deal  from  the  climate  of  the  plain,  so  different  from 
that  of  the  high  mountains  they  had  until  then  inhabited, 
they  worked  with  great  spirit,  and  many  of  them  were 
enabled  to  return  to  their  own  country,  carrying  with  them 
savings  which  made  them  much  richer  than  they  had  ever  been 
before. 

All  obstacles  being  removed,  about  the  middle  of  the  month 
of  May,  1844,  Botta  once  more  proceeded  with  his  researches, 
nor  did  he  pause  in  his  labours  before  the  end  of  the  month 
of  October  in  the  same  year.  As  Monsieur  Flandin  was  first 
obliged  to  copy  the  bas-reliefs  discovered  before  his  arrival, 
the  works  progressed,  in  the  beginning,  but  slowly ;  but  the 
scientific  labourers  were  able  gradually  to  increase  their  scale 
of  operations,  until  at  last  they  had  almost  three  hundred 
workmen  in  full  employment.  During  these  six  months  each 
bad  but  one  thought,  which  was  to  unite  every  effort  to  turn 
Botta' s  discovery  to  the  best  possible  account.  Accordingly, 
they  worked  together  with  the  most  cordial  understanding. 
Monsieur  Tlandin  used  to  copy,  with  the  greatest  care,  the 
bas-reliefs  as  fast  as  they  were  uncovered ;  to  measure  the 
building  and  draw  up  a  definite  plan  of  it :  while  Botta,  on 
his  side,  was  occupied  not  less  actively,  in  transcribing  the 
numerous  inscriptions  which  covered  a  part  of  the  walls.  It 
is  true  that  both  had  to  suffer  much,  but  they  were  amply 
recompensed  for  it  by  the  results  and  the  nature  of  the  work ; 
for  it  was  with  a  feeling  of  delight  that  they  were  able,  from 
hour  to  hour,  to  observe  what  the  pick-axe  of  the  workmen 
had  uncovered,  and  to  endeavour  to  guess  the  direction  of  the 


BOTTA.  23 

walls  which  were  still  buried,  to  realise  the  scenes  they  would 
offer  to  view,  and  even  to  divine  the  signification  of  the  bas- 
reliefs  as  they  were  successively  brought  to  light. 

Botta  liberally  acknowledges  the  zeal  with  which  Plandin 
joined  in  the  researches  into  the  secrets  of  a  buried  city. 
Being  less  accustomed  than  the  consul  himself  to  the  mise- 
ries  of  eastern  life,  JFlandin,  it  appears,  felt  more  keenly  the 
inconveniences  of  a  prolonged  stay  in  a  miserable  village, 
beneath  a  burning  sky:  and  his  health  suffered  more  than 
once  in  consequence.  But  his  courage  never  failed  him,  not 
even  at  a  most  serious  conjuncture,  when  the  consulate  of 
M6sul,  and  the  existence  of  the  whole  Christian  population, 
were  for  a  moment  endangered.*  His  share  in  the  undertaking 
was  not  limited  to  the  execution  of  the  artistic  portions  with 
which  he  was  more  especially  charged.  Botta*s  official  duties  not 
allowing  him  to  remain  constantly  at  Khorsabad,  he  relied  upon 
Flan  din  to  superintend  and  employ  the  work-people  :  and  the 
artist,  thus  left  in  charge,  discovered  certain  objects  which  would 
otherwise,  perhaps,  have  escaped  notice, — such,  for  instance, 
as  the  little  statues  in  terra-cotta,  hidden  under  the  pavement, 
and  the  sepulchral  urns.  Thus  the  two  Frenchmen  worked  in 
concert  with  each  other,  and  Monsieur  Flandin  can,  with 
justice,  lay  claim  to  a  part  of  the  merit  of  the  operations 
which  led  to  the  complete  exhumation  of  the  monument  of 
Khorsabad. 

At  the  period  when  Botta  was  obliged  by  Mohammed  Pasha 
to  suspend  the  works,  he  had  only  to  follow  into  the  interior 
of  the  mound  the  walls  already  laid  bare.  The  work  then  com- 
pleted naturally  pointed  out  the  direction  their  further  labours 
should  be  made  to  take,  and  they  pursued  this  indication  until 
all  traces  of  construction  disappeared.     The  monument,  how- 

^  In  the  month  of  July,  1844,  the  Dominican  Missionaries  settled  at 
M68ul  having  had  a  house  repaired  in  order  to  add  it  to  their  original 
monastery,  were,  as  Botta  had  formerly  been  himself,  accused  of  wishing 
to  erect  a  fortress.  The  weakness  of  the  new  Pasha,  who  had  just  suc- 
ceeded Mohammed  Pasha,  having  encouraged  the  populace,  the  ridiculous 
accusation  occasioned  a  serious  riot,  during  which  the  monastery  was  de- 
stroyed, the  church  pillaged,  and  one  of  the  missionaries  assassinated. 
This  circumstance,  as  he  could  easily  foresee,  produced  similar  feelings  in 
the  inhabitants  of  Khorsabad  :  and  it  was  only  the  firmness  of  Monsieur 
Flandin  which  could  keep  them  in  check,  until  such  time  as  efficient  assist- 
ance arrived. 


24  NINEVEH   AND   ITS   DISCOTEREKS. 

ever,  had  formerly  extended  further,  and  for  some  time  they 
still  followed  the  brick  walls,  but  the  coverings  of  sculptured 
slabs  no  longer  existed  ;  and  various  signs  clearly  proved  that, 
even  in  the  most  ancient  times,  a  part  of  the  monument  had 
been  intentionally  destroyed,  and  the  solid  materials  carried  off, 
to  be  employed  somewhere  else  for  other  purposes.  In  an- 
ticipation of  still  meeting  with  the  lost  trace,  trenches  were 
opened  at  various  points  of  the  mound ;  but  in  vain,  and  they 
were  at  last  obliged  to  renounce  the  hope  of  seeing  a  new 
store  of  riches  added  to  those  they  had  already  found.  At  the 
end  of  the  month  of  October,  1844,  Botta  therefore  put  a  stop 
to  the  works. 

Monsieur  Flandin  having  finished  his  drawings,  was  enabled 
to  quit  Mosul  on  the  9th  of  November,  and  proceed  to  Paris  to 
submit  his  work  to  the  Academy.  Arrived  there,  a  commission 
was  named  by  the  Academy  to  draw  up  a  report  upon  Monsieur 
Flandin's  drawings.  Through  the  medium  of  its  reporter, 
Monsieur  Raoul  Rochette,  the  commission  rendered  a  tribute  of 
deserved  praise  to  the  labours  of  the  artist,  and  suggested  the 
propriety  of  issuing,  in  a  special  publication,  Flandin's  draw- 
ings, as  well  as  the  explanatory  matter  Botta  might  bring  with 
him,  for  the  study  of  scholars  and  artists.  In  a  meeting  of  the 
16th  of  May,  1845,  the  Academy  adopted  the  conclusions  of 
the  commission,  ordered  the  report  to  be  printed,  and  thus  gave 
both  Botta  and  his  artistic  coadjutor  the  first  reward  of  their 
labours,  by  publishing  the  results  in  a  series  of  magnificent 
folio  volumes,  with  the  public  approval,  and  at  the  public  ex- 
pense. 

Although  Flandin  had  been  able,  in  the  beginning  of  the 
month  of  November,  1844,  to  return  to  France,  in  order  to 
enjoy  that  repose  of  which  he  stood  so  much  in  need,  after  six 
months  of  suffering  and  fatigue,  Botta's  own  task  was  not  so 
soon  ended.  In  the  first  place  he  had  to  complete  his  copies 
of  the  inscriptions — a  work  that  had  been  commenced  a  year 
before  Monsieur  Flandin's  arrival  at  Mosul,  that  was  continued 
during  the  whole  period  of  his  stay,  and  which  occupied  several 
months  after  his  departure.  Besides  this,  in  conformity  with 
the  orders  of  the  government,  Botta  and  Flandin  had  chosen 
together  the  most  remarkable  and  best-preserved  pieces  of 
sculpture  to  send  to  France;  and  after  Flandin's  departure, 


BOTTA.  25 

Botta  was  left  alone  to  prepare  and  pack  these  precious  relics, 
to  get  them  conveyed  to  M6sul,  and  thence  to  send  them  to 
Baghdad.  The  Porte  had  at  first  imposed  certain  restrictions 
on  the  removal  of  the  sculptures,  but  had  ended  by  yielding 
to  the  persevering  efforts  of  the  French  Ambassador,  Baron  de 
Bourqueney,  who  had  shown  the  most  unceasing  and  lively 
interest  in  the  exhumation  of  Nineveh.  He  obtained  the 
necessary  orders,  and  Botta  was  at  liberty  to  remove  to  France 
all  the  objects  he  deemed  most  worthy. 

ITow  a  new  species  of  difficulties  arose.  Neither  the  need- 
ful machinery  nor  workmen  accustomed  to  the  kind  of  operations 
were  to  be  had.  The  object  was  to  convey,  for  a  distance  of 
four  leagues,  a  number  of  blocks,  some  of  which  weighed  as 
much  as  two  or  three  tons.  Botta  had  to  invent  everything,  to 
teach  everything — and,  above  all,  not  to  despair  of  success  after 
many  fruitless  attempts.  Much  against  his  will,  he  was  obliged 
to  saw  up  into  a  number  of  pieces  several  blocks,  the  weight 
and  size  of  which  would  have  rendered  the  carriage,  not  only 
difficult,  but  too  dear.  As  regards  the  packing,  it  was  so  im- 
possible to  procure  cases  sufficiently  strong,  that  he  was  obliged 
to  adopt  the  most  simple  plan,  and  contented  himself  with 
covering  the  sculptured  surfaces  of  the  bas-reliefs  with  beams, 
which  were  fastened  by  screws  to  corresponding  pieces  of  wood 
placed  upon  the  opposite  side  of  the  stone.  These  means  of 
protection  fortunately  proved  to  be  sufficient. 

The  most  difficult  part  of  the  whole  affair  was  the  convey- 
ance of  the  blocks.  Great  trouble  had  to  be  taken  to  get  a  car 
built  of  sufficient  strength,  and  Botta  was  even  under  the 
necessity  of  erecting  a  forge  in  order  to  construct  axle-trees 
strong  enough  to  support  so  heavy  a  load.  The  reader  may 
fancy  the  kind  of  workmen  available  for  the  task  by  one  fact 
— the  axle-trees  took  six  weeks  to  make  ! 

Patient  perseverance  secured  at  last  the  necessary  car,  but 
an  almost  equal  amount  of  trouble  had  to  be  taken  for  find- 
ing the  means  of  dragging  it.  The  Pasha  of  M68ul  had  at 
first  lent  some  buffaloes  used  to  work  of  this  description,  but, 
from  an  inexplicable  whim,  he  took  them  back  again.  Botta 
then  endeavoured,  but  in  vain,  to  employ  oxen,  and  at  last  was 
forced  to  have  recourse  to  the  thews  and  sinews  of  the  Nes- 
torians  themselves.     Iii  addition  to  all  this,  the  road  from. 


26  NINEVEH   AND   ITS   DISCOVEBEBS. 

Khorsabad  to  M6sul  being  soaked  through  with  continual  rain, 
had  no  firmness,  so  that  the  wheels  of  the  car,  although  they 
were  made  very  broad,  sank  into  the  mud  up  to  their  axles. 
In  several  places  it  was  necessary  to  pave  the  road,  or  to  cover 
it  over  with  planks.     Two  hundred  men  were  scarcely  sufficient 
to  draw  along  some  of  the  blocks.     **  The  difficulties  were  in- 
deed so  great,  that  more  than  once,"  says  Botta,  "  I  feared  I 
should  not  be  able  to  transport,  that  year,  the  most  interesting 
blocks,  because  they  happened  to  be  also  the  heaviest.     I  had 
no  time  to  lose  :  although  a  great  amount  of  rain  obstructed 
my  operations  at  M<Ssul,  by  a  most  unfortunate  contrast  very 
little  snow  had  fallen  in  the  mountains  during  the  winter  of 
1 844-45,  so  that  not  only  was  the  Tigris  far  from  attaining  its 
usual  height,  but  it  began  to  decrease  much  before  the  accus- 
tomed time.     It  was  necessary,  however,  to  avail  myself  of  its 
rise,  in  order  to  send  to  Baghdad  the  objects  which  I  had  de- 
termined to  transport  to  France,  for  the  carriage  of  the  sculptures 
required  rafts  of  unusual  dimensions,  and  a  delay  of  a  few 
days  might  oblige  me  to  wait  until  the  next  year.     By  dint  of 
great  exertions,  I  succeeded  in  surmounting  the  obstacles  and 
terminating  these  wearisome  operations  before  the  Tigris  had 
finished  falling.     In  the  month  of  June,   1845,  eight  months 
after  my  researches  were  ended,  all  the  sculptures  had  been 
removed  to  the  side  of  the  river,  and,  by  means  of  an  inclined 
plane  formed  in  the  bank,  embarked  on  the  rafts.     This  last 
part  of  my  task  was,  unfortunately,  attended  by  a  sad  accident. 
The  men  were  employed  in  embarking  the  last  block,  and  had 
already  placed  it  upon  the  inclined  plane :  in  order  to  move 
it,  one  of  the  Nestorians,  in  spite  of  my  reiterated  warn- 
ings, persisted  in  pulling  it  from  the  front ;  it  was  impos- 
sible to  stop  the  course  of  the  ponderous  mass  already  in 
motion,  and  the  miserable  workman  was  crushed  between 
it  and  the  blocks  previously  on  the  raft.     This  was  the  only 
accident  I  had  to  regret  during  the  whole  duration  of  the 
works." 

The  Tigris  is  navigated  by  means  of  rafts  constructed  of 
pieces  of  wood,  which  are  supported  by  inflated  skins.  These 
rafts  (which  are  called  by  the  natives  kelleh)  are  well  adapted 
for  descending  the  stream,  which  in  summer  is  very  shallow ; 
but  they  are  of  no  use  for  going  up.    When  the  rafts  have 


BOTTA.  27 

arrived  at  Baghdad,  they  are  broken  up,  the  wood  sold,  often 
at  a  profit,  and  the  skins  brought  back  to  Mosul,  to  serve 
again  for  the  same  purpose.  Such  were  the  means  that  Botta 
successfully  employed  for  transporting  the  sculptures  down 
the  river  towards  the  sea — the  rafts  of  the  required  solidity 
being  secured  by  the  use  of  timber  of  a  large  size  cut  in 
the  mountains,  and  the  number  of  skins  proportioned  to  the 
dimensions  of  the  raft. 

Not  content  with  giving  to  his  countryman,  Flandin,  all  the 
credit  due  for  the  assistance  he  rendered  on  the  works  of  Khor- 
sabad,  we  find  in  Botta' s  book  a  paragraph  of  grateful  praise 
awarded  to  a  mor«  humble,  yet  scarcely  less  valuable  assistant 
whom  he  found  on  the  scene  of  operations.  "  As  my  principal 
object,**  SE^ys  the  savant,  **  in  writing  my  introductory  chapter, 
was  to  do  justice  to  those  who  assisted  me  in  my  labours,  the 
reader  will,  I  hope,  pardon  me  for  naming  the  chief  of  the 
workmen,  Naaman  ebn  U'aouch  (Naaman  the  son  of  jN'aouch), 
who,  from  the  commencement  of  my  researches  in  the  mound 
of  Kouyunjik  up  to  the  termination  of  the  works,  never  failed 
to  give  me  convincing  proofs  of  two  qualities  which  are  very 
rare  in  his  country — namely,  intelligence  and  probity.  It  was 
he  whom  I  charged  to  go  and  explore  Khorsabad,  and  it  was 
he  who  discovered  its  hidden  treasures.  Since  that  time  his 
activity  and  his  spirit  of  invention  were  of  the  greatest  assist- 
ance to  me  when  in  a  difficult  position ;  and  it  is  certainly  to 
him  that  I  owe  the  fact  of  my  having  been  able  to  surmount 
the  difficulties  I  met  with  during  the  removal  of  the  sculp- 
tures.*' 

Some  time  elapsed  before  all  the  sculptures  obtained  from 
the  mound  at  Khorsabad  had  been  successfully  landed  at 
Baghdad,  and  confided  to  the  care  and  intelligence  of  the 
French  Consul-General,  who  was  charged  to  forward  them  to 
their  ultimate  destination.  It  was  not  till  the  month  of  March, 
1846,  that  the  wished-for  vessel,  the  Cormorant,  could  reach 
Bassora.  The  consul  then  experienced  as  much  difficulty  in 
shipping  the  ponderous  masses  on  board  the  boats  of  that  part 
of  the  country,  as  had  before  been  felt  in  sending  them  as  far 
as  Baghdad ;  but  he  eventually  succeeded,  and  had  them  carried 
down  the  Tigris  to  the  place  where  the  vessel  awaited  them. 
In  the  beginning  of  June,  Lieutenant  Cabaret  shipped  them 


2« 


NINEVEH   AND   ITS   DISCOVSREBS. 


without  accident,  and  setting  sail  from  Bassora,  arrived  in  De- 
cember, 1846,  after  a  favourable  passage,  at  Havre  ;  where  at 
the  close  of  the  year  was  landed  the  first  collection  of  Assyrian 
antiquities  that  had  ever  been  brought  to  Europe.  They  now 
form  one  of  the  greatest  attractions  in  the  noble  museum  of  the 
Louvre. 


JEBOUBI  A.BABS  EMPLOYED  AT  THE  EXCAVATIONS. 


Fig.  7.— THB  MOUND  AT  NIMBOUD. 


CHAPTER  m. 


LAYABD. 


The  last  and  most  important  of  the  labourers  in  the  field  of 
Assyrian  antiquities,  is  our  own  countryman,  Austen  Henry 
Layard ;  and  to  him,  therefore,  the  following  chapter  is  de- 
dicated. 

Layard  commenced  his  career,  as  a  traveller,  in  the  summer 
of  1839,  when  he  visited  Russia  and  other  northern  countries. 
Without  any  very  definite  plans,  he  journeyed  in  succession 
through  various  states  in  Germany,  paying  special  attention  to 
those  on  the  Danube,  mastering  not  only  the  German  language 
itself,  but  several  of  the  dialects  of  Transylvania,  and  Monte- 
negro. From  Montenegro  he  travelled  through  Albania  and 
Roumelia,  and  not  without  perilous  and  troublesome  adventures 
made  his  way  to  Constantinople,  which  he  reached  about  the 
latter  part  of  the' year. 

Having  by  this  time  seen  all  that  was  most  remarkable  in 
Europe,  a  new  field  seemed  opening  upon  him,  full  of  interest, 
in  Asia.  His  experience  as  a  traveller  had  rendered  him  hardy, 
and  equal  to  the  emergencies  of  European  journeyings ;  but 
new  languages  and  new  habits — a  more  perfect  reliance  upon 
himself — were  requisite  before  he  could  plunge  into  the  half- 


30  KINEVEH    AND   ITS   DISCOVEKEES. 

wild  life  led  in  Asia  Minor  and  other  countries  of  the  East. 
Undaunted  by  difficulties,  he  went  to  work  to  learn  the  lan- 
guages of  Turkey  and  Arabia ;  he  studied  the  manners — 
adopted  the  costume — and  was  before  long  able  to  lead  the 
life  of  an  Arab  of  the  Desert. 

Some  records  of  these  wanderings  found  place  in  the  Journals 
of  the  London  Geographical  Society,  through  either  incidental 
mention,  or  direct  communication.  In  one  number  of  the 
Society's  Transactions,  we  find  a  paper  by  Mr.  "William  Francis 
Ains worth,  in  which  he  gives  notes  of  an  excursion  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  the  Tigris  and  Nineveh — Layard  being  one 
of  the  party.  The  travellers  started  from  Mosul,  April  18th, 
1840,  and  made  their  way  down  the  stream  to  Kalah  Sherghat, 
where  the  ruins  of  an  ancient  Persian  city  are  still  visible. 
In  this  excursion  Luyard  passed  the  spot  where  his  future  ex- 
cavations were  to  be  made,  where  he  was  to  unveil  Nimroud, 
and  so  raise  a  lasting  monument  to  his  own  fame.  Mr.  Ains- 
worth  thus  speaks  of  the  circumstances  under  which  Layard 
joined  the  party  : — 

**  The  accidental  arrival  of  two  English  travellers,  Messrs. 
Mitford  and  Layard,  at  M6sul,  enabled  us  to  make  up  a  strong 
party  to  visit  the  sites  of  the  ruined  cities  of  Kalah  Sherghat 
and  Al  Hadhr. 

"  The  party  consisted  of  the  above-mentioned  gentlemen, 
Mr.  Eassam,  and  myself;  and  we  were  accompanied  by  an 
Arab  of  Tunis,  of  whose  courage  we  had  had  proof  in  crossing 
Northern  Mesopotamia,  when  he  was  in  the  service  of  Mo- 
hammed 'Ali ;  but  being  worsted  in  an  engagement  between 
the  Shammdr  Arabs  (the  men  *  without  bondage ')  and  the 
irregular  troops  of  Ibrahim  Pash-^,  which  had  recently  taken 
place,  he  had  abandoned  his  horse  to  save  his  life,  and  sought 
refuge  at  Mosul.  We  had  also  with  us  a  khawdss  from  Mo- 
hammed Pashd  of  Mosul." 

As,  however,  we  intend  availing  ourselves  of  Mr.  Ains- 
worth*s  interesting  paper  in  a  subsequent  chapter,  we  shall  now 
limit  ourselves  to  scenes  in  which  Layard  took  a  more  promi- 
nent part.  From  one  of  his  communications,  dated  Karak, 
December  31st,  1840,  we  gather  that  after  visiting  Ispahan, 
he  crossed  the  highest  part  of  the  great  chain  of  Mungasht, 
on  his  way  to  Kala  Tul ;  examined  the  ancient  mound  and 
Sassanian  ruin  in  the  plain  of  Mel  Amir ;   the  sculptures  and 


LAYABD.  81 

cuneiform  inscriptions  of  the  Shikajti  Salman;  besides  ob- 
serving in  the  same  plain,  and  on  the  road  to  Susan,  numerous 
other  sculptures  and  inscriptions.  After  encountering  many- 
difficulties  and  dangers  in  his  journey,  he  at  length  reached 
Susan,  believed  by  Colonel  Rawlinson  to  mark  the  site  of  the 
Susa  of  the  ancient  geographers.  Layard  expresses  himself 
satisfied  that  a  large  city  did  once  exist  on  the  spot,  although 
at  the  present  day  there  are  neither  mounds  of  any  size,  nor 
columns,  nor  hewn  stones,  nor  bricks  to  mark  the  site.  The 
ruins  that  are  found  are  entirely  confined  to  the  left  bank  of 
the  K^run,  but  on  either  side  there  are  the  remains  of  ancient 
roads,  and  the  river  was  formerly  spanned  by  a  bridge,  foiir 
piers  of  which  still  attest  the  stupendous  nature  of  the  build- 
ing. He  adds  that  the  so-called  tomb  of  Daniel  is  a  compara- 
tively modern  building  of  rough  stones,  containing  two  apart- 
mento.  It  is,  however,  regarded  with  great  veneration,  and 
is  always  known  by  the  name  of  Gebr  Daniel  Akhbar,  or  the 
grave  of  Daniel  the  greater,  in  contradistinction  to  the  one  at 
Shus.  During  two  visits  to  Susan  he  searched  and  inquired  in 
vain  after  inscriptions ;  and  was,  therefore,  inclined  to  doubt 
the  existence  of  the  sculptures  which  he  was  informed  were  to 
be  found  in  a  cave  at  a  place  called  P^irah. 

These  excursions,  sketches  of  sculptures,  and  copies  of  various 
inscriptions,  seem  only  to  have  whetted  Layard' s  appetite  for 
further  adventures  and  discoveries.  In  1842  and  1843  we 
find  him  busy  at  Khtizistdn ;  and  of  his  adventures  there,  he 
sent  a  lengthy  description,  through  Lord  Aberdeen,  to  the  Geo- 
graphical Society. 

This  paper  gives  glimpses  of  the  history  of  an  interesting 
portion  of  our  traveller's  life,  while  to  the  geographer  it  has 
especial  value  from  the  exactness  of  its  details  relative  to  a 
country  but  previously  vaguely  understood.  He  considered 
this  country  as  very  difficult  of  access,  particularly  to  a  Eu- 
ropean; and  although  he  twice  succeeded  in  traversing  it, 
partly  in  disguise,  he  was  plundered  by  those  who  were  sent 
to  protect  him,  and  narrowly  escaped  on  several  occasions 
with  his  life.  This  was  the  more  remarkable,  as  the  Sheikh 
had  frequently  courted  the  friendship  of  the  English  engaged 
in  navigating  the  Tigris,  and  it  was  under  his  protection 
that  he  entered  his  territories.  But  there  were  some  spots 
safer  and  more  pleasant  than  others.    It  would  seem  that  one 


32  NINEVEH   AND   ITS   DISCOVEEEES. 

Mohammed  Taki  Khan  then  exercised  a  wide  authority  in  the 
province  of  Kuzistan.  Sober  and  abstemious,  and  never  in- 
dulging in  many  vices  prevalent  in  Persia — he  was  affable, 
and  mixed  with  his  people  as  though  on  an  equality  with, 
rather  than  above  them.  Layard  says,  that  during  a  year's 
residence  with  him  he  never  saw  an  individual  receive  chas- 
tisement, nor  did  a  case  of  robbery  or  violence  come  under 
his  notice ;  yet,  nevertheless,  Layard  appears  to  have  been  a 
victim  to  partial  violence  at  the  hands  of  another  tribe,  for  he 
says  :  "  I  was  attacked  and  robbed,  but  by  a  tribe  of  Dind- 
runes,  which  even  Mohammed  Taki  Khan  could  never  control. 
He,  however,  sent  to  the  chief,  and  insisted  that  every  missing 
article  should  be  immediately  returned  ;  and  I  received  back 
the  whole  of  my  property.  It  was  my  habit  to  traverse  these 
wild  mountains  perfectly  alone,  and  never  was  I  attacked  or 
insulted,  except  on  the  occasion  mentioned,  when  the  country 
was  in  a  state  of  war.** 

In  the  province  of  Khiisistan,  Layard  visited  the  most  im- 
portant of  the  rivers  —  the  Karun,  which  he  tells  us  he 
examined  in  the  "Assyria,**  accompanied  by  Lieut.  Selby, 
whose  survey  of  this  river,  the  Bahmah-Shir,  the  Kerkhah, 
and  the  Hai,  are,  he  says,  "  some  of  the  most  interesting  and 
useful  results  of  the  Euphrates  expedition.*' 

The  most  painful  story  in  the  description  of  this  portion  of 
his  experience  relates  to  an  act  of  curious  barbarity  com. 
mitted  by  the  eunuch  Mo'tammid  upon  the  followers  of  Wall 
Khan,  the  legitimate  chief  of  the  Mamesseni  : — *'  He  built  a 
lofty  tower  of  living  men ;  they  were  placed  horizontally  one 
above  another,  and  closely  united  together  with  mortar  and 
cement,  their  heads  being  left  exposed.  Some  of  these  un- 
fortunate beings  lived  several  days,  and  I  have  been  informed 
that  a  negro  did  not  die  till  the  tenth  day.  Those  who  could 
eat  were  supplied  with  bread  and  water  by  the  inhabitants  of 
Shiraz,  at  the  gate  of  which  this  tower  was  built.  It  still 
existSf  an  evidence  of  the  utter  callousness  to  cruelty  of  a 
Persian  invested  with  power." 

In  the  summer  of  1842,  we  find  Layard  again  at  Mosul,  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  the  spot  which  now  formed  the  one 
chief  object  of  his  thoughts.  It  was  during  this  visit  that 
he  met  with  Botta,  who  was  then  engaged  in  excavating  the 
great  mound  of  Kouyunjik.     The  success  attending  the  sub- 


LATAED.  33 

Bequent  researches  at  Khorsabad  still  further  strengthened 
Layard's  desire  to  follow  out  his  scheme  of  investigations  on 
the  Tigris,  and  he  departed  for  Constantinople,  intent  upon 
obtaining  means  for  realizing  his  views.  Botta's  excavations 
were  encouraged  by  his  countrymen,  and  upon  the  first  ap- 
pearance of  success,  the  French  government  supported  him 
with  money,  artists,  and  diplomatic  influence ;  in  England, 
however,  science  meets  with  little  sympathy  from  those  in 
power,  and  the  government  leaves  to  individuals  what  ought 
to  be  the  duty  of  the  nation.  Layard  sought  help  in  vain, 
until  Sir  Stratford  Canning  nobly  volunteered  to  bear  for  a 
while,  out  of  his  private  purse,  the  cost  of  the  excavations. 
To  Sir  Stratford  Canning  we  already  owed  the  marbles  from 
Halicarnassus,  and  to  his  generous  offer,  as  Layard  observes, 
*'  are  we  mainly  indebted  for  the  coUection  of  Assyrian  anti- 
quities with  which  the  British  Museum  will  be  enriched ;  as, 
without  his  liberality  and  public  spirit,  the  treasures  of  Nim- 
roud  would  have  been  reserved  for  the  enterprise  of  those  who 
have  appreciated  the  value  and  importance  of  the  discoveries  at 
Khorsabad."  Thus  prepared,  by  private  munificence,  with 
means  for  commencing  his  long-desired  labours,  Layard  quitted 
Constantinople  for  Assyria  in  the  autumn  of  1845. 

"When  Layard  arrived  at  M6sul,  with  the  intention  of 
commencing  his  excavations,  he  found  the  province  under  the 
rule  of  Mohammed  Pasha,  a  man  notorious  for  his  rapacity 
and  atrocious  cruelties.  The  Pasha  was  the  last  person  likely 
to  comprehend  the  traveller's  object;  and  was,  therefore, 
certain  to  offer  every  opposition  in  his  power  to  whatever 
works  might  be  commenced.  To  avoid  this,  Layard,  with 
hunting  weapons  ostentatiously  displayed,  but  with  a  few 
mason's  tools  secreted  in  his  valise,  quietly  floated  down  the 
Tigris  on  a  small  raft,  with  no  other  companions  than  Mr. 
Ross,  a  British  merchant,  a  khawass,  and  a  servant.  He 
established  himself  for  a  time  at  JS'aifa ;  but  subsequently,  for 
greater  security,  removed  to  Selamiyah,  a  village  near  the 
Tigris,  well  known  to  the  early  Arab  geographers.  While  at 
Naifa,  the  excavations  at  Niraroud  were  commenced ;  and 
some  fragments  of  inscriptions,  slabs  which  had  evidently 
been  exposed  to  intense  heat,  a  great  accumulation  of  char- 
coal, and  many  fragments  of  ivory,  gilt  pottery,  bricks,  &c., 
were  discovered.    Ere  long,  however,  as  in  the  case  of  Botta, 


34 


NlilEVEn    AND    ITS   DISCOVEREES. 


reports  that  Layard  was  extracting  gold  from  the  ruins 
reached  the  town,  and  he  hegan  to  apprehend  a  formidable 
opposition  to  his  labours.  The  excavations  at  Nimroud  had 
been  entered  upon  not  only  without  permission,  but  without 
the  knowledge,  of  the  local  authorities;  and  as  the  supplies 
of  money  which  were  to  sustain  the  undertaking  were  only 
guaranteed  for  a  limited  period,  their  continuance  was  con- 
tingent on  a  fair  prospect  of  success.  As  yet  no  sculptures 
had  been  discovered  ;  nevertheless,  Layard  did  not  slacken 
the  ardour  of  his  application.  As  a  first  step  he  proceeded  to 
Mdsul  to  acquaint  the  Pasha  with  the  doings  at  Nimroud, 
but  the  wily  ruler,  with  true  oriental  duplicity,  affected  igno- 
rance of  the  works,  though  he  had  had  a  spy  watching  them 
from  day  to  day ;  he  forbore,  however,  either  to  sanction  or 
to  object  to  the  continuance  of  the  excavations,  and  Layard 
consequently  felt  convinced  that  he  would  seek  an  opportunity 
for  obstructing  his  proceedings. 


NESTttUlANS  liill'LOVEl)  AT  THE  KXOAV ATlONS. 


LA.TABD.  35 

After  a  short  sojourn  in  Mosul,  Layard  returned  to  N'im- 
roud,  having  hired  a  number  of  Kestorian  Christians  to  join 
his  gang  of  workers.  He  began  to  examine  the  south-west 
ruins,  with  the  view  to  discover  their  plan;  but  the  soil 
offered  such  resistance  to  the  tools  of  the  workmen,  that  the 
labour  was  immense.  The  Arabs  were  not  sufficiently  expert 
with  the  pickaxe,  and  no  spade  could  be  thrust  into  the 
heterogeneous  rubbish,  which  they  were  obliged,  therefore,  to 
detach  with  their  own  less  efficient  instruments,  and  to  carry 
away  in  baskets. 

Layard  was  working  in  the  rain  with  his  men  on  the  28th 
November,  when  the  first  of  the  long-wished-for  bas-reliefs  was 
suddenly  disclosed  to  view.  At  this  critical  and  exciting  stage 
of  the  proceedings,  orders  were  privately  issued  from  Mosul  to 
stop  the  works.  Layard  hastened  to  remonstrate  with  the 
governor,  who  pretended  to  be  surprised,  and  disclaimed  the 
orders  ,•  but,  on  returning  to  the  village,  he  found  that  even 
more  positive  commands  had  been  issued,  on  the  ground,  as 
was  subsequently  declared,  that  the  mound  which  he  was 
digging  had  been  a  Mussulman  burying- place.  Kemonstrance 
was  useless  ;  there  was  no  resource  but  to  acquiesce,  and  rest 
satisfied  with  the  permission  to  draw  the  sculptures  and  to 
copy  the  inscriptions,  under  the  inspection  of  an  officer,  who 
Layard  specially  requested  might  accompany  him  to  Mmroud. 
The  presence  of  this  officer  relieved  Layard  from  the  inter- 
ference of  the  local  authorities,  and  he  was  easily  induced  to 
countenance  the  employment  of  a  few  workmen,  under  a  plea 
of  guarding  the  sculptures.  Fortunately,  at  this  juncture  the 
Pasha  Mohammed  was  supplanted  by  Ismael  Pasha,  who  was 
favourably  reported,  and  whose  conciliatory  acts  towards  the 
people  of  M6sul  produced  a  change  as  sudden  as  it  was  great. 
Layard  was  received  by  the  new  Pasha  with  affability,  and 
consequently,  in  January,  1846,  was  enabled  to  resume  his  ex- 
cavations at  the  village  of  Nimroud.  A  ravine,  apparently 
formed  by  the  winter  rains,  which  ran  far  into  the  mound, 
attracted  Layard* s  attention,  and  he  formed  the  fortunate  reso-. 
lution  of  opening  a  trench  in  its  centre.  In  two  days  thisniea-. 
sare  was  rewarded  by  the  discovery  of  several  additional  bas- 
reliefs,  and  of  a  gigantic  human  head,  much  to  the  terror  of  the 
Arabs,  who  hurried  to  communicate  the  intelligence  that  Nim-. 

D  2 


36  NINEVEH    AND    ITS   DISCOTERERS. 

roud  himself  had  been  found.  The  excitement  produced  by 
this  discovery  set  the  whole  of  M6sul  into  commotion ;  and  the 
result  was  a  message  from  the  governor,  to  the  effect  that  **the 
remains  should  be  treated  with  respect,  and  be  by  no  mieans  far- 
ther disturbed  !'*  The  operations  at  Nimroud  having  been  thus, 
for  the  third  time,  suspended,  Layard  had  no  alternative  but 
to  await  the  arrival  of  a  vizirial  order  from  Constantinople  : 
but  in  the  mean  time  he  visited  the  Tunnel  of  Negoub,  or 
the  hole,  on  the  outskirts  of  Nimroud,  the  inscriptions  in 
which  place  led  him  to  infer  that  it  was  coeval  with  the 
Kouyunjik  palace ;  he  occupied  himself  in  receiving  and  in 
returning  visits  to  various  Arab  tribes,  and  in  studying  their 
manners  and  customs,  with  a  view  to  securing  the  friendship 
of  their  Sheikhs,  and  thus  checking  the  thievish  propensities 
of  their  followers.  During  his  excursion,  Ismael  Pasha  had 
been  superseded  in  the  Government  of  M6sul  by  Tahyar 
Pasha,  who  enjoyed  a  reputation  for  liberality,  kindness,  and 
intelligence.  Under  his  auspices  the  excavations  were  re- 
sumed ;  and  though  the  progress  was  slow,  fresh  sculptures, 
of  increasing  value  and  interest,  were  disclosed.  At  length, 
through  the  instrumentality  of  Sir  Stratford  Canning,  Lay- 
ard received  from  the  Turkish  government  an  authorization  to 
continue  his  operations,  and  to  remove  any  objects  he  might 
discover.  The  opposition  of  subordinates  being  thus  overcome, 
Layard  determined  to  open  trenches  in  the  southern  face  of 
the  great  mound  of  Kouyunjik,  and  a  rich  collection  of  sculp- 
tures, in  an  excellent  state  of  preservation,  soon  rewarded 
his  exertions.  Kings,  priests,  griffins,  eunuchs,  and  symbolic 
trees,  were  among  the  figures,  which  excited  feelings  of  amaze- 
ment in  the  Arabs,  and  of  delight  in  their  employer. 

Among  the  remarkable  discoveries  made  by  Layard  at 
Nimroud,  was  a  vaulted  chamber,  built  in  the  centre  of  a 
wall,  nearly  50  feet  in  thickness,  and  about  15  feet  beneath 
the  surface  of  the  mound.  The  dimensions  of  this  vault  were 
10  feet  in  height  by  10  feet  in  width,  and  the  arch  over  it  was 
formed  of  kiln-burnt  bricks ;  but  there  was  no  apparent  en- 
trance, nor  could  Layard  divine  to  what  purpose  it  had  been 
applied.  The  discovery,  however,  of  so  large  an  arch,  turned 
in  baked  bricks,  and  built  into  the  solid  mass  of  the  mound, 
is  a  convincing  proof  that 'the  ancient  Assyrians,  like  the 


LATAKD.  37 

ancient  Egyptians,  were  acquainted  with  the  principle  of  the 
arch,  although  they  hoth  evidently  refrained  using  it  in  their 
larger  structures,  or  where  the  abutments  were  not  secure, 
from  a  knowledge,  as  we  are  assured  by  this  discreet  use  of 
it,  of  the  inherent  self-destroying  principle  of  the  arch. 
We  could  have  wished  that  the  discoverer  had  informed  us 
whether  the  bricks  were  of  the  usual  form,  whether  they 
were  wedge-shaped,  or  whether,  as  in  some  Egyptian  brick 
arches,  pieces  of  tile  were  inserted  to  keep  the  bricks  apart 
at  the  top. 

Another  curious  discovery  was,  that  tubular  drain-tiles 
were  used  for  removing  the  rain-water  that  fell  through  the 
openings  in  the  roofs  on  to  the  pavements  of  the  several 
apartments,  and  that  there  was  under  the  pavement  of  the 
mound  a  main-drain,  the  invert  formed  of  kiln-burnt  bricks, 
and  the  upper  part  covered  with  slabs  and  tiles. 

He  noticed  also,  that  a  thin  layer  of  bitumen  passed  under 
all  the  floors  and  slabs,  to  preserve  them,  doubtless,  from  the 
damp  which  would  otherwise  have  arisen  from  the  earth 
underneath. 

As  it  was  in  vain  to  think  of  moving  the  gigantic  lions,  or 
other  larger  sculptures  with  the  means  then  at  command, 
Layard  proceeded  to  take  steps  for  the  embarkation  of  such 
as  could  be  moved.  The  difficulties  that  Botta  had  had  to 
overcome  were  repeated  in  his  case,  but  ultimately  the  sculp- 
tures were  removed  from  the  trenches  with  levers  and  native 
ropes,  packed  in  rough  cases,  conveyed  to  the  Tigris  in 
buffalo  carts,  and  transported  by  raft  to  Baghdad  preparatory 
to  their  removal  to  Bombay. 

After  despatching  these  first  fruits  of  his  discoveries,  Lay- 
ard undertook  a  short  excursion  in  pursuit  of  healtb,  to  the 
country  of  the  devil-worshippers,  and  upon  his  return  to 
M6sul,  he  found  letters  apprising  him  that  the  British  Mu- 
seum had  received  a  grant  of  funds  for  the  continuation  of 
the  Assyrian  researches.  ^Notwithstanding  the  inadequacy  of 
the  sum,  which  was  to  include  all  expenses,  private  and 
otherwise,  Layard  determined  on  directing  the  excavations, 
and  economising  to  the  utmost,  in  order  to  secure  as  complete 
a  collection  as  such  small  means  would  allow.  Many  of  the 
sculptures  were  far  too  dilapidated  to  admit  of  removal,  and, 


38  NINEVEH    AND   ITS   DISCOVEBERS. 

as  others  were  likely  to  fall  to  pieces  as  soon  as  uncovered, 
there  was  no  alternative  but  to  make  drawings  of  them,  or 
the  records  they  afforded  would  be  for  ever  lost.  As  no 
artist  had  been  sent  to  assist  him,  Layard  was  obliged  to  do 
his  best  to  copy  what  he  saw,  and  his  drawings  were  very 
creditable  to  him.  He  had  thus,  he  tells  us,  to  superintend 
the  excavations,  to  draw  all  the  bas-reliefs,  to  copy,  compare, 
and  take  casts  of  the  inscriptions,  to  direct  the  moving  and 
packing  of  the  sculptures,  to  be  continually  present  at  the 
works,  and  frequently  to  remove  the  earth  with  his  own 
hands  from  the  face  of  the  slabs, — labours  sufficiently  various 
and  onerous.  At  the  end  of  October,  he  was  again  among 
the  ruins  of  Nimroud,  and  in  November  the  excavations 
were  proceeding  on  a  large  scale.  New  chambers  were  ex- 
plored, battles,  sieges,  victories,  triumphs,  banquetings,  and 
sacrifices  were  daily  discovered,  and  besides  these  an  obelisk 
of  black  marble,  which  was  instantly  packed  for  transport. 
The  large  band  now  at  work  rapidly  uncovered  the  buried 
treasures,  and  by  the  end  of  the  second  month  a  sufficient 
number  of  bas-reliefs  were  collected  for  despatch  to  Bagh' 
dad,  Layard  proceeded  to  M^sul,  bought  the  necessary 
materials  for  a  raft,  and  for  packing  the  sculptures,  and  re- 
turned to  Nimroud,  leaving  the  raftsmen  to  bring  the  pur- 
chases by  water.  On  their  way,  having  found  it  necessary 
to  halt  for  the  night,  they  were  plundered  by  Arabs ;  and 
the  mats,  felts,  and  cordage  were  carried  oflf.  This  was  a 
proceeding  which  Layard  was  determined  should  not  become 
a  precedent.  He  applied,  in  the  first  place,  to  the  authorities, 
and  was  put  off,  no  doubt,  with  the  Turkish  phrase  Bakka^ 
lum  (we  will  see),  the  equivalent  of  the  Arabic  Boukkara 
(to-morrow).  In  three  or  four  days  he  learned  who  were  the 
robbers,  and  he  determined  to  make  them  feel  that  they  were 
not  to  carry  their  incursions  into  his  quarters  with  impunity. 
Taking  with  him  two  trusty  Arabs,  expert  at  their  weapons, 
he  came  upon  the  guilty  sheikh  in  the  midst  of  his  followers, 
and  politely  asked  for  the  missing  articles,  some  of  which 
were  hanging  up  in  his  sight.  When  the  sheikh  and  his 
party  had  stoutly  denied  the  possession  of  the  goods  in 
question,  one  of  Layard' s  two  attendants  handcuffed  the  old 
man  in  a  moment,  and,  jumping  on  his  horse,  dragged  him 


Tunnel  opened  in  Kouyunjik. 


P.  38. 


LA.TABD.  39 

out  of  the  encampment  at  a  most  uncomfortable  pace.  The 
suddenness  of  the  performance  paralysed  the  by-standers,  wlio 
were  well  supplied  with  arms.  The  sheikh  was  carried  to 
Niraroud,  where  he  thought  it  wiser  to  make  a  full  confession 
than  to  journey  to  Mdsul  and  confront  the  Pasha.  Next 
morning,  the  missing  property,  with  the  addition  of  a  kid  and 
a  lamb,  as  a  peace-offering,  made  their  appearance :  the  sheikh 
was,  therefore,  liberated,  and  Layard  had  no  subsequent  reason 
to  complain  of  him  or  his  tribe. 

In  the  first  four  months  of  the  New  Tear,  Layard  explored 
almost  the  entire  north-west  palace,  opened  twenty  new 
chambers,  and  discovered  numerous  sculptures  of  considerable 
interest  and  importance.  As  the  means  at  his  disposal  did 
not  warrant  him  in  searching  for  objects  which  he  could  not 
hope  to  carry  away,  he  spent  the  greater  portion  of  his  time 
in  exposing  the  monuments  previously  discovered.  An  op- 
portunity now  offered  of  examining  the  mounds  of  Kal^h 
Sherghat,  ruins  rivalling  those  of  Nimroud  in  extent,  but 
which  the  reputation  of  the  vicinity  as  a  rendezvous  for 
plundering  parties  had  deterred  travellers  from  examining. 
The  long  drought  at  Mosul  having,  however,  driven  many  of 
the  Jebour  tribe,  friends  of  Layard,  towards  those  ruins,  he  re- 
solved to  profit  by  the  circumstance,  to  visit  them  under  that 
protection.  Layard  remained  at  K^Uh  Sherghat  only  a  few 
days,  and  returned  to  Nimroud,  having  left  a  superintendent 
to  continue  excavations  at  the  former  place ;  but  the  position 
of  the  workmen  shortly  became  so  insecure,  that  he  was 
reluctantly  compelled  to  recal  them,  though  not  without  satis- 
fying himself  that  the  mounds  contained  many  objects  of 
interest,  if  not  sculptured  slabs.  A  sitting  figure,  discovered 
there,  has  since  been  added  to  the  Nimroud  sculptures  in  the 
British  Museum. 

Having  decided  to  attempt  the  removal  of  the  lion  and 
bull,  Layard,  after  much  consideration,  resolved  to  build  a 
cart  of  the  best  materials  attainable,  and  a  carpenter  was  dis- 
patched to  the  mountains  to  fell  mulberry  timber,  and  convey 
it  to  M<5sul.  A  frame- work  of  strong  beams  was  formed,  and 
laid  over  two  iron  axles,  found  in  the  town  (those  made 
by  Botta).  Each  wheel  was  made  of  three  solid  pieces  of 
wood,  nearly  a  foot  thick,  bound  together  by  an  iron  hoop : 


40  NINEVEH   AND   ITS   DISCOVEREBS. 

a  pole  was  finally  added,  furnished  with  rings,  to  admit  a 
rope,  by  which  the  carriage  might  be  drawn.  In  order  to  raise 
the  bull,  and  place  it  on  the  carriage  which  stood  in  the  plain 
below,  at  a  distance  of  200  feet,  it  was  necessary  to  make  a 
road  through  the  mound,  15  feet  wide,  and  in  some  places 
20  feet  deep.  The  figure  was  to  be  lowered  from  its  pedestal 
on  its  back,  a  work  of  no  small  difficulty;  for  during  its 
descent,  ropes,  which  were  the  only  means  of  supporting  it, 
might  break,  and  involve  the  destruction  of  the  whole. 
Although  ropes  had  been  sent  for  from  Aleppo,  the  best  of 
them  were  too  small  to  be  relied  on.  A  stout  palm-fibre 
hawser  had  been  obtained  from  Baghdad,  and  two  pairs  of 
blocks,  and  a  pair  of  jack-screws  had  been  borrowed  from  the 
stores  of  the  Euphrates  expedition.  These  were  all  the  re- 
sources available  for  removing  the  bull  and  lion. 

By  the  middle  of  March  the  earth  and  rubbish  had  been, 
cleared  away  from  the  bull,  which  was  now  retained  in  its 
place  only  by  beams  which  sprang  from  the  opposite  side  of 
the  excavation.  Well-greased  sleepers  of  poplar  were  laid 
down  on  the  ground  parallel  to  the  sculpture,  and  over  these 
several  thick  rollers  on  which  the  object  was  to  be  lowered. 
A  deep  trench  had  been  cut  in  the  solid  mass  of  the  unburnt 
brick  wall  at  some  distance  behind  and  above  the  bull,  and 
the  square  block,  thus  exposed,  formed  a  sort  of  column,  round 
which  the  ropes  used  for  lowering  the  bull  might  be  run  during 
the  operation.  Two  of  the  pulleys  were  secured  to  this  mass 
of  earth  by  a  coil  of  ropes,  and  two  others  to  the  bull,  and 
between  these  two  points  the  tackle  worked.  On  each  side 
of  the  bull  stood  a  large  party  of  Arabs,  holding  the  ends  of 
the  ropes,  and  some  powerful  Chaldeans  were  directed  to  hold 
strong  beams  which  they  were  to  remove  gradually,  so  as  to 
reduce  the  strain  upon  the  ropes. 

All  being  ready,  Layard  ordered  the  men  to  strike  out  the 
supporting  wedges.  Still  the  bull  remained  erect,  until  at 
last  five  or  six  men  tilted  it  over.  The  Baghdad  hawser 
almost  broke  with  the  strain,  and  wore  its  way  into  the  block 
of  earth  around  which  it  was  carried,  but  the  smaller  ropes 
did  their  work  well,  and  the  bull  began  to  descend  slowly. 
As  the  bull  neared  the  roller,  the  beams  could  no  longer  be 
used,  and  the  entire  strain  was  thrown  on  the  ropes,  which 


LATABD.  41 

stretched  and  creaked  more  than  ever ;  at  length  the  ropes  all 
hroke  together,  and  the  hull  fell  forward  to  the  ground.  A 
silent  moment  of  suspense  followed.  Layard  leaped  into  the 
trenches,  expecting  to  see  the  bull  in  fragments.  It  was 
entire  and  uninjured!  A  sort  of  tram-way  was  laid  down  to 
the  end  of  the  track,  over  which  the  bull  was  to  be  drawn  on 
rollers  to  the  edge  of  the  mound ;  and  thus  the  journey  to 
the  end  of  the  trench  was  speedily  accomplished.  When  the 
bull  arrived  at  the  sloping  edge  of  the  mound,  it  was  lowered 
into  the  cart  by  digging  away  the  soil.  All  was  now  ready 
for  proceeding  to  the  river,  and  the  buffaloes  which  were  at 
first  procured  refusing  to  pull  at  the  weight,  the  Arabs  and 
Chaldeans,  assisted  by  the  villagers,  in  all  300  men,  drew 
the  cart. 

On  reaching  the  village  of  I^imroud,  the  procession  was 
brought  to  a  sudden  halt.  Two  wheels  of  the  cart  were  seen 
buried  in  the  ground;  and  the  ropes  were  broken  in  the 
attempt  to  extricate  the  vehicle.  The  wheels  had  sunk  in  a 
concealed  corn-pit,  in  which  some  villager  had  formerly 
stored  his  grain.  Layard  was  compelled  to  leave  the  sculp- 
ture on  the  spot,  with  a  guard.  In  the  course  of  the  night 
some  of  the  adventurous  Bedouins,  attracted  by  the  packing 
materials  round  the  sculptures,  had  fallen  on  the  workmen. 
They  were  beaten  off,  but  left  their  mark;  for  a  ball  in- 
dented the  side  of  the  bull.  Next  morning  the  wheels  were 
raised,  the  procession  was  again  in  motion,  and,  after  some 
temporary  obstructions,  the  bull  was  placed  on  the  platform 
from  which  it  was  to  slide  to  the  raft.  Here  a  Small  camp  of 
Arabs  was  formed  to  guard  the  bull  until  its  companion,  the 
lion,  should  be  brought  down,  and  the  two  embarked  toge- 
ther for  Baghdad. 

On  the  20th  of  April,  Layard  determined  to  attempt  the 
embarkation  of  his  treasures.  The  raft  lay  alongside  the 
platform :  and  the  two  sculptures  were  so  placed  on  beams, 
that  on  the  withdrawal  of  the  wedges  they  would  slide  into 
the  centre  of  the  raft,  along  an  inclined  plane  formed  of  beams 
of  poplar  wood,  which  were  well  greased.  The  large  raft, 
supported  by  six  hundred  skins,  was  brought  close  to  the 
bank;  the  wedges  were  removed,  and  the  bull  was  slowly 
lowered  into  its  place.    The  lion  was  next  placed  on  a  second 


42 


NINEVEH    AND    ITS   DISCOVERERS. 


similar  raft.  In  a  few  hours  the  two  sculptures  were  properly- 
secured,  and  by  night- fall  they  were  ready  to  set  out  on  their 
long  journey.  The  working  party  was  now  disbanded,  and 
by  the  middle  of  May,  1847,  the  excavations  at  Nimroud 
were  finished.  Layard  took  a  parting  glance  at  the  ruins,  and 
on  the  24th  of  June  he  bade  farewell  to  the  Arabs,  and  de- 
parted on  his  journey  to  Constantinople. 

It  now  becomes  necessary  to  inquire 
classical  writers  had  been  thinking  and 
buried  cities  in  the  East,  and  to  examine 
discoveries  of  Botta,  at  Khorsabad. 


what  biblical  and 
saying  about  the 
also  in  detail  the 


Fig.  6.— PLAIK  AND  Mouses  OF  SIMROUD. 


AUBTIM 


Fig.  9. — MAP  07  THE  AB8YBIAN  EUPIBE. 


1.  Babel. 

2.  Erech. 
8.  Accad. 

4.  Calneh. 

5.  Nineveh. 

6.  Rehoboth. 

7.  Calah. 


8.  Resen. 

9.  Dura. 

10.  Ecbatana. 

11.  Ecbatana. 

12.  Susa. 

13.  Persepolis. 

14.  Petra. 


15.  Jerusalem. 

16.  Tyre. 

17.  Sidon. 

18.  Damascus. 

19.  Palmyra. 

20.  Issus. 

21.  Tarsus. 


22.  Iconium. 

23.  Perge. 

24.  Van. 

25.  Ur. 

26.  Arbela. 

27.  Rhagae. 

28.  Cyropolis. 


N.B.— The  first  eight  numbers  refer  to  the  cities  in  the  order  in  which  they  occur 
in  tiie  tenth  chapter  of  Genesis. 

SECTION  II. 

HISTORICAL. 


CHAPTER  I. 

ASSYRIA  AIH)   MESOPOTAMIA. 


A  GLANCE  backwards — more  than  two  thousand  years — be- 
comes necessary,  when  we  ask  what  Kineveh  was  understood 


44      '  '       ASSTEIA   AND   MESOPOTAMIA. 

to  be  before  the  excavations  of  Botta  and  Layard.  "We  have 
two  sources  of  information  on  the  subject,  —  the  sacred 
■writers,  and  the  ancient  Greek  and  Roman  historians. 

From  the  sacred  writers  we  learn  that  the  long  forborne 
vengeance  of  Heaven,  overtaking  the  impious  pride  of  the  an- 
tediluvian world,  had  swept  from  the  face  of  the  earth  the 
numerous  tribes  of  Adam,  reserving  only  the  family  of  Noah, 
to  make  him  the  second  progenitor  of  the  human  race.  The 
three  sons  of  the  Patriarch  had  gone  forth  to  assume  other 
new  sovereignties,  and  to  people  the  earth.  At  this  period, 
within  a  century  after  the  flood,  and  while  Noah  was  in  the 
full  vigour  of  his  power,  his  great-grandson,  Nimrod,  the 
founder  of  the  earliest  post-diluvian  cities,  is  introduced  on 
the  historic  page. 

**  And  Cush  begat  Nimrod  ;  he  began  to  be  a  mighty  one 
in  the  earth.  He  was  a  mighty  hunter  before  the  Lord ; 
wherefore  it  is  said,  even  as  Kimrod,  the  mighty  hunter 
before  the  Lord.  And  the  beginning  of  his  kingdom  was 
Babel,  and  Erech,  and  Accad,  and  Calneh,  in  the  land  of 
Shinar."* 

Although  the  scriptural  account  of  Nimrod,  the  first  mo- 
narch on  record,  is  short,  yet  so  much  more  of  him  is  said 
than  of  any  other  of  the  immediate  posterity  of  Noah,  as  to 
afford  ample  testimony  to  his  strength  of  character  and  supe- 
rior natural  endowments.  The  Hebrew  word  nna  Gibbor, 
which  the  vulgate  renders  **  mighty  one,"  is  by  the  Sep- 
tuagint  translated  "giant;"  but  the  subsequent  *' mighty 
hunter,"  would  intimate  that  he  not  only  sought  to  hunt  wild 
beasts,  but  to  subdue  men  also  ;  and  Ezekiel  is  understood  by 
some  commentators  to  give  the  name  of  hunters  to  all  ty- 
rants.* Nevertheless,  some  think  that  the  words  **  before  the 
Lord,"  may  be  taken  in  a  favourable  sense;  and  Calmet 
admits  that  they  are  commonly  understood  as  heightening  the 
good  qualities  of  any  one.  It  must  be  allowed  that  there  is 
nothing  in  the  history  of  Nimrod  which  carries  an  air  of 
reproach  excepting  his  name,  which  signifies  "  rebellion  of 
him  that  rules,"  or,  according  to  Gesenius,  "  extremely  im- 
pious rebel ;"  but  it  is  this  name  which  has  caused  commen- 
tators to  represent  him  as  a  usurper  and  oppressor,  and  as 
instigating  the  descendants  of  Noah  to  build  the  Tower  of 
1  Genesis,  x.  8—10.  *  Ezekiel,  ixxii.  30. 


Group  of  the  present  Inhatitants  of  Koordistan  (Ancient  Assyria).    P.  44. 


CITIB8   F0T7NDED   BT   NIMKOD.  45 

Babel.  The  qualifications  ascribed  to  Mmrod  as  "  a  mighty- 
hunter"  sufficiently  fi.x  his  character;  and  after  the  separation 
of  mankind  he  is  supposed  to  have  become  the  head  of  those 
who  remained  at  Shinar.  He  united  the  people  into  com- 
panies, and  by  exercising  them  in  the  chase,  he  gradually  led 
them  to  a  social  defence  of  one  another,  laying  the  founda- 
tions of  his  authority  and  dominion  in  the  same  way  that  the 
Persians  to  a  much  later  day  prepared  their  kings  for  war  and 
government  by  hunting.*  His  kingdom  began  at  Babel,  and 
as  his  seat  of  power  became  too  populous,  he  founded  other 
cities,  thus  dispersing  his  people  under  the  direction  of  such 
deputies  as  he  deemed  prudent.  That  he  was  aided  in  es- 
tablishing his  power  by  his  brothers  Seba,  and  Havilah, 
and  Sabtah,  and  Baahmah,  and  Sabtechah,^  who  were  all 
settled  in  Arabia,  may  readily  be  believed,  for  without  such 
aid  he  could  scarcely  have  built  cities,  and  united  his  people 
with  others  under  a  common  form  of  government.  The  four 
cities  which  are  recorded  in  Scripture  to  have  been  founded 
by  Nimrod,  Babel,  Erech,  Accad,  and  Calneh,  were  all  in  the 
land  of  Shinar,  the  southern  part  of  Mesopotamia.  That 
Babel  was  the  original  of  the  subsequently  imperial  city  of 
Babylon,  the  identity  of  name  seems  to  prove,  the  latter  being 
the  same  word  with  the  Greek  termination.  The  ruins  near 
Hillah  are  still  by  the  Arabs  designated  Babel.  According  to 
Chesney,  "  four  miles  and  a  quarter  north,  and  twenty  miles 
west  of  the  bridge  of  Hillah  is  the  Mujellibeh,  near  which 
are  the  remains  of  the  Kasr,  and  the  hanging  gardens ;  and  at 
rather  more  than  six  miles  from  Hillah,  standing  amidst,  and 
crowning  the  summit  of,  extensive  masses  of  ruin,  is  the 
'Birs  !N'imroud,'  supposed  by  Niebuhr,  Rich,  and  others,  to  be 
the  temple  of  Belus,  which  Herodotus  tells  us  was  separated 
from  the  palace  by  the  river." ' 

Erech,  Accad,  and  Calneh,  having  probably  grown  up 
around  the  frontier  fortresses  of  Mmrod's  first  realm,  the 
identification  of  their  sites  would  serve  to  define  its  limits  as 
they  existed  before  the  conquest  of  Assyria  had  merged  the 
mother  country  into  a  superior  kingdom.  Herodotus,  Pto- 
lemy, and  Ammianus  Marcellinus  speak  of  cities,  the  names 

^  Xenoph.  Cyrop.,  lib.  i.  See  also  Bochart,  Phaleg,  lib.  iv.  c.  12, 
pp.  227,  228.  2  Genesis,  x.  7. 

*  Chesney,  Survey  of  the  Euphrates. 


46  WEBKA — ERECH — ACCAD. 

of  which,  like  the  Irak  of  the  modern  Arabs,  are  clearly  de- 
rivable from  the  JSrech  of  Scripture;  but  do  not  precisely 
indicate  their  position. 

Colonel  Taylor,  the  late  British  resident  at  Baghdad,  satis- 
fied himself  that  the  place  formerly  called  Orchoe  by  the 
Greeks,  and  now  known  as  Werka,  is  the  true  site  of  the 
ancient  city.  Werka  is  situated  on  the  Euphrates,  82  miles 
south,  43  east  from  Bab5'^lon,  and  is  celebrated  for  the  im- 
mense mounds  of  El  Assayah,  the  Place  of  Pebbles,  which 
bear  also  the  name  of  'Irka  and  Irak,  and  are  believed  to  be 
the  ruiDS  of  Erech.^ 

In  Colonel  Rawlinson's  recent  **  Outline  of  Assyrian  His- 
tory," he  says  he  has  not  yet  "been  able  to  read  with 
any  precision  the  name  of  the  city,  Warka,  upon  the  bricks 
which  have  been  found  there  ;  but  as  this  city  is  sometimes 
denoted  on  the  bricks  by  a  monogram  for  '  the  moon,*  and 
was  farther  celebrated  for  the  worship  of  that  deity,  it  may 
be  allowable  to  compare  the  name  with  the  Hebrew  rn* 
yerahh,  the  Babylonian  language,  like  the  Arabic,  invariably 
substituting  i,  van,  for  %  jod,  as  an  initial.  It  is  farther 
probable  that  T**,  Erech  in  Genesis,  x.  10,  is  another  form 
of  the  same  name.  Bochart  translates  Ur  by  *  vallis*  quot- 
ing Isaiah  xxiv.  15;  but  it  is  more  likely  that  c^nwa  t<k 
Ur  Chasdim,  simply  means  *  the  city  of  the  Chaldeans,'  Ur 
being  Babylonian  for  tv  Ir,  with  the  usual  change  of  vowels 
and  the  softening  of  y  into  k. 

**  As  Warka,  moreover,  was  a  holy  city,  and  as  it  exhibits 
at  present  the  appearance  of  a  vast  Necropolis,  there  pro- 
bably," Colonel  Rawlinson  surmises,  "  are  to  be  sought  the 
ruins  of  the  tombs  of  the  old  Assyrian  kings,  which  were  an 
object  of  curiosity  to  Alexander,  and  which  are  laid  down  in 
that  exact  locality  in  the  old  monkish  map  usually  called 
Peutingerian  tables.*** 

The  site  of  Accad — or  Accur,  as  the  best  scholars  agree  to 
write  it — is  assigned  to  the  Sittace  of  the  Greeks,  the  Ak- 
kerkuf,  Akari  Nimroud,  or  Akari  Babel,  of  the  present  day. 
It  is  distant  about  55  miles  north,  13  miles  west  of  Babel. 
A  primitive  monument  found  here  is  still  called  by  the  Arabs 
"Tel  Nimrad,"  and  by  the  Turks,  "NimrM  Tepass^,"  both 

1  Chesney.  *  Rawlinson's  Outline  of  the  History  of 

Assyria,  in  Journ.  Roy.  As.  Soc.  1852. 


KINGDOM    OP   NIMBOD.  47 

designations  signifying  the  hill  of  Mmrod.  It  consists  of  a 
mound,  surmounted  by  a  mass  of  building  which  looks  like  a 
tower,  or  an  irregular  pyramid,  according  to  the  point  from 
which  it  is  viewed  :  it  is  about  400  feet  in  circumference  at 
the  bottom,  and  rises  to  the  height  of  125  feet  above  the 
elevation  on  which  it  stands.^ 

Calneh,  or  Chalneh,  is  fixed  by  the  concurrence  of  a  great 
mass  of  authority,  ancient  and  modem,  oriental  and  Euro- 
pean, at  what  was  the  ancient  Ctesiphon,  on  the  banks  of  the 
Tigris,  about  eighteen  miles  below  Baghdad,  the  district  sur- 
rounding which  was  called  by  the  Greeks  Chalonitis.  The 
site  of  Chalneh  was  afterwards  occupied  by  El  Madair,  among 
the  remains  of  which  travellers  find  the  ruins  of  an  ancient 
palace  called  Tauk-Kesra,  believed  to  have  been  the  White 
Palace  of  the  Persian  kings,  the  magnificence  of  which  struck  the 
barbarian  conquerors  from  Arabia  with  amazement  and  delight. 

This  site  does  not  agree  with  that  mentioned  by  Colonel 
Chesney,  who  says,  "At  the  extremity  of  the  plain  of  Shinar, 
and  near  the  foot  of  the  Sinjar  mountains,  we  find  on  the 
banks  of  the  Khabur,  near  its  confluence  with  the  Euphrates, 
two  extensive  heaps  of  ruins,  partaking  of  the  same  cha- 
racters as  those  which  appertained  to  the  preceding  cities. 
That  on  the  right  bank  (the  presumed  Kerkisyah),  is  crowned 
with  the  modern  town,  Ab<i  Serai  (father  of  palaces),  whilst 
that  on  the  opposite,  or  left  bank,  may,  from  its  name  Calneh, 
or  Chalanne,  and  the  more  modem  Charchemish,  be  the 
fourth  city  of  Nimroud."  This  surmise  is  supported  by  the 
learned  annotator  on  Calmet,  who  suspects,  as  it  stands  the 
last  city  in  the  order  of  those  built  by  Nimrod,  that  this  cir- 
cumstance is  denoted  in  its  name  Gala,  "the  completion,'* 
ntichf  "of  settled  habitations;"  as  if  it  were  "last  built 
town."  Or  it  might  be  at  the  extremity ^  last  district  of  his 
dominions ;  "  border  town." 

The  prophet  Amos^  speaks  of  Calnah  as  forming,  in  his 
time,  an  independent  principality;  but  shortly  afterwards  it 
became,  with  the  greater  part  of  Western  Asia,  a  prey  to  the 
Assyrians. 

If  Nimrod*s  chief  towns  are  thus  correctly  localized,  his 
first  kingdom — resting  on  the  Euphrates,  stretching  from 
Erech  on  the  south  to  Accad  on  the  north,  and  guarded  in 

*  Ainsworth's  Researches  in  Assyria.  ^  Amos,  vi,  2,  b.c.  803. 


48  CITIES   FOUNDED   BY   ASSHXJR. 

fronfby  the  Tigris — must  have  extended  towards  the  tribes 
of  the  east,  a  frontier  of  about  130  miles.  To  the  eons  of 
Shem,  occupying  the  other  bank  of  the  river,  the  seizure  of 
the  plains  of  Shinar  by  the  Hametic  chieftain  would  be  a  just 
cause  for  apprehension ;  but,  with  the  setting-up  of  Nimrod's 
kingdom,  the  entire  ancient  world  entered  a  new  historical 
phase.  The  oriental  tradition,  which  makes  that  warrior 
the  first  man  who  wore  a  kingly  crown,  points  to  a  signi- 
ficant fact.  His  reign  introduced  to  the  world  a  new  system 
of  relations  between  the  governor  and  the  governed.  The 
authority  of  former  rulers  had  rested  upon  the  feeling  of 
kindred :  and  the  ascendancy  of  the  chief  was  an  image  of 
parental  control.  Nirarod,  on  the  contraiy,  was  a  sovereign 
of  territory  and  of  men,  just  so  far  as  they  were  its  inha- 
bitants, and  irrespective  of  personal  ties.  Hitherto  there  had 
been  tribes,  enlarged  families — Society ;  now  there  was  a 
nation,  a  political  community — the  State.  The  political  and 
social  history  of  the  world  henceforth  are  distinct,  if  not 
divergent. 

*'  Out  of  that  land  went  forth  Asshur,  and  builded  Nineveh, 
and  the  city  Ilehoboth,  and  Calah,  and  Resen,  between  Ni- 
neveh and  Calah  :  the  same  is  a  great  city."  ^ 

Of  the  sons  of  Shem,  Scripture  has  recorded  nothing, 
except  of  Asshur ;  but  of  him  the  record  is  of  the  highest 
importance,  as  it  fixes  the  epoch  of  the  kingdom  of  Assyria. 
It  may  be  inferred  from  the  verses  in  Genesis,  that  Asshur 
had  originally  dwelt  in  the  plains  of  Shinar,  and  that  at  some 
period  of  Nimrod's  reign,  he  led  a  company  or  tribe  from 
Babel ;  that  he  travelled  up  the  Tigris,  and  settled  in  the 
land  to  which  he  gave  his  name,  Assyria  being  the  Greek 
derivative  from  the  Hebrew  Asshur :  farther,  it  may  be  de- 
duced that  he  followed  the  system  of  government  adopted  by 
Nimrod;  dispersing  his  people  over  the  country  as  they 
increased,  and  employing  them  in  establishing  adjacent  cities. 
Others  explain  the  text  difierently;  adopting  the  marginal 
reading,  "  he  went  out  into  Assyria,*'  which  they  understand 
to  speak  of  Nimrod,  who  left  his  own  country  to  attack  As- 
syria. The  verse  in  Micah,  however,  strongly  corroborates 
our  view  of  the  question : — "  And  they  shall  waste  the  land 

^  Genesis,  x.  11,  12.    Aspin.  Anal.  XJn.  Hist.,  vol.  i.  p.  297. 


EABLT  ASSTBIA.  49 

of  Assyria  with  the  sword,  and  the  land  of  Nimrod  in  the 
entrances  thereof ;"  * — a  passage  which  certainly  implies  dis- 
tinct founders  for  the  separate  kingdoms  of  Kineveh   and 
Babylon,  which  were  both  united  in  the  Assyrian  monarchy 
about  the  time  of  this  prophecy.     How  long  Asshur  lired,  or 
how  far  he  established  his  power,  are  not  to  be  learned  from 
the  sacred  narrative :  nor  has  Assyria,  like  Babylonia,  any 
great  natural  frontiers  to  determine  its  extent.     The  site  of 
Rehoboth  is  so  uncertain,  that   it  has  been   shifted   every- 
where ;  but  we  learn  from  Chesney,  that  "  on  the  right  bank 
of  the  Euphrates,   at  the  north-western  extremity  of   the 
plain  of  Shinar,  and  three-and-a-half  miles  south-west  of  the 
town  of  Mayadin,  are  extensive  ruins,  around  a  castle,  still  bear- 
ing the  name  of  Rehoboth.**     Of  the  ruins  of  X^ih  Sherghat, 
which  have  been,  with  great  probability,  identified  with  the 
ancient  Calah ;  of  Kimroud,  which  competent  judges  have  satis- 
fied themselves  is  the  ancient  Resen ;    and  of  Kineveh  itself, 
we  shall  treat  more  at  length  in  the  next  section  of  our  work. 
After  the  foundation  of  the  kingdoms  of  Nimrod  and  As- 
shur, we  meet  with  no  direct  mention,  in  the  sacred  writings, 
of  Nineveh  or  its  king,  for  a  period  of  fifteen  hundred  years.^ 
This  is  no  proof  that  the  city  or    empire  remained  unim- 
portant, since  the  Bible  does  not  profess  to  contain  a  system- 
atic history  of  the  world.     In  the  fourteenth  chapter  of 
Genesis,  one  "  Amraphel,  king  of  Shinm'"  is  mentioned,  of 
whom  the  Jewish  archaeologist,  Josephus,  says  he  was  a  com- 
mander in  the  Assyrian  army.'     Likewise  Arioch,  king  of 
EUasar,  El-Asar :  may  not  this  be  "  the  Assyrians'*  ?     At  all 
events,  it  is  probable  that  they  were  Assyrian  satraps  or  vice- 
roys, according  to  the  subsequent  Assyrian  boast,  **  Are  not 
my  princes  altogether  kings?*'*    At  the  closing  period  of  the 
age  of  Moses,  we  again  meet  with  traces  of  Assyria  as  an 

1  Micah,  V.  6. 

2  Many  learned  men,  including  Dr.  Faber  (who  informed  me  that  he 
had  made  the  subject  his  particular  study),  think  that  there  are  strong 
reasons  for  adopting  the  Samaritan  text  in  preference  to  the  Hebrew ;  the 
great  point  gained  being  the  increase  of  time  from  the  Deluge  to  Abra- 
ham. The  adoption  of  the  Samaritan  text,  however,  does  not  appear  to 
me  to  affect  the  question  of  the  nearly  coeval  foundation  of  the  kingdoms 
of  Nimrod  and  Asshur,  as  gathered  from  the  Bible,  but  merely  to  throw 
the  date  of  their  origin  forward. — J.  B. 

*  Ant.,  lib.  i.  c.  ix.  *  Isaiah,  x.  8. 

E 


50  NINETEH, 

independent  and  formidable  state.  Balaam,  the  seer,  ad- 
dressing the  Kenites,  a  tribe  of  highlanders  on  the  east  of 
the  Jordan,  *'  took  up  his  parable," — **  Strong  is  thy  dwell- 
ing-place, and  thou  puttest  thy  nest  in  a  rock.  Kevertheless 
the  Kenites  shall  be  wasted  until  Asshur  shall  carry  thee 
away  captive.***  "We  also  find,  that,  shortly  after  the  death 
of  Joshua,  the  Israelites  submitted  to  the  arms  of  Chushan- 
rishathaim,  king  of  Mesopotamia,  which  was  then  a  separate 
government  from  Assyria.  "  Therefore  the  anger  of  the 
Lord  was  hot  against  Israel,  and  he  sold  them  into  the  hand 
of  Chushan-rishathaim,  king  of  Mesopotamia :  and  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel  served  Chushan-rishathaim  eight  years."* 

Although  the  Assyrian  kings  or  their  country  are  not  ex- 
pressly mentioned  until  the  reign  of  Jeroboam  (825  b.c),  we 
are  not  left  without  indications  of  the  state  of  the  kingdom 
during  the  latter  part  of  this  period.  It  is  a  striking  proof 
of  the  weakness  or  sloth  of  the  kings  of  Nineveh,  that  they 
made  no  attempt  to  resist  the  rise  of  the  Jewish  power  under 
David  and  his  son  Solomon,  whose  sovereignty  extended  to 
the  very  banks  of  the  Euphrates.* 

The  first  returning  mention  of  Assyria  or  Nineveh  in  the 
Bible  is  in  the  book  of  Jonah.  The  name  of  the  monarch 
then  reigning  is  not  given,  but  it  is  supposed  that  he  was 
the  father  of  that  "  Phul,"  whose  invasion  of  Israel  is  sub- 
sequently recorded,  and  the  commencement  of  whose  reign  is 
dated  b.c.  821.  In  the  history  of  Jonah's  visit,  Nineveh  is 
twice  described  as  "  that  great  city,**  and  again  as  an  **  ex- 
ceeding great  city  of  three  days*  journey.** 

The  measurement  assigned  to  Nineveh  by  the  sacred  writer 
applies,  without  doubt,  to  its  circuit,  and  gives  a  circumference 
of  about  sixty  miles. 

The  twelfth  verse  of  the  fourth  chapter  of  Jonah  furnishes 
us  with  the  means  of  estimating  approximately  the  population 
of  the  ancient  city  when  visited  by  the  prophet.  It  is  there 
stated  to  have  contained  120,000  persons,  who  "could  not 
discern  between  their  right  hand  and  their  left,** — a  figura- 
tive expression  usually  understood  of  young  children.  As 
these  are,  in  any  place,  commonly  reckoned  to  form  one-fifth 

»  Numbers,  xxiv.  21,  22.  *  Judges,  iii.  7—10. 

3  Gen.,  XV.  18;  Exod.,  xxiii.  31;  1  Kings,  iv.  21,  24  j  1  Chron., 
xviii.  3 ;  Psalm  Ixxii.  8. 


ITS  EXTENT  AND  POPULATION.  51 

of  the  population,  Nineveh  must   have  contained   600,000 
iuhabitante. 

The  accompanying  diagram  shows  the  relative  proportions 
of  Nineveh,  Babylon,  and  London,  by  -which  it  will  be  seen 


Fig.  10.— COUPABATIVB   SIZE   OF   CITIES. 

that  the  area  of  Babylon,  a,  b,  c,  d,  was  225  square  miles, 
that  of  Nineveh,  a,  e,  /,  y,  216  square  miles,  while  that  of 
London  and  its  environs  is  but  114  square  miles;  so  that  with 
an  area  of  little  more  than  half  that  of  Nineveh,  the  popula- 
tion of  the  latter  is  nearly  four  times  greater.  This  may  at 
first  sight  appear  a  disappointing  calculation,  but  we  are  not 
to  look  to  our  crowded  towns  and  high  streets  as  types  of 
those  arrangements  which  3000  years  ago  prevailed  in  Asia. 

Babylon,  we  know,  contained  within  its  walls  not  only 
gardens  and  large  open  spaces  for  purposes  of  pleasure,  but 
a  sufficient  quantity  of  land  for  tillage  to  support  the  in- 
habitants in  the  event  of  a  siege.  It  may  be  that  the  major- 
ity of  the  houses  of  Nineveh,  like  those  of  many  eastern 
cities  of  the  present  day,  consisted  but  of  one  story,  so  that 
the  number  of  people  spread  over  a  much  wider  area  than  in 
our  western  towns,  where  houses  are  carried  to  a  considerable 
height,  and  are  often  made  to  accommodate  several  families ; 
but  to  enable  masses  to  provide  themselves  with  the  neces- 
saries of  life,  there  must  be  ten  thousand  centres  instead  of 
one,  and  immense  independence  of  individual  action.  This 
can  only  be  the  offspring  of  freedom  through  long  ages ;  and 
no  one  of  these  conditions  ever  existed  in  Assyria. 

£  2 


52  ASSYKTAN   KINGS   NAMED   IN   SCEIPTXTBE. 

Kone  of  the  historical  books  of  the  Old  Testament  give  any 
details  respecting  Nineveh.  The  prophets,  however,  make 
frequent  incidental  allusion  to  its  magnificence,  to  the  "  fenced 
place,"  the  **  stronghold,"  the  "  valiant  men  and  chariots," 
the  **  silver  and  gold,"  the  "  pleasant  furniture,"  **  carved 
lintels  and  cedar  work."  Zephaniah,  who  wrote  about  twenty- 
four  years  before  the  fall  of  Nineveh,  says  of  it — 

"  This  is  the  rejoicing  city,  that  dwelt  carelessly ; 
That  said  in  her  heart,  *  I  am,  and  there  is  none  beside  me."'  ^ 

"For  a  long  series  of  years  the  foreign  relations  of  the 
Jewish  kingdom  turned  upon  Assyria,  and  from  the  com- 
mencement of  that  period  we  consequently  meet  with  its 
empire  in  the  sacred  writings.  This  may  be  regarded  as  the 
second  historical  period  of  the  Assyrian  empire.  The  first 
king  of  Assyria  named  in  Scripture  is  Pul  or  Phul,  who  ap- 
peared in  the  countries  west  of  the  Euphrates,  in  the  days  of 
Menahem,  king  of  Israel  (772  B.C.),  upon  whom  he  made 
war,  and  carried  off  two  tribes  of  his  subjects,  finally  exact- 
ing from  the  weak  monarch  a  tribute  of  a  thousand  talents 
of  silver  as  the  price  of  his  maintenance  on  the  throne.*  We 
find  the  prophet  Hosea  making  frequent  allusions  to  the 
practice  common  to  both  the  Hebrew  kingdoms,  of  throwing 
themselves  for  support  on  the  kings  of  Assyria.  The  next 
Assyrian  monarch  mentioned  by  name  is  Tiglath-Pileser,* 
Avhose  accession  and  intercourse  with  the  Jewish  nation  are 
repeatedly  mentioned.*  The  usurper  Pekah,*  who,  by  the 
murder  of  the  hereditary  monarch,  had  established  himself  as 
ruler  of  the  ten  revolted  tribes  composing  the  kingdom  of 
Israel,  entered  into  treaty  with  Kezin,  king  of  Syria,  with  the 
objects  of  expelling  the  race  of  David  from  the  throne  of 
Judah,  and  of  placing  upon  it  a  tributary  of  his  own.  Ahaz, 
king  of  Jerusalem,  whose  throne  was  menaced  by  the  move- 
ments of  the  confederates,  called  Tiglath-Pileser  to  his  assist- 
ance, ofiering  him  feudal  allegiance  and  the  temple  treasures 
as  the  price  of  that  service.    '*  So  Ahaz  sent  messengers  to  Tig- 

1  Zephaniah,  ii.  15.  ^  1  Chron.,  v.  26;  2  Kings,  xv.  19,  20. 

3  Diglath-pul-Assur,  great  Lord  of  the  Tigris,  called  in  Aelian, 
"Thilgamus." 

*  2  Kings,  XV.  29;  xvi.  5—10  ;  1  Chron,,  v.  26  ;  2  Chron.  xxviii.  16; 
Isaiah,  vii.  1.  *  2  Kings,  xv.  25. 


DEPOBTATION   OP   THE   TEN   TRIBES   OF   ISRAEL.  "'  53 

lath-Pileser,  king  of  Assyria,  saying,  I  am  thy  servant  and 
thy  son  :  come  up  and  save  me  out  of  the  hand  of  the  king  of 
Syria,  and  out  of  the  hand  of  the  king  of  Israel,  which  rise  up 
against  me.  And  Ahaz  took  the  silver  and  gold  that  was 
found  in  the  house  of  the  Lord,  and  in  the  treasures  of  the 
king's  house,  and  sent  it  for  a  present  to  the  king  of  Assyria.**  ^ 
The  king  of  Assyria  advanced  at  the  request  of  Ahaz,  and  laid 
siege  to  Damascus,  subdued  Syria,  Galilee,  and  all  the  country 
east  of  Jordan,  and  sent  the  chief  inhabitants  of  Syria  to  the 
banks  of  the  Kir  or  Kdr, — a  river  which,  uniting  its  stream 
with  the  Aras  or  Araxes,  flows  into  the  Caspian  in  N.  lat.  39", 
— while  those  of  Galilee  were  transferred  to  Assyria.  Tiglath- 
Pileser  soon  proved  not  less  dangerous  as  an  ally  than  he 
could  have  been  in  the  character  of  an  enemy.  The  accu- 
mulated wealth  of  three  centuries  of  prosperous  trade  was 
exposed  to  the  view  of  the  wily  Assyrian,  and  with  it  the 
weakness  of  its  possessors.  The  Syrians  were  subdued ;  but 
Tiglath-Pileser,  instead  of  retiring  to  his  own  dominions, 
hovered  dubiously  about  Jerusalem. 

From  this  point  it  would  have  been  easy  for  him  to  move 
against  the  Philistines  and  Edomites,  who  during  the  Syrian 
war  had  invaded  the  southern  and  western  frontiers  of  Judah, 
and  made  themselves  masters  of  its  strong  cities ;  but  it  is 
said  that  "  Tiglath-Pileser,  king  of  Assyria,  came  unto  the 
king  of  Israel  and  distressed  him,  but  strengthened  him  not ; 
for  Ahaz  took  away  a  portion  out  of  the  house  of  the  Lord, 
and  out  of  the  house  of  the  king  and  of  the  princes,  and  gave 
it  unto  the  king  of  Assyria ;  but  he  helped  him  not."*  Ahaz 
and  his  successors  had  now  to  contend  alone  with  the  whole 
force  of  the  king  of  Assyria,  instead  of  with  that  of  two 
petty  princes. 

The  successor  of  Tiglath-Pileser  was  Shalmaneser,  called  in 
the  apocryphal  book  of  Tobit,  Enemessar,  who  ascended  the 
throne  about  729  b.c.  Ahaz  still  occupied  the  throne  of 
David,  and  Hoshea  was  king  of  Israel.  Shalmaneser  now 
resolved  to  complete  the  su^'ugation  of  Israel  begun  by  his 
predecessor.  He  commenced  by  exacting  of  Hoshea  a  tribu- 
tary acknowledgment  of  subjection  —  "Hoshea  became  his 
servant,  and  rendered  him  presents.**'     Growing  weary  of 

1  2  Kings,  xvi.  7—9.  «  2  Chron,,  xxviii.  16—21. 

«  2  Kings,  xYii.  3—6. 


54  DEPOBTATION   OP   THE    TEN   TBIBES   OP   ISEA.EL, 

this  dependence,  the  king  of  Israel  attempted  to  negotiate  a 
defensive  alliance  with  So,  king  of  Egypt,  then  the  only 
power  that  could  pretend  to  rival  the  Assyrian,  and  proceeded 
80  far  as  to  withhold  the  annual  tribute.  Upon  this  rebellion, 
Shalmaneser  advanced  into  Samaria,  where  he  carried  on  a 
campaign  of  three  years,  finally  imprisoned  its  king,  and  car- 
ried away  the  Ten  Tribes  into  his  own  country.  The  captive 
Israelites  were  sent  to  Halah  and  Habor,  two  cities  by  the 
river  of  Gozan,  and  into  the  cities  of  the  Medes,  a  fact  which 
shows  that  Media  was  not  yet  separated  from  Assyria.  In 
their  stead  a  number  of  Assyrian  families  from  Babylon, 
Cuthah,  Ava,  and  Sepharvaim,  were  settled  in  Samaria,  and, 
mingling  with  the  few  remaining  Israelites,  form  the  Samaritan 
people  whom  we  subsequently  meet  in  the  NewTestament. 

Mr.    Dickinson*   remarks   upon   the   foregoing  passage  in 
2  Kings,  that  the  interpretation  cannot  be  other  than  this : 
*' To  the  Habor  the  river  of  Gozan,'*  as  the  particle  "by" 
has  been  interpolated.     As  regards  Halah,  there  are  no  means 
of  ascertaining  precisely  whether  this  is  the  name  of  a  river 
or  of  a  town ;  but  he  surmises  it  to  be  a  river.     The  Greek 
translation  of  the  Septuagint  renders  the  passage  **  about  the 
Halah,  and  about  the  Habor,  rivers  of  Gozan.** — In  substan- 
tiation of  this  view,  Mr.  Dickinson  quotes  Edrisi:  "and  from 
Al  Habor  to  Karkasiah  is  two  marches ;  and  Karkasiah  is  a  town 
on  the  east  side  of  the  Euphrates,  and  under  it  flows  the 
Hermas,  commonly  called  Al  Habor.'*     This  Al  Habor  is  250 
miles  west  of  Baghdad,  near  the  left  bank  of  the  river  Euph- 
rates ;  and  the  name  is  extended  to  the  district,  stretching  for 
miles  along  the  banks  of  the  river.  Not  many  miles  west  of  the 
source  of  this  stream,  stands  the  ruined  town  of  Haran,  or 
Hara,  the  Charrae  of  the  ancient  geographers.  About  fifty  miles 
from  Kerkisyah,  up  the  Habor,  at  its  junction  with  another 
stream,  stands  the  town  of  Naharaim,  or  the  "Town  of  the  two 
Rivers,"  The  one  is  the  Habor,  which  flows  down  to  Kaharaim 
from  a  westerly  direction ;  the  other  is  called  Al  Halih  and 
Halah  by  the  Arabs,  and  the  country  on  its  banks  is  called  by 
Ptolemy,  Gauzanitis  :  when,  therefore,  Mr.  Dickinson  observes, 
<*  in  the  very  places  where  it  is  most  probable  that  the  Israelites 

'  Article  on  the  fate  of  the  Ten  Tribes  of  Israel,  in  Jour.  Boyal  As. 
Soc.  vol.  iv,  p.  217. 


DEPOBTATION   OF  THB   TEN  TBIBES  OF  ISBAEL.  55 

were  deposited,  we  find  every  name  recorded  in  Scripture  so 
little  changed  in  the  lapse  of  centuries/*  it  is  reasonable  to 
believe  that  we  have  ascertained  the  locality  in  which  the 
captives  from  Samaria  were  placed.  Another  argument  in 
support  of  this  theory,  is,  the  probability  that  the  conqueror 
would  exchange  the  captives  for  people  of  his  own  country, 
as  he  would  thus  have  vassals  on  whom  he  could  rely,  at 
distant  points  of  his  empire,  while  the  malcontent  foreigners 
being  more  immediately  under  his  own  eye,  would  be  more 
likely  to  become  incorporated  with  the  Assyrians. 

Sennacherib,  who  succeeded  Shalmaneser,  appears  in  Scrip- 
ture as  a  worthy  follower  of  his  warlike  predecessor. 

Since  the  inglorious  reign  of  Ahaz,  the  kingdom  of  Judah 
had  been  numbered  with  the  many  states  which  confessed  the 
superior  lordship  of  Assyria.  Hezekiah  was  the  first  king 
of  Judah  who  **  rebelled  against  the  king  of  Assyria,  and 
served  him  not."  *  For  fourteen  years  the  Assyrian  refrained 
from  chastising  this  presumption;  but  in  the  fourteenth 
year  of  Hezekiah's  reign,  Sennacherib  advanced  against  the 
fenced  cities  of  Judah,  and  took  them.  The  approach  of 
the  conqueror  having  opened  Hezekiah's  eyes  to  the  con- 
sequences of  the  quarrel  he  had  provoked ;  while  the  Assy- 
rian camp  was  yet  at  Lachish,  he  sent  thither  messengers 
bearing  a  most  full  and  complete  submission.  ^'I  have 
offended ;  return  from  me  :  that  which  thou  puttest  on  me  I 
will  bear,"*  was  the  brief  but  expressive  supplication  of  the 
penitent  king.  Sennacherib  received  the  submission,  but  paid 
no  regard  to  the  conditions  by  which  it  was  accompanied. 
In  the  exercise  of  his  re-acknowledged  power,  he  appointed 
to  Hezekiah  a  tribute  of  thirty  talents  of  gold  and  three 
hundred  talents  of  silver — a  weight  of  bullion  equal  to  about 
266,850/.  sterling.  When,  to  raise  this  large  sum,  Hezekiah. 
had  drained  his  own  treasury,  borrowed  all  the  money  of  the 
Temple,  and  even  stripped  off  the  golden  ornaments  with 
which  he  had  overlaid  its  doors  and  pillars,  Sennacherib  re- 
sumed the  campaign,  and  sent  his  lieutenants  with  a  large  force 
to  require  the  surrender  of  the  king  with  his  capital.  The  gas- 
cona(Ung  communications  of  these  commissioners,  as  preserved 
by  IsaiEdi,  mark  the  arrogant  and  boastful  character  of  the 

*  2  Kings,  xviii.  7.  *  2  Kings,  xviii.  14. 


56  DESTBTJCTION   OF   THE   ASSYRIAN   HOST. 

Assyrian  people,  and  agree  remarkably  with  the  tone  of  the 
sculptures  lately  brought  to  light  at  Kimroud.  Kabshakeh 
pretends  that  his  master  is  the  especial  messenger  of  God, 
deputed  to  subjugate  the  earth :  he  is  the  Great  King,  the 
King  of  Assyria,  and  is  ready  not  only  to  conquer  the  Jewish 
army,  but,  in  pity  to  its  weakness,  to  lend  Hezekiah  two 
thousand  horses,  &c. 

"  Now,  therefore,  I  pray  thee,  give  pledges  to  my  lord  the 
king  of  Assyria,  and  I  will  deliver  thee  two  thousand  horses, 
if  thou  be  able  on  thy  part  to  set  riders  upon  them."  ^ 

The  signal  catastrophe  which  cut  short  these  insolent 
boastings,  is  described  with  beautiful  simplicity  by  Isaiah, 
**  Then  the  angel  of  the  Lord  went  forth,  and  smote  in  the 
camp  of  the  Assyrians  a  hundred  and  fourscore  and  five  thou- 
sand :  and  when  they  arose  early  in  the  morning,  behold  they 
were  all  dead  corpses."* 

Thus  in  one  night  perished  185,000  fighting  men,  a  num- 
ber which,  considered  as  forming  but  one  division  of  the 
invading  forces,  gives  an  exalted  idea  of  the  military  power  of 
Assyria  at  this  time.  The  prophet,  in  the  figurative  style  of 
his  age  and  country,  states  that  the  enemy  were  smitten  by 
*'  an  angel  of  the  Lord."  Isaiah's  words  threaten  the  insolent 
conqueror  with  a  "hot  blast,"  and  Jeremiah  speaks  of  them  as 
being  cut  off  by  a  "  destroying  wind,"  or  more  literally,  **  a 
hot  pestilential  wind  :"  words  which  favour  the  probability 
that  Sennacherib's  army  was  destroyed  by  one  of  those  hot 
winds  which  to  this  day  sometimes  destroy  whole  caravans. 

A  tradition  preserved  by  Herodotus,  who  received  it  from 
his  favourite  authorities,  the  Egyptian  priests,  is  too  curious 
in  resemblance  to  the  Bible  narrative  to  pass  unnoticed.  The 
priests,  transferring  the  entire  event  to  their  own  country,  and 
the  empire  of  their  own  deities,  related  that  after  the  reign  of 
Anysis,  there  succeeded  to  the  throne  a  priest  of  Vulcan,  named 
Setho,  who  *'  treated  the  military  caste  of  Egypt  with  extreme 
contempt ;  and  as  if  he  had  no  occasion  for  their  services,  among 
other  indignities,  he  deprived  them  of  their  arurae,  or  fields  of 
fifty  feet  square,  which,  by  way  of  reward,  his  predecessors  had 
given  to  each  soldier.  The  result  wa8>  that  when  Senna- 
cherib, king  of  Arabia  and  Assyria,  attacked  Egypt  with  a 
mighty  army,  the  warriors  whom  he  had  thus  treated  refused 
1  2  Kings,  xviii.  23.  >  Isaiah,  xxxvii.  36. 


DE8TEUCTI0N  OF  THE  ASSTBIAN   HOST.  57 

to  assist  him.  In  this  perplexity,  the  priest  retired  to  the 
shrine  of  his  god,  hefore  which  he  lamented  his  danger  and 
misfortunes:  here  he  sunk  into  a  profound  sleep,  and  his 
deity  promised  him  in  a  dream,  that,  if  he  marched  to  meet  the 
Assyrians,  he  should  experience  no  injury,  for  that  he  would 
furnish  him  with  assistance.  The  vision  inspired  him  with 
confidence ;  he  put  himself  at  the  head  of  his  adherents,  and 
marched  to  Pelusium,  the  entrance  of  Egypt.  Not  a  soldier 
accompanied  the  party,  which  was  entirely  composed  of 
tradesmen  and  artisans.  On  their  arrival  at  Pelusium,  so  im- 
mense a  number  of  mice  infested  by  night  the  enemy's  camp, 
that  their  quivers  and  bows,  together  with  what  secured  their 
shields  to  their  arms,  were  gnawed  in  pieces.  In  the  morning, 
the  Arabians,  finding  themselves  without  arms,  fled  in 
confusion,  and  lost  great  numbers  of  their  men.  There  is 
now  to  be  seen  in  the  temple  of  Yulcan  a  marble  statue  of 
this  king,  having  a  mouse  in  his  hand,  and  with  this  inscrip- 
tion : — *  Whoever  thou  art,  learn  from  my  fortune  to  reverence 
theGods.»"» 

Such  is  the  narrative  of  Herodotus,  which,  confused  as  it 
is,  and  evidently  made  up  by  the  priests,  is  yet  obviously  con- 
nected with  the  true  story.  The  visit  to  the  temple,  the 
prayer,  the  vision,  and  deliverance  are,  as  nearly  as  possible, 
alike  in  both  versions,  and  grammarians  have  discovered  that 
the  title  under  which  the  Egyptian  god  who  interposed  on 
this  occasion,  was  worshipped,  was  also  ascribed  to  the  Su- 
preme Deity  of  the  Jews. 

The  disaster  which  so  suddenly  terminated  the  Jewish 
campaign,  paralysed  Sennacherib's  forces  just  as  the  report 
had  reached  him  that  Tirhakah,  king  of  Gush  or  Ethiopia,  one 
of  the  greatest  heroes  of  antiquity,  was  on  his  march  to  attack 
the  Assyrian  territory,  '*  And  he  heard  say  concerning  Tir- 
hakah, king  of  Ethiopia,  He  is  coming  to  make  war  with 
thee."  *  These  events  determined  the  king  to  lose  no  time 
in  hastening  back  to  his  capital ;  "  So  Sennacherib,  king  of 
Assyria,  departed,  and  went,  and  returned,  and  dwelt  at 
iN^ineveh.**  "  And  it  came  to  pass,  as  he  was  worshipping  in 
the  house  of  Kisroch  his  god,  that  Adrammelech  and  Sharezer 
his  sons  smote  him  with  ^e  sword :  and  they  escaped  into  the 

*  Euterpe,  cxli.  2  Isaiah,  xxxvii.  9. 


58  DEATH    OF    SENNACHERIB. 

land  of  (Ararat  or)  Armenia.    And  Esarhaddon  his  son  reigned 
in  his  stead.**  * 

The  death  of  Sennacherib,  added  by  the  sacred  writer  im- 
mediately after  the  flight  from  Judea,  did  not  actually  take  place 
until  some  time  after  that  event.  Such  at  least  is  the  inference 
from  a  curious  relic  of  antiquity,  which,  for  another  reason, 
demands  notice.  In  the  Armenian  version  of  Eusebius,  the 
following  fragment  of  Alexander  Polyhistor  is  preserved : — 

"After   the  reign  of  the  brother  of   Senecherib,   Acises 
reigned  over  the  Babylonians,  and  when  he  had  governed  for 
the  space  of  thirty  days,  he  was  slain  by  Merodach  Baladanus 
(Baaladon  ?  the  sovereign  lord),*  who  held  the  empire  by  force 
during  six  months :  and  he  was  slain  and  succeeded  by  a 
person  named  Elibus.     But  in  the  third  year  of  his  reign, 
Senecherib,  king  of  the  Assyrians,  levied  an  army  against  the 
Babylonians ;  and,  in  a  battle  in  which  they  were  engaged, 
routed,  and  took  him  prisoner  with  his  adherents,  and  com- 
manded them  to  be  carried  into  the  land  of  the  Assyrians. 
Having  taken  upon  himself  the  government  of  the  Babylo- 
nians, he  appointed  his  son,  Asordanius,  their  king,  and  he 
himself  retired  again  into  Assyria."^     This  fragment  of  his- 
tory explains  how  there  could  be  in  Hezekiah's  time  a  king 
in  Babylon  to  send  him  presents  and  letters,  although  both 
before  and  after  Sennacherib  that  city  was  the  capital  of  an 
Assyrian  province.     Berodach-Baladan  was  one  of  those  three 
de  facto  kings ;  and  it  may  be  that  the  misfortunes  of  the 
Assyrian  campaign  in  Judea  had  tempted   the  Babylonian 
revolt,  as  it  most  likely  did  that  of  the  Medes,  which  hap- 
pened about  this  period.     In  any  case,  however,  common 
hostility  to  Assyria  would  form  a  natural  basis  of  alliance 
and  friendship  between   the  successful    Hezekiah    and    the 
aspiring  monarch  of  Babylon.     The  flight  of  Sennacherib's 
murderers,  who  were  at  the  same  time  the  natural  heirs  of 
his  crown,  left  the  path  to  the  throne  open  to  Esarhaddon,  his 
faithful  son.     Little  is  recorded  of  this  monarch  in  the  Bible. 
His  great  concern  seems  to  have  been  to  restore  to  his  empire 
its  lost  military  sway,  in  which  he  was  highly  successful.    One 
of  his  first  enterprises  was  to  recover  the  sovereignty  of  Syria 
and  Palestine,  which  seems  to  have  been  in  the  hands  of  the 

1  Isaiab,  xxxvii.  37,38.  *  Isiiiah,  xxxix.  \;  2  Kings,  xx.  13. 

3  Cory's  "  Fiagmcnts." 


ESABHADDON   AND   KEBUCHODONOSOR.  59 

Egyptians  from  the  time  of  Hezekiah.  His  general  advanced 
iiito  Judah,  defeated  Manasseh,  its  king,  overtook  him  in 
flight,  and  removed  him  into  captivity.  "  Wherefore  the 
Lord  brought  upon  them  the  captains  of  the  host  of  the  king 
of  Assyria,  which  took  Manasseh  among  the  thorns,  and  bound 
him  with  fetters  and  carried  him  to  Babylon."*  After  two 
years*  duresse,  Manasseh  was  permitted  to  return  to  Jerusalem, 
and  to  pass  the  remainder  of  his  life  as  an  Assyrian  vassal. 

The  empire  of  Assyria  now  fades  away  from  the  page  of 
canonical  Scripture,  and  is  only  to  be  traced  on  the  transi- 
tional ground  6f  the  apocryphal  writings.  The  author  of  the 
book  of  Judith  preserves  the  memory  of  Nebuchodonosor,  who 
ruled  at  Nineveh  in  the  forty-eighth  year  of  Manasseh,  or 
B.C.  632.  This  king,  in  the  seventeenth  year  of  his  reign, 
and  fifty- seven  years  after  the  loss  of  Sennacherib's  army, 
determined  to  attempt  the  reconquest  of  Media,  then  governed 
by  Arphaxad.  Previous  to  his  taking  the  field,  he  called  upon 
his  allies  and  tributaries,  Persia,  Cilicia,  Samaria,  Damascus, 
&c.,  to  join  him  with  their  forces.  An  unwillingness  to  in- 
crease the  power  of  their  mighty  neighbour,  the  remembrance 
of  Sennacherib's  reverses,  and  probably  a  confidence  in  the 
success  of  Arphaxad,  induced  every  one  of  them  to  avoid 
compliance  with  the  request.  Nebuchodonosor  advanced  with 
his  own  unaided  army,  gave  battle  to  Arphaxad  on  the  plain 
of  Ragau,  overthrew  his  power,  secured  Ecbatana,  his  capital, 
took  him  prisoner,  and  put  him  to  death.'* 

"  Then  he  marched  in  battle  array  with  his  power  against 
king  Arphaxad  in  the  seventeenth  year,  and  he  prevailed  in 
his  battle :  for  he  overthrew  all  the  power  of  Arphaxad,  and 
all  his  horsemen,  and  all  his  chariots. 

"  And  became  lord  of  his  cities,  and  came  unto  Ecbatane, 
and  took  the  towers,  and  spoiled  the  streets  thereof,  and  turned 
the  beauty  thereof  into  shame. 

"He  took  also  Arphaxad  in  the  mountains  of  Ragau,  and  smote 
him  through  with  his  darts,  and  destroyed  him  utterly  that  day  ."* 

Returning  from  Ecbatana,  Nebuchodonosor  celebrated  his 
victory  by  a  feast  at  Nineveh,  which  lasted  one  hundred  and 
twenty  days,  and  then  prepared  to  chastise  the  countries  which 
bad  refused  their  assistance  while  his  success  was  doubtful. 

1  2  Cbron.,  xxxiii.  11.  >  Astronomicallj  fixed  to  b.c.  614.-.^ 

J.  W.  Bosanquet.  »  Judith,  i.  13,  14,  15. 


60  DECLINE   OF   THE   ASSYRIAIi   EMPIBE. 

"  And  thou  shalt  go  against  all  the  west  country,  because 
they  disobeyed  my  commandment. 

*'  And  thou  shalt  declare  unto  them,  that  they  prepare  for 
me  earth  and  water ;  for  I  will  go  forth  in  my  wrath  against 
them,  and  will  cover  the  whole  face  of  the  earth  with  the 
feet  of  mine  army,  and  I  will  give  them  for  a  spoil  unto 
them : 

**  So  that  their  slain  shall  fill  their  valleys  and  brooks,  and 
the  river  shall  be  filled  with  their  dead,  till  it  overflow : 

**  And  I  will  lead  them  captives  to  the  utmost  parts  of  the 
earth."* 

The  power  of  Mneveh  was  now  in  its  zenith,  and  to  this 
period  the  graphic  description  of  the  prophet  applies  : — 

"  Behold,  the  Assyrian  was  a  cedar  in  Lebanon  with  fair 
branches,  and  with  a  shadowing  shroud,  and  of  a  high  stature; 
and  his  top  was  among  the  thick  boughs. 

"All  the  fowls  of  heaven  made  their  nests  in  his  boughs, 
and  under  his  branches  did  all  the  beasts  of  the  field  bring 
forth  their  young,  and  under  his  shadow  dwelt  all  great  nations. 

"Thus  was  he  fair  in  his  greatness,  in  the  length  of  his 
branches ;  for  his  root  was  by  great  waters. 

"  The  cedars  in  the  garden  of  God  could  not  hide  him :  the 
fir  trees  were  not  like  his  boughs,  and  the  chestnut  trees  were 
not  like  his  branches :  nor  any  tree  in  the  garden  of  God  was 
like  unto  him  in  his  beauty. 

**  I  have  made  him  fair  by  the  multitude  of  his  branches : 
so  that  all  the  trees  of  Eden  that  were  in  the  garden  of  God 
envied  him.'** 

From  this  hour,  however,  the  glory  of  Assyria  began  to 
decline.  The  invasion  of  Judea  by  Holofernes,  the  Assyrian 
general,  followed  immediately  upon  the  subjugation  of  Media. 
After  long  marches  and  numerous  conquests,  that  commander 
was  disastrously  beaten  and  slain,  and  his  army  put  to  the 
rout.  How  long  Nebuchodonosor  maintained  himself  on  the 
throne  is  not  known,  but  the  effect  of  his  military  misfortunes 
on  the  renown  of  the  Assyrian  name  is  not  doubtful ;  for  the 
empire,  surrounded  by  younger  and  ambitious  kingdoms,  stood 
in  need  of  all  its  ancient  influence  to  secure  it  against  ag- 
gression, and  its  main  army  being  now  disorganised  and  con- 
quered, it  no  longer  possessed  the  power  of  resistance. 
1  Judith,  ii.  6—9.  >  Ezekiel,  xxxi.  3,  9. 


DE8TEUCTI0N   OF   NINEVEH.  61 

The  alliance  of  Cyaxares,  son  of  Arphaxad,  with  Nabopo- 
lassar,  the  revolted  satrap  of  Babylon,  and  their  combined 
attack  upon  Assyria,  will  be  noticed  with  the  testimony  of 
secular  history  in  the  succeeding  chapter.  The  fall  of  Ni- 
neveh, which  took  place  twenty-eight  years  after  the  rout 
of  Holofernes*  army,  was  anticipated  by  the  Jewish  captive 
Tobit,  long  a  resident  of  that  capital.  Some  of  his  latest  in- 
structions to  his  family  are :  **  Go  into  Media,  my  son,  for  I 
surely  believe  those  things  which  the  prophet  Jonas  spake  of 
Nineveh,  that  it  shall  be  overthrown."  "And  now,  my  son, 
depart  out  of  Nineveh :  bury  me  decently,  and  thy  mother 
with  me,  but  tarry  no  longer  in  Nineveh."^ 

While  reading  the  details  of  the  destruction  of  Nineveh, 
preserved  by  the  secular  historians,  the  predictions  of  the 
Hebrew  prophets  are  forcibly  suggested.  An  inundation  of 
the  Tigris  swept  away  twenty  furlongs  of  the  city  wall : 
**  With  an  overrunning  flood  he  will  make  an  utter  end  of  the 
place  thereof,  and  darkness  shall  pursue  his  enemies.  The 
gates  of  the  rivers  shall  be  opened,  and  the  palace  shall  be 
dissolved.     Nineveh  is  of  old  like  a  pool  of  water."* 

The  despairing  monarch  perished  in  the  conflagration  of  the 
imperial  residence :  *'  The  fire  shall  devour  thy  bars.  There 
shall  the  fire  devour  thee.**^ 

The  spoil  was  divided  between  the  conquerors ;  "  Take  ye 
the  spoil  of  silver,  take  the  spoil  of  gold  ;  for  there  is  none 
end  of  the  store  and  glory  out  of  all  the  pleasant  furniture."* 

Her  images  shall  be  destroyed :  '*  And  the  Lord  hath  given 
a  commandment  concerning  thee,  that  no  more  of  thy  name 
be  sown  :  out  of  the  house  of  thy  gods  will  I  cut  off  the  graven 
image  and  the  molten  image  :  I  will  make  thy  grave ;  for  thou 
art  vile.'** 

The  ruin  of  the  proud  city,  long  the  terror  of  nations,  is  cele- 
brated by  the  prophet  Ezekiel  in  bold  and  striking  language  : 

**  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God,  Because  thou  hast  lifted  thyself 
up  in  height,  and  he  hath  shot  up  his  top  among  the  thick 
boughs,  and  his  heart  is  lifted  up  in  its  height ; 

"I  have,  therefore,  delivered  him  into  the  hand  of  the 
mighty  one  of  the  heathen,  he  shall  surely  deal  with  him :  I 
have  driven  him  out  for  his  wickedness. 

*  Tobit»  xiv.  4,  10,  15.  «  Nahntn,  i.  8 ;  ii.  6,  8. 

»  Nabum,  iii.  13,  15.  *  Nuhum,  ii.  9.  ^  Nuhum,  i.  14. 


62 


FALL   OF   ASSYRIAN   EMPIEE. 


"  And  strangers,  the  terrible  of  the  nations,  have  cut  him 
off,  and  have  left  him  :  upon  the  mountains  and  in  the  valleys 
his  branches  are  fallen,  and  his  boughs  are  broken  by  all  the 
rivers  of  the  land ;  and  all  the  people  of  the  earth  are  gone 
down  from  his  shadow  and  have  left  him. 

With  the  destruction  of  Nineveh  the  empire  of  Assyria  fell, 
pursuant  to  what  had  been  foretold  by  the  Prophets ;  hence- 
forward it  merged  in  that  of  Babylonia,  and  the  charm  of 
power  passed  finally  from  the  Tigris  to  the  Euphrates. 


Fig.  11. — NiJinou. 


HEBOUOTUB. 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE   ASSYRIA   AND   ITESOPOTAMIA   OP   CLASSICAL   WRITEES. 

The  object  of  this  chapter  is  to  sketch  out  all  that  can  be 
gathered  of  the  history  of  Nineveh  and  its  empire  from  the 
**  classical "  writers,  not,  however,  despising  the  aid  of  those 
historians  of  antiquity  whose  testimony  is  trustworthy,  even 
though  they  may  not  usually  be  honoured  with  that  distinctive 
epithet.  A  brief  glance  at  the  subsequent  fate  of  the  country 
will  appropriately  bring  us  to  the  examination  of  existing  ruins. 
The  story  of  Assyria,  as  collected  from  uninspired  testimony, 
has  been  often  told,  and  generally  with  success,  so  long  as  one 
or  two  authorities  only  have  been  consulted  ;  it  is  when  we 
come  to  compare  and  attempt  to  harmonise  the  scattered  and 
often  incidental  notices  of  many  ancient  waiters,  that  the 
difficulty  commences.  The  causes  of  the  vagueness  and  dis- 
crepancy which  mark  the  statements  that  have  come  down  to 
us  are  obvious.  The  ruins  of  Nineveh  were  virtually  unknown 
to  the  ancient  classical  writers,  though  we  gather  from  all  of 
them  that  it  was  one  of  the  oldest,  most  powerful,  and  most 
splendid  cities  in  the  world :  that  it  perished  utterly  many 
hundred  years  before  the  Christian  Era ;  and  that  after  its  fall 
Babylon  became  the  capital  of  the  Assyrian  empire.  On  ex- 
amining their  details,  we  find  names  confounded,  incidents 


64  BABYLONIA. 

transposed,  and  chronology  by  turns  confused,  extended,  or 
inverted.  Difficulties  of  another  and  more  peculiar  kind  beset 
this  path  of  inquiry,  of  which  it  will  suffice  to  instance  one 
illustration — proper  names,  those  fixed  points  in  history  around 
which  the  achievements  or  suflferings  of  its  heroes  cluster,  are 
constantly  shifting  in  the  Assyrian  nomenclature ;  both  men 
and  gods  being  designated,  not  by  a  word  composed  of  certain 
fixed  sounds  or  signs,  but  by  all  the  various  expressions  equi- 
valent to  it  in  meaning,  whether  consisting  of  a  synonyme  or  a 
phrase.  Hence  we  find  that  the  names  furnished  by  classic 
authors  generally  have  little  or  no  analogy  with  the  Assyrian, 
as  the  Greeks  usually  construed  the  proper  names  of  other 
countries  according  to  the  genius  of  their  own  language,  and 
not  unfrequently  translated  the  original  name  into  it.  Hero- 
dotus, however,  though  he  mentions  but  one  Assyrian  king, 
gives  him  his  true  name,  Sennacherib. 

Ancient  Assyria,  or  Athur,^  from  Asshur,  Shem*s  son,  was 
originally  of  but  small  extent,  its  limits  being  partly  deter- 
mined by  the  sites  of  the  cities  founded  by  Asshur.  It  is 
stated  to  have  been  "  bounded  on  the  north  by  Mount  Niphates 
and  part  of  Armenia ;  on  the  east,  by  that  part  of  Media 
which  lies  towards  Mounts  Chaboras  and  Zagros ;  on  the  south, 
by  Susiana  as  well  as  part  of  Babylonia ;  and,  finally,  on  the 
west  by  the  river  Tigris."* 

Strabo*^  and  Pliny'*  inform  us  that  Mesopotamia,  or  Naharaim, 
is  bounded  by  the  Tigris  on  the  east,  the  Persian  Gulf  and  the 
Euphrates  on  the  west,  and  Mount  Taurus  on  the  north ;  the 
length  being  800  miles,  and  the  breadth  360  miles. 

Babylonia  was  situated  in  lower  Mesopotamia,  between  the 
estuary  of  the  Shatt-el-Arab,  the  Euphrates,  and  the  western 
extremity  of  the  river  Khdbur,  and  adjoining  this  lay  the 
monarchy  of  Assyria.* 

"  Near  the  commencement  of  the  Dujeil,  or  little  Tigris,  is 
one  extremity  of  the  Median  wall,  which  proceeds  from  thence 
S.S.W.  i  W.  towards  the  Euphrates,  a  few  miles  westward  of 
the  Saklawiyah  canal.  It  is  from  35  to  40  feet  high,  with 
towers  at  intervals  of  55  paces  from  each  other  along  its  western 
side,  and  there  is  a  ditch  towards  the  exterior  27  paces  broad. 
It  is  called  Chalu,  or  Sid  Nimriid,  and  is  built  of  the  small 

1  Dion.  Cassius,  hb.  liviii.        *  Chesney,  vol.  i.         ^  Book  xvi.  746. 
*  Lib.  yi.  c.  27.  *  Chesney. 


MEDIAN  WALL.  65 

pebbles  of  the  country,  embedded  Id  lime  of  great  tenacity."^ 
The  natives  say  that  the  Median  wall  was  built  by  Nimrod  to 
keep  off  the  people  of  Nineveh,  with  whom  he  had  an  im- 
placable feud.  The  bed  of  the  Dujeil  is  cut  from  50  to  60 
feet  deep,  through  ground  apparently  as  hard  as  iron,  in  many 
parts  exposing  sections  of  ancient  brick  walls." 

According  to  Scripture,  Nineveh  was  founded  by  Asshur 
about  2230  b.c,  but  according  to  Diodorus  Siculus,  quoting 
Ctesias,  it  was  founded  by  Ninus,  2183  b.c.  Herodotus  is 
silent  upon  this  point,  but  Africanus,  quoted  by  Syncellus,  states 
that  the  foundation  of  the  Assyrian  monarchy  took  place  2284 
B.C.  The  Armenian  historian  Eusebius  places  it  1300  years 
before  the  fortieth  year  before  the  first  Olympiad,  or  2116  b.c 
^milius  Sura,  quoted  by  V.  Paterculus,  says,  it  was  2145  b.c 
By  far  the  most  distinct  evidence  is  contained  in  the  extract 
from  Polyhistor,  found  in  the  Armenian  Chronicle,  which  is, 
with  good  reason,  believed  to  be  an  extract  from  the  work  of 
Berosus,  the  ancient  native  historian.  This  Chronicle  contains 
a  table  from  the  dynasties  of  the  old  Assyrian  empire,  assigning 
the  date  of  each,  and  the  addition  of  the  figures  gives  the  epoch 
2317  B.C.  as  that  of  the  foundation  of  the  first  monarchy.  He 
thus  attains  a  date  fixed  within  certain  limits,  and  differing  so 
immaterially  from  that  of  the  Biblical  Chronology,  that  it  would 
not  be  unreasonable  to  suppose  Ninus  to  have  been  the  great 
grandson,  or,  at  all  events,  no  very  remote  descendant  of  Asshur. 
Abydenus,*  in  the  Armenian  edition  of  Eusebius's  Chronicle, 
places  him  sixth  in  descent  from  the  first  king  of  the  Assyrians, 
whom  he  calls  Belus ;  and  the  editor,  in  a  note,  produces  some 
passages  from  Moses  Choronensis  and  others,  to  show  that  such 
was  the  general  opinion  among  the  Armenians.^  This  account, 
which  makes  Ninus  contemporary  with  Abraham,^  the  tenth 
generation  from  Shem,  perfectly  accords  with  the  duration  of 
the  Assyrian  empire,  which  all  agree  did  not  exceed  1300  years, 
from  its  rise  to  the  fall  of  Sardanapalus.  Sardanapalus  died 
743  B.C.,  and  if  we  reckon  backwards  1300  years,  we  shall 
find  that  the  reign  of  Ninus  commenced  200  years  after  Nim- 

*  Chesney's  Survey  of  the  Euphrates. 

*  A  disciple  of  Aristotle,  and  a  copyist  of  Berosus. 

*  Cory's  "  Fragments,"  p.  69. 

*  Idem.,  p.  36.  Petavius  says  Ahraham  was  born  in  the  twenty-fourth 
year  of  Semiramis's  reign,  lib.  i.  C.  2. 

F 


66  CLASSICAL   ASSYRIA   AND   MESOPOTAMIA. 

rod  began  to  be  mighty  on  earth,  so  that  considering  the 
great  age  that  men  attained  to,  he  may  have  been  Nimrod 
himself,  or  the  son  of  Nimrod,  as  some  have  inferred  from  the 
statement  of  Berosus.  In  our  view  the  evidence  is  very  satis- 
factory ;  for  while  it  is  highly  corroborative  of  the  hypothesis 
that  Babylonia  and  Assyria  were  originally  two  distinct  king- 
doms, it  is,  likewise,  perfectly  consistent  with  the  authorities 
who  ascribe  the  foundation  of  the  Assyrian  empire  to  Ninus. 
Asshur  was  the  founder  of  the  monarchy  only  of  Assyria,  but 
the  beginning  of  the  empire,^  we  consider,  may  be  justly  com- 
puted from  the  time  of  his  descendant  Ninus,  who  was  king 
of  both  Assyria  and  Babylonia,  which  were  for  the  first  time 
united  in  his  reign. 

Justin,  the  Roman  historian,  who  abridged  the  history  of 
Trogus  Pompeius  in  the  second  century,  gives  a  little  ac- 
count of  him  in  the  commencement  of  his  work.  He  says, 
that  **  Ninus,  king  of  the  Assyrians,  first  brought  wars  against 
his  neighbours,  and  conquered  the  people,  as  yet  unused  to 
resistance,  to  the  very  boundaries  of  Libya" — the  name 
anciently  applied  to  all  Africa.  "  There  were,  indeed  (adds 
he),  more  ancient  than  he,  Sesostris  in  Egypt,  and  Tanaus, 
king  of  Scythia;  of  whom  one  brought  war  into  Pontus, 
the  other  even  to  Egypt.  But  they  brought  distant  wars, 
not  neighbouring  ones;  they  sought  not  empire  for  them- 
selves, but  glory  for  their  people ;  and,  content  with  victory, 
abstained  from  government :  Ninus  confirmed  the  mag- 
nitude of  his  domination  by  continual  possession.  His 
neighbours,  therefore,  being  subdued ;  when,  by  accession  of 
strength,  he  was  stronger,  he  passed  to  others ;  and,  every  new 
victory  being  the  instrument  of  the  next  one,  he  subdued  the 
whole  of  the  East."  His  last  war  was  with  Oxyartes,  or 
Zoroaster,  king  of  the  Bactrians.'^  Here  he  met  with  a  more 
powerful  resistance  than  he  had  yet  experienced ;  but  after 
several  fruitless  attempts  upon  the  chief  city,  he  at  last  con- 
quered it  by  the  contrivance  and  conduct  of  Semiramis,  wife 
to  Menon,  president  of  the  King's  council,  and  chief  governor 
of  Assyria.  Semiramis  was  born  at  Ascalon,  and  said  to  be 
the  daughter  of  Dercetis,  the  Assyrian  Venus ;  but  the  story 
of  her  birth,  as  related  by  Diodorus,'  is  so  well  known,  that  it 

1  Ezekiel,  xxiii.  23.— Jer.  1.  17,  18.  «  Justin,  lib.  i  c.  1. 

5  Diod.  Sic.  lib.  ii.  c.  1. 


SEMIRAMIS.  67 

is  unnecessary  to  recapitulate  it  here.  The  ability,  courage, 
aud  beauty  of  Semiramis  so  captivated  Ninus,  that  he  used 
every  imaginable  persuasion  and  threat,  to  induce  her  husband 
to  bestow  his  wife  upon  him.  Menon,  however,  would  not 
consent,  but  in  a  fit  of  distraction  he  destroyed  himself,  and 
Semiramis  was  advanced  to  the  regal  state  and  dignity.  Ninus 
had  a  son  by  Semiramis,  named  Ninyas,  and  died  after  the 
reign  of  fifty-two  years,^  leaving  her  the  government  of  his 
kingdom.  In  honour  of  his  memory  she  erected  in  the  royal 
palace  a  monument,  which  remained  till  long  after  the  ruin 
of  Nineveh.  Diodorus  describes  it  as  a  mound  of  earth,  one 
mile  and  two  hundred  yards  high,  by  one  mile  and  a  quarter 
in  breadth.  Semiramis  had  had  so  large  a  share  in  the  ad- 
ministration of  affairs  during  the  reign  of  Ninus,  that  she  was 
the  fittest  person  to  succeed  him,  especially  as  her  son  was  a 
minor ;  she  accordingly  continued  the  policy  that  had  prevailed 
in  the  latter  part  of  the  reign  of  her  predecessor,  and  set  her- 
self earnestly  to  settle  and  establish  the  empire.  Shortly  after 
her  accession,  she  removed  her  court  from  Nineveh  to  Babylon, 
which  she  enlarged,  embellished  with  magnificent  buildings, 
and  surrounded  with  walls ;  so  that,  if  not  the  actual  founder 
of  the  city,  she  rendered  it  the  "mighty  Babylon"  so  re- 
nowned in  history.*  After  this,  she  settled  all  the  neighbour- 
ing kingdoms  under  her  authority  ;  and  wherever  she  went, 
left  useful  and  magnificent  monuments  of  her  progress :  many 
of  her  aqueducts,  and  highways  cut  through  mountains,  or 
formed  by  the  filling  up  of  valleys,  still  existed  when  Diodorus 
wrote.  She  is  said  to  have  conquered  great  part  of  Ethiopia, 
and  to  have  consulted  the  oracle  at  Jupiter  Ammon ;  but  her 
greatest  and  last  expedition  was  against  India.  Justin  tells 
us  that  she  was  the  only  monarch  who  ever  penetrated  to  India 
before  the  time  of  Alexander.  Diodorus  records,  that,  having 
resolved  to  conquer  India,  she  ordered  her  troops  to  rendezvous 
in  Bactria  (the  ancient  name  of  part  of  Persia)  ;  was  ultimately 
defeated  by  the  Indian  king,  and  had  to  return  with  scarcely 
a  third  of  her  army.  Nevertheless,  in  the  course  of  a  reign 
of  forty-two*  years,  this  queen,  the  first  on  record,  helped  to 
consolidate  the  oldest  empire  named  in  history. 

^  Africanus  and  Eusebius.     See  Cory's  "  Fragments." 
«  Diod.  Sic.  lib.  ii.  c.  i.     Herod.  Clio,  c.  178,  180,  184.  Q.  Curt.  lib.  v. 
c.  1.  3  Africanus  and  Eusebius.     See  Cory's  "  Fragments." 

r2 


68  NINTAS   THE   CHEDORLAOMER   OF   SCRIPTURE. 

Ninyas,  the  son  of  Ninus  and  Semiramis,  was  the  next  king 
of  the  Assyrian  empire.  As  he  appears  to  have  cultivated  the 
arts  of  peace,  he  is  generally  described  by  liistorians  as  a  weak 
and  effeminate  prince.  He  made  no  wars,  nor  used  any  en- 
deavours to  enlarge  his  empire ;  but  he  took  measures  to  es- 
tablish his  authority  over  the  dominions  acquired  by  his 
parents,  and  by  a  judicious  contrivance  of  governing  his  pro- 
vinces, by  means  of  deputies  on  whom  he  could  depend,  with 
a  number  of  regular  troops  changed  annually,  he  prevented 
the  many  revolts  of  distant  countries  which  might  otherwise 
have  happened.^  Shuckford,  in  his  **  Sacred  and  Profane 
History  of  the  World  Connected,"  has  supposed  that  in  the 
time  of  Abraham,  the  seat  of  the  Assyrian  government  was  in 
Persia,  one  of  the  Asiatic  nations  subjected  by  Ninus,  and  that 
the  Chedorlaoraer,  king  of  Elam,  of  Moses,  was  identical  with 
Ninyas,  observing  that  Amraphel  was  his  deputy  in  Shinar 
(probably  Babylon) ;  Arioch  at  EUasar  (Assyria  ?)  ;  and  Tidal 
his  deputy  over  other  adjacent  countries,'  verifying  the  Assy- 
rian boast  that  its  deputy  princes  or  chiefs  were  "  altogether 
kings."  After  showing  that  Chedorlaoraer  had  nations  subject 
to  his  service  eight  or  nine  hundred  miles  distant  from  the  city 
of  his  residence,  for  so  far  were  Sodom  and  Gomorrah,  and  the 
other  three  cities  whose  kings  paid  him  tribute,  he  concludes 
that  no  power  east  of  Assyria  would  be  likely  to  possess  do- 
minion west  of  the  Euphrates,  and  consequently  that  Chedor- 
laomer  could  be  no  other  than  the  head  of  the  Assyrian  empire.'* 
Ninyas  is  reported  to  have  commenced  that  state  which 
oriental  sovereigns  subsequently  improved ;  maintaining  him- 
self within  his  palace  with  mysterious  secresy,  in  order  to 
excite  the  veneration  of  his  subjects.  He  died  after  a  reign  of 
thirty- eight  years,*  transmitting  to  his  successors  an  empire  so 
well  constituted,  as  to  remain  in  the  hands  of  a  series  of  kings 
for  thirty  generations.^  Although  we  have  no  direct  historj'- 
of  the  acts  of  any  of  these  sovereigns,  beyond  those  sure  indi- 
cations of  their  rule  afforded  by  the  sculptures  and  inscriptions 
which  have  been  found  in  Persia,  Media,  Armenia,  Ccelo-Syria, 

'  Diod.  Sic.  lib.  ii.  c.  2.  '  Genesis,  xiv.  1,  4,  5,  9.  Isaiah,  x.  8. 

»  Shuckford's  "  Sac.  and  Prof.  Hist.  Con."  bk.  ri. 

*  Diod.  Sic.  lib.ii.  c.  2. 

'  Assyrian  Dyn.  Cory's  "Fragments,"  pp.  70.  71,  76. 


TABLET   OF   ZARNAE.  69 

and  Cyprus ;  the  records  of  other  nations  furnish  occasional 
gleams  of  information  connected  with  Assyria. 

Scripture  tells  us  of  Jacob's  visit  to  his  uncle  Laban  in 
Mesopotamia,^  and  of  tlie  servitude  of  the  Israelites,  under 
Cushan-Rishathaim,  which  occurred  about  1409  b.c* 

Heykab,  king  of  Armenia,  appears  to  have  maintained  a 
protracted  contest  with  Amyntas,'  seventeenth  king  of  Assyria, 
who  was  at  length  subdued  and  compelled  to  do  homage  to 
the  Armenian  king ;  but  his  successor  Belochus  *  recovered 
his  territoiy,  and  killed  Heykab.  The  most  interesting  re- 
velations are  likely  to  result  from  the  readings  of  Egyptian 
monuments,  some  of  which  leave  it  beyond  doubt  that  Meso- 
potamia was  conquered,  and  siege  laid  to  Nineveh  and  Bab)''- 
lon,  by  the  Egyptians,  between  1400  and  1300  B.C.  In 
Mr.  Birch's  **  Observations  on  the  Hieroglyphical  Inscrip- 
tion of  the  Obelisk  of  the  At  Meidan  at  Constantinople,"  and 
on  the  "  Statistical  Tablet  of  Karnak,"*  he  shows  us  the  names 
of  Saenkara,  Singara,  or  the  Mesopotamian  Sennaar,  and  Naha- 
raina,  Mesopotamia,  the  C3**ito  Neharjim  of  the  Bible  ;*  be- 
sides many  other  names  on  which  he  most  ingeniously  speculates, 
and  numerous  allusions  to  Asiatic  customs,  and  to  articles  of 
tribute,  to  which  we  shall  have  occasion  to  refer  in  a  subse- 
quent section.  The  period  of  the  Obelisk  is  the  reign  of 
Thothmes  III.  (Menophra  Thothmosis  III.),  1341  B.C.,  as  we 
gather  from  Theon,  the  Alexandrian  mathematician,  who  says 
that  the  cycle  of  1460  years,  which  terminated  a.d.  140,  was 
named  the  era  of  Menophres.'  "  The  tablet  of  Karnak  records 
the  tributes  and  exploits  of  the  same  king  from  his  twenty- 
fifth  to  his  thirty-fourth  year,"®  and  the  following  reading  of 
one  line  is  especially  worthy  of  note,  ''  NenjiUf  in  stopping — 
when  his  Mafesty  came  he  set  vp  his  tablet  to  enlarge,  (or,  on 
account  of  having  enlargecT)  the  confines  of  Kam  (Egypt)." 

Mr.  Birch  remarks,  that  though  the  identification  of  the 
word  Nineveh  is  not  perfectly  satisfactory,  yet  the  mention  of 
tablets  as  landmarks  of  the  empire  is  most  important ;'  and 

*  Genesis,  xiix.  1 — 14.  ^  Judges,  iii.  1 — 9. 

3  Africanus,  Dyn.  Ass.,  and  Eusebius,  Arm.  Chron.  Cory's  "  Fragments," 
pp.  72,  73,  77. 

*  Ibid.  •  Trans.  Roy.  Soc.  Lit ,  Second  Series,  vol.  ii.  pp.  218, 317. 

*  Dr.  Hinck's  "  Letters  of  Ancient  Alphabets," 

7  Sbarpe's  "  Chronology  and  Geography  of  Ancient  Egypt,"  p.  6, 

8  Trans.  Boy.  Soc.  Lit.  p.  220.  »  Idem,  p.  345. 


70  TKOT,  A    DEPENDANT   OF   ASSYRIA. 

the  great  historical  interest  of  both  records  is,  that  they  are 
among  the  earliest  which  mention  Mesopotamia  as  the  frontier 
of  the  Egyptian  monarchy.  The  first  notice  of  its  being  at- 
tacked by  the  Egyptians  is  in  the  reign  of  Thothraes  I.*  In 
the  reign  of  Amenophis,  the  second  son,  the  son  of  Thothmes 
III.,  the  officer  who  had  been  directing  fresh  works  at  Tourah,' 
states,  **  that  he  had  set  up  tablets  for  his  Ifajesty  as  far  north 
as  Naharaina,  and  southwards  to  Kara  (Kalaa) ;"  and  under 
Thothraes  IV.  the  chiefs  of  Mesopotamia  are  seen  humbly  pros- 
trated and  presenting  tribute  to  that  monarch.'  The  Egyptian 
monuments  do  not,  as  yet,  furnish  us  with  later  data  connected 
with  Assyria,  but  it  was  under  the  reign  of  its  early  kings  that 
llameses  the  Great  (the  Sesostris  of  the  Greeks)  pursued  his 
conquests  in  the  East,  far  beyond  Assyria.  Plato  makes  the 
kingdom  of  Troy  in  the  time  of  Priam  1184  B.C.,  a  dependant 
on  the  Assyrian  empire  ;*  and  Diodorus'  says,  that  Teutamus 
the  twentieth  from  Ninyas,  sent  20,000  troops  and  200  chariots 
to  the  assistance  of  the  Trojans,  whose  king  Priam  was  a 
prince  under  the  Assyrian  empire,  which  had  then  existed 
above  a  thousand  years. 

The  above  is  almost  all  we  know  concerning  the  warlike 
kings  who  extended  their  sway  over  Western  Asia,  until  the 
revolt  of  Media,  which  is  believed  to  have  taken  place  about 
700  B.C.  Herodotus  says  nothing  of  Assyria,  until  he  begins 
to  relate  how  Media  became  a  nation.  Thus,  he  says,  when 
speaking  of  an  event  which  happened  711  b.c. — that  the 
Assyrians  had  ruled  Upper  Asia  520  years  before  that;*  a 
discrepancy  from  the  statements  of  other  historians  to  be  easily 
reconciled  by  the  supposition  that  Ctesias  dated  from  the  earliest 
establishment  of  the  monarchy,  while  Herodotus  confines  him- 
self to  the  establishment  of  the  great  empire  over  central  Asia. 

Further  on,  he  speaks  casually  of  the  "  Tigris  which  flows 
near  Nineveh.** '  This  little  mention,  we  see,  at  once  esta- 
blishes its  locality  and  great  antiquity.  For  Herodotus  wrote 
B.C.  455,  and  had  travelled  in  Asia,     He  mentions  his  inten- 

^  Trans.  Roy.  Soc.  Lit.,  p.  223,  and  Lepsiusj  Auswabl,  T.  xiv. 

'  Vyse's  Journal,  vol.  iii.    Tourah  Quarries,  pi.  2 

3  Eighth  Tomb  at  Gournab,  Mon.  Egypt,  vol.  ii.  p.  160. 

*  De  Leg.  lib.  iii.  685.     See  RoUin,  vol.  ii. 

^  Diod.  Sic.  lib.  ii.  c.  2;  after  Ctesias,  lib.  ii. 

•  Clio,  xcT.  '  Euterpe,  cl. 


SA.EDANAPAEI7S — FALL   OP   NINEVEH.  71 

tion  of  relating  the  particulars  of  the  taking  of  Nineveh 
**  hereafter/*  *  but  it  is  uncertain  whether  he  ever  executed 
the  intention  at  all. 

The  historical  period,  properly  so  called,  of  Assyrian  history, 
begins  with  the  revolt  of  the  Medes  and  the  fall  of  the  first 
empire.  Of  this  event  we  have  two  accounts  from  Greek 
authors ;  that  of  Ctesias,  as  quoted  by  Diodorus,  is  in  substance 
as  follows : — **  Sardanapalus,  the  thirtieth  from  Ninus,  and  the 
last  king  of  the  Assyrians,  exceeded  all  his  predecessors  in 
sloth  and  luxury ;  for,  besides  that  he  was  seen  of  none  out 
of  his  family,  he  led  a  most  effeminate  life,  and  proceeded  to 
such  a  degree  of  voluptuousness,"  as  showed  him  to  be  utterly 
shameless.  "  Being  thus  corrupt  in  his  morals,  he  not  only 
came  to  a  miserable  end  himself,  but  utterly  overturned  the 
Assyrian  monarchy,  which  had  continued  longer  than  any  we 
read  of. 

**ror  Arbaces,  a  Mede,  a  valiant  and  prudent  man,  and  ge- 
neral of  the  forces  which  were  sent  every  year  out  of  Media  to 
Nineveh,  was  stirred  up  by  the  governor  of  Babylon,  to  over- 
throw the  Assyrian  empire.  This  governor's  name  was  Belesis, 
a  most  famous  Babylonian  priest,  one  of  those  called  Chaldeans, 
expert  in  astrology  and  divination.  *  *  *  And  now  the 
year's  attendance  being  at  an  end,  new  troops  succeeded  and 
came  into  their  place,  and  the  former  were  sent  away,  one 
here  and  there,  into  their  several  countries.  Hereupon  Arbaces 
prevailed  with  the  Medes  to  invade  the  Assyrian  empire,  and 
drew  the  Persians,  in  hopes  of  liberty,  to  join  in  the  confede- 
racy. Belesis,  in  like  manner,  persuaded  the  Babylonians  to 
stand  up  for  their  liberties.  He  sent  messengers  into  Arabia, 
and  gained  that  prince  for  a  confederate. 

**  Sardanapalus,  being  informed  of  the  revolt,  led  forth  the 
forces  of  the  rest  of  the  provinces  against  them  ;  whereupon, 
a  battle  being  fought,  the  rebels  were  totally  routed,  and  with 
a  great  slaughter  were  forced  to  the  mountains,  seventy  furlongs 
from  Nineveh. 

"  Being  drawn  up  a  second  time  in  battalia,  he  fought  them 
again,  and  destroyed  many  of  the  rebels,  and  forced  them  to 
fly  to  their  camp  upon  the  hills.  *  *  *  Another  battle 
was  fought,  wherein  the  king  gained  a  great  victory,  and  pur- 
sued the  revolters  as  far  as  the  mountains  of  Babylon." 

1  Clio,  cvi. 


72  FALL   OP   NINEVEH. 

"While  Sardanapalus  was  rejoicing  at  these  victories,  and 
feasting  his  army,  Arbaces  induced  the  Bactrians  to  revolt,  fell 
suddenly  upon  the  king's  camp,  and  made  a  great  slaughter  of 
some,  forcing  the  rest  into  the  city. 

*'  Hereupon  Sardanapalus  committed  the  charge  of  the  whole 
army  to  Salamenes,  the  queen's  brother,  and  took  upon  himself 
the  defence  of  the  city.  But  the  rebels  twice  defeated  the 
king's  forces,  and  the  king  being  afterwards  besieged,  many  of 
the  nations  revolted  to  the  confederates,  so  that  Sardanapalus, 
now  perceiving  that  the  kingdom  was  likely  to  be  lost,  sent 
post  into  all  the  provinces  of  the  kingdom,  in  order  to  raise 
soldiers,  and  make  all  other  preparations  necessary  to  endure  a 
siege.  And  he  was  the  more  encouraged  to  this,  for  that  he 
was  acquainted  with  an  ancient  prophecy,  that  Nineveh  could 
never  he  taken  by  force  till  the  river  became  the  city*8  enemy. 
*  *  *  The  siege  continued  two  years.  The  third  year, 
it  happened  that  the  river,  overflowing  with  continual  rains, 
came  up  into  a  part  of  the  city,  and  tore  down  the  walls  twenty 
furlongs  in  length.  The  king  hereupon  conceiving  that  the 
oracle  was  accomplished,  in  that  the  river  was  an  apparent 
enemy  to  the  city,  utterly  despaired ;  and,  therefore,  that  he 
might  not  fall  into  the  hands  of  his  enemies,  he  caused  a  huge 
pile  of  wood  to  be  made  in  his  palace  court,  and  heaped  to- 
gether upon  it  all  his  gold,  silver,  and  royal  apparel,  and  en- 
closing his  eunuchs  and  his  concubines  in  an  apartment  within 
the  pile,  caused  it  to  be  set  on  fire,  and  burnt  himself  and  them 
together ;  which,  when  the  revolters  came  to  understand,  they 
entered  through  the  breach  in  the  walls,  and  took  the  city,  and 
clothed  Arbaces  with  a  royal  robe,  and  committed  to  him  the 
sole  authority,  proclaiming  him  king."  ^ 

This  important  event  in  the  world's  history  is  placed  by  Mr. 
Bosanquet,  the  eminent  chronologist,  in  the  year  579  B.C.* 

The  account  of  Herodotus  is,  that  **  The  Medes  first  of  all 
revolted  from  their  authority,  and  contended  with  such  obsti- 
nate bravery  against  their  masters,  that  they  were  ultimately 
successful,  and  exchanged  servitude  for  freedom.  Other  na- 
tions soon  followed  their  example,  who,  after  living  for  a  time 
under  the  protection  of  their  own  laws,  were  again  deprived  of 

1  Diod.  Sic.  b.  ii.  c.  2. 

-  Fall  of  Nineveh  and  the  Eeign  of  Sennacherib,  by  J.  W.  Bosanquet, 
p.  23. 


BA-BYION.  73 

their  freedom*'*  by  Deioces,  a  Mede,  who  collected  the  Medes 
into  one  nation,  over  which  he  ruled.  After  a  reign  of  fifty- 
three  years,  he  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  Phraortes,  who 
reduced  the  Persians  under  the  dominion  of  the  Medes.  **  Su- 
preme of  these  two  great  and  powerful  nations,  he  overran 
Asia,  alternately  subduing  the  people  of  whom  it  was  com- 
posed. He  came  at  length  to  the  Assyrians,  and  began  to 
attack  that  part  of  them  which  inhabited  Nineveh.  These 
were  formerly  the  most  powerful  nation  in  Asia :  their  allies 
at  this  period  had  separated  from  them ;  but  they  were  still, 
with  regard  to  their  internal  strength,  respectable.  In  the 
twenty-second  year  of  his  reign,  Phraortes,  in  an  excursion 
against  this  people,  perished,  with  the  greater  part  of  his 
army."*  He  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  Cyaxares,  "  who  pro- 
ceeded with  all  his  forces  to  the  attack  of  Nineveh,  being 
equally  desirous  of  avenging  his,  father  and  becoming  master 
of  the  city.  He  vanquished  the  Assyrians  in  battle ;  but  when 
he  was  engaged  in  the  siege  of  Nineveh,  he  was  surprised  by 
an  army  of  Scythians,"  who  beat  him  in  a  fixed  battle,  gaining 
not  only  the  victory,  but  the  empire  of  Asia.^ 

After  a  space  of  twenty- eight  years,  "  The  Medes  recovered 
their  possessions  and  all  their  ancient  importance  ;  after  which 
they  took  Nineveh.  They  moreover  subdued  the  Assyrians, 
those  only  excepted  which  inhabited  the  Babylonian  district."* 

Thus  far  Herodotus,  who,  instead  of  contradicting  Ctesias, 
confirms  and  completes  his  statement,  provided  we  bear  in 
mind  that  Ctesias  speaks  of  the  advance  and  victory  of  Arbaces, 
and  of  his  establishment  on  the  throne  of  Nineveh ;  and  He- 
rodotus of  another  Median,  who,  more  than  a  hundred  years 
after,  gathered  strength  sufficient  to  overthrow  the  elder  race. 

The  warlike  character  of  the  four  kings,  whose  victories  are 
recounted  in  Scripture,  has  led  to  the  exceedingly  probable 
opinion  that  they  were  not  predecessors  of  Sardanapalus,  but 
monarchs  of  the  dynasty  formed  by  Arbaces.  The  Median 
king  Phraortes  is  the  Arphaxad  slain  by  Nebuchodonosor,  as 
related  in  the  previous  chapter.  Herodotus  states  that  Cyax- 
ares, his  son,  was  assisted  in  the  expedition  which  destroyed 
Nineveh  by  Labynitus,  king  of  Babylon,  probably  Nabopo- 
lassar,  the  Ahasuerus  of  Tobit. 

Prom  this  time  we  hear  no  more  of  Nineveh  nor  of  the  As- 

»  Clio,  96.        2  Idem,  101,  102.        ^  idem,  103,  104.        *  Idem,  106 


74  NEBUCHALNEZZAK BABYLON   TAKEN   BY   CYRTTS. 

Syrian  state,  and  Babylon  became  the  seat  of  the  imperial 
power.  The  grand  era  of  Babylonian  greatness  commences 
with  Nebuchadnezzar,  who  succeeded  his  father  sliortly  after 
the  overthrow  of  Nineveh.  Most  of  the  great  works  for  which 
his  capital  became  famous  are  due  to  him  or  Nitocris,  his  queen. 
It  is  under  this  monarch  that  the  Chaldeans,  an  old  but  hitherto 
powerless  race,  appeared  on  the  scene  as  a  great  and  warlike 
nation.  It  was  they  who  invaded  Judea,  and  carried  away  its 
people  into  captivity.^  Under  Nebuchadnezzar,  Babylon  be- 
came the  mistress  of  the  East,  and  its  vast  power  caused  the 
jealousy  of  surrounding  nations.  Pharaoh-Necho  was  the  first 
to  take  up  arms  against  it ;  and  after  meeting  witli  a  rebuff  in 
the  kingdom  of  Judah,  joined  battle  with  the  Babylonians 
under  Nebuchadnezzar  at  Charchemish,  was  defeated,  and 
driven  out  of  Asia.  It  was  immediately  after  this  that  the 
Chaldeans  marched  upon  Jerusalem,  dethroned  the  king  whom 
the  Egyptians  had  set  up,  and  carried  away  a  great  number  of 
prisoners,  among  M'hom  were  Daniel  and  liis  three  friends, 
Hananiah,  Micliael,  and  Azariah.  The  conquest  of  Egypt 
seems  to  have  been  the  crowning  work  of  Nebuchadnezzar's 
active  life ;  and  on  his  return  to  Babylon,  that  monarch  appears 
to  have  spent  the  remainder  of  his  reign  in  improving  and 
beautifying  the  city.  Of  the  story  of  the  Hanging  Gardens, 
familiar  to  every  reader,  it  is  unnecessary  to  speak ;  the  gran- 
deur of  the  city  has  been  a  constant  theme  for  poets. 

The  Chaldseo- Baby  Ionian  empire,  comprehending  all  Western 
Asia,  as  far  as  the  Mediterranean,  never  exceeded  the  limits  it 
had  attained  under  the  rule  of  Nebuchadnezzar,  and  on  the 
death  of  its  founder  it  began  to  decline.  The  book  of  Daniel 
relates  how  it  fell  under  his  third  or  fourth  successor,  before 
the  assault  of  Cyrus  the  Mede.  Xenophon  gives  us  the  mili- 
tary details : — 

''He  came  at  last  to  Babylon"  (Institution,  Book  VII.), 
"  bringing  with  him  a  mighty  multitude  of  horse,  a  mighty 
multitude  of  archers  and  javelin  men,  but  slingers  innume- 
rable !"  He  made  preparations  as  if  to  blockade  it,  and  the 
"people,"  says  the  historian,  "laughed,**  for  they  knew  that 
they  had  provisions  for  twenty  years.     It  was  then  that  Cyrus 

*  Jer.  xxiv.  5 ;  xxv.  12.  Ezekiel,  xii.  13.  Dan.  i.  1,  2.  Died.  Sio. 
b.  ii.  c.  12.    Ptol.  V.    Joseph,  i.    Euseb.  ix. 


DECLINE   OF  THE    BABTLOFIAIT   EMPIBE.  75 

discovered  that  great  plan  of  ruiniDg  them  which  has  always 
been  so  celebrated. 

"  He,  Cyrus,  dug  round  the  wall  on  every  side  a  very  great 
ditch,  and  they  threw  up  the  earth  towurds  themselves.  In  the 
first  place,  he  built  the  turrets  on  the  river,  laying  their  foun- 
dations on  palm  trees  that  were  not  less  than  a  hundred  feet  in 
length  ;  for  there  are  some  of  them  that  grow  to  a  yet  greater 
length  than  that ;  and  palm  trees  that  are  pressed  bend  under 
their  weight  as  asses  do  that  are  used  to  the  pack-saddle.  He 
placed  the  turrets  on  these  for  this  reason,  that  it  might  carry 
the  stronger  appearance  of  his  prepa/ring  to  block  up  the  city." 

Of  course  this  stratagem  diverted  the  minds  of  the  citizens 
from  his  real  design.  They  laughed  louder  than  ever — but — 
**  the  ditches  were  now  finishedy^*  says  Xenophon. 

The  ditches  lying  there — gaping,  as  it  were,  like  graves  for 
the  town — the  Babylonians  had  a  great  festival.  Cyrus,  then, 
when  it  grew  dark,  "  took  a  number  of  men  with  him,  and 
opened  the  ditches  by  the  river.  When  this  was  done,  the 
water  ran  off  in  the  night  into  the  ditches,  and  the  passage  of 
the  city  through  the  river  became  passable.'* 

Cyrus  marched  in — gained  possession — and  thus  Babylon 
was  taken,  b.c.  588. 

Babylon  now  remained  subject  to  the  Persian  power.  The 
array  assembled  in  the  city,  at  the  close  of  the  year  in  which  it 
was  taken,  consisted,  according  to  Xenophon,  of  "  120,000 
horses  ;  2000  chariots  armed  with  scythes ;  and  60,000  foot." 
Cyrus's  empire  at  this  period  of  glory  was  "bounded  to  the 
east,"  to  quote  the  same  writer,  "  by  the  Red  Sea :  to  the  north 
by  the  Euxine  (Black)  Sea ;  to  the  west  by  Cyprus  and  Egypt ; 
to  the  south  by  JEthiopia." 

During  the  two  centuries  which  had  elapsed  since  the  taking 
of  the  city  by  Cyrus,  the  Persian  power  had  fluctuated,  and 
soon  after  his  death  there  began  dissension  and  degeneracy. 
Under  Xerxes  the  Persians  invaded  Greece  in  the  most  famous 
expedition  of  all  antiquity,  and  were  defeated  and  destroyed 
by  land  and  sea — so  that  the  attempt  of  their  monarch  became 
a  proverbial  illustration  of  the  insanity  of  ambition. 

Babylon  of  course  fell  under  the  sway  of  the  all-conquering 
Alexander.  "He  traversed  the  whole  province  of  Babylon," 
says  Plutarch,  "  which  immediately  made  its  submission.     It 


76 


DECLINE    OF   THE   BABYLONIAN   EMPIRE. 


was  in  this  famous  city  that  the  great  hero  died  of  a  fever, 
brought  on  by  eastern  habits." 

Seleucus,  to  whom  fell  the  province  of  Babylon  as  his  share 
of  the  conquests  of  his  master,  soon  removed  the  seat  of  empire 
to  Antioch,  and  Babylon  became  only  a  distant  and  insignifi- 
cant fragment  of  the  Roman  empire,  growing  dimmer  and 
dimmer  in  fame  and  importance,  until  it  eventually  shared 
the  fate  of  its  sister  Nineveh,  and  sunk  beneath  the  very 
surface  of  the  earth. 

The  foregoing  historical  abstract  has  been  drawn  up  without 
any  attempt  to  analyse  the  dynastic  lists  found  in  Greek  and 
Armenian  historians,  because  we  strongly  felt  the  difficulty  of 
arriving  at  any  just  conclusions  from  the  data  they  have  handed 
down  to  us.  Nevertheless,  chronology  is  so  essential  a  part  of 
our  history,  that  its  omission  might  be  esteemed  a  mark  of 
carelessness :  and  with  a  view,  therefore,  to  obtain  the  best 
possible  information  on  this  branch  of  our  subject,  we  applied 
to  our  valued  friend,  Mr.  Samuel  Sharpe,  the  learned,  author 
of  '*  The  History  of  Egypt,"  &c.,  for  assistance.  He  at  once 
acceded  to  our  request,  and  we  take  this  opportunity  of  ex- 
pressing our  warm  acknowledgments  for  his  liberality  in 
placing  at  our  disposal  the  results  of  his  diligent  researches, 
which  appear  in  the  important  clironological  table  and  histo- 
rical sketch  forming  the  following  chapter. 


S^^ltl 


Fig.  11*.— BABTLOKIAN  AND  RGYPTIAJr  SEALS,  a.  BABYLONIAN,      h.  EOYPTIAy. 
C.   WAX  lUPBESSION  FBOX  THEM. 


Fig.  12.— COLOSSAL   HOX   KBOM  THE   QBEAT  MOUND,  KIMROITD. 

"  Where  is  the  dwelling-place  of  the  lions,  and  the  feeding-place  of  the  young  lions  ?" 

Nauum,  ii.  ?. 


CHAPTER  III. 


A   SKETCH   OF   ASSYRIAN   HISTORY. 


BY   SAMUEL   SHARPS. 

The  Assyrian  records  have  saved  for  us  the  names  of  thirty- 
six  kiogs  who  reigned  in  Nineveh,  on  the  hanks  of  the  Tigris, 
before  what  we  must  now  consider  the  beginning  of  Assyrian 
history.  The  last  of  these  was  Sardanapalus,  whose  true  name 
was,  perhaps,  Asser-Hadan-Pul,  syllables  which  we  shall  fiud 
used  in  the  names  of  many  of  the  later  kings.  His  throne 
was  overturned  by  an  invasion  of  the  Medes,  a  people  who 


78  A   SKETCH    OF   ASSYRIAN    HISTORY. 

dwelt  on  the  shores  of  the  Caspian  Sea,  and  who  were  sepa- 
rated from  the  kingdom  of  Nineveh  by  the  mountains  of 
Kurdistan.  Arbaces,  king  of  the  Medes,  led  Ids  array  across 
these  mountains,  and  made  himself  king  of  Assyria  in  about 
B.C.  804. 

After  the  death  of  Arbaces,  the  Mede,  the  Assyrians  were 
able  to  make  themselves  again  independent.  The  first  of  the 
new  line  of  kings  was  Pul.  In  his  reign,  Menahem,  king  of 
Israel,  was  unwise  enough  to  provoke  a  war  with  these  neigh- 
bours. Tempted  by  the  disturbed  state  of  As?yna,  in  the 
year  B.C.  773,  he  led  his  army  300  miles  northward,  either 
conquering  or  passing  by  the  kingdom  of  Syria;  and  then 
about  100  miles  eastward  to  Tipsah  or  Thapsacus,  on  the  Eu- 
phrates, one  of  the  mearest  cities  on  that  side  of  Assyria.  He 
was  able  to  conquer  the  place,  and  he  put  the  inhabitants  to 
death  with  great  cruelty.^  But  this  was  an  unfortunate  victory 
for  the  Israelites.  In  the  next  year  Pul  marched  in  his  turn 
into  Samaria.  The  frightened  Israelites  could  make  no  suflS- 
cient  resistance,  and  they  purchased  a  peace  at  the  price  of 
1000  talents  of  silver.  With  this  booty  Pul  returned  home. 
He  reigned  twenty-one  years. 

[b.c.  753.]  Tigiath  Pileser,  or  Tiglath  Pul  Asser,  the  next 
king  of  Assyria,  also  found  an  excuse  for  invading  Samaria. 
In  the  civil  war  between  Israel  and  Jiidah,  when  the  Israelites 
called  to  their  help  the  king  of  Syria,  whose  capital  was  Da- 
mascus, Ahaz,  king  of  Judah,  sent  a  large  sum  of  money  to 
purchase  the  help  of  the  Assyrians  from  Nineveh.  Tiglath 
accordingly  led  the  Assyrian  army  against  Syria ;  he  overran 
that  country,  conquered  Damascus,  and  slew  llezin,  the  king. 
He  invaded  the  country  of  the  Israelites,  and  so  entirely 
routed  them,  that  he  took  from  them  the  larger  part  of 
the  kingdom.  He  then  added  to  the  Assyrian  empire,  not 
only  Syria,  but  Gilead  and  Nupthali  on  the  east  of  the  Jordan, 
and  Galilee  to  the  north,  leaving  to  the  Israelites  only  the 
province  of  Samaria.  He  carried  his  prisoners  to  the  furthest 
end  of  his  own  kingdom,  and  placed  them  on  the  banks  of  the 
river  Kir,  which  Hows  into  the  Caspian  Sea  lat.  39*.  Ahaz, 
king  of  Judah,  went  in  person  to  Damascus  to  pay  his  homage 
to  the  Assyrian  conqueror,  and  thank  him  for  his  help.* 

^  2  Kings,  XV.  16.  ^2  Kings,  xv.  29;  xvi.  9. 


A   SKETCH   OF  ASSTEIAW   HISTORY.  79 

By  this  time  we  are  able  to  mark  the  limits  of  the  great 
Assyrian  empire.  Nineveh,  the  capital,  was  situated  on  the 
east  bank  of  the  Tigris,  a  little  above  the  point  where  the 
greater  Zab  falls  into  that  river,  and  opposite  to  the  modern 
city  of  Mosul.  Near  it  were  the  cities  of  Rehoboth,  and 
Calah,  and  Resep.^  These  cities  together  formed  the  capital 
of  the  upper  part  of  the  valley  watered  by  the  Tigris  and 
Euphrates.'  At  this  time  the  King  of  Nineveh  held  also, 
first,  the  mountains  of  Kurdistan,  the  country  of  the  hardy 
Kurds ;  and,  secondly,  the  country  between  Kurdistan  and  the 
Caucasus,  being  the  valley  of  the  riveiis  Kiri  and  Araxes, 
which  rise  in  the  mountains  of  Armenia,  and  flow  into  the 
Caspian  Sea.  Tiglath  was  also  master  of  the  kingdom  of 
Media,  between  Kurdistan  and  the  southern  end  of  the  Caspian 
Sea,  of  the  kingdom  of  Syria,  which  contained  the  sources  of 
the  Euphrates  and  the  valley  of  the  Orontes,  and  of  the  north- 
ern part  of  Palestine. 

[b.c.  734.]  Shalmaneser,  the  next  king  of  Assyria,  is  also 
called  Shalman  by  the  prophet  Hosea.  In  the  ninth  year  of 
his  reign  (b.c.  725),  he  led  an  army  against  the  little  kingdom 
of  Israel,  which  was  now  reduced  within  the  limits  of  Samaria. 
At  the  end  of  three  years  (b.c.  722),  he  wholly  conquered  this 
unfortunate  people,  and  carried  away  into  captivity  the  chief 
men  of  the  ten  tribes.  He  placed  them  at  Halah  near  Nine- 
veh, at  Habor  on  the  river  Gozan,  and  in  some  of  the  cities  of 
the  Modes.*  He  also  conquered  Sidon  and  Acre,  and  the  island 
of  Cyprus  ;  Tyre  alone  held  out  against  a  siege.*  Shalmaneser 
reigned  fourteen  years,  and  died  before  this  removal  of  the 
Israelites  into  captivity  was  completed.  The  prisoners  were 
sent  home,  says  the  prophet  Hosea,*  as  a  present  to  his  suc- 
cessor. 

[b.c.  720.]  Sennacherib,  called  Jareb  by  Hosea,  succeeded 
Shalmaneser.  He  completed  the  carrying  away  of  the  Israelites, 
and  then  invaded  Judea,  in  the  fourteenth  year  of  the  reign 

*  Genesis,  x.  11,  12. 

*  They  may  perhaps  be  identified  with  flaodem  cities,  thus  : — 

Nunia Kouyunjik.  Resen. .  . .  Nimroud  (the  Larissa  of 

Calah Khorsabad.  Xenophon,  the  Nineveh 

Rehoboth Mosul.  of  Strabo). 

*  2  Kings,  xviii.  11.  *  Menauder,  in  Josephus.  *  Chap.  x.  6. 


80  A   SKETCH    OF   ASSYRIAN   HISTORY. 

of  king  Hezekiah  (b.c.  714).  He  marched  without  interrup- 
tion through  Galilee  and  Samaria,  which  were  now  provinces 
of  Assyria.  His  troops  entered  the  country  of  Benjamin  at 
Aiath  and  Migron.  He  laid  up  his  carriages  at  Michmash  as 
lie  came  upon  the  hill  country  around  Jerusalem.  The  people 
fled  at  his  approach,  and  all  resistance  seemed  hopeless.  While 
Sennacherib  was  near  Lachish,  besieging  that  city  in  person, 
Hezekiah  sent  messengers  to  beg  for  peace  and  to  make  terms 
of  submission.  The  haughty  conqueror  demanded  300  talents 
of  silver,  and  30  talents  of  gold,  a  sum  so  large  that  Hezekiah 
had  to  take  the  treasures  from  the  temple  to  enable  him  to 
pay  it* 

In  the  meantime,  Sennacherib  sent  part  of  his  army  south- 
ward, under  the  command  of  Tartan,  against  the  cities  of 
the  coast.  In  passing  by  Jerusalem,  Tartan  endeavoured  to 
persuade  the  people  to  open  the  gates,  and  assured  them 
that  it  was  in  vain  to  look  for  help  from  Egypt.  He  made 
no  attempt  to  storm  the  city  ;  but  moved  forward,  laid  siege 
to  Azotus  in  due  form,  and  soon  made  himself  master  of  the 
place.',' 

When  Sennacherib  had  made  terms  with  Hezekiah,  he  led 
his  army  against  Egypt,  provoked  by  the  news  that  Tirhakah, 
the  Ethiopian  sovereign  of  that  country,  was  marching  to  the 
relief  of  the  Jews.  He  passed  through  the  desert,  along  the 
coast,  and  arrived  at  Pelusium,  the  frontier  town  on  the  most 
easterly  branch  of  the  Nile.  Here  he  was  met  by  an  Egyptian 
army,  under  the  command  of  Sethos,  a  priest  of  Memphis. 
But  before  any  battle  took  place,  some  unknown  cause  had 
scattered  and  routed  the  Assyrians  ;  and  while  the  Jews  gave 
glory  and  thanks  to  Jehovah  for  their  deliverance,  the  Egyp- 
tians set  up  a  statue  in  the  temple  of  their  god  Pthah  in 
Memphis.^ 

Sennacherib  himself  escaped  alive  and  returned  home  to 
Nineveh,  but  he  was  probably  at  the  end  of  his  reign  less 
powerful  than  at  the  beginning ;  and  Merodach-baladan,  who 
was  then  reigning  at  Babylon,  may  have  felt  himself  too  strong 
to  be  treated  as  the  vassal  of  Nineveh.  Merodach  made  a 
treaty  with  Hezekiah,  king  of  Judah,*  which  could  hardly 

1  2  Kings,  xviii.  14.    2  Chron.  xxxii.  '  Isaiah,  xxxvi.  xxxvii. 

'  2  Kings,  xix.  35.    Herodotus,  ii.  141.        ^  Ibid.  xx.  12. 


A  SKETCH  OP  ASSTBTAN  HISTOBY.  ^1 

have  been  agreeable  to  Sennacherib.     The  latter  years  of  Sen- 
nacherib's reign  were  probably  employed  in  wars  with  Baby- 
lon against  Merodach  and  his  successors ;  till,  when  old,  as  he 
was  worshipping  in  the  temple  of  the  Assyrian  god  Nisroch, 
he  was  murdered  by  two  of  his  sons,  Adrammelech   and 
Sharezer.     But  they  gained  nothing  by  their  crime.     They 
had  to  flee  from  punishment,  and  they  escaped  over  the  north - 
em  frontier  into  Armenia,  a  mountainous  country  that  had 
been  able  to  hold  itself  independent  of  Assyria.     Esarhaddon, 
his  third  son,  then  gained  the  throne  of  Nineveh.*     Senna- 
cherib had  reigned  for  perhaps  thirty-seven  years  over  Assyria, 
Media,  Galilee,  and  Samaria,  and  probably  held  Babylon  as  a 
dependent  province,  governed  by  a  tributary  monarch. 

[b.c.  683.]  The  date  of  Esarhaddon's  gaining  the  throne  of 
Nineveh  is  uncertain,  but  the  time  that  he  became  king  of 
Babylon  is  better  known,  for  in  the  year  b.c.  680,  he  put  an 
end  to  a  line  of  kings,  who  had  reigned  there  for  sixty-seven 
years.*    Towards  the  end  of  his  reign,  he  had  occasion  to 
punish  some  act  of  disobedience  on  the  part  of  Manasseh,  king 
of  Judah,     He  sent  an  army  against  him,   and  carried  him 
prisoner  to  Babylon ;  but,  after  a  short  time,  he  released  him, 
and  again  seated  him  on  the  throne  of  Jerusalem.^    Esarhad- 
don reigned  perhaps  sixteen  years. 

[b.c.  667.1  Sardochseus,  the  next  king,  reigned  over  Ni- 
neveh, Babylon,  and  Israel  for  twenty  years  ;  and  over  Media 
also,  till  that  country  revolted  in  the  thirteenth  year  of  his 
reign,  b.c.  665.  Media,  under  Phraortes  and  his  successors, 
remained  independent  for  one  hundred  and  twenty-eight  years. 
The  bright  days  of  Nineveh's  glory  were  already  past. 

[b.c.  647.]  Chyniladan  reigned  twenty-two  years ;  but, 
during  this  latter  reign,  Assyria  was  still  further  weakened  by 
the  loss  of  Babylon,  which  then  fell  into  the  hands  of  the 
Chaldees. 

The  Kurds,  a  hardy  race  who  inhabit  the  mountains  of  Kur- 
distan, between  Nineveh  and  Media,  are  thought  with  some 
probability  to  be  the  people  who,  under  tlie  name  of  Chaldees, 
now  made  themselves  masters  of  Babylon.     In  the  year  b.c. 

*  2  Kings,  xix.  37. 

*  Ptolemy's  Canon,  and  that  of  Syncellus,  in  Cory's  "  Fragments." 
3  2  Cbron.  xx&iii.  11. 


82  A   SKETCH  OF  ASSTBIAN  HISTORY. 

625,  their  leader,  Kabopolassar,  was  king  of  that  city,  and  of 
the  lower  half  of  the  valley  of  the  Tigris  and  Euphrates. 
Two  years  later,  he  marched  northward  against  Nineveh.  The 
prophet  Nahum  describes  his  storming  and  sacking  that  famous 
capital.  Nineveh  fell  before  the  rising  wealth  of  Babylon,  a 
city  three  hundred  miles  nearer  the  sea,  as  Egyptian  Thebes 
had  already  sunk  under  the  cities  of  the  Delta. ^ 

In  this  falling  state  of  the  country,  while  Media  was  inde- 
pendent, and  civil  war  was  raging  between  Nineveh  and  Baby- 
lon, Assyria  was  further  weakened  by  an  inroad  of  the  Scy- 
thians. These  roving  Tartars,  passing  the  Caspian  sea,  whether 
on  the  west  side  or  east  side  is  doubtful,  first  came  upon  the 
Medes,  and  wholly  routed  the  army  which  Cyaxares,  the  king, 
sent  against  them.  They  then  crossed  Mesopotamia,  laying 
waste  the  country  as  they  passed.  They  met  with  no  resist- 
ance in  Judea ;  but  their  numbers  lessened  under  the  hardships 
of  their  march.  Psammeticlius,  king  of  Egypt,  was  able  to 
turn  them  aside  from  entering  that  country,  and  those  that 
remained  perished,  as  they  marched  northward,  on  the  eastern 
shore  of  the  Mediterranean.^ 

On  the  conquest  of  Nineveh  by  Nabopolassar,  the  city  was 
by  no  means  destroyed.  It  probably  shared,  with  the  rising 
Babylon,  the  favour  of  the  sovereign,  who  is  still  sometimes 
styled  the  king  of  Assyria.*  It  was  probably  then  that  the 
Book  of  Jonah  was  written.*  The  Jews  had  expected  that 
Nineveh,  the  great  enemy  of  their  nation,  would  have  been 
wholly  and  for  ever  destroyed  ;  but  Assyria  is  no  longer  un- 
friendly to  them,  and  the  purport  of  the  Book  of  Jonah  is  to 
explain  the  justice  of  God's  government  in  sparing  that  great 
city,  which  had  repented  of  its  enmity,  and  should  now  find 
favour  in  their  sight.  Josiah,  king  of  Judah,  finds  a  friend 
and  protector  in  Nabopolassar,  King  of  Assyria. 

Modern  research  has  not  yet  helped  us  to  understand  the 
ancient  authors  in  their  description  of  Nineveh.  Its  walls 
surrounded  a  large  space  of  cultivated  land,  and  probably  em- 
braced what  we  may  call  several  towns  within  their  circuit. 

^  0.  rtolerav,  in  Cory's  "Fragments."  «  Herodotus,  i.  103. 

2  2  Kings,  xxiii.  29. 

••  About  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  after  the  prophet  himself  lived. 


A   SKETCH    OF   ASSTEIAN   HISTORY.  83 

Diodorus  Siculus  (ii.  3)  says  that  it  was  480  stadia,  or  48  En- 
glish miles  round.  The  Book  of  Jonah  tells  us  that  it  was  a 
great  city  of  three  days'  journey,  by  which  the  writer  seems 
to  mean  that  it  was  a  journey  of  three  days  to  pass  through 
the  city  ;  but  he  adds  rather  more  exactly,  that  it  held  within 
its  walls  cattle  for  its  maintenance,  and  a  population  of  more 
than  120,000  persons,  who,  in  their  heathen  ignorance,  he 
said,  did  not  know  their  right  hand  from  their  left.  Its  pa- 
laces were,  no  doubt,  chiefly  built  in  the  reigns  of  Shalman- 
eser,  Sennacherib,  and  Esarhaddon ;  but  it  is  not  impossible 
that  it  may  have  been  further  ornamented  with  buildings  and 
sculptures  by  Kabopolasaar. 

These  civil  wars  between  Mneveh  and  Babylon  may  have 
given  encouragement  to  Kecho,  king  of  Egypt,  to  push  his 
arms  eastward,  and  to  claim  authority  over  Samaria  and  Judea. 
But  Josiah,  king  of  Judah,  was  true  to  the  Babylonians. 
When  Necho  landed  on  the  coast,  and  marched  northwards 
towards  the  Euphrates,  Josiah  led  an  army  against  him.  But 
the  Egyptians  were  victorious ;  Josiah  was  slain  at  Megiddo, 
and  Jei-usalem  and  the  whole  of  Palestine  was  in  the  power  of 
the  Egyptians,  who  set  up  a  new  king  over  Judah.  A  few 
years  later,  however,  Kabopolassar  again  reduced  the  Jews  to 
their  former  state  of  vassalage  under  Babylon.* 

Kabopolassar  was  now  old,  and  his  son  Nebuchadnezzar 
commanded  for  him  as  general,  and  carried  on  the  war  against 
the  Egyptians  on  the  debateable  ground  of  Palestine.  After 
three  years  Kecho  again  entered  the  country,  and  marched  as 
far  as  Carchemish,  on  the  Euphrates.  Here  he  was  wholly 
defeated  by  the  Babylonian  army  under  Nebuchadnezzar.*  By 
this  great  battle  the  Babylonians  regained  their  power  over 
Jerusalem,  and  drove  the  Egyptians  out  of  the  country. 
Nebuchadnezzar  carried  captive  to  Babylon  the  Jewish  nobles, 
and  Judea  remained  a  province  of  that  great  monarchy. 

In  B.C.  605,  Nebuchadnezzar  succeeded  to  his  father,  and 
governed  that  kingdom  in  his  own  name,  which  he  had 
hitherto  been  enlarging  as  a  general.     He  fixed  his  seat  of 

1  2  Kings,  xxiii.  29. 

2  2  Kings,  XXV.  1.  2  Chron.  xxxv.  20 ;  xxxvi.  1.  Berosus  in  Jo- 
scphus. 

g2 


84'  A    SKETCH   OF   ASSYRIAN   HISTORY. 

government  at  Babylon,  a  city  which  soon  became  as  large  as 
Nineveh,  which  it  had  overthrown.  Jerusalem  twice  rebelled 
against  him,  but  he  easily  reduced  it  to  obedience,  although 
on  the  second  rebellion  Hophra,  king  of  Egypt,  came  up  to 
help  the  Jews.  Nebuchadnezzar  defeated  the  Egyptians,  and 
took  away  from  them  every  possession  that  they  had  held  in 
Palestine,  Arabia,  or  the  island  of  Cyprus.  He  died  in  the 
forty-third  year  of  his  reign.^ 

[b.c.  662.]  After  the  death  of  Nebuchadnezzar,  four  other 
kings  of  less  note  reigned  over  Babylon,  and  held  Nineveh. 
But  the  Median  power  was  now  rising.  The  Medes  were  in 
close  alliance  with  the  Persians,  and  the  young  Cyrus,  at  the 
head  of  the  united  armies,  routed  the  Babylonians  in  several 
battles,  and  at  last  conquered  Babylon,  and  put  an  end  to  the 
monarchy.  After  a  few  years,  Cyrus  united  the  kingdoms  of 
Media  and  Persia,  by  right  of  inheritance ;  and  he  thus 
(b.c.  536)  added  to  the  land  of  his  birth  the  whole  of  the  pos- 
sessions which  had  been  held  by  Sennacherib,  and  more  than 
those  of  Nebuchadnezzar. 

Notwithstanding  its  conquest  by  Persia,  Babylon  continued 
a  large  city,  being  still  the  capital  of  the  plain  watered  by  the 
Tigris  and  Euphrates.  Though  no  longer  the  seat  of  govern- 
ment, it  was  still  the  seat  of  trade,  and  of  great  importance 
when  visited  by  Alexander,  on  his  overthrow  of  the  Persian 
monarchy  in  the  year  b.c  324.  Alexander  died  there,  and 
on  the  division  of  his  wide  conquests  among  his  generals, 
Babylon  in  a  few  years  became  the  kingdom  of  Seleucus  and 
his  successors.  This  city  of  Nebuchadnezzar  was  now  to  fall 
yet  lower.  It  was  governed  by  Greeks,  and  Seleucus  found 
Syria  the  most  suitable  province  in  his  empire  for  the  capital. 
Accordingly,  he  built  Antioch,  on  the  Orontes,  for  the  seat  of 
his  government,  and  Seleucia,  on  the  Mediterranean,  as  the 
port  of  that  new  city,  and  Babylon  never  rose  again  to  be  a 
place  of  importance. 

The  chronology  of  the  times  that  we  have  been  describing, 
from  Pul,  king  of  Assyria,  to  Cyrus,  king  of  Persia,  will  be 
better  understood  by  the  help  of  the  following  Table.  By  the 
side  are  written  the  years  before  our  era ;  at  the  top  are  the 

^  Berosus  in  Josephus.    2  Kings,  xxv.8. 


TABLE  OP  CHEONOLOGT. 


s& 


Cn 

o» 

^» 

00 

o 

0 

0 

0 

o 

0 

0 

0 

X 

090 

i 

1.3 
c  a- 

1 

oa 

H 

S 

s 

."^S 

► 

* 

► 
a 
>< 

5 

s 

1 

j 

Astyages. 
Cyaxares  II. 

^M     1 

1   W 

:  *2. 
:    0 

ii 

1 

s 

I 

P  <  crts  : 
cr       n   0  : 

Arkianus. 

Belibus* 

Bigebelus. 

NINEVEH. 

Nubpnassar. 
Nadius. 
Mardocb-Empa- 
dus. 

• 

•        •                 • 

: 

t» 

0   WW           CO 

CO       H 

Oiif 

i 

• 

i 

ABYLON. 

eunacberib. 

sarbaddon. 
ardocbceus. 

hyniladan. 

Pul. 

iglatb-Pile- 
ser. 

balmaneser. 

lii 

crapazus. 
ardanapa- 
lus. 

2 
S 

0 

• 

« 

• 

BABYLON. 

NINEVEH. 

Menabeni. 
Pekabiab. 

Pekab. 
Hosca. 

CSJ 

1. 

P 

• 

r 

1-4 

► 

K 

|2 

1 

:            :   N«He-i 

:   0*>      0  2  2 
:   "^K^  :   5*B^P 

•                         *       •       • 

Manasseb. 

Amon. 
Josiab. 

Jotbam. 

Abaz. 
ilezekiab.  ; 

:  Amaziab. 
Uzziab. 

: 

bil             : 

ij. 

S 

&: 

1 

ABYLON 

5 

?1 

en 

o> 

•4 

00 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

86 


A   SKETCH   OF   ASSYRIA]^   HISTOEY. 


names  of  the  countries ;  and  from  the  whole  we  are  enabled 
to  see  at  a  glance  the  width  of  kingdom  under  each  sovereign. 
When  the  wedge-shaped  characters  shall  have  been  more  cer- 
tainly read  by  the  able  decipherers  now  engaged  on  them,  we 
shall  no  longer  be  at  liberty  to  guess  by  what  kings  the 
palaces  of  Nineveh  were  built  and  ornamented.  In  the 
meantime,  it  seems  reasonable  to  suppose  that  it  was  during 
those  years  when  the  nation's  energy  was  shown  in  its 
width  of  empire,  that  it  was  also  engaged  on  its  largest,  most 
costly  and  most  lasting  buildings.  Success  in  arms  is  usually 
followed  by  success  in  arts ;  and  the  size  of  the  palace  bears 
some  proportion  to  the  size  of  the  kingdom. 

Among  the  Assyrian  sculptured  monuments 
there  has  been  found  a  small  ivory  slab,  or 
lid  of  a  box,  ornamented  with  Egyptian  sculp- 
ture and  rudely  carved  hieroglyphics  (Fig.  13). 
This  naturally  leads  us  to  enquire  when  and  how 
far  one  of  these  nations  was  indebted  to  the 
other  for  its  knowledge  of  art. 

The  first  trace  of  Egyptian  fiishion  in  Nineveh 
is  in  the  name  of  King  Tiglath  Pileser.     Of  this 
the  latter  half  is  formed  of  the  Assyrian  words 
Pul  and  Asser ;  but  the  first  half  is  borrowed 
from  the  name  of  King  Tacelothe,  who  reigned 
in  Bubastis  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  earlier. 
In  the  same  way  the  first  half  of  the  names  of 
Nebo-pulassar,  and  Nebochednezzar,  is  perhaps 
from  the  Egyptian  word  Neb,  lord ;    which  is  also  seen  in 
the  name  of  Nebo,    Again,  when  Rameses  II. 
marched  through    PalestinCi   he  left  behind 
him  sculptured    monuments  in  boast  of  his 
victories.      One  of  these  is  still  remaining  in 
Syria,  near  Beyrout;    and    when  the  Assy- 
rian   conqueror    (perhaps    Sennacherib,     or 
perhaps     the     Babylonian   Nebuchadnezzar) 
afterwards     marched      through     the      same 
country  he  carved    a  yet  larger  monumenti 
on   the  face  of  the  rock    beside   that  of  B.a- 
meses,    in   imitation  of  the  Egyptian  but  in 
such  less    convenient    place    as    was    left  for  him.      (See 


Fig.  13. — NAME  ON 
IVOBT  BOX. 


Fig.  14.— HEAD  OF 
CTBue. 


A  SKETCH   OP  A8STEIAN  HISTOKT. 


87 


O 

Fig.   15.  —  MAXB 
OBENBA. 


wood-cut,  fig."*  30,  Nahr-al-Kelb  monument.)  Again,  on  a 
monument  at  Persepolis,  the  sculptured  figure  of  Cyrus, 
the  Persian"  king,  bears  an  Egyptian  head-dress  (Fig.  14),  It 
has  horns  copied  from  those  of  the  god  Xnef,  and  above  the 
horns  are  two  basilisks  or  sacred  serpents. 

These  instances,  taken  together,  are  enough  to  prove  that 
Egj^tian  fashion  and  Egyptian  art  were  copied  by  their  eastern 
neighbours ;  and  this  is  yet  further  shown  in  more  modem 
cases.  The  names  af  Soter,  Philadelphus,  and  Euergetes, 
when  used  by  kings  in  Asia,  had  always  been 
already  used  by  kings  of  Egypt.  The  Egypt- 
ians seem  in  every  case  to  have  set  the  fashion 
to  their  neighbours,  and  were  far  before  the 
Assyrians  in  skill  as  artists. 

This  ivory  slab  of  which  we  have  been 
speaking,  bears  the  name  of  Aobeno  Ra,  written  in  hierogly- 
phics, within  a  ring  or  oval,  in  the  usual  style  of  a&  Egyptian 
king's  name.  This  is,  however,  not  a  king*s  ^ 
name,  but  only  the  eastern  way  of  pronouncing  the 
name  of  the  god  AmunjRa.  On  a  mummy-case', 
in  Dr.  Lee's  museum  at  Hart  well,  the  name 
of  the  god  is  written  Oben-Ra  (Eig.  15)  under  a 
large  disc  or  figure  of  the  sun,  as  the  head  of 
the  inscription  (Fig.  15),  The  style  of  this 
mummy-case  makes  it  probable  that  it  was  made 
at  Memphis,  tmder  the  rule  of  the  Persians,  and 
no  doubt  at  a  time  when  those  conquerors  had 
introduced  their  own  sun-worship  and  pronunci- 
ation. On  the  sarcophagus  of  Amyrtaeus,  one  of 
the  Egyptian  kings  who  rebelled  successfully 
against  the  Persians,  the  name  of  the  god  is 
also  spelt  Oben-Ba  (Fig,  16),  (See  Egyptian 
Inscriptions,  plate  30.)  These  two  instances  of 
U^e  use  of  this  name,  prove  its  meaning  on  the 
ivory  slab  from  Nineveh,  while  the  last,  which 
was  sculptured  about  b.c.  450,  would  lead  us 
to  think  the  ivory  slab  not  much  older. 

Tradition  tells  us  that  the  city  of  Balbec,  near  Damas- 
cus, was  ornamented  with  a  temple  to  the  Sun  by  a  king  of 
Assyria  who  held  Syria,  and  was  friendly  to  Egypt,  from 


Fig.16.— OBEK- 
BA. 


88 


A.    SKETCH    OP    ASSTKIAN    HISTORY. 


■which  country  ho  was  willing  to  copy  his  customs  and  religion. 
In  Egyptian  Heliopolis  he  found  a  god  so  like  his  own  that  he 
copied  his  statue  for  his  own  temple  in  Syria.*  The  city  re- 
ceived an  Egyptian  name,  Balbec,  the  city  of  Baal ^  from  Baki, 
the  Egyptian  for  city^  and  was  by  the  Greeks  afterwards  called 
Heliopolis,  when  the  latter  temple  was  there  built.  The 
builder  of  this  earlier  temple  can  be  no  other  than  Tiglath 
Pileser. 

*  Macrobius,  lib.  i.  23. 


Figa.  17  and  18.-babtlokian  ctlijcdbical  sbals. 


ONE  MJJLe 


Fig.  IS.—PLAN  or  MOUMD  OF  XHOBSABAo.— Botta,  pL  9 

A.  Palace  of  Kh<»«abad.   See  pages  96  and  160. 

B.  Space  enclosed  as  park  or  pleasure  ground. 


SECTION   III. 

TOPOGRAPHY. 


CHAPTER  I. 

BANKS  OF  THE  TI6BIS  AlfB   SITES  OP  THE  ASSTBIAN  PALACES. 

KHOBSABAB. 

Hayino  in  the  preyious  sections  sketched  the  labours  of 
Bich,  Botta,  and  Layard,  and  gone  over  such  records,  scriptural 
and  classical,  as  are  left  to  us  of  the  early  history  of  the 
Assyrian  empire,  it  may  now  be  desirable  to  trace  the  general 
topographicsd  features  of  the  locality  where    the   modem 


90  MOSTTL  AND  BANKS  OF  THE  TIGEI8. 

searches  have  been  made  for  the  discovery  of  the  buried  city 
— ^Nineveh. 

Flowing  down  the  sides  of  the  mountains  in  which  it  takes 
its  rise,  the  Tigris  still  for  a  while  meanders  at  their  base,  and 
then  being  enlarged  by  the  tributary  waters  of  the  Peecha- 
beur,  it  washes  the  western  extremity  of  the  mountain  of 
Gak6.  From  this  point  it  stretches  away  from  the  hills  in 
which  it  had  its  birth,  leaviug  between  them  and  itself  a  plain 
which  gradually  widens,  until,  opposite  Mosul,  it  shows  a 
broad  expanse. 

This  plain  is  far  from  presenting  the  flat  alluvial  character 
offered  by  Mesopotamia  in  the  lower  part  of  the  course  of  the 
Euphrates  and  the  Tigris ;  it  is,  on  the  contrary,  extremely 
undulating,  and  deeply  furrowed  by  the  water-courses  which, 
running  down  from  the  mountains  and  following  the  general 
inclination  of  the  ground,  flow  towards  the  river.  The  prin- 
cipal of  these  streams  is  the  Khauser,  which  rises  in  the  moun- 
tains, to  the  north  of  M6sul,  and  empties'itself  into  the  Tigris 
after  having  traversed  the  boundaries  of  the  ancient  walls  of 
Nineveh  itself. 

The  town  of  M6sul  is  situated  on  the  right  shore  of  the 
Tigris,  being  distant  190  miles  south-east  of  Diarbekir,  and 
220  W.N.W.  of  Baghdad.  Colonel  Chesney  informs  us  that 
the  average  width  of  the  river,  from  Mosul  to  Baghdad,  is  200 
yards,  with  a  current,  in  the  spring  season,  of  about  four  miles 
and  a  quarter  an  hour. 

It  will  greatly  facilitate  the  subjoined  description  if  the 
reader  will  at  once  fancy  himself  transported  to  the  city  of 
Mosul.  He  is  invited  thither,  not  to  gaze  on  its  old  walls, 
which  withstood  the  fierce  Saladin's  hosts;  nor  its  streets, 
which  Genghis  Khan  once  deluged  with  blood ;  nor  to  watch 
the  many  caravans  which  enter  and  emerge  by  its  eight  gates ; 
nor  to  mark  the  manners  of  its  large  and  motley  population  ; 
but  as  Mosul,  the  starting  point  of  Assyrian  research.  '  We 
will  therefore  at  once  cross  the  Tigris,  here  400  feet  wide,  by 
the  ricketty  bridge  of  boats,  and  thus  gain  the  eastern  side  of 
the  river. 

Arrived  here,  the  first  objects  that  strike  us  are  two  shape- 
less mounds,  standing  due  north  and  south  of  each  other,  on  a  * 
level  tract,  and  separated  by  the  Khauser,  a  mere  rivulet.  They 
are  the  mounds  of  Kouyunjik  and  Nebbi Tunis:  these  two 


BOAD  TO   XHORSABAD.  91 

eminences  being  connected  on  the  side  nearest  the  Tigris  by  a 
rampart  and  fosse,  which  run  beyond  them,  turn  to  the  east, 
and  circumscribe  an  area  having  the  form  of  an  oblong  square. 
The  rampart  consists  of  sun-dried  brick  and  earth.  It  varies 
in  height  from  ten  to  twenty  feet,  and  has  here  and  there  been 
broken  through,  but  continuous  traces  remain,  the  whole 
bearing  a  striking  resemblance  to  the  Roman  entrenchments 
still  extant  in  our  own  country. 

The  mound  of  Khorsabad  is  situated  about  14  miles  TsT.E.  of 
M6sul,*  on  the  left  bank  of  the  little  river  Khauser,  and  about 
8  miles  S.S.E.  of  M<5sul  lies  the  mound  of  Kimroud,  both 
mounds  being  visible,  through  a  telescope,  from  the  loftiest 
houses  in  M6sul.  A  fourth  mound,  Karamles,  is  as  far  north 
from  Nimroud  as  Khorsabad  is  from  M6sul;  but  although 
Assyrian  remains  are  known  to  exist  there,  the  mound  has 
hitherto  been  only  slightly  examined. 

We  will  now  proceed  to  the  mound  of  Khorsabad,  distin- 
guished as  that  in  which  the  first  Assyrian  building  was  dis- 
covered. Lying  some  distance  on  one  side  of  the  principal 
route  which  leads  from  M65ul  to  Diarbekir,  it  is  not  surprising 
that  the  village  of  Khorsabad,  from  its  situation  and  slight 
importance,  had  received  but  little  notice  from  European  in- 
vestigators. Chance  seems  to  have  conducted  Mr.  Eich  there, 
during  a  journey  which  he  made  from  M6sul  to  the  convent  of 
Habban-Ormuzd ;  and  after  visiting  the  ruined  convent  of 
Mar-Matteh,  he  regained  the  plain  by  traversing  the  first  chain 
of  hills  which  separate  the  waters  of  the  Gomel  from  those  of 
the  Khauser.  Following  the  base  of  the  hills,  he  says  he  saw 
several  mounds  situate  near  each  other,  and  particularly  one  of 
considerable  size  with  a  flat  top.  There  is  little  doubt  but  this 
was  the  mound  of  Khorsabad,  for  the  village,  called  by  Mr. 
Rich,  Iman-Fadla,  is  certainly  the  village  of  Fadlieh,  situated 
at  the  foot  of  the  mountain  at  half  a  league  from  Khorsabad ; 
the  position  of  the  place,  the  mention  made  of  gardens  in  this 
locality,  and  still  more,  a  comparison  of  the  names,  all  concur 
in  confirming  the  surmise. 

Niebuhr,  also,  followed  the  route  of  the  Desert  to  the  west  of 
the  Tigris,  on  his  way  from  M6sul  to  Mardin ;  he,  conse- 
quently, did  not  pass  near  Khorsabad ;  nevertheless  the  name 

1  Botta'8  Letters  on  Nineveh. 


92  BOAD   TO   KHOBSABID. 

of  this  village  did  not  escape  his  researches,  which  were  always 
80  precise  and  exact :  in  his  list  of  the  villages  situated  to  the 
north  of  M6sul  and  to  the  east  of  the  river,  is  found  the  name 
of  Khastabad,  one  of  the  variants  still  in  use  for  Khoraabad, 
This  latter  name,  in  fact,  not  being  Arabic,  and  suggesting  no 
meaning  to  the  inhabitants,  is  written  and  pronounced  by  them 
very  variously.*  According  to  them,  the  word  means  dwelU 
ing  of  the  sick,  a  term  which  perfectly  agrees  with  the  insalu- 
brity of  the  neighbourhood. 

Two  roads  lead  from  Mosul  to  Khorsabad,  passing  north 
and  south  of  Kouyunjik.  In  following  the  northern  route,  it 
is  necessary  to  traverse  the  Khauser  near  its  mouth,  and  then 
to  recross  it  a  little  distance  from  Khorsabad.  This  passage, 
which  is  not  always  easily  effected  during  the  floods,  is  avoided 
by  keeping  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Khauser,  to  the  south  of 
Kouyunjik;  and  this  route  was  that  which  Botta  generally 
took.  The  traveller  enters  the  boundaries  of  old  Nineveh  by 
one  of  the  cuttings  made  through  the  wall  between  the  village 
of  Niniouah  and  the  mound  of  Kouyunjik ;  and  emerges  from 
thence  at  the  very  point  where  the  river,  turning  round  the 
mound,  cuts  the  eastern  rampart  to  penetrate  the  enclosed 
space :  a  few  remains  of  masonry  in  the  bed  of  the  river  at  this 

J  Botta  says  it  ought  to  be  spelt  and  pronounced  "  Khoiiroustabaz,  with 
a  dhamma  on  the  kha  and  the  ra,  a  sekoun  on  the  sin,  and  the  two  points 
on  the  ta."  Yacouti,  in  his  Turkish  Geographical  Dictionary^  says,  "This 
is  a  village  to  the  east  of  the  Tigris,  forming  a  portion  of  the  district  of 
Ninioua.  Water  is  plentiful  there,  and  there  are  numerous  gardens 
watered  with  the  surplus  of  the  waters  of  the  Ea«-el-Na*our,  which  are 
called  Jaraat.  In  this  neighbourhood  there  is  a  ruined  ancient  city 
called  Saro'un."  With  regard  to  this  city  of  Saro'un,  Yacouti  speaks  of  it 
in  the  same  dictionary  as  follows : — "  Saro'un  with  a  fatha  on  the  sad 
and  a  tekoun  on  the  ra,  was  an  ancient  city  in  the  district  of  Ninioua, 
and  the  best  of  the  district  of  M6sul.  It  is  ruined ;  ancient  treasures 
are  believed  to  exist  there,  and  some  individuals  are  said  to  have  found 
sufficient  to  satisfy  them.  There  is  a  story  on  the  subject  of  this  town 
mentioned  in  the  ancient  chronicles."  It  was  Rawlinson  who  pointed  out 
this  curious  citation,  which  is  all  the  more  interesting,  because,  while 
fixing  the  real  orthography  of  the  name  of  Khorsabad,  it  proves  the  false^ 
ness  of  an  etymology  already  proposed,  the  historical  consequences  of  which 
were  of  some  importance.  The  name  of  Khourousbad  might  very  well  be 
decomposed  into  Khourous  and  abad^  and  thus  signify  the  dwelling  of 
Cyrus ;  but  the  presence  of  a  ^  and  a  «  in  Khouroustabaz  renders  this  deri- 
vation impossible.  As  to  the  existence  of  an  ancient  town  named  Saro'un 
on  this  spot,  the  present  is  not  a  fitting  time  to  discuss  the  question. 


SOAB  TO  KHOBSABAD.  93 

spot  would  seem  to  indicate  the  ancient  existence  of  a  bridge, 
or  rather  of  some  work  destined  to  support  the  continuation  of 
the  wall,  but  allowing  at  the  same  time  a  free  passage  for  the 
water.  Prom  this'  point  the  road  turns  gradually  to  the  north, 
parallel  with  the  left  bank  of  the  Khauser,  and  then,  after 
having  traversed  a  deep  ravine,  which  ultimately  joins  the 
river,  it  separates  from  the  road  to  Bachika,  at  the  foot  of 
the  eminence  on  which  the  ruined  village  of  Hachemich  is 
situated. 

At  the  base  of  the  elevations  by  which  the  road  is  bounded 
on  the  east,  are  remarked  those  masses  of  concretions  considered 
by  Mr.  Rich  to  be  the  remains  of  ancient  masonry.  On  the 
way  from  Mosul  to  Zakho  masses  of  conglomerations  precisely 
similar  are  found  in  the  ravines  which  cut  the  plain  trans- 
versely as  they  descend  from  the  mountains ;  and  there  is  no 
reason  for  believing  that  the  origin  of  those  which  border  the 
valley  of  the  Khauser  is  different. 

Prom  the  village  of  Hachemich  up  to  Khorsabad,  the  road 
presents  nothing  remarkable ;  it  gradually  nears  the  chain  of 
the  mountains,  by  traversing  a  vast  undulated  plain.  The 
soil  of  this  plain  is  capable  of  cultivation,  but  not  a  single 
tree  breaks  the  monotony  of  it;  and  as  soon  as  the  sun,  whose 
power  is  in  this  country  felt  at  a  very  early  period  of  the 
year,  has  dried  up  the  vegetation,  nothing  can  be  more  mourn- 
ful to  behold,  or  more  wearisome  to  travel  across,  than  this 
long  succession  of  fields  lying  fallow  or  despoiled  of  their 
crops. 

The  road,  after  passing  the  bed  of  a  torrent,  rises  gradually 
by  a  gentle  undulation.  On  arriving  at  the  highest  point, 
the  traveller,  for  the  first  time,  perceives  Khorsabad,  situated 
in  a  plain  comparatively  very  low,  the  verdure  of  which,  in 
sunimer,  forms  an  agreeable  contrast  with  the  general  aridity 
of  the  country;  he  then  descends  into  the  plain,  and  soon 
penetrates  into  the  ancient  fortified  enclosure  by  passing  an 
opening  through  which  a  little  stream  flows  forth  ;  lastly,  he 
crosses  the  marshy  land  which  occupies  a  large  portion  of  the 
space  contained  within  the  old  wall,  and  reaches  the  village, 
which,  before  Botta*s  researches,  was  built  upon  the  very 
summit  of  the  mound. 

Travelling  thus  from  Mosul  to  Khorsabad,  it  is  remarkable 
that  no  trace  of  the  wall  which,  according  to  historians,  sur- 


94  LOCALITY   OF   XBOESIBAD. 

rounded  Nineveh,  is  any  where  visible.  Neither  on  the  other 
route  which  leads  from  Mosul  to  Khorsabad,  by  passing  to  the 
north  of  Kouyunjik,  can  any  trace  of  the  ancient  wall  be  met 
with. 

"  It  is/'  says  Botta,  "  a  well-known  fact,  that  walls  of  un- 
baked bricks,  such  as  those  which  must  have  surrounded 
Nineveh,  leave  behind  them  traces  which,  in  some  degree,  are 
indelible ;  we  have  a  proof  of  this  at  Mosul  itself,  where 
those  which  formed  the  enclosure  of  Nineveh  are  still 
perfectly  distinct,  and  could  not  be  mistaken  by  any  one. 
Since,  then,  no  similar  vestiges  are  found  further  on,  we  must 
conclude  that  the  enclosure  in  question  was  that  of  the  city 
itself,  and  that  the  palace  of  Khorsabad  was  placed  at  a  great 
distance  beyond  it."  How  far  subsequent  discoveries  confirm 
this  opinion  we  will  not  now  stay  to  inquire ;  but  one  word 
may  be  said  ad  interim.  Kliorsabad,  if  a  chief  palace  of  t))e 
lords  of  Nineveh,  would  doubtless  be  within  the  boundaries  of 
that  great  city  in  days  when,  to  be  isolated,  was  to  be  in 
danger. 

*'  The  low  ground  in  the  middle  of  which  Khorsabad  is 
situated  is  open  completely  to  the  west  only ;  to  the  south  it  is 
bounded  by  the  elevation  of  the  plain ;  to  the  east  arise  the 
calcareous  mountains  separating  the  basin  of  the  Tigris  from 
the  valley  of  Gomel ;  and  to  the  north  stretches  a  chain  of 
hills,  through  which  the  Khauser  passes.  Towards  the  west 
only  can  the  eye  wander  without  hindrance  over  the  plain 
watered  by  the  Tigris,  beyond  which  are  seen  the  mountains 
where  dwell  the  Yezidis.*' 

**  The  low  position  of  the  ground,  and  the  great  quantity  of 
streams  which  unite  there,  afford  the  inhabitants  of  Khorsabad 
great  facilities  for  watering  their  plantations — a  circumstance 
which  accounts  for  the  verdure  of  this  little  canton  in  the 
midst  of  the  general  aridity.  Unfortunately  the  lowness  of 
the  position,  so  advantageous  for  cultivation,  is  attended  by 
the  evils  inseparable  from  it  in  a  hot  climate ;  for  the  super- 
fluous waters  not  finding  an  easy  means  of  exit,  form  marshes 
in  the  enclosure,  and  at  different  points  round  about  the 
mound,  rendering  the  air,  during  the  summer,  very  unhealthy. 
This  insalubrity  is  still  more  increased  by  the  bad  quality  ot 
the  water  for  drinking ;  but,  in  spite  of  this  evil,  we  can  easily 
suppose  that  the  plentiful  supply  of  water  was  one  of  the 


DIMENSIONS  OF  DOTTBLE  M0X7ND.  95 

motives  which  induced  the  kings  of  Assyria  to  build  at 
Khorsabad  so  considerable  a  palace." 

The  architecture  of  the  Assyrians,  as  illustrated  in  its  only 
relics,  cannot  be  understood  without  some  preliminary  reference 
to  the  nature  of  the  mounds  on  which  the  edifices  were  built. 
If  the  strongholds,  palaces  or  temples  were  to  be  distinguished 
from  the  humbler  dwellings  around,  it  became  essential  to 
place  them  upon  imposing  sites,  such  as  nowhere  appeared  in 
the  broad  expanse  between  the  rivers  Tigris  and  Euphrates, 
and  the  boundaries  formed  by  the  Armenian  mountains.  In 
the  absence,  therefore,  of  natural  elevations,  it  became  neces- 
sary to  resort  to  art,  and  hence  the  origin  of  those  vast  sub- 
structures which  arrested  the  attention  of  Xenophon,  and 
which  still  astonish  the  traveller  by  their  extent  and  solidity. 

As  no  mound  has  hitherto  been  so  fully  explored  as  that  of 
Khorsabad,  and  moreover,  since  no  other  gives  us  so  much 
insight  into  the  plan  of  the  cities,  as  well  as  the  temples  of 
the  Assyrians,  a  description  of  its  configuration  and  structure 
will  best  give  an  idea  of  all  the  mounds. 

The  following  are  the  dimensions  of  this  double  mound, 
taken  as  correctly  as  the  unequal  inclinations  and  the  irregu- 
larities would  allow : — 

Length  from  north-west  to  south-east        .        .        .    976  feet. 
Breadth  of  the  large  rectangle       ....        975    „ 
Breadth  of  the  little  rectangle 650    „ 

The  common  summit  is  nearly  flat,  although  not  everywhere 
of  the  same  level.  The  north-west  portion  is  the  more  elevated, 
and  always  preserves  the  same  height.  Within  a  line  which 
would  pass  over  the  mound,  and  sever  the  two  mounds,  the 
level  gradually  sinks  towards  the  east,  so  that  the  south-east 
side  is  much  lower  than  the  north-west.  About  the  middle 
of  the  south-west  side,  in  the  right  angle  formed  by  the  junc- 
tion of  the  two  portions,  there  is  a  little  cone,  which  is  the 
most  elevated  point,  and  commands  all  the  other  parts  of  the 
surface.  The  isolation  of  this  mass,  in  the  midst  of  the  plain, 
rendered  its  aspect  sufficiently  imposing ;  but  it  is  impossible 
to  give  the  exact  elevation :  Botta  says  that  it  exceeded  40, 
and  certainly  did  not  exceed  51  feet  in  height.  This  cone  is 
surmounted  by  a  small  square  tower,  altogether  modem,  and 
differing  in  nothing  from  the  actual  style  of  buildings  now  in 
use  in  these  parts. 


96 


PLATFOBM   OF  THE  PALACE. 


Near  the  northern  angle  of  the  mound  is  a  well,  which, 
from  its  being  situated  on  the  bank  of  a  river,  seems  useless. 
The  well  is  believed  to  be  an  ancient  work ;  the  bottom  of  it 
is  paved  with  a  stone  with  seven  holes,  through  which  water 


Fig.  20. — PLAN  OF  PLATFOEM  OK  WHICH  THE  PALACE  STAKnS. 

Fig.  1.  N.W.  elevation.    Fig.  2.  S.E.  eleyation.    Fig.  3.  S.W.  elevation. 
Fig.  4.  N.E.  elevation. 

N.B.— The  dotted  line  shows  how  we  suppose  the  first  platform  was  attained  by  a 
double  flight  of  steps ;  and  how  thfi  second  elevation  to  court  n,  leading  through  the 
passage  chamber  to  court  N,  and  thence  to  the  principal  chambers  and  courts  of  the 
palace. 

of  the  greatest  freshness  gushes  forth  in  abundance ;  this  water, 
according  to  the  inhabitants,  is  much  more  healthy  than  that 
in  the  neighbourhood.  It  has  a  taste  slightly  sulphurous. 
The  fact  of  the  above-mentioned  stone  at  the  bottom  of  the 
well  induces  the  belief  in  its  antiquity ;  for  it  is  a  trouble  that 


EECTANGTJLAE  FOETIFIED   ENCLOSTJBE.  97 

no  one  in  these  countries  would  take  now-a-days.  It  is  pos- 
sible that  the  ancient  inhabitants,  like  the  present  ones, 
believing  in  the  salubrity  of  this  water,  thought  of  bringing 
it  by  a  subterranean  conduit  from  the  adjacent  mountain. 

The  summit  of  the  mound  offers  nothing  worthy  of  atten- 
tion ;  the  village,  placed  upon  the  highest  portion,  and  em- 
bracing the  large  cutting  of  the  north-west  side,  covered  most 
of  the  ruins ;  the  largest  level  part  of  it,  which  gently  slopes 
down  towards  the  interior  of  the  enclosure,  was  cultivated, 
and  differed  in  nothing  from  the  soil  of  the  neighbourhood. 

Besides  the  mound  of  Khorsabad,  Botta  distinctly  traced 
the  walls  of  an  enclosure  forming  nearly  a  perfect  square,  two 
sides  of  which  are  5750  feet,  the  other  5400,  or  rather  more 
than  an  English  mile  each  way,  all  the  four  angles  being  right 
angles,  which  face  the  cardinal  points.  (See  Fig.  19.)  One  of 
its  sides  extended  in  a  line  drawn  from  the  north  to  the  west 
corners  of  the  large  mound,  so  that  it  would  have  cut  off  the 
smaller  mound,  had  it  not  been  broken  into,  so  as  to  allow  the 
small  mound,  with  its  palace,  to  rise  in  the  gap.  It  is  pro- 
bable that  at  the  points  where  the  line  seems  to  be  interrupted, 
the  city  wall  was  turned,  so  as  to  run  round  the  lesser  mound, 
as  it  is  impossible  to  suppose  that  the  palace  was  left  the  most 
exposed  part  of  the  city. 

The  fortified  enclosure  of  the  mound  of  Khorsabad  forms  a 
large  and  very  regular  square ;  the  wall  surrounding  it,  and 
which  looks  like  a  long  tumulus  of  a  rounded  shape,  is  sur- 
mounted, at  irregular  intervals,  by  elevations  which  jut  out 
beyond  it,  inside  as  well  as  outside,  and  indicate  the  existence 
of  small  towers.     (See  Fig.  19.) 

From  the  northern  angle  the  wall  stretches  very  regularly 
to  the  south-east,  becoming  more  elevated  and  distinct ;  as  we 
advance,  it  assumes  the  aspect  of  a  large  causeway,  a  great 
number  of  fragments  of  bricks  and  gypsum  being  observable 
on  the  soil.  At  490  feet  from  the  angle  a  wall  springs  out  to 
the  exterior,  runs  to  the  north-east,  and  terminates  in  a 
rounded  eminence,  which  seems  to  point  out  the  place  of  a 
tower ;  there  is  a  similar,  but  more  considerable  eminence  on 
the  boundary  wall  itself.  Lastly,  further  on,  a  cutting  is 
visible,  through  which  a  lazy  stream,  which  here  and  there 
expands  into  a  marsh,  penetrates  into  the  interior  of  the  en- 
closure.    The  wall  then  continues  in  a  straight  line  to  the 

a 


98  ENCLOSTJEB    OP    THE    MOTJND. 

eastern  angle,  and  is  remarkable  for  nothing  besides  another 
tower ;  the  north-eastern  side  has,  therefore,  three  towers,  if 
we  include  that  which  terminates  the  accessory  wall.  Beyond 
the  cutting  that  affords  a  passage  for  the  streamlet,  the  ex- 
terior ditch  begins  to  be  distinguished.  On  this  base  rises  a 
brick  wall.  As  many  as  twelve  regular  layers  of  it  were 
counted  in  a  total  height  of  six  feet  and  a-half.  These  bricks 
are  similar  in  size  to  those  composing  the  mass  of  the  mound, 
and  they  are  not,  any  more  than  these  latter,  separated  from 
each  other  by  strata  of  reeds,  nor  united  with  bitumen  nor 
with  any  other  kind  of  cement. 

The  wall  and  ditch  which  form  the  south-eastern  side  are 
very  distinct ;  but  there  is  nothing  else  remarkable,  except  an 
external  enlargement  of  the  wall  and  two  towers. 

The  southern  angle,  on  coming  up  with  the  ditch,  ceases  to  be 
distinct,  so  that  it  appears  to  bound  only  two  sides  of  the  enclo- 
sure. At  a  short  distance  from  the  southern  angle,  the  south- 
western side  shows  traces  of  some  rather  remarkable  accessory 
constructions.  A  wall  springs  out  from  it  into  the  interior,  and 
forms  a  square.  One  of  the  sides  of  this  square,  in  which  no 
signs  of  any  opening  are  visible,  is  formed  by  the  wall  of  the 
enclosure  itself,  which  is  considerably  widened  at  this  point, 
and  assumes  the  aspect  of  a  mound,  jutting  out  on  the  ex- 
terior, sending  into  the  plain  two  long  prolongations  or  coun- 
terforts. This  plan  is  very  similar  to  that  of  the  mound  of 
Khorsabad  itself;  and  the  resemblance  would  be  complete,  if 
the  internal  square,  formed  by  the  accessory  wall,  were  filled 
up  instead  of  containing  an  empty  space.  Several  excavations 
were  made,  but  without  success :  all  that  was  found  were 
some  stones  without  any  inscriptions  or  sculpture,  and  some 
fragments  of  bricks.  In  its  actual  condition,  it  is  impossible 
to  say  what  this  kind  of  enclosure,  without  any  outlet,  and 
itself  shut  up  in  the  great  enclosure,  could  have  been.  The 
south-western  side  of  the  latter  contains  nothing  else  remark- 
able, except  two  towers,  placed  so  as  to  divide  it  into  three 
pretty  equal  portions.  There  is  also  here  another  cutting, 
through  which  the  streamlet  which  enters  the  enclosure  through 
the  north-eastern  side  escapes.  It  is  through  this  cutting  that 
the  road  passes  which  leads  from  Mosul  to  Khorsabad. 

Setting  out  from  the  western  angle,  the  wall  returns  to  the 
north-east,  and  forms  a  part  of  the  north-west  side;  it  gradually 


GBOTTND    WITHIN    THE   ENCL08UBE.  99 

Binks  towards  its  termination,  leaving  an  opening  between  the 
mound  and  itself.  Kear  its  termination  a  small  eminence 
points  out  the  place  of  one  more  tower ;  and,  lastly,  there  is 
a  cutting.  Through  this  a  stream,  which  branches  from 
the  small  river,  and  unites  with  the  stream  that  traverses  the 
enclosure.  This  same  river  runs  parallel  to  the  whole  north- 
western side  of  the  enclosure,  gradually  flowing  nearer  to 
it,  so  as  to  pass  very  close  to  the  western  angle,  round  which  it 
turns  by  making  a  slight  bend ;  it  is  a  branch  of  the  Na'our, 
and  is  employed  in  watering  the  country,  so  that  it  is  often 
dried  up  when  its  waters  have  been  diverted  upon  the  sur- 
rounding fields. 

It  is  evident  from  the  description  just  given,  that  the  out- 
ward wall  of  Xhorsabad  exhibits  traces  of  eight  towers. 
Besides  these,  there  are  several  similar  mounds  scattered  here 
and  there  in  the  plain.  Among  others,  one  of  considerable 
dimensions.  The  isolation  and  conical  shape  of  these  little 
elevations  do  not  allow  a  doubt  of  their  artificial  origin.  They 
probably  contain  remains  of  ancient  buildings. 

The  openings  which  give  access  to  the  enclosure  are  five  in 
number,  and  they  are  all  situated  in  the  north-western  portion. 
Three  of  them  seem  to  have  been  intended  to  afford  the  water 
a  free  passage,  but  it  is  at  present  difficult  to  say  whether  they 
date  from  ancient  times,  and  are  consequentty  part  of  the 
primitive  plan,  or  not.  If,  as  Botta  supposes,  this  vast  en- 
closure was  destined  to  contain  the  gardens  of  the  palace 
constructed  upon  the  mound,  we  are  justified  in  supposing 
that  some  of  these  cuttings  were  made  in  order  to  givre  passage 
to  the  water  necessary  for  horticultural  purposes,  and  without 
which,  in  this  country,  vegetation  is  out  of  the  question. 

The  ground  comprised  within  this  vast  enclosure  is  generally 
level ;  at  some  points,  however,  where  it  is  rather  depressed, 
the  waters  collect  and  form  swamps.  The  nature  of  the 
plants  in  these  swamps  indicate  the  presence  of  salt,  and  those 
portions  of  the  soil  which  are  dried  up  by  the  heat  of  the 
sun  during  summer  are  covered  with  white  efflorescences. 
It  was  this  part  of  the  road  comprised  within  the  enclosure 
which  offered  the  greatest  obstacles  in  transporting  the  S(;ulp- 
tures ;  for,  although  the  ground  appeared  firm  and  solid  at 
the  surface,  at  least  during  the  hot  season,  it  formed  nothing 
more  than  a  thin  crust,  covering  the  water  or  mud,  in  which 

h2 


1 00        CONSTKTICTION  OF  WA.LLS  SUEROTJNDING  THE  MOUND. 

the  wheels  of  the  waggon  sank  so  deeply,  that  the  most  stre- 
nuous efforts  were  required  to  extricate  them. 

The  surrounding  plain  offers  hardly  anything  worth  notice, 
except  that,  opposite  the  mound,  and  on  the  right  shore  of 
the  Khauser,  there  are  some  undulations,  which  may  indicate 
the  existence  of  ancient  ruins. 

Such  is  the  actual  condition  of  the  mound,  which  serves  as 
a  base  for  the  palace  of  Khorsabad  and  of  the  wall  intended 
to  enclose  its  dependencies.  Botta,  being  deceived  by  external 
appearances,  thought  for  a  long  time  that  the  mound  was 
simply  an  accumulation  of  earth  which  had  been  brought  there 
for  some  purpose ;  but  excavations  made  at  different  places 
showed  that  it  was  a  mass  of  bricks  baked  in  the  sun,  and 
placed  in  regular  layers.  These  bricks,  unlike  those  baked  in 
kilns,  bear  no  inscriptions,  nor  are  there  any  signs  of  chopped 
straw  visible  in  their  composition  ;  the  layers  are  nowhere  sepa- 
rated, as  at  Babylon,  by  strata  of  reeds,  nor  are  they  united  by 
any  cement,  either  bituminous  or  calcareous.  The  bricks  seem 
to  be  united  merely  with  the  same  clay  which  was  used  to  make 
them,  so  that  they  can  be  distinguished  from  the  strata  of  the 
soil  by  the  regular  and  often  different-coloured  lines,  only 
perceptible  on  the  sides  of  the  opened  trenches;  when  the 
sides,  however,  have  been  a  short  time  exposed  to  the  action 
of  the  atmosphere  and  of  the  sun,  these  lines  disappear,  and 
nothing  is  then  left  to  distinguish  these  masses  of  unburnt 
bricks  from  the  surrounding  earth. 

It  will  be  easy  to  conceive  that  a  mass  of  earth,  composed  of 
brick  merely  dried  in  the  sun,  would  not  long  withstand  the 
action  of  the  elements  and  time.  It  would  not  be  long  before 
the  upper  part  would  wear  down  and  spread  over  the  plain. 
To  obviate  this  result,  which  would  soon  have  assisted  in 
the  ruin  of  the  palace,  the  mound  was  surrounded  with  a 
strong  supporting  wall,  which  served  as  a  coating  to  the  mass 
of  bricks.  This  wall  was  constructed  of  blocks  of  a  very 
liard  calcareous  stone,  obtained  from  the  neighbouring  moun- 
tains. 

During  the  long  succession  of  ages  posterior  to  the  ruin  of 
the  Assyrian  Empire,  and  the  destruction  of  the  Palace  of 
Khorsabad,  the  stone  coating,  in  spite  of  its  solidity,  fell  ne- 
cessarily into  ruin,  or  was  perhaps  demolished,  in  order  that 
the  remains  of  it  might  be  employed  for  other  purposes.     No- 


SWAMPS.  101 

thing,  then,  any  longer  supporting  the  mass  of  bricks,  the 
upper  portions,  as  a  natural  consequence,  would  crumble  away, 
and  in  this  manner,  doubtless,  the  slopes  were  formed.  This 
natural  operation  may  also  have  been  hastened  by  the  inha- 
bitants carrying  away  the  earth  to  spread  over  their  fields. 

The  surrounding  wall,  46  feet  thick,  consisted  of  a  mass  of 
unburnt  bricks,  supported  on  a  base  of  stone  rubbish,  covered 
externally  with  a  coating  of  calcareous  stone.  This  basement 
was  not  high ;  and  the  internal  stone  rubbish  was  composed 
of  irregularly-shaped  stones,  piled  together  without  cement. 
The  blocks  of  the  outward  coating  are  cut  only  on  their  ex- 
ternal surface,  and  on  the  sides  which  touch  each  other ;  the 
surface  next  to  the  rubbish  is  rough. 

The  trench  opened  outside  the  wall  laid  bare  the  ruins  of 
another  structure,  which  must  have  occupied  the  bottom  or  the 
external  bank  of  the  ditch.  Perhaps  there  was  a  door  at  this 
spot,  and  the  structure  in  question  was  the  remains  of  a  cause- 
way intended  to  serve  as  a  means  of  passage  across  the  ditch. 

This  mass  of  unburnt  brick  wall  was  not  buried  suddenly  ; 
it  must  have  remained  during  several  ages  exposed  to  the  ac- 
tion of  the  atmosphere  and  the  rain,  and  have  fallen  to  decay 
and  sunk  down  gradually ;  and  this  would  have  been  the  case, 
also,  with  the  great  enclosure  of  Nineveh  itself,  which  would 
likewise  be  subject  to  be  carried  away  for  agricultural  purposes. 
To  the  gradual  sinking  of  this  earthen  wall,  which  in  some 
degree  shifted  its  base,  is  to  be  attributed  its  present  engulph- 
ment,  and  the  great  breadth  of  the  tumulus  which  marks  its 
place.  In  proportion  as  the  summit  was  decomposed,  the  de- 
tritus grew  up  at  the  base,  until  the  summit  was  reduced  to 
the  level  of  the  heaps  of  earth  produced  by  the  decomposition 
of  the  wall,  and  piled  up  on  every  side.  This  natural  dilapi- 
dation would  then  cease,  and  the  last  rows  of  bricks,  being 
protected  by  the  rubbish,  are  thus  preserved  up  to  our  day,  so  it 
is  not  improbable,  the  great  enclosure  may  have  eluded  the 
search  of  the  explorers. 

On  beholding  these  vast  structures  of  brick,  we  naturally 
ask  ourselves  whence  the  earth  employed  to  form  them  could 
have  been  procured  ?  The  swamps  in  the  enclosure,  and  those 
in  the  neighbourhood,  indicating,  as  they  necessarily  do,  depres- 
sions on  the  surface  of  the  soil,  appear  to  furnish  us  with  an 
answer  to  this  question.    These  swamps,  it  is  true,  are  now- 


102 


SWAMPS. 


a- days  far  from  deep  ;  but  it  is  easy  to  conceive  that  they  have 
been  gradually  filled  up  by  the  detritus  of  plants,  and  the  accu- 
mulation of  mud  brought  down  by  the  various  streams ;  an 
explanation  which  the  extreme  antiquity  of  these  monuments 
readers  highly  plausible.  Besides  this,  the  ditch,  although 
hardly  visible  now,  may  formerly  have  been  very  deep,  and  the 
earth  which  was  taken  out  of  it  was,  doubtless,  enough  to 
build  the  wall.  It  may  be  added  that,  at  a  little  distance  to 
the  north  of  Khorsabad,  there  are  vast  moving  bogs,  which,  in 
all  probability,  also  owe  their  origin  to  the  extraction  of  the 
earth  necessary  to  have  made  these  bricks. 

We  set  out  by  stating  that  the  mound  of  Khorsabad  might 
be  regarded  as  a  general  type  of  the  artificial  platforms  of 
the  Assyrian  plains.  Having  described  that  eminence  in  full, 
we  will  now  give  some  account  of  the  mound  of  Nimroud,  the 
mine  whence  the  Assyrian  treasures  of  our  National  Museum 
have  been  dug. 


Fig.  21.— EASTEBN  SIDB  OF  HOUNDS  OF  KHOBSABAD. 


Fig.  22.-=-viBW  or  obklisk  fouhd  at  kimboud. 


CHAPTER  11. 


NIMROTTD. — KOUYTJN  JIK. — KiBAMLES , 

Retubnino  from  Khorsabad  to  Mosul,  we  will  embark  on  a 
raft,  to  visit  the  great  mound  of  Kimroud,  and  soon  reach  the 
mound  of  Yarumjeh,  on  the  left  bank  of  the  river;  we  shall 
stay  only  to  notice  that  the  flood-current  of  the  Tigris  has 
made  havoc  with  this  mass,  and  cut  it  down  to  a  •  precipice, 
exposing  its  artificial  construction.  Where  the  soil  has  been 
removed  by  the  waters,  remains  of  buildings  are  exhibited, 
such  as  layers  of  large  stones,  some  with  bitumen  on  them, 
with  a  few  burnt  bricks  and  tiles. 

At  about  twenty-eight  miles  by  the  river,  and  twenty  miles 
in  direct  distance,  south,  12  E.  below  Nineveh,  is  the  cele- 
brated dyke  of  solid  masonry,  called  Zikru-l-aw4z,  at  that 


104  HESEN   IDENTICAL   WITH    LARISSA. 

point  which  crosses  the  bed  of  the  river.  The  stream,  when 
full,  rushes  over  this  obstruction  with  great  impetuosity,  and 
its  roar  may  be  heard  for  several  miles.  Seven  miles  lower 
down,  there  is  another  dyke,  called  Zikr  Ismail,  similar  to  the 
former,  but  in  a  more  dilapidated  state.  At  the  distance  of 
about  two  miles  and  three-quarters  S.E.  from  Zikru-1-aw^z, 
are  the  ruins  of  Nimroud  or  Athur  :  they  are  about  four  miles 
in  circumference,  and  are  terminated  at  theN.W.  angle  by  a 
great  pyramidal  mound,  144^  feet  high,  and  777  in  circum- 
ference, which  was  once  coated  with  bricks.  Some  of  these 
were  found  by  Mr.  Rich,  who  states  that  they  are  about  the 
same  size  as  those  of  Babylon,  and  are  inscribed  with  arrow- 
headed  characters.  Here,  also,  Mr.  Francis  William  Ains- 
worth  discovered  the  foundations  of  some  massive  walls,  which 
may  possibly  be  those  of  the  great  city  of  Resen,^  placed 
between  Nineveh  and  Calah,  and  which  are  still  called  after 
**  the  mighty  huntsman.'"  As  the  country  is  in  complete 
cultivation,  these  ruins  have  been  nearly  obliterated  by  the 
plough,  and  by  the  villages  of  the  cultivators,  so  that  it  would 
be  difficult  to  ascertain  the  extent  of  the  city.  There  are  fair 
grounds  for  supposing  that  llesen  was  identical  with  the  La- 
rissa  mentioned  by  Xenopliou  ;^  the  name,  however,  is  Greek, 
and  as  there  were  no  Greek  settlements  beyond  the  Tigris 
before  the  time  of  Alexander,  Bochart  judiciously  conjectures, 
that  when  the  Greeks  asked  the  people  of  the  country,  "  What 
city  are  these  the  ruins  of?"  they  answered  imb  La  Ressen, 
that  is,  of  Resen,  a  word  that  might  easily  be  softened  by  a 
Greek  termination,  and  made  Larissa.  Taken  as  an  appel- 
lative, the  word  pi  Resen  signifies  a  bridle,  or  bit,  that  is  a 
restraint  or  curb  on  the  neighbouring  people,  as  a  bridle  is  to 
an  animal.*  Xenophon  describes  the  walls  to  have  been 
"  twenty-five  feet  in  breadth,  one  hundred  in  height,  and  two 
parasangas  in  circuit;  all  built  with  bricks,  except  the  plinth, 
which  was  of  stone,  and  twenty  feet  high.  Close  to  the  city 
stood  a  pyramid  of  stone,  one  hundred  feet  square,  and  two 
hundred  feet  high."  Thence  they  made,  in  one  day's  march, 
six  parasangas,  to  a  large  uninhabited  castle,  standing  near  a 
town  called  Mespila,  formerly  inhabited  also  by  Medes.     The 

^  Gen.  X.  12.  '  Chesney,  "  Survey  of  Euphrates." 

Royal  Geog.  Journ.  vol.  ix.  p.  35,  and  Sequel  of  Rawlinson's  notes. 
^Xenophon,  Anab.  bk.  iii.  *  Taylor  on  Calmet. 


NIMEOUD. KOUTUNJIK. — KAKAMLES.  105 

plinth  of  the  wall  was  built  with  polished  stone  full  of  shells, 
being  fifty  feet  in  breadth,  and  as  many  in  height.  Upon  this 
stood  a  brick  wall,  "  fifty  feet  also  in  breadth,  one  hundred  in 
height,  and  six  parasangas  in  circuit."  Ainsworth  observes, 
that  the  "  conglomerate  on  which  the  walls  of  Nineveh  are 
built,  is  like  that  of  the  Zab,  a  deposit  of  rolled  pebbles  of  lime- 
stone, duallage  rock,  serpentine,  hornblende  rock,  quartzes, 
jaspers,  and  Lydian  stone."  He  surmises  that,  from  the  ele- 
vation of  this  deposit,  it  probably  owes  its  origin  to  the  break- 
ing down  of  a  dyke,  or  of  some  natural  resistance  in  the 
Kurdistan  mountains. 

The  mound  of  Nimroud  is  not  less  clearly  defined  than  that 
of  Khorsabad,  which  it  resembles  in  the  quadrangular  form  of 
its  line  of  consecutive  mounds.  In  the  middle  of  the  west 
side  of  the  mound  is  the  celebrated  north-west  palace,  whence 
Layard  drew  his  stores  of  treasure.  Behind  this,  in  the  south- 
west angle,  is  the  most  recent  palace  hitherto  laid  open.  It 
is  principally  built  of  slabs  taken  from  previously  existing 
edifices.  In  the  next  angle,  and  diagonally  opposite  to  the 
pyramid  at  the  north-west  corner,  is  an  unintelligible  building, 
usually  called,  after  the  angle  in  which  it  was  found,  the 
south-east  edifice.  A  fourth  building  lies  deep  in  the  centre  of 
the  mound.  Of  these,  the  north-west  is  the  only  one  which 
has  been  explored  to  any  extent.  The  shape  of  the  platform  is 
modified  by  three  ravines  which  run  into  it — one  between  the 
south-west  and  south-east  edifices,  a  second  to  the  north  of 
the  latter  building,  and  the  third  immediately  to  the  north  of 
the  old  palace,  a  part  of  which  has  fallen  into  it. 

The  construction  of  the  mounds  of  Kouyunjik  and  N'ebbi 
Tunis,  in  general,  does  not  differ  from  those  of  Khorsabad  and 
Nimroud.  The  former,  also  locally  styled  the  Kalah,  or  Castle 
of  KinaWe,  rises  steeply  from  the  plain  to  the  height  of  forty- 
three  feet,  and  has  a  level  summit,  on  which  here  and  there  an 
Arab  cottage  may  be  seen.  This  is  one  of  the  largest  of  the 
Assyrian  mounds,  having  an  extent  of  7800  feet  circumference. 
When  first  seen  it  appears  to  be  a  natural  eminence ;  but  on 
nearer  examination  traces  of  buildings  are  observable,  and  the 
whole  surface  is  strewed  with  fragments  of  pottery,  covered 
with  beautiful  cuneiform  writing,  bricks,  pieces  of  pavement, 
and  occasionally  a  remnant  of  a  bas-relief.  The  southern  mound, 
Kebbi  Yunis,  or  that  of  the  Tomb  of  Jonah,  is  about  fifty 


106  BOUNDARY  OF  NINEVEH. 

feet  in  height,  and  extends  430  feet  from  east  to  west,  by  355 
feet  from  north  to  south.  Here  stands  a  building,  once  a 
Christian  church,  dedicated  to  the  divine  messenger  sent  to 
Nineveh,  but  now  a  Mohammedan  mosque,  and  reverenced  as 
containing  the  tomb  of  the  prophet. 

Rich  states,*  that "  Bekir  Effendi,  when  digging  for  stones  to 
build  the  bridge  of  Mosul,  found,  on  penetrating  into  Kouy- 
unjik,  a  sepulchral  chamber,  in  which  was  an  inscription :  and 
in  the  chamber,  among  rubbish  and  fragments  of  bone,  the 
following  articles : — A  woman's  khalkhal,  or  ankle  bracelet, 
of  silver,  covered  with  a  turquoise  coloured  rust ;  a  higil 
(another  sort  of  anklet)  of  gold ;  ditto,  a  child's ;  a  bracelet 
of  gold  beads,  quite  perfect ;  some  pieces  of  engraved  agate.'* 
The  gold  and  silver  were  immediately  melted  down,  the  agates 
thrown  away,  and  the  chamber  broken  up  by  the  stones  being 
taken  out,  and  then  buried  in  the  rubbish.  Such  discoveries  and 
dilapidations  have  continually  been  made  ever  since  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  city,  but  no  account  of  them  has  been  preserved. 

The  fourth  locality,  remarkable  for  its  mound  within  the 
supposed  boundary  of  ancient  Nineveh,  is  Karamles.  No  ex- 
tensive excavations,  however,  have  been  yet  carried  on  in  this 
mound ;  but  a  platform  of  brickwork  has  been  uncovered,  and 
its  Assyrian  character  completely  established  by  the  inscriptions 
discovered. 

Layard's  researches  have  satisfied  him  that  a  very  con- 
siderable period  elapsed  between  the  earliest  and  latest  build- 
ings discovered  among  the  mounds  of  Nimroud.  We  incline 
to  this  opinion,  but  differ  from  the  surmise  that  the  ruins  of 
Nimroud  and  the  site  of  Nineveh  itself  are  identical.  The 
dimensions  of  Nineveh,  as  given  by  Diodorus  Siculus,  were 
150  stadia  on  the  two  longest  sides  of  the  quadrangle,  and  90 
on  the  opposite;  the  square  being  480  stadia,  60  miles; 
or,  according  to  some,  74  miles.  Layard  thinks,  that  by 
taking  the  four  great  mounds  of  Nimroud,  Kouyunjik,  Khor- 
sabad,  and  Karamles,  as  the  corners  of  a  square,  the  four  sides 
will  correspond  pretty  accurately  with  the  60  miles  of  the 
geographer,  and  the  three  days*  journey  of  the  prophet  Jonah. 
It  is  worthy  of  remark,  that  just  outside  Layard's  bound- 
ary is  a  straight  line  of  mounds,  or  hills,  extending  from 
Khorsabad  to  three  or  four  miles  beyond  Mar  Daniel,  the  last 
^  Eich*8  Residence  in  Eoordistan,  rol.  L  p.  136. 


BOUNDAKT  OF  NINEVEH.  107 

conspicuous  elevation  of  the  line.  The  words  "  Gebel  Mek- 
loub,"  by  which  the  range  is  designated  by  the  Arabs,  means 
the  "overturned  mountain,"  and  is  the  same  epithet  which 
distinguishes  a  remarkable  ruin  in  the  plains  of  Babylon, 
called  El  Mugelebeh,  in  consequence  of  its  presenting  the 
appearance  of  being  overturned.  At  the  base  of  the  range  of 
hills  we  are  now  speaking  of.  Rich  describes  masses  of  arti- 
ficial concrete,  like  buildings  thrown  down  by  an  earthquake, 
or  by  some  besieging  army ;  and  here  we  would  place  our 
boundary,  induced  by  the  singular  coincidences  of  name  and  of 
the  artificial  structures  described  by  Rich,  but  which  appears  to 
have  escaped  the  observation  of  more  recent  travellers.  So  full 
of  meaning  is  the  phraseology  of  all  eastern  people,  that  such 
coincidences  are  rarely  accidental;  and  it  would  therefore 
be  highly  desirable  to  make  an  examination  of  these  masses 
of  concrete  at  the  foot  of  the  range  of  the  Gebel  Mekloub, 
as  well  as  of  all  places  called  "  Tel,"  a  word  signifying  hill 
both  in  Arabic  and  Hebrew.*  The  "Wadi  Jehennem,  which 
signifies  the  **  Valley  of  Hell,"  and  the  Wadi  Jennen,  "  the 
Bewildering  Yalley,"  should  also  be  examined,  not  only  be- 
cause they  are  in  the  vicinity  of  ruins,  but  because  also  such 
epithets  are  rarely  given  by  the  Arabs  without  some  reason. 
In  the  mean  time,  as  we  are  desirous  of  accepting  the  concur- 
rent testimony  of  so  many  writers  regarding  the  extent  of 
Nineveh,  we  should  be  willing,  in  the  absence  of  other  data,  to 
adopt  the  area  set  forth  by  Mr.  Layard,  but  for  some  objections 
that  appear  so  insurmountable,  as  to  induce  us  to  offer  our 
own  speculations  on  the  subject.  A  reference  to  the  following 
diagram,  fig.  23,  will  most  clearly  illustrate  our  ideas.  Having 
already  premised  that  the  extreme  boundary  wall  of  Nineveh 
is  stated  to  have  been  a  parallelogram,  of  which  the  sum  of 
the  four  sides  was  about  60  miles,  we  will  now  direct  attention 
to  the  dotted  line  upon  the  map. 

Assuming  Khorsabad  to  be  the  northern  angle  of  the  wall, 
we  proceed  to  run  the  boundary  to  the  length  of  18|  miles  in 
the  direction  of  Gebel  Mekloub,  which  extends  16  miles  to  the 
eastern  angle ;  we  then  turn  at  a  right  angle,  and  run  the 
boundary  to  the  length  of  1 1^  miles  to  the  southern  angle ; 

1  Tel-abib,  "hill  of  corn-ears."     Ezek.  iii.  16.^ 
Tel-harsa,  **  hill  of  the  forest."  Ezra,  ii.  59,  >  Cities  in  Babylonia.    ^ 
Tel-melah,  "  hill  of  salt."  Ezra,  ii.  69,} 


108 


BOFNDABr  OP  NINEVEH. 


whence  we  turn  again  to  run  the  boundary  of  18|  miles  to 
the  western  angle ;  and  from  thence  we  run  the  last  line  of 
boundary  until  we  reach  our  starting  point  at  Khorsabad. 


Fig.  22. — PRESUMED    BOUNDARY  OF    ANCIENT     NINEVEH. 


1.  Khorsabad. 

2.  Bazani. 

3.  Bashika. 

4.  Ain  Es-Siifra. 

5.  Mar  Daniel. 

6.  Tergilla. 

7.  Sheikh  Emeer. 


8.  Karamles. 

9.  Kara  Ktish. 

10.  Yarumjeh. 

11.  M6.SUI. 

12.  Keshidi. 

13.  Tel  Kaif. 

14.  Kiz  Fukra. 


15 


Convent  of 
George. 

16.  Baawei2a. 

17.  Darawish. 

18.  Kas  El-ain. 

19.  Imam(Fadlha 

20.  Torrowa. 


St. 


21.  Ghor  Tgaraban. 

22.  Tel  Billa. 

23.  Bartella. 

24.  Nebbi  Yunis. 

25.  Kouyiinjik. 

26.  Mar  Elias. 


N.B.  The  li  in  the  Arabic  article  when  preceding  words  beginning  with  o,  d,  n,  b,  s, 
SH,  T,  takes  the  sound  of  the  first  letter,  as  "  Es-Sufra,"  instead  of  **  El-Sufra," 

The  parallelogram,  or  line  of  boundary,  being  thus  com- 
pleted, we  have  now  to  ascertain  how  far  it  accords  with  the 
localities  of  the  researches  ;  and  we  find  that  it  not  only  com- 
prehends the  principal  mounds  which  have  already  been 
examined,  but  many  others,  in  which  ruins  are  either  actually, 
or  almost  certainly,  known  to  exist.  No.  1  is  Khorsabad. 
Following  the  line  of  the  Gebel  Mekloub,  we  find  within  the 


MOTJNDS   WlTHm   SUPPOSED   BOUND ABT  LINE.  109 

enclosure  Nos.  2  and  3,  Bazani  and  Bashika,  in  close  proximity 
to  a  village  called  Tel  Billa,  the  designation  Tel,  hill,  being,  we 
think,  a  sure  indication  of  an  ancient  site  in  a  level  country 
where  every  elevation  is  artificial.  No.  4  is  Ain  Es-sufra, 
so  called  from  its  being  the  source  of  a  yellow  stream.  No  5, 
Mar  Daniel  (Saint  Daniel),  a  village  or  convent,  built  on  the 
Gebel  Mekloub.  No.  6,  Tergilla — probably  Tel  Gilla — from 
the  easy  mutation  of  r  into  I  in  the  Arabic  as  well  as  in  other 
languages,  it  would  then  possess  the  epithet  which  marks 
ruins— Tel— M/,  Tel  Gilla.  No.  7,  Sheikh  Emeer.  No.  8, 
Karamles,  a  known  ruin,  the  largest  mound  within  the  enclo- 
sure, second  in  importance  to  the  great  mound  of  Kouyunjik  ; 
and  here  we  should  propose  a  mutation  of  the  k  in  Karamles 
into  the  strong  aspirate  hh,  which  would  indicate  the  site  of 
some  sacred  structures.  No.  9,  Kara  Kush,  also  a  known  ruin. 
Kara  in  the  Turkish  means  blacky  and  seems  in  some  way  con- 
nected with  ruins ;  for  in  other  places  where  the  word  kara  is 
used,  there  are  known  to  be  ruins.  No.  10,  Karoumjeh,  ruins 
known  to  exist;  but  without  this  evidence  the  mound  and 
name  together  would  suggest  the  fact,  the  word  roum  among 
the  Turks  signifying  the  *'  territory  or  inhabitants  of  the 
Greek  Empire,"  roum  and  ancient  being  synonymous  terms. 
We  now  cross  the  river,  and  our  line  conducts  us  to  No.  11,  a 
mound  in  the  city  of  M6sul  itself,  where  a  search  would  pro- 
bably be  rewarded,  as  in  other  examples  of  mounds,  by  the 
discovery  of  antiquities.  No.  13,  Tel  Kaif,  *'  the  hill  or 
mound  of  delight ;"  and  here  we  again  recognise  in  the  name 
an  ancient  site,  though  no  description  of  the  place  has  as  yet 
appeared.  Tel  Kaif  completes  the  circuit  to  Khorsabad, 
whence  so  many  sculptures  have  been  extracted.  Immediately 
within  the  enclosure,  and  opposite  the  city  of  Mosul,  are  the 
well-known  mounds  of  Kouyunjik  and  Nebbi  Yunis.  It  may 
here  be  noticed,  that  by  the  mutation  of  the  nmto  m  in  the 
name  of  this  mound  (one  which  commonly  takes  place),  we 
should  have  the  word  Kouyoumjik,  the  Turkish  word  for 
*'  silversmith,"  a  meaning  more  in  harmony  with  the  fact  of 
silver  ornaments  having  been  dug  out  of  it,  than  the  word  as 
it  now  stands,  which  signifies  '*  little  sheep."  These  two  con- 
spicuous mounds  are  surrounded  by  a  chain  of  smaller  eleva- 
tions, forming  the  irregular  enclosure  which  Eich  considered 
to  be  the  walls  inclosing  the  palace.     Although  the  foregoing 


110  WALLS  OP  ANCIENT  NINETEH. 

description  contains  many  names  of  places  that  have  not  the 
significant  affix,  Tel,  or  Koum,  we  have  included  them,  from  a 
persuasion  that  they  all  mark  the  sites  of  ancient  buildings. 
In  a  country  like  that  bordering  the  Tigris,  any  elevation 
above  the  ordinary  level  of  the  plain  would,  for  obvious  reasons, 
be  sought  in  forming  a  settlement ;  and  every  height  being 
manifestly  artificial,  it  follows,  almost  beyond  dispute,  that  all 
the  hills,  whether  inhabited  or  otherwise,  are  likely  to  contain 
ruins.  Another  important  object  of  remark,  connected  with 
this  subject,  is  the  thickness  of  the  wall  surrounding  the 
palace  of  Khorsabad,  which  Botta  states  to  be  15  metres,  «.  e, 
48  feet  9  inches,  a  very  close  approximation  to  the  width  of 
the  wall  of  the  city  itself,  which  was  **  so  broad,  as  that  three 
chariots  might  be  driven  upon  it  abreast."*  This  is  about 
half  the  thickness  of  the  wall  of  Babylon,  upon  which  *'  six 
chariots  could  be  driven  together,*'*  and  which  Herodotus* 
tells  us  were  87  feet  broad,  or  nearly  double  that  of  the  palace 
at  Khorsabad.  The  extraordinary  dimensions  of  the  walls  of 
cities  is  supported  by  these  remains  at  Khorsabad.  The  Median 
wall  (see  page  65)  still  existing,  in  part  nearly  entire,  and  which 
crosses  obliquely  the  plain  of  Mesopotamia  from  the  Tigris  to  the 
banks  of  the  Euphrates  (see  map,  Fig.  9),  a  distance  of  40  miles, 
is  another  example.  The  great  wall  of  China,  also,  of  like 
antiquity,  we  are  told,  **  traverses  high  mountains,  deep  valleys, 
and,  by  means  of  arches,  wide  rivers,  extending  from  the 
province  of  Shen  Si  to  Wanghay,  or  the  Yellow  Sea,  a  distance 
of  1600  miles.  In  some  places,  to  protect  exposed  passages, 
it  is  double  and  treble.  The  foundation  and  corner  stones  are 
of  granite,  but  the  principal  part  is  of  blue  bricks,  cemented 
with  pure  white  mortar.  At  distances  of  about  200  paces 
are  distributed  square  towers  or  strong  bulwarks."  *  In  less 
ancient  times  the  Roman  walls  in  our  own  country  supply  ad- 
ditional proof  of  the  universality  of  this  mode  of  enclosing  a 
district  or  guarding  a  boundary  before  society  was  established 
on  a  firm  basis.  It  may  be  objected  against  the  foregoing 
speculations  on  the  boundary  of  Nineveh,  that  the  river  runs 
within  the  walls  instead  of  on  the  outside.  In  reply,  we 
submit  that  when  the  walls  were  destroyed,  as  described  by 
the  historian,  the  flooded  river  would  force  for  itself  another 

»  Diod.  Sic.  bk.  ii.  c.  1.  «  Idem.  *  Herod,  bk.  i. 

*  Popular  Encjxlopaedia,  vol.  ii.  p  185,  edit.  1848. 


WALLS  OP  ANCIENT  NINETEH. 


Ill 


channel,  which  in  process  of  time  would  become  more  and 
more  devious  from  the  obstructions  offered  by  the  accumulated 
ruins  until  it  eventually  took  the  channel  in  which  it  now 
flows.  The  area  we  have  indicated  is  of  the  recorded  figure, 
and  many  important  mounds  are  situated  upon,  or  in  the  di- 
rections of,  the  lines  of  the  wall,  while  the  enclosure  itself  is 
full  of  known  or  inferential  ruins.  A  consideration  of  the 
arguments  leads  us  to  the  conclusion  that  the  concurring  facts 
strongly  support  the  supposition  that  Nimroud,  instead  of 
being  a  part  of  Nineveh,  is  really  the  Resen  of  Genesis.  The 
close  proximity  of  the  two  cities  does  not  present  itself  as  an 
objection  to  us,  because  it  was  obviously  essential  for  men  to 
congregate  together  for  security,  in  early  stages  of  society. 
Every  settlement  doubtless  became  the  nucleus  of  a  city,  which 
was  ultimately  enclosed  by  walls  sufficiently  extensive  to 
include  not  only  dwellings  for  man,  but  land  for  flocks  and 
herds,  and  for  the  produce  of  grain ;  hence  Wfi  see  no  reason 
why  the  sites  of  Calah,  Resen,  and  Nineveh  may  not  still  be 
recognised  under  the  modern  names  of  Kalah  Sherghat,  Nim- 
roud,  and  Niniouah. 


Fig.  24.— WALLS  OF  NIKBVEH. 


Fig.  25. — STA.TUii;  at  kalah  sukuuiiat. 

CHAPTER  III. 

KALAH    SHEEGHAT. 

A  LITTLE  more  than  forty  miles  in  a  direct  line  to  the  south- 
ward of  Nimroud,  but  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Tigris,  there 
exists  another  mound,  covering  the  ruins  of  Assyrian  palaces. 
The  place  is  now  called  Kalah  Sherghat,  and  probably  marks 
the  southern  limits  of  the  early  Assyrian  empire.  But,  apart 
from  the  interest  attached  to  its  position,  and  the  character  of 
its  remains,  there  is  every  reason  to  believe  that  it  marks  the 
site  of  the  ancient  Calah,  one  of  the  cities  founded  by  Kim- 
roud,  and  alluded  to  in  Holy  Writ. 

"VVe  follow  with  pleasure  Mr.  F.  W.  Ainsworth's  graphic 
account  of  the  journey  to  Kalah  Sherghat  and  Al  Hadhr,  pub- 
lished in  Transactions  of  London  Geographical  Society,  as  it 
contains  much  valuable  information  on  the  natural  character- 
istics and  resourc(^s  of  the  country  through  which  he  passed : 

"We  started  on  Saturday,  April  18th,  1840,  travelling  at 
first  across  the  cultivated  alluvial  plain  south  of  Mosul,  named 
the  Kkrakdjah.  At  this  season  of  the  year,  barley  was  in  ear, 
and  beans  in  flower ;  fig,  almond,  and  mulberry- trees  were  in 
full  bloom,  but  the  pistachio  as  yet  only  budding.  On  the 
sandy  deposits  of  the  river  the  water-melon  had  put  forth  its 


JOTJRNET   TO   KALAH   SHERGHAT.  113 

cotyledons.  Doves  and  quails  had  returned  a  few  days  before 
from  their  migrations.  As  the  river  was  high,  we  were  obliged 
to  turn  up  the  rocky  uplands  west  of  Es  Seramum,  an  old 
country  residence  of  its  Pashds. 

"  The  rocky  acclivities  and  stony  valleys  of  the  Jubailah 
were  now  clad  with  a  beautiful  vegetation.  Grass  was  abun- 
dant, and  the  green  sward  was  chequered  with  red  ranuculuses 
and  composite  plants  of  a  golden-yellow  hue,  which  enliven 
at  this  season  of  the  year  by  their  contrast  the  banks  of  the 
Tigris  and  the  Euphrates,  wherever  they  are  stony.  Crossing 
the  Jubailah,  and  leaving  the  village  of  Abu  Jawari,  *  the 
father  of  female  slaves,*  to  our  left,  we  descended  upon  another 
alluvial  plain,  such  as,  on  the  Tigris  and  Euphrates,  whether 
cultivated  or  covered  with  jungle,  is  equally  designated  Hdwi. 
The  present  one  was  cultivated,  and  contained  the  two  vil- 
lages, both  inhabited  by  Arabs,  now  pasturing  their  flocks. 

"  At  the  end  of  this  plain  the  ground  rises,  and  at  this  point 
are  the  baths  and  a  village,  the  latter  inhabited  by  a  few 
Chaldees,  settled  here  by  the  P^shd  of  Mdsul  to  cultivate  the 
land.  The  thermal  spring  is  covered  bj^  a  building,  only  com- 
modious for  half  savage  people,  yet  the  place  is  much  fre- 
quented by  persons  of  the  better  classes,  both  from  Baghdad 
and  M6sul.  Close  by  is  a  mound  about  60  feet  high,  called 
*  the  mound  of  the  victor,'  from  a  tradition  of  an  engagement 
having  taken  place  in  this  neighbourhood. 

"  On  the  following  morning  leaving  Hamm^m  *Ali,  we 
crossed  an  extensive  H^wi,  near  the  centre  of  which  is  the 
village  of  Safatus,  inhabited  by  the  Arab  tribe  of  Juhaish,  or 
'of  the  ass's  colt.'  We  then  turned  off  to  the  right  to  the 
ruined  village  of  Jehe'inah,  or  Jehennem,  *  Hell  or  the  Lower 
Regions,'  which  name  excited  our  expectations,  but  we  only 
found  some  old  houses  of  a  better  class.  Our  road  continued 
for  three  hours  over  verdant  prairies,  on  an  upland  of  gypsum, 
with  some  tracts  of  sandstone,  when  we  arrived  at  Eeed- 
Valley,  the  banks  of  a  sluggish  stream  being  covered  with  that 
plant.  We  roused  an  old  sow  from  this  cover,  and  captured  a 
young  pig  which  it  was  obliged  to  leave  behind.  As  the 
animal  went  grunting  down  the  valley,  it  stirred  up  several 
others  with  their  young  ones,  which  we  hunted  down,  catching 
two  more,  one  of  which  we  liberated,  as  two  were  quite 
enough  for  our  wants.   We  approached  the  Tigris,  a  few  miles 

1 


114  DESCKIPTION    OF    KAT.AH    SHT^RGHAT. 

below  the  tomb  of  Sultan  'Abdullah,  which  was  the  extreme 
point  reached  by  the  Euphrates  steamer  in  1839,  and  passing 
an  abundant  rivulet  of  waters  which  filled  the  air  with  the 
odour  of  sulphuric  acid,  we  came  to  a  level  naked  spot,  in- 
dosed  by  rocks  of  gypsum,  on  the  floor  of  which  were  innu- 
merable springs  of  asphalt  or  bitumen  oozing  out  of  the  soil  in 
little  circular  fountains,  but  often  buried  beneath  or  surrounded 
by  a  deep  crust  of  indurated  bitumen.  A  little  beyond  these 
pits  we  found  other  springs,  giving  off  an  equal  quantity  of 
bitumen.  These  are  the  only  cases  I  know  of  springs  of 
pure  asphalt  in  Western  Asia. 

**  On  the  succeeding  day,  starting  over  a  low  range  of  hills 
of  red  sandstone,  we  entered  upon  an  extensive  Hdwi,  over 
■which  we  travelled  two  hours  to  a  red  cliff.  The  banks  of  the 
Tigris  were  well  wooded  and  picturesque ;  extensive  tracts  of 
meadow  land  were  bounded  by  green  hills,  and  terminated  in 
islands  of  several  miles  in  length,  covered  with  trees  and 
brushwood,  amid  which  winded  the  rapid  Tigris,  in  a  broad 
and  noble  expanse  visible  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach.  The 
quantity  of  large  wood  near  it  is  greater  tlian  on  the  Euphrates, 
and  the  resources  for  steam  navigation  are  very  great. 

•*  Passing  the  cliffs  of  red  sandstone,  from  which  point  to  the 
Harmin  the  Tigris  follows  a  more  easterly  course,  we  came  to  a 
valley  with  a  brackish  rivulet,  coming  from  the  Wddi-1-A'hmer. 
Steep  cliffs  advanced  beyond  this  to  the  banks  of  the  river,  and 
obliged  us  to  turn  inwards  upon  the  uplands,  from  which  we 
first  gained  a  view  of  Kalah  Sherghat,  situate  in  the  midst  of 
a  most  beautiful  meadow,  well  wooded,  watered  by  a  small 
tributary  to  the  Tigris,  washed  by  the  noble  river  itself,  and 
backed  by  the  rocky  range  of  the  Jebel  Khdnukah,  now  covered 
wMth  broad  and  deep  shadows.  In  three  liours'  time  we  arrived 
at  the  foot  of  this  extensive  and  lofty  mound,  where  we  took 
up  our  station  on  the  northern  side,  immediately  below  the 
central  ruin,  and  on  the  banks  of  a  ditch  formed  by  the  recoil 
of  the  Tigris. 

"Although  familiar  with  the  great  Babj-lonian  and  Chaldean 
mounds  of  Birs  Nimroud,  Mujelebeh,  and  Orchoe,  the  appear- 
ance of  the  mass  of  construction  now  before  us  filled  me  with 
wonder.  On  the  plain  of  Babylonia,  to  build  a  hill  has  a 
meaning ;  but  there  was  a  strange  adherence  to  an  antique 
custom,  in  thus  piling  brick  upon  brick,  without  regard  to  teh 


KELA.TITE   DIMENSIONS    OP   MOUNDS.  115 

cost  and  value  of  labour,  where  hills  innumerable  and  equally- 
good  and  elevated  sites  were  easily  to  be  found.  Although  iu 
places  reposing  upon  solid  rock  (red  and  brown  sand- stones), 
still  almost  the  entire  depth  of  the  mound,  which  was  in  parts 
upwards  of  60  feet  high,  and  at  this  side  909  yards  in  extent, 
was  built  up  of  sun-burnt  bricks,  like  the  *Aker  Kiif  and  the 
Mujelebeh,  only  without  intervening  layers  of  reeds.  On  the 
sides  of  these  lofty  artificial  cliffs  numerous  hawks  and  crows 
nestled  in  security,  while  at  their  base  was  a  deep  sloping  de- 
clivity of  crumbled  materials.  On  this  northern  face,  which 
is  the  most  perfect  as  well  as  the  highest,  there  occur  at  one 
point  the  remains  of  a  wall  built  with  large  square  cut  stones, 
levelled  and  fitted  to  one  another  with  the  utmost  nicety,  and 
bevelled  upon  the  faces,  as  in  many  Saracenic  structures ;  the 
top  stones  were  also  cut  away  as  in  steps.  Mr.  Ross  deemed 
this  to  be  part  of  the  still  remaining  perfect  front,  which  was 
also  the  opinion  of  some  of  the  travellers  now  present ;  but  so 
great  is  the  difference  between  the  style  of  an  Assyrian  mound 
of  burnt  bricks  and  this  partial  facing  of  hewn  stone,  that  it 
is  difficult  to  conceive  that  it  belonged  to  the  same  period,  and 
if  carried  along  the  whole  front  of  the  mound,  some  remains 
of  it  would  be  found  in  the  detritus  at  the  base  of  the  cliff, 
which  was  not  the  case.  At  the  same  time  its  position  gave 
to  it  more  the  appearance  of  a  facing,  whether  contemporary 
with  the  mound  or  subsequent  to  it  I  shall  not  attempt  to  de- 
cide, than  of  a  castle,  if  any  castle  or  other  edifice  was  ever 
erected  here  by  the  Mohammedans,  whose  style  it  so  greatly 
resembles. 

**  Our  researches  were  first  directed  towards  the  mound 
itself.  We  found  its  form  to  be  that  of  an  irregular  triangle, 
measuring  in  total  circumference  4685  yards ;  whereas  the 
Mujelebeh,  the  supposed  tower  of  Babel,  is  only  737  yards  in 
circumference ;  the  great  mound  of  Borsippa,  known  as  the 
Birs  Nimroud,  762  yards ;  the  Kasr,  or  terraced  palace  of  Ne- 
buchadnezzar, 2100  yards  ;  and  the  mound  called  K6younjik, 
at  Nineveh,  2563  yards.  But  it  is  to  be  remarked  of  this 
Assyrian  ruin  on  the  Tigris,  that  it  is  not  entirely  a  raised 
mound  of  sun-burnt  bricks ;  on  the  contrary,  several  sections 
of  its  central  portions  displayed  the  ordinary  pebbly  deposit 
of  the  river,  a  common  alluvium,  and  were  swept  by  the 
Tigris;  the  mound  appeared  to  be  chiefly  a  mass  of  rubble  and 

i2 


116  EELA.TIVE    DIMRXSI0N3   OP    MOUNDS. 

ruins,  in  which  bricks,  pottery,  and  fragments  of  sepulchral  urns 
lay  imbedded  in  humus,  or  alternated  with  blocks  of  gypsura  ; 
finally,  at  the  southern  extremity,  the  mound  sinks  down  nearly 
to  the  level  of  the  plain.  The  side  facing  the  river  displayed 
to  us  some  curious  structures,  which,  not  being  noticed  by  Mr. 
Ross,*  have  been  probably  laid  bare  by  floods  subsequent  to 
his  visit.  They  consisted  of  four  round  towers,  built  of  burnt 
bricks,  which  were  nine  inches  deep,  and  thirteen  inches  in 
width  outwards,  but  only  ten  inches  inwards,  so  as  to  adapt 
them  for  being  built  in  a  circle.  These  towers  were  four  feet 
ten  inches  in  diameter,  well-built,  and  as  fresh-looking  as  if  of 
yesterday.  Their  use  is  altogether  a  matter  of  conjecture; 
they  were  not  strong  enough  to  have  formed  buttresses  against 
the  river;  nor  were  they  connected  by  a  wall.  The  general 
opinion  appeared  to  be  in  favour  of  hydraulic  purposes,  either 
as  wells  or  pumps,  communicating  with  the  Tigris. 

"  The  south-western  rampart  displays  occasionally  the  re- 
mains of  a  wall  constructed  of  hewn  blocks  of  gypsum,  and  it 
is  everywhere  bounded  by  a  ditch,  which,  like  the  rampart, 
encircles  the  whole  ruins. 

**  All  over  this  great  surface  we  found  traces  of  foundations 
of  stone  edifices,  with  abundance  of  bricks  and  pottery,  as  ob- 
served before,  and  to  which  we  may  add  bricks  vitrified  with 
bitumen,  as  are  found  at  Kahabah,  Babylon,  and  other  ruins 
of  the  same  epoch;  bricks  with  impressions  of  straw,  &c.,  sun- 
dried,  burnt,  and  vitrified ;  and  painted  pottery  with  colours  still 
very  perfect ;  but  after  two  hours*  unsuccessful  search  by  Messrs. 
Mitford,  Layard,  and  myself,  Mr.  Eassdm  was  the  first  to  pick 
up  a  brick  close  to  our  station,  on  which  were  well-defined  and 
indubitable  arrow-headed  characters. 

"  On  leaving  Kalah  Sherghat  we  kept  a  little  to  the  south. 
We  travelled  at  a  quick  pace  over  a  continuous  prairie  of  grasses 
and  flowering  plants,  till  we  arrived  at  a  ridge  of  rocks,  which 
rose  above  the  surrounding  country,  and  were  constituted  of 
coarse  marine-lime-stones.  From  a  mound,  upon  which  were 
a  few  graves,  we  obtained  a  comprehensive  view  of  that  part 
of  Mesopotamia,  but  without  being  able  to  distinguish  the 
valley  of  the  Tharthar  or  the  ruins  of  Al  Hadhr. 

"  Opinions  as  to  the  probable  position  of  the  latter  were  in 

1  "  Dr.  Ross's  Journey  from  Bagdad  to  Al  Hadhr,  1836-7/'  Jour. 
R.  Geo.  Soc,  vol.  ix.  p.  443. 


EUDfB  AT   AL  HADHR.  117 

favour  of  some  mounds  which  were  visible  in  the  extreme  dis- 
tance to  the  south-west,  and  which  turned  out  to  be  bare  hills 
of  sand- stone,  the  southern  termination  of  a  low  ridge. 

**  Changing  our  route,  we  started  to  the  north- west,  in  which 
direction  we  arrived,  after  one  and  a  quarter  hours'  ride,  at  a 
valley  bounded  in  places  by  rock  terraces  of  gypsum,  which 
indicated  a  wadi  and  a  winter  torrent,  or  actual  water.  To 
our  joy  we  found  the  Tharthar  flowing  along  the  bottom  of 
this  vale,  and  to  our  great  comfort  the  waters  were  very  pota- 
ble. "We  proceeded  up  the  stream  in  a  direction  in  search  of 
a  ford,  which  we  found  after  one  hour's  slow  and  irregular 
journey,  and  we  lost  half  an  hour  refreshing  ourselves  with  a 
bath.  We  afterwards  followed  the  right  bank  of  the  stream, 
being  unwilling,  as  evening  was  coming  on,  to  separate  our- 
selves, unless  we  actually  saw  Al  Hadhr,  from  the  water  so 
necessary  for  ourselves  and  horses.  The  river  soon  came  from 
a  more  westerly  direction,  flowing  through  a  valley  everywhere 
clad  with  a  luxuriant  vegetation  of  grasses,  sometimes  nearly 
half  a  mile  in  width,  at  others  only  300  or  400  yards,  and 
again  still  more  narrowed  occasionally  by  terraces  of  gypsum. 

**  On  the  following  morning  we  deemed  it  best  to  keep  on 
up  the  river,  but  to  travel  a  little  inwards  on  the  heights. 
This  plan  was  attended  with  perfect  success;  and  we  had 
ridden  only  one  hour  and  a  half,  when  we  perceived  through 
the  misty  rain,  mounds,  which  we  felt  convinced  were  the 
sought-for  ruins.  Mr.  Kassdm  and  myself  hurried  on,  but 
soon  afterwards,  perceiving  a  flock  of  sheep  in  the  distance,  we 
became  aware  of  the  presence  of  Arabs,  who  could  be  no  other 
than  the  Shammer,  so  we  waited  for  our  friends  and  rode  all 
together  into  a  kind  of  hollow  in  which  Al  Hadhr  is  situated. 
Here  we  perceived  the  tents  of  the  Bed  wins  extending  far  and 
wide  within  the  ruins  and  without  the  walls.  The  ruins  them- 
selves presented  a  magnificent  appearance,  and  the  distance  at 
which  the  tall  bastions  appeared  to  rise,  as  if  by  enchantment, 
out  of  the  wilderness,  excited  our  surprise.  We  were  filled 
with  a  similar  sense  of  wonder  and  admiration ;  no  doubt  in 
great  part  due  not  only  to  the  splendour  of  the  ruins,  but  also 
to  the  strange  place  where  the  traveller  meets  with  them — 
'  in  medi^  solitudine.*  "^ 

^  Boss,  Journ.  B.  Geo.  Soc.  vol.  ix. 


118 


RTJINS  AT  AL  HADHR. 


On  one  of  the  walls  at  Al  Hadhr  is  the  finelj'-sculptured  figure 
of  a  griffin,  with  twisted  tail,  about  five  feet  from  the  ground, 
also  relievi  of  busts,  birds,  griffins,  &c. ;  on  the  southern  wall, 
about  ten  feet  from  the  ground,  is  a  line  of  eight  monsters, 
bulls  with  human  heads,  the  relief  reaching  to  the  shoulders ; 
they  are  full-faced,  and  about  the  size  of  life ;  a  cornice  is 
above  ;  one  hall  is  32  paces  long,  and  12  broad,  and  the  height 
must  apparently  have  been  60  feet. 

The  party  having  made  an  elaborate  examination  of  the 
ruins,  and  Layard  having  taken  copies  of  various  inscriptions, 
and  sketches  of  some  sculptures,  they  returned  to  Mosul. 


Fig.  26.— BUIirS  AT  AL  HADHB. 


Fig.  27. — 9XHH  MHfiOUD. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


BA.BTLON,    PERSEP0LI8,    BESITHUN,    NAHR-EL-KELB,    AND   CTTPHUS, 

However  uncertain  and  meagre  may  be  our  general  records 
of  the  history  of  Assyria,  we  have  still  existing  in  various 
countries  several  monuments  which  indisputably  indicate  the 
ancient  extent  of  the  empire.  Cuneiform  inscriptions,  sculp- 
tures, and  in  some  instances,  ruins,  have  been  disclosed,  not 
merely  in  Babylonia,  but  in  Persia,  Media,  Armenia,  and 
Cyprus ;  and  as  some  acquaintance  with  these  remains  will 
importantly  assist  in  the  investigation  of  the  recent  discoveries 
on  the  banks  of  the  Tigris,  we  trust  that  the  following  short 
account  of  them,  and  of  the  localities  where  they  are  found, 
will  not  be  misplaced. 

Having  already,  in  the  Historical  Section,  noticed  the  chief 
cities  of  Babylonia,  those  founded  by  Nimrod,  we  shall  now 
limit  ourselves  simply  to  a  cursory  reference  to  the  ruins  of 
Babylon  and  the  other  principal  mounds  in  this  part  of  Meso- 
potamia. The  first  and  most  important  is  the  Birs  Nimroud, 
which,  if  not  originally  distinct  from  Babylon  itself,  appears 
to  have  been  very  early  separated  from  it.  The  square  super- 
ficies of  the  mound  is  49,000  feet,  and  its  elevation  at  the 
south-east  corner  is  64  feet.  To  the  south  of  it  is  the  Muje- 
lebeh,  having  a  square  superficies  of  120,000  feet,  and  a  height 


1 20  BABYLON. 

of  only  28  feet ;  beyond  these  again  is  the  mound  Amram  Ihn 
Ali,  having  an  area  of  104,000  feet,  and  an  elevation  of  23 
feet.  The  Mujelebeh  has  been  read  as  if  it  were  Mukalliba, 
from  Kilba,  "the  overturned,  or  overthrown,"  whereas  a  much 
nearer  affinity  exists  in  Mujelebeh,  plural  of  Jelib,  **  a  slave 
or  captive,  the  house  of  the  captives,"  and  not  improbably  the 
residence  of  the  Israelites  who  remained  in  Babylon.  This 
reading  is  favoured  by  the  name  Hanit  and  Marut  given  to 
the  mound  by  the  natives,  from  a  tradition,  that  near  the  foot 
of  the  ruin  there  is  an  invisible  pit,  where  D'Herbelot  relates 
that  the  rebellious  people  are  hung  with  their  heels  upwards 
until  the  Day  of  Judgment.* 

The  kasr,  or  palace,  is  a  mound  of  about  2100  feet  in  length 
and  breadth,  and  from  the  sculptures,  inscribed  bricks,  and 
glazed  and  coloured  tiles,  found  there,  it  is  generally  regarded 
as  the  site  of  the  large  pulace  celebrated  for  its  hanging  gar- 
dens.  The  Amram  Ibn  Ali  has  been  plausibly  identified  with 
the  western  palace.  These  three  groups  of  mounds  were  all 
enclosed  by  ridges  and  mounds  of  ramparts  forming  two  lines 
of  defence  in  the  shape  of  a  triangle,  of  which  the  Mujelebeh 
was  one  solid  angle  ;  the  other  beyond  Amram,  and  the  third 
to  the  east.  The  fourth  quarter  is  marked  in  its  central  space 
by  the  mound  Al-Heimkr,  or  Hamur,  an  isolated  eminence 
having  a  superficies  of  16,000  feet,  and  an  elevation  of  44 
feet,  with  a  ruin  on  the  summit  eight  feet  high.^  It  is  said 
that  in  the  time  of  Alexander  antique  monuments  abounded  in 
the  Lamliim  marshes,  which  are  76  miles  south  of  Babylon, 
and  Arian  says,  that  the  monuments  or  tombs  of  the  Assyrian 
kings  were  reported  to  be  placed  in  the  marshes;  a  report 
nearly  substantiated  by  the  fact  that  Messrs.  Frazer  and  Ross 
found  glazed  earthenware  coffins  on  some  of  the  existing 
mounds.  Beyond  Sarut,  and  below  Kiit  Amarah,  are  the  ruins 
of  a  bridge  of  masonry  over  the  Tigris,  which  bridge  was  pro- 
bably on  the  line  of  road  attributed  to  Semiramis.  At  Teib,  the 
road  joins  a  causeway  of  considerable  length,  and  it  possibly 
terminated  at  or  near  Tel  Heimdr.^  It  is  to  be  regretted  that 
none  of  the  researches  in  the  mounds  of  Babylon  have  hitherto 
thrown  any  light  on  the  structural  arrangements  of  the  Assy- 
rian palaces ;  in  the  absence,  therefore,  of  the  details  which 

1  Ainsworth's  "  Researches  in  Assyria,"  p.  169.  '  Ainsworth. 

3  Ainsworth's  "  Researches." 


PERSEPOLIS.  121 

might  be  anticipated,  we  must  content  ourselves  with  the  fore- 
going brief  mention  of  the  mounds,  and  seek  elsewhere  for 
information,  in  aid  of  the  immediate  purpose  of  the  present 
chapter. 

As  the  Persian  empire  grew  out  of  the  ruins  of  the  Assyrian 
empire,  and  Persepolis,  the  capital  of  that  empire,  succeeded 
to  those  of  Assyria,  it  is  to  Persepolis  we  should  naturally 
direct  our  inquiries  respecting  the  architecture  of  its  prede- 
cessors; and,  fortunately  for  our  object,  the  ruins  of  Persepolis 
consist  of  those  parts  of  the  buildings  which  have  entirely  dis- 
appeared from  the  remains  in  Assyria,  such  as  gates,  columns, 
and  window-frames,  besides  the  stair-cases  of  the  great  plat- 
form, and  those  of  the  lesser  elevations.  The  chief  features  of 
the  ruins,  however,  are  the  tall,  slender  columns  which  stand 
out  prominently  to  view,  from  which  the  place  has  obtained 
the  descriptive  appellative  of  Tel  el  Minar,  the  "  hill  of  mina- 
rets," the  natives  considering  the  columns  of  the  palaces  of  the 
kings  to  resemble  the  minarets  of  their  mosques.  The  remains 
of  this  magnificent  capital  lie  in  north  latitude  29°  59'  39", 
east  longitude  84",  and  the  appearance  of  the  ruins,  as  ap- 
proached from  the  south-west,  is  most  imposing.  They  are 
situated  at  the  base  of  a  rugged  mountain,  and  the  artificial 
terrace  on  which  they  are  built  commands  an  immense  plain, 
bounded  on  all  sides  by  dark  cliffs ;  the  plain  of  the  Merdasht 
is  now,  however,  only  a  swampy  wilderness,  and  a  few  solitary 
columns  and  scattered  ruins  are  all  that  remain  of  the  splendid 
city  that  once  gave  life  and  animation  to  the  scene.  It  is  to 
Sir  Robert  Ker  Porter  we  are  indebted  for  the  most  copious,  ac- 
curate, and  intelligent  account  of  Persian  antiquities  in  general, 
and  to  his  Travels,  therefore,  must  we  turn  for  the  best  de- 
scription of  Persepolis.  Sir  Robert  conjectures,  from  the 
mounds  and  fragments  scattered  about  in  various  directions, 
that  the  capital  originally  extended  from  the  pillared  ruins 
along  the  whole  foot  of  the  mountain,  connecting  itself  with 
Nakshi  Roustam,  and  thence  spreading  over  the  plain  to  the 
north-west.  The  most  conspicuous  of  the  existing  remains 
being  the  Tel-el-Minar,  the  palace  thus  described  by  Diodorus 
Siculus  :^  "This  stately  fabric,  or  citadel,  was  surrounded  with 
a  treble  wall ;  the  first  was  sixteen  cubits  high,  adorned  with 
many  sumptuous  buildings  and  aspiring  turrets.  The  second 
1  Diod.  Sic,  bk.  xvii.  c.  7. 


122  PERSEPOLIS. 

was  like  to  the  first,  but  as  high  again  as  the  other.  The  third 
was  drawn  like  a  quadrant,  four  square,  sixty  cubits  high,  all 
of  the  hardest  marble,  and  so  cemented  as  to  continue  for  ever. 
On  the  four  sides  are  brazen  gates,  near  to  which  are  gallows 
(or  crosses)  of  brass  twenty  cubits  high  ;  these  were  raised  to 
terrify  the  beholders,  and  the  other  for  the  better  strength- 
ening and  fortifying  the  place.  On  the  east  side  of  the  citadel, 
about  4C0  feet  distant,  stood  a  mount  called  the  Royal  Mount, 
for  here  are  all  the  sepulchres  of  the  kings,  many  apartments 
and  little  cells  being  cut  into  the  midst  of  the  rocks ;  into 
which  cells  there  is  no  direct  passage,  but  the  coffins  with  the 
dead  bodies  are  by  instruments  hoisted  up,  and  so  let  down 
into  these  vaults.  In  this  city  were  many  stately  lodgings, 
both  for  the  king  and  his  soldiers,  of  excellent  workmanship, 
and  treasury  chambers  most  commodiously  contrived  for  the 
laying  up  of  money." 

Sir  Robert's  investigations  included  that  part  of  the  moun- 
tain situated  behind  the  platform  which  Diodorus  describes,  as 
this  division  of  the  hill  probably  comprises  the  Royal  Mount, 
where  the  tombs  are  found,  and  likewise  on  the  ground  above 
appear  several  mounds  and  stony  heaps,  marking  three  distinct 
lines  of  walls  and  towers.  The  artificial  plain  on  which  the 
ruins  stand  is  a  very  irregular  shape,  the  west  front  being 
1425  feet  long;  the  north,  926;  and  the  south,  802  feet. 
The  surface  has  become  very  uneven  from  the  fallen  ruins  and 
accumulated  soil ;  but  to  the  north-west  masses  of  the  native 
rock  show  themselves,  still  bearing  the  marks  of  the  original 
implements  with  which  the  mass  has  been  hewn.  In  the 
deeper  cavities  beyond  the  face  of  the  artificial  plain,  a  partially 
worked  quarry  is  visible.  Kothing  can  exceed  the  strength 
and  beauty  with  which  the  rocky  terrace  has  been  constructed ; 
its  steep  faces  are  formed  of  dark -grey  marble,  cut  into  gigantic 
square  blocks,  exquisitely  polished,  and  without  mortar,  fitted 
with  such  precision,  that  when  first  executed  the  platform 
must  have  appeared  as  part  of  the  solid  mountain  itself.  The 
present  height  of  the  platform  from  the  plain  is  30  feet ;  but 
Sir  Robert's  observations  satisfied  him  that  the  clearing  away 
of  the  rubbish  would  give  an  additional  depth  of  20  feet, 
and  probably  more ;  though,  on  the  southern  side,  it  could 
never  have  exceeded  30  feet;  while  to  the  north  it  varies 
from  16  to  26  feet.    This  artificial  plain  consists  of  three  ter« 


PEKSEPOLIS.  123 

races ;  the  lowest,  embracing  the  entire  length  of  the  southern 
face,  is  183  feet  in  width;  the  second  contains  the  'general 
area;  and  the  most  elevated  was  wholly  covered  with  magni" 
ficent  buildings.  Along  the  edge  of  the  lowest  terrace  appear 
fragments  like  a  parapet  wall,  worked  with  the  same  colossal 
strength  and  gigantic  proportions  which  distinguish  the  rest  of 
the  edifice ;  and  on  the  edge  of  the  highest  terrace  to  the 
south,  are  decided  marks  of  a  strong  range  of  railing  or  pali- 
sadoes,  the  signs  of  which,  however,  cease  at  the  top  of  the 
flight  of  steps  which  connect  this  terrace  with  the  one  beneath, 
two  large  holes  being  cut  deeply  in  the  stone  at  the  top  of  the 
steps  to  receive  the  pivots  of  the  gates  that  anciently  closed 
this  entrance.  The  only  ascent  from  the  plain  to  the  summit 
of  the  platform  is  by  a  magnificent  staircase  situated  on  the 
western  side,  but  not  in  the  centre,  for  the  mean  distance  is  so 
much  as  961  feet  from  the  southern  face,  and  only  208  feet 
from  the  northern  (see  1  on  plan  Fig.  29).  The  staircase 
consists  of  a  double  flight  of  steps,  rising  from  the  north  and 
south  with  so  gentle  an  inclination,  that  Sir  Robert  Porter  in- 
variably rode  his  horse  up  and  down  them  during  his  visits  to 
the  summit.  Each  step  is  3^  inches  high  and  22  feet  long,  and 
the  blocks  of  marble  of  which  they  are  composed  are  so  large 
as  to  allow  10  or  14  steps  to  be  cut  into  each  solid  mass.  In  all 
they  number  55,  and  the  space  they  cover  is  67  feet  by  22  feet. 
On  ascending  the  first  flight,  an  irregular  landing-place  presents 
itself,  of  37  feet  by  44  feet,  from  whence  springs  a  second 
flight  formed  of  48  steps,  and  covering  59  feet  by  22  feet.  A 
couple  of  corresponding  staircases  on  the  opposite  side  meet 
them,  and  terminate  on  the  grand  level  of  the  platform  by  a 
landing-place  occupying  64  feet,  so  that  the  whole  extent  of 
the  base  from  end  to  end  was  388  feet,  while  a  line  dropped 
from  the  upper  landing  produced  a  distance  of  29  feet ;  but 
there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  present  visible  height  of  the 
platform  is  not  much  more  than  half  its  original  elevation 
from  the  plain,  so  that  the  lengths  of  the  flights  must  have 
been  abridged  in  the  same  manner.  On  reaching  the  platform, 
the  lofty  front  of  an  immense  portal  (see  2  on  plan)  at  once 
presents  itself,  the  interior  faces  or  jambs  being  sculptured 
intp  the  forms  of  two  colossal  bulls  looking  towards  the  west. 
They  are  elevated  five  feet  above  the  level  of  the  platform,  and 
at  a  considerable  height  oyer  their  backs  are  email  compart^ 


124  PEllSEPOLIS. 

ments  filled  with  arrow-headed  inscriptions.  The  heads  of 
the  bulls  are  entirely  gone,  and  there  are  no  remains  of  any 
cornice  or  roof  which  may  have  connected  the  gateway  at  the 
top.  The  dimensions  of  each  wall  forming  the  sides  of  the 
portal  are,  breadth  5  feet,  length  21  feet,  and  height  30  feet ; 
the  walls  are  12  feet  apart,  and  the  space  between  them  is 
flagged  with  beautifully-polished  slabs  cut  from  the  neigh- 
bouring rock.  Proceeding  through  the  portal  24  feet  in  a 
direct  line,  Sir  Robert  found  the  remains  of  four  magnificent 
columns  (see  3  on  plan);  they  are  placed  22  feet  apart,  and 
24  feet  beyond  them  is  yet  a  second  portal  (see  4  on  plan),  re- 
sembling the  first,  except  that  the  length  is  only  18  feet,  and 
that  the  bulls  have  wings,  and  human  heads  with  cylindrical 
caps  surmounted  with  a  coronet  and  roses,  and  surrounded  by 
three  bulls'-horns,  in  all  respects  almost  identical  with  the 
symbolic  images  since  found  at  Khorsabad.  At  the  distance 
of  162  feet  to  the  right  of  this  portal  stands  the  magnificent 
terrace  that  supports  the  multitude  of  columns  from  which  it 
takes  its  name.  One  object  alone  arrests  attention  in  our  pro- 
gress, namely,  a  cistern  in  dimensions  18  feet  by  16  feet, 
hewn  out  of  the  solid  rock ;  it  was  filled  with  water  by  means 
of  subterraneous  aqueducts,  and  as  another  of  these  subterra- 
nean channels  runs  in  a  parallel  line  to  the  west,  a  corres- 
ponding reservoir  probably  lay  in  that  direction.  Sir  Robert 
says  that  *'  on  drawing  near  the  Chehel  Minar,  or  Palace  of 
Forty  Pillars,  the  eye  is  riveted  by  the  grandeur  and  beautiful 
decorations  of  the  flights  of  steps  which  lead  up  to  them. 
This  superb  approach  (see  5  on  plan)  consists  of  a  double 
staircase,  projecting  considerably  before  the  northern  face  of 
the  terrace,  the  whole  length  being  212  feet ;  and  at  each  ex- 
tremity, east  and  west,  rises  auo^her  range  of  steps ;  again 
about  the  middle,  and  projecting  from  it  18  feet,  appear  two 
smaller  flights  rising  from  the  same  points,  where  the  extent 
of  the  range,  including  a  landing-place  of  20  feet,  amounts  to 
86  feet.  The  ascent  is  extremely  gradual,  each  flight  con- 
taining only  thirty  low  steps,  none  exceeding  4  inches  in 
height,  the  tread  14  inches,  and  the  length  16  feet.  The 
whole  front  of  the  vast  range  is  covered  with  sculpture,"  the 
space  immediately  under  the  landing-place  being  divided  into 
three  compartments.  The  centre  may  probably  once  have  con- 
tained an  inscription ;  in  that  to  the  left  are  four  standing 


PALACE  OF  TEL  EL  MINAR.  125 

figures  habited  in  long  robes  and  buskins ;  they  wear  a  fluted 
flat-topped  cap ;  from  their  shoulders  hang  their  bow  and 
quiver,  and  they  hold  in  both  hands  a  short  spear.  On  the 
right  of  the  centre  tablet  are  three  similar  figures  facing  to- 
wards the  others;  they,  however,  have  neither  bows  nor 
quivers,  but  carry  only  the  spear,  with  the  addition  of  a  shield 
resembling  a  Boeotian  buckler  on  the  left  arm. 

*'  As  this  seems  to  have  been  the  grand  approach  to  the 
palace  above,  doubtless  the  spearmen  just  described  must  have 
been  intended  to  pourtray  the  royal  guards,  the  fashion  of 
whose  dress  perfectly  accords  with  the  account  given  of  it  by 
Herodotus  (Terpsichore,  c.  49)."  Sir  Robert  remarks,  that 
he  did  not  find  anything  like  what  we  should  call  a  sword, 
and  that  Herodotus  makes  no  mention  of  a  sword,  though 
Xenophon  does  (Cyrop.  viii.).  On  the  side  corresponding  with 
the  slope  of  the  stairs,  runs  a  line  of  figures  2 1  inches  high, 
answering  in  number  to  the  steps,  each  one  of  which  appears 
to  form  a  pedestal  for  its  relative  figure.  A  narrow  border  of 
open  roses  finishes  the  upper  edge  of  the  frieze,  while  an  equal 
number  of  figures  ornament  the  interior  face  of  the  same  stair- 
case. **  Two  angular  spaces,  on  each  side  of  the  correspond- 
ing groups  of  spearmen  described  on  the  surface  of  the  stair- 
case, are  filled  with  duplicate  representations  of  a  fight  between 
a  lion  and  a  bull.**  The  objects  on  the  face  of  the  next  flight 
of  stairs  include,  in  the  triangular  space  formed  by  the  slope 
of  the  stairs,  a  repetition  of  the  contest  between  the  lion  and 
the  bull,  occupying  a  length  of  23  feet.  It  is  divided  by 
an  almost  obliterated  inscription,  which  reaches  nearly  from 
top  to  bottom.  From  this  tablet  commence  the  lines  of 
three  rows  of  sculpture,  covering  an  expanse  of  68  feet,  and 
terminating  at  the  top  of  the  steps  of  the  outward  approach. 
Of  the  upper  row,  only  the  lower  extremities  remain,  the  rest 
having  risen  above  the  level  of  the  terrace  to  form  a  kind  of 
parapet,  which  is  now  entirely  broken  away,  though  vestiges 
of  it  may  be  seen  scattered  over  the  ground  below.  A  border 
of  roses  separates  each  row  of  bas-reliefs,  which  consists  of  an 
officer  introducing  a  procession  of  people  bearing  implements 
and  tribute.  (See  Xenophon's  description  of  first  grand  pro- 
cession of  Cyrus, — Cyrop.  viii.)  Each  figure  carries  a  lotos, 
the  symbol  of  divinity,  purity,  and  abundance,  and  regarded 
by  the  Persians  with  peculiar  sanctity.     **  On  ascending  the 


126 


PALACE  OF  TEL  EL  MINAH* 


platform  on  which  the  Palace  of  Chehel  Minar  once  stood, 
nothing  can  be  more  striking  than  a  view  of  its  ruins  ;  so  vast 

and  magnificent,  so  fallen  and  mutilated 
and  silent.     The  immense  space  of  the 
upper  platform  stretches  to  north  and 
south  350  feet,   and  from  east  to  west 
380,  the  greater  part  of  which  is  cover- 
ed with  broken  capitals,  shafts,  and  pil- 
lars, and  countless  fragments  of  build- 
ings ;  some  of  which  are  richly  orna- 
mented with  tlie  most  exquisite  sculp- 
ture."    The  pillars  were  distributed  in 
four  divisions,   a  centre  of  six  deep 
every  way,   a  northern   division  con- 
sisting of  a  double  rank,  six  in  each, 
equidistant  from  one  another,  and  fall- 
ing 20  feet  back  from  the  landing-place 
of  the  stairs ;  and  two  similar  divisions 
of  twelve  columns  arranged  in  double 
ranks  flanking  each  of  the  sides  east 
and  west.     *'  On  the  western  side  (6 
on  plan),  thej'  seem  on  the  brink  of  a 
precipice,  for  there  this  upper  terrace 
rises  stupendousl)'^  from  the  plain  be- 
neath ;  its  perpendicular  on  that  face 
descending  directly  to  the  level  earth, 
whereas  the  base  of  the  other  three 
sides  meets  the  intervention  of  the  vast 
table  surface  of  the  great  platform," 
on   which  this  more  elevated  part  is 
superimposed.     From  the  western  to 
the  eastern  range  (No.  8),  the  distance 
is  268  feet.  The  form  of  these  columns 
is  the  same  in  all,  and  ver}'  beautiful 
( J'ig.  28) ;  the  total  height  of  each  is 
60  feet,  the  circumference  of  the  shaft 
16,  and  its  length  from  the  base  to  the 
capital  44 ;  the  shaft  is  finely  fluted, 
Fig.28.— PEBSKPOLiTAN       thc  lowcr  extremity  being  bound  by  a 
COLUMN.  cincture,    from   whence   devolves   the 

pedestal  in  the  form  of  the  cup  and  leaves  of  a  pendant  lotus. 


^ 


DESCRIPTION  OF  BUILDINGS  ON  MOITND.  127 

The  name  of  a  Greek,  in  Greek  characters,  has  been  found  en- 
graved on  the  base  of  a  column  at  Persepolis. 

The  capitals  which  remain  show  that  the)"^  were  once  sur- 
mounted by  an  upper  capital  in  the  form  of  the  head,  breast, 
and  bent  forelegs  of  a  bull,  richly  ornamented  with  collars, 
and  other  trappings ;  which  bust-like  portion  of  the  animal  is 
united  at  the  back  to  a  corresponding  bust  of  another  bull, 
both  joining  just  behind  the  shoulders,  but  learing  a  cavity 
between,  sufficient  to  admit  the  end  of  a  square  beam  of  wood 
or  stone,  to  connect  the  colonnade.  The  heads  of  the  bulls 
forming  these  capitals  take  the  direction  of  the  faces  of  the 
respective  fronts  of  the  terrace.  Sir  Eobert  observes,  that 
the  posts  of  the  tombs  at  Kakshi  Iloustam  afford  evidence 
that  the  pillars  were  intended  to  be  so  connected,  and  he 
likewise  suggests  that  the  superstructure  was  probably  of 
timber,  overlaid  with  a  thin  covering  of  stone  to  protect  it 
from  the  weather.  The  centre  body  of  thirty-six  columns 
(see  7  on  plan)  stood  at  a  distance  of  60  feet  from  the  double 
colonnades  on  three  sides ;  but  the  height  of  the  columns  is 
only  56  feet,  and  the  capitals  are  quite  of  a  different  charac- 
ter, resembling  those  at  the  portal,  where  the  winged  bull  is  so 
conspicuous.  Another  peculiarity  attached  to  the  middle  group 
of  columns  is,  that  their  pedestals  rise  some  feet  higher  than 
those  by  which  they  are  surrounded,  the  stone-work  being 
rough,  and  projecting  in  unshaken  blocks,  as  if  to  sustain  an 
additionally  elevated  pavement,  whence  it  may  be  supposed 
that  the  marble  pavement  was  covered  with  a  flooring  of  some 
costly  wood  which  enclosed  the  rough  pedestals,  and  on  which 
might  have  been  erected  the  throne  of  the  king.  (See  1  Kings 
vii.  3 — 7;  2  Chron.  ix.  17,  19.)  The  representations  of  pro- 
cessions bearing  tribute,  the  faces  all  turned  to  the  entrance 
which  fronted  this  group  of  columns,  appeared  to  mark  tlieir 
approach  thither  to  some  important  object,  which  could  scarcely 
be  less  than  the  king.  The  nearest  building  to  the  Chehel 
Minar  (No.  9),  stands  upon  a  terrace  elevated  about  7  or  8  feet, 
and  occupying  a  space  of  170  feet  by  95.  It  is  approached 
from  the  west  by  a  double  flight  of  stairs,  the  fragments  of 
which  show  that  they  also  had  been  decorated  with  sculptured 
guards  and  other  figures.  The  eastern  side  is  so  heaped  with 
fallen  ruins  and  earth  that  no  trace  of  stairs  is  visible,  but  to 
the  south  the  whole  face  of  the  terrace  which  sustains  this 


128  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  BUILDING. 

structure  is  occupied  with  a  superb  flight  (No.  1 0),  the  landing 
place  of  which  embraces  nearly  48  feet  by  10.  The  front 
is  divided  by  an  inscribed  tablet,  on  each  side  of  which  stand 
spearmen  of  gigantic  height.  Upon  ascending  this  terrace  we 
find  towards  the  north  an  open  space  65  feet  wide,  on  which 
appear  the  foundations  of  some  narrow  walls ;  and  on  each 
side  of  this  space,  40  feet  towards  the  south,  stand  two  lofty 
entrances  of  four  upright  solid  blocks  of  marble  of  a  nearly 
black  colour ;  within  the  portals  of  each,  as  in  all  the  portals 
that  seem  like  public  entrances  into  hall  and  chamber  through- 
out these  ruins,  are  bas-reliefs  of  two  guards.  On  the  imme- 
diate verge  of  the  landing-place  from  the  western  flight  of 
steps,  we  enter  a  portal  of  these  guards  ;  and  at  a  very  few 
paces  onward  pass  through  a  second  doorway  into  a  room  (No. 
9),  48  feet  square.  From  this  chamber  two  doors  open  to  the 
north,  two  to  the  west,  one  to  the  south,  and  formerly  two  to  the 
east,  and  all  have  on  their  several  sides  duplicate  bas-reliefs  of  a 
royal  personage,  with  two  attendants,  one  of  whom  holds  an 
\imbrella  ;  inscriptions  are  over  the  heads  of  all  these  groups. 
On  three  sides  of  the  room  are  several  niches,  each  excavated 
in  one  solid  stone,  to  a  depth  of  three  feet,  five  in  height,  and 
six  in  width ;  they  have  been  highly  polished,  and  upright 
lines  of  cuneiform  run  along  their  edges.  Opening  to  the 
south  in  the  entire  thickness  of  the  wall,  five  feet,  are  four 
M'indows,  10  feet  high;  and,  finally,  this  room  contains  three 
bas-reliefs,  consisting  of  single  combats  between  a  man  and  a 
lion ;  a  man  and  a  grifiin ;  and  a  man  and  an  animal  with  the 
head  of  a  wolf,  the  fore  legs  and  body  of  a  lion,  neck  scaled 
or  feathered,  wings  which  extend  nearly  to  its  tail,  which 
is  formed  of  a  series  of  bones  like  the  vertebraD  of  the  back, 
hind  legs  like  an  eagle,  and  crooked  horn  projecting  from  its 
head.  There  is  a  division  (No.  12)  of  the  building  open  to 
the  south  48  feet  by  30  feet,  and  terminating  on  each  side  on 
the  landing  of  the  stairs  by  two  square  pillars,  of  one  block  of 
marble,  22  feet  high,  covered  in  different  ranges  with  a  variety 
of  inscriptions,  Cuphic,  cuneiform,  Arabic,  and  Persian.  Traces 
of  a  double  colonnade  are  still  visible  along  the  open  space 
which  lies  between  the  western  brink  of  the  great  terrace,  and 
the  western  face  of  the  building.  **  We  have  now,"  says  Sir 
Kobert,  *' mentioned  the  ascent  of  three  terraces  from  the  na- 
tural ground  of  the  plain, — first,  the  grand  platform  which 


FIFTH  TEREACE.  129 

supports  all  the  others ;  second,  the  Chehel  Minar  terrace ; 
third,  the  terrace  that  sustains  the  edifice  of  the  double  cham- 
bers last  described.  A  fourth  elevation  of  the  same  kind  pre- 
sents itself  at  96  feet  to  the  south  of  the  preceding.  Its 
summit  is  on  a  level  with  the  last  ....  and  a  flight  of  sadly 
mutilated  steps  in  two  ascents  of  fifteen  each,  is  found  at  the 
north- vrest  corner ;  on  these  are  the  vestiges  of  much  fine 
bas-relief  decoration.  On  the  plane  of  the  terrace  is  a  square 
of  96  feet;  38  feet  of  the  western  side  was  occupied  by  the 
depth  of  the  approaches  just  described,  whence  ran  along  in 
direct  lines  (No.  13)  the  bases  of  ten  columns,  their  diameter 
being  three  feet  three  inches,  and  standing  10  feet  equidistant 
from  each  other  :  doubtless  there  was  a  continued  piazza  along 
every  side  :  58  feet  of  this  terrace  at  its  south-west  angle  is 
surmounted  by  an  additional  square  elevation,  the  whole  depth 
of  which,  from  the  summit  to  the  base,  is  62  feet ;  and  above 
its  upper  surface  are  the  lower  parts  of  twelve  pillars,  divided 
into  three  rows,  of  the  same  diameter  and  distance  from  each 
other  as  those  in  the  neighbouring  colonnade." 

Immediately  beyond  this  comparatively  small  terrace  rises 
a  fifth  and  much  more  extensive  elevation,  of  which  the  plan 
seems  to  indicate  part  of  the  dwelling  quarters  of  the  royal 
residence,  for  the  different  offices  were  not  only  divided  into 
courts,  but  were  often  distinct  buildings.  The  site  of  tliis 
fifth  terrace  rises,  even  now,  upwards  of  20  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  vast  foundation  ;  beginning  at  the  southern  side, 
we  find  at  the  eastern  and  western  ends  two  flights  of  narrow 
steps  (No.  18)  descending  to  a  lower  level  of  30  feet.  Several 
faces  of  the  building  are,  at  present,  only  marked  by  their 
foundations,  with  the  exception  of  one  window  to  the  west, 
and  three  to  the  east ;  which  open  into  a  couple  of  correspond- 
ing wings,  each  subdivided  into  three  spacious  apartments,  the 
outer  ones  alone  communicating  with  the  external  pillared 
courts  (No.  16).  In  the  centre  of  these  courts  stand  the  plinths 
of  four  small  columns,  two  feet  six  inches  in  diameter,  but 
placed  at  a  distance  of  six  feet  from  each  other,  and  of  16  feet 
from  the  door  that  leads  into  a  noble  hall  of  90  feet  square, 
the  pavement  of  which  is  marked  by  the  sites  of  36  pillars, 
three  feet  three  inches  in  diameter  ;  a  corresponding  door  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  hall  conducts  into  the  second  opwn 
court  of  four  pillars  (No.  16).     Another  portal  leads  to  the 


130 


PLAN   OF  KUINS  OF  PEBSEPOLIS, 


south,  and  a  fourth  and  fifth  to  the  north  into  a  large  vestihule 
(No.  1 5)  the  whole  width  of  the  hall,  and  supported  by  eight 


■j    0  0  lolSOElISllQl 
vJ   ^0g)E10(ol(o][oJ 


II .  .i«r.._iLll 


^*^^^ 


Fig.  29.— PLAN   OF  THE   RTTIS8   OF  PERSEPOLIS. 


1.  Double  staircase  to  ascend  the  great 

platform.    Western  side. 

2.  Bulls  at  entrance  of  portal. 

3.  Four  columns  forming  part  of  hall  of 
entraace. 


4.  Bulls,  with  human  heads  and  wings, 
belonging  to  the  eastern  end  of  portal. 

5.  Double  flight  of  stairs  to  Tel  el  Minar. 

6.  Western  colonnade  of  ditto. 

7.  Centre  columns  of  ditto. 


FIFTH  TERBACE. 


131 


similar  columns.  Two  doors  pointing  east  and  west  lead  from 
the  vestibule  into  six  smaller  rooms,  and  from  similar  found- 
ations they  probably  joined  others  still  more  to  the  north  ;  the 
windows  are  each  formed  of  four  large  blocks  of  marble,  the 
thickness  of  the  walls  six  feet,  in  height  they  are  four  feet 
eight  inches,  and  in  width  three  feet  six  inches ;  on  the  inner 
faces  of  those  that  light  the  rooms  are  duplicate  bas-reliefs 
occupying  the  whole  surface,  and  consisting  of  two  figures  in 
each.  Of  other  buildings  upon  the  great  platform  is  one  210 
feet  square  (No.  21),  entered  on  each  side  by  doors  guarded 
by  colossal  statues  of  bulls  (No.  22)  on  pedestals,  18  feet  in 
length  by  five  feet  in  height.  Two  of  the  doors  are  adorned 
with  sculpture,  the  highest  compartment  containing  the  king 
seated  on  a  chair  of  state,  with  a  footstool  at  his  feet,  and  over 
his  head  a  canopy  with  borders  of  lions  and  bulls :  behind  the 
king  stand  his  fan-bearer,  armour-bearer,  and  a  third  attend- 
ant, and  beneath  him  are  five  successive  ranges  of  guards,  each 
range  being  separated  from  that  above  by  a  border  of  rosettes  : 
the  whole  friezes  indicating,  according  to  the  surmise  of  Sir 


10. 


18. 


8.  Eastera  colonnade  of  ditto. 

9.  Building  on  second  platform  7  or  8  feet 

above  the  level  of  that  of  Tel  el  Mi- 
nar,  and  double  flight  of  stairs  at  sides 
towards  the  open  country,  and  leading 
to  a  portal,  with  guards  holding  spear 
and  shield. 

Flight  of  stairs  to  landing,  48  feet  by 
10.  On  the  open  space  at  the  side, 
appear  foundations  of  narrow  walls : 
at  the  side  of  the  building  facing  this 
open  space  are  lofty  entrances  of  four 
solid  upright  blocks  of  marble. 

11.  Room  48  feet  square,  entered  at  the 
portals  with  guards,  as  at  9,  and  on 
north  by  doorways,  on  which  are  bas- 
reliefs  of  king  and  two  attendants. 

12.  Division  of  building,  48  feet  by  SO, 
open  to  the  south ;  each  wall  is  ter- 
minated by  square  pillars,  22  feet 
high,  inscribed  in  four  languages. 

13.  Flight  of  steps  and  portal,  whence 
double  line  of  columns  3  feet  3  in 
diameter ;  they  stand  on  a  terrace  96 
feet  square,  upon  which  is  an  eleva-  |24, 
tion  58  feet  by  62,  containing  twelve  i25. 


19. 


20. 


23. 


columns, 

14.  Flight  of  stairs  to  fifth  ten-ace. 

15.  Vestibule  with  eight  columns. 

16.  Pillared  courts. 

17.  Four  strong  supports  like  pedestals 

to  uphold  some  biDdy  of  great  weight. 


Two  flights  of  narrow  steps  descend- 
ing to  a  lower  level. 
Colossal  masses  of  stone  forming  sides 
of  large  portals  leading  into  an  edifice 
96  feet  square ;  on  the  interior  face  of 
that  to  the  east,  are  sculptured  three 
figures,  12  feet  in  height;  in  the 
centre  are  four  pillars. 
Quadrangular  building  48  feet  square, 
upon  the  level  of  great  platform  and 
adjoining  chamber  open  to  the  south, 
This  edifice  was  lighted  by  a  range 
of  lofty  windows. 
Structure  210  feet  square. 
Colossal  bulls  on  pedestals  18  feet  in 
length  by  5  in  height  They  are 
near  doors  adorned  with  sculpture, 
one  compartment  containing  king, 
seated  on  a  chair  of  state,  with  a 
footstool  at  his  feet.  Over  his  head 
a  canopy,  with  borders  of  lions  and 
bulls. 

Bulls  which  have  formed  sides  of  great 
gateway  like  that  at  2. 
Enormous  insulated  column. 
Cistern. 

Reservoir  communicating  by  subter- 
ranean channels  with  ci8t«rn. 
Excavated  tombs  resembling  those  at 
Naksh-i-Ronstam ;  they  are  72  feet 
broad  by  130  feet  high,  and  divided 
into  two  compartments. 

K   2 


132  CASTLE    OF    PASAKGAD^. 

Robert,  the  throne  on  an  elevation  of  five  steps,  with  the  ranks 
of  guards  who  stood  before  it ;  six  of  the  remaining  doors  of 
this  edifice  are  sculptured  with  colossal  double  guards  ;  while 
on  four  others  are  sculptured  human  figures  in  combat  with 
lions  and  other  animals. 

Adjoining  the  terraced  platform,  and  about  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  east  of  the  Tel  el  Minar,  are  two  excavated  tombs,  72  feet 
broad  by  130  feet  high,  resembling  those  at  Nakshi  Roustam, 
which  we  shall  briefly  describe.  For  further  details  of  the 
ruins  of  Persepolis,  we  must  refer  to  the  foregoing  plan. 

It  is  not  a  little  curious  that  some  excavations  conducted  by 
Mr.  W.  K.  Loftus  in  and  among  the  ruins  of  Susa  during  the 
year  1853,  brought  to  light  the  foundations  of  the  royal  resi- 
dence in  that  city,  which  agrees  in  every  particular  of  plan 
with  the  great  hall  of  Xerxes  of  Persepolis ;  and  on  the  base 
of  a  column  of  some  ruins  of  the  same  city,  an  inscription 
was  discovered  recording  the  name  of  Pythagoras,  son  of  Aris- 
tarchus,  one  of  the  royal  bodyguard,  and  stating  that  Arreneides 
was  governor  of  Susiana  at  that  time. 

In  the  valley  of  Mourgaub,  which  lies  about  49  miles  north- 
east of  Persepolis,  are  numerous  ruins, — the  first  which  arrests 
observation  being  a  platform  of  hewn  stones  raised  nearly  to  a 
level  with  the  rock  which  it  adjoins.  The  length  of  the  front 
measures  300  feet ;  its  sides  to  where  they  touch  the  hill  298 
feet;  and  the  height  is  38  feet  6  inches,  formed  of  14  tiers 
of  blocks  of  white  marble.  Every  stone  of  the  upper  hori- 
zontal surface  is  joined  with  the  utmost  nicety,  being  carefully 
clamped  to  its  neighbour.  There  is  no  trace  of  columns  upon 
the  top  of  the  platform,  but  this,  as  Sir  Robert  remarks,  forms 
no  conclusive  reason  why  a  superstructure  should  not  have 
existed  there  ;  its  general  appearance  is  rather  that  of  extend- 
ing the  horizontal  surface  of  the  rock  above,  than  of  forming 
a  base  for  any  heavy  bulwark  on  its  summit,  and,  moreover, 
there  are  no  vestiges  of  supporting  fortifications;  nevertheless, 
it  is  called  by  Pliny  the  Castle  of  Pasargadae,  occupied  by  the 
Magi,  and  wherein  was  the  tomb  of  Cyrus.  On  the  plain,  at 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  S.W.  of  this  platform,  is  a  square  tower- 
like building,  about  nine  feet  each  way  ;  and  49  feet  high  ;  it 
was  formed  of  blocks  of  marble,  each  measuring  three  feet  six 
inches.  Another  quarter  of  a  mile  due  south  is  a  square  pillar 
of  only  two  stones,  one  over  the  other ;  the  lower  one  is  1 2 
feet  high,  the  other  about  seven  or  eight  feet ;  the  whole  ter- 


MOUKGAUB.  138 

xninated  above  with  some  broken  work  like  a  ledge.  The 
faces  were  each  nearly  four  feet  wide,  and  on  that  towards  the 
north  was  an  inscription  of  four  lines  in  the  arrow-headed 
character.  Proceeding  S.E.  for  rather  more  than  a  quarter  of 
a  mile,  a  low  mound  is  reached,  which  bears  evident  marks 
of  having  been  ascended  by  steps.  From  the  centre  of  it  rises 
a  perfectly  round  column,  finely  polished  ;  the  base  is  buried 
in  rubbish,  and  the  capital  is  gone,  but  the  length  of  the  shaft 
is  not  less  than  40  or  50  feet,  and  the  circumference  measures 
10  feet.  A  spacious  marble  platform  supports  this  immense 
fragment,  the  square  shape  of  its  area  being  marked  by  four 
pillars  of  similar  style  and  dimensions  to  that  just  described. 
The  four  are  distant  from  each  other  108  feet,  and  on  one  side 
of  each  was  an  inscription  which  labelled  several  parts  of  the 
ruins,  there  being  no  difference  between  any  of  them.  A 
third  mass  of  marble,  in  a  yet  more  mutilated  state,  stands 
30  feet  in  front  of  these,  dividing  exactly  the  middle  of  the 
surface  of  the  square.  The  couple  of  stones  remaining  are 
both  inscribed.  On  the  south-east  is  an  immense  platform 
elevation  belonging  to  a  former  building,  now  entirely  swept 
away,  and  which  but  for  one  fragment  could  only  be  marked 
by  the  bases  on  which  stood  its  ancient  columns.  Its  shape 
is  a  parallelogram,  150  feet  by  81,  divided  by  two  rows  of  pe- 
destals of  white  marble,  with  the  exception  of  one  which  is  of 
the  dark  rock  of  the  country,  and  six  feet  square.  The  sizes 
of  these  pedestals  varied  from  three  to  four  feet,  and  they 
were  15  feet  apart;  but  in  the  tran verse  way  tx) wards  the 
centre  they  left  an  opening  of  21  feet,  and  an  equal  space 
from  side  to  side.  This  inequality  in  their  dimensions,  Sir 
!Robert  surmises,  might,  as  in  the  case  of  the  Tel  el  Minar,  be 
intended,  some  to  support  an  elevated  floor,  and  others  to  sus- 
tain columns.  At  about  six  feet  distant  from  the  N.E.  side  of 
the  building,  and  standing  out  in  a  parallel  point  to  its  centre, 
is  a  square  pillar  perfectly  distinct  from  all  others.  It  is 
formed  of  one  single  block,  about  1 5  feet  high,  and  is  sculp- 
tured with  a  curious  bas-relief  surmounted  by  a  compartment 
containing  a  repetition  of  the  usual  inscription.  The  bas- 
relief  consists  of  a  profile  of  a  man  clothed  in  a  long  garment 
fitting  rather  close  to  the  body,  and  bordered  by  a  wavy  fringe 
and  small  roses ;  this  bordering  runs  up  the  side  of  the  dress 
to  the  bend  of  the  arm.    His  right  arm  is  upraised,  with  his 


134  NAKSH-I  EOUSTAM. 

hand  open  and  elevated,  and  from  his  shoulders  issue  four 
wings ;  two,  spreading  on  each  side,  reach  high  above  his 
head,  and  the  other  two  are  depressed,  nearly  touching  his 
feet.  His  head  is  covered  with  a  cap  close  to  the  skull,  and 
showing  a  small  portion  of  hair  heneath  it,  and  the  hair  is 
short,  bushy,  and  curled  with  great  regularity.  The  most 
singular  part  of  the  sculpture,  however,  is  the  Egyptian  orna- 
ment upon  his  head,  which  we  have  given  in  a  previous  chap- 
ter (see  Fig.  14).  The  figure  from  head  to  foot  measures 
seven  l^ieet,  and  the  width  of  the  stone  where  he  stands  is  five 
feet  two  inches.^ 

At  the  distance  of  about  a  mile  S.W.  of  these  remains  is 
found  a  quadrangle  of  about  60  or  80  feet  on  every  side,  a  great 
gate  appearing  to  have  opened  from  it  to  the  S.E.  A  con- 
tinued range  of  small  dark  chambers  even  with  the  ground 
runs  along  the  four  sides  of  this  square,  with  each  a  door 
scarcely  four  feet  high  opening  into  the  quadrangle  ;  over  the 
flat  lintel  of  these  cell-like  entrances  lies  a  huge  stone,  much 
larger  every  way  than  the  doors  were  in  length.  About  200 
yards  further  south  rises  the  structure  called  by  the  natives  the 
tomb  of  the  mother  of  Solomon,  but  which  is  now  generally 
recognised  as  the  tomb  of  Cyrus,  which  our  space  will  not 
allow  us  to  describe.  Before  visiting  the  mountain  of  sepulchres 
atNaksh-i-lloustam,  Sir  Kobert  examined  what  is  called  in  the 
neighbourhood  Tacht-e-Taoosht,  Hareem  of  Jamshid,  a  high 
piece  of  ground,  on  which  we  see  a  magnificent  and  solitary 
column  nearly  resembling  those  at  Persepolis,  standing  pre- 
eminent over  a  crowd  of  ruins  which  had  evidently  belonged 
to  some  very  ancient  and  stately  edifice.  Seven  similar  columns 
were  lying  on  the  ground,  and  a  few  yards  N.E.  of  them  are 
remains  of  thick  walls,  and  yet  unmutilated  marble  work  of 
several  large  door-frames.  The  entire  surface  of  the  terrace 
is  covered  with  mounds  of  ruins  of  apparently  two  distinct 
edifices,  a  palace  and  a  temple,  with  evidences  besides  of  forti- 
fications. Leaving  this  platform  the  next  object  Sir  Robert 
investigated  was  the  Naksh-i-Roustam.  The  face  of  the 
mountain  is  almost  a  perpendicular  cliff  scarcely  less  than  300 
yards  high ;  of  a  whitish  kind  of  marble,  in  which  have  been 
cut  sculptures  and  excavations  placed  very  near  each  other, 
and  within  the  space  of  not  quite  the  height  of  the  mountain. 
1  Porter's  Travels,  vol.  i.  p.  492, 


TOMB   OF  DAKITTS  HT8TASPE8.  135 

Those  highest  on  the  rock  are  four,  and  evidently  were  intended 
for  tombs,  one  being  supposed  to  be  that  of  Darius  Hystaspes. 
As  they  present  no  exterior  differences  we  may  suppose  that 
they  vary  but  little  within,  so  that  a  description  of  one  may 
generally  describe  them  all.  The  one  examined  by  Sir  Robert 
consists  of  an  excavation  of  about  14  feet,  in  a  form  something 
resembling  the  Greek  cross,  the  upright  division  of  which  could 
not  be  less  than  109  feet  from  end  to  end.  The  transverse 
lines  present  the  front  of  the  tomb,  and  the  highest  compart- 
ment is  thickly  sculptured  with  figures.  The  entire  front 
occupying  a  breadth  of  53  feet,  is  ornamented  by  four  pilas- 
ters about  seven  feet  apart,  and  the  same  distance  from  the 
caverned  side  of  the  excavation.  The  bases  terminate  by  a 
plinth  projecting  about  eighteen  inches,  and  the  shafts  are 
crowned  by  the  double  bulls  before  described,  the  only  differ- 
ence being  that  a  horn  issues  from  the  foreheads  of  these.  An 
additional  capital  (composed  of  three  square  stones  piled  on 
each  other,  the  smallest  and  lowest  fitting  into  the  cavity  be- 
tween the  bulls'  necks,  and  the  largest  stone  at  the  top)  sup- 
ports an  architrave  without  any  decoration  excepting  a  row  of 
modillons  near  its  upper  edge.  Between  the  two  centre  pilas- 
ters is  the  entrance,  of  which  the  door-frame  is  finely  propor- 
tioned, having  a  carved  and  projecting  architrave  fluted  and 
divided  into  leaves  ;  the  greater  part  of  the  apparent  door  is 
only  marked  like  one,  the  entrance  being  confined  to  a  square 
space  of  four  feet  six  inches  high  in  its  lower  compartment. 
The  division  above  the  front  of  the  tomb  is  the  excavation 
which  contains  the  friezes,  and  is  cut  into  a  sort  of  frame  en- 
closing them.  The  representation  within  consists  of  a  double 
row  of  1 4  figures,  each  with  their  hands  raised  over  their 
heads,  supporting  two  beautiful  cornices :  they  are  all  habited 
in  short  tunics  confined  at  the  waist  by  a  belt,  some  having 
a  dagger  hanging  from  it.  Each  side  of  the  structure  is 
famished  with  a  pillar  which  may  be  divided  into  four  parts ; 
the  base  resembles  an  urn,  on  which  rest  the  huge  paw  and 
limb  of  a  lion,  descending  from  the  columnar  part  of  the  pillar, 
which  is  fluted  horizont^y  half  way  up  ;  and  from  its  summit 
issue  the  head  and  shoulders  of  the  unicorn  bull,  but  without 
ornaments.  The  back  of  the  neck  unites  it  with  the  highest 
cornice,  so  that  the  head  and  shoulders  rise  higher  than  the 
top  of  the  structure.    On  this  top  stands  a  figure  elevated  on 


136  TOMB    OF    DARITJS    HYSTASPES. 

a  pedestal  of  three  steps.      He  is  dressed  in  flowing  robes ;  in 
Ills  left  hand  he  holds  a  bough,  and  his  right  arm  is  stretched 
half  out  with  his  hand  quite  open  ;    he  wears  bracelets  ;  his 
head   is  bare,  and  bushily  curled  behind,   while    his  beard 
flows  upon  his  breast.      Opposite  to  this  figure  is  an  altar 
charged  with  the  sacred  fire,  and  high  over  it  an  aerial  per- 
sonage, called,  by  Sir  Robert,  the  Ferouher,  and  resembling  the 
symbols  we  have  so  constantly  seen  at  Nimroud.     This  orna- 
mental elevation,  as  we  have  said,  is  comprised  within  a  square 
frame;  on  the  remaining  exterior  surfaces  are  figures  three 
deep,  those  to  the  right  of  the  altar  being  armed  with  spears, 
while  those  on  the  lett  have  their  hands  raised  to  their  faces, 
as  if  wiping  away  their  tears.      The  only  way  to  reach  the 
tomb  with  the  purpose  of  entering  it  was,  to  be  hauled  up  by 
a  rope  tied  round  the  waist ;  and  Sir  Robert  did  not  hesitate 
at  this  expedient.     On  entering  the  tomb  through  the  opening 
in  the  lower  compartment  of  the  door,  he  found  himself  in  a 
vaulted  chamber,  at  the  further  extremity  of  which  were  three 
arched  recesses,  which  occupy  the  whole  length  of  the  chamber, 
each  containing  a  trough-like  cavity  cut  down  into  the  rock, 
and  covered  with  a  stone  of  corresponding  dimensions.      The 
length  of  the  cave  which  forms  the  whole  tomb  is  34  feet,  its 
height  nine  ;  each  catacomb  containing  the  cavity  for  the  body 
is  also  nine  feet ;  length  of  sarcophagus  cavity  eight  feet  three 
inches  by  five  feet ;  depth  four  feet  four  inches ;  the  rest  of 
the  height  being  contained  in  the  bend  of  the  arch.     The  open 
space  of  the  chamber  between  the  catacombs  and  the  door  is 
about  five  feet,  and  the  entrance  had  originally  been  closed  by 
a  block  or  blocks  of  stone,  the  deep  holes  which  received  their 
pivots  being  visible  on  each  side.      Of  the  three  remaining 
tombs,  that  which  is  furthest  eastward  is  cut  in  a  receding 
angle  of  the  rock,  and  faces  the  west ;  the  second  from  this  is 
the  only  one  whereon   are   marks  of  inscription,  but  over 
the  whole  tablet  of  the   upper  compartment,  arrow-headed 
letters  are  visible  wherever  they  could  be  traced.      Strabo 
mentions  and  gives  part  of  the  inscription  upon  the  tomb  of 
Darius  Hystaspes.     The  sculptures  on  the  higher  range  belong 
to  early  Persian  kings,  while  those  of  the  lower  range  are 
attributed  to  the  Arsacedian  and  Sassanian  races ;    and  it  is 
strange  to  observe  how  the  tastes  of  the  artists  degenerated 
after  they  had  been  so  long  subjected  to  the  Greeks,  who  were 


ELWAND ECBATANA.  137 

famed  as  masters  in  design  and  execution.  As  these,  however, 
contain  no  cuneiform  inscription,  we  at  once  direct  our  course 
to  where  such  inscriptions  have  been  found  in  other  countries. 

As  ancient  Media  contains  the  most  valuable  of  the  inscribed 
records  of  Assyria,  the  first  we  shall  notice  is  the  mysterious 
stone  in  the  side  of  Mount  Elwand,  which  consists  of  an  im- 
mense block  of  red  granite  of  the  choicest  and  finest  texture, 
and  apparently  of  many  tons'  weight.  At  full  ten  feet  from 
the  ground,  two  square  excavations  appear  in  the  face  of  the 
stone,  cut  to  the  depth  of  a  foot,  about  five  feet  in  breadth, 
and  much  the  same  in  height.  Each  of  these  imperishable 
tablets  contains  three  columns  of  engraved  arrow-headed 
writing  in  the  most  excellent  preservation.  Several  deep 
holes  appear  in  the  stone  close  to  the  edge  of  the  excavations, 
showing  where  iron  fastenings  have  been  inserted  to  secure 
cross  bars,  or  some  other  protection  from  outward  injury.  The 
natives  think  that  these  writings  are  the  history  of  the  treasure 
which  is  reserved  for  him  who  can  decipher  them.^ 

Along  the  slopes  of  the  Elwand,  the  ancient  Orontes,  is  the 
elevated  district  of  Hamadan,  situated  in  a  cultivated  amphi- 
theatre, shaded  with  elms,  poplars,  firs,  &c.,  at  the  foot  of  the 
picturesque  Elwand.  This  mountain  is  covered  with  verdure 
almost  to  the  snow- clad  peak,  and  abounds  with  springs,  in 
addition  to  the  fine  stream  which  traverses  the  town.  Arrow- 
headed  inscriptions  mark  the  antiquity  of  a  site  (the  I^arwend, 
Morier,  pp.  264-7)  generally  considered  to  be  that  of  Ecba- 
tana,  the  capital  of  Media  Magna.  It  boasts  the  castle  of 
Darius,  the  sepulchres  of  Esther  and  Mordecai,  with  the  tomb 
of  the  philosopher  and  physician,  Avicenna?  In  the  castle  or 
palace  of  Ecbatana  was  found  the  original  grant  or  instrument 
of  Cyrus,  allowing  the  Jews  to  return  and  settle  in  their  own 
country.*  Sir  Robert  Porter  discovered  the  broken  shaft  and 
base  of  a  fluted  column  at  Ecbatana,  which  satisfied  him  that 
the  architecture  of  the  city  was  identical  with  that  of  Per- 
sepolis ;  the  flowing  leaf  of  the  lotus  covered  the  whole  of  the 
pedestal,  and  its  shape  resembled  the  ranges  of  columns  on  the 
platform  of  Tacht-e-Jamshid  (vol.  ii.  p.  115).  The  object  of 
the  inscriptions  at  Hamadan  appears  to  be  merely  such  as  in- 
duces travellers  to  cut  their  names  in  localities  difficult  of  access. 
The  legends  were  probably  engraved  on  the  occasion  of  one 

1  Porter's  Travels,  yoL  i.  p.  120.         «  Chesney.  »  Ezra,  y'\.  2, 


138  BEHISTUN. 

of  the  annual  journeys  which  the  monarchs  made  hetween 
Babylon  and  Ecbatana,  their  chief  interest  consisting  in  the 
indication  they  afford  of  the  ancient  line  of  communication 
crossing  Mount  Orontes.  This  road  was  ascribed  in  antiquity 
to  Semiramis,  and  Sir  Henry  Rawlinson  assured  himself,  from 
minute  examination,  that  throughout  its  whole  extent  it  pre- 
sents unequivocal  marks  of  having  been  artificially  and  most 
laboriously  constructed.' 

We  shall  now  direct  our  course  to  Behistun,  near  Kerman- 
shah,  as  the  tablets  found  there,  being  trilingual,  have  furnished 
the  key  to  the  interpretation  of  all  other  Assyrian  inscriptions 
and  consequently  possess  higher  interest  than  any  others  j'et 
discovered.  The  sacred  rock  of  Behistun,  or  Besitoon,  on  the 
western  frontiers  of  Media,  situated  on  the  high  road  con- 
ducting from  Babylonia  to  the  eastward,  must  in  all  ages  have 
attracted  the  observation  of  travellers.  "  It  rises,'*  says 
Bawlinson,  "  abruptly  from  the  plain,  to  a  perpendicular 
height  of  1 700  feet,  and  its  aptitude  for  holy  purposes  was 
not  to  be  neglected  by  that  race  which  made 

"  Their  altars  the  high  places,  and  the  peaks 
Of  earth -o'er-gazing  mountains." 

It  was  named  Bagistan,  *'  the  place  of  Baga,"  in  reference,  as 
Rawlinson  suggests,  to  Ormazd,  the  chief  of  the  Bagas,  or 
supreme  deity.  According  to  Diodorus,  **  When  Semiramis 
had  finished  all  her  works,  she  marched  with  a  great  army  into 
Media,  and  encamped  near  to  a  mountain  called  Bagistan ; 
there  she  made  a  garden  twelve  furlongs  in  compass ;  it  was  in  a 
plain  champaign  country,  and  had  a  great  fountain  in  it,  which 
watered  the  whole  garden.  Mount  Bagistan  is  dedicated  to 
Jupiter,  and,  towards  one  side  of  the  garden,  has  steep  rocks 
seventeen  furlongs  from  the  top  to  the  bottom.  She  cut 
out  a  piece  of  the  lower  part  of  the  rock,  and  caused  her  own 
image  to  be  carved  upon  it,  and  a  hundred  of  her  guards  that 
were  lanceteers  standing  round  about  her.  She  wrote  like- 
wise in  Syriac  letters  upon  the  rock,  That  Semiramis  ascended 
from  the  plain  to  the  top  of  the  mountain  hy  laying  the  packs  and 
fardels  of  the  beasts  that  followed  her  one  upon  another ^^  **  The 
precipitous  rock,**  says  Rawlinson,*  **  seventeen  stadia  high, 

1  R.  As.  Jour.  vol.  x.  p.  320. 
2  Diod.  Sic.  b.  ii.  c.  I.  ^  Jour.  E.  Geo.  Soc.  vol.  ix. 


SCULPTURES   AT  BEHISTUN.  139 

facing  the  garden,  the  large  spring  gushing  out  from  the  foot 
of  the  precipice,  and  watering  the  adjoining  plain,  and  the 
smoothing  of  the  lower  part  of  the  rock,  all  convey  an  accurate 
idea  of  the  present  appearance  of  Behistun.  But  what  can 
we  say  of  the  sculptures  of  Semiramis  and  the  inscription  in 
Syriac  characters  ?  There  are  only  two  tablets  at  Behistun  ; 
the  one  nearly  destroyed,  which  contains  a  Greek  inscription, 
declaring  it  to  be  the  work  of  Gozartes,  and  the  other  a  Per- 
sepolitan  sculpture,  which  is  adorned  by  nearly  a  thousand 
lines  of  cuneiform  character.** 

Sir  Robert  Porter  informs  us  that  the  lower  part  of  the  rock 
'*has  been  smoothed  to  a  height  of  100  feet  and  to  a  breadth 
of  150  feet;  beneath  which  projects  a  rocky  terrace  of  great 
solidity,  embracing  the  same  extent  from  end  to  end  of  the 
smooth  clifT  above,  and  sloping  gradually  in  a  shelving  direc- 
tion to  the  level  of  the  ground  below.  Its  base  for  some  way 
up  is  faced  with  large  hewn  stones,  and  vast  numbers  of  the 
same,  some  in  a  finished,  and  others  in  a  progressive  state,  lie 
scattered  about  in  every  direction,  evidently  intended  to  build 
up  and  complete  the  front  to  its  higher  level.  .  .  .  About 
fifty  yards  from  this  rocky  platform,  more  towards  the  bridge 
and  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  bursts  a  beautifully  clear  stream, 
and  just  over  its  fountain  head,  on  a  broad  protruding  mass  of 
the  rock,  the  remains  of  an  immense  piece  of  sculpture  are  still 
visible.*'  .  .  .  The  first  figure  carries  a  spear,  and  is  in  the 
full  Median  habit,  altogether  resembling  the  guards  at  Perse- 
polis.  The  second  is  similarly  attired,  but  has,  in  addition,  a 
quiver  slung  at  his  back,  bracelets,  and  holds  a  bent  bow  in 
his  right  hand ;  and  the  third  personage  is  of  much  larger 
stature,  a  usual  distinction  of  royalty  in  oriental  description, 
and  his  costume  resembles  that  seen  on  the  king  at  Kaksh-i- 
Roustam  at  Persepolis.  His  right  hand  is  elevated,  and  his 
left  grasps  a  bow,  which,  together  with  his  foot,  rests  on  the 
body  of  a  prostrate  man,  who  lies  on  his  back,  with  outstretched 
arms,  supplicating  for  mercy.  This  unhappy  personage  is 
succeeded  by  nine  others,  all  having  their  hands  tied  behind 
their  backs,  and  they  are  united  together  by  a  cord  tied  round 
their  necks  to  the  extremity  of  the  line.  Their  costume  is 
similar  to  that  seen  at  Persepolis,  consisting  sometimes  of  a 
short  tunic  and  belt  round  the  waist,  sometimes  of  long  robes, 
in  some  instances  with  trowser  or  booted  appeai'ance  about  the 


140  SCTLPTITRES   AT   BKHISTTTN. 

legs;  but  the  ninth  is  distinguished  by  wearing  a  prodigiously 
high  pointed  cap,  and  by  more  ample  hair  and  beard.  "  In  the 
air,  over  the  heads  of  the  centre  figures,  appears  the  floating  In- 
telligence in  his  circle  and  car  of  sunbeams.  Above  the  head  of 
each  individual  in  this  bas-relief  is  a  compartment,  with  an 
inscription  in  the  arrow-headed  writing,  most  probably  de- 
scriptive of  the  characters  and  situation  of  each  person,  and 
immediately  below  the  sculpture  are  two  lines  in  the  same 
language,  running  the  whole  length  of  the  group.  Under  these 
again  the  excavation  is  continued  to  a  considerable  extent, 
containing  eight  deep  and  closely-written  columns."^ 

That  the  utmost  pains  had  been  taken  to  ensure  the  perma- 
nency of  the  record,  is  evident  from  its  elevated  position  ;  the 
ascent  of  the  rock  being  so  precipitous,  that  in  its  natural 
state  it  must  have  been  altogether  unapproachable  without 
the  aid  of  a  scaffold.  Ilawlinson  remarks,  that  **  the  labour 
bestowed  on  the  whole  work  must  have  been  enormous.  The 
mere  preparation  of  the  surface  of  the  rock  must  have  occupied 
many  months ;  and,  on  examining  the  tablets  minutely,  I  ob- 
served an  elaborateness  of  workmanship  which  is  not  to  be 
found  in  other  places.  Wherever,  in  fact,  from  the  unsound- 
ness of  the  stone,  it  was  difficult  to  give  the  necessary  polish 
to  the  surface,  other  fragments  were  inlaid,  imbedded  in  molten 
lead,  and  the  fittings  were  so  nicely  managed,  that  a  very 
careful  scrutiny  is  required  at  present  to  detect  the  artifice. 
Holes  or  fissures,  which  perforated  the  work,  were  filled  up 
also  with  the  same  material,  and  the  polish  which  was  be- 
stowed on  the  entire  sculpture  could  only  have  been  accom- 
plished by  mechanical  means The  inscriptions,  for 

extent,  for  beauty  of  execution,  for  uniformity  and  correctness, 
are  perhaps  unequalled  in  the  world."  Rawlinson  assigns  the 
palm  of  merit  to  the  Median  writing,  and  infers  from  thence  the 
employment  of  a  Median  artist ;  at  the  same  time,  however,  the 
Persian  transcript  is  superior  to  an 5'^  he  had  met  with  at  Perse- 
polis  or  Hamadan,  and  the  Babylonish  legends  are  hardly 
below  the  standard  of  the  usual  tablets.  He  especially  noticed 
"  a  very  extraordinary  device  which  has  been  employed  ap- 
parently to  give  a  finish  and  durability  to  the  writing.  It  was, 
that  after  the  engraving  of  the  rock  had  been  accomplished,  a 
coating  of  siliceous  varnish  had  been  laid  on,  to  give  a  clear- 
1  Porter's  Travels,  vol.  i.  p.  150. 


PILLAR   AT   KELI   SHIN.  "  141 

ness  of  outline  to  each  individual  letter,  and  to  protect  the 
surface  against  the  action  of  the  elements.  This  varnish  is  of 
infinitely  greater  hardness  than  the  limestone  rock  beneath  it. 
It  has  been  washed  down  in  several  places  by  the  trickling  of 
water  for  three-and-twenty  centuries,  and  it  lies  in  flakes  upon 
the  foot-ledge  like  thin  layers  of  lava.  It  adheres  in  other 
portions  of  the  tablet  to  the  broken  surface,  and  still  shows 
with  sufficient  distinctness  the  forms  of  the  characters,  although 
the  rock  beneath  is  entirely  honey-combed  and  destroyed.  It 
is  only,  indeed,  in  the  great  fissures  caused  by  the  outbursting 
of  natural  springs,  and  in  the  lower  part  of  the  tablet,  where 
I  suspect  artificial  mutilation,  that  the  varnish  has  entirely 
disappeared."^ 

Among  the  sites  of  inscriptions  visited  by  Rawlinson, 
is  the  Pass  of  Keli  Shin,  in  the  Kurdistan  mountains,  which 
separate  the  plains  of  Mesopotamia  from  Azerbijan  and 
Lake  Urumiyeh.  He  says  that  he  "  found,  upon  a  little  emi- 
nence by  the  side  of  the  road,  and  nearly  at  the  highest  point 
of  the  pass,  the  famous  Keli  Shin,  the  stories  of  which  had 
long  excited  his  curiosity.  .  .  .  The  Keli  Shin  is  a  pillar 
of  dark-blue  stone,  six  feet  in  height,  two  feet  in  breadth,  and 
one  foot  in  depth,  rounded  off  at  the  top  and  at  the  angles,  and 
let  into  a  pediment  consisting  of  one  solid  block  of  the  same 
sort  of  stone,  five  feet  square,  and  two  feet  deep.'* 

"  On  the  broad  face  of  the  pillar  fronting  the  east,  there  is 
a  cuneiform  inscription  of  41  lines,  but  no  other  trace  of  sculp- 
ture or  device  to  be  seen."  ...  "At  the  distance  of  five 
hours  from  the  pass  which  he  ascended,  there  is  a  precisely 
similar  pillar,  denominated  also  Keli  Shin  (in  Kurdish,  the 
blue  pillar),  upon  the  summit  of  the  second  range,  which  over- 
looks the  town  and  district  of  Sidek.  This  is  also  engraved 
with  a  long  cuneiform  inscription.  .  .  .  The  chief  value  he 
attaches  at  present  to  these  two  interesting  relics  of  antiquity, 
is  the  determination  which  they  aiford  of  a  great  line  of  com- 
munication existing  in  ancient  days  across  the  mountains. 
This  line  could  only  have  been  used  to  connect  two  great 
capitals,  and  these  capitals  must  then  necessarily  have  been 
Nineveh  and  Ecbatana."^ 

The  next  inscriptions  of  importance,  of  which   we   have 
record,  are  those  in  Armenia,  on  the  shores  of  Lake  Vdn,  near 
1  Jour.  R.  As.  Soc.  vol.  x.  chap.  iv.  p.  187.  2  idem. 


142  MONTJMENTS  AT  LAKE  TAN  AND  NAHE  AL  KELB. 

the  ruins  still  called  by  the  natives  Shemiramgerd,  or  City  of 
Semiramis.  The  tradition  runs,  that  when  Semiramis  success- 
fully terminated  the  war  in  Armenia,  she  was  so  struck  with 
the  beautiful  scenery  of  the  Sea  Aktharaar  (Lake  Van),  that 
she  forthwith  employed  12,000  workmen,  under  600  overseers 
or  architects,  in  building  a  magnificent  city,  which  subse- 
quently became  her  summer  residence.  Moses  Chorenensis,  in 
his  History  of  Armenia,  describes  the  caverns,  columns,  and 
inscriptions  which  formed  part  of  the  works ;  and  Professor 
Schulze,  who  copied  forty-two  of  these  inscriptions,  1827-8, 
deciphered  the  word  **  Shemiram,"  in  several  of  these,  particu- 
larly in  one  which  is  written  in  the  arrow-headed  characters;* 
80  that  the  dominion  of  the  Assyrian  queen  of  Armenia  can  no 
longer  be  said  to  rest  wholly  upon  tradition.  Most  of  the  in- 
scriptions  were  found  on  a  kind  of  platform,  which  had  formed 
the  base  of  ancient  structures ;  others  were  found  in  caverns, 
and  one  of  eighty-eight  lines  was  at  such  an  elevation,  as  to 
be  difficult  of  access.  Inscriptions  were  found  altogether  in 
fifteen  places,  one  of  which  was  Khorkhor,  on  the  south- 
western side  of  the  castle  of  Van,  and  another  upon  a  rock  on 
the  banks  of  the  stream  called  Schemiram,  which'  flows  into 
the  lake.  The  most  important  of  these  records  was  engraved 
on  a  large  square  tablet,  60  feet  above  the  plain  ;  it  was  di- 
vided, by  perpendicular  lines,  into  three  columns  of  cuneiform 
writing,  each  column  consisting  of  27  lines  of  writing,  all  in 
the  highest  preservation.  Neither  statues  nor  bassi-rilievi 
were  discovered,  and  M.  Schulze*s  researches  led  him  ulti- 
mately to  the  conclusion,  that  there  are  no  existing  monuments 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  Van,  which  can  date  so  far  back  as 
the  time  of  Semiramis. 

The  next  inscribed  tablets,  to  which  we  shall  direct  atten- 
tion, are  those  at  the  mouth  of  the  Nahr  al  Kelb,  in  the 
vicinity  of  Beyrout,  which  possess  peculiar  interest  at  the 
present  day.  A  cast  of  the  most  perfect  of  these  tables,  now 
in  the  British  Museum,  was  the  first  relic  of  the  ancient  As- 
syrian empire  brought  to  this  country.  The  material  points 
of  the  following  short  account  formed  the  subject  of  a  paper 
read  to  the  Royal  Society  of  Literature,  June  25th,  1834  : — * 

^  Memoire  sur  le  Lac  de  Van  et  ses  Environs,  par  M.  F.  W.  Schulze, 
Journal  Asiatique,  vol.  ix. 
*  Trails.  R.  Soc.  Lit.  Art.  iv.,  by  Josepli  Bonomi,  vol.  iii.  p.  105,  1839. 


MONUMENT  AT  NAHE  AL  KELB.  143 

"  Nahr  Alkelb,  the  ancient  Lycus,  is  situated  about  two 
hours  north-east  of  Beyrout.  The  rocks  that  sustain  the  road 
south  of  the  riyer,  preserve  the  remains  of  ten  monuments  of 
great  interest,  and  of  various  epochae.  The  most  ancient,  but 
unfortunately  the  most  corroded,  are  three  Egyptian  tablets : 
on  them  may  be  traced  the  name  of  Rameses,  to  -which  period 
any  connoisseur  in  Egyptian  art  would  have  attributed  them, 
if  even  the  evidence  of  the  name  had  been  wanting,  from  the 
beautiful  proportion  of  the  tablet,  and  its  cavetto  moulding. 

"  The  next  in  antiquity,  also  of  great  interest,  are  five 
Chaldaean  tablets,  four  of  which  are  not  less  effaced  than  their 
more  ancient  companions ;  but  the  highest  one  is  as  perfect  as 
the  least  ancient  monument  this  interesting  spot  affords,  owing, 
perhaps,  to  its  being  more  out  of  the  spray  of  the  sea,  and 
farthest  from  the  road  ;  it  represents  a  figure  of  a  man  in  the 
long  dress  of  the  eastern  nations,  with  a  large  beard,  curiously 
plaited,  holding  in  his  right  hand  something  like  a  fan,  and  in 
his  left  a  stick.  Nearly  the  whole  of  the  background  and 
dress  of  the  figure  is  covered  with  the  arrow-headed  character, 
which  is  in  many  places  perfectly  well  preserved. 

"  The  hieroglyphic  tablets  have  been  protected  by  a  kind  of 
folding  door,  the  holes  for  the  hinges  of  which  still  remain. 
This  circumstance  is  not  at  all  incompatible  with  the  stupen- 
dous works  of  the  Egyptians,  which  seem  to  have  been  de- 
signed to  resist  the  ravages  of  time,  and  to  record  to  posterity 
the  glorious  deeds  of  their  kings  and  heroes.  Another  circum- 
stance, which  may  perhaps  throw  some  light  on  the  nature  of 
these  inscriptions,  is,  that  the  Egyptian  and  Chaldaean  tablets 
are  always  together.  From  the  first  group,  which  is  on  the 
present  road,  you  ascend  out  of  the  path  to  the  second,  which 
has  also  its  accompanying  Chaldaean  figure,  and,  still  higher, 
are  two  more.  These  last  are  far  above  the  modern  road ;  but 
from  the  appearance  of  the  rocks,  and  the  wide  flat  space 
about  them,  it  may  be  concluded  that  the  Egyptian  conqueror 
had  cut  his  path  over  the  mountain  in  this  place,  which  was 
afterwards  traversed  by  the  Chaldaean  hero,  who  took  the  Jews 
into  captivity.*' 

The  accompanying  illustration  (Fig.  30)  may  serve  "to  show 
the  relative  situation  of  the  Egyptian  and  Chaldaean  tablets, 
which  is  in  some  measure  interesting ;  for  it  will  be  evident  that 
the  Chaldaean  sculptor  has  taken  advantage  of  the  rock  pre- 


144 


MONUMENT   AT   CYPRUS. 


pared  by  the  Egyptian,  who  had  already  occupied  the  soundest 
and  best  part  of  it  in  the  execution  of  his  subject." 


Fig.  30. — MONUMENT   AT  MAHB   AL   KELB. 

A  very  full  description  of  these  curious  monuments  is  to  be 
found  at  page  356  of  "  Letters  from  Egypt,  Ethiopia,  and  the 
Peninsula  of  Sinai,"  by  Dr.  R.  Lepsius,  and  published  by  Mr. 
H.  G.  Bohn,  York  Street,  Co  vent  Garden,  as  well  as  accurate  en- 
gravings of  the  monuments  in  the  great  Prussian  work,  "  Denk- 
maeler,  aus  jEgyptien  und  .^thieopien,"  vol.  vii.  Part  III., 
Plate  197.  We  have  been  thus  particular  in  pointing  out 
these  various  sources  of  information  on  these  important  monu- 
ments of  the  Nahr  al  Kelb,  because  the  existence  of  some  of 
them  has  been  called  in  question  by  M.  de  Saulcy. 

The  cast  of  the  Assyrian  portion  of  this  monument,  which 
was  made  by  the  author  of  the  present  work  and  brought  to 
England  by  him  in  1834,  was  subsequently  presented  to  the 
British  Museum  by  his  Grace  the  Duke  of  Northumberland. 

The  last  Assyrian  monument  we  shall  describe  is  one  found 
at  Larnaka,  the  ruins  of  the  ancient  Citium  in  the  Island  of 
Cyprus ;  and  we  take  occasion  to  thank  our  good  friend  Dr. 
Lepsius  for  the  following  particulars  concerning  it,  which  he 
has  kindly  sent  in  reply  to  our  queries.  The  monument  which 
was  discovered  in  1845  exactly  resembles  that  at  Nahr  al  Kelb, 
consisting  of  a  circular-headed  stone,  which  contains  within  a 
niche  the  figure  of  a  man  holding  up  his  right  hand,  and 


CUNEATIC   INSCKIPTIONS.  145 

certain  emblems  engraved  on  the  back  ground  on  a  level  with 
the  face  of  the  man.  The  tablet  is  almost  entirely  covered 
with  a  cuneatic  inscription.  The  dimensions  of  this  tablet  are 
six  feet  eight  inches  high,  by  two  feet  two  inches  wide,  and 
the  stone  of  which  it  is  made,  being  of  a  black  colour,  has 
been  called  basaltic,  though  it  appears  rather  to  be  a  kind  of 
lava.  When  the  relic  was  first  found,  M.  Mattei,  the  Prussian 
Consul  at  Cyprus,  despatched  an  account  of  it,  accompanied 
by  a  drawing,  to  his  government,  and  the  importance  of  the 
discovery  being  immediately  acknowledged,  the  monument 
was  at  once  purchased  and  deposited  in  the  museum  at  Berlin. 
Memoirs  respecting  it  have  since  been  published  in  the  Ar- 
chaeological Archives  of  S.  Ross,  Halle,  1846;  and  in  the 
Revue  Arch^ologique,  1846,  p.  114;  and  the  French  Govern- 
ment have  sought  and  obtained  a  cast,  which  is  now  in  the 
Louvre.  Rawlinson,  in  passing  through  Berlin  on  his  way 
to  the  East,  examined  the  tablet,  and  recognised  in  the 
figure  of  the  king  that  of  the  founder  of  Khorsabad,  but  his 
brief  sojourn  did  not  admit  of  his  then  making  further  inves- 
tigations. Dr.  Lepsius  is  not  aware  that  the  inscription  on 
this  monument  has  been  studied  and  deciphered  by  any  one, 
but  as  Rawlinson  took  an  impression  in  paper  away  with 
him,  we  turn  to  him  for  further  light  on  this  curious  and 
interesting  chronicle.  In  the  mean  time  we  may  remark  that 
a  passage  in  Menander  of  Ephesus  is  preserved,  which  is 
corroborative  of  Rawlinson's  surmise.  The  historian  says, 
that  the  king  of  Tyre,  Eluloeus,  **  fitted  out  a  fleet  against 
the  Cittaeans  (the  people  of  Cittium)  who  had  revolted, 
and  reduced  them  to  obedience.  But  Salmanasar,  the  king  of 
the  Assyrians,  sent  them  assistance,  and  overran  Phoenicia : 
and  when  he  had  made  peace  with  the  Phoenicians  he  returned 
with  all  his  forces."     Joseph.  Ant.  Jud.,  lib.  ix.,  c.  14. 

Of  other  Assyrian  remains  whose  existence  is  known,  we 
were  informed  some  years  ago  by  M.  Linant,  that  he  had  seen 
cuneatic  inscriptions  in  the  desert,  between  the  Nile  and  the 
Red  Sea ;  there  is  another  at  Dash  Tappeh,  in  the  plain  of 
Mirgaud^b ;  one  on  the  banks  of  the  Euphrates,  between  the 
towns  of  Malatich  and  Kharput;  some  at  Mel  Amir;  one  on 
a  broken  obelisk  on  the  mound  of  Susa ;  and  the  black  stone 
found  among  the  ruins  of  Nineveh,  and  now  in  the  possession 

L 


146 


CUNEATIC   INSCRIPTIONS. 


of  the  Earl  of  Aberdeen.  In  the  last  section  of  this  work  we 
shall  have  occasion  to  notice  some  more  recent  discoveries  of 
the  same  kind. 

In  conclusion,  we  may  observe,  that  though  many  of  the 
inscriptions  are  the  chronicles  of  Median  and  Persian  sovereigns, 
they  still  mark  with  equal  certainty  the  extent  of  the  pre- 
ceding Assyrian  empire ;  for  the  records  being  mostly  trilingual, 
induces  the  natural  inference  that  the  dialect  peculiar  to 
Assyria  was  at  that  time  prevalent,  and  probably  the  vulgate 
of  the  districts  in  which  the  tablets  are  found. 


Fig.  81.-yiBW  ON  THE  EUPHRATES  NEAK  DAGHDAD,  FBOU  A  8KRTCU  BY  MB.ROMAINE. 


147 


SECTION  IV. 

DISCOVERIES.— THE  PALACES  OF  ASSYRIA. 
CHAPTER  I. 

KHOBSABAP. 

In  elucidating  the  architecture  and  construction  of  the 
Assyrian  palaces  we  have  already  turned  for  aid  to  Persepolis, 
the  capital  which  immediately  succeeded  those  of  Assyria ; 
and  by  a  singular  concurrence,  many  of  those  parts  of  the 
royal  residences,  which  time  or  local  circumstances  have  en- 
tirely removed  from  the  ruins  of  Khorsabad,  such  as  windows, 
columns,  and  the  grand  flights  of  stairs  to  the  summit  of  the 
platform,  are  preserved  in  those  of  Persepolis ;  while  many 
of  those  parts  which  are  wanting  at  Persepolis,  such  as  sculp- 
tured and  painted  walls,  and  successive  courts  and  chambers,  are 
found  at  Khorsabad,  and  in  other  Assyrian  ruins. 

The  leading  features  which  distinguished  the  royal  and 
sacred  buildings  of  Assyria  from  those  of  Egypt,  are  evidently, 
in  the  first  place,  the  artificial  mounds,  by  which  they  were 
raised  30  or  40  feet  above  the  level  of  the  plain  on  which 
they  stood ;  and  secondly,  the  architectural  arrangements  by 
which  the  summit  of  these  mounds  was  attained.  So  far  as 
has  hitherto  been  ascertained  from  the  explorations  at  Khorsa- 
bad and  elsewhere,  the  pedestal  or  sub-basement  of  the 
Assyrian  buildings  was  not  a  mere  accumulation  of  loose  earth 
incrusted  with  stone  or  bricks,  but  was  a  regularly  constructed 
elevation,  built  of  layers  of  sun-dried  bricks,  so  solidly 
united  with  the  same  clay  of  which  the  bricks  themselves 
were  made,  that  Botta  was  for  some  time  doubtful  whether  it 
consisted  only  of  a  mass  of  clay  well  rammed  together,  as  de- 


148       KllORSABAD. — FORE-PAET  OF  BULL  ON  JAMB  0¥  DOOR. 

scribed  by  Rich ;  or  whether  it 
had  originally  been  entirely 
formed  of  bricks,  as  subsequent 
investigations  have  satisfacto- 
rily proved.  It  farther  appears 
that  the  substructure  was  solid 
throughout,  excepting  where 
drains  or  water-pipes  were  insert- 
ed, or  where  subterranean  chan- 
nels like  the  aqueducts  found  by 
Sir  Robert  Porter  at  Persepolis, 
existed :  and  that  the  mass  of 
brickwork  forming  the  mound 
was  encased  round  the  sides 
with  well- squared  blocks  of 
lime-stone.  In  order  to  secure 
the  soluble  material  of  the  mound 
from  the  action  of  the  periodical 
rains,  not  only  were  the  sides 
encased  in  stone,  but  the  whole 
of  the  upper  surface,  not  oc- 
cupied by  buildings,  was  like- 
wise protected  by  two  layers  of 
kiln-burn  bricks  or  tiles,  from 
11  to  IS^  inches  square  by  5 
inches  deep,  all  inscribed  on  the 
under  side,  and  cemented  to- 
gether, with  a  coating  of  bitu- 
men. These  bricks  are  flat,  and 
about  the  size,  colour,  and  sub- 
stance of  the  tiles  of  the  Sus- 
pension Bridge,  Hungerford 
Market.  The  upper  layer  was 
separated  from  the  lower  by  a 
stratum  of  sand  six  inches  in 
thickness.  So  that  if  any  mois- 
ture chanced  to  penetrate,  it 
would  most  likely  be  dissipated 
in  the  sandy  stratum,  and  thence 
be  drained  off  before  it  could 
touch  the  second  layer  of  tiles. 
Tiie  plaU'orm  of  Tvborj-'ubua  uu-r-. 


XHORSABAD. BOUNDAEY   AND    STAIRS. 


149 


not  a  quadrangle,  but  presented  somewhat  a  T  shape  (see  plan 
Fig.  20),  the  stem  of  which  was  considerably  more  elevated 
than  the  transverse  part.  The  latter,  or  south-eastern  end, 
was  975  feet  long  by  422  feet  broad,  and  rose  about  20  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  plain,  while  the  adjoining  portion  rose 
10  feet  higher,  and  was  650  feet  long,  by  553  feet  wide. 
The  lower  terrace  projected  into  the  walled  enclosure  (see 
Fig.  19),  but  the  upper,  on  which  the  principal  sculptured 
monuments  were  found,  advanced  about  500  feet  beyond  the 
wall,  being  entirely  unprotected,  excepting  from  its  perpen- 
dicular elevation  above  the  level  of  the  plain,  which  rendered 
it  nearly  inaccessible.  The  outer  boundary  of  this  elevated 
part  of  the  platform  seems  to  have  been  irregular,  but  though 
the  form  has  not  been  distinctly  ascertained,  the  angles  of 
brick- work  uncovered  by  Botta  at  various  points  are  suffi- 
ciently indicative  of  the  actual  lines,  and  leave  little  room 
for  doubting  Mr.  Fergusson' s  suggestions  respecting  them.^ 
Having  thus  far  described  the  general  appearance  and  struc- 
ture of  the  mound,  we  will  now  proceed  to  examine  the  build- 


Fig.  33. — POSTAL  OF  THE  PALACE  OF  KHOESABAD  (BOTTA,  pi.  24). 


ings  and  sculptures  that  were  found  upon  it.  We  shall 
commence  our  investigations  with  the  lower  terrace,  because 
it  was  here,  at  about  50  feet  from  the  edge,  that  Botta  dis- 
covered the  fragments  of  walls,  and  the  projecting  facade  (figure 
33),  which  apparently  formed  the  great,  if  not  the  only, 
*  Fergusson's   "  Palaces  of  Nineveh  and  Persepolis  Restored." 


150 


KHOKSABAD. — PLAN   OF   PALACE. 


entrance  to  the  platform.  We  have  no  hesitation  in  agreeing 
with  Mr.  Fergusson  that  the  mode  of  ascending  to  this 
entrance  resembled  the  existing  example  at  Persepolis,  and 
in  all  probability  had  Botta  excavated  down  the  side   of  the 


COU£T  OF  AS8K1IBLY. 
Fig.  34.— FLAK  OF  THE  PA  LACK  OF  KH0B8ABAD  (BOTTA,  pi.  6). 

mound,   he  would  have  discovered   the  stairs  which  must 
have  formed  BO  striking    and    characteristic    a  feature  in 


KH02SABAD. — POETA.LS. CHERUBIM.  151 

structures  on  elevated  foundations  like  those  of  the  Palaces  of 
the  Kings  of  Assyria.  The  great  portal  forming  the  centre 
of  the  fa9ade,  consisted  on  each  side  of  three  colossal  hulls, 
(fig.  35,  p.  152),  with  human  heads  and  eagles'  wings,  and  a 
gigantic  figure  of  a  man  (fig.  36,  p.  153),  each  formed  of  a 
single  block  of  alabaster.  The  bull  which  formed  the  jamb  of 
the  gateway  was  of  much  larger  dimensions  than  were  those 
forming  the  facade,  which  stood  back  to  back,  having  the 
figure  of  the  man  between  them.  We  shall  not  pause  to 
specially  describe  these  sculptures,  but  will  at  once  pass 
through  the  portal  (figure  33),  the  front  of  which  is  here 
represented  without  the  accompanying  figures  of  the  fagade. 
Having  passed  through  the  gateway,  we  turn  to  the  right  and 
arrive  at  the  second  platform,  which,  from  its  elevation,  must 
have  been  mounted  by  means  of  steps,  though,  here  again, 
Botta  has  not  dug  sufficiently  in  advance  of  the  terrace  to 
ascertain  the  existence  of  this  mode  of  ascent.  Upon  mount- 
ing the  platform,  we  find  ourselves  in  court  n  (see  plan  fig. 
84),  which  we  shall  call  the  .Court  of  Assembly,  the  dimen- 
sions of  which  are  340  feet  by  157  feet. 

Placing  ourselves  opposite  the  entrance  a  (fig.  34),  which  is 
still  standing,  we  find  that  it  almost  exactly  resembles  the 
portal  we  have  already  passed,  and  the  repetition  is  sufficiently 
remarkable  to  induce  us  to  describe  the  figures  composing  it 
before  we  proceed  farther.  The  symbolic  figures  guarding 
these  entrances  are  combinations  of  the  man,  the  bull,  and 
the  eagle ;  the  countenance  is  noble  and  benevolent  in  ex- 
pression, the  features,  of  true  Persian  type,  probably  resemble 
those  of  the  reigning  king ;  he  wears  a  high  cap,  surmounted 
by  a  band  of  rosettes  and  a  row  of  feathers ;  and  three  bulls* 
horns  on  each  side  closely  surround  the  base  (see  fig.  of  the 
head-dress  at  commencement  of  sec.  v.)  The  hair  at  the  back 
of  the  head  has  seven  ranges  of  curls  ;  and  the  beard  is  divided 
into  three  ranges  of  curls,  with  intervals  of  wavy  hair.  In 
the  ears,  which  are  those  of  a  bull,  are  pendant  ear-rings.  The 
dewlap  is  covered  with  tiers  of  curls,  and  four  rows  are  con- 
tinued beneath  the  ribs  along  the  whole  flank ;  on  the  back 
are  six  rows  of  curls,  upon  the  haunch  a  square  bunch  ranged 
successively,  and  down  the  back  of  the  thigh  four  rows.  The 
hair  at  the  end  of  the  tail  is  curled,  like  the  beard,  with  in- 
tervals of  wavy  hair.    The  hair  at  the  knee-joints  is  likewise 


152 


KHOKSABAD. POETALS. CHEKUBIM. 


curled,  terminating  in  the  profile  views  of  the  limbs  in  a  single 
curl,  of  the  kind  (if  we  may  use  the  terra)  called  croche  cmir. 
The  elaborately-sculptured  wings  extend  over  the  back  of  the 
animal  to  the  very  verge  of  the  slab.  Being  built  into  the 
side  of  the  door,  one  side  and  a  front  view  only  could  be  seen 
by  the  spectator,  and  the  sculptor  has  accordingly  given  the 
animal  five  legs,  the  four  shown  in  the  side  view  being  in  the 
act  of  walking,  while  the  right  fore-leg  is  repeated,  but  standing 
motionless. 

In  the  top  of  one  of  the  slabs  of  this  description,  in  the 
British  Museum,  is  a  hole  one  inch  and  a  half  in  diameter  at 
about  the  angle  of  the  wing ;  and  it  is  also  worthy  of  remark, 
that  the  large  stones  forming  each  sculptured  slab  do  not  break 
joint  as  is  usual  with  stone  work. 

These  symbolical  combinations,  the  human-headed  figure  of 
a  bull  with  eagles'  wings  we  regard  as  derived  from  the  tra- 
ditional descriptions  of  the  cherubim,  which  were  handed 
down  after  the  deluge  by  the  descendants  of  Noah  ;  to  the 
same  origin,  also,  we  are  inclined  to  attribute  their  situation 
as  guardians  of  the  principal  entrances  of  the  palaces  of  the 
Assyrian  kings.  The  cherubim  guarded  the  gates  of  paradise.^ 
The  cherubic  symbols  were  placed  in  the  adytum  of  the  taber- 


Fig.  35.— POUT AL  OF  PALACE  WITH  FIOUBB  OF  MIMROD  (BOTTA,  pi.  7). 

nacle,'*  and  afterwards  in  the  corresponding  sanctuary  of  the 
temple ;'  and  here,  in  the  Assyrian  palaces,  they  are  never 
found  excepting  as  guardians  of  portals. 

The  fore-feet  of  the  bulls  forming  the  jambs  of  the  door  are 
advanced  to  the  line  of  the  wall,  the  return  of  which  is  faced 
by  two  smaller  winged  bulls  with  their  backs  to  each  other 
and  their  faces  turned  towards  the  court  (fig.  35).     Between 

^  Gen.  iii.  24.    2  Exodus,  xxvi.  33.    '  1  Kings,  vi.  23;  2  Chron.  iii.  10-12, 


154 


KHOBSABAD. NIMBOD. — BOMMEBENa. 


Fig.  37. 

E0TPT1AN  BOMMEBENa. 


these  two  minor  bulls  is  the  gigantic  figure  (fig.  36)  we  noticed  at 
the  first  entrance,  the  whole  group  occupying  a  width  of  39  feet. 
This  gigantic  figure,  which  is  found  between  the  bulls  on  each 
side  of  the  centre  aperture  of  court  n,  like  that  first  seen,  stands 
out  in  bold  relief,  and  has  been  supposed  to  be  the  Assyrian 
Hercules  ;  but  we  hope  to  show  that  it  is  intended  to  repre- 
sent the  great  progenitor  of  the  Assyrian  nation,  the  **  mighty 
hunter,"  Nimrod  himself.  He  is  repre- 
sented strangling  a  young  lion,  which  he 
presses  against  his  chest  with  his  left  arm, 
while  he  is  clutching  in  his  hand  the  fore- 
paw  of  the  animal,  which  seems  convulsed 
in  the  agony  of  his  grasp.  (Fig.  36.)  In 
his  right  hand  he  holds  an  instrument  that 
we  infer  to  be  analogous  to  theBommerengof 
the  Australians,  the  Hunga  Munga  of  South 
Africa,  the  Trorabash  of  Central  Africa,  or  the 
Sellem  of  the  Bishareen.  It  is  an  instrument 
used  by  all  these  different  nations  in  hunting, 
and  by  some  in  war,  as  described  by  Benham  and  Clapperton, 
in  their  journey  to  Timbuctoo.  The  universality  of  this  weapon 
is  sufficiently  established  by  the  fact  of  its  being  found  in  such 
widely  separated  continents,  and  in  evidence  of  its  antiquity 
we  refer  to  the  woodcut  (fig.  37),  taken  from  an 
ancient  basso-relievo  at  Thebes,  where  it  is  com- 
monly seen  in  the  hands  of  hunters.  There  is 
likewise  in  the  Egyptian  Hall  of  the  British  Mu- 
seum, another  example  of  the  instrument,  ex- 
hibited in  a  picture  of  a  huntsman  who  is  about 
to  throw  it  at  some  birds  which  are  taking  flight 
over  a  papyrus  grove.  In  the  relievi  at  Kalabshe 
also,  the  same  weapon  is  seen  in  the  hands  of  some 
Asiatic  people  represented  in  flight  before  Ra- 
meses  II.  The  annexed  engraving  (fig.  38)  is 
taken  from  the  one  seen  in  the  hand  of  the  figure 
at  the  first  entrance  of  the  Palace  at  Khorsabad, 
MiMEOD's  HAND,  bccausc  It  sccms  to  indicate  a  flatness  and  an  ir- 
regularity in  the  curve  differing  from  that  in  the  hand  of  the 
figure  at  the  second  entrance,  in  this  particular  more  nearly 
resembling  the  modern  Australian  weapon,  and  the  iron  trom- 
bash  (fig.  40)  of  Central  Africa ;  but  therefore  less  like  that 


Fig.  .S8, 

BOMMERENO  IK 


KHORSABAD. — HXTNGA  MUNGA,  TEOMBASH,  ES-SELLEIT,  ETC.     155 


used  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  Desert  between  the  Mle  and 
the  Bed  Sea  (fig.  41),  which  is  usually  round,  and  made  of 
the  root  of  the  tree  which  produces  the  gum-arabic  {Mimosa 
Nilotica).  With  this  instrument  partridges  are  killed,  and 
gazelles  and  large  animals  wounded,  so  that  a  robust  person 
can  easily  catch  them.  We  think  this  subject  so  curious  that 
we  have  given  drawings  of  all  the  different  missiles  of  the 
bommereng  kind  that  we  could  collect. 

The  most  curiously  curved  is  that  from  Southern  Africa,  the 
Hunga  Munga*  (fig.  39) ;  it  is  made  of  iron, 
and  used  to  throw  at  a  retreating  enemy.  The 
Trombash  (fig.  40)  is  from  Central  Africa,  from 
the  neighbourhood  of  Dar  Foor,*  but  we  have 
seen  it  thrown  by  a  native  of  Dongola ;  it  is 
like  the  former,  of  iron,  and  chiefly  used  in 
war.  The  two  following  are  made  of  wood. 
Pig.  41,  called  Es-sellem,  is  that  used  by  the 
pastoral  tribes  of  the  Desert,  between  the  Nile 
and  the  Eed  Sea ;  and  fig.  42  is  the  Australian 
Bommereng.  We  have  given  the  sections  of 
these  missiles,  as  we  conceive  that  peculiar 
property  of  returning  towards  the  thrower, 
may  be  in  some  measure  dependent  on  its  flat- 
ness, although  an  ancient  Egyptian  one,  ^n  the  collection  of 
Dr.  Abbott  of  Cairo,  is  round,  like  the  Sellem  of  the  Bishareen, 


Fig.  39. 

HUMOA  HUNGA.' 


f 


I 


Fig.  40.— TB0MBA8H. 


Fig,  41.— K8-8ELLBM. 


Fig.  42. — AVSTRAIilAX 
BOMMRBEMO. 

*  Denham  and  Clapperton's  "  Travels.** 

^  Sketch  in  the  collection  of  the  author.  N.B.  The  handles  of  thejron 
instruments  are  bound  round  with  thongs  of  leather  ;  and  the  Bishareen 
instrument  is  &e(^uently  hound  with  brass  wire. 


156  '  KnOHSABAD. 

and  like  it  also  is  made  of  the  Sunt  tree,  the  Mimosa  Motica, 
an  excessively  hard  wood.  The  one  in  the  hand  of  the  ancient 
Egyptian  of  the  British  Museum  may  be  ebony ;  it  appears  to 
be  carved  at  the  thicker  end  to  represent  the  head  of  a  bird. 
The  Australian  Bommereng  seems  to  possess,  in  a  higher  degree, 
the  singular  quality  of  returning  to  within  a  few  yards  of  the 
thrower.  The  foregoing  examples  of  Bommerengs  of  various 
countries  and  various  ages,  justify  our  hypothesis  that  they  are 
identical  with  the  weapon  in  the  hand  of  the  Assyrian  statue 
at  the  entrances  of  Khorsabad.  Coupling  this  curious  analogy 
with  the  fact  that  the  figure  is  grasping  a  young  lion  in  his 
arms,  the  inference  appears  reasonable  that  the  statue  repre- 
sents Nimrod,  the  progenitor  of  the  Assyrian  race,  the  celebrated 
hunter,  the  destroyer  of  the  wild  beasts  which  originally  in- 
fested the  country  in  which  he  founded  so  many  cities.  Un- 
like that  previously  seen,  this  colossal  figure  has  his  hair 
elaborately  curled ;  he  differs  also  from  it  in  dress  and  minor 
details,  for  whereas  the  former  wears  only  the  short  tunic, 
reaching  to  the  knees,  this  has,  in  addition,  a  long  outer  gar- 
ment or  mantle,  descending  from  the  shoulders  to  the  heels, 
and  fringed  all  round  its  embroidered  border.  Another  point 
of  difference  is,  that  this  figure  wears  sandals  which  cover  the 
heels  and  tie  over  the  instep,  being  at  the  same  time  kept  close 
to  the  sole  of  the  foot  by  a  strap  encircling  the  great  toe. 
These  differences  of  costume  had  doubtless  an  intention,  pro- 
bably in  connection  with  the  particular  part  of  the  palace  in 
which  the  statue  was  placed ;  thus  the  figures  on  the  outer 
gate  may  represent  the  **  mighty  hunter  **  in  his  hunting  or 
warlike  costume — while  those  of  the  inner  court  may  repre- 
sent  him  in  the  sacerdotal  robe,  or  in  that  of  a  deified  man, 
still,  however,  retaining  the  lion  and  Bommereng,  as  indicative 
of  the  special  employment  by  which  he  is  distinguished  in  the 
Bible. 

Before  proceeding  to  examine  the  figures  on  the  walls,  of  this 
and  the  succeeding  courts  and  chambers,  it  may  be  necessary 
to  observe  that  all  the  Bull  doorways  project  from  the  line  of 
wall  even  beyond  the  thickness  of  the  blocks  of  which  they  are 
formed,  so  that  there  is  always  a  double  recess  behind  the  angle 
at  which  the  front  feet  of  the  bulls  meet.  In  the  recess  be- 
side the  bull  at  the  jamb  of  the  door  are  sculptured  two  figures, 
about  three  feet  high ;  and  in  the  recess  at  Uie  side  of  the  bull 


ILT7S. 


157 


on  the  fa9ade,  is  a  colossal  figure  of  a  winged  man,  the  dresses  of 
the  three  resembling  that  worn  by  the  Nimrod  of  the  second 
entrance  (fig.  36).  In  the  cor- 
responding recess  of  the  fa9ade 
is  a  repetition  of  the  winged 
figure  ;  and  on  the  adjoining  wall 
of  the  court  he  again  appears, 
his  back  being  turned  towards 
the  recess,  and  his  face  towards 
a  second  and  minor  entrance  to 
the  court.  This  entrance  has 
a  repetition  of  the  bull  on  each 
jamb  of  the  door,  but  instead 
of  the  bull  on  the  return,  we 
have  another  representation  of 
the  winged  man,  or  divinity,  as 
we  suppose  him  to  be.  This 
figure  has  four  wings,  two  up- 
raised and  two  depressed;  he 
holds  in  his  upraised  right  hand 
a  pine-cone,  while  in  his  left  he 
carries  a  basket  (see  fig.  43). 

His  head-dress  is  an  egg-shaped  cap,  which  terminates  at 
the  top  in  a  kind  of  fleur-de-  lisy  and  surrounding  the  base  are 
four  bulls'  horns,  two  on  each  side.  The  hair  and  beard  are 
arranged  in  clusters  of  minute  curls,  so  elaborately  executed, 
that  every  hair  seems  to  be  represented  in  its  exact  place.  We 
presume  this  beard  to  be  the  beau-ideal  of  beards  according  to 
Assyrian  notions.  The  same  care  is  bestowed  on  the  execution 
of  the  beard  in  all  the  sculptures  of  Persepolis — and  at  the 
present  moment  in  Persia  this  appendage  is  cherished  with 
peculiar  care,  its  dyeing  and  dressing  constituting  the  princi- 
pal operation  in  the  bath.  In  his  ears  he  wears  pendant  ear- 
rings, on  his  wrists  rosette  clasp-bracelets,  and  on  his  arm  a 
massive  armlet.  The  forms  of  both  the  tunic  and  the  outer 
robe  are  the  same  as  those  already  described ;  namely,  the 
tassel- fringed  short  tunic ;  and  long,  fringed  embroidered  man- 
tle, which  is  apparently  open  in  front,  and  which,  after  cross- 
ing the  chest  obliquely  from  under  one  arm,  hangs  over  the 
shoulder,  showing  the  inside  of  the  tasselled  border.  Besides 
this  Babylonish  richness  of  dress,  there  are  also  two  cords, 
each  terminated  by  double  tassels  hanging  from  the  waist. 


Fig.  43.— DIVINITY  iiiUS  (botta,  pi.  28). 


158  KHOBSIBAD. CEONUS. — TAAUTUS. 

Immediately  following  this  divinity  is  an  attendant  magus,  or 
priest,  similarly  attired,  excepting  that,  instead  of  the  cap,  he 
wears  a  band  with  three  rosettes  round  his  head  ;  his  upraised 
right  hand  is  open,  and  in  his  left  he  carries  a  tri-lobed  branch. 
"We  are  disposed  to  think  that  the  four-winged  figures  here 
shown  are  intended  to  typify  the  god  Cronus,  the  Ilus  of  the 
Phoenicians,^  the  AUah  of  the  Arabians,  names  all  derived  from 
the  Hebrew  word  w.  El,  God.  Cronus  is  thus  described  by 
Sanchoniatho : — ' 

"  But  before  these  things,  the  god  Taautus,  having  portrayed 
Ouranus,  represented  also  the  countenances  of  the  gods  Cronus 
and  Dagon,  and  the  sacred  characters  of  the  elements.  He 
contrived  also  for  Cronus  the  ensign  of  his  royal  power,  having 
four  eyes  in  the  parts  before  and  in  the  parts  behind,  two  of 
them  closing  as  in  sleep  ;  and  upon  the  shoulders  four  wings, 
two  in  the  act  of  flying,  and  two  reposing  as  at  rest.  And 
the  symbol  was,  that  Cronus  whilst  he  slept  was  watching, 
and  reposed  whilst  he  was  awake.  And  in  like  manner  with 
respect  to  the  wings,  that  he  was  flying  whilst  he  rested,  yet 
he  rested  whilst  he  flew.  But  for  the  other  gods  there  were 
two  wings  only  to  each  upon  his  shoulders,  to  intimate  that 
they  flew  under  the  control  of  Cronus  ;  and '  there  were  also 
two  wings  upon  the  head,  the  one  as  a  symbol  of  the  intellec- 
tual part,  the  mind,  and  the  other  for  the  senses."  Taautus, 
we  conceive,  is  the  Thoth  of  the  Egyptians — the  Ibis-headed 
divinity,  who  appears  as  a  scribe,  with  his  palette  and  brush, 
on  so  many  of  the  monuments  of  Egypt.  These  divinities  on 
each  side  of  the  doorway,  turn  their  faces  to  the  entrance,  and 
present,  as  it  were,  the  pine-cone  to  those  who  enter  or  come 
out,  affording  an  example  of  a  remarkable  similarity  with 
Egyptian  temples,  as  to  the  appropriate  significative  sculpture 
for  this  very  place,  namely,  the  actual  passage  from  one  cham- 
ber to  another.  Here  in  Assyria,  he  who  was  privileged 
^  to  enter  by  this  door  was  met  by  the  divinity  pre- 

iJL         senting  him  with  the  fir-cone ;  and  there,  in  Egypt, 
^  I  the  king  is  represented  receiving  from  the  divinity, 

Fig.  44.       in  the  same  way,  the  crux-ansata,  the  instrument 
''^KOYtrMr'   which  is  understood  to  signify  life  (fig.  44),  as 
SYMBOL  OF  LIFE,  may  be  seen  in  a  cast  on  the  staircase  of  the  British 
Museum,  portraying  Pharaoh,  Barneses  IV.,  entering  his  tomb 

«  »  Cory's  "  Fragments,"  pp.  13,  17.  *  Euseb.  Praep.  Evan.,  lib.  i. 

c.  10  ;  Cory,  p.  15. 


KH0H8ABAD. — THE  GBEAT  KING  AND  HIS  OFFICEES. 


159 


(fig.  45),  at  the  threshold  of  which  he  is  met  by  the  divinity 
Horus.  The  presence  of  these  divinities  and  the  bulls  toge- 
ther in  this  place,  as  guardians  of  the  same  opening,  would 
lead  us  to  conclude  that  it  forms  the  entrance 
to  some  chamber  of  especial  importance.  The 
remaining  figures  on  the  wall  are  those  of  the 
king  and  his  officers,  as  they  were  wont  to  be 
assembled  in  this  court,  standing  in  the  order 
of  their  rank  (fig.  46).  The  king  is  repre- 
sented as  having  just  come  out  of  the  gate, 
which  is  guarded  by  the  divinities.  He  is  dis- 
tinguished by  the  richness  of  his  apparel,  and 
the  tiara,  shaped  like  a  truncated  cone,  from 
the  centre  of  which  rises  a  small  cone  or  point. 
As  the  tiara  appears  to  take  the  form  of  the 
head,  we  may  suppose  that  it  was  made  of 
some  flexible  material,  the  whole  exactly  re- 
sembling the  caps  worn  by  the  Persians  of 
the  present  day,  excepting  that  the  tiara  of  the 
Assyrian  kings  was  assuredly  not  composed  of  Yig.  45.— eoyptiak 
animals*  skins  ;  for  on  a  companion  bas-relief  •''no  bambsbs  iv. 
there  are  bands  of  red  ornaments  painted  upon  it.  Two  ban- 
delets, which  are  also  red,  and  embroidered  with  rosettes,  ap- 
pear to  be  the  continuation  of  a  wider  appendage,  which  pass- 
ing round  the  base  of  the  tiara,  and  over  the  shoulders,  hangs 
down  behind  the  back  :  they  are  terminated  by  a  fringe. 
Although  the  figure  of  the  king  often  occurs,  it  is  somewhat 


Fig.  46.— THB  OBBAT  KINO  AMD  BIS  0FFICEB8  (bOTTA,  pls.  13,  14). 


160 


KIIOKSABAD. — THE  GREAT  KING. 


difficult  to  make  out  clearly  the  form  of  his  garments.  First 
of  all,  he  has  a  long  tunic  covered  with  regular  rows  of  squares, 
in  the  middle  of  which  are  rosettes :  the  bottom  of  this  gar- 
ment is  bordered  with  a  fringe  terminating  in  four  rows  of 
beads.  Over  the  tunic  is  tlirown  a  kind  of  cloak,  composed  of 
two  pieces,  one  in  front  and  one  at  back.  These  pieces  were 
rounded  off  at  the  bottom  and  sewn  together,  leaving  an  open- 
ing, however,  through  which  the  head  might  pass ;  each  of 
the  upper  corners  of  the  mantle  is  stretched  out  in  the  form 
of  a  band,  the  front  one  being  thrown  backwards  over  the 
right  shoulder,  and  the  posterior  one  being  cast  forward  over 
the  left  shoulder. 

On  comparing  two  sculptures,  in  which  the 
king  is  clad  in  the  same  dress,  the  one  showing 
his  right  and  the  other  his  left  side,  it  will  be 
seen  that  the  explanation  just  given  is  very 
satisfactory.  In  both  views  the  mantle  ap- 
pears to  be  scooped  out  at  the  side  as  far  as 
the  top,  while  each  half  is  rounded  off  at  the 
bottom.  In  one  case  (fig.  47)  we  see  the  cor- 
ner of  the  posterior  half  stretching  out  and 
passing  over  the  right  shoulder;  but  where  a 
more  front  view  of  the  body  is  obtained,  this 
half  is  remarked  falling  forward  at  the  same 
time  that  the  angle  of  the  anterior  half  is  seen 
stretching  out  to  pass  over  the  left  shoulder. 
In  the  latter  case,  the  right  arm  seems  as  if  it 
passed  through  a  short  armlet,  or  a  hole  made 
in  the  stuff,  and  not  between  the  two  pieces, 
as  it  does  in  the  opposite  side. 

The  embroidery  of  the  royal  mantle  is  as 
rich  as  that  of  the  tunic  underneath  ;  the  material  is  covered 
with  large  double  rosettes ;  all  the  edges,  including  that  at 
the  opening  of  the  arm,  and  that  through  which  the  neck 
passes,  are  bordered  with  a  series  of  little  rosettes,  contained  in 
squares.  Lastly,  a  long  fringe  terminates  the  borders  of  the 
two  halves  of  the  cloak. 

To  complete  the  description  of  this  Assyrian  regal  costume, 
it  must  be  added  that  the  feet  are  shod  with  sandals,  having 
an  elevated  heel  cover,  painted  with  red  and  blue  stripes  alter- 
nately.    In  the  front  is  a  ring  through  which  the  great  toe 


Fig.  47. 

THE  GREAT  KING, 
FROM  KHOUSABaD. 

(hmiK,  pi.  \A.) 


KHOESABAD. EUNUCHS.  161 

passes  in  order  to  fix  the  sole,  which  is  also  kept  in  its  place 
by  a  cord  passing  over  the  foot  and  traversing  alternately  two 
holes  in  the  inside  and  three  on  the  outside  of  the  heelpiece. 
Sandals  precisely  similar  are  still  used  in  Mesopotamia,  and 
particularly  on  Mount  Sinjjlr. 

The  sheath  of  the  sword  is  very  remarkable.  To  judge  by 
its  prismatic  form,  we  may  presume  the  blade  resembled  those 
of  our  own  court  swords,  but  it  is  much  broader.  Near  the  end 
there  is  an  ornament  composed  of  two  lions,  which  embrace 
the  sheath  with  their  paws,  at  the  same  time  throwing  their 
heads  back. 

The  king  carries  a  long  staff  in  his  left  hand,  and  his  right 
is  raised  as  if  in  the  act  of  speaking  to  those  in  front. 

The  costume  of  the  sovereign  in  another  sculpture  deserves 
notice.  The  ear-rings  are  simple  enough :  on  each  side  of  the 
ring  there  are  three  little  beads,  with  a  stem  which  is  nearly 
spindle  -  shaped,  and  ornamented  with  a  few  knobs.  The 
bracelets  for  the  wrists  are  very  rich.  They  are  formed  of  a 
plate,  on  which  regularly-marked  divisions  appear  to  indi- 
cate flexible  joints.  This  plate  bears  a  number  of  large 
rosettes  touching  each  other.  The  bracelets,  which  clasp 
the  arm  above  the  elbow,  are  spiral,  formed  of  wires  bound 
together. 

Following  the  king  are  two  beardless  personages,  who,  from 
the  roundness  of  the  features  and  the  absence  of  any  beard, 
were  at  first  mistaken  by  Botta  for  women,  but  who  are  in- 
tended to  represent  eunuchs.  One  holds  in  his  right  hand  a 
fly-flapper  over  the  head  of  the  king,  while  in  his  left  he  has 
a  bandelet.  Behind  this  eunuch  there  is  another  carrying  a 
bow,  a  quiver,  and  a  sceptre. 

These  two  eunuchs,  and  all  those  we  shall  subsequently 
see,  are  dressed  in  the  same  manner.  They  wear  a  long  tunic 
drawn  tight  round  the  neck,  and  falling  down  to  the  ankles ; 
the  sleeves  terminating  above  the  elbow.  The  bottom  of  the 
tunic  is  richly  ornamented  with  a  border  of  rosettes  con- 
tained in  squares,  while  from  it  hangs  a  fringe  of  tassels  sur- 
mounted by  three  rows  of  little  beads  and  tassels.  On  the 
feet  are  open  sandals,  leaving  the  heel  and  toes  exposed. 

Above  the  tunic  crossing  the  back  and  breast,  and  passing 
over  the  right  shoulder  and  left  arm,  is  a  broad  scarf,  from 
which  hangs  a  long  fringe,  reaching  to  the  knees,  where  it 

M 


1 62  KHORSABAD. — HAIR. — BBACELETS. — FLY-FLAPS. 

terminates  in  an  even  line,  leaving  the  remainder  of  the 
tunic  exposed  as  far  as  the  lower  border.  This  kind  of 
shoulder-belt  is  always  richly  embroidered ;  that  of  the 
eunuch  carrying  the  quiver  has  three  lines  of  rosettes  in 
squares;  that  of  the  other  eunuch  has  three  rows  of  con- 
centric squares. 

The  hair  of  these  personages,  like  that  of  all  Assyrian 
figures,  is  arranged  most  carefully ;  it  is  combed  down  upon  the 
head,  and  spread  out  upon  the  neck  into  a  mass  of  curls  which 
rests  upon  the  shoulders.  We  shall  often  meet  with  this  style 
of  wearing  the  hair,  which  latter,  in  all  cases  where  the  colour 
has  been  preserved,  is  always  painted  black. 

The  ornaments  of  these  two  eunuchs  are  alike ;  they  have 
each  a  pair  of  bracelets  at  the  wrist,  and  a  second  pair  round 
the  arm ;  the  armlets  being  spirals  formed  of  wires  attached 
to  one  another  by  other  wires.  The  bracelets  of  the  wrists 
also  are  composed  of  a  parcel  of  wires,  but  they  are  not 
spirals ;  they  form  circles,  broken  by  lions'  heads,  the  muzzles 
of  which  touch.  Besides  these  ornaments,  the  eunuchs  of  the 
bas-reliefs  wear  ear-rings,  which  seem  to  have  been  very 
general  among  the  Assyrians.  They  are  rather  simple,  and 
in  shape  somewhat  resemble  a  cross,  to  the  ring  being  fixed 
a  stem  more  or  less  ornamented,  while  two  lateral  branches 
emanate  from  the  stem  or  ring  itself. 

The  objects  which  the  first  eunuch  holds  are,  as  before- 
mentioned,  a  fly-flapper  (figs. 
48  and  49)  and  a  kind  of 
bandelet.  The  fly-flapper, 
like  the  parasol,  appears  to 
have  anciently  been  one  of 
the  insignia  of  royalty  in  the 
East.  The  handle  terminates 
at  the  bottom  with  a  lion's 
head ;  at  the  upper  extremity 
it  spreads  out  into  a  flower 
with  numerous  sharp  petals, 
like  that  into  which  are  in- 
^„    J  ^^  serted  the  feathers  of  the  long 

Figs.  48  and  49.— FLY-FLAPS.  «  '     t  ^     y  '      t  .^       ^  '  • 

:  (BOTTA,  pi.  161.)  fan  carried  behind  the  king  m 

the  sculptures  of  Egypt.    This  flower  seems  the  same  that 
we  shall  often  see,  either  in  the  king's  hand  or  in  the  hands  of 


KHORSABAD. — AlOlS   AND   SCEPTEE.  163 

others.  From  the  flower  there  springs  out  a  tuft  of  feathers. 
The  bandelet,  which  is  held  by  the  eunuch  in  the  other  hand, 
grows  wider  towards  the  bottom,  and  terminates  in  fringe 
that  is  painted  red ;  it  is  folded  in  two,  and  the  handle  thus 
formed  goes  round  the  thumb. 

The  second  eunuch  carries  weapons :  the  bow  is  slung  on 
the  left  arm,  and  appears  angular  rather  than  curved,  its  two 
extremities  terminating  in  birds*  heads,  emblematic  probably 
of  the  rapidity  of  the  arrows ;  in  this  bas-relief  the  bow  is 
painted  red.  The  quiver  is  hung  under  the  left  arm,  by  a  band 
passing  over  the  shoulder,  and  fixed  to  two  rings.  Judging 
by  a  detailed  sketch  of  the  ornaments  with  which  the  quiver 
is  covered,  its  form  appears  to  have  been  square.  A  series 
of  broken  lines  borders  the  lower  extremity,  while  at  the 
upper  are  seen  a  kind  of  beading,  formed  of  wires  bound  to- 
gether at  intervals  by  other  wires,  and  the  feathered  shafts 
of  the  arrows.  The  end  of  the  beading  or  cord  extends 
beyond  the  feathers  of  the  arrows,  and  is  terminated  by  a 
ball  surmounted  by  a  little  flower,  like  that  on  the  handle 
of  the  fly-flapper.  It  is  difficult  to  say  with  certainty 
what  this  cord  was,  but  probably  it  is  nothing  else  than  a 
reserved  supply  of  bowstrings.  The  ornaments  of  this  quiver 
and  the  little  tassels  which  adorn  it  were  painted  red.  The 
sceptre  has  a  cylindrical  handle  ;  the  head  is  formed  by  a  ball 
surrounded  by  a  crown  and  the  jaws  of  a  lion ;  the  hilt  is 
thinner  than  the  other  part  of  the  handle,  and  appears  to  have 
been  encircled  with  thin  cord,  in  order  that  it  might  afford  a 
firmer  hold.  There  is  also  at  this  extremity  a  loop,  intended 
to  be  passed  round  the  wrist,  and  thus  to  prevent  the  handle 
escaping  from  the  grasp,  an  appendage  that  has  induced  the 
belief,  that  a  mace,  and  not  a  sceptre,  is  intended  to  be  repre- 
sented. 

Opposite  the  king  stands  a  bearded  personage,  whose  right 
hand  is  opened  and  upraised,  while  his  left  rests  upon  his 
sword-hilt.  The  hair  and  beard  are  precisely  like  those  of 
the  king,  but  the  head  is  encircled  by  a  band  from  which  two 
red  fillets,  terminated  by  fringes,  descend.  His  dress  in  other 
respects  is  exactly  similar  to  that  of  the  eunuchs ;  but  the 
sandals  resemble  those  worn  by  the  king,  only  they  are  painted 
blue.    His  sword-hilt  is  exceedingly  rich ;  at  the  top  of  it  is 

M  2 


164  STEWARD   OP   THE   ROYAL   HOUSEHOLD. 

a  hemisphere,  and  then  a  hall  hetween  two  flat  discs ;  lastly^ 
the  jaws  of  a  lion  embrace  the  blade,  and  terminate  the  hilt 
at  the  sheath.  Behind  tliis  personage  is  a  eunuch,  who,  as  we 
may  judge  from  the  position  of  his  figure,  is  also  in  conver- 
sation with  the  king ;  and  next  in  succession  another  eunuch 
and  two  bearded  officers  of  the  court,  all  standing  with  their 
hands  folded  one  over  the  other,  in  the  prescribed  attitude  of 
respect  in  the  East  to  this  day.  Then  appears  a  eunuch,  who 
is  distinguished  from  all  the  other  persons  of  the  court  by  the 
insignia  of  office,  which  consists  of  a  double  wand.  These 
last  three  figures  were  found  in  situ,  the  others  were  more  or 
less  injured,  and  all  thrown  face  downwards  upon  the  ground. 
(See  plate  40, — Botta's  large  work.)  Then  follow  two  more 
eunuchs,  the  last  of  whom  has  his  left  hand  elevated,  as  in  the 
act  of  introducing  a  bearded  military  officer,  followed  by  a 
eunuch  carrying  two  lion-headed  drinking-cups ;  two  bearded 
officers  with  spears ;  and  two  eunuchs  carrying  a  table.  Behind 
these  is  another  beardless  attendant  with  his  hand  upraised, 
followed  by  three  in  the  attitude  of  respect,  and  lastly,  by 
three  more  eunuchs,  one  bearing  a  lion-headed  drinking-cup, 
the  next  a  basin,  and  the  third  a  covered  dish.  The  position 
of  the  person  who  heads  this  last  group,  leads  us  to  suggest 
that  he  represents  ny'^o-n  the  **  Melzar,"  or  the  steward,  or 
dispenser.  This  officer  of  the  household  of  Nebuchadnezzar 
was  set  over  Daniel  and  his  companions  by  Ashpenaz,^  the 
prince  of  the  eunuchs,  to  see  that  the  food  they  had  chosen  to 
eat,  instead  of  the  *' daily  provisions  of  the  king's  meat,** 
did  not  render  them  less  well-favoured  than  the  other  young 
persons  who  were  being  brought  up  to  fill  offices  in  the  court 
of  Babylon ;  or  who  had  '*  ability  in  them  to  stand  in  the 
king's  palace.**  "  And  the  prince  of  the  eunuchs  said  unto 
Daniel,  I  fear  my  lord  the  king,  who  hath  appointed  your 
meat  and  your  drink  :  for  why  should  he  see  your  faces  worse 
liking  than  the  children  which  are  of  your  sort  ?  then  shall 
ye  make  me  endanger  my  head  to  the  king.'* 

The  custom  is  still  prevalent  in  Turkey.  A  number  of 
young  men  are  educated  within  the  walls  of  the  seraglio  at 
Constantinople  to  wait  upon  the  Sultan  and  to  fill  offices  in  the 
government  of  the  Turkish  empire,  according  to  the  ability 

»  Dan.  i.  3,  5,  8,  10. 


XHOBSABAD. — HOLES  FOB  SPEABH.  165 

they  show  in  the  course  of  training ;  and  their  governor  would 
be  held  responsible  for  the  discharge  of  the  duties  of  his  situ- 
ation, under  the  like  penalty. 

This  completes  the  series  of  figures  on  one-half  of  the  south- 
western wall  of  court  {n,  Fig.  34).  We  will  now  turn  to  ex- 
amine the  adjoining  north-western  side,  the  centre  portion  of 
which  advances  beyond  the  general  line  of  wall,  forming  a  re- 
cess on  each  side.  Stationing  ourselves  opposite  the  entrance 
which  is  guarded  by  a  single  pair  of  bulls  looking  into  the 
court,  we  see  on  our  left  the  king,  with  his  back  to  the  door- 
way, and  attended  by  a  eunuch,  in  conversation  with  a  bearded 
dignitary  and  chief  eunuch,  followed  by  one  beardless  and 
two  bearded  persons,  in  the  attitude  which,  as  we  have  al- 
ready intimated,  is  always  assumed  by  inferiors  when  in  the 
presence  of  superiors.  The  last  of  these  is  sculptured  on  the 
side  of  the  recess,  and  is  therefore  not  seen  in  the  front  view ; 
behind  these  officers  is  a  eunuch  marshalling  the  procession 
that  follows. 

There  first  appear  two  persons  wearing  a  costume  that  we 
have  not  yet  seen.  The  head  is  covered  by  a  closely  folded 
turban  or  cap,  from  under  which  at  the  back  falls  a  row  of 
short  spiral  curls ;  the  dress  consists  of  a  long  tunic,  termi- 
nating in  a  tasselled  border,  an  outer  garment  with  short  sleeves, 
and  upon  the  feet  boots  that  lace  up  in  front.  They  carry  in 
their  hands  small  models  of  turreted  walls  (fig.  58).  Imme- 
diately following  are  four  others  in  the  same  costume,  the  two 
foremost  of  whom  bear  cups  of  a  simple  shape,  and  the  others 
sealed  bags  (see  fig.  79, — Botta,  plate  38).  The  procession  is 
closed  by  two  of  the  king's  grooms  leading  two  richly  capari- 
soned horses.  Here  ends  the  wall  in  the  west  corner,  meeting 
that  first  described.  In  the  pavement  at  the  recess,  and  close 
to  the  wall,  are  inserted  two  alabaster  slabs,  one  containing 
four  small  holes,  and  the  other  contiguous  to  it  having  nine 
holes.  The  use  of  these  holes  cannot  be  well  explained,  unless, 
as  M.  Botta  has  suggested,  they  were  for  the  guards  to  insert 
the  end  of  their  spears. 

Still  maintaining  our  position  opposite  the  entrance,  we  see 
on  our  right  a  repetition  of  the  king  and  his  court  as  just  de- 
scribed, tiie  same  order  being  observed  so  far  as  the  projection 
extends ;  the  side  of  the  recess,  however,  is  occupied  by  a 
figure  of  a  priest,  instead  of  a  bearded  officer  in  the  answering 


166 


KHOKSABAD. COMPAMSON   OF   SHIPS. 


side  on  our  left.  The  slabs  on  the  wall  of  the  recess  are  de- 
voted to  the  representation  of  the  building  of  a  port,  or  the 
making  of  a  road  from  the  coast  up  to  some  important  mari- 
time city  situated  upon  an  extremely  steep  and  rocky  emi- 
nence;  and  large  pieces  of  timber  for  the  work  are  being 


Fig.  50.— PBKPABATIOMS  FOB  BUILDINQ   BOAD  OB  POBT.     (BOTTA,  pi.  35). 

brought  by  numerous  ships  and  boats  manned  by  a  people 
wearing  the  same  closely  folded  turban  we  have  noticed  among 

the  tribute-bear- 
ers, but  in  this  in- 
stance their  tunics 
are  short,  and 
adapted  to  their  oc- 
cupation of  land- 
ing and  hauling  on 
shore  logs  of  wood 
(fig.  50). 

The  vessels  em- 
ployed are  of  a  sin- 
gular form  (see  fig. 
53),  closely  resem- 
bling some  on  the 
walls  of  Medinet 
Haboo,  at  Thebes 
(see  figures  51  and 
Fig.  61.-ASBTBUK  SHIP.  52),   froixi   which 


ZHOESABAD. — MARITIME  SUBJECT. 


167 


circumstance  we  conjecture  that  they  may  belong  to  the  people 
of  the  coast  of 
the  Mediterra- 
nean, the  sea 
common  to  both 
Egypt  and  Sy- 
ria. In  the  As- 
syrian sculp- 
ture the  prow 
of  the  vessel 
terminates 


in 


Fig.  52.— KOTPTIAN  SHIP. 


the  head  of  a 

horse,  the  emblem  of  the  Phoenicians  and  the  Carthaginians, 

and  the  stern  in  the  tail  of  a  fish ;  whereas  in  those  of  Me- 


Fig.  63.— XABITIMK  SUBJSCT.    (botta,  p^B.  32, 33,  34). 


168  KHOBSABAD. DAGON. 

dinet  Haboo  the  prow  terminates  in  the  head  of  a  lion  ; 
perhaps  the  device  chosen  by  the  Egyptians  for  the  prow  of 
their  ships  of  war.  On  the  top  of  the  masts  of  both  examples 
is  a  vase-shaped  enlargement,  in  which  in  war-time  an  archer 
was  stationed.  In  the  slab  we  are  describing,  the  ships  that 
are  conveying  the  timber  have  the  mast  removed  for  the  con- 
venience of  placing  the  logs  on  the  deck ;  but  those  that  have 
landed  their  cargoes,  and  are  returning  for  fresh  supplies,  have 
their  masts  erect.  Besides  the  logs  within  the  vessels,  there 
are  also  other  pieces  of  timber  attached  to  the  sterns  by 
a  rop^  passed  through  a  hole  in  one  end  of  each.  Whence 
the  wood  is  conveyed  we  have  no  means  of  learning  from  the 
sculptures,  which  unfortunately  are  very  imperfect  at  this  end 
of  the  wall ;  but  that  it  is  brought  some  distance  by  sea  is  in- 
timated by  its  having  to  pass  two  considerable  places,  one 
built  on  a  projecting  piece  of  land,  a  rocky  promontory,  or  per- 
haps island,  which  we  would  suggest  might  represent  insular 
Tyre,  whose  king,  in  the  time  of  Solomon,  supplied  all  the 
cedar  and  fir  required  for  building  the  house  of  the  Lord 
(1  Kings,  V.  6  to  10 ;  Ezra,  iii.  7),  (fig.  53,--Botta,  plate  32), 
and  the  second  a  fort  built  on  the  coast,  possibly  Sidon. 

Among  a  great  variety  of  marine  animals,  the  Assyrian 
combination  of  the  man,  bull,  and  eagle,  is  seen  walking  with 

stately  gait;  and  on  the  same 
slab  the  divinity  of  the  Philis- 
tines, half  man  half  fish  (figure 
54),  the  Dagon  of  Scripture,^  is 
accompanying  the  expedition,  and 
encouraging  the  men  in  the  ar- 
duous  task  of  hauling  the  logs 
on  shore  According  to  an  an- 
cient fable  preserved  by  Berosus, 
a  creature  half  man  and  half  fish 
Fig.  64.-DAOOK.  came  out  of  "  that  part  of  the 

Erythraean  Sea  which  borders 
upon  Babylonia,"  where  he  taught  men  the  arts  of  life,  "  to 
construct  cities,  to  found  temples,  to  compile  laws,  and,  in 
short,  instructed  them  in  everything  which  could  tend  to  soften 
manners  and  humanise  their  lives."*    Berosus  adds  that  a 

1  1  Sam.  V.  4,  5. 
*  Syncel.  Cron.  28;  Easeb.  Chron.  58 ;  Cory's  "  Fragments,* » pp.  22,  23. 


KHOESABAD.^ASSTEIAN   SYMBOLIC   KGURES.  169 

representation  of  this  animal  Oannes  was  preserved  even  in 
his  day.  In  another  part  of  this  frieze  we  see  a  winged  bnll 
sporting  in  the  waves;  this  animal  has  the  wings  of  the 
eagle,  but  not  the  head  of  the  man. 

Among  the  groups  of  sea  monsters  and  fish  we  recognise 
the  shell-fish  of  the  Tyrian  dye.  In  none  of  these  castellated 
buildings  do  we  see  men  in  hostile  position  on  the  walls,  and 
we  are  farther  assured  of  the  pacific  character  of  the  opera- 
tions by  the  presence  of  the  divinity  of  the  coast,  and  of  the 
Assyrian  symbolic  figures,  uniting  in  countenancing  and  aiding 
some  project,  possibly,  of  defence  executed  by  the  natives 
of  the  coast.  My  learned  friend  Mr.  Samuel  Sharpe  has  fa- 
voured me  with  the  following  reading  of  this  representation : 
— "  The  ships  are  vessels  of  burden,  some  laden  with  timber, 
and  some  dragging  after  them  planks  which  are  tied  to  their 
stem.  The  winged  bull  which  accompanies  them  marks  that 
they  are  employed  in  the  service  of  Assyria.  The  water,  full 
of  fishes,  may  from  its  form  be  known  to  be  the  sea,  and  not 
a  river ;  and  the  sea  with  which  Assyria  was  most  connected 
was  the  east  end  of  the  Mediterranean.  The  figure  in  the  sea, 
half  man  and  half  fish,  is  Dagon,  the  god  that  was  worshipped 
at  Azotus.  This  tells  us  that  the  land  washed  by  the  sea  is 
the  coast  of  Palestine.  On  this  coast  we  observe  that  planks 
of  timber  the  same  as  those  which  are  carried  in  the  vessels, 
are  being  brought  down  a  hill  to  the  sea-side,  there  to  be  put 
on  board  the  vessels.  This  hill  may  be  Mount  Lebanon,  the 
only  hill  on  that  coast  where  timber  is  cut  for  exportation. 
And  the  castle  on  the  coast  at  the  foot  of  the  hiU  may  be  the 
city  of  Tyre,  which  is  there  situated ;  while  the  second  castle 
in  the  sea  may  be  insular  Tyre,  which  is  thus  distinguished 
from  that  part  of  the  city  which  stands  upon  the  main  land. 
The  horse's  head  on  the  prow  of  each  vessel  proves  that 
they  were  Phoenician  ships,  and  confirms  the  conjecture. 

"  Now  when  Sennacherib  invaded  Judaea,  as  described  in 
2  Kings,  xviii.  xix.,  Herodotus  tells  us  that  he  marched  for- 
ward to  the  siege  of  Pelusium ;  and  for  this  siege  he  might 
naturally  require  timber,  and  the  ships  of  his  Phoenician  allies; 
we  find,  indeed,  in  2  Kings,  xix.  23,  that  he  did  cut  timber 
from  Mount  Lebanon,  but  the  Jewish  history  does  not  mention 
his  employment  of  ships.  Psalm  xlviii.,  however,  which  is  a 
triumphal  poem  on  the  defeat  and  retreat  of  the  Assyrians. 


170 


XHOKSABAD. — KEYS. 


mentions  the  ships  of  Tarsish,  and  says  that  the  Lord  scat- 
tered them  with  an  east  wind.     Thus  the  Book  of 
^  Kings,  the  History  of  Herodotus,  this  interesting  pic- 

)/W\  ture,  and  Psalm  xlviii.,  mutnallyexplain  one  another." 
This  curious  subject  occupies  four  entire  slabs; 
and,  judging  from  the  corresponding  space  at  the  other 
end  of  the  wall  behind  the  recess,  four  slabs  more  are 
wanting  to  complete  the  side  of  the  wall.  As  there 
are  no  traces  of  farther  remains  in  this  court,  we  shall 
at  once  pass  through  the  doorway  in  the  north- 
western side,  and  enter  the  passage. 


PASSAGE   CHAMBEB   X. 

The  doorway  we  have  now  passed  seems  to  form 

the  entrance  to  a  passage  chamber,  communicating 

^  between  two  courts,  the  clear  dimensions,  not  includ- 

Fig.  56.    i°g  *^6  hxilh  at  each  end,  being  46  feet  long  by  nearly 

KEY.      10  feet  wide.  At  the  end  of  the  chamber,  just  behind 

the  first  bulls,  was  formerly  a  strong  gate,  of  one  leaf,  which 

was  fastened  by  a  huge  wooden 
lock,  like  those  still  used  in  the 
East,  of  which  the  key  is  as  much 
as  a  man  can  conveniently  carry, 
and  by  a  bar  which  moved  into  a 
square  hole  in  the  wall.  It  is  to  a 
key  of  this  description  that  the 
prophet  probably  alludes,  "  And  the 
key  of  the  house  of  David  will  I 
lay  upon  his  shoulder ;"  ^  and  it  is 
remarkable  that  the  word  for  key 
in  this  passage  of  Scripture,  nnso 
(muftah),  is  the  same  in  use  all 
over  the  East  at  the  present  time. 
The  key  of  an  ordinary  street-door 
is  commonly  13  or  14  inches  long, 
and  the  key  of  the  gate  of  a  pubHc 
building,  or  of  a  street,  or  quarter 
56.— A  MBBCHANT  OF  CAIRO       of  &  towD,  is  two  fcct  Eud  moio  in 

CARBTINO  THE  KEYS  OF  HIS  ,    t      .   .  ••     «« 

HAOAziNB.  V  iBaian,  zxu.  22. 


KHORSABAD. — KEYS. — TABTAN". 


171 


length.  We  have  annexed  a  drawing  of  a  key  (fig.  55)  and 
the  mode  of  carrying  it  (fig.  56),  alluded  to  in  Isaiah.  The 
iron  pegs  at  one  end  of  the  pieces  of  wood  correspond  to  so 
many  holes  in  the  wooden  har  or  holt  of  the  lock,  which, 
when  the  door  or  gate  is  shut,  cannot  he  opened  until  the  key 
is  inserted,  and  the  impediment  to  the  drawing  hack  of  the  holt 
removed  hy  raising  up  so  many  iron  pins  that  fall  down  into 
holes  in  the  har  or  holt  corresponding  to  the  peg  in  the  key. 
The  pavement  of  this  passage,  unlike  that  in  the  court  which 
we  have  just  left,  was  made  of  slabs  of  gypsum ;  and  in  the 
floor  between  the  two  bulls,  at  each  end,  was  a  slab  engraved 
with  a  long  cuneiform  inscription:  there  were  likewise  in- 
scriptions between  the  fore  and  hind  legs  of  all  these  bulls. 
Farther  on  were  small  holes  in  the  pavement,  in  which  might 
be  inserted  metal  bars,  to  keep  the  door  open  at  a  certain  angle. 
"We  will  now  walk  through  the  passage  to  the  extreme  end 
before  we  begin  the  description  of  the  sculptures,  as  we  shall 
thus  meet  the  procession  engraved  upon  the  walls  in  the  order 
in  which  it  was  marshalled  to  appear  before  the  king. 

The  slabs  that  encase  the  walls  are  divided  into  two  rows  of 
illustration  by  a  band  of  cuneatic  writing,  the  whole  nearly 
entire,  so  that  we  have  here,  as  it 
were,  a  perfect  tapestry,  or  illus- 
trated record,  of  the  tribute  brought 
by  two  different  people  to  the  mo- 
narch who  inhabited  the  palace. 
We  learn  from  the  illustrations  on 
the  walls  that  the  procession  moved 
down  this  narrow  chamber  in  two 
lines,  headed  by  the  officer  we  have 
previously  noticed  in  the  Court  of 
Assembly  as  bearing  a  double  wand. 
Here  we  see  him  again  (fig.  57)  in 
the  exercise  of  the  duties  of  his 
office,  namely,  marshalling  and  head' 
ing  the  procession  of  tribute-bearers 
— an  office  indicated  by  the  word 
^mn,  Tartan  (2  Kings,  xviii.  17), 
as  surmised  by  Calmet,  whose  con-  Fig.  67.— tartak.  (botta, 
jecture  now  acquires  a  probability  pi.i30.) 

fdmost  amounting  to  certainty.    This  office^  of  the  court  of 


172 


KHOBSABAD. — SULTAN   MEDINET. 


Assyria  was  esteemed  of  such  importance  that,  in  the  time  of 
Sennacherib,  we  find  he  was  sent  with  the  chief  of  the 
eunuchs,  D»-iD-m,  Rabsaris,  and  the  chief  cup-bearer,  npw-aii 

Rabshakeh,  on  an  embassy  to  Heze- 
kiah,  king  of  Jerusalem. 

The  first  eight  persons  on  the 
upper  line  to  the  right  who  follow 
Tartan,  the  chief  of  tribute,  wear 
the  close  turbans  or  caps,  and  are 
dressed  in  long  tunics,  with  short 
outer  garments,  rounded  at  the  cor- 
ners and  fringed,  sometimes  with  a 
clasp  at  the  waist  and  boots  laced  up 
in  front.  They  are  the  same  short- 
bearded  race  of  people  we  saw  in  the 
court  (»,Fig.  34),  represented  stand- 
ing among  the  other  officers  of  the 
king.  The  first  carries  the  model  of 
a  city,  indicative  of  his  office  of 
governor  or  sultan  of  a  province  (fig. 
58).  These  officers  —  apparently 
native  chiefs  of  the  subdued  province 
or  city,  ttny^n  *i\sbw,  the  Sultani 
Medinetha,  of  the  court  of  Nebu- 
time  of  the  prophet  Daniel — were  sum- 
the  dedication  of  the  image 


Fig.  58.— BOLTAN  HEDINET. 
(BOTTA,  pi.  Sa) 


chadnezzar  in  the 
moned,  among  others,  to  come  to 
which  that  monarch  had  set  up  in  the  plain  of  Dura  in  the 
province  of  Babylon.^  This  officer  is  followed  by  three  per- 
sons, the  first  two  each  bearing  two  cups,  the  produce  or 
manufacture  of  the  province,  and  the  third  a  sealed  bag  upon 
his  shoulders,  containing  the  amount  of  tribute,  either  in  gold 
dust  or  precious  stones,  furnished  by  the  province  of  which 
the  venerable  person  at  the  head  of  the  procession  was  the 
sultan  or  governor ;  or  the  tribute  may  possibly  be  pieces  of 
gold,  such  as  Naaman,  the  captain  of  the  king  of  Syria, 
brought  as  payment  for  his  cure  ;^  or  such  as  Abraham  paid 
for  the  cave  of  Machpelah,  **  current  money  with  the  mer- 
chant." *  It  was  not,  however,  necessarily  coined  money,  as 
coined  money  was  probably  not  then  invented,  but  merely 
pieces  of  gold  wire,  of  various  thicknesses,  such  as  was  current 
^  Dan.  iii.  2.  ^  2  Kings,  y.  5.  *  Genesis,  xxiii.  16. 


XHOESABAD. — GEDABEEAITA.  173 

money  with  the  merchants  of  Senaar  and  Central  Africa  not 
thirty  years  ago.  The  fifth  in  succession  is  another  governor 
of  a  province,  or  city,  in  the  same  division  of  the  empire,  as 
may  be  inferred  from  his  similar  attire,  and  the  insignia  of 
office  which  he  carries.  He  is  distinguished  by  a  pointed  cap, 
and  is  of  more  venerable  appearance  than  the  two  who  follow 
him  bearing  the  tribute  of  the  province.  The  tenth  person  in 
the  procession  wears  a  short  tunic  and  carries  two  tazze ;  he 
is  succeeded  by  a  group  of  sbe- camels,  with  one  hump,  of  the 
Arabian  breed  (Plate  98, — Botta),  driven  by  a  herdsman  also 
in  a  short  tunic.  Then  come  four  men,  the  foremost  having  a 
long  beard  and  carrying  the  turreted  badge  of  office,  and  the 
others  bringing  the  produce  of  the  district,  which,  like  most 
from  this  part  of  the  empire,  consists  of  tazze,  and  the  raw 
material,  or  most  valuable  product,  contained  in  sealed  bags, 
which  the  last  person  bears  on  his  shoulders.  This  arrange- 
ment of  one  chief  to  four  men  bearing  tribute,  continues  to 
the  end  of  the  line.  In  the  last  slab  on  this  side  of  the 
chamber  is  an  arch-shaped  cavity,  which  received  the  wooden 
lock  when  the  valve  was  completely  open. 

Returning  again  to  the  place  whence  we  started,  we  will  ex- 
amine the  upper  line  of  sculpture  on  the  left-hand  wall,  as  the 
division  of  the  procession  there  represented  evidently  accom- 
panied that  which  has  just  been  described.  The  line  is  headed 
by  the  deputy  of  the  chief  of  tribute,  possibly  the  Knana,  geda- 
beraiya,  of  Daniel,^  the  khaznadar,  or  treasurer,  of  modern 
times.  He  is  in  the  act  of  admonishing  the  tribute-bearers  to 
proceed  with  order.  We  find  him  succeeded  by  six  men,  five 
of  whom  are  in  the  dress  before  described  ;  but  the  upper  part 
of  this  particular  slab  is  too  defaced  to  allow  of  distinguishing 
the  chiefs  from  those  who  follow  them.  The  last  person  of  this 
group  wears  a  shorter  and  less-decorated  dress ;  he  is  leading 
two  horses,  richly  caparisoned,  and  wearing  the  tasselled  orna- 
ment in  front  of  the  chest,  to  this  day  the  fashion  in  the  East. 
Then  follow  sixteen  other  figures  in  the  long  dress  and  upper 
garment.  Some  are  in  the  act  of  humble  supplication,  and 
others  bearing  tribute :  but  the  figures  on  this  wall  are  generally 
less  well  preserved  than  those  we  have  hitherto  examined,  so 
that  there  is  a  difficulty  in  ascertaining  their  number  and  the 

1  Dan.  iii.  2. 


174 


XHOESAB  AD. TRIBUTE-  BEABEBS. 


distribution  of  the  chiefs ;  but  we  can  make  out  twenty-seven 

people,  eight  being  chiefs,  five  of 
whom  bear  the  insignia  of  walled 
cities :  from  what  we  have  already 
seen,  however,  we  infer  that  the  tri- 
bute of  the  part  of  the  Assyrian  em- 
pire whence  this  people  came,  con- 
sisted chiefly  of  manufactured  articles 
in  the  precious  metals. 

The  lower  line  of  illustration  re- 
presents the  procession  which  we  sup- 
pose to  have  been  next  introduced  to 
the  king.  Like  the  upper  line  on  this 
side  of  the  chamber,  it  is  headed  by 
the  chief  officer  of  tribute,  who  is 
making  a  sign  to  advance.  He  is  fol- 
lowed by  a  sultan,  or  governor  of  a 
people  we  have  not  before  seen  (fig. 
59,— Botta,  plate  129).  Their  hair 
is  arranged  in  symmetrical  corkscrew 
curls,  and  around  their  heads  they 
wear  a  fillet,  over  which,  in  front,  are 
generally  allowed  to  hang  one  or  two  locks.  Their  beards  are 
short,  and,  except  those  of  the  chiefs,  never  hang  lower  than 
the  pit  of  the  neck.  Their  tunics  are  scanty,  and  are  confined 
at  the  waist  by  a  belt  or  sash,  formed  of  a  collection  of  cords, 
from  which  commonly  hangs  a  button  or  triangular  noose. 
Over  the  tunic  is  a  covering  generally  made  of  sheepskin,  but 
occasionally  of  leopard  skin,  which  is  partly  fashioned  into  a 
garment :  their  boots  are 
and   sometimes  turned 


Fig.  59.— ONE  OF  THE  8AOABTII. 
(botta,  pi.  129.) 


^h,  laced  up  in  front  of  the  leg, 


hi 
up  at  the  toe. 


The  first  person  is  a 
chief  of  the  people,  as  signified  by  his  longer  beard,  and  the 
model  of  a  city :  he  is  followed  by  a  groom,  carrying  two  spears, 
and  leading  two  horses  richly  caparisoned,  having  elegant 
crested  ornaments  upon  their  heads,  and  tasselled  bands  across 
their  chests  (Botta,  plate  29).  The  next  person  is  also  a  chief, 
but  not  of  the  venerable  aspect  of  the  former ;  he  carries  the 
insignia  of  office,  and  precedes  two  grooms,  each  carrying  two 
spears  in  one  hand,  and  leading  a  caparisoned  horse  by  the 
other.  Next  succeeds  a  chief  wearing  a  leopard-skin  mantle, 
and  followed  by  a  groom,  with  two  spears  and  two  horses,  one 


TBIBUTE  FROM  THE  EXTBEMITIES  OF  THE  EMPIRE.  1 75 

of  which  the  groom  is  endeavouring  to  force  back  into  the  line 
of  march.  After  these  comes  a  chief,  also  wearing  a  leopard 
skin,  but  not  carrying  the  official  insignia.  His  hands  are 
held  up  in  the  attitude  of  astonishment  or  awe.  This  person 
contributes  four  horses,  led  by  two  grooms,  one  in  sheep-skin, 
and  one  in  leopard-skin.  The  chiefs  and  grooms  are  repeated 
until  we  have  nineteen  figures  of  the  skin-clad  race,  including 
eight  chiefs,  three  of  whom  are  governors  of  towns.  In  the 
last  slab  occurs  the  hole  in  which  the  bolt  of  the  lock  was  in- 
serted. 

In  the  lower  line,  on  the  left-hand  side,  occur  eight  chiefs, 
ten  grooms,  and  fourteen  horses,  the  tails  of  the  horses  being 
sometimes  turned  up  and  tied,  and  sometimes  bound  in  the 
middle.  All  the  chiefs  are  in  the  attitude  of  surprise,  but 
none  of  them  carry  the  small  turreted  models ;  hence  we  infer 
that  those  who  do  carry  these  models  are  the  chiefs  of  provinces 
containing  walled  cities,  and  that  those  who  are  without  this 
insignia,  are  governors  of  the  rural  districts — a  conjecture  that 
is  borne  out  by  the  costume  of  the  people,  and  the  nature  of 
the  tribute  they  bring. 

The  other  people  in  the  procession,  who  seem  skilful  in  the 
arts  and  manufactured  articles,  are  probably  from  the  coast  of 
Phoenicia.  Thus  in  the  chamber  of  passage,  we  conceive  are 
exhibited  the  tribute-bearers  from  the  two  extremities  of  the 
Assyrian  empire  —  an  arrangement  somewhat  analogous  to 
that  in  the  small  temple  of  Kalabshe  in  Nubia,  the  easts  of 
which  sculptures  are  in  the  mummy-room  of  the  British  Mu- 
seum. On  the  north  wall  of  the  Nubian  temple  is  sculptured 
the  conquests  of  the  Egyptian  hero  Rameses  II.  over  the 
nations  to  the  north ;  while  the  south  wall  is  occupied  by  a 
representation  of  the  conquests  of  the  same  hero  over  the 
nations  to  the  south,  and  of  the  tribute  which  this  latter  con- 
quest produced. 

The  sculpture  of  the  last  slab  on  this  line  of  wall  has  entirely 
disappeared,  having  been  destroyed  by  the  conflagration  of  the 
door,  which  we  presume  was  of  wood,^  and  stood  open  against 
the  wall  at  the  time  of  the  destruction  of  the  building.  From 
the  fact  of  all  the  remaining  slabs  being  uninjured  by  fire, 
Botta  has  inferred  that  this  passage  was  originally  open  to  the 
air ;  and  as  it  certainly  had  no  communication  with  the  interior 

1  1  Kings,  VI.  32. 


176  KHOBSABAD. — KAB  SIGNEEN. 

of  the  building,  but  simply  connected  two  external  open  courts, 
a  roof  was  obviously  so  unnecessary,  that  we  see  no  reason  to 
reject  his  very  plausible  conjecture. 

We  will  now  pass,  with  the  train  of  tribute-bearers,  through 
the  passage  chamber  into  the  second  court — the  king's  court. 

COFBT  N. — THE   KING*S   COITET. 

On  emerging  from  the  passage  chamber  (x),  we  find  our- 
selves within  a  court  about  156  feet  square,  two  sides  of  which 
were  bounded  by  the  external  walls  of  the  palace,  while  the 
north-western  and  north-eastern  sides  were  apparently  open 
to  the  country,  though  they  may  probably  have  been  guarded 
by  a  parapet- wall.  The  size  and  decoration  of  the  court  we 
first  entered  {n)  led  us  to  assume  that  it  was  the  place  of 
assembly  for  those  who  offered  tribute,  or  who  sought  the 
administration  of  justice.  The  direction  taken  by  the  people 
after  assembling  was  inferred  from  the  representations  upon 
the  walls  of  the  passage,  the  processions  of  tribute-bearers 
being  highly  significative  that  this  formed  the  line  of  commu- 
nication from  the  court  without — and  we  finally  arrived  at  the 
conclusion,  that  the  second  court  in  which  the  passage  termi- 
nated must  have  been  the  Court  of  Reception — the  place  where 
the  offerings  were  presented,  and  where  justice  was  adminis- 
tered; the  King's  Gate — the  gate  of  judgment,  the  "porch 
for  the  throne  where  he  might  judge,  even  the  porch  of 
judgment.'*^  It  was  in  a  court  or  gate  of  this  kind,  called 
y-in,  teragn,  gate,  in  the  royal  abode  of  Babylon,  that  in 
after-times  the  prophet  Daniel  sat  when  Nebuchadnezzar  had 
made  him  ^tabivn,  *'  the  Sultan,  or  ruler  over  the  whole  pro- 
vince n'"]r3,  medinet,  of  Babylon,  and  the  pjo-m,  llab  Sig- 
neen,  the  chief  of  the  (princes)  governors  over  all  the  wise- 
men,  »non,  Hakims,  of  Babylon."*  And  it  was  in  a  similar 
court  of  the  king's  house,  in  Shushan  the  palace,  that  Haman 
waited  **  to  speak  unto  the  king  to  hang  Mordecai."*  We 
have  quoted  these  and  other  words  of  the  text  in  the  Hebrew 
character  from  the  peculiar  interest  that  attaches  to  the  rela- 
tionship between  the  Chaldee  of  the  ancient  race  and  the 
language  spoken  by  their  living  descendants :  most  of  the 
words  we  have  cited  are  even  now  current  in  the  country,  so 

1  1  Kings,  vii.  7.  *  Daniel,  ii.  48,  49.  3  Esther,  vi.  4. 


KHOBSABAD. — THE  MNG's  C0T7KT.  177 

that  if  we  were  to  write  them  in  Arabic  characters  an  Arab 
could  read  and  comprehend  them. 

In  this  court  were  wont  to  assemble  "  the  princes,  the  go- 
vernors, and  captains,  the  judges,  the  treasurers,  the  counsellors, 
the  sherijffs,  and  all  the  rulers  of  the  provinces"*  of  Assyria, 
when  the  king,  who  inhabited  the  palace,  gave  audience.  The 
porch,  or  seat  of  judgment,  was  on  the  south-western  or  shady 
side  of  the  court,  and  communicated  immediately,  by  several 
entrances,  with  the  interior  of  the  palace.  The  facade,  which 
advanced  considerably  beyond  the  line  of  wall,  consisted  of  a 
central  and  two  minor  side  entrances,  the  principal  gate  being 
guarded  by  six  symbolic  figures,  compounded  of  the  man,  the 
bull,  and  the  eagle,  difiering  in  no  particular  from  those  we 
have  previously  noticed. 

The  front  of  the  piers  of  this  gate,  which  extended  on  each 
side  beyond  the  bay,  was  covered  with  two  bulls,  whose 
bodies  were  in  profile,  but  whose  heads  were  turned  to  the 
spectator.  The  bulls  of  each  pier  were  turned  in  an  opposite 
direction,  so  that  their  breasts  formed  the  angles  of  the  piers, 
their  wings  and  tails  touching  each  other,  and  the  remaining 
two  bulls  formed  the  jambs  of  the  centre  door,  following  the 
same  arrangement  as  at  the  two  former  great  entrances,  ex- 
cepting that  there  is  no  figure  of  Mmrod  between  the  bulls. 
The  width  of  this  advanced  portal,  including  the  opening,  is 
47  feet,  and  it  is  formed  of  only  four  large  blocks  of  gypsum, 
13  feet  square,  and  3  feet  11  inches  in  thickness.  We  will 
not  here  stop  to  consider  the  means  employed  by  the  Assyrian 
architect  to  quarry  such  enormous  blocks,  nor  to  inquire  how 
they  were  brought  to  the  top  of  a  mound  more  than  30  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  plain,  but  simply  remark  that  they  are 
some  of  the  largest  blocks  in  the  building. 

The  two  smaller  entrances  of  this  front  recede  from  the 
general  line  of  fagade,  and  are  both  decorated  by  a  figure 
of  a  winged  man,' one  on  each  jamb,  who  present  the  pine- 
cone  with  the  right  hand  to  those  who  pass  out  or  in  at 
this  door,  and  hold  the  square  basket  in  the  left  hand ;  the 
attitude  and  dress  being  precisely  like  that  of  fig.  43.  Behind 
the  winged  figure  on  the  jamb  to  our  extreme  right,  follows 
an  attendant  priest,  or  magus  (fig.  60),  similarly  attired,  ex- 
cept that  he  wears  a  wreath,  of  which  three  roses  are  seen, 

1  Daniel,  iu.  2,  3. 


178 


KHORSABAD. DEC0EATI0N8  ON  JAMBS  OF  DOOBS. 


Fig.  60.— PBiBST. 


instead  of  the  horned  cap  ;  that  his  right  hand  is  elevated  and 
open,  as  if  in  the  act  of  speaking,  and  that  in  his  left  he 
holds  the  branch  of  a  tree,  terminating  in  three 
pomegranates.      The  divinity  on  the  corre- 
sponding outer  face  of  the  jamb,  at  the  other 
extremity  of  the  facade,  is  likewise  followed 
by  an  attendant  priest  (fig.  60),  and  thus  each 
extremity  of  this  faQade  is  terminated  by  the 
figure   of  a  priest.      The  inner  side  of  the 
jambs  of  these  side  doors  w^ere  entirely  cal- 
cined by  the  flames  which  rushed  out  through 
the  opening.      It  is  to  be   observed   that  all 
these  three  entrances  were  originally  closed  by 
wooden  valves,  or  folding  doors ;  those  of  the 
centre    being   flush  with  the  interior  of  the 
chamber,  while  those  belonging  to  the  side- 
openings  were  half-way  between  the  court  and 
chamber.     The  sculptures  on  the  sides  of  the 
minor  openings  belonged,  as  far  as  the  valves,  to  the  court, 
and  behind  the  valves,  to  the  chamber ;  but  the  bulls  of  the 
centre  openings,  on  the  contrary,  belonged  entirely  to   the 
court,  so  that  when  the  doors  were  closed,  the  decorations  of 
both  court  and  chamber  were  complete  and  uninterrupted,  the 
openings  appearing  merely  like  deep  recesses  in  the  wall.     On 
the  recesses  formed  by  the  projecting  part  of  the  facade,  and 
the  protrusion    of   the  statues  of   the  bulls  at   the  minor 
entrances,  are  sculptured  two  winged  men,  each 
in  the  same  position,  and  with  the  usual  attri- 
butes, but  the  upper  one  having   the  head  of 
an  eagle,  and  wearing  the  short  tunic  without 
the  long  outer  garment  (fig.  61).     "We  will  now 
turn  to  examine  that  side  of  the  court  by  which 
we  entered. 

Commencing  with  the  south  corner  we  have 
just  left,  we  meet  with  a  small  doorway,  on  each 
side  of  which  stands  the  four- winged  divinity 
we  have  designated  Ilus,  presenting  the  pine- 
cone  to  those  who  cross  the  threshold  of  the 
chamber  within  :  and  on  both  jambs  of  the  en- 
trance, which  had  been  closed  by  a  door,  was  the 
figure  of  a  priest,  wearing  a  wreath  and  carrying 
a  gazelle,  as  if  stepping  out  into  the  court  with 


Fig.  61.— EAGLE- 
IIBADED 
DIVINITY. 


3CH0ESABAD. — CAVITIES  FOE  TEKAPHIM. 


179 


the  sacrificial  offenDg.  "We  next  approach  an  opening 
which  we  recognise  as  the  passage  chamber  through  which 
we  entered,  the  sides  being  flanked  by  bulls,  little  inferior 
in  dimensions  to  the  smaller  ones  of  the  principal  fagade  of 
this  court.  Proceeding  onwards,  we  arrive  at  another  figure 
of  Ilus,  with  his  face  turned  toward  the  entrance  of  the 
passage  chamber,  and  followed  by  a  priest  wearing  the  wreath, 
and  carrying  the  pomegranate  branch.  We  now  reach  a  third 
doorway,  each  side  of  which  is  guarded  by  a  two-winged 
divinity.  The  next  figure  is  Rabsaris ;  then  the  Rab  Signeen ; 
and,  lastly,  the  king  in  conversation  with  them.  These  slabs 
were  all  found  lying  on  the  ground,  but  the  remaining  sculp- 
ture of  this  wall  no  longer  existed,  though  the  subjects  may  be 
inferred  from  those  we  have  seen  in  the  outer  court.  Of  the 
sculptures  on  the  north-western  wall,  commencing  in  the  western 
angle,  we  have  first  in  a  shallow  recess  the  armour-bearer  of 
the  king,  th&  selikdar  of  the  present  monarchs  of  the  soil ;  then, 
upon  a  projecting  pier,  Rabshakeh  j  next,  in  a  second  shallow 
recess,  the  king  himself,  addressing  the  Rab  Signeen,  after 
whom  succeeds,  on  a  second  pier,  the  Rabsaris.  The  wall 
here  terminates,  but  whether 
it  turned,  or  was  continued 
much  farther,  we  have  no  means 
of  learning. 

This  court,  like  the  one  we 
have  left,  is  paved  with  square 
kiln  -  baked  bricks,  stamped 
with  a  cuneatic  inscription,  sup- 
posed to  contain  the  name  of 
the  king  who  built  the  palace. 
Before  the  three  doors  of  the 
facade  forming  the  porch,  are 
holes  the  size  of  one  of  the 
bricks,  and  about  fourteen 
inches  in  depth.  These  holes 
are  lined  with  tiles,  and  have  a 
ledge  round  the  inside,  so  that 
they  might  be  covered  by  one 
of  the  square  bricks  of  the  pave- 
ment, without  betraying  the  existence  of  the  cavity.  In 
these  cavities  Botta  found  small  images  of  baked  clay  of 

N  2 


Figs.  62  and  63.— teraphim. 
(BOTTA,  pi.  152.) 


1 80  XHOKSAB  AD.  — TEEAPHIM. 

frightful  aspect,  sometimes  with  lynx  head  and  human  hody, 
and  sometimes  with  human  head  and  lion's  body  (see  figs.  62 
and  63).  Seme  have  the  mitre  encircled  at  the  bottom  with 
a  double  pair  of  horns ;  they  have  one  arm  crossed  on  the 
breast,  and  appear  to  hold  a  rod  or  stick,  which  is  now  too 
imperfect  to  allow  of  its  shape  being  described.  Others  have 
their  hair  rolled  in  large  curls,  and  others  are  human  in  the 
upper  part,  but  terminate  with  bulls'  legs  and  tails. 

Another  curious  circumstance  respecting  the  pavement  is, 
that  the  tiles  or  bricks  cease  at  the  threshold  of  the  entrances, 
their  places  being  supplied  by  a  single  large  slab  of  gypsum 
covered  with  cuneatic  inscriptions.  The  slab  of  the  centre 
opening  is  the  entire  length  of  the  jamb,  about  15  feet  by 
9  feet  9  inches  wide,  and  the  inscription  is  divided  into  two 
columns,  to  obviate,  as  we  suppose,  a  difficulty  which  is  com- 
monly felt,  in  reading  wide  pages  of  letter-press.  And  now 
comes  the  interesting  question,  for  what  purpose  were  these 
secret  cavities  and  long  inscriptions  placed  at  the  threshold  ? 
As  we  have  no  analogous  contrivances  in  the  temples  of  Egypt 
or  Greece,  any  attempt  to  account  for  these  peculiarities  in  the 
Assyrian  structure  may,  by  some,  be  considered  purely  specu- 
lative ;  nevertheless,  ws  will  venture  to  advance  our  surmises. 
In  the  first  place,  we  may  conclude,  from  the  constant  occur- 
rence of  the  emblematic  figures  at  the  entrances,  that  this 
part  of  the  palace,  or  temple,  in  the  Assyrian  mind  was  of  the 
greatest  importance,  and  connected  with  the  religious  opinions 
of  the  nation.  AVe  find  the  principal  doorways  guarded  either 
by  the  symbolic  bulls,  or  by  winged  divinities.  We  next  find 
upon  the  bulls  themselves,  and  on  the  pavement  of  the  recesses 
of  the  doors,  long  inscriptions,  always  the  same,  probably  incan- 
tations or  prayers ;  and  finally,  these  secret  cavities,  in  which 
images  of  a  compound  character  were  hidden.  Thus  the 
sacred  or  royal  precincts  were  trebly  guarded  by  divinities, 
inscriptions,  and  hidden  gods,  from  the  approach  of  any  subtle 
spirit,  or  more  palpable  enemy,  that  might  have  escaped  the 
vigilance  of  the  king's  body-guard.  As  regard  the  inscrip- 
tions, Botta  found  that  they  were  all  repetitions  one  of  another, 
and  that  they,  as  well  as  the  bricks,  contained  the  same  name, 
either  that  of  a  divinity  or  of  the  king.  With  respect  to  the  clay 
images,  he  offers  no  remarks  ;  but  we  would  suggest  that  they 
are  the  n»3nn,  "  Teraphim,"  a  name  given  to  certain  images 


KHOBSABAD.— STJPEESTITION  OF  THE  EVIL  EYE.  181 

which  Rachel  had  stolen  from  her  father  Lahan,  the  Syrian, 
and  "put  them  in  the  camel's  furniture,  and  sat  upon  them  ;"* 
evidences  which  favour  the  conclusion  that  the  teraphim, 
Laban's  gods,  were  no  larger  than  the  images  we  are  speaking 
of.  The  root,  or  original  word,  from  which  teraphim  is  de- 
rived, signifies  to  relax  with  fear,  to  strike  terror,  or  n9i, 
**  Repheh,"  an  appaller — one  who  makes  others  faint  or  fail  ;* 
a  signification  that  singularly  accords  with  the  terrifying 
aspect  of  the  images  found  by  Botta ;  and  from  their  being 
secreted  under  the  pavement  near  the  gates,  we  conclude  that 
they  were  intended  to  protect  the  entrances  of  the  royal  abode, 
by  causing  the  evil- disposed  to  stumble,  even  at  the  very 
threshold.  Again,  the  word  teraphim  being  in  the  plural 
form,  each  individual  figure  is  generally  understood  to  have 
been  a  compound  body,  and  this  affords  farther  coincident  evi- 
dence, as  the  Assyrian  images  were,  likewise,  always  a  com- 
pound. Another  word,  however,  occurs  to  us  to  be  equally 
worthy  of  consideration,  as  it  agrees  so  remarkably  with  the 
places  in  which  these  images  were  found.  It  is  the  Arabic 
word  c_JuJ5,  **  Tarf,**  signifying  a  boundary  or  margin — a 
meaning  analogous  to  doorway,  the  margin  or  boundary  of  the 
chamber.  Thus,  in  both  the  Hebrew  and  the  Arabic,  we  have 
significations  immediately  connected  with  the  gods  Teraphim ; 
finally,  we  have  another  illustration  furnished  by  the  mo- 
dem Persians,  who  call  their  talismans  "Telefin,"*  really  the 
same  word,  the  I  and  the  r  being  the  same  in  some  languages, 
and  easily  interchanging  in  many.  If  these  analogies  in 
themselves  do  not  amount  to  actual  proof  that  the  teraphim  of 
Scripture  are  identical  with  the  secreted  idols  of  the  Assyrian 
palace,  they  are,  at  all  events,  curious  and  plausible;  but 
when  supported  by  what  we  know  of  the  existing  character- 
istics and  superstitions  of  Eastern  nations ;  of  the  pertinacity 
with  which  all  orientals  adhere  to  ancient  traditions  and  prac- 
tices ;  of  the  strongly  implanted  prejudices  entertained  in  the 
court  of  Persia  respecting  the  going  out  and  coming  in  of  the 
Shah  to  his  palace ;  and  of  the  belief  in  unseen  agencies  and 
the  influence  of  the  evil  eye,*  which  has  prevailed  in  all 

»  Gen.  xxxi.  19,  30,  34. 

«  2  Sam.  xxi.  16—22.  «  Chardin,  Voy.  vol.  ii.  c.  10. 

*  From  a  superstition  of  the  same  kind,  the  late  Viceroy  of  Egypt, 
Mohammed  Ali,  neyer,  during  his  long  reign,  left  the  city  of  Cairo  by 


182 


KHOESABAD. — SYMBOLIC  TBEE. 


countries,  and  still  exists  in  some,  more  especially  in  those  of 
Asia  and  the  south  of  Europe,  our  conjecture  seems  to  amount 
almost  to  a  certainty ;  and  we,  therefore,  have  no  hesitation  in 
offering  it  for  consideration. 


SOUTH-EASTERN  SIDE  OF  COUHT  N. HISTOBICAL  CHAMBEB  XIV. 

Before  proceeding  to  examine  the  interior  of  the  palace,  we 
will  enter  the  door  of  chamber  xiv.  at  the  south-eastern  side 
of  the  court,  as  the  remains  here  are  quite  isolated,  and  evi- 
dently must  originally  have  been  a  detached  building,  the 
limits  of  which  are  defined  by  the  two  courts  (w  and  n),  the 
passage  chamber  (x),  and  the  external  boundary  of  the  mound. 
The  doorway  we  are  about  to  enter  is  the  third  on  the  south- 
eastern side  ;  and  is  guarded  on  each  hand  by  a  two-winged 
divinity  with  his  attendant  priest.  Like  the  entrances  we  have 
before  described,  this  also  is  paved  with  a  large  slab  divided 
into  two  columns  of  inscription,  and  the  door  likewise  was 
situated  half  way  between  the  chamber  and  the  court.  A 
winged  divinity  on  each  side  of  the 
jambs  stands  before  the  valves  to  greet 
those  who  enter,  while  two  smaller 
winged  figures  behind  the  valves,  and 
therefore  not  seen  when  the  doors  were 
open,  speed  those  who  depart.  Turning 
to  the  right  we  find  the  figure  of  a 
eunuch  in  the  attitude  of  respect,  and 
the  lower  part  of  whose  garment  is  in- 
scribed :  next  to  him,  and  in  the  corner 
of  the  room,  is  sculptured  an  ornament 
somewhat  resembling  that  interlacing  of 
the  two  aquatic  plants  of  Egypt  depicted 
on  the  thrones  of  the  Pharaohs,  and  hold- 
ing among  Egyptian  emblems  the  same 
rank  and  importance  that  this  emblem  does 
among  the  Assyrians.  The  centre  stem  occupies  the  corner  of 
the  room,  its  branches  extending  equally  on  both  sides  of  the 
angle.  The  stem  is  interrupted  at  intervals  by  transverse  scroll- 

the  gate  called  Bab-el-hadeed.  A  Sheikh  had  informed  him  that  if  he 
ever  went  out  of  Cairo  by  that  gate,  he  would  never  return  to  the  city 
a  Pasha. 


Fig.  64.— SV'MBOWC  TBEE. 


XHOBSABAD. HISTOBICAL  CHAMBEB. 


183 


like  ornaments,  and  has  likewise  spikes,  or  points,  all  the  way 
up  to  the  top,  which  fans  out  something  like  a  palm-tree,  every 
interweavement  of  the  branches  terminating  in  the  Greek 
honeysuckle  (see  fig.  64).  The  end  of  the  room  is  occupied 
by  six  figures,  three  standing  before  the  king,  and  two  behind 
him,  namely,  his  cup-bearer  and  his  sceptre-bearer,  who  is 
also  his  selikdar.  The  upper  part  of  all  these  figures  is  de- 
faced ;  but  sufficient  remains  to  enable  us  to  say  that  they  are 
in  conversation  with  his  majesty,  since  they  all  bear  inscrip- 
tions on  the  lower  part  of  their  robes.  The  king  carries  the 
trilobed  plant  (see  fig.  60).  The  second  corner  of  the  chamber 
is  occupied  by  the  emblematic  ornament,  and  then  we  see  two 
more  officers,  each  with  an  inscription. 

"We  now  arrive  at  the  doorway  which  leads  into  the  inner 
chamber,  and  passing  on,  find  that  the  remainder  of  the  wall 
still  standing  has  been  covered  with  friezes  of  the  same  di- 
mensions as  those  in  the  passage  chamber,  and,  like  them,  is 
divided  by  a  band  of  inscription,  but  unfortunately  only  the 
lower  line  of  illustration  remains,  though  this  is  sufficiently 
perfect  to  enable  us  to  judge  of  the  character  of  the  deco- 


Fig.  85.— SIEOB  WITH  BATTEBINO-BAMS  (BOTTA^pl.  145). 

rations  of  the  chamber.    The  sculpture  represents  the  siege 
of  a  highly-fortified  place,  belonging  to  the  people  who  wear 


184  KHOBSABAD. SIEGE   WITH   BATXERHTG-BAMS. 

the  Bheepskin  gannent,  who  are  most  valiantly  repelling  the 
onset  of  some  crested  warriors,  backed  by  scantily  clothed 
archers,  and  these  again  by  the  regular  troops  under  the  com- 
mand of  the  Rabsaris  or  Rabshakeh  of  the  time.  The  crested 
warriors  we  conceive  to  be  Nysians,  a  colony  of  Lydians  from 
Mount  Olympus,  who  wore  helmets  like  the  Greeks,  and  car- 
ried small  shields  and  javelins,  hardened  in  the  fire.^  The 
castle  is  fortified  by  a  double  wall,  and  built  upon  an  irre- 
gular hill,  up  the  sides  of  which  have  been  urged  two  batter- 
ing rams,  which  are  playing  against  the  gates  and  towers  of 
the  city ;  the  besieged,  on  the  other  hand,  are  throwing  lighted 
torches  from  the  battlements,  to  endeavour  to  set  fire  to  the 
war-engines.  Near  the  city  is  a  remarkably  steep  hill,  on 
which  grow  olive  trees,  and  at  the  bottom  of  the  hill  flows  a 
shallow  stream,  or  a  bay  or  arm  of  the  sea  (see  fig.  65). 

Numerous  cuneatic  characters  are  inscribed  upon  the  walls 
of  the  city,  but  they  are  too  small  to  be  rendered  legible  in 
our  illustration.  Nothing  more  remains  of  this  interesting 
chamber,  excepting  a  piece  of  wall  adjoining  the  entraace 
from  the  court,  which  contains  the  last  page  as  it  were  of  the 
history  of  this  campaign  of  the  Assyrian  monarch. 

In  order  to  show  the  interior  of  a  walled  enclosure,  vast 
enough  to  include  grazing  land  for  the  cattle,  a  solid  structure 
for  the  king,  and  tents  for  the  people,  the  artist  has  given  a 
ground  plan.  This  place  is  situated  by  the  side  of  a  stream, 
and  is  surrounded  by  a  wall  flanked  by  towers  at  irregular 
intervals.  In  the  upper  half  of  the  oval  is  placed  the  palace, 
in  front  of  which  are  erected  the  standards  and  an  altar  or 
table,  before  which  are  two  men.  In  the  lower  half  are  some 
tents  containing  people  occupied  in  preparing  food,  and  various 
implements  are  suspended  to  the  pole  of  the  tent,  as  is  still  the 
custom.  In  the  last  paragraph  of  this  historical  roll,  we  read 
the  termination  of  the  campaign.  Manacled  prisoners  of  the 
sheepskin-clad  nation  are  brought  under  escort  to  the  walla  of 
the  fortified  enclosure  (Botta,  plate  146),^^  to  be  registered  by 
two  scribes,  who  are  attended  by  a  soldier  holding  a  spear. 
The  beardless  scribe  holds  a  pointed  stylus  in  his  left  hand, 
and  in  the  other  probably  a  piece  of  moist  clay,  on  which  he 

*  Herodotus,  Polyhym,  Ixxiv. 

2  The  numbers  and  name  unaccompanied   by  illustration  that  occur 
between  (  )  refer  to  the  number  of  the  Platen  in  Botta's  great  work. 


XHOBSABAD. — ^WAB-ENOIN£S. 


185 


is  about  to  impress  the  cuneatic  characters,  or  a  piece  of  terra 
cotta  on  which  he  is  about  to  engrave  them.  He  seems  to  be 
addressing  the  prisoner.  The  bearded  scribe  is  writing  on  a 
roll  or  volume.  The  conclusion  of  the  slab  represents  the 
same  description  of  country,  namely,  a  hilly  coast  or  shore,  on 
which  is  situated  the  last  fortified  place  taken  in  this  campaign 
(Botta,  plate  147).  It  is  built  upon  a  hill,  accessible  by  three 
roads  constructed  of  hewn  stone,  and  at  the  base  of  the  hill 
flows  the  arm  of  the  lake  or  river.  The  city  is  defended  by 
bow-men  on  the  upper  and  lower  embattled  walls.  The  attack 
is  led  by  crested  spearmen  with  round  shields,  followed  by 
nearly  naked  bow-men,  the  rear  being  brought  up  by  the 
regular  troops,  and  upon  the  causeways  are  two  war-engines* 
or  battering-rams  (figs.  66,  67).    They  move  upon  four  wheels. 


3^> 


r  I 


4^^ 


"WLZ     ^^»^ 


\nry^^vnn^,,_ 


Pigs.  66,  67.— WAE-EKOINBS  (BOTTA,  pi.  160). 

and  the  machine  is  covered  with  an  ornamental  hanging,  which 
envelopes  it  on  all  sides,  to  protect  the  men  employed  in  pro- 
pelling the  machine.  The  forepart  is  very  much  raised  to  ele- 
vate the  point  of  suspension  of  the  rams,  and  thus  give  them 
more  force  :  the  rams  are  provided  with  lance-headed  extre- 
mities, and  it  is  plain  they  have  already  eficcted  a  small  breach 
in  the  wall. 
The  name  of  the  city  is  written  on  the  upper  towers. 

*  2  Chron.  xsxvi.  15. 


186 


KHOESABA.D. SICEED   EDIFICE   WITH  GABLE   EOOP. 


INNEB   CHAMBER   XIII. 

This  chamber  opens  from  that  we  have  just  examined,  the 
entrance  being  nearly  opposite  the  doorway  leading  into  the 
court.  In  this  case  the  entrance  or  passage  of  communication 
is  without  valves,  and  the  jambs  are  occupied  by  two  figures 
of  priests,  presenting  the  fir-cone  to  the  symbolic  ornament  or 
tree,  described  in  the  preceding  apartment,  which  is  placed 
between  them.  Between  the  jambs  the  pavement  consists  of 
the  slab,  with,  an  inscription  divided  into  two  columns.  This 
chamber  also  contains  historical  subjects,  probably  incidents 
in  the  same  campaign,  the  termination  of  which  we  found  re- 
corded in  the  last  chamber.  Like  that,  the  walls  are  here 
divided  by  the  band  of  cuneatic  text  into  two  lines  of  illus- 
tration, but  unfortunately  only  a  few  slabs,  and  those  exclu- 
sively of  the  lower  division,  remain.  Turning  to  the  right, 
we  shall  follow]the  king  in  his  chariot,  preceded  by  a  body  of 
foot,  and  followed  by  a  detachment  of  horse,  setting  out  on  a 
campaign  over  a  hilly  country  (Botta,  plates  142,  143).  They 
are  proceeding  towards  a  city  of  the  interior,  of  which  the 
Assyrian  artist  has  given  us  some  views,  and  the  representation 
we  have  selected  will  be  found  to  contain  some  highly  sug- 
gestive details  (fig.  68.     Botta,  pi.  141). 


Fig.  68.— SACRED  EDIFICE  WITH  GASLE  KOOIT  (BOTTA,  pi.  141), 


KHOESABAD. — HEWING  A  FIGUEE  TO    PIECES.  187 

In  the  centre,  standing  on  a  mound  or  sub-basement,  is  a 
building  with  a  gable  roof,  showing  that  this  mode  of  con- 
struction was  well  known  at  the  period  of  these  sculptures. 
On  the  piers  of  the  building  are  suspended  shields,  seen  in 
front  and  in  profile.  At  the  entrance  stand  two  priests,  and 
upon  the  plain  at  the  base  of  the  mound  on  which  it  is  built, 
are  two  vases  possibly  containing  the  water  for  purification, 
from  which  circumstances  we  should  surmise  this  structure  to 
be  a  sacred  edifice.  Above  it  is  a  line  of  cuneatic,  which  may 
some  day  enlighten  us  on  the  subject.  Upon  the  roof  are 
some  crested  warriors,  who  are  assisting  their  companions  to 
scale  the  walls.  "  They  shall  run  to  and  fro  in  the  city,  they 
shall  run  upon  the  wall,  they  shall  climb  up  upon  the  houses ; 
they  shall  enter  in  at  the  windows  like  a  thief."*  In  one  part 
of  the  city,  built  on  a  rocky  eminence  already  in  the  occu- 
pation of  the  invader,  is  seen  on  the  top  of  a  house  a  eunuch 
dictating  to  his  scribes.  To  the  right,  some  of  the  inhabitants 
on  the  roofs  of  the  houses  extend  their  hands  in  supplication 
towards  the  king. 

In  another  part  of  the  city,  two  eunuchs  are  engaged  in 
weighing  the  spoil.  The  beam  of  the  scales  is  straight  and 
suspended  on  a  support,  probably  a  tripod,  the  stems  of  which 
terminate  in  lion's  feet.  This  apparatus  is  again  placed  upon 
a  stand  resting  on  legs,  carved  to  represent  bulls*  or  goats*  feet, 
which  are  terminated  in  their  turn  by  reversed  cones.  The 
eunuchs  are  habited  in  the  long  robe,  but  without  the  fringed 
scarf. 

In  the  rocky  ground  beneath  the  eunuchs  just  described  are 
three  individuals,  each  armed  with  a  hatchet,  busy  hacking  at 
the  limbs  of  a  figure,  from  which  they  have  already  separated 
the  arms,  and  which  represents  either  a  living  man  or  a  statue 
(fig.  69). 

The  executioners  wear  the  same  head-gear  as  the  pillagers ; 
and  the  figure  itself  is  clothed  in  a  long  robe,  with  a  pointed 
cap  descending  to  the  neck.  The  most  probable  interpretation 
of  the  matter  seems  to  be,  that  they  are  breaking  up  a  statue 
composed  of  one  of  the  precious  metals  (Baruch  vi.  39,  60, 
55 f  67),  and  that  the  eunuchs  are  employed  in  weighing  the 
fragments  as  they  are  delivered  to  them. 

Parther  off,  we  see  others  carrying  away  the  spoil  and  ac- 

*  Joel,  ii.  9. 


188 


EHORSABAD.-— HEWI170  A  FI6UBE  TO   PIECES. 


companying  a  car.  We  have  cause  to  regret  that  there  are  no 
more  sculptures  extant  in  this  apartment,  which,  like  the  last, 
may  be  regarded  as  an  historical  chamber.    It  may  likewise 


Fig.  69.— BEWIKO  ▲  FIGT7BB  TO  PISCES  (BOTTA,  pi.  140.) 

be  worthy  of  remark,  that  this  section  of  the  Palace  of  Khor- 
sabad  was  not  only  isolated,  but  that  it  must  have  consisted  of 
a  single  floor,  as  there  do  not  seem  to  be  any  places  for  the 
steps  by  which  the  upper  stories  could  have  been  reached,  un- 
less indeed  they  were  constructed  in  the  thickness  of  the  wall 
which  is  destroyed.  Returning  to  the  court,  we  will  now 
enter  the  small  door  in  the  souUi  comer,  and  to  the  left  of  the 
passage  chamber  (x). 


80UTH-EASTEEN  SIDE  CF  COTTET.      CHAMBER  IX.- 

CHAMBER. 


■THE  DIVININO 


Entering  the  chamber  from  the  court,  we  shall  meet  in 
the  recess,  as  already  described,  the  figures  of  two  magi, 
each  bearing  on  his  right  arm  a  gazelle,  and  the  left  hand 
elevated  as  in  prayer ;  behind  the  door- valves  on  each  jamb 
there  are  two  small  figures  of  priests,  part  of  the  deco- 
ration belonging  to  the  interior.  In  the  corner  of  the  cham- 
ber, on  our  right,  is  another  doorway,  of  which  the  jambs  are 
identical.  The  room  measures  30  feet  by  27  feet  6  inches,  and 
all  the  figures  occupying  the  walls  are  of  colossal  dimensions, 
reaching  to  the  entire  height  of  the  slabs.    This  chamber, 


XHOBSABAD. — FOUB  KINDS  OF  MAGICIANS.  189 

unlike  the  others  we  have  seen,  is  paved  with  kiln-baked 
bricks,  and  in  the  corner  most  remote  xrom  the  door  leading 
to  the  court,  there  is  inserted  in  the  floor  a  slab  of  gypsum, 
4  feet  6  inches  by  3  feet  3  inches  wide,  in  which  is  a  circular- 
headed  oblong  depression.  From  ihese  evidences,  we  infer 
that  it  was  in  this  chamber  that  the  king  was  wont  to  consult 
the  magi  who  here  examined  the  victims,  whose  blood  was 
poured  into  the  cavity  in  the  slab ;  and  accordingly  the  deco- 
rations show  us  the  king  attended  by  his  officers ;  but  so  many 
slabs  are  wanting,  that  we  have  no  representation  of  the  actu^ 
sacriflce  to  corroborate  our  surmise. 

The  figures  of  the  magi  which  we  have  noticed  at  the  entrance 
of  the  room,  differ  in  nothing  from  the  magi  so  often  described, 
but  in  the  circumstance  of  their  carrying  a  goat  or  gazelle. 
They  are  standing  with  the  victim  at  the  entrance  of  the  cham- 
ber where  the  rites  were  performed,  and  this  chamber  is  situ- 
ated in  the  king's  court,  contiguous  to  the  gate  or  passage- 
chamber  (x.)  In  the  second  verse  of  the  second  chapter  of 
Daniel,  four  kinds  of  magicians  are  mentioned :  the  o^otann , 
chartumim,  the  a>^wH,  asaphim,  the  cyiBu'ao,  mecasphim,  anvOt 
the  casdim.  The  first  word  is  supposed  to  signify  enchanters, 
according  totheLXX.,  sophists ;  according  to  Jerome,  diviners, 
fortune-tellers,  casters  of  nativities.  The  second  word  so  re- 
sembles the  Greek  {<io<pog,  sophos)  for  a  wise  man,  that  it  has 
been  doubted  which  is  the  original  word.  The  third,  mecas- 
phim, by  Jerome  and  the  Greeks,  is  translated  "  enchanters," 
such  as  used  noidous  herbs  and  drugs — the  blood  of  victims, 
and  the  bones  of  the  dead,  for  their  superstitious  rites.  The 
fourth  word  has  two  significations — first,  the  Chaldean  people ; 
and  the  second,  a  sort  of  philosophers,  who  were  exempt  from 
all  public  offices  and  employments ;  their  studies  being  physic, 
astrology,  the  foretelling  of  future  events,  interpretation  of 
dreams  by  augury,  worship  of  the  gods,  &c.*  The  Chaldeans 
had  their  origin  from  Chased,  son  of  I^ahor.^  Jerome  says  the 
same  thing : — *'  Chased,  son  of  Kahor,  from  whom  Chasdim, 
afterwards  Chaldaei."  Chased,  however,  only  united  the  scat- 
tered tribes  into  a  nation  of  the  land  of  XJr,  and  there  is  little 

1  The  modern  professional  Divines  of  Egypt  are  called  Moghrabin, 
thereby  intimating  that  they  originally  came  iirom  Tunis,  Tripoli,  or  Mo- 
rocco, countries  to  the  west  of  Egypt. 

>  Gen.  xxii.  22 ;  Cellarius,  lib.  ill.  16. 


190  KHORSA.BAJ). — CHALDEANS. 

doubt  that  they  were  a  distinct  nation,  and  not  merely  a 
tribe  of  priests  ;^  Strabo,  who  had  treated  of  them  as  philoso- 
phers, knew  them  also  as  a  nation.  To  which  of  the  four 
classes  the  magus  we  are  describing  belongs,  it  would  be  diffi- 
cult to  determine,  but  from  his  carrying  the  gazelle,  we  should 
be  inclined  to  place  him  in  the  third  class,  and  probably  of  the 
Chaldean  race.  His  person  is  much  thinner,  and  his  features 
more  delicate  than  are  those  of  the  other  attendants  of  the 
court,  indicating  sedentary  occupations,  and  an  exemption  from 
the  more  active  employments  of  life.  The  beard  and  hair  of 
all  the  magi  are  curled  with  the  most  extreme  care,  and  they 
are  distinctly  blacked.  We  will  now  return  to  the  court,  and 
visit  the  interior  of  the  palace  of  Khorsabad. 

INTERIOR    OF    THE   PALACE.       CHAMBER   VIII. — THE   HALL    OP 

JUDGMENT, 

A  glance  at  the  detailed  plan  (fig  34)  informs  us  that  the 
chamber  we  are  about  to  enter  has  six  openings — three  from 
the  king's  court  (n),  one  immediately  facing  it,  a  lesser  one 
on  the  same  side,  but  farther  to  our  left,  and  one  to  our  right, 
at  the  end  of  the  room.  The  three  openings  into  the  court, 
as  well  as  the  smaller  opening  on  the  opposite  side,  are  all 
furnished  with  double  valves,  or  folding  doors,  but  neither  the 
central  one,  nor  that  at  the  end,  have  any  such  provision, 
being  apparently  used  merely  as  passages  of  communication. 
All  these  doorways  are  paved  with  inscribed  slabs,  inserted  in 
the  floor,  which  is  formed  of  bricks  of  the  same  dimensions 
as  those  of  the  courts,  but  which  seem  dried  instead  of  kiln- 
baked,  and  they  differ  also  from  them  in  being  without  in- 
scriptions. We  will  also  notice  that  at  the  extreme  end  of  the 
room,  a  large  unin scribed  slab  of  gypsum  is  inserted  in  the 
floor ;  that  in  the  floor  between  the  two  doors  (a  and  m),  there 
is  a  second  uninscribed  slab,  with  a  circular  hole  in  the  centre, 
and  that  at  each  end  of  the  slab  there  is  a  square  hole  in  the 
pavement,  like  those  for  the  teraphim  in  the  courts. 

Entering  by  the  central  opening  or  grand  portal,  and  turn- 
ing to  the  right,  we  find  that  the  conflagration  of  the  roof  has 
destroyed  all  the  upper  part  of  the  slabs,  so  that  we  have  only 

1  Jerora.  In  Quest,  on  Gen.  xxii.  Herodotus,  Clio,  clxxxi. ;  Diod.  i. 
28 ;  Aiusworth's  "  llesearches  in  Assyria." 


KHOKSABAD. ^HAIL  OF  JUDGMENT.  191 

the  remains  of  eight  figures,  including  the  lower  part  of  a 
long-robed  person,  with  his  feet  fettered,  brought  up  for  judg- 
ment. Passing  the  small  door  into  the  court,  which  has  lost 
its  jambs,  and  the  remains  of  two  figures,  we  reach  the  corner 
of  the  room,  which  we  find  occupied  by  one  slab,  on  which  is 
sculptured  the  emblematic  floral  ornament.  Between  this 
emblematic  ornament  and  the  opening  (t),  which  we  next  ap- 
proach, nothing  is  left  but  the  lower  part  of  the  dress  of  one 
of  the  officers  of  the  king,  on  which  is  an  inscription.  Passing 
the  opening  and  the  feet  of  a  man,  possibly  the  guard  of  the 
door,  we  arrive  at  the  second  corner  of  the  room,  with  the 
emblematic  ornament.  On  the  length  of  wall  which  now  oc- 
curs, is  sculptured  a  group  cotaposed  of  fifteen  figures,  namely, 
the  king,  eight  of  his  officers,  and  five  persons  of  smaller  stature, 
who  are  bound  hand  and  foot :  the  fifteenth  person  does  not 
properly  belong  to  this  group,  for  he  turns  his  face  to  the 
central  opening  (u),  and  is  the  magus  or  priest. 

Commencing  at  the  central  door  we  see  the  king  with  his 
chief  cup-bearer ;  before  them  are  three  prisoners,  who  wear 
caps  with  a  tassel  depending  from  the  top,  a  long  fringed  tunic, 
and  over  this  a  cloak  with  a  tassel  at  the  corners :  their  beards 
are  short,  and  no  hair  appears  from  beneath  their  caps.  The 
foremost  is  on  his  kncv^s  supplicating  the  king,  while  two 
others  stand  behind,  imploring  his  mercy.  The  slabs  on  which 
these  figures  occur  are  very  much  defaced,  but  from  what  we 
are  able  to  discern  we  are  inclined  to  think  the  people  repre- 
sented are  some  of  the  inhabitants  of  Palestine.  Behind  the 
prisoners  stand  four  persons,  with  inscriptions  on  the  lower 
part  of  their  tunics ;  the  first  two  are  bearded,  and  seem  to  be 
the  accusers ;  the  remaining  two  are  nearly  defaced,  but  behind 
the  last  appears  the  eunuch,  whose  office  it  seems  to  be  to 
usher  into  the  presence  of  the  king  those  who  are  permitted 
to  appear  before  him.  He  is  followed  by  another  person  of 
the  same  race  as  those  under  punishment,  but  who  is  taller  in 
stature  (Botta,  pi.  120) ;  his  hands  are  manacled,  and  on  his 
ankles  are  strong  rings,  fastened. together  by  a  heavy  bar,  the 
condition,  we  read,  in  which  the  king  of  AssjTia  took  Manas- 
eeh  to  Babylon,*  and  probably  the  very  fashion  of  those  fetters 
of  brass  in  which,  still  later,  the  king  of  Babylon  bound  Zede- 

^  2  Chron.  xxxiii.  11 ;  xxxvi.  6. 


192 


KHOHSJlBAD.— CHIEF  OP  THE  8LATEKS. 


kiah.*  This  person  is  in  the  attitude  of  a  supplicant,  and  on 
the  lower  part  of  his  dress  are  several  lines  of  cuneatic.  The 
next  group  visible  (fig.  70)  is  a  naked  man,  his  limbs  stretched 
out,  and  his  wrists  and  ankles  fastened  by  a  chain  to  pegs  or 
pins  inserted  in  the  floor  or  table,  while  a  tall  bearded  man  in 
a  short  tunic,  the  K*naia  ai  the  Rab  Tabachiya,  the  chief  of  the 
slayers,  the  captain  of  the  king's  guard,  (for  so  this  officer  was 
designated  in  the  court  of  Nebuchadnezzar,  in  the  time  of  the 
prophet  Daniel,'*)  is  with  a  curved  knife,  beginning  to  remove 
the  skin  from  the  back  of  the  arm  of  the  prisoner,  whose  head 
is  turned  towards  the  king  imploring  pardon,  the  very  words  of 
which  petition  ma}^  possibly  be  contained  in  the  cuneatic  in- 


Fig.  70.--FLAY1NG  ALIVE ;  or,  CUT  TO  PIECES  (Dan.  iii.  29),  Ibotta,  pi.  120.) 

scription  above  him.     Of  the  next  figure,  only  the  legs  and 
several  lines  of  cuneatic  writing  remain. 

Beturning  to  the  central  passage,  we  find,  on  each  side  facing 
the  chamber,  the  figure  of  a  magus ;  and  on  the  line  of  wall 
succeeding,  a  scene  representing  the  punishment  of  rebellion. 


*  2  Kings,  XXV.  7 ;  Jer.  xxxix.  7. 


2  Dan.  ii.  14. 


KHOBSABAD. — TOGABMAH  OB  SAGABTII.  193 

The  prisoners  are  chiefs  of  that  race  or  nation  (see  fig.  59) 
who  are  particularly  distinguished  by  the  sheepskin    outer 
garment  made  with  sleeves,  but  terminating  in  the  form  of 
the  unfashioned  fleece,  worn  over  a  plain  tunic  reaching  just 
below  the  knee.     Instead  of  a  belt,  there  seems,  as  we  have 
before  observed,  to  be  a  cord  wrapped  several  times  round  the 
waist,  and  terminating  in  a  button  or  loop.     Herodotus,    in 
his  enumeration  of  the  nations  that  composed  the  army  of 
Xerxes,*  mentions  a  people  called  Sagartii,  who  supplied  a 
body  of  horse.     He  says,  "  These  people  lead  a  pastoral  life  ; 
they  have  no  offensive  weapons,  either  of  iron  or  brass,  except 
their  daggers ;  their  principal  dependence  in  action  is  upon 
cords  made  of  twisted  leather,  which  they  use  in  this  manner ; 
when  they  engage  an  enemy  they  throw    out  these  cords, 
having  a  noose  at  the  extremity."     These  people  are  possibly 
the  same  as  the  Togarmah,''  who  traded  with  Tyre  in  horses 
and  mules,  people  of  Scythia  and  Turcomania,  children  of 
Gomer.     The  people  represented  on  the  slabs  are  a  tall  race  of 
men,  have  short  beards  terminating  in  spiral  curls,  seldom 
wear  bracelets,  earrings,  or  other  effeminate  ornaments,  and 
are,  as  we  have  seen  by  the  nature  of  the  tribute  they  bore  in 
the  chamber  of  passage,  essentially  a  pastoral  people,  their 
entire  characteristics  being  such  as  would  seem  to  identify 
them  with  the  Sagartii  of  Herodotus,  and  the  Togarmah  of 
Ezekiel.     The  three  prisoners  of  this  race  in  the  centre  of 
the  frieze    have   their  feet  and    hands  bound,    and   several 
lines  of  cuneatic  run  across  the  lower  part  of  their  dresses ; 
they  are  guarded  by  two  bearded    officers,  the  foremost  of 
whom  is  a  sceptre-bearer,  and  carries  likewise  a  bow ;  while 
the  second,  who  wears  a  short  tunic,  has  his  hand  raised ;  they 
are  introduced  into  the  presence  of  the  king  by  two  eunuchs. 
We  next    arrive  at  the  small   doorway  (s),  which  has  ap- 
parently, like  the  passage  (u),  been  guarded  on  each  side  by  a 
priest,  though  only  the  lower  part  of  one  is  remaining  j  on 
that  part  of  the  two  jambs  which  belong  to  this  chamber,  is 
represented  a  winged  divinity  presenting  the  pine-cone,  and 
followed  by  his  attendant  magus;    their  faces  are  directed 
toward  the  chamber,  as  in  the  act  of  meeting  the  person  who 
was  privileged  to  pass  through  the  door  into  the  inner  apart- 
ment.   In  the  floor  of  the  doorway  is  the  inscribed  slab.     On 
*  Herodotus,  Polyhymnia,  hxrr.  *  Ezek.  xxyII  14. 

0 


194     KHOBS^BAD. — PUTTING  OUT  THE  EYES  OF  A  CAPTIVE. 

the  space  between  this  door  and  the  angle  of  the  wall  was 
probably  the  figure  of  the  king  belonging  to  the  last  subject, 
but  the  slabs  are  wanting.  This  brings  us  to  the  emblematic 
comer  ornament,  and  to  the  wall  at  the  end  of  the  room, 
from  which  we  have  selected,  as  a  specimen  of  the  significant 
decoration  of  the  chamber,  a  most  remarkable  scene. 

In  the  annexed  representation  (fig.  71)  we  recognise  the 
fate  which  subsequently  befel  Zedekiah,  king  of  Judah,  as 
recorded  in  the  Second  Book  of  Kings,  and  which  we  presume, 
from  the  sculptures  in  this  chamber,  was  no  uncommon 
punishment  for  the  crime  of  rebellion.  In  the  centre  stands 
the  king, — before  him  are  three  persons,  the  foremost  of  whom 
is  on  his  knees,  imploring  mercy,  and  the  two  others  are 
standing  in  a  humble  posture.  The  king  is  represented 
thrusting  the  point  of  his  spear  into  one  of  the  eyes  of  the 
supplicant,  while  he  holds  in  his  left  hand  the  end  of  a  cord 
which  proceeds  from  rings  that  have  been  inserted  into  the 
lower  lip  of  all  three  of  the  captives,  who  are  likewise  both 


Fig.  71.— KISO  PUTTINO  OUT  THE  EYES  OP  A  CAPTIVE  (BOTTA,  pi.  118). 


manacled  and  fettered.  Above  their  head  is  an  inscrip- 
tion,— perhaps  the  very  words  they  uttered.  These  prisoners 
wear  the  long  tunic  reaching  to  their  ankles,  and  the  two 
standing  have,  in  addition,  a  tight-fitting  cap.  The  king  is 
attended  by  his  cup-bearer  and  two  bearded  officers  bearing 


KHOESABAD. — CHAMBER  OF  JUDGMENT.  195 

sceptres.  Facing  the  king,  and  immediately  behind  the 
sufferers,  stands  the  pao  an  Hab  Signeen,  the  chief  of  the 
governors,  his  right  hand  uplifted,  as  if  in  the  act  of  speaking ; 
behind  him  are  a  eunuch  and  a  bearded  officer.  All  three  of 
these  persons,  as  well  as  those  behind  the  king,  have  an  inscrip- 
tion on  the  lower  part  of  their  dresses.  Leaving  this  scene,  we 
pass  the  symbolic  comer  ornament,  and  reach  the  small 
door- way  (q),  which  leads  into  the  court  (n)  on  each  side  of 
which  stands  a  magus,  with  his  face  towards  the  entrance ; 
but  the  sculptures  on  the  jambs  are  gone.  On  the  wall 
between  this  door  and  the  central  opening  (m),  is  a  similar 
representation  of  the  king  attended  as  usual,  before  whom  are 
three  fettered  prisoners ;  the  foremost,  who  is  on  his  knees, 
being  clad  in  the  long  fringed  tunic,  and  the  two  behind  him 
in  the  short  tunic ;  but  the  outer  garment  of  sheepskin  is  not 
discernible,  owing  to  the  defacement  of  the  upper  part  of  the 
slab.  From  the  foregoing  description  it  will  be  found  that  in 
this  chamber  we  have  the  record  of  the  punishments  inflicted 
on  the  chiefs  of  five  nations,  in  which  that  of  putting  out  the 
eyes,  and  that  of  flaying  alive,  are  distinctly  presented  to 
lis,  while  the  preparatory  minor  cruelties  of  inserting  a  ring 
in  the  lip,  and  the  putting  on  of  heavy  manacles  and  brazen 
fetters,  are  left  to  the  imagination  of  the  beholder. 


CHAMBEB   IV. — CHAMBEB  OF  JUDGMENT. 

Passing  out  of  the  Hall  of  Judgment  (vni.)  by  the  passage 
of  communication  (t),  we  perceive  on  each  side  of  us  the 
king  attended  by  his  cup-bearer  also  walking  out  of  the  cham- 
ber, and  met  at  the  threshold  by  the  Rab  Signeen.  (Botta,  plate 
80.)  Turning  to  our  right,  we  find  that  from  the  opening  to 
the  corner  there  are  eleven  figures,  the  upper  part  of  the  whole 
being  very  much  defaced  by  the  calcination  of  the  slabs,  though 
enough  of  the  frieze  remains  uninjured  to  show  that  the 
subject  is  very  similar  to  those  we  have  seen  in  the  preceding 
chamber.  Before  the  king>  who  is  attended  by  his  cup-bearer, 
sceptre-bearer,  and  a  third  person,  are  three  prisoners,  wear- 
ing the  sheepskin  garment,  the  foremost  of  whom  is  kneeling 
in  supplication ;  they  are  all  fettered,  and  have  the  ring  in 
the  lower  lip,  to  which  is  attached  a  thin  cord  held  by  the 

0  2 


196 


XHOKSABAD. CHAMBEK  OF  JUDGMENT. 


king  (fig.  72).  Behind  the  captives  are  the  Rab  Signeen  and 
three  other  persons,  who,  as  well  as  the  three  ofl&cers  following 
the  king,  have  inscriptions  on  the  lower  part  of  their  tunics. 
In  the  corner  is  the  symbolic  ornament. 


Fig.  72.— BRIDLE  IN  THK  LIPS. 

The  end  of  the  room,  and  all  the  adjoining  side,  have 
entirely  disappeared,  till  we  come  to  a  fragment  of  the  lower 
part  of  a  bull  which  formed  one  of  the  jambs  of  an  entrance, 
indicating  that  this  chamber  was  an  exterior  apartment ;  and 
therefore,  that  although  now  on  the  edge  of  the  mound,  it 
must  formerly  have  led  out  upon  a  court  or  terrace.  From  the 
bull  to  the  next  comer  both  slabs  and  wall  have  disappeared ; 
but  on  the  wall  at  the  end  of  the  room  we  again  see  the  king, 
executing  judgment  on  some  sheepskin  clad  prisoners,  the 
Sagartii,  two  kneeling  before  him  and  two  standing.  Behind 
them  is  the  accuser,  or  the  king's  chief  counsellor,  and  attend- 
ing the  king  is  the  cup-bearer,  the  whole  group  containing 
seven  persons,  all  of  whom,  excepting  the  king  and  the 
kneeling  prisoners,  have  more  or  less  inscription  on  their  robes. 
After  this  scene  we  approach  a  door  leading  into  a  small 
chamber  (iii.)>  passing  which  we  reach  the  comer,  which  is 
again  occupied  by  the  symbolic  ornament  that  seems  to  belong 
peculiarly  to  the  corners  of  chambers  where  scenes  of  judg- 
ment and  execution  are  represented. 


KH0R8ABAD. — ILLUSTKA.TION   OF  SCRIPTUKE.  197 

Proceeding  from  the  comer,  we  perceive  two  short-bearded 
prisoners  manacled  and  fettered;  they  have  a  simple  band 
round  their  heads  instead  of  the  cap,  and  are  clad  in  long 
tunics,  with  cords  twisted  round  their  waists ;  have  short 
cloaks,  and  wear  boots ;  they  are  ushered  into  the  presence  of 
the  king  by  the  eunuch  carrying  the  double  rod  (Botta,  pi.  82), 
the  Tartan  of  Scripture,  who  is  preceded  by  two  other  officers 
of  the  court. 

"We  next  arrive  at  a  passage  of  communication  (r),  on  each 
side  of  which  is  a  magus ;  and  between  this  opening  and  that 
at  which  we  entered  is  a  scene  containing  twelve  figures,  in- 
cluding the  magus  we  have  just  passed.  We  have  first  three 
officers  of  the  court,  preceded  by  the  Rab  Signeen,  who  is  ad- 
dressing the  king,  between  whom  and  himself  are  four  pri- 
soners, two  standing,  and  two  kneeling  to  the  king.  The  pri- 
soners are  of  the  race  of  men  which  we  have  before  remarked 
to  be  of  short  stature,  wearing  short  beards,  tasselled  caps, 
like  the  modern  fez,  and  long  tunics  with  short  upper  garment. 
The  king  has  several  lines  of  cuneatic  on  his  robe,  and,  as 
usual,  is  attended  by  his  cup-bearer  and  selikdar.  The  coun- 
tenances of  these  prisoners  (Eotta,  pi.  83)  do  not  exhibit  those 
peculiarities  we  find  in  other  sculptures  representing  the 
people  habited  in  the. same  way,  but  whether  this  be  owing  to 
the  artist  or  to  the  imperfect  condition  of  the  upper  part  of 
the  slabs,  we  know  not.  Prom  the  peculiarities  delineated, 
we  conceive  that  these  people  are  natives  of  Palestine,  Jews, 
probably  Samaritans.  In  Daniel  we  learn  that  when  Shad- 
rach,  Meshach,  and  Abednego  were  cast  into  the  fiery  furnace, 
they  **  were  bound  in  their  coats,  their  hosen,  and  their  hats, 
and  their  other  garments."^  The  close  resemblance  be- 
tween the  costume  here  described  and  that  worn  by  these 
captives,  and  its  contrast  with  the  dress  of  the  Assyrians,  must 
strike  every  observer.  In  no  instance,  excepting  in  the  king, 
do  we  see  the  Assyrians  with  hats  or  caps  upon  their  heads  or 
with  boots  upon  their  feet,  whereas  these  captives  wear  hats 
or  caps,  and  have  boots  or  hosen  on  their  feet.  As  in  former 
bassi-rilievi,  they  have  rings  in  their  lips.  It  is  not  a  little 
remarkable  that  when  Sennacherib,  a  successor  of  the  founder 
of  this  palace,  invaded  Judea,  the  prophetic  message  sent  by 
Isaiah  in  reply  to  the  prayer  of  Hezekiah  should  contain  the 

^  Daniel,  iii.  20,  21. 


198  KHORSABAD. — KIOSK. IONIC  PILLARS. 

metaphor  here  embodied,  and  probably  enacted  in  these  very 
chambers.  "  I  know  thy  abode,  and  thy  going  out,  and  thy 
coming  in,  and  thy  rage  against  me.  Because  thy  rage 
against  me,  and  thy  tumult,  is  come  up  into  mine  ears,  there- 
fore will  I  put  my  hook  in  thy  nose,  and  my  Iridle  in  thy 
lips,  and  I  will  turn  thee  back  by  the  way  by  which  thou 
camest."* 

The  first  verse,  "  I  know  thy  abode,  and  thy  going  out,  and 
thy  coming  in,"  we  surmise  alludes  to  the  incantations  and 
idolatrous  emblems  and  figures,  which,  as  we  have  seen,  are 
crowded  together  at  the  entrances  of  the  Assyrian  palaces,  as 
the  means  of  ensuring  the  safety  and  success  of  the  kings  of 
Assyria  in  their  going  out  and  coming  in.  The  second  verse 
is  here  presented  literally  before  us. 

Before  leaving  this  section  of  the  palace  we  will  pass 
through  the  opening  (e)  into 

CHAMBER   VII. 

This  small  chamber  communicates  with  the  one  we  are 
leaving,  by  an  opening  without  doors,  and  the  sides  of  which 
have  disappeared.  Upon  entering  we  find  that  there  is  no 
other  outlet,  and  that  the  significant  decorations  on  the  walls 
are  divided  into  an  upper  and  lower  illustration,  by  a  band  of 
cuneatic.  The  room  may  be  likened  to  a  small  volume  on  the 
pleasures  of  the  table  and  the  chase,  illustrated  by  highly 
wrought  engravings,  the  text  occupying  the  middle  of  the 
page  in  twenty  lines  of  cuneatic,  and  the  whole  volume  pre- 
senting a  surface  of  140  feet  in  length,  and  9  feet  in  height. 

The  first  section  of  the  volume  is  dedicated  to  the  pleasures 
of  the  table ;  unfortunately  it  is  considerably  damaged,  but 
nevertheless,  on  turning  to  the  right,  we  can  still  distinguish 
on  the  upper  part  of  the  wall  the  figures  of  the  guests  sitting 
on  high  seats,  and  holding  up  their  drinking  cups,  in  the 
act  of  pledging  each  other,  or  of  drinking  the  king*8  health. 
Between  the  tables  stand  the  eunuchs  attending  on  the  con- 
vivialists,  and  at  the  end  wall  is  an  elegant  folding  tray,  ter- 
minating in  the  legs  of  an  animal,  on  which  some  persons 
seem  to  be  preparing  food ;  all  the  rest  of  this  upper  subject 

*  Isaiah,  xxivii.  28, 29 ;  Ezek.  xxxviii.  4 ;  Deut.  xxviii.  6, 19 ;  2  Kings, 
xix.  27  i  Amos,  iv.  2 ;  Psl.  cxxi.  8. 


KHORSABAD. ALTARS  IN  HIGH  PLACES. 


199 


is  defaced.  The  lower  line  of  illustration,  or  the  section  of 
the  volume  which  is  dedicated  to  the  pleasures  of  the  field,  is 
more  legible.  Commencing  at  the  entrance,  we  find  in  the 
corner  to  our  right,  at  the  extremity  of  the  hunting-ground, 
an  artificial  piece  of  water  in  which  are  some  fish  and  two 
pleasure-boats.  On  the  margin  of  the  lake  is  a  kiosk  or  plea- 
sure-house, the  roof  supported  by  columns  resembling  those 
of  the  Ionic  order  in  Grecian  architecture  (fig.  73). 


Fig.  73.— KIOSK  (BOTTA,  pL  114). 

Surrounding  the  kiosk  are  fruit-trees,  possibly  the  fig  and 
others,  the  branches  of  which  appear  to  bear  leaves  and  fruit ; 
the  round  appendages  being  painted  blue,  and  the  others  red. 
Near  to  this  spot  is  a  hill  and  grove  of  fir-trees,  abounding 
with  pheasants ;  and  on  the  top  of  the  hill  is  an  altar,  re- 
minding us  of  the  groves  and  altars  on  high  places,  so  often 
alluded  to  in  the  sacred  writings,  as  a  heathen  custom  which 
the  people  of  Israel  were  forbidden  to  imitate.  **  They  sacrifice 
on  the  tops  of  the  mountains,  and  burn  incense  upon  the  hills, 
under  oaks,  and  poplars,  and  elms  (fir-trees),  because  the 
shadow  thereof  is  good."*  This  little  monument  is  raised 
upon  a  square  base  :  the  shaft  has  six  flutings,  and  the  entab- 
lature eight ;  the  whole  is  crowned  in  the  middle  and  at  the 
angles  with  step-like  battlements.  These  details  are  not  un- 
important, as  they  tend  to  show  the  similarity  between  this 

^  Hosea,  iv.  13. 


200  KHOKSABAD. — SHOOTIWG  AT  A  TARGET. 

altar  and  the  one  engraved  on  the  Babylonian  stone  known  as 
the  Caillou  de  Michaud,  preserved  in  the  Cabinet  of  Anti- 
quities  of  the  Bihliotheque  Nationale  at  Paris. 

To  this  the  king  is  hastening  in  his  chariot,  drawn  by  two 
horses  at  full  speed  (fig.  74) :  he  holds  the  full-blown  lotus, 
and  two  buds  represented  after  the  Egyptian  mode  of  deli- 
neating the  plant,  and  is  accompanied  by  his  charioteer  and 


Fig.  74.— KINO  FOLLOWING  THE  CHASE  (BOTTA,  pL  113). 

umbrella-bearer,  clad  in  the  long  fringed  cloak.    The  tiara 
and  parasol  are  painted  in  red  stripes ;  the  flower  in  the  king's 


Fig.  75i— THE  KIKO'6  SONS  FOLLOWING  THE  CEASE,  PABT  OF  FRECEDIif O  (BOTTA,  pi.  112). 


KHOBSABAI).— SHOOTHTG  AT  A  TAEGET. 


201 


hand  is  painted  blue.  The  handle  of  the  driver's  whip  is  a 
gazelle's  foot.  Immediately  preceding  the  chariot  are  three 
spearmen  and  two  sceptre- bearers  on  foot,  and  following  the 
chariot  are  three  horsemen  (fig.  75),  perhaps  two  of  the  king's 
sons  attended  by  a  bearded  domestic.  Next  follows  a  sceptre- 
bearer  on  foot,  whom  we  take  to  be  the  keeper  of  the  pleasure- 
grounds  ;*  then  a  groom  holding  the  horse  of  the  king's  son  in 
one  hand,  and  in  the  other  his  whip  and  a  hare ;  and  in  fig.  76 
we  have  the  king's  son  shooting  at  a  target,  while  over  head 
are  several  birds  upon  the  wing,  and  one  which  has  been  shot 
by  an  arrow.  On  the  fragment  that  remains  there  appears 
also  to  be  a  disc,  in  the  middle  of  which  it  is  easy  to  distin- 
guish the  figure  of  a  lion  in  which  arrows  are  implanted. 
This  may  have  been  the  representation  of  a  lion  on  a  target 
for  the  king's  sons  or  young  sportsmen  to  practice  on  previously 
to  encountering  the  real  object.  The  remaining  portion  of  the 
division  of  the  frieze  on  this  wall,  represents  two  eunuchs 
beariug  game  (fig.  77). 

The  adjoining  side  of  the  chamber  is  entirely  defaced  until 
just  before  arriving   at  the  entrance.      Two  horsemen  are 


Fig.  76.— SHOOTIWO  AT  TAEaET  (BOTTA,  pi.  111). 

seen  galloping  in  the  midst  of  trees;  both  are  clothed  in 
simple  tunics,  fastened  with  girdles,  stockings  made  of 
rings  of  mail,  and  boots  laced  up  in  front.  The  first  has  a 
lance,  the  second  is  flogging  his  horse  with  a  whip  that  has 

^  Nehemiah,  ii.  8. 


202 


KHOESABAD. — HUNTING  AND  HUNTSMEN. 


three  lashes.     The  harness  offers  nothing  reraarkahle.     Some 
birds  are  seen  flying  through  the  trees,  and  judging  from  the 


Fig.  77.— TUE  king's  forestebs  (botta,  pi.  110). 

two  long  feathers  in  their  tails,  they  belong  to  the  family  of 
IcataSf  or  partridge,  so  common  throughout  the  East.  In  front 
of  them  we  have  a  continuation  of  the  forest,  in  the  middle 
of  which  are  two  men  on  foot,  one  of  whom  holds  a  hare  and 
the  other  a  bird  (fig.  78).  Farther  on  is  seen  a  horse  without 
a  rider ;  on  its  head  there  is  a  bird  of  prey,  which  seems  by 
the  shortness  of  its  beak  to  be  a  falcon. 


Fig.  78.— nUNTINO  AND  HUNTSMEN  (BOTTA,  pi.  108). 

Eetuming  through  chambers  iv.  and  viii.,  we  now  visit 

CHAMBEK  V. — THE  HALL  OP  HISTORICAL  BECOBDS. 

Entering  from  the  Hall  of  Judgment  (vni.)  through  the 


KHORSABAD. HALL  OF   HISTOEICAL  RECORDS.  203 

central  opening  (u)  we  find  each  side  of  the  passage  of  com- 
munication is  sculptured  with  a  representation  of  the  king 
followed  by  his  chief  cup-bearer,  walking  into  the  chamber 
(v),  and  met  at  the  threshold  by  the  Rab  Signeen,  the  chief 
of  the  governors  or  one  of  the  o^an  Hakim,  or  wise  men  of 
the  court.  On  the  floor  of  the  passage  is  a  slab  inscribed  with 
two  columns  of  cuneatic.  The  chamber  itself  has  four  open- 
ings, two  with  doors,  and  two  without,  so  that  when  the  leaves 
of  the  former  were  closed,  the  chamber  became  the  sole  line 
of  communication  to  the  adjoining  apartment  through  the 
passage  (o).  The  smaller  entrance  (s)  on  the  left  we  shall 
designate  the  sacred  door,  because  it  is  guarded  by  winged  di- 
vinities and  their  attendant  magi.  The  decorations  on  the 
walls  are  divided  into  two  lines  of  illustration  by  the  text  in 
the  vernacular  of  Assyria,  a  text  that  we  hope  may  soon  be  as 
intelligible  as  are  the  accompanying  illustrations  in  the  uni- 
versal language  of  art. 

Turning  to  the  right  so  as  to  read  the  events  in  their  proper 
succession,  or  chronological  order,  we  perceive  that  a  large 
piece  of  the  historical  record  is  wanting ;  nothing  in  fact  being 
left  until  we  pass  the  large  door- way  (e),  and  then  on  the 
second  slab  of  the  upper  line  (Botta,  pi.  89)  nought  but  an 
indication  of  some  chariots  and  horses  which  seem  to  belong 
to  the  king,  who  is  receiving  a  procession  of  tribute-bearers 
(Botta,  pi.  88)  clad  in  richly  embroidered  short  tunics,  with 
sleeves  terminating  above  the  elbow.  They  wear  massive 
bracelets,  a  band  round  the  waist,  a  short  sword,  but  neither 
boots  nor  shoes.  Their  beards  are  short,  but  the  head-dress 
cannot  be  discovered  owing  to  the  calcination  of  the  upper 
part  of  the  slabs.  "We  may  presume  that  the  frieze  represents 
the  successful  termination  of  the  expedition  against  this  people, 
and  that  the  former  part  of  the  campaign  was  to  have  been 
read  on  that  portion  of  the  wall  now  defaced.  The  next  slab 
affords  us  nothing  but  the  feet  of  some  figures,  and  then  the 
advance  of  the  regular  troops  under  cover  of  tall  shields  to  the 
attack  of  a  city.  In  advance  of  these  are  those  warriors  who 
carry  the  round  shield,  and  wear  the  crested  helmet  resembling 
the  Greek  in  form,  one  of  whom  is,  with  terrible  barbarity, 
plunging  his  sword  into  the  throat  of  a  supplicant,  (Botta,  pi. 
90),  Almost  the  whole  of  the  adjoining  slab  has  disappeared, 
excepting  a  tower  of  the  city  seen  behind  two  men  in  short 


204 


EHOBSABAD. — THE  CHABGE. 


tunica  and  having  oval  shields,  who  seem  determined  to  resist 
the  furious  onset  of  a  charioteer  (fig.  79). 

The  bas-relief  being  in  a  bad  condition,  it  is  difficult  to  make 
out  the  details ;  but  it  would  seem  that  the  vanquished  are 
again  different  from  any  we  have  as  yet  seen.  They  have  a 
short  beard,  and  no  hair  is  visible  upon  the  top  of  the  head ; 
they  are  clothed  in  a  tunic  descending  only  to  the  middle  of 
their  thighs ;    their  legs  are  encased  in  short  boots ;    their 


Fig.  79.— THE  CHAROB  (BOTTA,  pi.  92),  ITPPEB  PABT. 

shields  are  of  a  pointed  oval,  and  their  sabres  bent  so  as  to 
resemble  a  Turkish  yatagan.  One  of  these  vanquished  people 
is  under  the  horses'  feet,  while  another  appears  up  in  the  air 
through  faulty  perspective ;  a  third  is  flying  before  the  car ; 
lastly,  two  of  them  are  standing  face  to  face  with  the  enemy, 
and  protecting  their  bodies  with  their  shields,  as  if  still  wish- 
ing to  defend  themselves  resolutely  with  the  help  of  their 
lances. 

This  brings  us  to  the  end  of  the  room  and  to  the  angle  of 
the  passage  (o),  on  the  sides  of  which  the  subject  is  continued 
(Botta,  pi.  100),  the  chariots  of  the  great  king  being  opposed 
by  another  body  of  the  same  people,  who  are  again  seen  routed 
by  the  regular  cavalry  (Botta,  pi.  99),  and  also  by  the  chariots 
of  the  king,  interspersed  with  small  detachments  of  cavalry 
(Botta,  pi.  94),  notwithstanding  which  successive  disasters, 
they  continue  to  oppose  on  foot  the  progress  of  the  invader. 
We  have  now  arrived  at  the  small  side  entrance  (s),  which  we 


KHOESABAD. — ^WABUZE  SUBJECTS.  205 

have  called  the  "  sacred  door  ;'*  on  the  jambs  belonging  to  the 
room  is  sculptured  the  figure  of  a  magus,  his  right  hand  ele- 
vated, as  if  reciting  the  incantation  inscribed  on  the  slab  of 
the  pavement,  and  his  left  holding  the  trilobed  plant.  Be- 
tween this  small  recess  and  the  entrance  from  the  outer  hall, 
the  upper  part  of  the  slabs  is  entirely  calcined.  Here  then, 
from  the  entrance  (u)  whence  we  set  out,  we  begin  to  read  the 
lower  line  of  illustration. 

On  the  first  slab  the  representation  of  a  fort  upon  a  hill  is 
indistinctly  traceable,  and  we  have,  then,  nothing  further  till 
slab  21  at  the  end  of  the  room,  when  we  have  the  attack  of  a 
city  by  some  of  the  regular  troops,  bowmen,  under  cover  of  a 
high  curved  shield.  What  is  left  of  the  city  walls  seems  to 
indicate  that  they  were  accessible  only  by  scaliug  ladders,  which 
some  of  the  crested  spearmen  with  round  shields  are  mounting 
under  cover  of  the  arrows  of  the  naked  bowmen;  there  is 
now  an  interval  of  a  slab,  followed  by  another  fort  or  city 
(Botta,  pi.  97),  situated  on  a  hill,  and  also  only  accessible  by 
scaling  ladders.  This  city  is  defended  by  men  wearing  turbans. 
The  subject  of  the  next  slab,  25,  is  misplaced  in  Botta  in  con- 
sequence of  a  mistake  in  the  title.  It  represents  the  attack  of 
another  side  of  the  same  city  by  the  crested  spearmen. 

Passing  the  door  (e)  we  find  a  fortress  of  one  range  of  towers 
situated  on  a  rocky  hill ;  the  fort  has  been  approached  by  a 
body  of  the  regular  archers  who  wear  a  breast-plate  (Botta, 
pi.  86)  over  a  short  tunic,  and  the  pointed  cap,  and  carry  a 
round  shield,  with  zigzag  decoration  round  the  inner  margin. 
The  towers  are  defended  by  men  who  use  the  spear.  It  is  to 
be  remarked  that  the  Assyrians  have  not  set  fire  to  the  gates 
of  this  city,  as  appeared  to  be  their  usual  practice  in  attacking 
a  fortified  place.  Behind  the  bowmen  is  the  general  of  the 
Assyrian  army,  who  heads  the  attack  of  the  regular  troops  on 
this  side  the  city ;  he  wears  a  breast-plate  and  long  tunic,  and 
is  sheltered  by  a  high  shield,  curving  over  at  the  top,  borne 
by  a  bearded  man  in  a  short  tunic.  Upon  the  rocks  on  which 
the  fort  is  built  is  a  native  contending  with  one  of  the  enemy 
bearing  the  round  shield. 

"We  next  see  that  a  troop  of  horse  has  been  detached  from 
the  main  army  to  the  attack  of  a  very  remarkable  place,  built 
upon  a  precipitous  rocky  eminence  on  the  sea  coast  (Botta, 
pi.  89),  and  that  on  their  march  they  encounter  a  body  of  the 


206  ZHOKSABAD. — ATTACK  ON  AN   ADVANCED  FOBT. 

natives,  among  whom  is  an  African  (Botta,  pi.  88).  The 
towers  of  the  fort  are  defended  by  spearmen,  and  all  the  people 
on  the  walls  wear  a  hood,  or  cover  their  heads  with  a  part  of 
their  cloak  (fig.  80).   As  usual,  the  attack  is  led  by  the  crested 


Fig.  80. — THE  ATTACK  OF  AN  ADVANCED  FOBT  (BOTTA,  pL  93). 

warriors,  who  carry  the  spear  and  round  shield,  followed  by 
long-haired  bowmen  ;  the  military  tactics  displayed  are  worthy 
of  remark,  the  van  discharging  their  arrows  kneeling  on  one 
knee,  while  the  rear  rank  stand  up  so  as  not  to  interfere  with 
the  free  action  of  the  line  in  advance.  Though  the  place 
attacked  is  of  small  dimensions,  it  is  evidently  of  importance, 
as  it  forms  the  landing-place  guarding  the  pass  to  the  interior 
of  the  country,  and  is  besides  contiguous  to  a  much  larger 
place,  of  which  the  citadel,  built  on  a  detached  hill  behind 
the  town,  is  of  considerable  extent.  Two  battering  rams  have 
been  propelled  against  the  walls,  up  an  inclined  road  built  of 
hewn  stone,  and  between  the  besiegers  and  the  castle  are  some 
cuneatic  characters.  On  the  other  side  of  the  town  the  attack 
is  conducted  by  the  regular  troops,  under  the  command  of  the 
eunuch,  who  draws  his  bow  from  behind  the  shelter  of  the 
long  curved  shield.  In  advance  of  the  heavy-armed  infantry 
on  this  side  also  of  the  town,  is  a  troop  of  crested  spearmen. 
Kearer  the  passage  of  communication  (o)  is  a  group  of  inha- 
bitants of  the  last  town,  carried  away  captive,  and  guarded  by 
a  bowman  with  pointed  cap,  and  bearing  a  sceptre  (Botta, 
pi.  92),  fig.  81.    Both  men  and  women  aie  tall,  and  wear  the 


KHOESABAD. — CAPTIYES  AND  SPOIL. 


207 


fringed  haram,  or  blanket,  thrown  over  the  head  and  left 
shoulder,  exactly  like  that  worn  by  the  Arabs  at  the  present 
day.  One  of  the  women  is  carrying  a  small  girbeh,  or  water- 
skin,  in  her  hand,  and  her  feet,  like  those  of  the  other  pri- 
soners, are  bound  with  sandals  exactly  similar  to  those  seen 
in  Sennaar  and  Arabia.  The  sole  is  maintained  in  the  middle 
by  a  band  fastened  on  each  side  of  the  foot  to  a  strap  that  goes 


Fig.  81.— CAPTIATES  AST)  SPOIL  (bOTTA,  pi.  92),  LOWEB  PAET. 

round  it,  passing  behind  the  heel ;  another  strap  secures  the 
anterior  extremity  of  the  sole  by  passing  between  the  toes.  A 
second  female,  clothed  in  the  same  manner,  is  seen  carrying  a 
naked  child  astride  on  her  left  shoulder,  just  as  Arabian  women 
do  now.  Before  this  woman  is  a  eunuch  with  a  pointed  hel- 
met, raising  his  sceptre  in  his  right  hand.  This  eunuch  does 
not  wear  his  usual  civil  attire,  but  is  completely  armed :  the 
coat  of  mail  is  seen  on  his  shoulders,  from  which  his  quiver  is 
suspended,  and  he  holds  a  bow  in  his  left  hand ;  his  legs  are 
covered  with  a  tissue  of  close  rings  of  mail,  over  which  are 
half-boots,  laced  up  in  front.  Three  personages  walk  before 
the  eunuch ;  they  are  men  belonging  to  the  same  nation  as 
the  women ;  their  dress  is  exactly  the  same,  and  their  sex  can 
only  be  distinguished  by  their  physiognomy  and  their  beard ; 
the  latter  is  shorter  than  that  of  the  Assyrians;  the  hair 
cannot  be  seen,  as  it  is  hidden  by  the  hood.  We  shall  see 
these  prisoners  conducted  into  the  presence  of  the  king. 


208  KHOESABAD. — CAPTIVES   BEFORE   THE  KING. 

In  front  of  this  group,  "which  is  continued  on  the  walls  of 
the  opening  (o),  is  a  chief  of  the  same  people,  manacled  and 
guarded  by  one  of  the  king's  officers.  He  is  brought  before 
the  king,  who  obviously  commands  his  immediate  execution 
(Botta,  pi.  100),  and  the  eunuch  holds  the  beard  or  throat  of 
his  prisoner  with  one  hand,  while  with  the  other  he  draws  his 
sword  from  the  scabbard  to  execute  the  order.  The  king  is 
in  his  chariot,  preceded  by  two  grooms,  and,  as  he  is  not  in 
the  act  of  fighting,  accompanied  by  the  officer  carrying  the 
parasol.  The  horses'  trappings  ofier  nothing  new ;  only  as 
the  details  are  in  a  good  state  of  preservation,  we  have  a  per- 
fect view  of  the  hook  at  the  extremity  of  the  yoke,  to  which 
hook  is  attached  the  tassel  that  hangs  upon  the  horses'  flank ; 
it  is  also  evident  that  the  bridle  passed  into  a  ring  inside  this 
hook,  and,  after  traversing  it,  divided  into  three  thongs. 

The  two  grooms,  who  are  standing  before  the  car,  hold  their 
arms  stretched  out  and  lowered  before  them.  Perhaps  this 
attitude  was  intended  to  intimate  to  the  prisoner  that  he  was 
to  kneel  down  and  undergo  his  fate.  The  dress  of  these 
warriors  is  simple :  being  merely  a  tunic  tied  by  a  girdle, 
with  a  piece  of  cloth  wrapped  round  their  loins,  for  so  we 
account  for  the  appearance  of  the  fringe  which  hangs  obliquely 
before  and  behind. 

The  eunuch  is  in  his  war  costume,  every  detail  of  which  is 
beautifully  made  out.  He  has  on  a  pointed  helmet ;  a  tunic 
fringed  at  the  bottom  comes  down  to  his  knees,  and  his  breast 
is  covered  with  a  cuirass,  formed  of  a  tissue  covered  with  rows 
of  scales ;  both  cuirass  and  tunic  have  fringe  round  the  bottom. 
His  legs  are  defended,  not  by  chain-armour,  but  by  a  stocking 
covered  with  imbricated  scales ;  over  this  defensive  armour 
are  boots  laced  in  front,  and  reaching  up  to  the  knee-pan. 
The  unhappy  prisoner  appears  to  raise  his  hands  in  a  suppli- 
cating manner.  Passing  the  passage,  we  find  the  regular 
troops  under  the  command  of  two  beardless  officers,  the  Bab- 
saris  and  Rabshakeh  of  the  king  (Botta,  pi.  99),  advancing 
under  cover  of  tall  shields  to  the  attack  of  a  well-fortified, 
isolated  hill  (Botta,  pi.  93),  the  inhabitants  of  which  wear 
caps  and  use  the  bow.  Preceding  the  regular  troops  are  some 
of  the  naked  bowmen,  their  long  hair  bound  up  by  a  fillet,  and 
in  advance  of  them  the  crested  warriors  climb  the  rocks,  and 
contend  with  the  people  upon  the  walls,  while  on  the  farther 


KH0R8ABAD. — ^MILTJB,    A  PEOPLE  OP  CILICIA. 


209 


Bide  the  fort  is  attacked  by  a  second  party  of  bowmen.  The 
successful  termination  of  the  siege  is  intimated  by  some  of  the 
chiefs  being  brouglit  by  two  of  the  regular  troops  to  the  king, 
who,  as  on  the  former  occasion,  is  in  his  chariot ;  these  people, 
however,  do  not  wear  the  haram  or  blanket,  and  their  feet  and 
legs  are  protected  by  closely-fitting  boots.  Proceeding  past 
the  "  sacred  door,"  we  come  to  the  siege  of  a  very  conspicuous 
place,  assailed  on  both  sides  by  the  regular  troops.  A  batter- 
ing ram  has  reached  the  walls  by  an  inclined  plane  of  hewn 
stones ;  and  immediately  following  this  subject  is  the  attack 
of  another  strongly- built  place  erected  on  still  higher  rocks, 
but  the  slabs  are  too  much  defaced  to  allow  of  any  detailed 
description. 

Quitting  this  chamber  by  the  passage  of  communication  (o) 
at  the  end  wall,  we  enter  the  Chamber  of  Audience. 

CHAMBER  VI. THE  CHAMBEB  OP  AUDIENCE. 

"Walking  over  the  inscribed  slabs  of  the  passage  (o),  the 
sides  of  which,  as  we  have  before  seen,  are  decorated  with  a 
continuation  of  the  conquests  re- 
corded in  the  last  chamber,  we  find 
the  apartment  we  have  now  en- 
tered has  four  openings,  two  of 
which  are  furnished  with  doors. 
Turning  to  the  right,  we  see  upon 
the  wall  two  short-bearded  men 
(Botta,  pi.  103),  each  bearing  two 
cups  of  simple  form ;  they  are 
habited  exactly  like  the  one  of 
which  we  give  an  engraving  (fig. 
82),  and  are  followed  by  two  of 
the  same  race  bringing  sacks.  The 
rest  of  the  wall  is  defaced  until 
we  reach  a  doorway  (h)  ;  and  then, 
in  the  space  between  the  door  and 
the  corner  of  the  room,  is  another 
of  the  same  people  bearing  a  suck, 
and  with  his  face  directed  towards 
the  corner,  from  which  we  con- 
jecture that  he  accompanies  the  group  of  five  men  sculp- 
tured on  the  adjoining  wall  (Botta,  pL  106),  at  the  end  of  the 


Fig.  62.— ONE  OP  THE  UILYA 
FROM  CIUCIA. 

(botta,  pi.  106,  bis.) 


210 


KHOKSAB  AD  .—CLASP. 


chamber,  the  two  foremost  of  whom  carry  cup8,  and  the  three 
others  sacks.  The  centre  sack-bearer  (fig.  82)  has  his  outer 
garment  fastened  by  a  clasp  (fig.  83),  a  peculiarity  of  costume 
that  leads  to  the  surmise  that  these  people  are  from  the 
coast  of  Cilicia,  and  may  be  the  people  called  Milyse,  who 
Herodotus  tells  us  wore  helmets  of  leather,  and  who  had 
their  vests  confined  by  clasps.^  Upon  the  wall  between 
the  second  corner  and  the  passage  of  communication  (x) 
we  have  sixteen  figures :  near  the  opening  the  king  at- 
tended by  his  Cup-bearer  and  Selikdar,  and  before  him  seven 
officers  of  his  court,  the  first  three  wanting  the  upper 
part  of  the  figure,  but  the  fourth  is  a  governor  or  nmns, 
Pachavatha  or  Pashaw,  one  who  is  set  over  provinces  an- 
nexed to  the  kingdom  by  conquest;  the  fifth  is  a  eunuch, 
and  then  another  pashaw,  or  one  of  those  called  in  Daniel,* 
K*3S>-nu'nK,  achashdarpenaiya,  that  is  to  say,  one  of  those  who 
has  free  access  to  the  palace  and  is  privileged  to  stand  before 
the  king.  Next  comes  a  eunuch,  and  then  another  governor 
or  Hakim.  These  high  functionaries  we  suppose  to  have  had 
the  administration  of  the  principal  province  of  the  empire, 
offices  which,  at  a  subsequent  period,  were  held  by  the  three 
companions  of  the  prophet  Daniel,  Shadrach,  Meshach,  and 
Abednego,  who  were  **  set  over  the  affairs  of  the  province  of 
Babylon,"  (Dan.  ii.  49,)  probably  in  obedience  to  an  ancient 
custom. 

After  these  dignitaries  comes  the  chief 

officer  of  tribute,  with  his  insignia  of 

office,  the  two  wands,  introducing  two 

Sultans  of  Medinets  followed  by  two  men. 

Each  carry  two  cups  terminating  in  the 

head  of  a  lion,  and  behind  them  are  two 

other  men  with  the  more  ordinary  form 

of  cup  or  tazza.     Passing  the  entrance 

(x)  we  find  the  wall  from  the  opening  to 

the  corner  occupied  by  nine  figures,  and 

from  the  corner  to  the  small  door  (y)  at 

the  end  of  the  room  by  five  more,  which 

properly  belong  to  the  same  group.     The  subject  is  nearly  a 

duplicate  of  that  we  have  just  left,  being  the  king  attended  by 

his  cup-bearer  addressing  the  seven  chief  officers  of  his  house- 

'  Polyhym.  Ixxvii.  *  Dan.  i.  5. 


Fig.  83.— CLASP. 


KHOESABAD. INNEE   PRESENCE   CHAMBER.  211 

hold,  who  stand  before  him  in  the  ordey  invariably  observed  : 
the  remaining  figures  are  the  deputy  chief  of  tribute  intro- 
ducing two  governors  of  provinces,  followed  by  two  men  car- 
rying lion-headed  drinking  cups.     The  small  door  leads  into 
the  Divining  Chamber  (ix)  (fig.  34),  and  the  sculptures  on  the 
jambs  of  the  room  we  are  describing  are  occupied  by  two 
figures  of  sceptre- bearers.      On  the  length  of  wall  between 
the  corner  and  the  central  entrance  (o)  there  are  twelve  figures  ; 
the  king,  his  right  hand  elevated  and  his  left  carrying  a  full- 
blown lotus  and  bud,  is  followed  by  his  Cup-bearer  and  Selik- 
dar ;  in  front  are  two  persons  of  whom  we  are  entirely  uncer- 
tain, owing  to  the  defacement  of  the  slabs ;  but  following 
these  is  a  eunuch,  then  a  governor,  and  then  the  deputy  Tartan, 
who  is  introducing  four  of  the  same  tribute-bearers  we  have 
so  often  seen,  the  first  one  bearing  a  tray  on  which  are  rosette 
clasps,  two  others  also  with  trays  containing  earrings,  and  the 
fourth  two  cups,  thus  completing  the  decorations  of  tliis  cham- 
ber.    We  would  i)oint  out  to  observation  that  the  figure  of  the 
king  is  three  times  repeated  on  the  walls,  twice  as  walking 
out  of  the  small  divining  chamber  (ix),  and  once  as  coming 
out  of  the  chamber  (xi),  in  each  instance  to  receive  tribute 
from  the  race  of  people  who  wear  the  turban  or  cap ;  the  only 
exceptions   to  this  head-dress  being  two  of  the  cup-bearers, 
whose  heads  are  bound  with  a  fillet. 

We  now  return  to  the  centre  passage  of  communication  (x), 
in  order  to  enter  the  Inner  Chamber  of  Audience. 

CHAMBRE  XI. THE   INNER  PRESENCE  CHAMBER. 

Entering  through  the  passage  of  communication  (x),  we  are 
met  on  each  side  by  the  four-winged  divinity,  Ilus,  and  his 
attendant  mtigus ;  and  turning  to  the  right  we  meet  seven 
figures  between  the  entrance  and  the  corner.  The  first  is  a 
Sultan  Mediuet,  whose  insignia  indicate  that  he  is  governor  of 
two  towns,  or  of  a  province  containing  two  walled  cities,  then  a 
Sultan,  whose  badges  of  office  are  effaced,  preceding  two  men, 
each  carrying  two  cups ;  and  again  a  governor  of  a  pro- 
vince with  two  towns,  followed  by  two  men  bearing  sacks. 
This  brings  us  to  the  corner,  and  to  the  end  wall,  on  which 
we  find  four  men  bearing  sacks,  but  they  are  proceeding  in  a 
contrary  direction  to  those  last  described,  and  evidently  belong 
to  the  long  procession  on  the  adjoining  wall,  of  which  little 

p  2 


212  KHOHSABAD. ^PBIVATE  COUNCIL  CHAMBER. 

beside  the  feet  of  the  people  remains ;  of  these,  we  recognise 
the  king  with  his  two  attendants,  and  before  him  the  seven 
officers  of  his  court,  Tartan,  and  five  tribute-bearers.  From 
the  third  corner  to  the  small  door  (e)  are  the  figures  of  two 
sceptre-bearers,  and  on  one  side  of  the  recess  of  the  door  is 
another  sceptre-bearer,  while  on  the  answering  recess  stands  a 
beardless  spearman. 

This  person  we  conceive  to  be  one  of  the  jnn,  Teraania*  or 
porters,  from  his  position  at  this  important  little  doorway ;  and 
as  the  word  teraania  is  derived  from  a  Chaldee  word  signifying 
a  gate,  we  have  little  doubt  it  was  the  name  by  which  this 
officer  was  designated  at  the  Assyrian  court. 

From  the  fourth  corner  to  the  entrance  (x)  are  twelve  figures ; 
the  king  carrying  the  trilobed  plant,  followed  by  his  cup- 
bearer and  an  armed  spearman,  probably  the  second  door- 
keeper. Before  the  king  are  seven  of  his  officers,  the  last  but 
one  being  the  deputy-Tartan.  Having  now  arrived  at  the 
passage  by  which  we  entered,  before  leaving  this  quarter  of 
the  palace  we  will  pass  through  the  small  doorway  (c)  and 
examine  the  chamber  (xii)  within. 

CHAMBER  XII.— THE  PBIVATE  COUNCIL  CHAMBER. 

Passing  the  armed  Teraania  or  door-keepers,  we  enter  a 
«mall  apartment,  29  feet  3  inches  by  19  feet  6  inches,  which, 
from  the  representations  upon  the  walls,  we  conjecture  to  have 
been  the  chamber  where  the  king  held  council  with  his  officers 
before  giving  audience,  and  to  which  he  probably  retired  while 
the  procession  of  tribute-bearers,  or  those  to  whom  he  gave 
audience,  filed  off.  Upon  the  wall  facing  the  entrance,  we 
see  the  king,  attended  by  his  cup-bearer,  conversing  with  his 
chief  minister,  behind  whom,  on  the  adjoining  wall,  stand 
seven  other  officers,  and  two  at  the  end  between  the  corner 
and  the  door.  On  the  adjoining  wall  behind  the  cup-bearer 
are  six  other  attendants.  It  is  to  be  remarked  that  the  whole 
of  the  officers  and  attendants  in  this  room,  excepting  the  Rab 
Signeen,  are  unarmed,  and  that  they  are  uniformly  in  the  at- 
titude of  respect.  We  may  suppose  that  they  are  ranged  on 
the  walls  in  the  order  in  which  they  preceded  and  followed 
the  king  into  the  presence-chamber,  where  we  have  already 
seen  them  in  the  same  order  occupying  the  entire  space  be- 

^  Ezra,  vii.  24. 


KH0R8ABAD. BANQUETING   HALL. 


213 


tween  the  passage  (x)  and  the  upper  end  of  the  room ;  the 
lower  end  of  tlie  room,  be)'ond  tlie  opening,  being  apparently 
appropriated  exclusively  to  the  tribute -bearers. 

Returning  tlirough  tlie  presence-chamber  (xi)  and  the  cham- 
ber of  audience  (vi)  to  the  liall  of  passage  (v),  we  enter  the 
next  hull  (ii),  the  Banqueting  Hall. 


CHAMBER  II. — THE  BANQUETING  HALL. 

Placing  ourselves  in  tlie  central  doorway  (e)  we  find  that 
this  must  have  been  the  door  of  entry,  as  on  each  side  of  us  is 
sculptured  a  full-length  portrait  of  the  king,  attended  by  his 
cup-bearer,  walking  into  the  hall  we  are  about  to  enter,  and 
met  by  the  Rub  Signeen.  Upon  surveying  the  hall  we  per- 
ceive that  it  contains  six  entrances,  three  large  and  three  small, 
all  closed  by  folding  doors  ;  and  that  the  walls  are  decorated 
with  two  lines  of  illustration,  divided  by  a  band  of  cuneatic. 
Turning  to  the  right,  we  discover  that  the  upper  illustration, 
as  fjir  as  the  corner,  is  a  rei)resentation  of  a  banqueting  scene, 
the  details  of  which,  us  well  as  the  upper  part  of  the  slabs  at 
the  end  of  the  hall,  are  almost  entirely  obliterated  until  we 
arrive  at  the  small  door  (b)  on  the  opposite  side,  in  one  recess 
of  which  we  see  the  lower  part  of  the  figures  of  some  soldiers. 


Fig.  84.--ATTAOK  or  A  CITY   (BOTTA,  pL  70). 


214 


KHOESABA.D. ATTACK  OF  A  CITY. 


All  the  sculptures,  however,  from  this  point  to  the  central 
door  (f),  are  too  much  injured  to  admit  of  description.  The 
next  two  slabs  we  meet  show  the  attack  of  a  city  (fig.  84) 
(Botta,  plate  70),  on  a  less  elevated  promontory  on  the  river's 
bank  than  some  seen  in  chamber  v,  and  which  is,  therefore, 
more  accessible  to  the  infantry,  who  have  advanced  to  tlie  very 
foot  of  the  walls  under  cover  of  their  tall  shields.  On  the 
next  three  slabs  we  can  trace  the  successful  termination 
of  the  siege  in  the  circumstance  of  some  of  the  sheep- skin 
clad  warriors  being  brought  before  the  king  in  his  chariot.  We 
have  now  reached  the  second  small  door  (g)  on  this  side,  in 
the  recess  of  which,  and  on  the  wall  beyond,  only  the  indica- 
tion of  figures  can  be  discerned,  till  we  arrive  at  the  end  of 
the  hall,  when  we  see  some  prisoners  in  the  sheep-skin  outer 
garment,  short  tunic,  and  boots,  escorted  along  the  banks  of  a 
stream ;  the  foremost  is  carrying  a  girbeh,  or  water-skin, 
which  had  probably  been  used  in  crossing  the  river.  Entering 
the  recess  of  the  gate  (h)  leading  into  the  hall  of  audience, 
we  find  a  representation  (fig.  85)  of  the  attack  of  a  city  built 
on  a  very  precipitous  headland,  backed  by  a  conspicuous  hill. 
The  king's  spearmen,  who  have  gained  the  walls  by  traversing 
the  rocky  promontory,   are  supported  in  their  onset  by  the 


Fig.  85.— ATTACK  OF  A  CITT  Or  THE  8HEEP-SKIN  CLAO  BACB  (bOTTA,  pi.  77). 

mercenaries  who  use  the  bow,  wear  a  short  sword,  and  are 
naked  to  the  waist,  their  only  habiliment  being  a  short  kilt. 
The  opposite  walls  of  the  city  are  attacked  by  the  regular 


KHOBSABAJ). — WINE-VASE   AND   DRINKING   CUPS. 


215 


troops,  and  a  battering  ram,  which  has  been  propelled  up  a 
well-constructed  causeway,  to  the  very  walls  where  its  opera- 
tions are  beginning  to  take  eflfect.  Behind  is  the  king's  gene- 
ral, perhaps  his  cup-bearer,  accompanied  by  his  shield- bearer, 
both  of  whom  have  advanced  to  within  bow-shot  of  the  walls. 
The  inhabitants  of  both  the  upper  and  lower  city,  people  wear- 
ing the  sheep-skin  and  armed  with  spears  and  square  wicker 
shields,  but  using  neither  bows  nor  swords,  are  defending 
themselves  manfully  from  the  assault  of  the  king's  forces. 

Placing  ourselves  upon  the  cuneatic  slab  in  the  doorway  (h), 
in  the  centre  of  the  end  wall  of  the  hall,  we  see  the  represent- 
ation of  a  large  vase  standing  upon  the  ground,  that  evidently, 
from  its  dimensions,  contained  "  royal  wine  in  abundance,  ac- 
cording to  the  state  of  the  king.'*^  Into  this  vase  two  eunuchs 
are  dipping  drinking  cups  terminating  in  the  head  of  a  lion. 
(See  fig.  86.) 

These  cups  resemble  the  terra-cotta  drinking  cups  of  the 
Greeks  (fig.  88)  in  so  far  as  they  also  terminate  in  the  head  of 
an  animal,  but  we  infer  from  the  construction  of  the  handle  of 
the  Assyrian  cups  (fig.  86)  with  a  hinge-like  articulation  to 
the  bowl,  which  could  not  be  effective  except  in  metal,  from 
their  being  used  at  the  king's  table,  likewise  from  the  fact  of 


Fig.  86.— FEAST.— DBISKINO  C0P8  AND  WINE-VASE  (BOTTA,  pi.  76),  UPPEB  PABT. 

their  being  brought  as  tribute,  that  they  were  made  of  gold, 
like  those  used  at  the  royal  feast  given  by  King  Ahasuerus.* 

»  Esther,  i.  7.  «  Esther,  i.  7. 


216 


XHOBSABAD. — MUSICAL   INSTRUMENT. 


Two  eunuchs,  with  replenished  cups,  advance  into  the  room, 
preceded  by  another  beardless  attendant  in  the  attitude  of  re- 
spect, carrying  the  minasha  or  fan.  In  advance  of  these  are 
three  short-bearded  performers  on  the  lyre,  ushered  into  the 


Fig.  87.— ABSTBIAU  CT7P. 


Fig.  88.— OBEBK  CUP. 


great  chamber  by  two  eunuchs.  The  musicians  are  clad  in  a 
short  tunic  held  fast  by  a  girdle,  and  their  hair  is  drawn  back 
and  terminates  above  the  shoulders  in  a  single  row  of  curls. 
They  proceed  with  measured  step,  singing  and  twanging  their 
lyres,  which  are  suspended  by  a  broad  band  passing  over  the 
right  shoulder.  The  instrument  itself  (tig.  89)  somewhat  re- 
sembles the  Greek  lyre ;  it  has  a  square  body  and  upright  sides, 
the  latter  being  connected  by  a  crossbar,  to 
which  are  fixed  strings  that  seem  to  have  been 
rather  numerous,  for  we  can  count  eight  at 
least,  and  in  the  part  that  is  corroded  away 
there  is  room  for  three  or  four  more.  Exactly 
similar  instruments  are  now  seen  in  Nubia 
and  Dongola,  and  the  mode  of  playing  is  that 
Fig.  89.-LyBE.,  the  right  hand  holds  a  short  plectrum  to  strike 
the  intervals,  while  the  left  is  used  to  stop  and  twang  the 
cords. 

Next  (fig.  90)  are  four  bearded  sceptre-bearers,  in  short 
tunics,  holding  up  their  drinking  cups  in  the  act  of  responding 
to  the  toast,  or  of  pledging  each  other.    Between  the  sceptre- 


KH0E8ABAD. GUESTS  AT   TABLE. 


217 


bearers  is  one  of  the  dishes  with  the  food  in  it,  placed  upon 
the  floor,  as  at  this  day  in  the  east,  where  it  is  customary  to 
deposit  them  as  they  are  brought  in,  or  removed  from  the 
banqueting  hull;  tlien  follow  seven  tubles  with  legs  termi- 
nating in  lions*  claws,  and  apparently  furnished  with  a  cloth, 
on  which  the  viunds  are  placed.  Four  guests  are  at  each  table, 
sitting  upon  high  seats  richly  carved  and  ornamented  with 
bulls*  heads:  the  feet  are  inverted  cones  formed  of  gradually 
decreasing  rings.  A  eunuch  stands  behind  each  seat,  to  fan 
and  wait  upon  the  guests;^  they,  as  well  as  the  couvivialists, 
are  attired  in  the  long  robe  and  fringed  scarf. 

At  the  feast  Ahasuerus  made  unto  all  the  people  that  were 
present  in  Sliushan,  the  seats  were  of  gold  and  silver,  and  it 
would  appear  from  the  word  used  to  exi)ress  the  kiud  of  seat, 
nitflo,  matout,  a  couch,  that  it  was  to  recline  on.     Whether 


Fig.  90.— OOE8T8  AT  THE  TABLK— THE  TOAST  (bOTTA,  plS.  64,  65),  UPPER  PART. 

such  seats  were  used  on  that  particular  occasion  only,  or 
whether  the  custom  of  reclining  at  meals,  as  we  see  represented 
in  Roman  bassi-rilievi,  had  at  that  time  come  into  use,  is  very 
doubtful ;  but  it  is  quite  certain,  from  Egyptian  and  other 
sources  than  the  present  example,  that  the  more  ancient  mode 
was  to  sit  at  meals  in  the  way  we  here  see,  and  on  seats  with- 
out backs.  The  fate  of  tlie  prophet  Eli  also  illustrates  this 
practice  of  using  seats  without  backs,  and  "  he  fell  from  off 
the  seat  backward  by  the  side  of  the  gate,  and  his  neck  brake, 

1  Esther,  i.  8. 


218  KHOESABAD. — HIGH    SEATS. 

and  he  died."*  In  the  friezes  before  us  the  attitude  of  all  the 
guests  is  similar,  the  left  hand  resting  on  the  knee  or  on  the 
bull's  head  at  the  end  of  the  bar  of  the  seat,  while  the  right 
hand  is  raised  in  the  act  of  drinking  the  king's  health  or  in 
pledging  those  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  table.  (Botta,  pi. 
165.)  Botta  found  the  head  of  a  bull  in  bronze,  which  might 
have  belonged  to  one  of  these  seats.  The  tables  of  guests  ter- 
minate the  scene,  and  it  seems  to  us  not  improbable  that  every 
particular  delineated  upon  the  walls  had  been  realised  within 
them.  Thus  it  was  in  this  chamber  **  the  harp  and  viol  were 
in  their  feasts  "  in  the  days  of  their  prosperity ;  that  the  ori- 
ginal of  the  wine- vase  of  the  king  once  stood  within  the  very 
recess  upon  the  wall  of  which  we  have  now  but  the  represen- 
tation ;  while  the  tables  and  seats  just  as  represented,  once  in 
substance,  occupied  the  centre  of  this  hall ;  and  that  it  was 
here,  in  this  very  chamber  of  his  palace,  that  the  great  king 
was  wont  to  feast  the  "  nobles  and  princes  of  the  provinces  "* 
on  his  return  from  his  conquests. 

Having  now  accomplished  the  circuit  of  the  apartment  and 
returned  to  the  doorway  (e)  whence  we  started,  we  will  begin, 
the  examination  of  the  lower  line  of  illustration,  as  we  con- 
ceive that  it  was  intended  to  be  read  so  that  the  events  of  the 
campaign  should  follow  each  other  in  chronological  succession. 

In  the  first  slab  we  see  the  king,  preceded  by  his  standard- 
bearer  and  accompanied  by  his  other  officers  in  war  chariots, 
pursuing  a  troop  of  the  cavalry  of  his  determined  enemies, 
the  sheep-skin  clad  race,  who  had  advanced  to  meet  the  in- 
vader, but  who  are  routed  and  overthrown  before  they  can 
gain  the  protection  of  a  large  and  important  city  built  on  the 
shore  of  a  lake  or  banks  of  a  stream.  The  citadel,  which  is 
built  on  a  fertile  hill  at  the  back  of  the  town,  is  surrounded 
by  a  wall,  one  part  of  the  sloping  side  of  the  hill  being 
rendered  inaccessible  by  a  high  wall  from  its  base :  the  town 
itself  is  fortified  by  high  embattled  walls  flanked  by  towers, 
which  are  pierced  with  square  windows;  the  doors,  on  the 
contrary,  are  evidently  arched — a  fact  worthy  of  attention. 
There  is  a  short  inscription  on  the  bottom  of  the  hill  on  which 
stands  the  citadel.     (Fig.  91.) 

Fourteen  of  the  inhabitants,  perhaps  some  of  the  cavalry 
which  had  attempted  to  arrest  the  advance  of  the  king,  are 
1  1  Sam.  iv.  18.  2  Esther,  i.  3. 


KHORSABAD. IMPALEMENT   OF   PRISONERS. 


219 


impaled  in  front  of  the  city's  walls.     Frequent  allusion  is 
made  in  the  Sacred  Books  to  the  enormities  and  cruelties  corn- 


Fig.  91. — ASSAULT  OF  A  CtTT  AKO  IMPALEMENT  OF  PBISONEBS  OUTSIDE  THE  WALLS. 

(botta,  pi.  55.) 

mitted  by  the  Assyrians  :  we  know  from  these  authentic  re- 
cords and  from  profane  history  that  the  dreadful  punishment 
of  impalement  was  no  uncommon  practice.  Darius  impaled 
3000  of  the  chief  nobility  of  Babylon,*  and  this  cruel  death 
is  not  unusual  in  Persia  and  Turkey  even  in  our  own  time.  In 
the  scene  before  us  we  find  scaling  ladders  placed  at  different 
parts  of  the  walls,  and  some  of  the  bold  crested  mercenaries 
have  already  gained  the  second  wall,  seemingly  without  re- 
sistance. *'  They  shall  climb  the  wall  like  men  of  war ;  and 
they  shall  march  every  one  on  his  ways,  and  they  shall  not 
break  their  ranks."*  To  the  left,  are  seen  three  of  them 
ascending  one  after  the  other.  In  the  right  hand  they  hold  a 
lance,  and  in  the  left  a  large  round  shield,  which  appears 
covered  with  regularly-disposed  plates.  They  also  wear  a 
sword  suspended  to  a  belt,  which  passes  over  the  breast,  and 
is  crossed  by  another,  so  as  to  resemble  exactly  the  belts  of 
modern  soldiers. 

The  people  within  the  walls  have  fled  to  the  upper  town 

and  citadel,  which  is  in  flames,  painted  red,  and  the  men  are 

seen  on  the  towers  in  attitudes  expressive  of  the  greatest  con- 

fiternation  and  distress.      One  man,  wounded  by  an  arrow, 

*  Herodotus,  Thalia,  clix.  »  Joel,  ii.  7. 


220    EHOUSABID. HEOISTEIIING  THE  HEADS  OF  THE   SLAIN. 

falls  from  tlie  walls  into  the  valley  below,  while  others  stand- 
ing on  the  hill  raise  their  hands  in  vM  the  agonj'  of  despair. 
On  the  opposite  side  of  the  city  the  regular  Iroops  of  the  king 
have  advanced  under  cover  of  tlie  tall  shields. 

The  next  scene,  sculptured  on  the  wall  at  the  end  of  this 
hall,  represents  the  termination  of  the  first  part  of  the  cam- 
paign against  these  people.     The  king  in  his  chariot,  attended 
by  his  umbrella-bearer  and  charioteer,  stops  to  question  some 
prisoners  who  are  brought  to  him  and  to  command  a  register 
to  be  made  of  their  number,  and  of  the  number  of  the  slaia 
whose  heads  are  piled  up  in  a  heap  before  him.^     The  custom 
of  cutting  off  the  heads  of  the  slain  still  ])revails  in  eastern 
warfare,  and  rewards  are  given   to  the  soldier  who  can  bring 
two  heads  from  the  field  of  battle,  the  numbers  of  the  killed 
being  ascertained   by  counting  the  heaps  that  are  brought. 
The  Mohammedans,  who  should  always  be  ready  to  take  the 
field  against  the  enemies  of  their  faith,  leave  a  tuft  of  hair  on 
the  top  of  their  heads  in  case  the}'  should  die  in  battle  and 
consequently  have  their  heads  cut  off,  in  order  that  the  tuft 
might  be  used  as  a  handle  rather  than  the  beard  or  mouth,  as 
the  touching  of  these  by  the  infidel  would  defile  the  dead 
body.     This  subject  brings  us  to  the  small  door  (c)  in  the  end 
wall,  in  the  recess  of  which  we  see  the  escort  of  cavalry  which 
accompanies  the  king.     The  succeeding  friezes  are  all  defaced 
until  we  arrive  at  the  small  side  door  (b),  where  we  distin- 
guish,  on  both  sides  of  the  recess,  the  king's  cavalry  following 
his  chariot,  which  appears  on  the  first  slab  after  passing  the 
door,  but  we  have  theu  nothing  legible  until  the  central  open- 
ing (t)  is  passed. 

We  now  reach  a  very  interesting  piece  of  sculpture,  showing 
the  speaking  intelligibility  of  these  representations.  The 
king's  troops,  chiefly  the  light-armed  infantry,  liave  ar- 
rived at  a  well-built  city  on  a  hill,  defended  by  a  double  wall 
flanked  by  towers.  The  vicinity  of  the  city  is  distinguished 
by  a  remarkable  irregularity  of  surface:  hills  of  various  shapes 
rise  abruptly  from  the  plain  ;  one  excessively  steep  hill  is  left 
unoccuided,  but  the  next,  which  is  more  accessible,  is  occupied 
by  the  heavy  armed  troops  of  the  king,  while  in  advance,  in 
the  rocky  plain,  the  crested  warriors  are  attacking  the  upper 
wall,  which  is  well  defended  by  the  square  shield  spearmen ; 

^  2  Kings,  X.  8. 


KHOBSABAD. — BT7RNIN0  OP  A    BESIEGED  CITY.  221 

on  the  lower  battlements  the  inhabitants,  seeing  the  soldiers 
setting  fire  to  the  gates,  and  the  inevitable  ruin  about  to  befal 
the  city,  are  earnestly  entreating  for  mercy.  The  same  hilly 
country  continues  on  tl>e  farther  side  of  the  city,  but  in  the 
plain  we  meet  the  light-armed  crested  spearmen,  as  well  as 
the  naked  bowmen,  some  of  whom  are  stationed  on  a  conical 
hill  discharging  their  arrows  at  the  inhabitants  upon  the  walls. 
The  next  two  slabs  are  defaced,  but  on  the  third  we  see  the 
regular  troops  advancing  under  cover  of  high  shields — both 
square  and  those  which  appear  to  be  made  of  rushes,  the  smaller 
ends  of  which  are  collected  together  in  a  slieath  and  bend 
over,  while  the  lower  are  bound  together  by  a  similar  con- 
trivance. We  have  now  arrived  at  the  recess  of  the  second 
small  door  (o),  in  which  we  see  some  captives  of  the  sheep- 
skin clad  people,  among  whom  are  a  woman  and  child,  the  fore- 
most of  the  troop  carrying  a  water-skin  (Botta,  pi.  69),  and 
the  whole  urged  forward  by  one  of  the  regular  troops,  a  bow- 
man wearing  a  pointed  cap. 


Fig.  92.— BUBNINO  OF  THE  BBSIEOEO  CITY  (BOTTA,  pi.  6d).  BIS. 

The  next  scene  (fig.  92)  gives  us  the  capture  of  that  re- 
markable city,  surrounded  by  three  lines  of  fortification  rising 
one  above  the  other.  On  the  side  that  first  comes  into  view, 
the  people  are  in  the  utmost  distress,  for  the  flames,  shaped 


222 


KH0R8ABAD. BURNING  OP  A  FORT  UPON  A  HILL. 


like  stag's  horns,  are  rising  out  of  the  towers  of  the  citadel ; 
while  the  light-armed  besiegers  who  have  passed  the  tombs  and 
suburbs  of  the  place,  and  gained  the  hill  on  which  the  city  is 
built,  are  setting  fire  to  its  gates. 

On  the  opposite  side,  the  crested  warriors,  guarded  by  their 
round  shields,  are  advancing  to  the  attack,  and  behind  them, 
in  the  recess  of  the  door  (h)  at  this  end  of  the  hall,  we  see  the 
chariot  of  the  commander  of  the  regular  forces,  who  has  alighted, 
and  is  discharging  his  arrows  under  cover  of  his  shield- bearer. 
Some  cuneatic  characters  are  engraved  upon  the  upper  walls  of 
the  city. 

Passing  on,  we  arrive  at  a  rocky  eminence,  on  which  is  a 
fort  with  eight  circular  towers,  without  windows,  occupying 
the  whole  top  of  the  hill.     (Fig.  93.) 


Fig.  93. — BURNING  OF  A  FORT  AND  PURBUIT  OK  THE  CONQURRED  (BOTTA,  pi.  76), 

LOWER  PART. 

The  fort  has  evidently  been  set  on  fire,  for  the  flames  are 
bursting  from  every  tower,  and  upon  the  rocks  lie,  entirely 
despoiled,  both  the  dying  and  the  dead,  while  three  bearded 
warriors,  wearing  the  pointed  helmet,  are  recklessly  driving 
their  chariot  in  pursuit  of  the  remnant  of  the  inhabitants,  who 
are  flying  over  a  rocky  plain,  strewn  with  headless  bodies :  far- 
ther on,  the  pursuit  is  continued  by  a  detachment  of  cavalrj', 
who  carry  both  the  bow  and  spear  (Botta,  pi.  67),  the  latter 
weapon  only  being  used  in  the  present  pursuit. 

The  next  slab  (66,  Botta)  exhibits  the  king  in  his  chariot, 
driving  furiously,  while  discharging  his  arrows  under  cover  of 
his  bearded  shield-bearer,  and  preceded  by  the  regular  cavalry. 


KHOBSABAD. — CIBCULAB-HEADED  TABLET. 


223 


The  people,  who  from  the  towers  of  the  city  descry  his  furious 
driving,^  and  the  terrible  slaughter  his  troops  are  making 
among  those  who  are  sent  to  oppose  them,  are  in  the  greatest 
consternation  :  but  the  city  being  strongly  fortified  by  nature, 
having  on  one  side  a  deep  ravine  which  forbids  approach,  the 
besieged  still  hold  out,  until  in  the  next  scene  we  have  the 
king  in  his  chariot  dictating  terms  to  them  by  the  mouth  of  a 
gigantic  wamor. 

On  the  next  slab  (fig.  94)  is  seen  the  continuation  of  the 
hill  strewed  with  dead  bodies,  and  the  fortress  surmounting 
it :  the  fortress  has  but  one  row  of  towers,  on  which  the  be- 


Fig.  94.— PART  OF  BBSIEOBD  CITY,  SHOWING  CIRCULAR-HEADED  TABLET  (BOTTA,  pi.  64), 

LOWER  PART. 

sieged  are  beheld  in  attitudes  of  despair.  In  this  city  the 
king  has  at  some  former  period  set  up  one  of  those  circular- 
headed  tablets,  such  as  have  been  found  at  Nahr  el  Kelb  (fig. 
32),  Cyprus,  and  elsewhere,  and  which  were  apparently  chron- 
icles or  records  of  conquests,  like  those  preserved  in  the  temples- 
of  Byzantium.*  From  this  circumstance  we  presume  the 
people  to  have  been  a  rebellious  people,  and  to  have  more  than 
once  troubled  the  Assyrian  monarchy,  particularly  as  we  find 
repeated  representations  of  their  chiefs  in  the  halls  of  judg- 
ment, undergoing  the  severe  punishment  of  rebellion,  each 
representation,  as  we  imagine,  recording  the  punishment  of  a 
repetition  of  the  crime. 


»  2  Kings,  ix.  20. 


*  Herodotus,  Melp.  Ixxxvii. 


224 


KHORSABAD. — ATTACK  BY  BOW  AND  SPEARMEN". 


Descending  into  the  plain  country,  we  arrive  at  an  attack 
made  on  anoDier  considerable  place  (fig.  95)  situated  on  an 
eminence,  with  an  oblique  road  up  to  its  gate.  The  city  has, 
first,  one  boundary-wall,  which  is  battlemented ;  and  next, 
another,  which  is  fortified  with  towers,  above  whose  summit 
appear  two  or  three  flat-roofed  houses.  A  few  of  the  besieged 
still  defend  themselves  with  their  lances,  and  cover  their 
bodies  with  square  shields,  the  surface  of  which  is  reticulated, 
most  probably  to  represent  metallic  plates.  Others  of  the 
besieged,  placed  upon  the  lower  walls,  appear  already  to  de- 
spair of  the  defence.  The  costume  of  these  individuals  appears 
to  consist  merely  of  a  simple  tunic,  scooped  out  between  the 
clavicles.  Tlieir  hair  is  arranged  almost  in  the  same  manner 
as  that  of  the  Assyrians,  but  it  is  simply  girt  with  a  red  band ; 


Fig.  95.— ATTACK  BT  BOW  AND  SPBA.RUBIf.— SETTIMO  FIBB  TO  A  OITV'S  OATBS. 

(BOTTA,  pi.  61.) 


it  is  also  shorter,  and  does  not  fall  upon  the  shoulders ;  the 
beard  is  short  and  curled.  A  few  corpses  are  stretched  on  the 
flanks  of  the  hill  on  which  the  place  is  built. 

Among  the  besiegers  there  are  two  archers,  all  the  upper  por- 
tion of  whose  bodies,  as  well  as  their  legs,  is  bare ;  their  only  co- 
vering consists  of  a  piece  of  fringed  cloth,  wrapped  round  the 
body,  and  held  in  its  place  by  a  large  girdle ;  the  sword  is  attach  tsd 
to  a  narrow  baldric  passing  over  the  right  shoulder,  and  tra- 
versing the  breast,  which  is  besides  crossed  by  a  cord,  which  Mr. 


KHOESABAD. SETTING   FIRE   TO   A.   CITY  S   GATES. 


225 


McCaul  writing  from  the  British  Museum  suggests, '  is  a  spare  bo  w- 
string:  the  bow  and  the  wood  of  the  arrows  are  painted  red;  tlie 
iron  is  painted  blue.  The  beard  of  these  two  archers  is,  as  we 
have  before  observed,  shorter  than  that  of  the  Assyrians,  and  is 
simply  curled ;  they  no  doubt  represent  auxiliary  troops.  Be- 
fore them  is  a  kneeling  warrior,  who  has  a  casque  with  a 
curved  crest,  and  furnished  with  a  flap  which  covers  the  ears. 
Other  soldiers,  represented  smaller,  are  kneeling  near  the 
gates,  and  covering  themselves  with  their  shields,  while  they 
try  to  set  the  place  on  fire  by  means  of  torches  ;  indeed,  the 
flames,  which  are  painted  red,  are  very  plainly  perceived  be- 
ginning to  consume  the  gates.  Notwithstanding  the  vigour  of 
the  attack,  and  the  firing  of  the  gates,  the  besieged  oflfer  a 
determined  resistance,  both  from  the  walls  of  the  city,  and  of 
the  citadel;  but  within  the  lower  town  the  inhabitants  mani- 
fest the  greatest  consternation  at  seeing  the  gates  on  fire. 

The  king  himself  does  not  appear  to  be  present  at  this  siege, 
which  is  conducted  by  his  chief  eunuch,  who  advances  under 


Fig.  96,— BOWMEN  CHAEGING  UKDSB  COVER  OF  MOVEABLE  BREAST- WOBK.      (BOTTA, 

pl.  99.) 

cover  of  the  great  moveable  breast- work  (fig.  96).  Farther 
on  we  perceive  the  successive  ranks  or  stages  of  advance  which 
the  regular  troops  have  made,  under  the  protection  of  the  tall 
moveable  breast- work,  each  division  being  commanded  by  a 
beardless  officer. 


'  AthenaBum,  No.  1412,  Not.  18,  1854. 


Q 


226 


KHORSABAD. — BETIRING   CHAMBEB. 


As  this  concludes  oiir  second  circuit  of  the  banqueting-hall, 
before  leaving  the  main  body  of  the  palace,  we  will  enter  the 
small  doorway  (c),  at  the  lower  end  of  the  room. 

CHAMBER  III. RETIBING  CHAMBEB. 


Upon  finding  ourselves  within  this  chamber,  we  perceive 
that  it  has  two  entrances,  both  furnished  with  folding-doors — 
one  into  the  Chamber  of  Judgment  (iv.),  and  the  other,  by 
which  we  entered,  connecting  it  with  the  banque ting-hall  just 
described. 

This  room,  like  the  one  we  have  left,  was  divided  into  two 
lines  of  illustration,  by  a  band  of  cuneatic,  the  remains  of 
which,  with  the  figure  of  a  warrior,  are  still  visible  in  the 
recess  of  the  doorway.  Farther  within  the  chamber  the 
only  fragment  now  existing  is  the  subjeet  we  have  engraved 
(fig.  97). 


Fig.  97.— CITV   OK    A  HKIUUT.   SEAR  A  CARTKLLATVI)   HILL  FR03I  WHICH  FLOWS  A 
BTEEAM.     (BOTTA,  pi.  78.) 

The  sculpture  represents  a  fortified  city,  built  upon  a  con- 
siderable elevation,  opposite  to  which  is  a  still  higher  craggy 
hill,  surmounted  by  a  castellated  tower,  from  the  base  of  which 
a  narrow  stream  flows  down  into  the  valley  that  separates  the 
two  hills.  It  is  especially  to  be  observed  that  olive  trees  are 
growing  upon  both  the  hills,  but  more  particularly  on  the  one 


KHOESABAD. — THE  INNER   COURT.  227 

upon  the  summit  of  which  is  the  tower ;  and  that  on  the  hill 
of  the  city  is  a  walk,  or  road,  ahout  half-way  up,  below  which, 
and  at  the  side  of  the  stream,  is  a  row  of  tombs,  or  inferior 
houses.  The  relative  situations  of  these  objects  exactly  re- 
semble the  position  of  similar  objects  visible  in  approaching 
Jerusalem  from  the  east.  On  our  left  we  have  Mount  Moriah 
and  the  high  wall  of  the  Temple ;  at  our  feet  the  Brook  Ke- 
dron,  and  the  tombs  of  the  Valley  of  Jehosaphat,  or  some  in- 
ferior buildings  at  the  base  of  Mount  Moriah ;  and,  on  our 
right,  the  Mount  of  Olives.  The  chief  objection  to  this  inter- 
pretation of  the  scene  is  the  circumstance  of  the  stream  taking 
its  rise  in  the  Mount  of  Olives — a  topographical  inaccuracy, 
however,  that  might  easily  be  pardoned  in  the  Assyrian  artist, 
if  time  and  the  Arabs  had  but  spared  us  the  other  friezes  to 
assist  us  in  interpreting  this  relievo,  and  the  other  significant 
decorations  of  the  chamber. 

We  will  now  return  into  the  Banqueting  Hall,  and  proceed 
through  the  central  door- way  (r)  into  the  inner  court  (l). 

THE  INNER  COURT    (l). 

Passing  through  the  central  opening  (p)  of  the  banqueting- 
hall,  we  find,  from  the  winged  bulls  at  the  jambs,  that  it  is  an 
external  door- way  leading  into  an  open  court.  In  the  recess 
formed  at  each  side  by  the  projection  of  the  bulls,  are  three 
small  figures,  one  above  the  other,  probably  the  figures  of 
priests;  and  on  the  side  of  the  projection  is  a  representation 
of  the  winged  man  with  the  eagle's  head,  and  wearing  only 
the  short  sacerdotal  tunic,  his  position  and  attributes  being 
exactly  similar  to  those  already  described.  Upon  turning  to 
examine  the  entire  fa9ade,  we  find  that  instead  of  the  bully 
placed  back  to  back  on  each  side  of  the  central  openiDg,  as  in 
the  King's  Court  (n),  their  places  are  supplied  by  a  represen- 
tation of  the  king  walking  out  of  the  door,  followed  by  his 
attendant  Kabsaris  and  Selikdar,  and  met  on  the  right  by  the 
liab  Signeen,  with  whom,  as  usual,  he  is  in  conversation.  The 
whole  of  these  figures  are  in  high  preservation,  retaining 
colour  upon  the  sandals,  when  found ;  and  they  have  been  ad- 
mirably engraved  in  Plates  13  and  14  of  Botta's  great  work. 
In  our  collection  of  the  British  Museum  we  have  a  precisely 
similar  figure  of  the  king  and  his  chief  officer,  brought  by  Mr. 

Q  2 


228 


XH0R8AB  AB . rSOCESSION. 


Hector,  from  Khorskhad.  In  each  case  the  king  carries  in  his 
right  hand  a  staff,  which  was  painted  red.  Herodotus^  and 
Strabo'*  inform  us  that  the  Babylonians  bore  in  their  hands  a 
staff,  ornamented  at  the  head  with  some  particular  figures,  as 
that  of  an  apple,  a  rose,  a  lily,  an  eagle,  &c. ;  nor  was  it  law- 
ful for  them  to  appear  abroad  without  one  of  these  staves. 
In  the  Assyrian  sculptures  the  staff  is  entirely  unadorned, 
being  simply  a  long  stick  painted  red ;  and  it  is  never  carried 
by  any  one  excepting  the  great  king  himself.  Behind  the 
Itab  Signeen  are  two  eunuchs,  making  in  all  a  group  of  six 
figures,  like  that  at  fig.  46,  which  completes  this  side  on 
the  right  as  far  as  the  projection  of  the  central  entrance  ex- 
tends. On  the  side  of  the  projection  is  a  beardless  attendant, 
and  on  the  receding  wall  beyond  are  two  others,  the  last  of 
whom  holds  up  his  left  hand,  as  if  commanding  those  who 
follow  him  to  advance.  Continuing  our  course,  round  the  re- 
cess of  the  small  door  (g),  which,  as  far  as  the  leaves,  belongs 
to  the  court,  we  find  on  each  jamb  the  figure  of  a  winged 
man,  with  the  eagle*s  head,  followed  by  a  magus  with  the  tri- 
lobed  plant,  advancing  to  meet  those  about  to  enter  the  saloon, 
or  chamber  (ii.).     The  dress  of  this  and  the  other  eagle  headed 


Fig.  98.— PBocEssioir  of  tribdtb-beabkbs  (botta,  pis.  15, 16, 17). 


divinities  at  Khorsabad  is  invariably  the  short  tunic,  and  round 
the  neck  a  pomegranate  attached  to  a  fillet.    The  remaining 


*  Herodotus,  Clio,  c.  cxy. 


*  Strabo,  lib.  xvi. 


IHOESABAD. SEA.T  OF  JUDGMENT.  229 

piece  of  wall  to  the  corner  of  the  court  contains  ten  figures : 
first,  two  beardless  men,  each  carrying  two  cups,  the  foremost 
of  simple  form,  the  other  the  lion-headed  vessels ;  and  imme- 
diately following  are  two  others,  carrying  on  their  shoulders  a 
car,  or  rather  arm-chair,  placed  upon  two  wheels,  to  be  drawn 
by  men,  in  which  the  king  was  wheeled  over  any  difficult 
mountain  pass,  or  about  the  grounds  attached  to  the-palace 
(fig.  98).  The  following  is  the  manner  in  which  this  sort  of 
carriage  is  constructed: — The  back  is  straight,  and  rises  above 
the  arm,  which  is  bent  in  such  a  manner  as  to  join  the  ante- 
rior leg.  Between  the  arm  and  the  seat  there  are  three 
little  bearded  figures,  wearing  a  tiara,  garnished  at  the  side 
with  double  bulls'  horns.  Between  the  seat  and  a  cross-bar 
which  connects  the  back  leg  with  the  front  one,  is  the  little 
figure  of  a  horse  richly  caparisoned,  seemingly  pushing  forward 
with  his  chest  the  leg  against  which  he  leans.  The  bar  on 
which  he  stands  is  covered  with  ornaments  resembling  fleut' 
de-Ua,  placed  base  to  base,  and  thus  connected  by  a  liga- 
ture ;  and  lastly,  the  termination  of  the  legs  is  formed  like  a 
fir-cone. 

The  pole  is  at  first  straight,  but  afterwards  curves  up- 
wards,  terminating  on  a  level  with  the  arm  of  the  chair,  in  a 
horse's  head;  the  yoke  or  bar,  which  is  fixed  a  little  below 
the  horse's  head,  is  terminated  at  each  end  in  the  head  of  a 
gazelle. 

Following  these  are  two  others,  carrying  an  arm-chair, 
throne,  or  seat  of  judgment,  in  which  the  king  sat  at  the  gate 
(fig.  99).  A  high  seat,  called  Kursi,  exactly  like  this,  ex- 
cepting in  the  decorations,  (any  representation  of  the  human 
form  being  forbidden  by  the  Kordn,)  is  to  be  found  in  the 
court-yard  of  all  respectable  houses  in  Cairo,  where  the  master 
sits  to  give  judgment  in  domestic  affairs.  These  seats  are 
never  wanting  in  the  court-yard  of  the  houses  of  Sheikhs,  of 
heads  of  tribes,  or  of  persons  in  authority,  whence  judgment 
is  delivered  on  matters  brought  by  any  inhabitants  of  the  dis- 
trict, or  by  any  individuals  of  the  tribe  over  which  the  master 
of  the  house  presides.  The  seat  is  placed  in  some  shady  part 
of  the  court,  against  a  wall  or  column,  exactly  as  described  in 
Scripture  ;^  and  in  some  houses  it  is  converted  into  a  high 

I  1  Sam.  1.  9. 


230 


KHOESABAD. — SEAT   OF  JUDGMENT. 


sofa,  continued  the  whole  length  of  one  side  of  the  court,*  in 
which  case  the  master  sits  in  one  corner.  In  the  example 
hefore  us,  the  hack  is  not  much  raised,  and  is  surmounted  hy 


Fig.  99.— CHAIB,  ALTAB,   AND  CHARIOT.     (BOTTA,  plS.  18,  19,  20.) 

a  hearded  figure,  whose  costume  is  similar  to  that  of  the  person- 
ages we  shall  describe  by-and-by.  The  head  of  this  figure  is 
covered  with  a  tiara,  surmounted  by  a  double  pair  of  bulls' 
horns,  in  the  middle  of  which  is  the  fleur-de-liB,  Four 
similar  figures,  with  their  right  hands  raised,  support  on  their 
heads  the  arm  of  the  throne,  which  is  very  low  :  and  lastly, 
two  others,  standing  on  a  thick  transversal  bar,  appear  to 
bear  the  bottom  of  the  throne  on  their  raised  arms  and  open 
hands.  They  are  clothed  like  those  preceding,  but  their 
heads  are  encircled  by  a  diadem  or  band,  ornamented  with 
rosettes.  A  little  lower,  another  transverse  bar  is  sculptured 
with  double  volutes,  united  back  to  back  by  ligatures. 

The  absence  of  the  sword  is  the  only  peculiarity  in 
the  costume  of  the  eunuchs  who  carry  the  throne ;  their 
armlets  are  spiral  stems,  and  their  bracelets  are  simple 
rings. 

Other  eunuchs  succeed,  carrying  an  altar,  as  we  presume, 
from  its  basin-shaped  top,  and  from  its  resemblance  to  one 
represented  in  the  sculptures  of  the  isolated  chamber  (xrv.) 
in  the  king's  court  (n).  The  legs  are  terminated  below  by 
lions*  paws,  and  seem  placed  on  a  plate  which  is  itself  sup- 

1  1  Sam.  zx.  25. 


KHOBSABAD. — MIGHTY  MEN,    BRACELETS,    ETC.  231 

ported  by  inverted  cones  resembling  fir-apples.  A  strong 
bar  joins  tlie  legs  above  the  terminal  lions*  paws.  On  this 
bar  there  are  two  bearded  figures,  with  tiaras  ornamented 
vrith  horns  and  the  fleur-de-lia  ;  they  are  turned  towards  one 
another,  and  their  right  hands  are  raised  above  their  heads, 
to  support  the  curved  under-part  of  the  table.  These  two 
figures  are  separated  by  a  round  fluted  perpendicular  bar, 
which  is,  at  intervals,  encircled  by  riogs  ornamented  by  a 
row  of  scales  of  the  fir- apple. 

Ne^t  follow  two  bearded  men,  carrying  a  heavy  chariot. 
These  athletic  men  are  such  as  are  intended  to  be  repre- 
sented by  the  word  pia  (jfiborin),  mighty  men,*  who  were 
commanded  by  Nebuchadnezzar  to  bind  Shadrach,  Meshach, 
and  Abed-nego,  and  to  cast  them  into  the  burning  fiery 
furnace.  Such  men,  we  are  informed,  were  selected  out  of 
the  army,  not  for  that  particular  occasion  only,  as  there  could 
not  have  been  any  necessity  to  employ  the  strongest  men  to 
bind  the  innocent  and  helpless ;  but,  as  the  sculptures 
teach  us,  such  gigantic  or  muscular  men  were  always  in 
attendance  on  the  person  of  the  king,  or  in  the  courts  of 
the  palace,  in  readiness  to  execute  his  special  commands.  It 
is  still  the  custom,  not  only  in  the  East,  but  also  in  Europe,  to 
select  men  of  unusual  stature,  as  porters  and  servants  in 
the  palaces  of  kings  and  nobles.  The  dress  of  these  men 
differs  materially  from  that  worn  by  the  other  attendants. 
They  appear  to  have  a  tunic  falling  to  the  knee,  with  short 
sleeves ;  an  ample  girdle  encompasses  the  loins ;  and  a  piece 
of  fringed  cloth  hangs  below  it,  probably  such  as  the  inhabi- 
tants of  Yemen  wear  round  their  loins. 

The  armlets  consist  of  a  spiral  stem ;  and  the  bracelets 
of  rings  without  any  ornament.  The  earrings  have  a  stem 
terminated  by  a  small  cone.  The  sword,  the  hilt  of  which 
is  decorated  with  lions'  jaws,  is  hung  on  a  large  baldric, 
ornamented  with  three  rows  of  pearls,  the  middle  row  of 
which  is  broken  by  four  plates  of  similar  beads.  The  hair, 
as  usual,  is  collected  into  a  mass  of  curls  upon  the  shoulders. 
The  beard  is  arranged  like  that  of  the  king,  except  that  the 
terminal  tresses  are  shorter,  and  have  only  two  horizontal  rows 
of  curls. 

*  Dan.  ill.  20. 


232    KHORSABAD. SERVANTS   WITH    HORSES   AND  FXTRNITrBB. 

The  car  carried  by  these  two  individuals  is,  unfortunatelj, 
mutilated,  and  the  ornaments  which  formerly  decorated  it 
are  no  longer  distinguishable.  The  body  of  the  car  is  square, 
strengthened  in  front  by  a  strong  piece,  from  the  bottom  of 
which  the  pole  rises,  and  from  the  top  of  the  anterior  piece  of 
the  car  there  descends  a  shaft,  which  joins  the  pole  obliquely. 

The  yoke  presents  on  each  side  of  the  pole  two  semicircular 
depressions,  each  separated  by  a  straight  portion  ;  and  at  each 
extremity  there  is  a  hook.  The  four  semicircular  depressions 
are  furnished  with  a  pad  for  the  necks  of  the  horses,  and  de- 
clare the  car  to  be  a  quadriga,  which  is  corroborated  by  the 
effort  the  gibor  or  strong  man  is  making  to  carry  it. 

The  figures  upon  the  adjoining  wall  of  which  we  are  now 
about  to  speak,  follow  in  line,  and,  like  those  preceding,  appear 
to  be  bringing  presents  to  the  king. 


Fig.  100.— 8EBVANT8  OF  TBS  KINO  WITH  HORSES,  TABLES,  AND  VASES.     (BOTTA, 

pis.  21,  22,  23.) 


First  (fig.  100)  we  have  a  bearded  personage  leading  four 
horses ;  probably  the  four  horses  of  the  quadriga,  borne  on  the 
shoulders  of  the  two  preceding  figures.  He  is  dressed  like 
the  men  carrying  the  quadriga,  with  the  exception  of  his  tunic, 
which  is  simpler,  and  without  embroidery  on  the  sleeves. 

The  four  horses  are  placed  very  evenly  abreast,  their  heads 
and  legs  being  all  in  a  straight  line,  and  in  the  same  position, 
in  the  manner  seen  on  ancient  medals.    By  a  peculiarity,  the 


KHOBSABAD. EUNUCHS,    CUP-BEABEBS,    ETC.  233 

sculptor  has  represented  four  heads,  but  only  one  breast,  and 
eight  legs.  Farther,  it  is  impossible  to  understand  the  position 
of  the  man  who  is  leading  the  horses.  His  right  hand  holds  the 
bridle  on  the  right  side  of  the  neck  of  tlie  first  horse,  and  yet 
his  body  is  on  the  left  side  of  the  fourth  horse,  since  his  legs 
are  partly  hidden  by  those  of  the  animals.  It  cannot  be  sup- 
posed an  oversight;  consequently,  we  must  conclude  that 
this  manner  of  representation  was  conventional,  intending 
thereby  to  enhance  the  size  of  the  man,  as  in  the  case  of  the 
quadriga. 

The  caparisons  of  the  horses  are  extremely  rich ;  over  the 
chest  passes  a  band,  fixed  to  the  withers,  with  a  double  row  of 
tassels,  and  small  beads.  Another  embroidered  band  comes  from 
the  top  of  the  head,  supporting  under  the  jaws  a  tassel  formed 
of  three  tufts  placed  one  above  the  other,  and  terminated  also 
with  beads.  The  head  carries  a  plume,  likewise  of  three  tufts, 
on  the  top  of  which  is  a  ball.  The  bridle  appears  to  be 
formed  of  the  same  pieces  as  ours.  The  head-stall  is  trimmed 
with  rosettes  ;  a  thick  band,  formed  of  scales,  passes  over  the 
eyes,  and,  where  it  joins  the  head-stall,  terminates  in  a  small 
double-tufted  tassel.  The  leather  strap  which  supports  the 
bit,  and  that  which  passes  over  the  nose,  are  ornamented  with 
rosettes ;  the  bit  is  fastened  to  the  bridle  by  three  branches 
forming  the  radii  of  an  arc.  The  tail  of  the  horse,  which  is  very 
long,  is  tied  up  in  the  middle  by  a  broad  strap. 

We  now  arrive  at  a  small  door,  the  jambs  of  which  are 
entirely  ruined,  but  before  it  are  two  holes  for  the  Teraphira, 
and  on  the  left  side  was  a  strong  stone  ring  let  into  the  ground. 
Passing  the  door,  we  see  the  figure  of  one  of  the  king's  cup- 
bearers, carrying  a  high  vase,  which  he  supports  with  one 
hand,  while  with  the  other  he  covers  the  top.  After  him 
come  two  eunuchs,  in  their  ordinary  dress,  carrying  a  long 
table.  The  bracelets  on  the  wrists  of  these  personages  are, 
like  those  on  the  arms,  formed  of  wire  transversely  bound  toge- 
ther. The  table  they  carry  is  flat  at  top,  and  is  ornamented 
with  lions'  heads  at  the  angles.  Paws  of  the  same  animal 
terminate  the  legs,  which  are  square,  and  marked  transversely 
with  four  rows  of  triple  grooves.  The  legs  are  connected 
by  a  bar,  on  which  are  sculptured  double  volutes,  placed 
back  to  back,  and  attached  to  each  other  by  bands  with  vertical 
grooves. 


234        KHOBSABAD. DIVINING  CHAMBER  OP  INNER  COURT. 

Following  are  seen  one  eunuch  carrying  a  small  table,  and  a 
fifth,  bringing  in  his  raised  hands  a  large  round  vase ;  both  of 
them,  instead  of  the  scarf  and  the  bottom  of  the  tunic  em- 
broidered with  a  series  of  rosettes,  have  bands  of  rosettes 
intertwined  with  concentric  squares. 

These  are  all  the  figures  that  remain  on  this  side  of  the 
court;  but  in  the  line  of  wall  there  are  indications  of  two 
principal  entrances  flanked  by  the  winged  bull ;  and  of  two 
lesser  doors,  without  bulls ;  the  passages  and  chambers  into 
which  they  lead  are  more  dilapidated  than  any  other  part  of 
the  palace.  As  therefore,  there  is  nothing  farther  to  be  seen 
on  this  side  of  the  court,  we  will  place  ourselves  opposite  the 
central  gate  of  the  principal  fa9ade,  and  describe  the  sculptures 
on  our  left. 

We  find  that  the  arrangement  from  the  centre  to  the  small 
side  door  (b)  is  the  same  as  that  seen  on  our  right,  with  the 
exception  of  the  last  figure,  which  is  the  native  chief  of  some 
province  or  town,  bearing  the  insignia  of  his  office,  and 
wearing  the  pointed  cap  and  long  flowing  hair.  The  jambs 
of  the  small  door  (b)  are  decorated  like  that  of  the  door  (g) 
with  the  eagle-headed  divinity,  and  between  the  door  and  the 
corner  of  the  court  are  the  figures  of  two  eunuchs  and  another 
Sultan  Medinet,  or  governor  of  a  province.  In  the  adjoining 
wall,  and  quite  in  the  corner,  we  arrive  at  an  entrance  to  u 
small  chamber,  analogous  in  position  to  the  chamber  for  the 
consultation  of  the  victim  in  the  king's  court  (n)  ;  that  is  to 
say,  it  is  conveniently  situated  on  the  right  hand  of  those  who 
may  be  going  out  of  the  principal  apartments  of  the  palace, 
for  consulting  the  magus,  as  to  the  safety  of  the  king  quitting 
his  abode  by  this  court ;  or  in  going  into  the  contiguous  apart- 
ments by  this  gate. 


CHAMBER  I. DIVINING  CHAMBER  OF  INNER  COURT. 

In  front  of  the  door  of  this  small  chamber  are  the  usual 
holes  for  the  Teraphira,  and  the  entrance  is  paved  with  the 
inscribed  slab.  The  exterior  slabs  on  both  sides  of  the  door 
are  wanting,  but  within  the  recess  we  are  met  by  the  figure  of 
a  priest  on  each  jamb.     Upon  entering  the  apartment  we  find 


FHOBSABAD. — CTJBVETTO  MOULDING. 


235 


it  is  furnished  with  two  slabs  of  gypsum,  inserted  in  the  pave- 
ment, containing  circular- headed  cavities  like  that  one  in  the 
divinipg  chamber  attached  to  the  king's  court,  and  also  that 
the  rest  of  the  room  is  paved  with  kiln-burnt  bricks.  The 
walls  have  originally  been  adorned  with  two  lines  of  illustra- 
tion, but  all  the  friezes  above  the  line  of  cuneatic  are  entirely 
calcined.  On  the  right,  behind  the  valve,  is  the  figure  of  a 
soldier,  and  then  we  have  the  attack  of  a  town  with  high 
walls.  In  advance  of  the  tall  shields  are  some  bowmen  wear- 
ing corslets  and  pointed  caps  contending  with  people  on  the 
battlements  who  use  the  spear  and  shield.  Passing  the  angle 
of  the  room,  we  see  the  first  rank  of  some  troops  on  one  knee. 
These,  unfortunately,  are  all  the  sculptures  left  on  this  side 
of  the  room ;  but  on  the  opposite  wall  we  find  the  result  of 
the  campaign,  in  a  warrior  armed  with  a  spear,  driving  before 
him  some  women  and  a  child,  preceded  by  some  of  the  sheep- 
skin clad  people. 

It  is  singular  that  this  apartment,  which  resembles  the 
divining-chamber  of  the  king's  court  (n)  in  so  many  particu- 
lars, should  diflfer  from  that  in  one  important  point,  namely, 
that  the  decorations  should  not  be  in  harmony  with  what 
seems  to  have  been  the  purpose  to  which  it  is  so  probable  this 
room  was  applied. 

On  quitting  the  chamber  (i),  and  directing  our  course  across 
the  court  (l),  in  a  line  with  the  central  doorway  of  the  prin- 
cipal fa9ade,  we  arrive 
at  some  steps  which 
lead  to  a  platform  rais- 
ed six  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  court  it- 
self. The  sides  of  this 
upper  platform  are 
cased  with  slabs  of 
limestone  and  finished 
with  the  Egyptian 
curvetto  moulding. 
(Fig.  101.) 

The  surface  of  this 


platform,  where  there  i^^l^Bi 

were  no  walls,  is  paved 

withirregularlyshaped  ^'^'  io»-<^^="o  ^^^^^'^^^^^^  ^«o"^'  ?'•  iso.) 


236  KHORSABAD. DIVINING  CHAMBER. 

pieces  of  limestone,  and  the  walls  of  the  building,  as  in  the 
other  parts  of  the  palace,  were  of  brick.  The  peculiarity 
of  the  structure  erected  upon  this  base  appears  to  have  been 
that  the  walls  were  cased  with  slabs  of  a  basaltic  stone  instead 
of  gypsum,  of  which  surface  the  only  fragment  then  discovered 
was  a  representation  of  the  two  winged  figures  making  offer- 
ings to  the  symbolic  tree.  The  number  of  chambers  the  build- 
ing contained  has  not  been  ascertained,  but  M.Botta  found  traces 
of  one  apartment  40  feet  by  30  feet,  which  had  in  the  centre 
of  its  south-western  side  a  square  block  for  an  altar  or  a 
statue  ;  and  likewise,  among  the  ruins,  the  capital  of  a  small 
column  decorated  with  palm  leaves.  The  durability  of  the 
material  of  which  the  edifice  was  composed,  the  subject  of  the 
sculpture,  and  the  other  indications  on  this  upper  platform, 
have  induced  M.  Botta  to  call  it  a  temple.  The  almost  entire 
devastation  of  this  building  may  readily  be  attributed  to  its 
being  cased  in  a  hard  stone  of  especial  value  in  a  district  where 
sucli  useful  material  was  rare ;  and  also  to  the  circumstance 
of  its  superior  elevation  and  more  exposed  situation  on  the 
edge  of  the  mound. 

It  will  be  seen  by  the  diagram  (fig.  101)  that  the  mass  of 
crude  bricks,  of  which  the  second  elevation  or  base  of  the 
basaltic  structure  was  made,  was  protected  by  a  casing  of 
lime-stone  like  those  of  the  great  mounds  on  which  the  palaces 
of  Assyria  were  built.  This  engraving  also  shows  the  contri- 
vance by  which  the  upper  surface  of  the  mounds  was  pro- 
tected, observable  in  all  the  courts  and  other  parts  of  the 
mound  unoccupied  by  building.  A  layer  of  kiln-baked  tiles 
or  bricks  was  placed  on  the  top  of  the  crude  bricks,  cemented 
together  and  to  the  crude  bricks  below  them  with  bitumen. 
These  tiles  or  bricks  had  the  inscription  upwards,  and  upon 
them  was  placed  a  stratum  of  sand  five  or  six  inches  thick, 
upon  which,  again,  another  layer  of  kiln-baked  bricks,  with 
the  inscription  turned  downwards,  and,  like  the  former, 
cemented  together  with  bitumen,  so  that  the  interior  of  the 
mound  was  most  carefully  protected  from  damp,  and  the  build- 
ing erected  on  these  artificial  hills  was  effectually  raised  above 
the  miasma  of  the  plain. 

We  have  already  shown  the  Courts  of  Assembly  and  Judg- 
ment, and  the  public  reception  and  banqueting-rooms  of  the 
palace ;  we  have  assumed  the  correctness  of  M.  Botta's  sur* 


KHORSABAD. THB  KINg's  HOUSE.  237 

mise,  that  the  edifice  which  occupied  the  most  elevated  and 
prominent  position  upon  the  mound,  is  the  Temple ;  but  we 
have  not,  as  yet,  described  any  part  of  the  structure  that 
seemed  suited  for  those  mysterious  precincts  of  an  Assyrian 
palace — the  private  dwelling  apartments  of  the  sovereigns. 
It  is  our  purpose,  therefore,  now  to  show  that  this  small  court 
(m)  belongs  to  the  quarter  of  the  palace  which  was  expressly 
termed  the  **  King's  House." 

It  may  be  remembered  that  the  first  two  courts  we  passed 
through,  namely,  the  Court  of  Assembly  (w),  and  the  King's 
Court  (n),  were  both  described  as  open  to  the  country  on  two 
sides,  the  remaining  sides  being  occupied  by  the  walls  of  the 
palace ;  that  the  third  or  inner  court  (l)  is  enclosed  on  three 
sides,  that  to  the  north-west  alone  being  open  to  the  country : 
whereas  that  the  court  we  are  now  examining  is  enclosed  on 
all  the  four  sides,  each  having  a  principal  and  some  minor  open- 
ings. The  remains  of  bulls  at  tiiese  openings  are  sufficiently 
indicative  that  they  were  external  doors,  and  the  whole  ar- 
rangements show  that  the  quadrangle  into  which  they  led  was 
a  central  enclosed  court,  surrounded  by  chambers  situated  in 
the  ruined  spaces  between  the  boundary  of  the  court  itself,  and 
the  walls  of  courts  (l)  on  the  north-west,  and  (»)  on  the 
north-east ;  and  on  the  vacant  surface  of  the  upper  platform 
on  the  sides  to  the  south-west  and  south-east.  The  door-way 
by  which  we  entered  from  the  inner  court  (l)  we  consider  to 
be  the  termination  of  a  passage  that  we  would  call  the  king's 
private  way  from  his  own  private  apartments  to  the  public 
quarters  of  the  palace.  Our  reason  for  concluding  that  this 
strictly  retired  enclosure  was  dedicated  exclusively  to  the  king, 
is  derived  from  the  walls  themselves,  evidence  all  but  con- 
clusive where  every  illustration  is  so  pregnant  with  meaning. 
In  the  present  instance,  our  inference  is  drawn  from  the  pai*- 
ticular  place  where  we  found  the  group  of  the  king  and  his 
attendants.  In  every  previous  illustration  the  king  is  seen 
in  the  courts  of  the  palace  walking  from  the  door ;  but  in  the 
present  case  he  is  walking  towards  the  door  of  the  private 
way,  as  if  about  to  leave  the  interior.  As  we  have  no  similar 
example  of  the  king  with  his  face  thus  directed  towards  the 
door  in  the  act  of  departure,  we  think  it  may  fairly  be  con- 
cluded that  the  quarter  he  is  leaving  is  his  own  special  dwell- 
ing place,  and  that  the  court  itself  is  really  that  "  inner  court 


238 


KHORSABAD. — CHALDEA-N  MlGICIAJr. 


of  the  king's  house,"  to  enter  which  was  death  to  all  who  were 
not  called,  **  except  such  to  whom  the  king  shall  hold  out 
the  golden  sceptre,  that  he  may  live."^ 

Before  finally  leaving  the  inner  court 
(l)  we  must  turn  to  the  south-eastern 
side,  and  enter  the  passage  gate  (v),  of 
which  the  fragments  of  the  two  winged 
bulls  are  almost  the  only  indication. 
This  entrance  leads  into  a  court  about 
105  or  106  feet  square,  with  a  central 
major  opening  and  some  minor  ones  on 
each  side  ;  but  all,  excepting  two  or 
three  slabs,  so  entirely  ruined  as  to  pre- 
clude any  regular  description.  The 
only  perfect  sculpture  remaining  repre- 
sents the  figure  of  a  priest  carrying  a 
gazelle.     (Fig.  102.) 

This  person  we  take  to  be  a  diviner 
or  magician,  one  of  the  four  orders  of 
Chaldeans  mentioned  in  Daniel,*  of 
whom  it  was  the  custom  for  the  kings 
of  Assyria  to  require  the  interpretation 
[TH^dizELLE-A  MA-  0^  drcams,  or  any  events  whether  the 
GiciAx.  iBOTTA,  pi.  43.)  most  Importaut  or  the  most  trivial ;  all 
of  which  they  pretended  to  ascertain  by  various  processes, 
such  as  by  an  examination  of  the  blood  of  the  victims,  the 
position  of  the  stars,  invocations  of  the  divinities  on  whom  we 
see  them  attending,  and  by  other  superstitious  practices  strictly 
forbidden  by  the  law  of  God.  These  figures  are  distinguished 
by  a  peculiarity  of  dress,  which  we  have  designated  the  Sa- 
cerdotal Dress,  for  it  is  worn  only  by  them,  the  divinities,  and 
deified  persons.  Here  then,  at  the  entrance  into  the  king's 
private  apartments,  the  Hareemlik  of  the  present  inhabitants, 
stood  the  most  accomplished  diviner  of  the  court,  ready  to 
show  the  king,  by  the  use  of  noxious  herbs  and  drugs,  or  the 
blood  of  victims,  or  the  bones  of  the  dead,  what  was  to  befall 
him  at  his  going  in  or  coming  out  of  the  private  apartments. 
It  is  likewise  most  remarkable  that  these  figures  of  priests  re- 
tain more  of  the  vermilion  and  of  the  black  pigment  in  the 
hair  and  eyebrows  than  any  other  figures  on  the  walls  of 
^  Esther,  iii.  1 ;  iv.  2.  *  Daniel,  ii.  2. 


PKIEST  WITH 


KHOnSABAD.— THE   KING* 8  HOrSE.  289 

Khorsabad  and  Nimroud,  a  circumstance  which  we  think  is 
not  to  be  attributed  to  chance,  for  the  prophet  Ezekiel,  in 
speaking  of  the  figures  of  men  sculptured  on  the  walls  of  the 
Assyrian  palaces,  makes  particular  mention  of  **  the  images  of 
the'  Chaldeans  portrayed  with  vermilion."*  Possibly  this 
class  of  the  subjects  of  the  king  of  Assyria  were,  as  in  Egypt, 
the  sculptors  and  painters,  and  therefore  took  especial  care  of 
their  own  portraits.  Be  that  as  it  may,  the  fact  is  incontest- 
able, and  as  we  conceive,  highly  illustrative  of  the  passage 
quoted. 

The  countenances  of  the  king,  of  the  eunuchs,  and  of  these 
persons,  are  all  strongly  marked  by  those  peculiarities  which 
in  the  present  day  constitute  beauty  in  the  dominion  of  the 
Shah,  and,  indeed,  in  the  East  generally.  They  consist  of 
large  full  black  eyes  with  thick  eyebrows  meeting  over  the 
nose ;  low  forehead,  that  is  to  say,  the  space  from  the  eyebrows 
to  the  beginning  of  the  hair  shorter  than  the  length  of  the 
nose ;  small  mouth  ;  compressed  lips ;  aquiline  nose  ;  promi- 
nent chin ;  and  round  face :  in  the  last  of  these  characteris- 
tics, however,  the  priests  or  soothsayers  who  attend  the  winged 
figures  do  not  partake ;  on  the  contrary,  they  are  of  a  thinner 
and  less  muscular  form  than  any  other  of  the  attendants  of 
the  court.  Beyond  this  figure  of  the  priest,  and  a  represen- 
tation of  the  king  followed  by  his  cup-bearer  and  selikdar, 
there  was  nothing  further  discovered  here,  excepting  some 
feet  and  the  lower  portions  of  slabs,  affording  indication  that 
the  walls  of  this  court  were  decorated  like  the  other  por- 
tions of  the  palace;  but  few  and  imperfect  as  are  the  re- 
mains, they  are  yet  highly  interesting  and  singularly  sugges- 
tive of  the  character  of  this  quarter  of  the  royal  residence. 

We  have  now  taken  our  readers  through  every  court  and 
public  room  of  the  palace  of  Khorsabad,  in  the  same  way  that 
a  cicerone  at  home  would  have  conducted  a  stranger  through 
the  chambers  of  "Windsor  Castle  or  Hampton  Court.  Our  pro- 
gress has  been  directed  by  the  architectural  arrangements  of 
the  rooms,  and  we  have  endeavoured  to  clearly  indicate  and 
elucidate  our  course  by  the  illustrations  on  the  walls  of  the 
apartments  themselves,  which  we  have  selected  from  the  mag- 
nificent French  work.  It  is  almost  needless  to  insist  again 
upon  the  extraordinary  interest  attaching  to  those  Ulustrations 

^  Ezck.  auiii.  14. 


240  KHORSABAD. CONSTKUCTION. 

in  the  chambers ;  but  still  we  cannot  leave  this  section  of  our 
subject  without  noting  the  varied  and  sj'^steraatic  care  with 
which  the  Assyrian  artist  has  described  the  leading  features 
of  the  countries  subdued  and  laid  waste  by  the  Assyrian  con- 
queror, how  carefully  the  peculiarities  of  costume  of  the  dif- 
ferent people  have  been  portrayed,  and  the  attention  bestowed 
on  the  order  of  the  conquest.  The  walls  of  the  chambers  were 
thus  converted  into  a  highly  illustrated  historical  volume,  un- 
rolled and  displayed  for  the  benefit  of  the  nations  and  lan- 
guages of  which  the  Assyrian  empire  was  composed ;  where 
they  might  read  in  this  systematised  and  universal  language  of 
art,  the  history  of  the  conquests  of  their  sovereigns ;  while  to 
the  learned  Ninevites  historical  particulars  beyond  the  reach 
of  the  pictorial  language,  were  communicated  through  the 
medium  of  the  band  of  cuneatic  writing  which  is  found  in  all 
the  chambers  dedicated  to  these  historical  records. 

The  animus  discoverable  in  the  details,  in  the  execution  of 
the  bassi-rilievi,  and  in  the  choice  of  subject,  is  the  same  that 
prompted  the  message  and  letter  which  Sennacherib  sent  by 
the  hand  of  his  chief  eunuch  Rabsaris,  and  his  chief-cup- 
bearer Rubshakeh,  to  Hezekiah,  *'  Behold  thou  hast  heard  what 
the  kings  of  Assyria  have  done  to  all  lands,  by  destroying 
them  utterly :  and  shalt  thou  be  delivered  ?  Have  the  gods  of 
the  nations  delivered  them  which  my  fathers  have  destroyed ; 
as  Gozan,  and  Haran,  and  Rezeph,  and  the  children  of  Eden 
which  were  in  Thelasar.  Where  is  the  king  of  Hamath,  and 
the  king  of  Arpad,  and  the  king  of  the  city  of  Sepharvaim, 
of  Hena,  and  Ivah  ?"» 

We  have  already  noticed  the  Jewish  and  other  nations  re- 
presented in  the  sculptures,  but  the  enemies  of  **  the  great 
king,  the  king  of  Assyria,"  whom  we  see  most  frequently  re- 
presented, and  who  seem  to  be  most  determined  in  their  oppo- 
sition, are  the  sheep- skin  clad  people,  whom  we  have  desig- 
nated Sagartii  or  Togarmah,  a  race  of  Scythians  from  the 
country  lying  between  the  Black  and  the  Caspian  Seas.  They 
may,  however,  be  the  people  of  Gozan,  mentioned  in  the  epis- 
tle sent  by  Sennacherib  to  Hezekiah,*  whom  we  take  to  be  a 
pastoral  race  inhabiting  the  hilly  and  well-watered  districts  of 

*  2  Kings,  xix.  10,  13  ;  2  Chron.  xxxii.  15,  19 ;  Isaiah,  xxxvii.  10,  H. 

*  2  Kings,  xix.  12. 


KHORSABAD. CONSTRUCTION,  241 

Asia.  The  other  opponents  of  the  great  king,  whose  tribute 
consists  of  manufactured  articles,  may  be  the  people  likewise 
mentioned  by  the  messengers  of  Sennacherib,  under  the  name 
of  Hamath,^  a  country  including  a  great  part  of  the  coast  of 
Phoenicia — a  surmise  supported  by  the  illustration  (fig.  53), 
where  we  find  the  Assyrian  monarch  employing  that  people 
in  constructing  some  port  or  fortress  under  the  auspices 
of  the  divinity  of  the  coast,  conjointly  with  the  winged  bull 
of  the  Assyrians.  We  have  the  evidence  of  both  history  and 
the  monuments  found  atl^ahr  el  Kelb  and  Cyprus  (see  fig.  30), 
that  the  king  of  Assyria  once  held  quiet  possession  of  the 
coast  of  that  part  of  the  Mediterranean.  Possibly  the  sculp- 
ture may  represent  the  building  of  Tarsus,  and  the  bringing 
wood  for  that  purpose  from  the  forests  of  Mount  Cassus ;  or 
(as  Mr.  S.  Sharpe  has  suggested)  the  conveying  wood  for  siege 
operations  against  Pelusium,  at  the  commencement  of  the  war 
which  terminated  in  the  defeat  of  the  army  of  Sennacherib. 

Thus  far  as  regards  the  sculptures  and  the  people  repre- 
sented in  them ;  but  before  leaving  this  chapter,  we  will  ven- 
ture to  offer  a  few  conjectures  respecting  the  mode  of  construc- 
tion employed  in  these  Assyrian  buildings,  and  likewise  give 
M.  Botta's  opinions  on  the  destruction  of  the  Palace  of  Khors- 
abad. 

The  section  of  the  wall  on  which  is  the  keeper  of  the  door 
of  the  council  chamber  (fig.  103),  will  serve  to  explain  the 
structure  of  the  walls,  as  well  as  our  own  notion  of  the  con- 
struction of  the  roof  or  ceiling  of  the  chambers.  It  would 
seem  from  the  examination  of  the  existing  ruins,  that  the 
walls  of  sun-dried  bricks  having  been  raised  to  the  required 
height,  they  were  cased  with  slabs  of  gypsum  to  the  height  of 
ten  feet  (a)  ;  that  from  the  top  of  the  slabs  to  the  top  of  the 
wall,  the  unbumt  bricks  were  cased  with  kiln-burnt  tiles  or 
bricks  (b),  the  lowest  course  (c),  which  rested  immediately 
upon  the  slab,  being  provided  with  a  kind  of  projecting  brick 
moulding  or  ornament,  which  curved  over  and  beyond  the 
slabs,  so  as  to  form  a  continuous  lock,  to  prevent  their  falling 
forward,  the  moulding  being  retained  in  its  position  by  the 
weiglit  of  the  courses  above ;  and,  finally,  that  the  baked  tiles 
or  bricks  (b)  were  painted  on  the  surface  presented  to  the 

»  2  Kings,  xviii.  34;  xix  13. 


242        KHOESABAD. CONSTBUCTION. — SECTION   OF   WALL. 


interior  of  the  rooms,  in  various  colours  and  patterns,  including 
figures  of  men  and  animals.     Thus  far  we  have  unequiyocal 

evidence  of  the  struc- 
ture of  the  walls  of  the 
chambers,  but  for  the 
remainder  of  the  con- 
struction we  are  depen- 
dent entirely  upon  spe- 
culation and  analogies 
with  other  ancientbuild- 
ings.  Our  own  conjec- 
ture is,  that  the  solid 
wall  having  been  raised, 
the  top  was  covered  in 
with  a  course  of  burnt 
bricks  cemented  with 
bitumen,  upon  which, 
as  in  the  instance  of 
the  courts,  there  was  a 
stratum  of  sand,and  then 
another  layer  of  kiln- 
burnt  bricks  (d),  also 
cemented  with  bitumen . 
Upon  this  thick  wall 
we  suppose  the  surface- 
bricks  of  the  chamber 
(b  b)  to  have  been  con- 
tinued for  some  feet, 
occasional  intervals  be- 
ing left  for  the  admis- 
sion of  light  and  air; 
according  to  the  plan 
exhibited  in  the  centre 
part  of  the  roof  of  the 
hall  of  columns,  in  the 
temple  of  Karnak,  in 
the  Memnonium,  and 
in  other  Egyptian  temples.  "We  conceive  that  the  beams  of  the 
roof  rested  upon  these  dwarf  walls,  and  reached  across  the  entire 
width  of  the  chambers — an  idea  that  is  sustained  by  the  re- 
markable narrowness  of  aU  the  rooms  in  proporlion  to  their 


>^^W^^^«r 


Fig.  103.— SECTION  SHOWING  CONSTBUCTION 
OF  WALL  AND  CEILING. 


EHORSABA.D. — CONSTUTJCTION. — SECTION    OP  WALL.        243 

length,  the  extreme  width  of  the  largest  not  exceediag  thirty- 
three  feet.  That  the  forests  of  the  mountainous  regions  north 
of  Nineveh  would  furnish  an  abundance  of  large  timber,  even 
of  cedar,  the  approved  wood  for  the  purpose,*  there  can  be 
no  question ;  but  even  if  the  width  of  the  chambers  had  ex- 
ceeded the  ordinary  length  of  beams,  it  does  not  seem  to  us  to 
present  any  objection,  for  we  cannot  admit  that  a  people  so 
conversant  with  the  working  of  stone  and  of  metals,  could  be 
ignorant  of  some  of  the  most  simple  principles  of  carpen- 
try— a  science  which  must  of  necessity  have  preceded  the 
ornamental  arts.  In  the  larger  apartments  we  cannot  have 
any  difficulty  in  adopting  a  wooden  column,  for  Strabo  tells 
us  that  the  Babylonians  supported  the  roofs  of  their  houses 
by  pillars  of  wood.  The  beams  having  been  placed  upon  the 
dwarf  walls,  the  rafters  were  next  laid  over  them  in  the  con- 
trary direction,  and  upon  these  again  the  planks  of  cedar, 
which,  as  well  as  the  beams,  we  should  ornament  with  ver- 
milion,^ still  a  common  and  fashionable  combination  with 
green,  for  the  ornamentation  of  the  ceilings  in  the  best  cham- 
bers of  the  houses  in  Cairo.  Above  the  planks  there  was 
probably  a  course  of  burnt  bricks,  cemented  with  bitumen, 
and  then  a  layer  of  clay  and  earth,  in  the  way  that  the  roofs 
of  houses  in  Sjria  are  now  made,  for  Botta  found  among  the 
rubbish  in  the  interior  of  some  of  the  chambers,  the  stone 
rollers  called  mahadalet,  resembling  our  garden  rollers,  and 
like  those  used  to  this  day  to  roll  and  harden  the  roofs  of  the 
SjTian  houses  after  the  winter  rains.  This  implement  being 
always  kept  on  the  roof  then  as  now,  it  is  supposed  fell  into 
the  chamber  with  the  rafters  at  the  time  of  the  conflagra- 
tion, which  reduced  the  palace  to  a  ruinous  heap. 

The  top  of  the  solid  walls,  between  the  dwarf  piers,  afforded 
ample  space  for  shady  passages  and  sleeping  apartments  during 
the  hot  months  of  the  year,  and  at  the  same  time  gave  every 
facility  for  regulating  the  shutters  and  other  obvious  contri- 
vances for  excluding  the  rays  of  the  sun,  and  for  preventing 
the  snow  or  rain  from  drifting  into  the  chambers  below.  No 
staircases,  or  means  of  gaining  the  upper  apartments,  have  been 
discovered ;  but  as  so  much  of  the  building  had  disappeared 
before  Botta  began  his  investigations,  we  are  not  suprised  at 

»  1  Kings,  vi.  9,  10  ;  vii.  2,  3.  »  Jer  xxii.  14. 

R  2 


244  KHORSABAD. — BIJfGS   TO    SECURE    HANGINGS. 

the  absence  of  all  indication  of  those  important  parts  of 
the  edifice,  especially  as  we  know  from  the  Egyptian  temples, 
and  from  the  Sacred  text,  that  the  staircase  up  to  the  roof  was 
frequently  contained  in  the  thickness  of  the  wall.* 

As  regard  the  courts,  it  is  not  improbable  that  wooden 
columns  were  used,  particularly  in  this  court  and  in  the  court 
of  the  king's  house,  to  support  an  awning  which  was  held  down 
and  fastened  to  certain  marble  rings  inserted  in  the  pavement, 
and  to  the  ring  on  the  backs  of  the  bronze  lions.  (See  fig.  240, 
sec.  V.)  We  have  an  example  of  this  mode  of  protecting  a 
large  assembly  from  the  efix3cts  of  the  sun  in  southern  latitudes, 
in  the  description  of  the  feast  given  by  king  Ahasuerus,  **  both 
unto  great  and  small,  seven  days,  in  the  court  of  the  garden 
of  the  king's  palace.  Where  were  white,  green,  and  blue 
hangings,  fastened  with  cords  of  fine  linen  and  purple  to  silver 
rings  and  pillars  of  marble."^ 

We  have  repeatedly,  in  the  course  of  our  progress  through 
the  chambers,  had  occasion  to  mention  the  door  which  closed 
some  of  the  more  important  openings;  we  are,  however,  quite 
in  ignorance  as  to  the  contrivance  for  the  upper  pivots  of  these 
doors,  whether  they  were  inserted  into  a  slab  which  stretched 
across  the  opening  from  jamb  to  jamb,  or  whether  certain  cop- 
per rings,  which  we  possess  in  our  national  collection,  were  not 
fixed  into  the  walls  above  the  slabs,  for  the  purpose  of  re- 
ceiving the  pivots. 

By  reference  to  the  detailed  plan,  it  will  be  evident  that  the 
proportion  of  the  voids  to  the  solid  of  the  walls  is  a  remark- 
able feature,  in  which  the  Assyrian  structures  differ  from  all 
other  ancient  remains.  Another  leading  characteristic  of  this 
palace  of  Khorsabad  is  the  almost  scrupulous  symmetry  of  the 
plan,  the  chief  openings  being  generally  opposite  to  each  other, 
those  leading  from  the  King's  Court  (n)  to  the  Inner  Court 
(l)  forming  a  continuous  line  of  communication  ;  and,  lastly, 
it  will  be  found  that  the  chambers  are  invariably  rectangular. 

Although  in  the  foregoing  description  we  have  assumed  that 
the  roof  of  the  Khorsabad  palace  was  flat,  we  have  evidence 
in  the  illustrations  upon  the  walls  that  pitched  roofs  were, 
likewise,  used  in  Assyrian  buildings.  In  fig.  68,  we  have 
given  a  representation  of  a  structure  which  we  term  a  sacred 
edifice,  from  the  symbols  and  vessels  in  front,  and  the  shields 
»  Kings,  Ti.  8.  «  Esther,  i.  6,  6. 


KHORSABAD. — FERGUSSON*S   EESTOEATIONS.  245 

suspended  from  the  walls.  This  building  is  raised  upon  a 
platform  resembling  that  of  the  palace  we  are  describing ;  and 
the  roof  is  pitched,  the  pediment  or  gable-end  being  presented 
to  the  spectator.  The  same  illustration  affords  examples  of 
flat  roofs  and  of  numerous  windows. 

It  will  be  seen  that  our  restoration  of  the  roof  is  in 
many  respects  analogous  to  ancient  Egyptian  temples,  and  to 
modem  modes  of  construction  in  the  East.  It  nearly  agrees 
with  Mr.  Fergusson's  ingenious  restoration  of  the  palaces  of 
Nineveh  and  Persepolis.^  Mr.  Fergusson  has  adopted  dwarf 
columns  where  we  introduce  walls ;  and  he  lights  the  chambers 
beneath  through  the  spaces  between  the  columns,  instead  of 
through  windows  or  perforations  in  the  dwarf  wall.  Mr.  Fer- 
gusson differs  with  us  in  that  he  supports  the  roof  of  the 
chambers  by  double  lines  of  columns,  and  sustains  his  hypo- 
thesis by  collateral  evidence  derived  from  the  manj^  existing 
buildings  in  India,  particularly  the  mosque  of  Amedabad,  and 
finally  in  the  columns  existing  at  Persepolis.  Our  space, 
however,  does  not  admit  of  a  full  exposition  of  liis  views  ;  but 
a  perusal  of  the  book  itself  will  amply  repay  the  reader. 

We  will  conclude  this  chapter  by  a  brief  statement  of  M. 
Botta's  opinion  concerning  the  destruction  of  the  palace  of 
Khorsabad.  "  The  want  of  consistence  in  the  material  em- 
ployed in  building  the  walls  of  the  palace  of  Khorsabad," 
says  M.  Botta,  "  rendered  them  insufficient  to  withstand  the 
strain  of  an  arch  ;*  they  were,  nevertheless,  able,  through  their 
great  thickness,  to  support  any  amount  of  vertical  pressure.'* 
There  is  nothing,  then,  in  the  manner  in  which  the  supports 
are  constructed  which  is  compatible  with  any  kind  of  roof, 
except  with  one  of  wood,  for  which  it  is  particularly  suited. 
The  proofs  obtained  in  the  interior  of  the  chambers  tend  to 
show  that  this  was  actually  the  system  resorted  to  at  Khorsa- 
bad. It  is  incontestable  that,  during  the  excavations,  a  con- 
siderable quantity  of  charcoal,  and  even  pieces  of  wood,  either 
half  burnt  or  in  a  perfect  state  of  preservation,  were  found  in 
many  places.  The  lining  of  the  chambers  also  bears  certain 
marks  of  the  action  of  fire.    All  these  things  can  be  explained 

*  Fergusson's  "  Palaces  of  Nineveh  and  Persepolis  Restored." 

*  This  has  been  refuted  by  the  discovery  of  arched  ceilings  to  some 
of  the  chambers  that  have  lately  been  uncovered.  ^ 


246  KH0R8ABAD. — DESTBTJCTION  OF  THE  PALACE. 

only  by  supposing  the  fall  of  a  burning  roof,  which  calcined 
the  slabs  of  gypsum  and  converted  them  into  dust.  It  would 
be  absurd  to  imagine  that  the  burning  of  a  small  quantity  of 
furniture  could  have  left  on  the  walls  marks  like  those  which  are 
to  be  seen  through  all  the  chambers,  with  the  exception  of  one, 
which  was  only  an  open  passage.  It  must  have  been  a  violent 
and  prolonged  fire  to  be  able  to  calcine  not  only  a  few  places, 
but  every  part  of  these  slabs,  which  were  ten  feet  high  and 
several  inches  thick.  So  complete  a  decomposition  can  be  at- 
tributed but  to  intense  heat,  such  as  would  be  occasioned  by 
the  fall  of  a  burning  roof.  When  Botta  began  his  researches 
in  Khorsabad,  he  remarked  that  the  inscriptions  engraved  on 
ttie  pavement  before  some  of  the  doors  were  incrusted  with  a 
hard  copper- coloured  cement,  which  filled  the  characters,  and 
had  turned  the  surface  of  the  stone  green.  He  now  states 
that  he  had  not  at  that  time  made  sufficient  observations  to 
enable  him  to  understand  what  he  saw.  In  giving  an  account 
of  his  discoveries  to  M.  Mohl,  he  said  that  these  inscriptions 
had  been  incrusted  with  copper,  and  that  the  oxidation  of  this 
metal  had  produced  the  effect  he  remarked.  This,  he  admits, 
was  an  error,  and  subsequent  observation  has  shown  that  the 
copper- coloured  cement  was  but  the  result  of  the  fusion  of 
nails  and  bits  of  copper.  He  also  found  on  the  engraved 
flag- stones  scoria  and  half-melted  nails,  so  that  there  is  no 
doubt  that  these  appearances  had  been  produced  by  the  action 
of  intense  and  long-sustained  heat.  He  remembers,  besides, 
at  Khorsabad,  that  when  he  detached  some  bas-reliefs  from  the 
earthy  substance  which  covered  them,  in  order  to  copy  the  in- 
scriptions that  were  behind,  he  found  there  coals  and  cinders, 
which  could  have  entered  only  by  the  top,  between  the  wall 
and  the  back  of  the  bas-reliefs.  This  can  be  easily  understood 
to  have  been  caused  by  the  burning  of  the  roof,  but  is  inex- 
plicable in  any  other  manner. 

What  tends  most  positively  to  prove  that  the  traces  of 
fire  must  be  attributed  to  the  burning  of  a  wooden  roof  is, 
that  these  traces  are  perceptible  only  in  the  interior  of  the 
building.  The  gypsum  also  that  covers  the  walls  inside  is 
completely  calcined,  while  the  outside  of  the  building  is  nearly 
everywhere  untouched.  But  wherever  the  fronting  appears  to 
have  at  all  suffered  from  fire,  it  is  at  the  bottom :  thus  giving 
reason  to  suppose  that  the  damage  has  been  done  by  some 


KHORSIBAD. — DESTRUCTION  OP  THE  PALACE.  247 

burning  matter  falling  outside.  In  fact,  not  a  single  bas-relief 
in  a  state  to  be  removed  was  found  in  any  of  the  chambers : 
they  were  all  pulverised.  Nearly  all  those  of  the  outside 
might,  on  the  contrary,  have  been  detached  and  sent  to  France ; 
for  though  a  few  were  broken,  yet  the  stone  on  which  they 
were  sculptured  was  in  a  state  of  good  preservation.  Is  not 
this  the  effect  that  would  be  produced  on  an  edifice  by  the 
falling  in  of  a  burning  roof,  and  can  this  circumstance  be 
otherwise  explained  ? 

M.  Flandin,  the  artist  who  assisted  M.  Botta  in  his  researches, 
was  of  opinion  that  the  quantity  of  coals  and  cinders  did  not 
appear  so  large  as  might  be  expected  to  remain  after  the 
burning  of  a  roof  as  immense  as  that  of  Khorsabad.  He  also 
considered  that  the  half-burnt  beams  which  have  been  found 
in  the  chambers  belonged  to  the  doors  near  which  they  were 
generally  discovered.  This  assertion,  however,  M.  Botta 
thinks  is  far  from  being  supported.  Before  M.  Flandin' s  ar- 
rival, M.  Botta  states  that  he  had  found  coals,  cinders,  and  the 
remains  of  burnt  joists ;  and  in  a  letter  published  in  the  Journal 
of  the  Asiatic  Society  of  Paris,  he  had  particularly  noticed  this 
circumstance,  as  affording  proof  that  the  state  in  which  the 
palace  was  found  had  been  occasioned  by  the  burning  of  the 
roof.  The  place  in  which  burnt  joists  were  first  discovered 
was  in  the  centre  of  one  of  the  chambers,  as  far  from  any  of 
the  doors  as  it  was  possible  to  be.  The  wood  found  there 
could  not  have  belonged  to  the  doors.  With  respect  to  the 
quantity,  it  will  be  easily  seen  that,  after  a  fire,  it  will  be 
more  or  less  great  according  to  circumstances  that  it  is  now 
impossible  to  account  for.  The  relative  rareness  of  these  re- 
mains has  doubtless  been  caused  by  the  quality  and  dryness  of 
the  wood,  by  the  influence  of  combustion — or  the  greater  or 
less  length  of  time  during  which  the  floor  of  the  chambers 
was  exposed  to  the  action  of  the  elements  before  the  palace 
was  ingulfed.  It  is  certain  that  the  whole  interior  of  the 
chambers  is  calcined,  while  the  outside  walls  are  untouched. 
It  is  impossible  to  attribute  this  effect  to  any  other  cause  but 
the  burning  of  a  wooden  roof;  and  this  supposition  is  corrobo- 
rated by  indications  discovered  during  the  excavations.  The 
supposition  of  an  arched  roof,  on  the  contrary,  is  on  the  whole 
incompatible  with  the  nature  of  the  materials  employed  in  the 
construction  of  the  walls.    M.  Botta  therefore  concludes  that 


248 


KHOBSABAD. — DESTRUCTION  OP  THE  PALACE. 


there  is  no  cause  for  doubting  that  the  palace  of  Khorsabad 
was  roofed  with  wood.  In  this  opinion  he  states  that 
Mr.  Layard  coincides,  for  that  several  of  the  monuments  found 
by  him  at  Nimroud  were  covered  over  with  pieces  of  wood, 
like  those  at  Khorsabad. 


Fig.  104— PBOcEssioy,  showing  divisiuhs  of  slabs.    (Botta,  pis.  21,  22,  23.) 
The  double  line  indicates  a  doorway. 


Fig.  105.— VIEW  or  ptbamidal  mound  at  mimboud.    fbom  a  sketch  by  mb. 

BOMAIME. 


CHAPTER  II. 


KIMBOTTD    AND    THE    ASSTBIAN    SCULFTUHES   IK    THE   BBITISH 

MUSEUM. 


The  readers  who  have  gone  with  us  through  the  preceding 
pages  describing  what  is  left  to  us  of  Assyrian  art  in  the  ruins 
of  Khorsabad,  will  turn  with  double  pleasure  towards  those 
chambers  of  our  National  Museum  which  contain  our  share  of 
the  relics  of  ancient  Assyria.  Our  friends,  the  French,  are 
proud  of  the  sculptures  obtained  by  Botta,  and  now  in  the 
LouTre ;  but  we  may  fairly  and  successMly  challenge  com- 


250  NIMROXJD. — LATARD's    DISCOVERIES. 

parison  with  them,  hy  pointing  to  the  British  Museum.  No 
one  can  visit  that  establishment  without  feeling  the  import- 
ance and  interest  of  our  Assyrian  acquisitions.  The  great 
Winged  Bulls  and  Lions,  which  now  grace  the  halls  of  our 
British  Museum,  attract  the  notice  of  visitors,  and  by  their 
size,  their  antiquity,  and  their  strange  story,  induce  those  who 
might  otherwise  pass  on  to  other  objects,  to  stop  and  inquire 
for  the  companion  antiques,  which,  once  seen,  cannot  easily 
be  forgotten. 

By  devoting  the  present  chapter  and  the  next  to  the  especial 
account  of  the  Assyrian  relics  from  Nimroud  and  from 
Kouyunjik,  we  shall  at  once  render  our  work  more  complete, 
and  adapt  it  for  the  companionship  of  those  who  may  think 
fit  to  go  in  search  of  the  antiquarian  treasures  acquired  by 
Mr.  Layard  and  others  for  the  Museum  of  their  country.  It 
may  be  premised,  that  while  this  book  is  passing  through  the 
press,  the  authorities  of  the  British  Museum  are  yet  undecided 
how  the  Nimroud  marbles  are  to  be  ultimately  arranged,  and 
that,  meanwhile,  a  large  number  of  them  occupy  an  apartment 
under  ground,  the  remainder  being  ranged  against  the  walls  of  a 
kind  of  temporary  passage-chamber  to  the  left  of  the  entrance. 

In  some  of  our  descriptions  we  shall  avail  ourselves  of  the 
articles  originally  contributed  to  the  **  Athenaeum  **  and  **  Il- 
lustrated London  News,"  which,  however,  will  be  found  to 
be  copiously  enlarged.  The  Assyrian  collection  in  the  British 
Museum  was  not  all  contributed  by  Layard ;  a  portion  of  it 
is  due  to  the  exertions  of  Mr.  Hector,  Sir  Henry  Kawlinson, 
Mr.  Loftus,  and  Mr.  Hormuzd  Rassam,  of  whom  more  presently. 
Let  us,  however,  first  consider  Layard's  contributions,  adopting, 
as  far  as  practicable,  the  same  system  of  examination  as  we 
have  pursued  in  examining  Botta's  contributions  to  the  Louvre. 

In  considering  the  structures  at  Nimroud,  or  so  much  of 
them  as  have  been  uncovered,  there  is  a  striking  peculiarity, 
that  we  cannot  allow  to  pass  unnoticed, — viz, :  the  absence  of 
that  uniformity  of  plan  which  so  remarkably  characterised 
the  Khorsabad  Palace.  There,  most  of  the  doors  either  faced, 
or  were  pendant  to  each  other,  and  the  principal  chambers 
likewise  appeared  to  correspond ;  while  here,  on  the  contrary, 
no  two  doors  are  opposite,  and,  apparently,  no  two  chambers 
answer  to  one  another. 

The  walls  of  the  palace  at  Nimroud,  from  which  these  works 


WINGED  LION  SYMBOL  OP   THE  ASSTRIAN  EMPIHE. 


251 


of  art  were  taken,  like  those  of  Khorsabad,  are  composed  of 
unburnt  brick  incrusted  with  slabs  of  marble  (gypsum)  eight 
inches  in  thickness,  and  seven  feet  wide.  Unlike  the  Palace 
of  Khorsabad,  however,  that  of  Nimroud  presents  no  grand 
portal  to  invite  our  entrance,  and  serve  as  a  guide  to  our 
course.  We  shall  therefore,  in  the  first  instance,  proceed  to 
examine  what,  on  a  general  survey,  appears  to  be  the  principal 
existing  chamber  of  the  north-west  quarter  of  the  palace. 
Entering  through  a  small  door- way  in  the  western  side  of  the 
excavation,  we  are  met  on  each  side  by  a  winged  figure  with 
a  garland  on  his  head,  and  having  a  pine-cone  in  his  upraised 
right  hand,  while  his  left  holds  a  basket.  Behind  each  figure 
is  a  slab  covered  with  cuneatic  inscription.  Having  passed 
the  entrance,  we  find  ourselves  within  a  small  ante-chamber 
about  40  feet  by  20  feet,  which  has  three  entrances, — one 
answering  to  that  at  which  we  entered,  and  a  wider  one  on 
the  opposite  side,  leading  into  a  large  hall.  On  the  wall  be- 
tween the  two  lesser  entrances  we  have  a  group  of  five  figures, 
the  centre  being  the  king,  holding  a  cup  in  his  right  hand, 
and  his  bow  in  his  left,  while  on  each  side  of  him  are  a  eunuch 
and  a  winged  divinity.  The  remaining  walls  are  occupied 
with  thirteen  slabs,  containing  colossal  winged  figures,  wear- 
ing the  horned  egg-shaped  cap,  and  carrying  the  fir-cone  and 
basket,  arranged  in  pairs  facing  each  other,  but  separated  by 
the  symbolic  tree.     (Fig.  64.) 

Proceeding  through  the  central  opening,  we  are  accompanied 
on  each  side  by  winged 
human  -  headed  lions, 
and  find  ourselves  in  a 
large  hall,  160  feet 
long  by  nearly  40  feet 
wide.  The  lions  at 
the  entrance  are  each 
9  feet  long,  and  the 
same  in  height.  The 
countenance  is  noble 
and  benevolent  in  ex- 
pression; the  features 
are  of  true  Persian 
type;  he  wears  an  egg- 
shaped  cap,  with  three 


Fig.  106.— LION  IN  B&ITIBH  XOSBUM. 


252  NIMBOUD. NISBOCH. 

horns,  and  cord  round  the  base.  The  ear  is  human,  and  not 
that  of  a  lion.  The  beard  and  hair  of  the  head  are  most 
elaborately  curled ;  but  the  hair  on  the  legs  and  sides  of  the 
statue  represents  the  shaggy  appendage  of  the  animal ;  round 
the  loins  is  a  succession  of  numerous  cords,  which  are  drawn 
into  four  separate  knots ;  and  at  the  extremities  are  fringes, 
forming  as  many  distinct  tassels.  At  the  end  of  the  tail  a 
claw  is  distinctly  visible.  The  strength  of  the  animal  is  ad- 
mirably and  characteristically  conveyed.  Upon  the  flat  sur- 
face of  this  slab  is  a  cuneiform  inscription  ;  twenty  lines  being 
between  the  fore  legs,  twenty-six  in  the  middle,  eighteen 
between  the  hind  legs,  and  seventy-one  at  the  back. 

**  The  first  was  like  a  lion,  and  had  eagles'  wings."*  We 
have  chosen  this  figure  to  commence  our  work,  because  it  is 
an  emblematic  symbol  of  the  Assyrian  empire,  as  we  learn 
from  the  Book  of  Daniel,  w^ho,  in  the  first  year  of  Belshazzar, 
had  a  vision,  informing  him  of  the  future  destiny  of  the  mo- 
narchy, which,  at  that  time,  had  reached  the  pinnacle  of  its 
glory ;  and  we  present  it  here  again  as  it  actually  occurs  at 
the  entrances  of  the  palaces  and  of  the  historical  chambers  we 
are  about  to  describe. 

Turning  to  the  right,  we  perceive  an  upright  slab,  7  feet 
10  inches  high,  and  2  feet  10  inches  wide.  It  represents  a 
winged  human  figure  with  the  head  of  a  carnivorous  bird, 
the  Percnopterus,  or  black  and  white  eagle,  very  recognisable 
from  the  crest  of  feathers,  and  from  the  caruncles  which  cover 
the  beak.  This  figure  occurs  very  frequently  in  the  Babylonish 
cylinders,  and  has  been  taken,  in  those  less  perfect  specimens 
of  the  divinity,  for  the  figure  of  a  man  with  the  head  of  a 
cock,  the  crest  of  feathers  on  the  head  having  been  supposed 
to  represent  the  cock's  comb.  This  was  the  opinion  of  Mr. 
John  Landseer,  who  first  made  these  works  of  art  known  to 
the  world  by  his  beautiful  engravings  and  descriptions  of  them. 
The  figure  is  clothed  in  a  short,  fringed  tunic,  reaching  only 
to  the  knee,  and  tied  at  the  neck  with  a  tasselled  cord ;  over 
this  is  an  elaborate  necklace  with  an  ornament  something  like 
a  pomegranate ;  and  another  of  this  favourite  fruit,  but  quite 
distinct  from  the  necklace,  is  hanging  from  a  cord.  Over  the 
short  tunic  is  a  longer  robe  similarly  trimmed,  some  part  of 
which  is  shown  at  the  back  over  the  left  shoulder.     The 

*  Dan.  rii,  4. 


NIlOtOUD. NI8R0CH.  253 

whole  is  covered  by  an  ample  garment  fringed  and  embroidered, 
which  reaches  to  the  ancle,  leaving  bare  the  right  leg.  It 
is  especially  to  be  noticed,  that  the  same  eagle-headed  divinity 
in  the  palace  of  Khorsabad  has  not  this  long  ample  garment, 
because,  as  we  hope  to  show,  this  particular  divinity  had  not 
acquired  that  celebrity  which  it  attained  to  in  a  subse- 
quent age.  The  feet  of  the  figure  are  covered  with  sandals, 
in  every  respect  like  those  worn  by  the  king  and  his  attend- 
ants ;  and  the  remains  of  colouring  matter  are  visible  upon 
them.  With  the  right  hand,  which  is  elevated,  he  presents  a 
pine-cone ;  and  in  the  left  hand,  which  is  advanced  across  the 
body,  is  a  basket,  or  bag  with  a  handle.  His  wrists  are  deco- 
rated with  the  rosette-shaped  bracelet ;  and  on  his  right  arm, 
at  the  insertion  of  the  biceps,  is  a  plain  massive  ring  lapping 
over.  The  handles  of  two  daggers  appear  on  his  breast,  just 
above  the  mantle ;  and  a  double  cord,  knotted  and  terminating 
with  tassels,  is  suspended  in  front  of  the  advanced  leg, — 
there  being  a  similar  one  behind  the  leg,  both  cords  apparently 
issuing  from  the  girdle.  The  whole  figure  is  less  agreeable 
in  its  proportions  than  the  divinity  we  shall  presently  de- 
scribe ; — and  the  muscles  of  the  advanced  leg  are  more  harsh 
and  globular  than  in  that  sculpture. 

Several  lines  of  cuneiform  writing  are  engraved  over  the 
lower  portion  of  the  figure,  entirely  regardless  of  the  hand, 
basket,  and  embroidered  garment.  The  characters  are  so  clear 
and  sharp  as  to  induce  a  belief  that  they  are  considerably  less 
ancient  than  the  figures ;  but  the  other  divinities  in  this  col- 
lection, and  the  Nahr  el  Kelb  figure,  as  well  as  that  recently 
discovered  on  the  coast  of  Cyprus,  have  inscriptions  beginning 
at  about  the  same  part  of  the  figure,  and  likewise  carried 
all  across  the  work,  whence  we  infer  that  this,  which  seems 
to  us  a  barbarous  defacement  of  the  sculptor's  work,  was  not 
so  regarded  by  the  Assyrians  at  any  period,  for  the  examples 
cited  comprehend  such  widely  differing  epochs  and  such  dis- 
tant localities,  as  to  include  the  very  epoch  and  place  of  the 
sculptures  before  us. 

To  return  to  the  main  point, — the  question  as  to  what  the 
Assyrians  may  have  meant  by  this  winged  man  with  an  eagle's 
head  ?  We  answer,  they  meant  to  portray  the  god  of  victory 
or  conquest,  and  that  this  sculpture  is  a  representation  of  that 
very  Assyrian  Divinity  in  whose  house,  and  before  whose 


254 


NIMROTJD. — KING  IN  HIS  CHARIOT. 


altar,  Sennacherib  was  murdered  by  his  sons,  Adramelech 
and  Sharezer.  Our  reasons  for  entertaining  this  belief  are 
chiefly  derived  from  the  word  tito  {Nisroch),  the  name  of 
that  divinity,  as  recorded  in  the  Second  Book  of  Kings,  chap- 
ter xix.,  and  27th  verse.  The  meaning  of  the  root  tdj  (nisr 
or  niserif  from  which  the  name  of  the  divinity  is  derived,  is 
to  lacerate  and  tear,  as  birds  of  the  eagle  class  do  their 
prey ;  from  which  circumstance  the  same  word,  by  a  natural 
succession  of  ideas,  came  also  to  signify  victory  or  conquest  in 
the  Arabic,  and  some  of  the  cognate  dialects  of  the  Hebrew. 
Hence  when  we  dig  up  an  eagle-headed  and  winged  figure  out 
of  the  ruins  of  an  Assyrian  palace,  the  conclusion  is  forced 
upon  us  that  it  represents  the  divinity  of  conquest  or  victory 
— the  particular  god  of  the  ambitious,  conquest-seeking  Sen- 


fig.  107. — KING  IN  UIS  CHABIOT  BESIEGINO  CITY. 

nacherib,  the  god  to  which  he  most  frequently  sacrificed,  and 
which  is  therefore  called,  in  the  sacred  text,  iviVk  {aleioo),  his 
god.  The  1  {k  or  ch)  at  the  end  of  the  word  Nisroch  i-jdj  we 
take  to  be  analogous  to  the  same  letter  in  the  Chaldee  masculine 
plural  noun  ^♦3'^D  {sarochin),  which  occurs  several  times,  sig- 
nifying, in  the  Book  of  Daniel,  overseers,  presidents,  or  in- 
ferior governors.  Thus  the  whole  word  would  signify  eagle 
chief,  eagle  lord.^    Or  it  may  be  considered  not  opposed  to  the 

^  See  Tattam's  Dictionary  of  the  Coptic  for  the  word  ik,  signifying 
chief  in  that  lauguage. 


NIMEOUD. — COMPABISON   OP  CHARIOTS. 


255 


genius  of  the  Hebrew  to  regard  the  t  as  a  suffix,  in  which 
case  the  word  would  mean  **thy  eagle,"  thus  denying  or 
repelling  as  it  were  all  participation  in  the  worship  of  the 
idol.* 

Passing  the  figure  of  Kisroch,  we  arrive  at  the  comer, 
which  is  occupied  by  a  symbolic  tree ;  the  adjoining  wall 
is  divided  into  two  lines  of  illustration,  between  which  is  a 
broad  band  of  cuneatic  inscription.  The  first  subject  on  the 
upper  line  (fig.  107)  represents  the  king,  in  front  of  the 
battle,  in  his  chariot  with  his  charioteer  and  shield-bearer, 
who  are  both  without  helmets.  The  chariot  closely  resembles 
the  Egyptian.     (See  figs.  108  and  109.) 


Fig.  108.— EOTFTIAM  CHABIOT. 

*  The  Nisr  of  the  ancient  Arabs  is  said  to  have  been  Tvorshipped  under 
the  form  of  an  eB.g\e.— Sale's  Frelim.  Disc,  sec.  i.  p.  19. 

The  Nisroch  of  the  Assyrians  has  been  thought  to  have  been  also  re- 
presented by  the  same  bird ;  and  the  Mithras  of  the  Persians  had  the 
wings  of  an  eagle. — Beyer ^  Addit.  in  Selden  de  Diis  Si/ria,  synt.  ii.  c.  10, 
p.  325 ;  and  Montfaucon^  Ant.,  vol.  ii.  p.  368 ;  Xenoph.  Cyrop.^  lib.  vii. 
p.  300. 


256 


yiMEOUB. A8STKIAX   CHAKIOT. 


To  the  sides  are  attached,  crossing  each  other,  two  quivers 
fall  of  arrows.  Each  quiver  contains  a  small  bow,  and  is 
likewise  furnished  with  a  hatchet.  Proceeding  from  the  front 
of  the  chariot,  over  or  between  the  horses,  is  a  richly-em- 


FiS.  109.— ASSYHIA>f  CHABIOT. 


broidered  appendage,  which  seems  to  be  an  apparatus  like  that 
used  in  India,  for  preventing  the  horses  coming  together. 
The  bossed  shield  of  the  king  is  placed  at  the  back  of  the 
chariot,  serving  for  farther  security :  in  front  is  the  brass  or 
iron  bar  fixed  to  the  pole,  as  in  the  chariots  of  Egypt,  and 
the  pole  terminates  in  the  head  of  a  swan  ;  in  the  Egyptian 
example  the  termination  is  a  ball.  The  spear  is  inserted 
behind  the  chariot  in  a  place  appointed  for  it,  decorated  with 
a  human  head.    The  harness  and  trappings  of  the  horses  are 


NIMEOTJD. — ASSYRIAN   CHAEIOT.  257 

precisely  like  the  Egyptian.  Pendant  at  the  side  of  the  horse 
is  a  circular  ornament  terminating  in  tassels  analogous  to  that 
divided  into  thongs  at  the  side  of  the  Egyptian  horse,  Tihich, 
we  may  presume,  may  he  intended  to  accelerate  the  pace  of 
the  animal,  as  in  the  case  of  the  spiked  halls  fastened  to  the 
trappings  of  the  race  horses  of  the  Corso  in  Rome.  In  both 
examples  several  bands  pass  over  the  chest,  and,  lapping  over 
the  shoulders  of  the  horses,  join  the  ligaments  attached  to  the 
pole  or  yoke.  A  remarkable  band  and  thong,  through  the 
upper  end  of  which  passes  a  single  rein,  is  the  same  in  both 
harnesses.  The  tails  of  the  Assyrian  horses  are  fancifully 
compressed  in  the  centre,  while  the  Egyptian  horses  have  a 
band  round  the  upper  part  or  root.  Around  the  necks  of  the 
Assyrian  horses  is  a  string  of  alternately  large  and  small 
beads,  which  appear  to  have  cuneiform  characters  cut  upon 
them — possibly  a  chaplet  of  amulets,  according  to  the  custom 
of  the  oriental  nations  of  the  present  day.  The  shield- 
bearer  extends  the  bossed  shield  to  protect  his  sovereign. 

The  king's  surcoat  is  richly  embroidered.  He  has  bracelets 
with  rosette-shaped  clasps  upon  his  wrists ;  and  his  bow  arm 
is  protected,  as  are  those  of  his  officers,  from  the  recoil  of  the 
string  by  a  close-fitting  shield  fastened  to  the  forearm  at  thci 
elbow  and  wrist.  Above  the  royal  chariot  is  the  winged 
divinity  wearing  the  double-horned  cap.  He  directs  his  arrows 
against  the  enemies  of  the  king.  A  broad  flat  ring  encircles 
this  figure,  passing  just  above  the  feathery  termination  of  his 
person,  and  behind  and  above  his  shoulders.  Directly  before 
the  king,  one  of  the  enemy — perhaps  the  chief — is  falling 
from  the  back  of  his  chariot ;  while  his  charioteer,  unable  to 
guide  the  horses,  precipitates  himself  in  front.  Behind,  one 
of  the  kiug's  soldiers  has  seized  a  flying  enemy,  and  is  about 
to  kill  him,  notwithstanding  the  efforts  of  his  companion  to 
drag  him  off  to  the  security  of  the  city.  Another  of  the  enemy 
lies  dead ;  and  others  are  rapidly  flying  for  refuge  towards 
the  outworks  of  the  city,  which  reach  to  the  shores  of  a 
shallow  stream  running  through  a  woody  country.  The 
victorious  king  has  pursued  the  enemy  up  to  the  very  con- 
fines of  the  city ;  which  is  protected  by  a  ditch  and  double 
wall — from  behind  which  the  enemy  are  discharging  their 
arrows.  The  city  is  represented  with  embattled  towers  and 
arched  gateway.     Erom  the  towers  the  enemy  are  shooting 

s 


258 


NIMROUD. — STANDABD-BEARER8   IN   BATTLE. 


arrows  and  throwing  stones,  under  cover  of  wicker  shields. 
The  last  figure — as  far  as  the  fracture  allows  us  to  see — is  that 
of  a  person  endeavouring  to  obtain  a  parley.  He  holds  his 
slackened  bow  in  his  left  hand  ;  and  his  right  is  upraised  in 
the  act  of  bespeaking  attention. 

The  next  subject  (fig.  110)  that  engages  our  attention,  is  a 
continuation  of  the  last.  It  represents  the  standard-bearers 
of  the  king,  with  their  respective  charioteers.  Each  chariot 
has  attached  a  distinct  banner — the  foremost  being  a  buM,  and 
the  second  two  bulls.  The  chariots  and  trappings  of  the 
horses  are  exactly  like  those  already  described.  There  are 
three  horses  to  each  chariot,  but  only  six  legs  are  shown. 
The  officers  are  bare-headed ;  though  in  other  respects  their 


Fig.  110. — STANDABD-BBABEBS — CONTINUATION  OF  Fio.  107.    Size,  3  ft.  by  7  ft  1  in. 

dresses  are  the  same  as  before  detailed.  The  victorious  army 
is  pursuing  the  enemy  through  a  wood,  indicated  by  bushes 
and  trees ;  while  the  eagle  and  the  outstretched  headless 
bodies  are  sufficiently  suggestive  of  the  defeat  and  destruction 
of  the  enemy.  A  wounded  leader  of  the  adverse  party  is  im- 
ploring for  quarter.  The  officers  of  his  chariot  are  represented 
as  falling  and  struggling ;  and  their  action  is  in  good  oppo- 
sition to  the  cool,  steady  array  of  the  king's  body-guard. 

The  third  subject  represents  the  king  proceeding  victoriously 
from  the  battle  field.     (Fig.  111.) 

The  king,  who  is  in  his  war-chariot  just  described,  is  at- 
tended by  warriors  on  horseback  and  on  loot.    In  front,  lead- 


NIMROUD. — PROCESSION   AFTER  VICTORY. 


259 


ing  the  horses  of  the  chariot,  is  the  king's  groom,  clothed  in  a 
short  tunic,  bordered  and  fringed  ;  belt  round  his  waist,  sword 
suspended  from  the  shoulders,  sandals  upon  his  feet,  and  his 
uncovered  hair  elaborately  curled.     In  advance  is  a  sceptre- 


Fig.  111.— KTKo  IN  PBOCESsiON  ATTEB  viCTOBiES.    Size,  2  ft.  11  in.  by  7  ft.  1  in. 

bearer,  armed,  and  wearing  a  pointed  helmet.  "Within  the 
chariot  is  the  charioteer,  holding  the  reins,  and  with  a  whip 
in  his  right  hand.     His  dress  is  a  tunic,  with  a  sash  and  belt 


Fig.  112.— STANDAKD-BBABEBS   OP  THE   KINO   IN    FBOCESSIOM   AFTEB  VICTOBT.      Size, 

2  ft.  11  in.  by  6  ft.  11  in. 


round  his  waist,  and  sword  by  his  side ;  but  he  wears  no 
covering  on  jhis  head,  nor  armlets.  The  king  is  in  his 
usual  costume;    and  behind  him  stands  a  eunuch    holding 

s  2 


260 


NIJIROTJD. CUP-BEAHEK   EECEIVING    PHIS0NEB3. 


a  parasol  above  his  head.  Iramediatelly  following  the  king 
is  a  mounted  warrior  leading  a  richly  caparisoned  horse. 
Still  farther  behind,  but  in  the  upper  part  of  the  slab,  are  two 
warriors  carrying  sceptres  in  their  elevated  right  hands,  while 
the  dead  and  dying  are  scattered  above  and  around.  Preceding 
the  king  is  the  emblem  of  the  Divinity,  with  his  right  hand 
pointing  onward,  his  left  hanging  down  holding  the  bow. 

The  fourth  scene  is  a  continuation  of  the  last,  and  shows 
us  the  **  Standard-bearers  of  the  king  in  procession  after 
victory."     (Fig.  112.) 

In  this  frieze  a  war-chariot,  drawn 
by  three  horses,  conveys  a  standard- 
bearer,  his  charioteer,  and  an  attend- 
ant, who  seems  holding  on  by  a  con- 
trivance for  the  purpose,  fixed  in  front 
of  the  car.  The  standard-bearer  has 
his  right  hand  extended,  while  his  left 
sustains  a  standard  with  two  bulls.  In 
advance  is  another  chariot,  also  drawn 
by  three  horses,  in  processional  pace, 
and  guided  by  a  charioteer.  It  conveys 
a  standard-bearer,  whose  standard  is  a 
Divinity  drawing  his  bow,  and  standing 


Fig.  113.— CUr-BEAREB  RKCUIVIKa  PBISONEBS. 

upon   a  bull;    wherever    this  standard   is   seen,   it  invari- 
ably precedes   that  which   contains  two  bulls,  from  which 


KIMROUD. — MUMMERS. 


261 


•we  infer  that  it  is  indicative  of  superior  rank.  All  these 
figures  are  without  any  head-dress,  and  have  their  hair 
elaborately  curled.  Hovering  over  the  foremost  horse  is 
a  bird  of  prey,  a  trained  falcon,  carrying  in  his  claw  a 
human  head  from  the  field  of  battle.  The  fore  part  of  the 
frieze  is  divided  into  two  sections :  the  upper  portion  shows 
three  musicians,  the  two  elder  of  whom  are  each  striking  a 
nine-stringed  instrument  with  a  long  plectrum,  while  the 
third,  a  beardless  youth,  is  playing  with  his  fingers  upon  a 
cylindrical  drum,  like  the  Indian  torn  tom,  which  is  suspended 
round  his  neck.  Advancing  towards  the  musicians  are  two 
unarmed  soldiers,  bearing  human  heads  in  their  hands,  the 
foremost  holding  one  forward,  as  if  in  evidence  of  his  prowess 
in  the  field.  The  lower  division  represents  the  two  grooms 
belonging  to  the  chariots,  in  advance  of  the  horses,  and  before 
them  are  some  of  the  king's  soldiers  in  conical  caps,  their 
hands  upraised,  as  if  eagerly  relating  the  occurrences  of  the 
day ;  between  the  figures  human  heads  are  strewn,  in- 
dicating that  this  is  a  part  of  the  field  of  battle.  The  last 
group  on  the  frieze  consists  of  two  unarmed  soldiers,  one  of 
whom  holds  human  heads  in  his  hands,  while  the  other  is  ad- 
dressing him  with  hands  upraised,  as  in  the  preceding  group. 

The  fifth  frieze  upon  this  upper  portion  of  the  wall  is  ap- 
parently divided  into  four  compartments,  each  of  which  is  in 
itself  so  curious  and 
interesting  that  we 
present  the  detached 
sections  on  a  larger 
scale  than  the  accom- 
panying illustrations. 
The  first  compartment 
that  we  shall  describe 
(fig.  113)  represents 
a  soldier  fully  armed 
and  holding  a  sceptre, 
introducing  four  cap- 
tives of  distinction, 
all  clothed  in  long 
robes,  and  with  their 
arms  bound  together  by  the  rope  which  is  held  by  their  captor. 
The  king's  cup-bearer,  of  gigantic  stature,  receives  the  pri- 


Fig.  114.— MUMMERS  DANCING. 


262 


NIMKOUD. TAMBOTJBA. 


eoners  at  the  entrance  of  a  pavilion,  a  mark  of  respect  that 
leads  to  the  conclusion  that  they  are  captives  of  note  about  to 
be  led  into  the  presence  of  the  king.  The  entrance  of  the 
pavilion  is  formed  of  pillars  ornamented  up  their  entire  shafts, 
and  further  enriched  by  highly  decorated  capitals,  which  are 
surmounted  by  goats  very  characteristically  represented.  A 
sort  of  tympanum  to  this  temple-like  pavilion  is  decorated 

similarly  to  the  pillars, 
and  the  cornice  beneath 
consists  of  suspended  or- 
naments like  pine-cones, 
alternating  with  tassels. 
The  capital  of  the  last 
column  of  the  pavilion 
is  ornamented  with  the 
heads  of  animals,  but  the 
fracture  prevents  our 
learning  whether  the  top 
was  likewise  surmounted 
by  an  animal. 

Immediately  above  the 
prisoners  is  the  second 
compartment  (fig.  114), 
containing  two  mummers 
clothed  in  lion  skins,  the 
heads  forming  masks. 
They  are  dancing  a  gro- 
tesque dance  to  the  music 
of  a  man  who  accompanies 
them  on  a  sort  of  cithern, 
played  with  a  plectrum: 
the  instrument  is  like  the 
guitar  with  the  long 
finger-board,  still  in  use 
in  Persia  and  Turkey,  and 
played  in  the  same  way 
with  a  plectrum  (figs.  1 1 5 

and  116).      This  instru- 
Fig.  115.-TAMB0UBA.     Fig.  ii6.-s.de  VIEW,    j^^^^^    ^^jj^j     tamboura, 

is  3  ft.  9  in.  long,  and  its  elegantly  shaped  sounding-board  is 
6|  inches  wide ;  it  has  ten  strings  of  small  wire,  47  stops, 


NIME0T7D. — CTJBKT-COMBING   A    HOESE. 


263 


and  is  invariably  highly  enriched  and  inlaid  with  mother  of 
pearl.  The  taraboura  is  in  common  use  upon  the  shores  of 
the  Euphrates  and  Tigris,  but  in  Egypt  it  has  almost  totally 
disappeared,  and  in  all  probability  ere  long  there  may  be  no 
example  extant  of  an  instrument  that  is  possibly  coeval  with 
the  time  of  David,  Our  illustration  is  copied  from  a  Tam- 
boura,  belonging  to  some  Syrians  exhibiting  some  years  since 
in  the  Egyptian  Hall. 

In  the  centre  of  the  frieze,  and  before  the  pavilion,  is  the 
third  compartment  (fig.  117),  showing  a  servant  curry-comb- 


.-<?r: 


Fig.  117.-- THE  STABLE— CUBRT-COUBXKa  A  HOBSB. 

ing  a  horse,  while  two  other  horses  are  feeding  out  of  a  sack 
of  corn,  the  strings  of  which  hang  loosely  down,  and  a  fourth 
behind  is  admirably  designed,  turning  its  head  to  bite  its 
back. 

The  fourth  compartment  of  this  frieze  (fig.  119)  represents 
the  interior  of  the  royal  kitchen.  It  consists  of  a 
circle  with  thirteen  turreted  towers  at  irregular  inter- 
vals, like  a  walled  town.  This  circle  is  divided  into  / 
four  compartments,  exactly  resembling  the  Egyptian  Fig.  lis. 
hieroglyphic  (fig.  118),  the  determinative  of  country  or  dis- 
trict. 

The  first  compartment  contains  a  brazier  and  fire-place  with 
clawed  legs,  and  within  the  fire-place  are  several  vases.    A 


264 


NIMROUD. — THE   EOTAL  KITCHEN. 


eunuch  holding  a  minasha  or  fly-flap  in  one  hand,  and  in  the 
other  a  fan  such  as  is  used  in  the  East  at  this  day  to  revive 
the  charcoal,  presides  over  the  cooking  or  preserving  ope- 
rations. 

The  second  compartment  contains  a  tahle  with  crossed  legs 
terminated  by  cloven  feet,  and  upon  the  table  are  cups  and 
other  vessels.     On  one  side  stands  a  eunuch  holding  a  long 


Fig.  119.— INTEBIOB  OF  THE  ROYAL  KITCHEST. 

napkin,  el  marrhama,  over  his  left  shoulder,  and.  a  fly-flap  in 
his  right  hand.  A  second  eunuch  is  sitting  upon  a  low  stool 
in  front  of  the  table,  occupied  in  pounding  in  a  mortar  with 
his  right  hand,  while  his  left  holds  a  fly-flap  over  a  small 
vessel  before  him,  from  which  we  may  suppose  that  he  is  com- 
pounding sherbet  or  some  sweet  beverage. 


NIMEOUD.— KING  AND  EUNUCH  WAERIOR  IN  BATTLE. 


265 


Below,  in  the  third  compartment,  is  seen  an  aged  eunuch, 
assisted  by  a  young  one,  disjointing  an  animal  which  lies  upon 
a  table  before  them. 

The  fourth  compartment  or  chamber  shows  a  long-bearded 
man,  evidently  a  common  attendant,  superintending  the  boil- 
ing of  a  large  pot  with  two  handles. 

The  last  frieze  (fig.  120)  on  this  upper  part  of  the  wall  re- 


Pig.  120.— THE  KING  IN  BATTLE  :    DIVINITY    ABOVE — BIRD    PREYING  ON   THE  DYING. 

Size,  3  ft.  1  in.  by  7ft.  4  in. 

presents  a  battle  with  the  king  in  his  chariot  and  the  Divinity 
flying  overhead. 


Fig.  121.— EUNUCH   WABRIOB  IN  BATTLE ;    BIRD  OF  PREY   ABOVE.      SizC,  2  ft.  11  in. 

by  7  ft.  i  in. 


266 


NIMROUD. BOUT   AND   PLIGHT   OF   THE   ENEMY. 


The  sixth  frieze  (fig.  121)  on  this  upper  line  of  the  wall 
shows  the  chief  eunuch  in  battle.  The  eunuch  is  in  his  war 
chariot  with  three  horses  which  are  guided  by  his  charioteer. 
The  usual  arras  are  attached  to  the  chariot,  all  highly  deco- 
rated ;  the  breast-plate  and  tunic  of  the  chief  officer  are  richly 
ornamented,  and  his  bow  arm  is  protected  by  a  plate  of  metal. 
Immediately  over  the  horses  hovers  a  bird  of  prey  ;  and  above 
their  heads  and  beneath  their  feet  are  two  men  falling,  pierced 
by  arrows,  their  weapons  scattered  over  the  battle-field.  Be- 
hind the  chariot,  and  with  their  backs  turned  towards  it,  are 
two  of  the  enemy — one  standing,  the  other  kneeling — both 
discharging  their  arrows ;  and  in  front  of  the  horses  is  one 
who  has  already  been  wounded  by  two  arrows,  and  who  holds 


Fig.  122.— THB  BOUT  AMD  FLIGHT  OF  THE  BNXMY.    Size,  3  ft.  3  in.  by  7  ft.  1  in. 

his  bow  in  his  left  hand,  while  with  the  right  he  endeavours 
to  arrest  the  progress  of  the  chariot.  Another,  likewise  appa- 
rently in  retreat,  has  turned  to  discharge  an  arrow  at  the 
conqueror ;  and  before  him  is  one  of  the  king*s  soldiers  deli- 
berately plunging  his  sword  into  the  breast  of  an  adversary, 
whom  he  has  driven  down  on  his  knees.  Behind  these  is  an 
earthwork  or  mound,  upon  which  two  are  contending,  both  on 
their  knees ;  but  the  king's  soldier  retains  his  sword  and 
wicker  shield,  which  he  holds  between  himself  and  foe,  who 
is  quite  disarmed,  his  bow  and  quiver  having  fallen  below. 
The  king's  soldiers  wear  the  conical  cap ;  the  enemy  the  simple 
fillet. 

The  seventh  frieze  (fig.  122)  is  a  continuation  of  the  same 


KIHBOUD. — ANIMALS   TBAINED    FOR  THE  BATTLE-FIELD.      267 

battle.  The  conquerors  are  led  by  two  horsemen — a  eunuch 
and  his  companion  shield-bearer  —  after  whom  come  two 
bearded  warriors,  each  discharging  arrows  at  the  flying  in- 
fantry of  the  enemy.  The  shield-bearers  have  their  shields 
slung  at  their  backs,  and  seem  to  be  holding  the  reins  of  the 
horses  of  their  fighting  companions  and  the  manes  of  their 
own.  The  bearded  infantry  wearing  the  conical  cap,  and 
armed  with  bow,  sceptre,  and  sword,  follow  in  military  order 
in  pursuit  of  the  enemy.  Under  the  horse  of  the  foremost 
bowman  is  a  headless  body ;  and  suspended  from  the  tasselled 
breast-armour  or  ornament  of  the  horse  (precisely  like  that 
worn  in  the  East  at  this  day)  is  the  head  of  one  of  the  van- 


Fig.  123.— STANDABD-BBABEUS  iM  BATTLB.    Size,  3  ft.  l.in.  by  7  ft.  4  in. 

quished.  In  front  is  a  wounded  soldier  endeavouring  to  shield 
himself  with  his  hand.  The  bows  and  arrows  of  the  fallen 
and  falling  are  strewn  about  the  field  of  battle ;  and  a  bird 
of  prey  hovers  over  head. 

The  traveller.  Sir  John  Chardin,  when  in  Persia,  was  in- 
formed, that,  down  to  the  sixteenth  century,  fierce  falcons  from 
Mount  Caucasus  were  trained  to  fly  at  men.  We  are  disposed, 
therefore,  to  regard  these  eagles,  hovering  over  the  chiefs,  as 
birds  trained  to  accompany  them  in  battle.  In  other  parts  of 
the  sculptures  from  Nimroud  we  find  birds  contending  with 
the  wounded,  and  chiefly  attempting  to  pick  out  their  eyes, 
thus  exhibiting  their  natural  instinct,  as  eagles  and  falcons, 


268 


NIMROUD. — CHARIOT  AND  OFFICERS  OF  THE  KIKG. 


when  contending  with  large  and  powerful  prey,  at  once  attack 
the  eyes  of  their  victims.  The  custom  of  employing  fierce 
animals,  that  could  be  trained  to  aid  in  war,  was  not  confined 
to  the  Assyrians,  for  Herodotus  informs  us  that  Sesostris  went 
to  battle  witli  a  lion,  and  we  find,  in  the  temple  of  Abou 
Simbal,  a  representation  of  Rameses  II.,  in  his  war-chariot, 
actually  going  to  battle  with  a  lion  or  panther  at  the  side  of 
the  chariot  (see  fig.  108).  We  have  engraved  this  Egyptian 
picture  for  a  double  purpose  ;  in  the  first  place,  as  illustrative 
of  this  historical  fact;  and  in  the  second,  as  affording  our 
readers  an  opportunity  of  comparing  the  trappings  of  the 
horses  and  the  construction  of  the  chariot  with  those  of  As- 
syria. It  is  not  a  little  remarkable  that  these  birds  of  prey 
are  nowhere  seen  in  the  sculptures  of  Khorsabad. 


Fig.  124. — CHABiOT  AND  OFFiCEBs  OF  THE  OBEAT  KiKo.    Size,  2  ft.  11^  in.  by  7  ft.  Jin. 

The  eighth  scene  (fig.  123)  shows  the  standard-bearers  of 
the  king  in  battle.  The  chariots,  charioteers,  and  standards, 
in  all  respects  resemble  those  shown  in  fig.  112;  and  the 
officers  are  seen  discharging  their  arrows  among  the  enemy, 
who  are  falling  beneath  the  feet  of  the  horses.  In  front  is  a 
foot  soldier,  and  behind  him  two  of  the  enemy,  who  are  aim- 
ing their  arrows  at  the  officers  of  the  king. 

As  this  frieze  terminates  the  upper  line  of  historical  sub- 
jects, we  shall  return  to  the  corner  whence  we  started,  and 
commence  the  reading  of  the  second  line. 

The  first  subject  (fig.  124)  represents  the  chariot  of  the 
king  drawn  by  three  horses.     In  front  of  the  chariot  is  the 


NIMROTTD. — SCALE   ARMOUR.  269 

king's  groom;  and  in  the  chariot  itself  is  the  charioteer 
holding  the  reins  and  having  a  whip  in  his  right  hand.  He 
is  clothed  in  a  tunic,  with  a  sash  and  belt  round  his  waist, 
and  a  sword  depending,  but  has  no  covering  on  his  head  or 
bracelets  on  his  arms.  The  head  of  the  groom  is  likewise 
uncovered,  and  his  hair  is  elaborately  curled.  He  is  clothed 
in  a  tunic  down  to  his  knees,  bordered  and  fringed ;  has  a 
belt  round  his  waist,  a  sword  suspended  from  his  shoulders, 
and  sandals  on  his  feet.  The  body-guard  behind  the  chariot 
wear  bordered  but  not  fringed  surcoats ;  and  have  slung  over 
their  shoulders  their  shields  highly  bossed,  and  with  a  lion's 
head  in  the  centre.  Their  swords  are  likewise  enriched. 
Their  feet  are  protected  by  sandals,  and  their  heads  by  conical 
caps.  They  hold  bows  in  their  left  hands,  and  in  their  right 
the  sceptre  already  described.  Before  the  chariot  of  the  king 
are  two  soldiers  clad  in  scale-armour,  which  reaches  from  the 
very  cap,  covering  the  neck  and  shoulders,  down  to  the  ankles. 
The  back  of  one  is  turned  towards  the  spectator,  so  that  the 
entire  sword  is  seen  hanging  from  the  shoulders,  and  secured 
by  a  belt  over  the  sash.  He  is  directing  his  arrows  upwards ; 
while  the  other,  who  holds  a  dagger  in  his  right  hand,  is  pro- 
tecting his  companion  with  a  thickly-bossed  shield.  Every 
bowman  in  all  these  sculptures  appears  to  be  accompanied 
by  a  shield- bearer.  A  third  warrior,  wearing  a  sword,  but 
not  clad  in  armour,  is  kneeling  down  in  front,  intimating 
fighting  in  ranks.  A  bird  of  prey  is  directing  its  course 
towards  the  battle-field;  and  another,  behind  and  above  the 
chariot  of  the  king,  is  already  tearing  a  dying  man,  one  of  the 
enemy,  who  appears  to  have  fallen  whilst  in  the  act  of  flying 
for  refuge  to  the  city. 

The  next  frieze  (fig.  125)  is  a  continuation  of  the  foregoing. 
It  represents  the  siege  of  a  city  situated  in  a  plain,  and  pro- 
tected on  one  quarter  by  either  a  marsh,  or  a  shallow,  sluggish 
river.  On  one  side  a  satrap,  or  ally  of  the  king,  attended 
by  his  shield-bearer,  is  vigorously  pursuing  the  attack.  He 
is  habited  in  the  long  fringed  and  embroidered  robe,  sandals, 
bracelets,  circlet  on  his  head,  and  long  sword,  and  is  dis- 
charging arrows  under  cover  of  the  shield  held  by  his  attend- 
ant, who  wears  a  helmet,  and  is  partly  clothed  in  mail.  Im- 
mediately before  the  satrap  is  the  standard  of  the  Divinity 
upon  the  bull,  like  that  which  we  have  before  observed  to 


270 


NIMROTTD, — WAR   ENGINES. LIQUID   FIRE. 


always  precede  the  standard  with  the  two  bulls.  The  ensign 
is  fixed  to  the  head  of  a  wicker  war-engine  and  battering-ram, 
which  has  effected  a  breach  in  the  walls.  To  divert  the  effect 
of  the  blows,  the  besieged  are  endeavouring  to  raise  the  pole 
of  the  ram  by  means  of  a  chain,  an  effort  that  the  besiegers 
are  again  counteracting,  with  the  aid  of  large  hooks,  employed 
in  pulling  it  down.  At  the  side  of  the  war-engine  a  bowman 
on  his  knees  is  discharging  arrows,  while  his  companion, 
armed  with  a  dagger,  defends  him  with  his  shield.  From  the 
foremost  battlement  the  besieged  are  seen  pouring  some  in- 
flammable liquid  upon  the  war-engines  of  the  enemy,  who, 
in  their  turn,  are  discharging  water  from  the  moveable  tower, 
to  extinguish  the  fire.  In  the  highest  tower  of  the  war-en- 
gine are  men  clad  in  mail,  discharging  arrows  and  casting 


Fig.  125.— SIEGE  OF  OAMA8CU8 :  FINAL  ASSAULT.     Size,  3  ft.  by  7  ft. 

stones.  On  a  lofty  tower  of  the  gate  some  women  are  seen 
tearing  their  hair  in  the  agony  of  despair,  while  strenuous 
efforts  to  defend  the  citadel  are  being,  made  by  the  men  sta- 
tioned on  the  walls.  Beneath  the  towers  of  the  gate  are  two 
men  disputing  the  possession  of  a  treasure  which  they  have 
accidentally  discovered,  whilst  engaged  in  undermining  the 
wall :  and  farther  on,  two  men,  clad  in  mail,  are  effecting  a 
breach  in  the  wall  by  means  of  celts,  or  bronze  chisels  fixed 
at  the  end  of  poles,  as  Mr.  James  Yates  has  satisfactorily 
shown  these  implements  to  be  in  a  paper  read  at  the  Archaeo- 
logical Society.*     Notwithstanding  the  efforts  of  the  besieged 

^  *'  Archaeological  Journal,"  December,  1842. 


NIMROTJD. — COMPLETION  OF   SIEGE. 


271 


to  defend  the  place,  the  out- works  seem  to  be  fatally  boni' 
barded,  and  the  people  are  falling  in  every  direction  from  the 
inner  walls. 

The  city  is  surrounded  by  four  rows  of  battlemented  walls, 
the  battlements,  cornices,  and  gateways  being  richly  decorated. 
The  principal  gateway  between  the  two  towers  is,  like  the 
others,  bivalved,  and  surrounded  by  an  ornament  commonly 
found  in  Saracenic  architecture,  the  very  same  decoration  being 
observable  on  the  walls  of  the  Alhambra  and  on  various 
Moorish  buildings  and  mosques  in  Cairo  and  Constantinople. 
It  is  to  be  particularly  observed  that  on  the  side  of  the  city 
which  is  already  sufficiently  protected  by  the  river,  the  arti- 


Fig.  126.— COMPLETION  OF  8IEQK  :   PEOPLE  LED  INTO  CAPTIVITY.      SiZC,  3  ft.  by  7  ft  1  in. 

ficial  fortifications  consist  of  low  walls ;  whereas  on  the  side 
where  there  is  no  natural  defence  the  walls  are  high,  and 
further  fortified  by  numerous  towers.  Where  the  walls  are 
high  the  besiegers  are  employing  war-engines  in  the  shape  of 
moveable  towers ;  and  where  they  are  low,  mining  operations 
are  actively  pursued.  The  next  slab  (fig.  126)  completes  the 
subject. 

From  a  tower  of  the  city  the  besieged  are  seen  casting 
stones  and  discharging  arrows  upon  the  besiegers,  who,  armed 
with  spears  and  swords,  are  mounting  rapidly  by  their  scaling 
ladders.  One  of  these,  of  gigantic  stature,  protected  by  his 
wicker  shield,  heads  the  scding  party,  while  beneath  mining 
operations  are  carried  on  under  cover  of  the  shields  of  the 


272  NIMROUD. — DAMASCUS. 

infantry.  Behind  the  scaling  party  stands  the  king  in  his 
long  embroidered  robe :  he  is  discharging  arrows  at  the  castle, 
from  under  cover  of  the  square  wicker  shield,  which  his 
shield-bearer  holds  in  his  left  hand.  The  shield-bearer  is 
clad  in  a  long  coat  of  mail,  and  carries  a  javelin  with  two 
streamers.  A  bird  of  prey  hovers  over  head.  **And  I 
will  give  thee  to  the  ravenous  birds  of  every  sort."*  Im- 
mediately following  the  king  are  two  eunuchs  in  long  robes ; 
the  elder  one,  who  is  of  gigantic  stature,  holds  the  umbrella 
over  the  king  with  his  left  hand,  and  in  his  right  appears  the 
handle  of  the  sceptre  or  instrument  of  authority.  The  younger 
or  lesser  attendant  carries  the  king's  quiver  of  arrows.  Far- 
ther on,  three  women  and  a  boy  are  being  led  into  captivity 
by  a  soldier  armed  with  sword  and  bow,  who  is  also  a  sceptre- 
bearer,  and  therefore  a  person  of  authority  attending  the  king. 
The  women  are  bare-footed  and  wear  long  robes  peculiarly 
ornamented,  but  without  fringes ;  around  their  waists  are 
scarfs,  and  their  hair  hangs  over  their  shoulders  in  long 
tresses,^  which  they  are  tearing  in  despair.  Among  the  cap- 
tives is  a  mother  and  her  child.  *'I  will  cast  thee  out,  and 
the  mother  that  bare  thee,  into  another  country ;"'  and  the 
others  maybe  supposed  to  be  her  maidens.  "For  lo;  our 
fathers  have  fallen  by  the  sword,  and  our  sons,  and  our 
daughters,  and  our  wives  are  in  captivity."*  Above  the 
women  are  three  oxen,  part  of  the  spoil. 

May  not  these  representations  be  a  realisation  of  the  pro- 
phecy of  Amos,^  "  and  the  people  of  Syria  shall  go  into  cap- 
tivity unto  Kir,  saith  the  Lord,"  and  the  city  of  Damascus  ? 
"  For  the  king  of  Assyria  went  up  against  Damascus,  and  took 
it,  and  carried  the  people  of  it  captive  to  Kir,  and  slew 
Rf'zin."*  The  site  of  Damascus  resembles  that  indicated  in  the 
friezes;  two  very  shallow  streams,  called  Nahr  Aawadji  (-4i«Ma) 
and  Behairat-el-Marj  (Lake  of  the  Meadow)  (Pharpar),  run 
through  and  meander  about  the  walls  of  the  city.  "  Are  not 
Abana  and  Pharpar,  rivers  of  Damascus,  better  than  all  the 
waters  of  Israel?"'  Again,  the  liquid  fire,  poured  by  the 
besieged  upon  the  besiegers,  may  probably  be  petroleum,  with 
which  the  adjacent  country  abounds.     Another  corroborative 

1  Ezekiel,  xxxiz.  4.  '  Isaiah,  xlvii.  2.  ^  Jeremiah,  xxii.  26. 

*  2  Chron.  xxix.  9.  *  Amos,  i.  5.  •  2  Kings,  xvi.  9. 

">  2  Kings,  V.  12. 


NIMaOTJD. PB0CE8SI0N  BEFOBE  WALLS  OP  PALACE. 


273 


point  in  support  of  our  suggestion  is  the  inscription  on  the 
obelisk,  which,  according  to  Rawlinson's  reading,  contains 
mention  of  Damascus,  and  likewise  the  name  of  the  god  Kim. 
mon,  the  divinity  of  that  city ;  lastly,  it  would  seem  that  a 
large  city  was  subjected  to  attack,  since  all  the  appliances  of 
war  have  been  brought  into  requisition. 

The  next  friezes  represent  the  king,  who  is  followed  by  his 
chariot  and  attendants,  receiving  the  prisoners  who  have  been 
captured  in  the  conquered  city.  The  following  illustration 
(fig.  127)  is  part  of  this  scene. 

The  walls  of  the  city  extend  entirely  across  the  frieze,  in- 
dicating that  only  part  of  the  subject  is  represented      Four 


Fig.  127.— TRIUMPHAL  PBOCESSiON  TOWARDS  THE  CITY.    Size,  3  ft.  by  7  ft.  10  in. 

battlemented  towers  are  shown ;  and  beneath  the  battlements 
are  circular  ornaments — a  decoration  that  induces  the  surmise 
that  these  are  not  the  walls  of  the  city,  but  the  external 
boundaries  of  the  palace.  The  idea  is  in  some  measure  sus- 
tained by  the  figures  of  the  women,  as  the  upper  story  in 
eastern  buildings  is  that  appropriated  to  the  females.  On  the 
walls  are  several  women,  each  having  her  hair  confined  by 
a  fillet  round  the  head,  and  flowing  in  long  loose  ringlets 
upon  the  shoulders.  Their  dress  consists  of  a  simple  robe, 
with  a  scarf  or  broad  band  round  the  waist.  They  are  in 
various  attitudes ;  the  first  having  her  arms  extended  and 
palms  open,  in  the  posture  common  in  the  East  in  pro- 
nouncing  a  blessing ;  the  second  has  her  hands  in  the  same 


274 


PASSAGE   OF    A   EIVER   BY   THE   KING   AT?D    TROOPS. 


position,  but  the  arras  are  more  advanced  ;  and  the  third,  who 
is  alone,  and  who  is  apparently  an  older  person,  has  only  one 
hand  raised.  The  gestures  of  the  remaining  two,  evidently 
youthful  figures,  are  far  more  animated  ;  the  foremost  having 
her  hands  extended,  as  if  pointing  to  the  view  without  and 
the  objects  of  interest  still  beyond,  while  her  head  is  turned 
towards  her  companion, — who  has  one  hand  raised,  and  seems 
speaking.  Passing  before  the  walls  is  a  procession  of  chariots ; 
the  first  drawn  by  two  horses  led  by  a  groom.  In  it  stands 
the  charioteer  of  a  standard-bearer.  The  emblem  is  contained 
in  a  circle,  and  represents  an  armed  figure  standing  upon  a 
bull,  and  discharging  an  arrow  from  his  bow.  The  next 
cliariot  resembles  the  last,  but  has  no  attendant  groom.     It, 


Fig.  128.— THE  GREAT  KING  CROSSING  A  RivEH.    Size,  3  ft.  by  7ft.  3in. 

likewise,  conveys  the  charioteer  of  a  standard-bearer,  the  staff 
of  whose  standard  is  visible,  though  the  emblem  is  broken 
away.  The  arms  and  appointments,  with  the  trappings  of  the 
horses,  are  the  same  as  those  described  in  former  subjects. 

The  three  succeeding  slabs  present  quite  a  new  scene — the 
passage  of  a  river  by  the  array  of  the  great  king  and  his  allies. 

Fig.  128,  the  front  division  of  the  subject,  is  indicated 
by  the  presence  of  the  king,  who  is  always  placed  foremost 
in  every  transaction,  whether  in  the  battle  or  in  the  chase. 
Here  he  is  in  his  war-chariot ;  which  has  been  put  into  a 
long  boat-like  vessel.  It  is  directed  towards  the  coast  by  a 
strong  and  naked  steersman,  with  a  long  paddle,  propelled  by 
three  rowers,  and  farther  accelerated  by  men  towing  on  the 


NIMR0T7D. — PASSAGE   OF    A.    RIVER. 


275 


bank.  The  king  himself  is  in  full  panoply  of  war; 'having  his 
sword  and  three  daggers  in  his  belt ;  his  bow  in  his  left  hand, 
and  two  arrows  in  his  right,  while  his  battle-axe  and  quivers 
of  arrows  are  attached  to  the  side  of  the  chariot.  Before  him 
stands  his  eunuch,  fully  armed,  pointing  out  to  his  observation 
the  position  of  the  enemy ;  and  behind  him  is  another  of  his 
chief  beardless  officers,  likewise  completely  armed.  Four 
horses  are  swimming  behind,  being  guided  by  the  groom  who 
sits  within  the  boat;  and  above  is  a  man  swimming,  supported 
by  the  skin  which  he  is  inflating. 

Then  follows  fig.  129.     The  soldiers  have  taken  off  their 


Fig.  129. — TBOOI'3  AND  EQUIPMENTS  CROS3INO  THE  BIVER.      Size,  3  ft.  by  7  ft. 

clothes  and  accoutrements,  which  as  well  as  the  chariots,  are 
conveyed  in  boats.  The  horses,  likewise  relieved  of  their 
trappings,  are  guided  by  swimmers,  all  the  latter,  whether 
soldiers  or  grooms,  being  supported  by  skins,  which  they  in- 
flate as  they  progress.^     In  advance  of  the  others  is  a  boat 

*  During  the  occupation  of  Upper  Egypt  by  the  French,  a  courier  was 
sent  from  Thebes  to  the  head-quarters  in  Cairo  with  secret  and  important 
information.  Some  days,  however,  before  the  courier  arrived,  the  import- 
ant information  had  been  communicated  to  the  Arab  cliiefs  in  Cairo,  by  a 
native,  who  had  carried  the  despatches  with  his  food  in  an  inflated  sheep- 
skin on  which  he  had  performed  the  greater  part  of  the  journey.  The 
Nile  being  at  the  time  much  swollen,  and  the  current  very  rapid,  the  dis 
tance  was  accomDlished  in  an  incredibly  short  interval. 

T  2 


276 


MMBOUD. — PASSAGE   OP   A   BITEB. 


rowed  by  two  men,  and  conveying  domestic  furniture  and 
bundles — possibly  the  clothes  of  the  swimmers. 

Lastly  we  have  fig.  130.  One  of  the  king's  beardless 
officers,  wearing  the  short-fringed  upper  dress,  and  holding  a 
whip  in  his  right  hand,  is  superintending  the  embarkation  of 
a  royal  chariot.  The  eunuch  is  preceded  by  an  attendant  in 
helmet  and  short  tunic ;  he  holds  in  his  upraised  right  hand 
what  appears  to  be  the  handle  of  a  whip,  and  in  his  left  a 
sceptre.  Behind  the  eunuch  is  another  attendant,  dressed 
like  the  last,  but  fully  armed,  and  holding  a  sceptre  in  his 
right  hand.  Before  them  is  the  river,  upon  which  a  boat  has 
been  launched ;  this  boat  contains  two  men,  one  managing 


Fig.  130.— PRBPABATIONS  FOB  CROSSIKO  A  RIVER,  AND  BMBABKATIOX  OF  THE  CHABI0T8. 

Size,  3  ft.  by  7  ft. 


the  paddle,  and  the  other  aiding  in  placing  the  chariot ;  a 
third  man  of  large  stature  is  transferring  the  chariot  from  his 
shoulders  to  the  boat.  Around  are  men  inflating  skins,  float- 
ing upon  them,  and  swimming  without  their  aid,  all  being 
quite  naked,  excepting  for  the  belts  round  their  waists.  The 
waves  are  large  and  turbulent,  conveying  the  idea  of  a  great 
river  or  body  of  water.  The  various  boats  represented  in  these 
scenes  are  singularly  illustrative  of  the  unchangeable  habits 
of  the  people.  "We  see  on  the  sculptures  the  very  boats  of 
circular  form  which  Herodotus  tells  us  were  "  constructed  in 
Armenia,  in  the  parts  above  Assyria,  where  the  sides  of  the 
vessels,  being  formed  of  willow,  are  covered  externally  with 


NIMEOUD . KT7FA  H. 


277 


Bkins,  and  having  no  distinction  of  head  or  stem.  The  boats 
have  two  oars — one  man  to  each  ;  one  pulls  to  him,  the  other 
pushes  from  him.  On  their  arrival  at  Babylon  they  dispose 
of  all  their  cargo,  selling  the  ribs  of  their  boats,  the  matting, 
and  everything  but  the  skins  which  cover  them;"  which  they 
take  back  to  form  into  other  similar  vessels  (Clio,  cxciv.). 
Fig.  131  shows  the  kufah,  or  modern  round  basket-boat,  which 
is  used  on  the  Tigris  and  Lower  Euphrates.  "They  are 
formed,"  says  Colonel  Chesney,  "of  osiers  plaited  together 
like  baskets  over  a  circular  frame  of  stout  materials.  In  some 
instances,  the  basket  is  covered  with  leather ;  in  others  only 
with  bitumen.  The  vessel  is  guided  by  one  man,  who  uses  a 
large- bladed  paddle  alternately  on  each  side."* 


Fig.  121. — KUFAH,  OB  BOUND  BASKBT-BOAT,  FBOH  A  8KETCB  BY  MR.  BOUAINB. 

Colonel  Chesney  likewise  informs  us  that  small  rafts  are 
formed  with  four  inflated  skins,  attached  by  withes  of  willow 
or  tamarisk,  over  which  are  placed  branches  in  layers  at  right 
angles  to  each  other.  "  This  constitutes  the  smallest  kind  of 
kellek,  on  one  of  which  may  be  seen  an  Arab  family,  moving 
with  the  stream  from  one  pasture-ground  to  another,  carrying 
its  bags  of  corn  and  other  effects,  the  animals  swimming  by 
the  side  of  the  raft."*  Kelleks  of  various  sizes  (fig.  132), 
up  to  36  feet  and  40  feet  in  length,  and  supported  by  from  50 

^  See  Isaiah,  xvii.  1,  2 ;  also  Exod.  ii.  iii. 

*  Colonel  Chesney,  "  Survey  of  the  Euphrates,"  vol.  ii.  c.  20.  "We  are 
indebted  to  Mr.  Romaine  for  the  foregoing  and  several  other  very  interest- 
ing sketches,  illustrative  of  the  soaaery  and  modern  customs  on  the  shores 
of  the  Euphrates  and  Tigris. 


278 


NIMROUD. — KELLEKS. 


to  300  inflated  skins,  readily  re-inflated  by  means  of  a  reed 
pipe,  are  also  used  to  carry  merchandise,  and  the  river  has, 
in  consequence,  been  called  the  chief  camelier.  On  the  plat- 
form of  these  kelleks  is  a  fire-place,  within  a  little  enclosure 
of  damp  clay,  to  prevent  accidents.     The  rafts  are  generally 


Fig.  132.— LARGE  KELLEK,  FBOM  A  SKETCH  BY  MR.  ROMAINE. 

kept  mid-stream  by  means  of  two  rude  oars,  made  of  the  rough 
branches  of  trees,  a  palm-branch  fan  at  the  end  of  each  forming 
the  blade. 

As  in  the  time  of  Herodotus,  when  the  cargo  has  reached 
its  destination,  the  materials  composing  the  raft  are  sold  for 


NIMEOTTD. — TENT  CABIN   ON   MODEEN   KELLEK. 


279 


fire-wood,  and  the  skins  taken  back  by  land  for  future  use. 
The  boat  of  the  Lamlum  marshes  is  a  larger  and  swifter  vessel, 
small,  low,  and  long,  like  a  canoe ;  it  is  formed  chiefly  of 
reeds,  with  the  exception  of  being  covered  with  bitumen  in- 
stead of  skins.  The  stem  and  stern  are  alike,  and  the  boat  is 
propelled  either  by  one  man  sitting  towards  the  stern,  or  by 
one  at  each  extremity,  facing  the  direction  in  which  the  boat 
is  proceeding,  and  using  their  paddles  on  opposite  sides. 


Fig.  133.— TENT  CABIS  ON  MODKRS  KELLEK,  FHOM  A  SKETCH 
BY  MR.  ROMAINB. 

The  double  line  of  illustration  on  this  part  of  the  wall  ter- 
minates with  fig.  130,  and  is  succeeded  by  several  groups  of 
colossal  figures.  The  first  represents  the  king  holding  a  cup 
and  a  bow,  dnd  followed  by  his  armour-bearer.  The  second 
contains  the  king  in  conversation  with  the  Eab  Signeen.  The 
third,  a  repetition  of  the  king  and  his  armour-bearer,  but 
facing  the  reverse  way.  On  the  fourth  slab  is  a  winged 
figure,  having  a  garland  on  his  head,  a  basket  in  one  hand,  and 


280  NIMKOTTD. — FUGITIVES  CEOSSING   A   TOEEENT. 

in  the  other  a  flower  of  five  branches,  which  he  is  presenting 
towards  the  small  entrance  (4)  we  are  about  to  pass.  Upon  each 
jiimb,  and  lookiog  into  the  chamber,  is  a  winged  bull,  wear- 
ing an  egg-shaped,  triple-horned,  head-dress;  differing  only 
in  the  head-dress  from  the  bulls  so  fully  described  at  Khorsa- 
bad.  Behind  the  bulls  are  large  slabs,  covered  with  cuneatic 
inscriptions.  Passing  on,  we  find  a  second  colossal  winged 
being,  exactly  like  that  on  the  answering  side  of  the  door ; 
and  the  remaining  portion  of  the  wall  on  this  side  is  lined 
with  a  double  row  of  illustration. 

The  first  on  the  upper  line,  fig.  134,  represents  three  men 
swimming  across  a  mountain  torrent,  endeavouring  to  gain  a 
stronghold  built  on  its  bank.     Two  of  them,  the  chief  and 


Fig.  134. — FUOiTivBS  CBOssiNG  A  ToRBEMT.    Size,  2  ft.  10  ib.  by  7  ft.  4  in. 

his  attendant,  are  supported  on  inflated  skins.  The  vanguard 
of  the  Assyrian  army  is  seen  descending  from  the  hills  in  pur- 
suit of  the  unfortunate  men,  who  are  already  wounded  by 
their  shafts.  On  the  outer  tower  is  seen  the  watchmen ;  and 
on  two  other  towers  are  women  extending  their  hands  in 
prayer  for  the  safety  of  the  fugitives.  In  the  hilly  country 
of  this  region  grow  trees  of  the  date  and  exogenous  kinds. 
This  city  has  great  foundations  built  of  hewn  stones,  and  high 
battlemented  walls ;  the  towers  of  the  citadel  have  numerous 
windows. 

The  next  frieze,  fig.  135,  represents  the  attack  of  a  fortified 
city.     The  king,  accompanied  by  his  body-guard  carrying  his 


NIMROUD. KING  ATTACKING  A  FOETIFIED  CITY. 


281 


arms  and  attended  by  a  single  eunuch,  all  on  foot,  directs  his 
arrows  against  the  city.  The  body-guand  are  clothed  in  sur- 
coats  reaching  midway  down  the  legs.  Each  has  a  round 
shield,  which  he  holds  upraised,  to  protect  the  sovereign  from 
the  shafts  of  the  eneray.  The  one  behind  the  king  has  a 
quiver  of  arrows,  and  a  sword.  He  holds  two  arrows  in  his 
right  hand,  for  the  king's  use,  while  the  guard  beside  him 
bears  the  king's  javelin,  and  is  without  a  sword  or  quiver. 
Both  guards  wear  sandals,  and  conical  caps.  The  king's  dress 
consists  of  a  long  robe,  richly  fringed,  with  a  shorter  tunic 
closing  down  the  front,  bordered  and  fringed.  Two  cords, 
knotted  together,  with  tassels,  are  suspended  from  the  girdle, 
in  which  he  wears  two  daggers,  and  a  sword.    He  has  a  second 


Fig.  136. — THE   OBBAT   KINO   ON   FOOT    ATTACEIMO  A    rOBTIFIED   CITY. 

Size,  3  ft  by  7  ft.  4  in. 

arrow  in  his  hand,  besides  the  one  which  he  is  in  the  act  of 
discharging  from  his  bow.  He  wears  the  royal  head-dress, 
encircled  by  a  plain  undecorated  fillet,  tied  behind  with  long 
ribands.  Ear-rings  and  bracelets  are  worn  by  all;  the 
former  sometimes  distinguished  by  a  three-lobed  termination, 
sometimes  consisting  of  rings  with  broad  pendants.  Those  of 
the  king,  however,  are  longer  than  and  different  in  form  from 
the  others.  The  bracelets  on  the  king's  wrists  are  conspicuous 
from  the  rosettes,  while  those  on  the  arms  of  his  guard  are 
simply  massive  rings.  The  eunuch  is  habited  in  a  robe  down 
to  his  feet  and  fringed  at  the  bottom ;  a  sash  is  round  his 
waist,  over  which  the  belt  of  his  sword  is  buckled.     On  his 


282  NIMROUD, — WICKEE  WAE  ENGINE. 

left  side  are  a  bow  and  a  quiver  of  arrows,  and  in  his  right 
hand  is  an  implement  like  a  stick,  with  a  rosette  ornament  at 
one  end,  and  a  loop  at  the  other.     This  instrument  we  have 
everywhere  designated  a  sceptre,  because  we  remark  that  in 
all  the  sculptures  the  personal  attendants  of  the  king,  whether 
his  eunuch  or  his  bearded  guard,  invariably  carry  it.     Xeno- 
phon  tells  us,  that  300  sceptre-bearers,  richly  dressed,  attended 
the  elder  Cyrus  upon  every  occasion.     The  eunuch's  head  ia 
uncovered,  and  his  hair  is  formallj'-  curled.     He  has  ear-rings 
and  bracelets,  but  wears  no  sandals.     His  garments,  as  well 
as  those  of  the  king,  are  elaborately  embroidered  and  fringed. 
Immediately  before  the  king  is  a  castle  formed  of  wicker- 
work,  protected  in  front  by  curved  projections  of  some  less 
fragile  material.     This  structure,  which  runs  on  wheels,  is  as 
high  as  the  walls  of  the  besieged  town.      Both  upper  and 
lower  tower  have  three  loopholes  for  the  discharge  of  arrows, 
and  other  missiles.     The  upper  tower  contains  soldiers,  bearing 
square  wicker  shields,   and  armed  with   bows,  arrows,  and 
stones.     One  soldier  is  discharging  an  arrow  under  the  cover 
of  his  companion's  wicker  shield,  while  the  latter  is  throwing 
a  stone.     The  wncker  engine  likewise  carries  with  it  a  batter- 
ing-ram, the  strokes  of   which    have  taken  effect  upon  the 
walls  of  the  town,  as  may  be  perceived  by  the  displaced  and 
falling  stones.     The  embattled  walls  of  the  city  have  at  inter- 
vals lofty  towers.     The  entrance  to  the  city  is  by  an  arched 
gateway,  opening  with  two  valves,  and  protected  by  a  tower 
on  each  side.     There  are  loopholes  and  windows  both  in  the 
towers  and  in  the  walls  above  the  gateway.     The  defenders 
posted  on  the  walls  (two  men  in  each  tower)  are  discharging 
arrows,  with  which  their  quivers,  slung  over  their  shoulders, 
are  well  stocked  ;  and  they  also  use  the  square  wicker  shield. 
The  besieged  are  distinguished  in  their  costume  from  the  be- 
siegers b)'  the  head-dress,  for,  instead  of  the  cap,  they  wear  a 
fillet  round  their  heads  resembling  that  worn  by  a  people  re- 
presented on  the  Egyptian  monuments.     In  the  front  of  the 
defenders  is  an  elder  of  the  city,  who  holds  his  slackened  bow 
in  his  left  hand,  and  who  appears  by  the  action  of  his  right  to 
be  endeavouring  to  obtain  a  parley.    He  is  closing  it  by  bring- 
ing the  four  fingers  and  thumb  together — an  action  still  in  use 
in  the  East  to  enjoin  prudence,  consideration, — and  invariably 
accompanied  by  some  word  implying  patience  and  forbearance. 


NIMEOUD. — LION  HUNT. 


283 


The  next  scene  is  of  a  totally  different  character.  It  re- 
presents a  lion  hunt  (fig.  136).  The  king  is  in  his  chariot, 
drawn  by  three  horses,  which  the  charioteer  is  urging  forward 
to  escape  the  attack  of  an  infuriated  lion  that  has  already 
placed  its  fore  paws  upon  the  back  of  the  chariot.  The  action 
and  countenance  of  the  charioteer  are  not  witliout  an  expres- 
sion of  fear,  and  his  flowing  hair  evinces  the  speed  at  which 
the  horses  are  advancing.  At  this  critical  moment  the  royal 
descendant  of  the  **  mighty  hunter "  aims  a  deadly  shaft  at 
the  head  of  the  roaiing  and  w^ounded  monster,  the  position  of 
M'hose  tail  and  limbs  is  finely  indicative  of  rage  and  fury. 
Behind  the  lion  are  two  of  the  king's  bearded  attendants,  fully 
armed,  and  holding  their  daggers  and  shields  ready  to  defend 


Fig.  136.— THE  LION  HUNT.    Size,  3  ft.  4  in.  by  7  ft.  4  in. 

themselves  in  case  the  prey  should  escape  the  arrow  of  the 
king.  Before  the  chariot  is  a  wounded  lion,  crawling  from 
under  the  horses'  feet :  the  cringing  agony  conveyed  in  its 
entire  action  is  well  contrasted  with  the  undaunted  fury  of 
the  former.  The  existence  of  a  claw  in  the  tuft  at  the  end  of 
the  lion's  tail  was  disputed  for  ages,  but  here  in  these  ancient 
sculptures  is  an  exaggerated  representation  of  it,  in  support 
of  this  curious  fact  in  natural  history  (fig.  137).  The  pecu- 
liarity was  first  recorded  by  Didymus  of  Alexandria,  an 
early  commentator  on  the  Iliad,  who  flourished  40  years  before 
the  Christian  era.  Homer  and  other  poets  feign  that  the 
lion  lashes  his  sides,  and  Lucan  states  that  he  does  so  to  sti- 


*£ 


284  NIMEOUD. — THE   BTJLL   HUNT. 

mulate  himself  to  rage ;  but  not  one  of  these  writers  adverts 
to  the  claw  in  the  tail,  although  Didymus,  who  lived  100 

years  before  the  last-named  author, 
discovered  it,  and  conjectured  that  its 
purpose  was  to  effect  more  readily 
what  Lucan  ascribes  to  the  tail  alone. 
>    ^^^^  Whatever  may  have  been   the  sup- 

Fig.  137.— CLAW  IN  LION'S  TAIL,  poscd  usc  or  intcntion  of  this  claw, 
From  Nimroud  Sculptures.     -^^  existence  has  becu  placed  beyond 

dispute  by  Mr.  Bennett,  who,  at  one  of  the  meetings  of  the 
Zoological  Society  of  London,  in  1832,  showed  a  specimen  of 
it,  which  was  taken  from  a  living  animal 
in  the  Society's  menagerie  (fig.  138). 
(See  "  Proceedings  of  the  Council  of  the 
Zoological  Society  of  London,"  1832,  p. 
Fig.  138. -CLAW  iw  lion's  146.)  It  is  no  small  gratification  to  be  able 
TAIL,  full  size.  jjQ^  ^  quote  in  evidence  of  the  statement 
of  Mr.  Bennett  and  his  predecessor,  Didymus  of  Alexandria, 
this  original  and  authentic  document,  on  the  authority  of  the  ve- 
ritable descendants  of  the  renowned  hunter  himself;  a  docu- 
ment too,  that  any  one  may  read  who  will  take  the  trouble  to 
examine  the  slab  under  consideration.  The  king's  bearded  at- 
tendants wear  the  conical  cap,  with  a  large  tassel  depending 
from  under  the  hair  at  the  back  of  the  head.  The  king  him- 
self is  habited  as  before  described ;  the  scabbard  of  his 
sword  is  adorned  with  lions'  heads.  In  its  groove  be- 
hind the  chariot  is  the  king's  javelin,  decorated  with  two 
fillets. 

The  fourth  scene  which  likewise  relates  to  the  chase,  dis- 
plays a  bull  hunt  (fig.  139).  The  king  is  attended  by  his 
huntsman,  who  follows  the  chariot,  riding  sideways  upon  one 
horse,  and  leading  another  with  embroidered  saddle,  and  richly 
caparisoned,  for  the  king's  use  in  the  chase.  The  king,  in  his 
chariot,  turns  round  to  seize  a  bull,  whose  fore  legs  are  en- 
tangled in  the  wheels,  and  he  secures  the  infuriated  animal 
by  grasping  one  of  the  horns  with  his  left  hand,  while  his 
right  inserts  a  small  dagger  precisely  between  the  second  and 
third  vertebrae — just  where  the  spinal  cord  is  most  assailable. 
He  performs  this  dangerous  feat  with  dignity — with  that 
calmness  and  composure  acquired  by  long  experience.  Another 
bull,  pierced  with  four  arrows,  lies  dead  on  the  ground.    In 


KIMROtTD. — THE   BULL   HUNT. 


285 


the  accustomed  place  is  the  royal  spear,  and  like  that  in  the 
hand  of  the  huntsman,  it  has  the  addition  of  a  fillet  to  arouse 
and  frighten  the  wild  animals.  The  same  deficiency  in  the 
number  of  legs,  both  of  the  chariot-horses  and  of  the  saddle* 
horses,  is  observable  in  this  sculpture. 

As  this  subject  completes  the  upper  line  of  illustration,  we  re- 
turn and  commence  reading  the  second  line.  Here  the  first  scene 
relates  to  the  conquests  of  the  great  king,  fig.  1 40.  It  repre- 
sents a  procession  conveying  prisoners  and  spoil  to  the  feet  of 
the  conqueror.  The  procession  is  led  by  two  officers  of  im- 
portance, habited  in  long  fringed  and  embroidered  robes, 
having  swords  with  ornamented  scabbards  and  handles  slung 
over  their  shoulders,  and  sandals  on  their  feet.  The  one  is 
bearded  and  the  other  beardless ;  the  latter  having  a  turban  of 


Fig.  139.— THE  BULL  HUKT.    SizB,  3  ft.  ^  ID.  by  7  ft.  4  in. 

embroidered  linen  on  his  head.  Both  have  their  hands  crossed 
in  the  attitude  of  respect.  A  double  bale  of  embroidered 
cloth  is  placed  above,  but  not  resting  on,  their  heads.  Im- 
mediately  succeeding  these  are  two  other  officers,  similar  in 
every  respect,  excepting  that  the  head  of  the  eunuch  is  un- 
covered, and  that  he  is  on  the  right  instead  of  the  left  of  the 
bearded  figure.  Three  bars  of  precious  woods  are  placed  above 
these  two.  Pollowing  them  is  a  single  eunuch,  clad  in  the 
same  fashion,  and  having  two  tusks  of  an  elephant  placed 
above  his  head.  His  left  hand  is  upraised  in  the  act  of  intro- 
ducing  a  prisoner  of  distinction,  as  may  be  inferred  from 


286 


NIMROUD. — PROCESSION    OF   CAPTIVES    WITH    SPOIL. 


his  flowing  robes  and  the  decorated  fillet  upon  his  head,  above 
which  are  two  square  vases.  The  feet  of  this  prisoner  are 
bare,  and  his  arms  are  tied  behind  him,  the  cord  being  held  in 
the  left  hand  of  a  gigantic  soldier,  wlio  follows  with  his 
clenched  riglit  hand  elevated,  as  if  in  the  act  of  buffeting  his 
prisoner.  The  costume  of  the  soldier  is  the  high  conical  cap, 
a  tunic  reaching  midway  down  the  leg,  quiver  slung  at  his 
back,  and  bow  on  his  arm  ;  above  his  head  is  a  semi-circular 
vase  of  different  foi^m,  with  two  handles.  Then  follows  a  eunuch, 
—excepting  that  he  wears  sandals,  habited  likes  the  first  pri- 
soner, whose  chief  minister  he  probably  is.  Above  his  head  is 
also  a  vase.     His  arms  are  bound  and  secured  to  the  two  bare- 


Fig.  140.— PROCESSION  OF  CAPTIVES  WITH  SPOIL  OK  TRIBUTE.    Size,  3  ft.  by  7ft.  4in. 

footed,  and  evidently  inferior,  prisoners  who  follow  in  succession. 
These  two  wear  short  tunics  and  the  fillet  encircling  the 
head.  The  cord  which  binds  their  arms  and  S(;cures  them  to 
one  another  is  held  by  another  gigantic  soldier,  wearing 
the  conical  cap  and  short,  tunic,  as  in  the  former  case ;  in  the 
left  hand  he  likewise  holds  his  bow,  the  right  being  raised  in 
the  act  of  striking  with  the  staff  the  captives  before  him. 
Some  have  considered  that  the  vases  and  other  implements 
above  the  heads  of  the  people  in  this  procession  are  intended  to 
indicate  the  rank  of  each  person ;  but  to  our  view,  they  re- 
present the  spoil  taken  and  brought  with  the  prisoners,  and 
laid  down  on  the  ground  before  the  conqueror,  as  in  the  battle 
scenes  are  represented  on  the  ground  the  dead  bodies  of  the 
slain.     "  I  give  him  charge  to  take  the  spoil,  and  to  take  the 


KlMEOtJD. — THE  LEAGUE. 


287 


prey,  and  to  tread  them  down  like  the  mire  of  the  streets.'**  "We 
cannot  leave  this  frieze  without  noticing  especially  the  attitude 
of  the  principal  prisoner  who  is  brought  before  the  conqueror. 
The  position  of  this  prisoner  suggests  a  passage  in  1  Samuel 
(c.  XV.,  ver.  32),  in  which  Agag  is  described  as  coming  to  Saul 
after  the  defeat  of  the  Amalekites,  "  and  Agag  came  unto  him 
delicately." 

The  next  subject,  fig.  141,  may  be  called  the  League  or 
Treaty  of  Peace ;  for  such  is  its  probable  import.  The  great 
king  having  pursued  his  enemies  who  fled  like  wild  beasts,  as 
indicated  by  the  spear  furnished  with  a  fillet,  into  their  strong 
places,  has  alighted  from  his  chariot  to  ratify  a  treaty  of  peace 


Fig.  141.— TKB  LBAGUB  OK  TEBATY  OF  PEACE.  Size,  3ft.  by  7ft.  3  in. 

with  the  Melek,  or  king,  of  the  opposite  party,  particularly 
marked  by  his  dress,  but  who,  like  the  former,  is  attired  in 
the  richly  embroidered  upper  garment,  which  is  seemingly  a 
royal  vesture.  Both  kings  are  on  foot;  but  the  conqueror 
is  distinguished  by  the  implements  of  war  which  he  stiU  re- 
tains, while  his  adversary  raises  his  right  hand  in  the  act  of 
supplication.  Moreover,  the  favourable  conditions  of  the  treaty 
are  further  intimated  by  the  surrender  of  the  prisoners — as 
expressed  by  the  figure  in  the  conical  cap  kissing  the  feet  of 
his  sovereign  and  deliverer.  Immediately  behind  the  great 
king  stands  his  umbrella-bearer  and  a  sceptre-bearer  (see  fig. 
142).  Then  follows  the  royal  groom  in  front  of  the  horses ; 
then  one  of  the  king's  body-guard ;  and,  last  of  all  at  his  post, 
the  charioteer. 

*  Isaiah,  x.  6. 


288 


THE  SCEPTBE-BEAHER. 


The  relative  importance  and  rank  of  each  of  these  officers 
of  the  royal  household  are  intimated  hy  the  height  of  the 
person  of  the  officer.  Each  bears  his  appropriate  insignia ; 
and  all  are  armed  precisely  as  in  the  rilievo  before  described. 
The  horses  in  this,  and  in  the  second  rilievo,  have  the  full 
complement  of  legs. 

The  next  slab  represents  the  return  of  the 
king  from  the  chase.  It  is  a  perfect  tab* 
leau  de  genre  de  kaut  ton,  portraying  the 
manners  of  the  Assyrian  court  more  than 
2500  years  agoj  resembling  in  so  many 
])oints  the  present  customs  of  the  East,  that 
it  is  truly  remarkable  how  little  change  the 
lapse  of  time  has  effected ;  and  affording  a 
most  interesting  illustration  of  the  marked 
and  peculiar  characteristic  of  oriental  na- 
tions, namely,  their  tenacious  regard  for  the 
habits  and  customs  of  their  forefathers. 
The  king  wears  the  usual  truncated  cap, 
long-fringed  robe,  and  short  highly  em- 
broidered tunic,  with  the  cord  and  tassels 
suspended  from  his  girdle ;  his  sword  is 
buckled  over  his  sash,  and  the  tassels  of  his 
sword-belt  are  hanging  from  his  shoulders 
both  back  and  front,  the  mode  of  slinging 
them  at  this  very  day  in  the  country  whence 
these  sculptures  were  brought.  Similar 
tassels  are  suspended  from  under  the  hair  at  the  back  of  the 
head;  and  he  has  rosette  clasped  bracelets,  plain  armlets,  and 
a  double  string  of  beads  round  his  neck.  Fully  armed,  he 
stands  in  the  centre  of  the  composition ;  his  bow  being  still 
in  his  left  hand,  while  with  his  right  he  raises  to  his  lips  the 
cup  which  he  has  just  received  from  the  hand  of  the  cup-bearer. 
At  his  feet  lies  the  subdued  lion.  He  is  followed  by  two 
beardless  attendants,  who  have  accompanied  him  in  the  chase, 
and  who  bear  a  reserve  supply  of  bows  and  arrows,  as  well 
for  the  king's  use  as  for  their  own  defence.  They,  as  usual, 
wear  no  head-dress,  and  are  attired  in  very  richly-embroidered 
robes  reaching  down  to  the  ankles.  Behind  these  are  the  king's 
bearded  attendants,   distinguished    by  their  short  surcoats. 


i:^^i_^^© 


142.— A     ROYAL 
3CEPTRE-BE  A  BEB. 


NIMHOim. THE  BOTAL.CUP-BEA.REE. 


289 


reaching  but  little  below  the  knee,  and  as  well  as  the  last  two, 
carrying  the  sceptre.  All  these  we  may  fairly  presume  have 
accompanied  the  king  in  the  chase,  and  have  arrived  with  him 
at  the  entrance  of  his  palace,  where  he  is  met  by  the  officers 
of  the  household.  In  advance  of  these  latter  stands  the  royal 
cup-bearer  (see  fig.  143),  the  sharhetgee  of  modern  times. 
This  functionary,  having  presented  his  lord  with  the  prepared 
beverage,  is  occupied  in  dispersing  the  flies,  which,  in  hot  cli- 
mates, assail  with  uncommon  avidity  all  cool  and  sweetened 
fluids.  The  instrument  which  he  holds  in  his  right  hand  for 
this  purpose  will  be  recognised  by  all  travellers  in  the  East  as 
the  minasha — the  very  same  fly- flap 
that  is  used  at  the  present  day.  It  is 
ordinarily  made  of  the  split  leaves  of 
the  palm,  fastened  together  at  the 
handle,  which  in  this  representation 
appears  to  terminate  in  the  shape  of  a 
ram's  head.  Over  his  left  shoulder  is 
thrown,  exactly  as'^in  the  present  day, 
and  as  borne  by  the  young  Cyrus  at  the 
court  of  Astyages,^  the  long  handker- 
chief or  napkin  {elmdrrhama)^  richly 
embroidered  and  fringed  at  both  ends, 
which  he  holds  in  his  left  hand  in 
readiness  to  present  to  the  king  to  wipe 
his  lips.  Behind  the  cup-bearer  stand 
two  officers  of  the  king's  household  in 
the  attitude  prescribed  by  Eastern 
etiquette — their  hands  folded  quietly 
one  over  the  other.  The  bearded  per- 
son has  a  fillet  round  his  head,  with  a 
double  necklace,  indicating,  as  we 
presume,  that  he  is  the  chief  of  those  who  attend  upon  the 
king  in  the  lower  apartments  (the  mlhmlik)  of  the  palace. 
The  other  beardless  attendant  is  the  chief  of  the  king's  servants 
(the  Kizlar  Ago),  who  superintends  the  upper  apartments  (the 
ha/reemlik)  of  his  palace.  They  are  both  clad  in  the  long  dress, 
richly  embroidered  and  fringed,  and  wear  swords.  Their  im- 
portance in  the  household  again  is  intimated  by  the  relative 
height  of  their  figures.     Behind    stand  the  royal  minstrels 

^  Cyropedia,  bk.  i. 


Fig.   143.      TUK   UOYAL 
CUP-BBABEB. 


290  NIMEOUD. — MINSTBELS. — MUSICAL  INSTRUMENTS. 

who  celebrate  the  king's  prowess  in  the  battle  and  in  the 
chase,  accompanying  themselves  on  instruments  of  nine  strings, 
held  in  the  left  hand  and  supported  by  a  belt  over  the  left 
shoulder.  These  instruments  appear  to  be  played  like  the 
Nubian  harp,  the  fingers  being  used  sometimes  to  stop  and 
sometimes  to  twang  the  cords ;  and  a  plectrum  or  stick  is  in 
the  right  hand,  with  which  the  chords  are  struck.  The  plec- 
trum, in  this  instance,  is  apparently  a  stick,  instead  of  a  small 
piece  of  leather,  commonly  used  at  present.  From  the  ex- 
tremity of  the  instrument,  into  which  the  pegs  for  the  strings 
are  inserted,  hang  five  tasselled  cords.  The  instrument  in  the 
hands  of  the  nearest  performer  terminates  in  a^  human  hand, 
probably  to  indicate  that  the  bearer  is  the  chief  musician,  or 
the  leader  of  the  chorus :  for  we  apprehend  that  the  two  in 
this  sculpture,  as  in  all  the  representations  of  battles,  sieges, 
hunts,  &c.,  typify  the  many.  With  regard  to  the  capa- 
bilities of  such  an  instrument  it  is  difficult  to  form  any  notion; 
for  before  sufficient  tension  of  the  chords  to  produce  sound 
could  be  obtained,  it  would  break  at  the  elbow  formed  by  the 
arm  and  the  body  of  the  instrument.  Either  the  sculptor  has 
omitted  the  column  to  resist  this  tension  of  the  strings, 
or  the  angle  formed  by  the  body  of  the  instrument  and 
the  arm  is  not  faithfully  represented.  The  minstrels  are 
habited  in  long  garments,  fringed  and  embroidered ;  but  they 
wear  no  bracelets  nor  ear-rings.  Their  height,  however,  is  in- 
dicative of  considerable  rank  in  the  Assyrian  court ;  neverthe- 
less, their  efforts  to  record  the  deeds  of  their  sovereign  have 
not  been  so  successful,  in  point  of  durability  at  least,  as  those 
of  the  sculptor. 

The  last  scene  of  this  line  of  illustration  (fig.  144)  resembles, 
in  most  particulars,  the  subject  just  described. 

The  dress  of  the  king  is  exactly  the  same,  and  as  in  that  he 
raises  the  drinking-cup  to  his  lips  with  his  right  hand,  while 
his  left  holds  his  bow.  Behind  the  king  is  his  umbrella-bearer, 
and  following  him  are  two  eunuchs  of  lesser  size,  bearing 
sceptres  and  quivers  of  arrows.  At  the  feet  of  the  king  is 
the  bull  which  he  has  subdued,  and  before  him  stand  the  cup- 
bearer with  his  fly-flap  and  the  Rab  Signeen,  habited  in  a 
short  surcoat  like  that  worn  by  the  king.  He  holds  his  hands 
folded  one  over  another,  in  the  conventional  attitude  of  respect. 


NIMROXJD. — BETUBN  FKOM  THE  BITLL  HX7NT, 


291 


Behind  these  is  a  beardless  figure,  entirely  unarmed,  and  with 
his  hands  folded  before  him;  and  after  him  succeed  two 
musicians,  singing  and  playing  on  the  nine-stringed  instru- 
ment. The  dress  of  the  musicians  is  a  long  fringed  robe, 
like  those  worn  by  the  other  actors  in  the  scene,  but  in  addi- 
tion to  it  they  wear  short  furred  tunics,  and  their  hair  is 
elaborately  curled. 


Fig.  144. — THB  KING  BBTcrBNiNO  FBOM  THE  BULh  HUNT.    Size,  3  f t  ^  in.  by  7  ft,  4  in. 

This  subject  brings  us  to  the  corner  of  the  room  which  is 
occupied  by  the  usual  representation  of  the  symbolic  tree. 

Upon  the  adjoining  wall,  forming  the  end  of  the  hall,  we  find 
at  each  corner  a  winged  figure  wearing  the  egg-shaped  three- 
horned  cap,  and  holding  a  pine-cone  and  basket ;  between  them 
is  a  group  of  two  winged  figures  and  two  kings,  before  the 
symbolic  tree ;  in  all,  six  colossal  figures,  of  which  four  are 
shown  on  the  centre  slab  (fig.  145).  The  large  central  group 
shows  us  the  king  twice  repeated,  for  uniformity  sake,  [per- 
forming some  religious  rite  before  the  symbolic  tree,  in  the 
presence  of  the  chief  divinity,  which  we  consider  to  symbolise 
Baal.  The  king  holds  the  sceptre  in  his  left  hand,  his  right 
being  upraised  and  his  fore-finger  pointed,  as  if  in  conversa- 
tion with  the  winged  divinity  above.  Elijah  apostrophises 
the  priests  of  Baal  ironically,  by  telling  them  to  call  louder  on 
their  god ;  for,  he  says,"  he  is  a  god ;  either  he  is  t:ilking,  or  he 
is  pursuing,  or  he  is  in  a  journey,  or  perad venture  he  sleepeth, 
and  must  be  awaked."  (1  Kings,  xviii.  27.)     We  may  judge 

XT  2 


29^ 


KIMBOVD. KINO  AND  DIVINITIES  BEFOBE  BAAL. 


now,  with  these  authentic  documents  of  the  worshippers  of 
Baal  hefore  us,  how  cuttingly  sarcastic  was  this  address  of  the 
prophet.  Here  truly  he  is  talking ;  elsewhere  he  is  pursuing, 
as  we  have  seen  ;  or  on  a  journey ;  or,  peradventure  sleeping  -y 
this  is  the  climax  of  sarcasm,  because  sleep,  as  the  priests  of 
Baal  well  knew,  is  necessary  to  the  restoration  of  the  faculties 


Fig.  145. — KINO  ANI>  DIVINITIES  UBFOBK  B&Al,  AND  TUB  SYMBOLIC  TUBE. 

Size,  6ft.  by  14f.  2in. 

of  the  mortal,  and  incompatible  with  divinity.     **  Behold,  he 
that  keepeth  Israel  shall  neither  slumber  nor  sleep."* 

We  have  given  three  illustrations  of  this  divinity  or  emblem. 
The  first  (fig.  146)  is  taken  from  the  most  elaborate  specimen 
we  have  yet  seen,  that  in  the  above  subject,  in  which  the 
radiating  lines  within  the  circle  conspicuously  typify  the  rays 

of  the  sun.  The  second  (fig. 
147),  which  we  conceive  had 
the  same  intention,  occurs  in 
less  elaborated  sculptures ;  and 
the  third  (fig.  148)  is  taken 
from  the  well  -  known  figure 
that  appears  over  the  doorways 
of  the  most  ancient,  as  well  as 
of  the  more  recent,  Egyptian 
Fig.  146.— 3AAL.  temples,  and  likewise  over  tab- 

lets.   We  have  little  doubt  but 
that  the  Egyptian  design  is  the  original  of  the  Assyrian,  and 

J  Psalm  ex  xi.  4. 


KIMfiOITD. — SYMBOL. — LION  WITH  HT7MA1T  AEMS. 


293 


Fig.  147. — SYMBOL  OF 
BAAL. 


that  it  bears  substantially  the  same  import.   In  every  case  this 

figure  appears  in  the  upper  part  of  the  field  or  ground  of  the 

basso-rilievo  and  over  the  head  of  the  king,  with  whom  he  is 

always  acting  in  unison,  either  aiding  him 

in  battle ;  or,  as  if  advising  with  him,  as  in 

the  bas-relief  (fig.  145)  at  the  end  of  the 

chamber.      It  is  remarkable,  that  in  the 

sculptures  of  Khorsabad  there  is  no  single 

instance  of  this  particular  divinity,  so  often 

represented  in  the  sculptures  from  Kimroud. 

In  the  floor  beneath  this  mystic  basso-rilievo  was  found  a 
slab,  10  feet  by  8,  and  2  feet  thick,  which  was  ascended  by  steps, 
the  sides  being  inscribed ;  around  the  slab  was  a  conduit,  as 
Layard  surmises,  to  carry  off  some  fluid,  perhaps  the  blood  of 
the  victim,  and  under  the  stone  there  were  found  some  bones 
and  fragments  of  gold  leaf.  Besides  the  above,  there  were 
two  other  hollowed  square  stones,  in  the  north-eastern  corner 
of  the  chamber. 

Passing  the  symbolic  corner- 
stone, we  find  on  the  northern 
wall  of  the  hall  a  divinity  with 
four  wings,  his  right  hand 
elevated,  his  left  hand  holding 
a  sceptre,  and  his  face  directed, 
as  usual,  towards  the  adjoining  door- way  (5).  The  recess  of  this 
entrance  is  lined  with  inscribed  slabs ;  on  the  jambs  beyond, 
and  with  their  backs  turned  towards  the  hall,  are  winged  hu- 
man-headed lions,  having  likewise  human  arms,  crossed  upon 
their  breasts.  Proceeding  onward,  there  are  no  remains  of  friezes 
until  we  arrive  near  the  second  entrance  on  this  side,  where 
the  first  that  meets  our  view  is  a  portion  of  the  lower  division. 

Pig.  149.  The  king's  chief  officer  in  his  chariot,  accompanied 
by  his  charioteer,  pursuing  the  cavalry  of  the  enemy,  and 
driving  it  into  a  river.  Pour  of  the  enemy  are  represented  in 
rapid  flight,  while  one  of  the  infantry,  who  has  been  struck 
down,  reaches  out  his  hand  for  succour  to  a  horseman,  who 
attempts  to  aid  him.  One  of  the  foremost  of  the  fugitives 
seizes  the  opportunity  to  turn  and  discharge  his  arrows  at  the 
pursuers,  and  under  the  horses  of  the  chariot  is  a  wounded 
man,  trying  to  draw  out  the  arrows  with  which  he  has  been 
pierced  in  the  side  and  in  the  thigh.    The  direction  of  the 


Fig.   148. — EGYPTIAN  SYMBOL. 


294       NIMKOXTD.— PABTHIAN  BOWMEN. — WINGED  DIVINITT. 


heads  is  reversed  in  this  frieze ;  they  face  to  the  left  instead 
of  to  the  right. 

"  The  Roman  dreads  the  Parthian's  speed, 
His  flying  war  and  backward  reed." — Horace  ii.  Odes,  13. 

"  Or  Parthian,  urging  in  his  flight 
The  battle  with  reverted  steed." — Horace  i.  Odes,  19. 


Fig.  149. — THE  FiiQHT:  PARTHIAN   BOWMEK,    Size,  7  ft.  by  3  ft. 

These  two  quotations  from  the  Koman  poet  exactly  describe 
our  basso-rilievo,  and  the  Assyrian  artist  has  not  failed  to  re- 
present this  peculiarity  of  Parthian  war- 
fare, although  he  does  not  acknowledge, 
like  the  Boman  poet,  any  dread  of  the 
Parthian  flight,  a  mode  of  warfare 
that  made  even  the  Roman  soldiers  fear 
the  encounter,  and  which,  we  have  little 
doubt,  was  equally  a  source  of  appre- 
hension to  the  troops  of  the  great  king. 
The  next  subject  is  a  part  of  the  last, 
and  shows  the  siege  of  a  castle  near  a 
river. 

The  double  line  of  historical  illustra- 
tion concludes  with  this  scene,  and  the 
next  slab,  fig.  150,  shows  us  a  colossal 
winged  figure,  having  but  two  wings ; 
holding  on  his  right  arm  a  fallow-deer, 
and  in  his  upraised  left  hand  a  branch 
Fig.  ISO—DEIFIED  MAN  WITH  bearing  five  flowers  erect.     The  figure 

lAixow  DEBB.    Size, 4  ft.  4^  in.    «  P  j      ±\.      ^  jfi.         j    •      j«  i.* 

by  7  ft.  3  in.  faces  towaids  the  left,  and  is  distin- 


KIMROUD. — ^WINGED   DIVIWITT. 


295 


guished  for  the  finished  execution  and  high  preservation  of  the 
sculpture.  His  elaborately  curled  hair  is  confined  round  the 
head  by  a  circlet,  with  a  rosette  ornament  in  front ;  and  his 
mantle  and  robe,  which  resemble  in  form  those  already  described, 
are  both  richly  ornamented,  as  well  as  fringed,  and  tasselled. 

This  brings  us  to  the  fourth  entrance  (6),  in  the  recess  of 
which  we  again  find  the  inscribed  slabs  ;  and  on  the  outer  jambs, 
with  their  backs  turned  towards  the  hall,  are  winged  lions, 
with  human  heads  and  arms — the  left 
carrying  a  stag,  and  the  right  a  flower, 
with  five  blossoms.     On  the  adjoining 
side  of  the  door  we  meet  a  repetition 
of  the  figure  we  surmise  to  represent 
a  deified  person,  because  although  he 
has  wings,  he  has  not  the  horns  worn 
by  divinities  (see  description,  fig.  163) 
carrying  the  fallow-deer  and  branch  ; 
and  then,  with  the  face  directed  the 
contrary  way,  a  winged  divinity  carry- 
ing the  fir  cone  and  basket,  fig.  151. 

We  have  now  reached  the  fourth  sym- 
bolic comer-stone,  and  here,  on  the  end 
wall,  facing  towards  the  large  doorway 
(3)  by  which  we  entered,  we  find  a 
second  figure  of  Nisroch,  fig.  1 52.  His 
right  hand  is  elevated,  holding  the  pine 
cone,  and  the  left  hangs  down,  carrying 
the  square  basket.  The  dress  is  similar 
in  shape  to  those  formerly  described  (page  252) — consisting  of 
the  long  robe,  mantle,  and  ornaments ;  but  the  borders  of  the 
garments  in  this  example  are  symbolically  embroidered.  One 
hem  is  decorated  with  the  pine  cone  and  lotus,  another  with 
the  lotus  and  honeysuckle,  tastefully  intermingled,  while  a 
third  portrays  a  battle  between  himself  and  the  human-headed 
lion,  in  which  the  former  is  victorious.  It  is  worthy  of  re- 
mark, that  the  eagle-headed  human  figure  in  the  embroidery 
has/owr  wings.  Another  noteworthy  point  is  the  extravagant 
development  of  the  muscle  in  the  leg  of  the  divinity.  This 
exaggeration  arises  in  no  conceit  or  mannerism  of  the  artist, 
for  it  is  to  be  seen  in  all  the  statues  of  the  divinities,  and 
seems  to  be  peculiar  to  the  sculpture  of  this  particular  age,  the 


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Fig.  151. — WINGED  DIVINITT. 

Size,  4  ft.  2  in.  by  7  ft  10  in. 


296  NIMROTID. — FIGTJBE   OP  NISKOCH. 

chnrnfitoristio  not  heinp;  ro  npparcnt  in  the  examples  at  Khor- 


sabad.j    This  arrogant  and  ignorant  display  of  anatomy  and 


NIMEOITD. — SELTZDAK. 


297 


pomposity  of  attitude  are  singularly  indicatiye  of  the  national 
vanity  alluded  to  in  the  Psalm*  ascribed  to  the  prophets  Hag- 
gai  and  Zechariah,  who  were  most  likely  bom  at  Babylon 
during  the  captivity,  and  must  have  been  acquainted  with 
the  fact  —  possibly  with  these  very  sculptures.  "We  take 
it  that  the  pine-cone  in  the  hand  of  the  god,  and  upon  his 
robe,  are  emblematic  of  the  same  strength  and  pride ;  for  the 
Assyrians  and  other  nations,  as  well  as  great  kings,  are  con- 
stantly likened  to  cedars,  to  figure  out  their  high  station,  glory, 
and  protection  they  afford  to  others.  (See  Ezekiel,  xvii., 
xxxi. ;  2  Kings,  xiv. ;  Amos,  ii. ;  and  Isaiah,  ii.  x.) 

The  historical  slabs  in  this  chamber  do  not  seem  to  relate 
throughout  to  one  consecutive  subject  or  campaign,  each  event 
following  in  easy  succession  or  chronological  order,  as  at 
Khorsabad.  On  the  contrary,  no  single  series  seems  to  extend 
beyond  three  or  four  subjects,  which  then  terminate  abruptly 
by  the  commencement  of  a  totally  dif- 
ferent scene.  Again,  in  the  case  of  the 
lion  and  bull  hunts,  the  subjects  do  not 
follow  one  another,  but  are  read  up  and 
down — the  return  from  the  lion  hunt 
being  under  the  hunt  itself,  the  same 
order  being  observed  in  the  bull-hunt. 
Another  peculiarity  is  the  irregular 
placing  of  the  colossal  figures:  for 
example,  on  one  wall  we  find  eleven 
slabs  of  double  lines  of  illustration,  suc- 
ceeded by  four  slabs  containing  groups 
of  colossal  figures,  whilst  on  the  an- 
swering side  of  the  doorway  there  is 
but  one  colossal  figure,  succeeded  by 
four  slabs  of  double  illustration.  On 
the  opposite  wall  the  irregularity  is 
almost  equally  marked,  suggesting  the 
obvious  conclusion  that  the  whole  of 
the  sculptures  must  have  formed  part  of 


i  'i'i'U'iti'A'i  ra'4'ivti  V. 


Fig.  163.— THE    SELIKDAB,* 
OR  SWOBD-BEABEB. 

*  Psalm,  cxlvii.  10. 

3  The  word  Selikdar  is  literally  sword-bearer,  but  the  appellation 
arms-bearer  would  better  describe  his  functions ;  at  this  day  any  officer  in 
the  presence  of  the  sovereign  uses  the  minasba  or  fly-flap  to  cool  the  air 
surrounding  the  royal  person. 


298  FIMBOUr. — CAPTIVE  HEADING  PEOCESSION. 

some  earlier  edifice.     In  quitting  the  great  hall  we  turn  back 


to 


NIMBOITD. — MONKEYS  AS  TBIBT7TE.  299 

to  the  side  entrance  (6)  where  we  noticed  the  deified  person 


300  NIMROUD. — THE  WINGED  BULL. 

carrying  the  fallow  deer,  and  at  once  pass  through  and  station 
ourselves  opposite  the  opening. 

On  the  portion  of  the  walls  still  standing,  we  find,  first  in 
an  angle  to  our  left,  a  winged  divinity,  14  feet  high,  wearing 
the  three-horned  cap,  and  carrying  the  fir-cone  and  basket ; 
then,  on  the  adjoining  side,  the  king  holding  his  bow  and 
arrow,  and  followed  by  his  Selikdar^  (fig.  1 53)  ;  and  facing 
the  king,  the  bearded  dignitary  whom  we  have  elsewhere  de- 
signated the  Rab  Signeen,  who  is  followed  by  a  eunuch. 
On  our  right  we  see  the  continuation  of  the  procession,  the 
figure  next  the  entrance  being  again  a  bearded  dignitary,  after 
whom  comes  a  eunuch,  followed  by  people  bringing,  as  tri- 
bute, monkeys,  ear-rings,  and  bracelets. 

In  the  first  figure  (fig.  154)  the  bended  knee  and  uplifted 
hands  are  expressive  of  submission  and  respect.  Behind  him 
follows  an  attendant  (fig.  155)  bearing  on  one  shoulder  a 
monkey,  and  leading  another  by  a  cord.  The  first  wears  a 
turban,  and  has  a  fringed  mantle  over  a  long  under-robe ;  his 
attendant  has  a  fillet  round  his  head,  a  mantle  short  in  front, 
and  his  under-dress  reaching  only  to  his  knee.  They  both 
wear  on  their  feet  buskins,  turned  up  at  the  toes,  like  the 
papusch  of  Constantinople.  These  figures  are  short  and  mus- 
cular in  form,  resembling  very  much  in  countenance  the 
people  of  Caramania.  Eighteen  lines  of  inscription  traverse 
the  slab. 

Proceeding  to  the  second  entrance  on  this  side  of  the  great 
hall,  we  find  a  repetition  of  the  same  subject,  but  as  our  pur- 
pose is  only  to  describe  in  detail  those  sculptures  actually  in 
the  British  Museum,  we  will  at  once  direct  our  course  through 
the  other  chambers  of  the  palace.  Crossing  the  great  hall  to 
the  doorway  (4)  on  the  south  side,  we  meet  on  each  jamb  a  hu- 
man-headed and  eagle- winged  bull  (fig.  156).  This  animal 
would  seem  to  bear  some  analogy  to  the  Egyptian  sphynx, 
which  bears  the  head  of  the  king  upon  the  body  of  the  lion, 
and  is  held  by  some  to  be  typical  of  the  union  of  intellectual 
power  with  physical  strength.  The  sphynx  of  the  Egyptians, 
however,  is  invariably  sitting,  whereas  the  Nimroud  figure  is 
always  represented  standing.  The  apparent  resemblance  being 
so  great,  it  is  at  least  worthy  of  consideration  whether  the 
head  on  the  winged  animals  of  the  Ninevites  may  not  be  that 
1  See  Note «,  page  297. 


JIIMROin). THE  WINGED  ST7LL. 


301 


of  the  king,  and  the  intention  identical  with  that  of  the 
ephynx ;  though  we  think  it  more  probable  that  there  is  no 
such  connexion,  and  that  the  intention  of  the  Ninevites  was 
to  typify  the  divinity  under  the  common  emblems  of  intelli- 
gence, strength,  and  swiftness,  as  signified  by  the  attributes 
of  the  bull  or  lion,  and  the  bird.^  According  to  some  the 
king  of  Assyria  adopted  the  symbolical  form  of  the  **  Bull " 
in  allusion  to  the  name  of  his  people.  "For  the  Bull  is 
called  -rw  schour  and  Tn  toury  following  the  dialects  of  the 
Semitic  idiom,  as  Assyria  iw  Aschour^  and  Arovpia.,  The  addi- 
tion of  the  article  n  before  these  words  would  produce  Haschour 


Fig.  156. — wixOED  BULL  IN  HALL  OF  BBiTisH  AiuSKUM.      Size,  9  ft.  by  9  ft. 


or  Hatour.  Thus  the  goddess  Hathor,  borrowed  by  Egypt 
from  Assyria,  is  represented  under  the  form  of  a  cow.  This 
Hathor  is  the  same  as  Venus ;  and  the  dove,  the  bird  conse- 
crated to  this  goddess  in  Syria  and  Cyprus,  is  called  iin  like 
the  bull  or  cow."*  The  specimen  immediately  before  us  is 
of  gypsum,  and  of  colossal  dimensions,  the  slab  being  ten 
feet  square,  by  two  feet  in  thickness.  It  was  built  into  the 
side  of  the  door,  so  that  one  side  and  a  front  view  only  could 
be  seen  by  the  spectator ;  and  the  Ninevite  sculptor,  in  order 

^  See  page  152,  Cap.  1.  Sec.  iv. 

'  A.  de  Longperier,  Notice  des  Antiquites,  Assyriennes,  Babyloniennes, 
Parses  et  Hebraiques,  du  Mos^e  du  Lourre,  3rd  edit.  1854. 


302 


NIMROUD. — NI8R0CH  BEFOHE  SYMBOLIC  TBEE. 


to  make  both  views  perfect,  has  given  the  animal  five  legs,  as 
before  noticed  in  the  examples  at  Khorsabad. 

In  this  rilievo  we  have  the  same  head,  with  the  egg-shaped 
three-horned  head-dress,  exactly  like  that  of  the  fion,  the 
ear,  however,  is  not  human,  but  is  that  of  a  bull.  The  hair  at 
the  back  of  the  head  has  seven  ranges  of  curls;  and  the 
beard,  as  in  the  portraits  of  the  king,  is  divided  into  three 
ranges  of  curls,  with  intervals  of  wavy  hair.  In  the  ears,  are 
pendant  ear-rings.  The  dewlap  is  covered  with  tiers  of  curls, 
and  four  rows  are  continued  beneath  the  ribs  along  the  flank  ; 
on  the  back  are  six  rows  of  curls,  upon  the  haunch  a  square 


Fig.  157.— MiSBOCH  B2F0BE  STiiBOLic  TBBB.    Sizc,  3  ft.  6  in.  by  6  ft.  34  in. 

bunch,  ranged  successively,  and  down  the  back  of  the  thigh 
four  rows.  The  hair  at  the  end  of  the  tail  is  curled  like  the 
beard,  with  intervals  of  wavy  hair.  The  hair  at  the  knee 
joints  is  likewise  curled,  terminating  in  the  profile  views  of 
the  limbs  in  a  single  curl.  The  elaborately  sculptured  wings 
extend  over  the  back  of  the  animal  to  the  very  verge  of  the 
slab.  All  the  flat  surface  of  the  slab  is  covered  with  cuneiform 
inscription ;  there  being  twenty- two  lines  between  the  fore- 
legs, twenty- one  lines  in  the  middle,  nineteen  lines  between 
the  hind-legs,  and  forty-seven  lines  between  the  tail  and  the 
edge  of  the  slab. 
M.  Longp^rier  states  that  the  principal  inscription  of  thirty- 


NIMBOTJD. HALL  OF  DIVINATIOK.  303 

one  lines  on  one  of  the  bulls  at  Xhorsabad  commences  with 
the  royal  formula,  "  Sargon,  king  of  the  country  of  Assur." 

The  portion  of  the  jambs  forming  the  recess  to  the  chamber 
within  are  lined,  as  in  the  other  openings,  with  inscribed 
slabs. 

THE   HALL  OF  NISROCH. 

The  chamber  we  have  now  entered  is  apparently  about  100 
feet  long,  by  25  feet  broad,  and  has  three  doorways,  the  one 
we  have  just  described  (4),  another  of  similar  proportions  in  the 
centre  of  the  opposite  side  (7),  and  one  in  the  corner  of  the  end 
wall  on  our  left  (8).  All  the  slabs  upon  the  walls,  excepting 
one,  consist  of  figures  of  Msroch  presenting  the  fir-cone  and 
basket  to  the  symbolic  tree  (fig.  157).  The  exception  is  a 
slab  at  the  side  of  the  small  entrance  (8),  which  contains  a 
representation  of  the  king,  wearing  an  emblematic  necklace, 
consisting  of  the  sun  surrounded  by  a  ring,  the  moon,  a  cross 
like  a  Maltese  cross,  likewise  in  a  ring,  a  three- horned  cap, 
and  a  symbol  like  two  horns. 

HALL   OF   DIVINATION. 

Passing  through  the  small  doorway  (8),  we  see  on  each  jamb 
a  priest  wearing  a  wreath,  his  right  hand  raised,  and  his  left 
holding  a  trilobed  branch.  The  slabs  on  the  recess,  as  usual, 
contain  inscriptions.  The  apartment  we  are  now  in  is  about  90 
feet  in  length,  by  25  feet  in  breadth,  and  runs  from  north  to 
south,  instead  of  from  east  to  west,  like  those  we  have  just 
seen.  It  has  five  entrances,  three  on  the  west,  one  on  the 
east,  and  the  fifth  in  the  centre  of  the  south  end.  Advancing 
into  the  room,  we  find  that  the  corners  are  all  occupied  by 
the  symbolic  tree,  and  that  the  entire  north  end  is  filled  by 
three  slabs  (fig.  158),  representing  the  king  drinking  or  di- 
vining in  the  presence  of  the  divinities  of  Assyria.  At  each 
end  is  the  figure  of  a  winged  divinity,  wearing  on  his  head 
the  horned  cap,  the  symbol  of  strength  and  power ;  he  is 
presenting  the  fir-cone  with  his  right  hand,  and  holds  in  his 
left  a  richly  ornamented  square  bag;  his  tunic  and  long 
mantle  have  the  usual  fringe,  and  are  besides  embroidered 


304 


THE  EI5G  DRINKING  IN  PRESENCE   OP   THE   GODS. 


NIMROTJD. — HALL  OF  DIVINATION.  305 

with  symbolic  borders.     The  Assyrian  monarch  is  represented 
as  seated  on  his  throne,  attended  by  three  of  the  principal 
beardless  officers  of  his  household.     In  his  right  hand  is  the 
cup  that  has  been  presented  to  him  by  the  cup-bearer,  who 
stands  before  him  with  the    "Marrhama,"    or  embroidered 
napkin,  over  his  shoulder.     The  representation  of  this  scene 
is  most  curiously  illustrative  of  the  following  passage  in  Xeno- 
phon : — "  Immediately  Cyrus  is  equipped  as  a  cup-bearer, 
and  advancing  gravely  with  a  serious  countenance,  a  napkin 
upon  his  shoulder,  and,  holding  the  cup  nicely  with  three 
of  his  fingers,  he  presented  it  to  the  king."     In  the  right- 
hand  of  this  officer  is  the  "  Minasha,"  or  fly-flap,  while  in 
his  left  he  holds  the  under  cup,  or  possibly  the  wine-strainer, 
an  instrument  in  common  use  among  the  Etruscans,  and  of 
which  there  are  many  examples  in  the  museums  of  Europe. 
Behind  the  throne  stands  the  king's   "Selikdar,'*  (see  fig. 
153),  or  sword-bearer,*  an  officer  of  high-rank  in  eastern 
courts. '   This  functionary  also  is  occupied  in  the  same  manner 
as  the  cup-bearer,  that  is,  dispersing  the  flies,  and  fanning 
the  king.     So  likewise,  at  this  time,  the  prime-minister  of  a 
Basha  or  Sultan  would  be  employed  while  his  master  was 
drinking  a  glass  of  sherbet,  or  sipping  a  cup  of  coffee.     Be- 
hind the  Selikdar  is  another  carrying  arms,  and  in  his  right 
hand  a  sceptre.     The  robes  of  this  last  attendant  are  not  so 
richly  embroidered  as  are  those  of  the  cup-bearer  and  Selikdar, 
which  are  highly  enriched  with  symbolic  borders.    The  throne, 
or  square  stool,  on  which  the  king  is  seated,  is  decorated  with 
a  fringe,  and  surmounted  by  a  cushion,  ornamented  with  a 
honeycomb  pattern.     Each  corner  of  the  seat  terminates  in  a 
bull's  head,  some  of  which,  very  beautifully  cast,  or  wrought 
in  bronze,  were  found  in  the  excavations  of  Khorsabad,  and 
brought  to  Fans  by  M.  Botta ;   some  examples  from  Nim- 
roud  are  also  in  our  own  Museum.     The  king's  feet  rest  upon 
a  footstool,  with  clawed  legs.     His  dress  consists  of  the  long 
fringed  robe  and  furred  mantle,  the  entire  breast  and  broad 
borders  being  adorned  in  the  most  elaborate  fashion,  and  the 
usual  truncated  tiara  and  ornaments;  but  he  is  quite  unaimed. 
Twenty  lines  of  inscription  run  across  the  figures  and  ground 
of  the  work.     These  three  slabs  are  not  only  interesting,  be- 
cause they  are  of  the  finest  sculpture  that  has  yet  arrived  in 
I  See  Note  ',  p.  299. 

X 


306  NIMROTTD.— DIVINING  BY  CUPS  AND  AKEOWS. 

this  country,  and  because  they  are  in  a  high  state  of  preserv- 
ation ;  but  more  particularly  because  they  embody  a  metaphor 
frequently  used  in  the  Psalms,  and  other  sacred  books  of  the 
Old  Testament,  expressive  of  the  interference  of  the  Divinity 
in  human  affairs.  Thus,  in  the  16th  Psalm  it  is  said,  **The 
Lord  is  the  portion  of  mine  inheritance  and  of  my  cup  :  thou 
maintainest  my  lot."  And,  again,  in  the  23rd  Psalm,  *'Thou 
preparest  a  table  before  me  in  the  presence  of  mine  enemies : 
thou  anointest  my  head  with  oil ;  my  cup  runneth  over."* 

The  whole  of  the  adjoining  or  eastern  wall  was  covered  by 
slabs  representing  in  regular  alternation  the  king  with  a  cup 
in  his  right  hand,  his  left  resting  on  his  bow,  and  attended 
by  the  cup-bearer  and  selikdar ;  and  the  king  with  two  arrows 
in  his  right  baud,  his  bow  in  his  left,  and  attended  by  two 
divinities  with  fir-cone  and  basket.  The  south  end  of  the 
chamber  is  occupied  by  the  doorway  (10),  guarded  on  each  side 
by  a  winged  figure,  and  in  the  floor,  at  the  corner,  is  a  square 
stone  with  a  hole  in  the  centre.  On  the  adjoining  side,  and 
next  to  the  symbolic  corner-stone,  is  a  figure  of  Nisroch  guarding 
an  entrance(ll),  on  the  opposite  side  of  which  is  a  correspond- 
ing figure  of  the  same  divinity.  Between  this  figure  and  the 
next  entrance  (12)  we  have  a  repetition  of  the  alternate  groups  of 
king  with  attendants,  and  king  with  divinities,  differing  in  no 
respect  from  the  former,  excepting  that  the  hand  of  the  king 
rests  upon  his  sword  instead  of  upon  his  bow.  Upon  the 
neighbouring  side  of  the  door  we  again  find  the  Nisroch,  and 
in  the  floor  between  this  middle  opening  and  that  by  which 
we  entered,  a  square  slab  with  a  hole  in  the  centre. 

The  evidences  upon  the  walls  lead  us  to  suppose  that  in  this 
chamber  were  practised  the  mysteries  of  divination,  both  by 
the  cup  and  arrows.  This  idolatrous  people,  as  we  learn  from 
the  sculptures,  and  infer  from  sacred  and  profane  writings, 
never  ventured  on  the  slightest  matter  in  war  or  politics,  either 
at  home  or  abroad,  without  having  recourse  to  some  super- 
stitious rite ;  and  it  is  probable  that,  on  the  wall  before  us, 
may  be  a  representation  of  the  mode  of  divination  by  the  cup. 

Many  cups  of  the  form  of  those  seen  in  the  hand  of  the  king 

were  found  by  Layard,  in  the  ruins  of  Nimroud,  and  are  now 

exhibited  in  glass  cases  in  the  middle  of  the  Assyrian  gallery, 

in  the  British  Museum.     They  are  made  of  bronze,  of  ex- 

1  Illustrated  London  News,  Dec.  21,  1850. 


NIMR0T7D.— DIVINING  CUPS.  307 

quisite  workmanship,  embossed  in  separate  compartments  with 
numerous  figures,  representing  men  and  animals.  One  of  the 
most  frequently-repeated  figures  is  that  so  common  in  Egyptian 
sculptures,  bearing  reference  to  time,  or  cycles,  or  periods. 
Other  cups  are  embossed  with  the  Assyrian  winged  animals, 
some  have  nodules  of  silver,  and  others  again  have  small  gar- 
nets set  into  the  bronze  at  certain  interlacings  of  the  ornament. 
They  are  all  of  beaten  work,*  in  which  art  the  ancients  had 
attained  great  skill  and  perfection,  as  these  tazze  assure  us,  and 
appear  to  be  of  the  nature  of  those  "  vessels  of  fine  copper'* 
spoken  of  by  Ezra  as  **  precious  as  gold."* 

There  can  hardly  exist  a  doubt,  from  the  nature  of  the  de- 
coration, that  these  are  cups  for  divining, — a  practice  common 
to  Syria  and  Egypt  as  early  as  the  time  of  the  patriarch  Joseph, 
as  the  stratagem  of  hiding  the  cup  in  the  sack  of  Benjamin 
would  lead  us  to  believe.  The  question  of  the  steward  to 
the  patriarch — *<  Is  not  this  it  in  which  my  lord  drinketh,  and 
whereby,  indeed,  he  divineth  ?"' — would  lose  half  its  force, 
if  the  custom  had  been  unknown  to  the  sons  of  Jacob. 

Mr.  Layard  has  also  brought  to  this  country  several  drink- 
ing cups  of  like  form  covered  with  Hebrew  characters.  They 
are  of  much  more  recent  date,  having  belonged  to  the  Jews 
who  lived  in  the  cities  of  Mesopotamia  and  who,  as  it  would 
seem,  were  affected  by  the  same  superstitions  that  are  not  yet 
eradicated  from  the  land  of  their  captivity. 

Drinking-cups,  both  of  brass  and  silver,  and  of  precisely  the 
same  shape,  are  in  common  use  at  present  all  over  the  East. 
They  are  generally  decorated  with  some  Arabic  sentence  bear- 
ing a  mystic  sense.  In  Persia  there  is  a  tradition  that  there 
was  a  cup  in  which  could  be  seen  the  whole  world,  and  aU 
the  things  which  were  doing  in  it.  This  wonderful  cup  is 
known  in  Persia  by  the  name  of  "  Jami  Jemshid,"  the  cup  of 
Jemshid,  an  ancient  king  of  that  country. — According  to  the 
same  tradition,  this  cup,  filled  with  the  elixir  of  immortality, 
was  discovered  in  digging  the  foundations  of  Persepolis.  The 
Persian  poets  frequently  make  allusion  to  this  cup ;  and  they 
ascribe  to  it  the  prosperity  of  their  ancient  monarchs.  "We 
ourselves  have  been  acquainted  with  a  Persian  who  had  squan- 
dered considerable  sums  in  experiments  to  convert  the  less 

*  Numbers,  viii.  4  j  Exod.  xxxvii.  17—22.  *  Ezra,  Tiii.  27. 

3  Genesis,  xliy.  5. 

X  2 


308  NIMROTTD. — THE  HALL  OP  THE  OBACLE. 

precious  metals  into  gold,  and  to  fLnd  a  drug  to  prolong  life 
indefinitely. 

Babylon  itself  is  called  a  **  golden  cup,*'^  in  the  figurative 
language  of  Scripture,  possibly  in  allusion  to  her  superstitious 
rites,  and  because  of  her  sensuality,  luxury,  and  affluence. 

It  is  probable  that  these  walls  also  show  representations  of 
that  kind  of  divination  by  arrows  that  we  read  in  Ezekiel  was 
practised  by  **  the  King  of  Babylon,  {who)  stood  at  the  part- 
iog  of  the  way,  at  the  head  of  the  two  ways,  to  use  divination : 
he  made  his  arrows  bright :  he  consulted  with  images  {tera" 
phim) :  he  looked  in  the  liver.** 

And,  in  confirmation  of  the  occasions  of  such  consultation, 
we  will  quote  the  next  verse :— '*  At  his  right  hand  was  the 
divination  for  Jerusalem,  to  appoint  captains,  to  open  the 
mouth  in  the  slaughter,'*  that  is,  where  to  begin  the  attack ; 
**  to  lift  up  the  voice  with  shouting,  to  appoint  battering-rams 
against  the  gates,  to  cast  a  mound,  and  to  build  a  fort.*'* 

All  these  circumstances  of  Assyrian  warfare  we  have  seen 
described  by  the  Assyrians  themselves,  in  the  course  of  our 
rendering  of  the  sculptures ;  and  we  are  very  much  inclined 
to  consider  that,  wherever  the  king  is  represented  holding  two 
arrows,  as  in  the  rilievo  we  have  designated  the  League,  and 
in  the  Passage  of  the  River,  it  is  to  be  understood  that  he  is 
divining. 

■    THE  HALL  OF  THE  ORACLE. 

Returning  to  the  doorway  (9),  we  are  met  on  each  side 
by  divinities  offering  the  fir-cone  and  basket,  behind  whom, 
in  the  recess,  are  the  inscribed  slabs.  The  chamber  we 
have  now  entered  is  about  a  hundred  feet  long  by  twenty 
feet  broad;  like  the  last,  it  contains  five  entrances — that 
by  which  we  entered,  another  on  the  same  side  (13)  and 
three  nearly  equi-distant,  opposite  to  us.  An  inspection  of 
the  wall  shows  us  that  the  principal  doorway  is  guarded  by  a 
divinity  with  a  fillet  round  the  head,  and  carrying  the  fir-cone 
and  basket ;  while  the  rest  of  the  wall  is  covered  with  repre- 
sentations of  the  king  with  cup  and  bow,  standing  between 
divinities  precisely  similar  to  the  guardians  of  the  door.     The 

^  Jeremiah,  li.  7.  ^  Ezekiel,  xxi.  21,  22. 


NniROUD. THE  HALL  OF  THE  OKACLE. 


309 


tipper  part  of  three  of  the  slabs  on  the  -western  side  of  the 
room  has  a  recess. 


INSCBIBED   CHAMBEB  AND  CHAMBER  OF  DIYINITIES. 

The  second  opening  (13)  in  the  western  side  of  the  room 
leads  into  a  small  chamber,  the  walls  and  pavement  of  which 
are  entirely  covered  with  inscribed  slabs,  one,  on  the  northern 
side,  being  recessed.  Leaving  this  apartment,  we  enter  the 
doorway  (14),  which  is  nearly  opposite,  and  find  ourselves  in  a 
long  chamber  or  passage,  20  feet  long  by  10  feet  wide,  which 
turns  at  nght  angles,  and  is  continued  thirty  feet  farther,  with 


Fig.  169.— DIVINITIB8  KKBEUKa  BEFORE  STMBOUO  TBEE.    S'lZQ,  2  ft  6  in.  by  6  ft.  2  in. 

an  increased  width  of  five  feet.  The  walls  are  divided  into 
two  lines  of  symbolic  illustration,  with  a  band  of  inscription 
running  between.  The  upper  line  consists  exclusively  of 
winged  divinities  (fig.  159)  kneeling  before  the  symbolic  tree; 
and  the  lower  line,  excepting  in  one  slab,  of  figures  of  Nisroch 
standing  before  the  symbolic  tree  (see  fig.  157).  The  excep- 
tion is  a  recess  containing  two  beardless  winged  beings,  appa- 
rently females,  wearing  the  homed  cap,  and  carrying  a  garland. 
The  upper  part  of  two  of  the  slabs  on  the  north  side  are  re- 
cessed ;  and  in  the  floor,  in  the  centre  of  the  same  side,  is  a 


SIO 


BEARDLESS  DIVINITY  WITH  FOUR  WINGS. 


large  stone.     A  stone  with  a  hole  in  it  is  also  in  the  floor  at 
the  end  of  the  room. 


THE  OEicu:. 

Before  quitting  this  passage  we  have  to  enter  a  small  cham- 
her  (15)  in  the  western  side.  The  walls  and  pavement  are  en- 
tirely covered  with  inscribed  slabs,  but  in  one  side  there  is  a 
recess  so  deep  as  to  leave  only  the  thickness  of  a  slab  inter- 
vening between  this  apartment  and  that  which  it  adjoins. 
Each  room  was  in  itself  complete,  and  the  difference  in  the 
thickness  of  the  wall  was  not  apparent  in  the  outer  apartment. 
As  the  whole  of  this  palace  seems  to  be  dedicated  to  religious 
purposes,  the  question  naturally  suggests  itself  whether  the 
recess  in  this  small  chamber  might  not  have  been  for  the 
Oracle,  which  might  have  been  delivered  from  the  small 
chamber  through  disguised  openings  in  the  slabs.  Such  secret 
chambers  occur  in  the  thickness  of  the  walls  in  the  temple  of 
Medinet  Haboo  at  Thebes,  and  in  temples  of  the  Ptolemaic 
period,  as  well  as  in  some  still  less  ancient  temples  of  Pompeii. 

Returning  to  the  hall  of  the  Oracle, 
we  find  that  the  centre  opening  (16), 
on  the  eastern  side,  leads  into  a  small 
chamber  of  which  the  walls  only  are 
inscribed ;  and  that  the  third  door- 
way (17)  leads  into  a  passage  or 
chamber  nearly  identical  in  shape 
and  dimensions  with  the  chamber 
of  divinities  just  described.  Almost 
the  whole  of  the  walls  are  occupied 
by  divinities  separated  by  the  sym- 
bolic tree ;  two  of  the  slabs,  how- 
ever, are  recessed,  the  lower  part 
containing  small  winged  figures  and 
symbolic  tree.  One  slab  (fig.  160) 
represents  a  young  and  beardless 
personage  habited  in  a  long  robe,  the 
Fig.  160— BEARDLESS  DIVINITY  bottom  of  which  is  ornamented  with 
Size,Tft?6in.\y7'ft!'9iin.     a  tasscllcd  fringe.     At  the  back,  and 

depending  from  his  waist  to  his  ankle, 
is  a  succession  of  five  feather-shaped  fringes  —  or  embroi- 


BEABDLBSS  DIVINITY  WITH  FOUR  WINGS.  311 

dered  cloth  to  imitate  feathers ;  and  a  cord  with  two  tassels 
is  suspended  in  front.  The  dress  fits  closely  to  the  upper  part 
of  the  hody;  round  the  neck  is  a  cord  and  tassels,  and  a  neck- 
lace consisting  of  lozenge- shaped  gems  placed  alternately ;  and 
round  the  waist  is  a  hroad  girdle  in  which  three  daggers  are 
placed.  He  has  sandals  on  his  feet,  and  his  arms  are  decorated 
with  massive  armlets  and  ornamented  bracelets.  On  his  head 
he  wears  the  round  cap  with  two  horns,  from  under  which 
flows  the  usual  crisply-curled  hair  adorned  by  a  more  than  or- 
dinarily long  bunch  tied  with  cords  and  tassels,  and  long 
pendant  ear-rings.  His  right  hand  is  elevated  and  open ; 
and  his  left  is  extended,  holding  a  chaplet,  composed  of  large 
and  small  beads  placed  alternately.  The  countenance  of  this 
figure  is  handsome  and  dignified :  and  he  differs  from  the 
other  winged  figures  in  having  four  wings — two  smaller  ele- 
vated, and  two  larger  deflected  and  drooping ;  and  also  in  that 
round  his  neck  are  suspended  two  rings,  from  the  upper  of 
which  depend  three  circles,  each  containing  a  rosette-shaped 
ornament — and  from  the  lower,  four  circles,  each  containing  a 
star.  The  difference  between  the  two  is  strongly  indicated. 
Twenty-six  lines  of  inscription  run  across  the  figure  below  the 
waist,  avoiding,  however,  the  left  wing,  with  the  exception  of 
two  or  three  letters,  and  only  partially  encroaching  on  the 
right  wing.  These  star-like  emblems  seem  to  be  connected 
with  the  worship  of  the  Assyrian  Yenus,  Mylitta  or  Astarte, 
whom  Lucian  believes  to  be  identical  with  the  moon  or  queen 
of  heaven.  The  homed  head-dress  may,  therefore,  be  a  far- 
ther emblem,  as  this  goddess  is  sometimes  represented  with 
a  bull's  head,  whose  horns,  according  to  Sanchoniatho,  were 
emblems  of  the  new  moon. 

Prom  the  situation  of  this  frieze  in  the  deepest  recess  of  the 
chamber,  and  from  the  circumstance  of  its  having  a  square 
slab  of  gypsum  in  the  pavement  before  it,  with  a  hole  com- 
municating with  a  drain,  there  can  be  little  doubt  that  some 
mysterious  rites — such  as  libations  to  the  Divinity  it  represents 
— were  enacted  before  it.  Indeed,  all  the  chambers,  in  this 
quarter  of  the  palace,  seem  to  have  been  dedicated  to  those 
idolatrous  rites  and  ceremonies  connected  with  magic  to  which 
the  people  of  Assyria  were  addicted. 

In  the  next  five  relievi  the  figures  are  larger  than  those  we 
have  described — and  represent  winged  men,  two  of  them  hold- 


312  NIMKOTID. — DBES3   OF   KING. 

ing  in  the  left  hand  a  basket,  and  presenting  with  the  right  a 
pine-cone.  They  are  exactly  in  the  position  and  dress  of  the 
much  larger  figure  of  a  divinity  (fig.  162).  Of  the  remaining 
three,  two  only  wear  the  cap  with  horns — which  in  this  case 
are  decorated.  The  third  has  a  circle  of  rosettes  round 
the  head.  The  right  hand  of  each  of  these  figures  is  raised 
as  in  the  act  of  prayer, — and  the  left  holds  a  branch  with 
five  pomegranates  produced  from  one  stem  ;  from  which 
symbol  we  surmise  that  this  divinity  bears  some  affinity  to 
that  of  Damascus,  called  in  the  Book  of  Kings,  ran,  Rimmon 
{exalted^^omegranate)f  in  whose  temple  the  king  of  Syria  was 
wont  to  lean  on  the  hand  of  the  captain  of  his  host  in  pros- 
trating himself  before  the  image — **  When  my  master  goeth 
into  the  house  of  Rimmon  to  worship  there,  and  he  leaneth 
on  my  hand,  and  I  bow  myself  in  the  house  of  Rimmon."  * 
These  probably  came  from  the  chamber  we  are  now  describing, 
which  seems  to  have  been  specially  devoted  to  the  worship  of 
this  particular  divinity.  We  have  likewise  in  the  same  apart- 
ment a  colossal  figure  of  the  king  (fig.  161)  represented  in  the 
act  of  walking ;  his  right  hand  being  supported  by  a  long  staff, 
and  his  left  resting  on  the  hilt  of  his  sword.  The  whole  figure 
is  in  such  perfect  preservation,  and  is  so  wonderfully  finished, 
that  we  are  induced  to  describe  it  in  detail,  especially  as  the 
embroideries  on  the  garments  appear  to  be  legendary  and  sym- 
bolical : — The  top  of  the  truncated  cap  and  the  cone  which 
surmounts  it  are  covered  with  gems;  and  the  tiara  placed 
round  the  lower  part  of  the  cap  is  richly  decorated  and  tied 
behind  with  fillets  having  several  tassels  at  the  ends.  The 
mystic  tree  is  delicately  traced ;  and  the  sleeve  has  besides  a 
border,  of  the  stag  butting  at  the  honeysuckle.  The  lower 
part  of  the  under-robe  is  bordered  by  a  fringe ;  and  above  the 
fringe  is  embroidered  a  procession  of  the  king  and  his  attendants 
receiving  the  homage  of  conquered  nations.  Another  margin 
of  his  fringed  mantle  is  embroidered  with  the  lotus  and  pine 
alternated, — and  another  has  the  human-headed  lion,  the  bull, 
and  the  sacred  tree.  The  cords  which  confine  his  robe  round 
the  waist  have  large  tassels  depending ;  each  end  of  his  arm- 
lets is  terminated  by  most  admirably  executed  bulls*  heads ; 
upon  his  wrist  are  several  small  chains  united  by  a  rosette 
clasp  ;  and  the  point  of  his  ornamented  scabbard  has  two  fight- 

»  2  Kings.  V.  18. 


KIMROTJD. THE   GEEAT   KING. 


313 


314  NIMROUD. SECOND   HALL   OF   DIVINITIES. 

ing  lions  intertwined,   as  well  as  a  small  prowling  lion- 
all  exquisitely  finished  and  highly  characteristic  of  the  animals. 

The  style  and  workmanship  of  this  figure  are  so  exactly  like 
that  of  the  king  sitting  on  his  throne,  that  we  have  no  hesita- 
tion in  attributing  it  to  the  same  artist. 

Before  quitting  this  sacred  and  symbolic  chamber,  we  have 
to  enter  a  small  inscribed  room  (18),  containing  a  deep  recess, 
as  if  for  the  oracle,  adjoining  the  Hall  of  the  Oracle,  which  thus 
appears  to  have  had  a  similar  contrivance  for  oracular  intelli- 
gence at  each  end. 

Leaving  this  section  of  the  palace  by  the  opening  (10)  facing 
the  subject  of  the  king  upon  his  throne,  we  find  ourselves  in  a 
small  antechamber  and  passage  lined  with  colossal  figures  of 
divinities  like  fig.  162.  The  only  exceptions  are  the  slab 
opposite  the  entrance,  which  contains  the  king  holding  his  bow 
and  two  arrows,  and  two  inscribed  slabs  at  the  entrance  of  a 
small  side  chamber  (19),  covered  with  inscriptions. 

Turning  to  the  right,  we  pass  through  an  opening  (20)  into 
a  large  court,  about  130  feet  square,  of  which  so  much  of  the 
walls  as  are  standing  are  covered  with  inscribed  slabs.  On  the 
north  side  of  the  court  is  an  entrance  (7)  formed  by  winged 
bulls;  on  the  east  are  three  entrances  (12,  11,  20)  communi- 
cating with  the  Hall  of  Divination,  on  the  west  the  walls, 
excepting  one  entrance,  have  disappeared,  and  on  the  south 
are, two  doorways  (21,  27)  and  the  chambers  we  are  about  to 
examine. 

SECOND  HALL  OF  DIVINITIES. 

Entering  by  the  small  side-door  (21),  we  find  on  each  jamb 
colossal  divinities,  back  to  back,  one  facing  towards  the  court, 
and  the  other  towards  the  interior,  a  hall  about  90  feet  long, 
by  30  broad.  This  hall  has  five  openings,  two  on  each  side, 
and  one  in  the  western  end.  In  the  comer  on  our  left  we  find 
the  symbolic  tree,  then  the  king,  with  one  hatid  resting  on  the 
hilt  of  his  sword  and  the  other  holding  his  staff,  and  two 
eunuchs  carrying  arms,  behind  whom  are  symbolic  trees.  On 
the  adjoining  wall  we  pass  a  small  doorway  (22),  guarded  on 
each  side  by  the  colossal  winged  divinities  so  constantly  pre- 
sented to  us.  The  next  four  slabs  contain  representations  of 
the  same  divinity,  separated  by  the  tree ;  we  have  then  a  door- 
way (23)  guarded  on  each  side  by  Kisroch ;  and  on  the  remain- 


IQMEOTJD. — SECOND   HILL   OF  DIYINITIES.  315 

ing  walls  are  sixteen  slabs,  with  repetitions  of  the  winged 
divinities  separated  by  the  tree,  and  one  slab  divided  by  a  band 
of  inscription  into  two  compartments,  containing  winged 
beings.  The  jambs  of  the  chief  opening  (27)  into  the  court 
are  formed  by  winged  bulls,  but  the  others  have  on  them 
winged  men  holding  a  flower. 

Passing  through  the  central  opening  (23)  on  the  south  side, 
we  enter  a  hall  about  65  feet  long,  by  20  wide,  the  walls  of 
which  are  lined  with  slabs  inscribed  across  the  middle,  and 
entirely  without  sculpture.  In  the  western  extremity  of  this 
apartment  was  a  small  opening  (24)  leading  into  an  unsculp- 
tured  chamber  (25),  communicating  with  one,  the  walls  and 
pavement  of  which  were  covered  with  inscriptions.  In  the 
floor  of  the  recess  on  the  western  side,  was  a  slab  with  a  hole 
leading  to  a  drain ;  and  Layard  informs  us  that  it  was  in  this 
chamber  he  found  the  ivories  and  numerous  other  small  orna- 
ments and  articles  now  in  the  British  Museum.     . 

Eeturning  through  the  two  halls  we  have  just  described,  we 
pass  through  the  doorway  (26)  at  the  western  end  of  the 
Second  Hall  of  Divinities,  into  a  small  long  chamber,  the  walls 
of  which  are  lined  with  the  oft-mentioned  colossal  winged 
divinity  (fig.  162).  In  the  floor  at  one  comer  is  a  slab  with  a 
hole  in  the  centre.  Passing  out  at  the  doorway  (28)  that  opens 
into  a  passage  leading  into  the  centre  court,  we  observe  on  each 
side  a  colossal  winged  figure  (fig.  163).  The  dress  is  nearly 
the  same,  excepting  that  he  has  a  chaplet  of  flowers  or  rosettes 
upon  his  head.  He  faces  towards  the  right,  and  holds  a  goat  in 
his  left,  and  an  ear  of  wheat  in  his  upraised  right  hand. 

This  we  suppose  to  be  one  of  those  images  to  whom  the 
king  Nebuchadnezzar  likened  the  fourth  person  he  saw  in  the 
burning  fiery  furnace,  into  which  Shadrach,  Meshech,  and 
Abed-nego  had  been  cast  by  his  order.  "  Lo !  I  saw  four 
men  loose,  walking  in  the  midst  of  the  fire,  and  they  have  no 
hurt;  and  the  form  of  the  fourth  is  like  the  Son  of  God,*'^  or 
as  the  T^^H  ">3,  Bar  Alein,  may  be  rendered,  a  son  of  the 
gods,  a  divine  person,  or  angel,  hdk'jo  — Melakeh,  angel,  as 
the  king  calls  this  person  in  verse  28, — a  more  probable  ren- 
dering, for  what  notion  could  the  idolatrous  king  have  of  the 
second  Person  of  the  Trinity  ?  "We  apprehend  that  this  parti- 
cular figure,  and  likewise  that  in  the  great  hall  carrying  the 
branch  and  fallow-deer  (fig.  150),  are  the  representations  of 

^  Daniel,  iii.  25. 


316 


NlilROTJD. "WIXGED   DITINITY. 


KIMBOUD. — DEIFIED   MAN. 


317 


men  to  whom  tradition  had  attributed  the  cultivation  of  corn, 
and  the  means  of  preserving  the  fallow-deer  (a  semi-domestic 
animal),  and  who  had  consequently  been  deified  for  the  benefits 
they  had  confeiTed  on  mankind.  Wq  may  reasonably  suppose 
that  the  figures  of  such  persons  adorned  the  walls  of  the  palaces 
in  Babylon  in  the  reign  of  Nebuchadnezzar,  as,  if  our  conjec- 
ture be  correct,  we  know  they  did  those  of  the  palaces  of 
Nineveh,  with  which  the  king  must  have  been  familiar.  The 
following  extract  from  the  Chaldean  Fragments,  given  in  Epi- 
phanius,  is  curiously  illustrative  of  this  species  of  idolatry  :— 
"And  the  followers  of  this  (Hellenism)  began  with  the  use 
of  painting,  making  likenesses  of  those  whom  they  had  for- 
merly honoured,  either  kings  or  chiefs,  or  men  who  in  their 
lives  had  performed  actions  which  they  deemed  worthy  of  re- 
cord by  strength  or  excellence  of  body.  The  Egyptians  and 
Babylonians,  and  Phrygians  and  Phae- 
nicians,  were  the  first  propagators  of  this 
superstition  of  making  images,  and  of 
the  mysteries."' 

Most  part  of  the  passage  leading  into 
the  court  is  completely  destroyed,  but 
four  of  the  slabs  found  contained  a 
double  line  of  winged  figui'es,  divided 
by  a  band  of  inscription,  and  the  re- 
maining six  slabs  consisted  entirely  of 
colossal  winged  figures. 

The  only  other  ruins  in  this  quarter 
of  the  palace  are  the  remains  of  two 
chambers,  with  inscriptions,  in  one  of 
which  has  been  read  the  name  of  the 
Xhorsabad  king.  In  the  entrance  of  a 
third  were  three  small  winged  lions. 

We  proceed  to  the  south-western 
quarter  and  centre  ruins  of  the  mound; 
but  as  the  walls  and  chambers  are  gene- 
rally too  detached  and  scattered  to  allow  of  conveying  any  de- 
finite idea  of  the  plan,  we  shall  simply  describe  the  remaining 
friezes  in  the  order  of  their  interest  as  historical  subjects. 

Fig.  164  is  an  impetuous  assault  upon  a  city  and  citadel, 
fortified  by  two  ranges  of  embattled  walls,  the  lowest  of  which 
»  Cory's  **  Fragments,"  pp.  54,  55. 


K 

^^ 

^^ 

\ 

M 

1 

'Sn 

m 

1, 

i 

iM 

'^M^M 

f 

Fier.163. — DEIFIED  HAN 
CABBYIMa  OOAT  AND  BAB 
OF  WHEAT. 

Size,  7  ft  by  4  ft.  2  in. 


318 


NIMEOUD. — ARTIFICIAL   MOUNT. 


is  higher  than  a  full-grown  date  tree.  The  city  is  huilt  on  a 
plain,  as  we  gather  from  the  ditch  and  well- constructed  earth- 
work of  the  besiegers  raised  to  a  level  with  the  base  of  the 
wall,  and  having  an  inclined  plane,  along  which  the  wheeled 
tower  is  directed  against  the  walls.  The  bowmen  in  this 
moveable  castle  seem  determined  in  their  attack ;  whilst  in 
the  besiegers  no  less  activity  is  displayed — the  fight  being 


Fig.  164.— IMPETUOUS  ASSAULT  ON  A  CITY — ABTIFICIAL  MOUNT— FELLINO  TBEE8. 

vigorously  sustained  by  both  sides  on  nearly  equal  terms.  The 
dead  are  falling  into  the  ditch  beneath.  Farther  from  the  city 
soldiers  are  felling  the  date  trees,  and  advancing  with  spear 
and  shield. 

"  And  I  will  camp  against  thee  round  about,  and  will  lay 
siege  against  thee  with  a  mount,  and  I  will  raise  forts  against 
thee."^ 

"  And  lay  siege  against  it,  and  build  a  fort  against  it,  and 
cast  a  mount  against  it ;  set  the  camp  also  against  it,  and  set 
battering-rams  against  it  round  about."'' 


^  Isaiah,  xxix.  3. 


2  Ezekieli  iv.  2 ;  xxi.  22. 


NIMROXTD. — PEISOKEES  IMPALED. 


319 


"  For  tlius  hath  the  Lord  of  Hosts  said,  Hew  ye  down  trees, 
and  cast  a  mount  against  Jerusalem."  ^ 

The  next  (fig.  165)  from  the  centre  ruins,  is  an  extremely 
interesting  fneze,  showing  that  the  military  tactics  and  disci- 


Fig.  165. — SIEOB — PBISONEBS  DIPALED  BEFORE  THE  WALIfi  OF  THE  CITT.     Size^  S  ft. 

7  in.  by  3  ft  7  in. 

pline  ohserved  in  those  ancient  days  are  hut  the  prototype  of 
our  modern  science.  Here  we  have  ranks  of  soldiers  sheltered 
hehind  a  wicker  breastwork.    The  shield-bearer  is  clothed  in 

1  Jer.  Ti.  6. 


320  NIMROUD — PKTSONEES  IMPALED. 

the  short  tunic,  while  the  bowman  has  the  long  fringed  dress, 
and  breast  plate.  Both  wear  a  form  of  cap  not  before  seen. 
The  figures  in  the  rearmost  rank  having  been  cut  in  two,  no 
details  can  be  furnished.  Immediately  before  the  soldiers  is  a 
war-engine  on  wheels  protected  by  a  hanging,  which  has  been 
impelled  against  the  wall  of  the  fort  up  the  steep  ascent  or 
rocky  eminence  upon  which  the  city  is  built ;  an  inclined  road- 
way having  evidently  been  formed  by  the  besiegers  for  the 
purpose.  The  two  spears  of  the  engine  have  made  a  breach 
in  a  tower,  on  the  top  of  which  a  man  is  extending  his  hands, 
as  if  imploring  a  cessation  of  hostilities.  In  front,  and  within 
view  of  the  citizens,  are  three  men  impaled,  to  strike  terror 
into  the  besieged;  while  below,  as  if  they  had  fallen  from 
the  walls,  are  seen  a  headless  body  and  a  dying  man.  This 
slab  exhibits  a  cramp  hole,  by  which  it  was  secured  to  the 
wall. 

Fig.  166 — The  evacuation  of  a  city — is  likewise  from  the 
centre  ruins.  The  city  is  built  on  an  elevation,  but  not  on  a 
rocky  eminence,  like  that  last  described.  It  contains  a  high 
building  or  citadel;  and  the  walls  are  protected  by  a  deep 
trench,  and  defended  by  towers  at  regular  intervals,  which,  as 
well  as  the  walls  themselves,  are  surmounted  by  battlements. 
Directed  against  the  centre  gate,  which,  like  all  the  other 
entrances  to  the  city,  is  closed,  are  two  of  the  moveable  war- 
engines  that  we  have  before  named.  "No  person  appears  on  the 
towers  of  the  citadel,  nor  on  any  part  of  the  walls,  nothing  but  a 
solitary  date-tree  in  full  bearing  being  visible  within  the  cityj; 
but  apparently  issuing  from  some  less  important  entrance  is  a 
car,  drawn  by  oxen,  and  entirely  different  from  a  war-chariot, 
containing  a  young  man,  a  woman,  and  child.  Yet  farther 
in  advance  is  a  second  car,  drawn  by  oxen,  and  conveying 
women  and  a  child,  and  some  animals  are  quite  in  front.  *'  In 
the  city  is  left  desolation,  and  the  gate  is  smitten  with  de- 
struction."^ In  the  upper  portion  of  the  frieze  are  two  scribes, 
under  the  superintendence  of  an  officer  of  rank,  noting  the 
spoil — flocks  of  sheep,  rams,  and  goats,  driven  by  a  herdsman ; 
and  still  farther  forward  are  two  men,  one  carrying  his  child, 
but  too  much  obliterated  to  enable  us  to  distinguish  their  forms 
in  detail.  By  these  devices,  and  by  the  absence  of  people  on 
the  walls,  we'  conjecture  that  the  sculptor  intended  to  intimate 

*  Isaittb,  zxiv.  12. 


NlMfBOTTD. — EYACUATION   OP  A   CITY. 


821 


the  utter  abandonment  of  the  city — that  neither  man,  woman, 
nor  child  were  left  in  it ;  and  from  the  circumstance  of  the 
car  proceeding  in  the  direction  of  the  messenger  or  herald, 
who  wears  the  long  robe  and  sandals,  and  carries  a  wand  in 
his  hand,  it  would  seem  to  us  that  the  evacuation  of  the  city- 
is  by  command  of  the  yictorious  king.  **  For  now  shalt  thou 
go  forth  out  of  the  city,  and  thou  shalt  dwell  in  the  field,  and 
thou  shalt  go  even  to  Babylon.'*^ 

It  was  the  custom  of  the  Assyrian  conquerors  to  carry  away 
captive  the  inhabitants  of  a  vanquished  province  or  country,  and 
place  them  in  some  distant  region  within  their  rule,  to  thus  de- 
prive them  of  all  hope  of  returning  to  their  own  land,  while  they 
colonised  the  less  populous  districts  of  the  empire.     An  event 


Fig.  166.— THK  EVACCATiOJi  OK  A  ciTT.     Size,  9  ft.  8  in.  by  3  ft.  3  in. 

similar  to  that  here  represented  took  place  in  the  ninth  year 
of  the  reign  of  Hoshea,  when  Shalmaneser,  King  of  Assyria, 
"took  Samaria,  and  carried  Israel  away  into  Assyria,  and 
placed  them  in  Halah  and  in  Habor  by  the  river  of  Gozan, 
and  in  the  cities  of  the  Medes."*  This  rilievo  was  found  in 
an  underground  chamber  in  the  central  part  of  the  Mound 
of  Nimroud ;  and  we  have,  therefore,  no  sufficiently  clear 
knowledge  of  the  orden  of  its  succession  on  the  walls  of  the 
building  to  afford  a  clue  to  the  city  intended  to  be  represented. 
AVe  are,  however,  of  opinion  that  it  cannot  be  any  of  the 
cities  of  Samaria,  because  of  the  fruitful  date- tree  seen  within 
its  walls,  as  that  tree  does  not  produce  fruit  in  the  northern 
district  of  Syria. 


Micah,  iv.  10. 


2  2  Kings,  xvii.  6. 
Y 


223 


KIMROTJD. — POKTABLE   SHIELD. 


Fig.  167  represents  two  bearded  figures  discharging  arrow's 
at  the  walls  of  a  citadel ;  while  the  third,  a  eunuch,  habited 
in  a  short  tunic,  holds  in  his  right  hand  a  dagger,  and  with  his 
leit  supports  a  shield  or  portable  breast-work,  which  reaches 
from  the  ground  to  considerably  above  the  heads  of  those  pro- 
tected by  it.  Between  the  shield  and  the  fortress  are  three 
trees, — two  of  the  endogenous  class,  which  seem  to  be  grow- 
ing out  of  the  water, — the  round  mass  at  the  base  of  the 


Fig.  167.— BOWMEN  DISCHABQIKO  ABB0W8  FROM  BKUINP  MOVEABLE  SHIEU). 

citadel  resembling  what  18  undeniably  water  in  other  friezes. 
We  cannot,  however,  account  for  its  abrupt  termination,  unless 
it  is  intended  to  represent  a  lake,  or  the  rushing  of  a  stream 
of  water  turned  against  the  city  by  the  besiegers.  A  man  is 
seen  on  the  wall  directing  an  arrow  at  the  enemy.  This  slab 
exhibits  the  cramp-hole  by  which  it  was  secured  to  the  wall, 
as  well  as  two  drill-holes  by  which  it  was  attached  to  the  slab 
above. 

Fig.  168.     Pursuit  of  an  enemy:     Vulture  above.  Jp  This 
again  represents  another  scene  of  defeat  and  flight.     Two 


NIMROUD. — ASSYRIAN  HOUSES. 


323 


horsemen,  armed  with  spears  and  wearing  the  conical  cap,  are 
pursuing  one  whose  horse  has  fallen.  Behind  is  a  falling 
figure :  and  overhead  is  a  vulture  carrying  in  his  beak  un- 
equivocal evidence  of  having  already  preyed  upon  the  slain. 
In  the  sculptures  of  Khorsabad  and  Nimroud,  the  swiftness  of 
the  horses  and  the  ferocity  of  their  riders  are  well  portrayed. 
"  Their  horses  also  are  swifter  than  the  leopards  and  are  more 
fierce  than  the  evening  wolves:  and  their  horsemen  shall 
spread  themselves,  and  their  horsemen  shall  come  from  far ; 
they  shall  fly  as  the  eagle  that  hasteth  to  eat.*'*    The  Chal- 


Fig.  168.--A88YBIAN  MBBCEKAEIB8  IN  PUBSUIT.— VULTOBB  WITH  ENTBAILS. 

S.W.  Ruins.     Size,  5  ft  8  in.  by  4  ft. 

dean  cavalry  were  proverbial  for  swiftness,  courage,  and  cruelty. 
Oppianus,  a  Greek  poet  of  Cilicia  in  the  second  century,  in 
speaking  of  the  horses  bred  about  the  Euphrates,  says,  "  They 
are  by  nature  war-horses,  and  so  intrepid  that  neither  the 
sight  nor  the  roaring  of  the  lion  appals  them ;  and  besides, 
are  astonishingly  fleet." 
Pig.  169  represents  an  Arab  on  a  dromedary,  in  rapid  flight 
1  Habakkuk,  i.  8. 

T   2 


324 


CAVALBT    PUKSUING   MAN   ON   DROMEDABT. 


from  the  hot  pursuit  of  two  horsemen  armed  with  long  spears. 
Dying  and  headless  men  are  stretched  upon  the  plain. 

The  next  frieze  contains  a  barefooted  captive,  apparently  a 
female,  tearing  her  hair  with  her  upraised  left  hand,  while  the 
right  carries  a  wine  or  water  vessel.  Following  her  are  four 
camels. 

The  frieze  which  follows  is  separated  into  two  subjects  by  a 
line  of  inscription,  and  is  the  only  example  in  the  collection 
illustrative  of  the  way  in  which  the  sculptures  were  arranged 
upon  the  walls  of  the  original  edifice.  The  frieze  is  not  other- 
wise remarkable,  the  subject  in  the  upper  division  representing 
the  evacuation  of  a  city,  the  scene  being  very  nearly  the  same  aa 


Fig.  169.— CAVALRY  PUBSuiNO  MAN  ON  DBOMEDABY.    Sizc,  3  ft.  4  in,  by  3  ft.  9  in. 

that  shown  in  fig.  166.  The  lower  division  shows  the  king  in 
procession. 

Fig.  170.  Warrior  hunting  the  lion.  "We  have  here  a 
chariot  drawn  by  three  horses,  conveying  a  charioteer  and 
bearded  personage  of  distinction,  who  is  discharging  arrows. 
A  lion,  which  has  been  wounded  with  several  arrows,  is  strug- 
gling in  the  path  of  the  chariot.  All  the  details  in  this  frieze 
are  singularly  perfect,  but  as  they  so  closely  resemble  those 
previously  described,  it  is  not  requisite  to  again  particularise 
them. 

The  next  frieze  represents  a  eunuch  introducing  four  bearded 
prisoners  whose  hands  are  tied  behind  them.  Two  hands  of 
another  figure  and  part  of  a  foot  likewise  appear ;  showing 


NIMROUD. — ^WAERIOR  HUNTING  THE   LION. 


325 


that  this  is  but  a  portion  of  a  frieze,  wanting  the  remainder 
of  that  figure  and  the  margin  of  the  top  and  bottom.  The 
eunuch  here  wears  the  dress  so  often  described ;  but  his  posi- 
tion resembles  that  of  Tartan  (fig.  57),  the  left  arm  being 
elevated,  as  if  commanding  the  prisoners  to  halt  in  the  pre- 
sence of  some  superior  personage,  who  would  probably  appear 
on  the  adjoining  slab.  The  prisoners  are  clad  only  in  a  short 
kilt,  and  wear  no  fillet  about  the  head,  nor  sandals.  The  exe- 
cution of  the  work  is  barbarous  in  the  extreme. 


Fig.  170.— WABEIOB  IK  HIS  CHABIOT,  HUNTIKO  THE  LION. 

In  the  succeeding  frieze  we  see  the  king,  holding  in  his 
right  hand  two  arrows  and  in  his  left  a  bow,  engaged  in  ad- 
dressing an  officer  in  the  costume  of  the  enemy.  The  king  is 
attended  by  his  umbrella -bearer,  and  followed  by  his  'chariot, 
the  horses  of  which  are  led  by  a  groom.  Above  is  seen  the 
figure  of  Baal. 

"We  have  then  a  man  driving  before  him  a  flock  of  sheep 
and  goats.  The  neighbouring  fragment  shows  a  captain  of 
cavalry  commanding  a  halt.  He  wears  a  crested  helmet ;  his 
horse  is  pierced  by  the  arrows  of  the  enemy,  and  behind  are  the 
foreparts  of  two  horses  apparently  belonging  to  a  chariot.  The 
last  rilievo  is  a  representation  of  the  king  drinking.  Behind 
him  stands  a  beardless  attendant,  bearer  of  the  king's  imple- 


326  NIMROUD. — LATEST  D18C0TEHIES, 

ments  of  war,  together  with  the  sceptre  always  held  in  the 
hand  by  the  officers  immediately  about  the  royal  person.  The 
elaborate  finish  of  this  sculpture  is  beyond  all  praise ;  although 
there  is  much  conventionality  in  the  treatment  of  the  hair  and 
beard, — as,  indeed,  must  always  be  the  case  in  the  art  of  sculp- 
ture. There  is  no  doubt  that  the  ancient  Assyrians,  like  the 
modern  Persians,  be&towed  much  time  and  care  upon  their 
beards ;  as  in  these  sculptures  is  sufficiently  evident  from  the 
formal  termination  of  the  king's  beard — always  in  four  rows 
of  crisped  convolutions — and  the  precise  intervals  of  plain  hair. 
The  hair,  too,  is  not  without  its  prescribed  form, — wavy  in 
front  and  terminating  in  a  profusion  of  curls  ;  from  the  centre 
of  which  a  tassel  is  usually  depended, — a  custom  still  in  use 
among  the  women  of  the  East,  who  interweave  with  the  hair 
skeins  of  black  silk.  The  borders  of  the  dresses  of  both  the 
king  and  his  attendant  are  furred,  fringed,  and  richly  em- 
broidered in  square  compartments.  The  other  portions  of  the 
dresses  of  the  king  and  his  attendant  are  the  same  as  before 
detailed.  The  remains  of  the  quiver  and  feather  end  of  the 
arrows,  with  the  groove  for  the  bowstring,  are  perfectly  repre- 
sented. 

We  are  now  about  to  examine  the  last  contributions  for- 
warded by  Layard  from  the  great  Mound  at  Nimroud. 

The  first  figure  that  appears  represents  a  priest  with  a 
twisted  bandelet,  decorated  with  rosettes,  around  his  head, 
and  in  the  usual  sacerdotal  dress,  see  figs.  60  and  162.  He 
holds  in  his  left  hand  a  branch  of  three  flowers,  and  his  open 
right  hand  is  upraised.  Eighteen  lines  of  inscription  run 
across  the  sculpture.  The  size  of  the  slab  is  8  ft.  by  2  ft.  9 
inches,  and  it  was  situated  at  the  side  of  a  doorway,  see  de- 
scription, page  158. 

The  second  figure  is  precisely  similar  in  size  and  detail  to 
the  last,  and  occupied  the  corresponding]  side  of  the  entrance, 
facing  towards  it.  Across  this  slab  run  forty-six  lines  of  in- 
scription in  a  remarkably  perfect  condition. 

The  third  and  largest  slab  of  the  collection  is  peculiarly 
interesting,  both  from  the  novelty  of  the  subject,  and  from 
the  figures  presented  to  us.  It  portrays  a  Griffon  pursued  by  a 
divinity,  who  is  furiously  hurling  his  thunderbolts  at  him,  fig. 
171,  and  is  well  executed  throughout.  The  head  of  the  griffon 
is  that  of  a  lynx,  the  face  is  snarling  extravagantly,  like  the 


NIMROUD. — GRIFFON   PUR8I7KD   BY   THE    GOD. 


k'iS.jll, — A  o&irvos,  ptasuKO  i>y  the  god  ilus,  with  flauino  tuuxdeubolts. 
Size,  11  ft  by  7  ft. 


328  NIMROUD. — rOUR-WlKGED   DIVIKITT. 

lions  seen  in  the  lion  hunt,  fig.  136.  The  ears,  bristling  eye- 
brows, and  teeth  are  all  strongly  defined,  and  eminently  illus- 
trate the  rigid  observance  of  small  matters,  exemplified  in  the 
claw  in  the  lion's  tail,  whilst  either  careless  or  ignorant  of  im- 
portant characteristics,  for  example,  the  paw  of  the  lion  and 
the  form  of  the  molar  teeth  (see  fig.  12,  and  grifibn,  fig.  17 1), 
which  are  those  of  a  graminivorous,  instead  of  a  carnivorous 
animal.  The  fore  legs  and  claws  of  the  monster  before  us  are 
those  of  a  quadruped  of  the  feline  species ;  but  the  hind  legs 
terminate  in  the  claw  of  a  carnivorous  bird,  and  the  tail  is 
likewise  that  of  a  bird.  In  the  divinity  pursuing  the  griffon 
we  recognise  the  figure  we  have  designated  Ilus  (Hg.  43) ;  and 
for  the  first  time  do  we  see  this  four- winged  divinity  in  the 
sculptures  brought  from  Nimroud.  The  example  before  us 
wears  the  egg-shaped  cap  with  three  horns ;  the  long  fringed 
robe  with  cord  and  tassels,  the  usual  armlets  and  bracelets, 
and  his  lion-decorated  scabbard  slung  over  his  shoulder.  His 
four  wings  are  widely  expanded.  The  divinity  is  activelj'" 
running,  and  both  his  arms  are  elevated,  as  if  furiously  hurl- 
ing the  thunderbolts  he  grasps  in  his  hands.  Two  of  the 
thunderbolts  are  wavy,  and  have  their  extremities  divided  into 
three  distinct  forks,  but  the  centre  bolt  is  straight,and  pointed, 
thus  indicating  the  two  sorts  of  lightning.  It  is  remarkable 
that  in  the  battle  scenes  where  the  divinity  we  have  called 
Baal  (fig.  146)  is  assisting  the  king,  the  arrow  he  is  discharg- 
ing is  not  terminated  by  an  ordinary  barb,  but  is  three-forked 
like  the  wavy  lightning,  as  if  to  intimate  that  he  fights  with 
no  mortal  weapons,  but  with  the  bolts  of  heaven.  These  re- 
semblances are  curious,  and  are  highly  suggestive  of  the  iden- 
tity of  the  Ilus  of  Khorsabad  with  the  Baal  of  Nimroud ; 
til  at  in  truth  the  latter  is  but  a  symbol  of  the  former.  This 
singular  ancient  Assyrian  sculpture  clearly  embodies  the  doc- 
trine of  the  contention  of  the  good  and  evil  principles  which 
subsequently  took  root  in  Persia  under  the  types  of  Ormazd, 
the  eternal  source  of  light,  and  the  antagonistic  Ahriman,  the 
father  of  evil,  who  in  a  continuous  struggle  divide  the  dominion 
of  the  universe.  The  Assyrian  artist  has,  however,  decidedly 
given  the  victory  to  the  good  spirit,  who  is  most  unequivocally 
driving  the  evil  one  before  him,  and  out  of  the  temple,  for  this 
rilievo  was  situated  in  an  entrance. 

This  slab  is  crossed  by  thirty-six  lines  of  inscription. 


NIMEOTJD. — CANNES,  THE  ASSYRIAN  DAGON. 


329 


The  fourth  subject, 
fig.  172,  we  have  to 
notice  is  also  entirely- 
new  to  us.  It  repre- 
sents a  divinity  wear- 
ing the  short  fringed 
tunic,  the  long  furred 
robe,  the  usual  orna- 
ments, and  two  dag- 
gers. In  his  left  hand 
he  carries  the  richly 
decorated  bag,  and  his 
right  is  upraised,  as  in 
the  act  of  presenting 
the  pine-cone.  His 
beard  has  the  ordinary 
elaborate  arrangemen  t, 
and  on  his  head  is  the 
egg-shaped  cap  with 
three  horns,  and  the 
bull's  ears;  but  the 
novelty  in  his  dress  is 
that  the  head  of  a  fish 
surmounts  his  other 
head-dress,  while  the 
body  of  the  fish  falls 
over  his  shoulders  and 
continues  down  his 
back;  the  whole  figure, 
in  short,  needs  no  other 
description  th  an  is  con- 
tained in  the  following 
fragment  from  Bero- 
sus: — 

"In  the  first  year 
there  appeared  an  ani- 
mal, by  name  Oannes, 
whose  whole  body  (ac- 
cording to  the  account 
of  ApoUodorus)  was 
that  of  a  fish;  that 
under  the  fish's  head 


Fig.  172.— OANNKS.  THE   A8STEIAK   DAGON. 

Size,  8  ft.  by  2  fu  8  in. 


330  NIMROUD. — CANNES,    THE   ASSYRIAN   DAGON. 

he  had  another  head  with  feet  helow,  similar  to  those  of  a  man, 
subjoined  to  the  fish's  tail.  His  voice  too,  and  language,  was 
articulate  and  human,  and  a  representation  of  him  is  preserved 
even  to  this  day."* 

We  have  already  seen  the  Dagon  of  the  Philistines  exhibited 
on  the  walls  of  Khorsabad,  and  here  we  recognise  the  Chaldean 
Oannes,  the  Assyrian  Dagon  sculptured  on  the  walls  of  Nim- 
roud.  In  MissTanny  Corbeaux's  admirable  papers  on  "The 
Rephaim,"^  she  has  some  ingenious  speculations  to  prove  that 
the  Chaldean  Oannes — the  Philistine  Dagon — and  the  Miz- 
raimite  On  are  identical.  We  have  not  space  to  follow  the 
whole  of  her  argument,  but  the  following  extracts  will  induce 
our  readers  to  consult  the  entire  paper.  Miss  Corbeaux 
says : — 

*'  The  figure  of  the  Chaldean  Oannes,  discovered  on  the 
sculptured  remains  of  ancient  Nineveh,  is  valuable  in  two 
respects ;  firstly,  in  that  it  enables  us  to  reunite  him  by  name 
to  the  Mizraimite  Ow,  his  original ;  and  by  his  form,  to  the 
particular  portion  of  the  Mizraimite  people  inhabiting  Pelesheth 
and  its  dependencies.  Secondly,  in  that  the  mythical  account 
by  Berosus,  of  the  manner  in  which  Oannes  first  made  himself 
known  on  the  shores  of  the  Persian  Gulf,  by  rising  from  the 
sea  to  instruct  the  Chaldeans  in  all  religious  and  useful  know- 
ledge, implied  that  a  certain  learned  and  civilised  people,  who 
navigated  those  seas,  were  the  medium  of  these  communica- 
tions, and  taught  in  his  name 

"  Oannes,  Xlaviz-^js,  thus  introduced  into  the  East,  is  merely 
the  Hebrew  Aon,  px,  with  a  Greek  case-termination  ;  and  tlie 
Hebrew  form  is  only  a  transcript  of  an  ancient  Coptic  word 
which,  according  to  Champollion,  signifies  *  to  enlighten/ 

"  Aon  was  the  original  name  of  the  god  worshipped  in  the 
great  sanctuary  of  Heliopolis,  which  is  called  in  Scripture  by 
its  name,  Beth-Aon,  the  *  house  of  On,*  as  well  as  by  its  trans- 
lation, Beth-Shemesh,  the  *  house  of  the  Sun.*  The  language 
that  explains  a  local  god's  name,  surely  points  out  the  nation 
who  first  worshipped  him  under  that  name.  The  primitive 
Aon  was  therefore  the  *  enlightener  of  man,*  to  a  people 
speaking  the  primitive  language,  out  of  which  the  Coptic 

1  Cory's  Fragments,  Second  Edition,  p.  22. 

2  The  Repliaim  and  their  connection  with  Egyptian  History.     Journ. 
Sacred  Literature,  vol.  iii.  No.  5.    New  Series. 


NIMKOUD. — THE   HIGH   PEIEST.  331 

sprang,  and  such  a  people  were  the  Caphtorim  of  Lower  Egypt, 
whom  we  afterwards  find  established  among  the  Philistines 
in  Palestine.  .  .  . 

**  The  maritime  Aon,  or  Phoenician  and  Chaldean  Cannes,  is 
a  symbolical  form  peculiar  to  the  people  of  the  sea-coast, 
Pelesheth.  It  is  the  Dag-on,  or  Pish-on  of  Scripture,  com- 
pounded of  Jl.  dag,  fish,  and  ?">  on,  contracted  form  of  the  name 
of  the  god.  .  .  . 

"  The  Oannes  of  Chaldea,  by  the  internal  evidence  of  his 
representation  and  his  Coptic,  name,  confirms  the  admission 
of  Berosus  that  he  was  introduced  into  that  country  by 
foreigners." 

The  sculpture  that  now  appears  represents  the  four- winged 
divinity  Ilus  (see  fig.  43) ;  he  carries  in  his  hand  a  sceptre 
with  a  round  knob  at  the  top,  and  full  tassel  at  the  bottom  ; 
the  size  of  the  slab  is  7  ft.  9  in.  by  4  ft.  2  in. 

"We  have  next  a  colossal  lion  (see  fig.  12).  This  lion  has 
formed  the  jamb  of  an  entrance,  and  is  executed  with  con- 
siderable spirit ;  but  while  the  shaggy  mane  and  sides,  as  well 
as  the  savage  snarling  character  of  the  countenance  are  strongly 
indicated,  we  see  the  same  exaggeration  of  unimportant  details 
and  disregard  of  real  characteristics,  such  as  the  form  of  the 
teeth,  and  the  anatomical  structure  of  the  paw,  that  we  have 
already  remarked  upon  in  describing  the  griffon,  fig.  171.  The 
size  of  the  slab  is  12  ft.  6  in.  by  7  ft.  8  in.,  and  it  contains 
nineteen  rows  of  inscription. 

The  figure  we  now  meet  is  a  small  statue  (fig.  1 73)  in  a 
sacerdotal  dress.  It  apparently  represents  a  priest  holding  in 
his  left  hand  a  sceptre,  and  in  his  right  an  instrument  shaped 
like  a  sickle.  There  is  an  inscription  upon  the  breast,  but  the 
sculpture  is  chiefly  remarkable  from  exhibiting  the  exact  form 
of  one  of  the  dresses  frequently  seen  in  the  friezes.  It  is  here 
shown  as  a  long  fringed  cloth,  wrapped  round  and  round  the 
body,  rising  in  a  spiral  form,  and  falling  over  the  front  of  the 
shoulders.  Many  examples  of  tliis  description  of  dress  are 
found  on  Babylonian  cylinders  (see  Cullimore's  Specimens). 
The  statue  stands  on  its  original  pedestal  of  red  limestone. 

The  frieze  to  be  next  described  (fig.  1 74)  possesses  peculiar 
interest ;  for  it  is  one  of  those  remarkable  pillars,  or  chrono- 
logical tablets,  which  we  have  seen  represented  in  one  of  the 
subjects  at  Khorsabad  (fig.  94),  and  which  have  been  found 


332 


CHEONOLOGICAL   TABLET. 


elsewhere.     The  tablet  before  us  has  not  been  let  into  the 
wall,  nor  sculptured  in  the  face  of  a  rock,  but  appears  to  have 

been  isolated,  as  in  an  example 
ibund  at  Cyprus.  Like  that, 
it  is  inscribed  on  the  front, 
back,  and  sides ;  the  figure  of 
the  king  in  position,  dress,  and 
accessories,  is  also  the  same, 
and  resembling  those  on  the 
rocks  of  Nahr  el  Kelb  standing 
in  circular  headed-cavities  (fig. 
30).  This  circular  head  would 
seem  to  be  the  prescribed  form 
for  an  historical  tablet  set  up,^ 
either  to  commemorate  some 
special  event  in  the  life  of  the 
monarch,  as  in  the  examples 
referred  to  ;  or,  as  in  the  pre- 
sent instance,  we  may  presume 
from  the  great  length  of  the 
inscription,  to  record  not  mere- 
ly one  event,  but  every  inci- 
dent of  his  reign,  a  conjecture 
supported  by  the  circumstance 
of  its  being  discovered  in  one 
of  his  own  palaces.  The  stone 
is  covered  with  most  exquisitely 
perfect  cuneiform  characters 
in  every  part,  excepting  the 
upper  portion  of  the  figure, 
which  is  left  clear.  The  face 
of  the  king  has  those  marked 
peculiarities,  such  as  the  short- 
ness of  the  nose,  that  satisfy 
lis  at  once  that  it  is  no  merely  conventional  representation ; 
but  that  it  is  intended  for  an  actual  portrait,  as  surely  con- 
veying the  characteristic  features  of  the  original  as  do  those 
of  the  Egyptian  Amunothph  and  Barneses.  The  size  of  the 
tablet  is  10  ft.  by  4  ft.  6  in.,  and  it  has  two  holes  at  the  bottom 
and  the  sides. 

*  Deut.  xxvii.  2,  5, 


y\/l  'VH^ 


Fig.  173.— THE     HIGH  PBIEBT. 

LLeight,  3  ft.  4  in. 


NIMROUD. — PORTBAIT   OF   KING. 


333 


u* 


334 


NIMROUD. CUP-BEARER   TO   THE   KING. 


The  last  relic  of  this  series  is  a  circular  altar,  with  three 
legs  having  lion's  claws.  It  has  a  conical  hole  at  the  top,  and 
precisely  resembles  those  found  by  Botta  at  Khorsabad.  The 
height  of  the  altar  is  2  ft.  9  in.  by  2  ft.  4  in.  diameter. 
This  altar  with  the  Chronological  Tablet,  fig.  174,  were  found 
by  Layard  in  situ,  in  the  same  relative  positions  that  they 
occupy  in  the  British  Museum. 

The  remaining  sculptures  consist  chiefly  of  fragments  of 
colossal  friezes,  the  first  being  a  rilievo  (fig.  175)  showing  the 


Fig.  175.— THK  CUP-BEAREK  TO  THE   KIXO  OF  NINEVEH. 

head  and  shoulders  of  a  beardless  man,  his  robes  richly  em- 
broidered. "  And  of  thy  sons  that  shall  issue  from  thee,  which 
thou  shalt  beget,  shall  they  take  away;  and  they  shall  be 
eunuchs  in  the  palace  of  the  King  of  Babylon."^  "We  have 
no  hesitation  in  pronouncing  this  to  be  a  person  of  rank  in  the 
court  of  the  Assyrian  monarch;  and  from  what  remains  of  the 
insignia  of  his  office,  and  the  evident  embonpoint  of  his  figure, 
he  can  be  no  other  than  the  king's  cup-bearer — one  of  those 
to  whom  was  appointed  "a  daily  provision  of  the  king's 
meat  and  of  the  wine  which  he  drank,"  in  order  that  his  coun- 

1  2  Kings,  XX.  18. 


NIMROUD. — IILTTSTBATION   OF  DANIEL.  335 

tenance  might  appear  fat  and  fair.  This  was  a  qualification 
apparently  no  less  essential  in  the  officers  of  the  court  of  the 
King  of  Assyria  than  in  those  who  stood  before  the  King  of 
Babylon  in  the  time  of  the  prophet  Daniel,  c.  i.,  v.  5.  From 
the  figure  of  a  divinity  embroidered  on  the  neckband  of  this 
person's  robe,  we  would  presume  that  he  was  called  after  the 
name  of  the  god  which  it  represents, — "  But  at  the  last  Daniel 
came  in  before  me,  whose  name  was  Belteshazzar,  according 
to  the  name  of  my  god,  and  in  whom  is  the  spirit  of  the  holy 
gods."*  So  constant  and  unvarying  are  the  customs  of  the 
East! 

The  next  is  a  colossal  frieze — 5  ft.  9  in.  by  7  ft.  10  in.— 
representing  the  king  drinking  and  the  attendant  cup-bearer 
with  his  fly-flap.  The  king  wears  the  usual  truncated  cap, 
surmounted  by  the  cone,  and  surrounded  by  a  diadem  tied  by 
a  fillet,  the  ends  of  which  are  richly  embroidered  with  the 
winged  bull.  The  neck  of  his  robe  is  bordered  with  the 
winged  bull  and  antelopes,  separated  by  the  honeysuckle  ;  and 
round  the  sleeve  is  the  honeysuckle  and  pine-cone  ornament. 
He  has  two  daggers  in  his  girdle,  ear-rings,  and  rosette  brace- 
lets. In  his  left  hand  is  a  bow,  and  in  his  right  a  cup.  The 
eunuch  varies  in  no  respect  from  those  which  have  been  already 
described ;  but  the  fly-flap,  and  the  animal's  head  at  the  end 
of  the  handle  are  beautifully  finished. 

The  fourth, — a  bearded  head,  with  a  rose-decorated  fillet. 
This  is  the  head  of  one  of  the  magi,  or  priests,  as  may  be  in- 
ferred from  the  absence  of  roundness  in  the  features  and  the 
black  pigment  on  the  beard  and  eyebrows  being  more  conspi- 
cuous than  in  the  other  figures — peculiarities  which  we  have 
already  remarked  in  analogous  figures  at  Khorsabad. 

"No.  5  is  an  admirably  executed  head  of  the  king. 

No.  6.  A  head  and  shoulders  of  an  individual  of  the  sub- 
dued nations.  The  hands  are  in  that  position  which  we  have 
pointed  out  in  describing  the  obelisk.  The  figure  wears  a 
turban  of  three  folds,  bracelets,  armlets,  and  ear-rings.  He 
has  a  short  beard,  and  apparently  woolly  hair.  A  few  lines  of 
cuneiform  have  been  cut  over  the  lower  part  of  the  figure. 

No.  7.  Portion  of  frieze  showing  the  winged  emblem  of 
the  divinity  in  front :  the  king  following — and  after  him  a 
winged  figure  with  three-homed  cap.     Round  the  king's  neck 

1  Dan.  iv.  8. 


336 


NIMROUD. — HUMAN    HEAD    OF   WINGED   BULL. 


are  suspended  mystic  emblems — the  moon,  two  stars,  and  the 
three-horned  cap. 

No.  8.  The  kiog,  his  umbrella-bearer,  and  his  charioteer. 
The  next  sculptures  are  not  rilievi,  but  fragments  en  ronde 
hoise.     They  belong  to  one  of  those  winged  bulls  with  human 

heads,  such  as  M.  Botta  discovered 
at  Khorsabad.  On  the  head  is 
something  like  a  turban,  surround- 
ed by  an  ornament  in  imitation  of 
a  cord  or  rope.  The  ears  of  a  bull, 
and  but  one  pair  of  horns,  are  seen. 
The  beard  is  elaborately  curled  in 
the  prescribed  fashion.  The  coun- 
tenance will,  in  all  probability, 
prove  to  be  the  portrait  of  one  of 
the  Assyrian  monarch  s  whose 
names  Rawlinson  is  said  to  have 
deciphered.  The  other  fragment 
is  the  head  and  neck  of  a  colossal 
human-headed  bull  with  wings 
(fig.  176).  Both  of  these  frag- 
ments  are  in  a  much  harder  ma- 
terial than  the  rilievi, — being  a 
compact  flinty  limestone. 
/  There  were  also  several  slabs  of  inscription — one  a  cunei- 
form inscription  of  twenty-two  lines  (see  Sec.  VI.)  exquisitely 
sharp  in  execution,  together  with  fragments  of  painted  bricks, 
which  formed  a  continuous  decoration  above  the  slabs  round 
many  of  the  halls  and  chambers  of  the  palaces  of  Kimroud, 
and  other  inscribed  tiles  of  various  dimensions.  Some  frag- 
ments of  bronze,  apparently  belonging  to  the  furniture  of  the 
palace— terra-cotta  vases,  some  of  which  are  glazed  with  a 
blue  vitrified  substance  resembling  that  used  by  the  ancient 
Egyptians— fragments  of  glass— three  engraved  cylinders,  or 
rolling  seals,  one  of  which  is  of  transparent  glass— beads, 
amongst  which  is  an  Egyptian  ornament— a  bronze  nail  with 
a  gilt  head— a  silver  ring— fragments  of  ivory,  delicately 
carved,  some  being  gilt — two  small  statues,  in  bronze,  of  stags 

one  of  a  sheep — and  seventeen  of  a  crouching  lion,  forming 

a  series  of  various  dimensions,  from  the  largest  measuring 
twelve  inches,  down  to  the  smallest  of  cne  inch  in  length, 


Fig.  176.— HUMAN  HEAD  OF  WINOZD 

BULL.    S.W.  lluins. 


NIMKOUD.— LION   WEIGHTS. 


337 


Fig.  177. — LION  WEIGHT. 


(fig.  177).  These  statues  of  animals  are  most  curious  and 
evidently  important  remains.  We  were  at  first  at  a  loss 
to  conjecture  their  pur- 
pose, unless  they  were 
weights ;  an  opinion 
which  we  hazarded 
partly  from  our  obser- 
vations upon  a  large  one 
in  the  Prench  collec- 
tion from  Kborsabad, 
in  which  a  ring  is  at- 
tached to  the  back,  ap- 
parently  for  a  handle — 
which  is  differently 
supplied  in  the  case  of 
these  from  Nimroud — 
and  partly  from  the  fact  that  on  the  tombs  at  Thebes  there  are 
representations  of  men  weighing  rings  of  gold,  the  weights 
having  like  these,  the  form  of  some  animal,  as  stags,  sheep, 
gazelles,  &c.  It  is  now  known  that  they  are  weights,  and 
have  their  respective  quantities  in  legible  characters  on  the 
back  of  each ;  there  can,  however,  be  little  doubt  that  the 
larger  ones  were  likewise  used  to  secure  the  awnings  in  the 
courts  (see  page  244). 

Two  of  the  slabs,  about  18  inches  long  by  12  wide,  are  in- 
scribed on  both  sides  with  beautifully  cut  cuneatic  characters. 
The  inscription  is  the  same  in  both,  and  most  important  docu- 
ments are  they  for  the  study  of  the  language,  because  the  ter- 
mination of  the  words  can  be  precisely  ascertained  from  them, 
as  the  length  of  the  lines  varies  in  both  inscriptions.  A  very 
cursory  examination  will  satisfy  any  one  that  these  inscriptions 
are  to  be  read  from  left  to  right ;  for,  in  order  to  avoid  break- 
ing a  word,  the  final  characters  are  carried  round  the  thickness 
of  the  slab.  The  story  is  continued  on  the  other  face,  and 
is  read  by  turning  the  slab  over  as  we  do  law  documents,  and 
medals  or  coins,  so  that  what  was  the  lower  side  of  one  page 
becomes  the  upper  side  of  the  next. 

The  basaltic  sitting  statue,  from  Kdlah  Sherghat,  and  the 
inscription,  need  no  special  description  here ;  but  in  addition 
to  these  are,  as  we  have  said,  many  painted  bricks — some  semi- 
cylindrical  in  form.    The  designs  upon  the  bricks  are  hand- 


338  NIMROTJD. — ^THE  OBELISK. 

some,  containing  the  rosette  and  ornaments  "which  we  hare 
been  in  the  habit  of  considering  Greek ;  but  unquestionably 
the  most  interesting  of  these  fragments  are  the  written  and 
stamped  cuneiform  writings.  It  is  most  remarkable  that  so 
near  an  approach  to  printing  as  was  made  by  the  Assyrians  and 
the  Egyptians,  more  than  three  thousand  years  ago,  did  not 
sooner  produce  the  invention  of  modern  times ;  especially  when 
we  find  that  even  in  its  infant  state,  the  art  was  perfect  as  far 
as  it  went.  The  art  of  block-printing  may  have  been  trans- 
mitted to  China  at  this  early  period ;  and  may  there  have  been 
advanced  to  that  additional  grade,  namely,  the  transfer  of  the 
impression  to  paper,  beyond  which  limit  it  has  only  recently 
advanced  in  that  country.  Besides  the  letters,  another 
curious  and  interesting  impression  is  observable  on  one  of 
these  bricks :  it  is  that  of  the  footsteps  of  a  weazel,  which 
must  have  sported  over  the  recent  brick  before  it  had  left  the 
hand  of  the  fabricator.  The  little  animal  and  the  mighty  king 
have  stamped  the  record  of  their  existence  on  the  same  piece 
of  clay.* 

THE    OBELISK. 

The  Nimroud  obelisk  is  6  feet  6  inches  in  height :  the  great- 
est width  at  top  1  foot  5\  inches,  and  at  bottom  2  feet,  the 
width  at  the  sides  being  somewhat  less.  It  is  made  of  a 
very  defective  piece  of  black  marble,  traversed  obliquely 
throughout  its  length  by  a  broad  vein  of  whitish  heterogeneous 
matter.  The  bad  quality  of  the  mai-ble  indicates  not  merely 
the  deficiency  of  good  and  suitable  material  in  the  neighbour- 
hood, but  an  extreme  paucity  of  resources  in  a  nation  appa- 
rently so  great ;  for  to  no  other  cause  can  we  attribute  the  use 
of  such  an  unsightly  and  bad  stone  for  the  purpose  of  a  monu- 
ment. We  have  formerly  pointed  out  that  these  sculptured 
remains  are  far  from  remarkable  for  artistic  beauty — and  this 
obelisk  forcibly  illustrates  our  observations ;  for,  however 
interesting  as  a  historical  document,  as  a  work  of  art  no  one 
can  rate  it  highly  ;  and  we  ourselves  are  by  no  means  inclined 
to  place  it  on  a  par  with  any  Egyptian  obelisk — or  even  to 
compare  it  with  that  of  the  Fayoura,  which  bears  fully  as 
many  figures.     There  is  a  want  of  precision  in  the  Nimroud 

1  For  the  above  notices,  see  "  Athenaeum,"  Nos.  1025, 1027,  1098, 1099 ; 
likewise  "  Illustrated  London  News." 


NIMROUD. — THE   OBELISK.  339 

specimen,  shown  in  the  lines  intended  to  be  straight,  and  in 


J1r"*»xo.^  -ir    w*'  (iXvX  ^i  '  \(  «» 'IV  i-.f^f^ 


fyi-zL^*^  »»>=:    ]t  <i:s,v  nj,  vf  ^-•''J^^lh  "1 


Fig.  178.— FBONT  VIKW, 

the  spaces  intended  to  be  equal ;  a  repetition  and  feebleness  of 

z  2 


340  NIMBOUD. — FBONT   OF   OBELISK. 

invention,  and  a  carelessness  of  execution  throughout  that  must 
ever  keep  it  low  in  the  scale  of  art.  The  form  of  this  monument 
is  not,  correctly  speaking,  that  of  an  obelisk,  for  the  top  is 
surmounted  by  three  steps,  and  it  is  far  from  square  in  plan. 
The  whole  of  the  upper  part,  including  the  steps,  is  thickly 
inscribed  with  cuneiform  characters.  Each  side  is  then  di- 
vided into  five  compartments  of  sculpture,  with  cuneiform  cha- 
racters between  and  along  the  sides,  and  the  base  for  1  foot 
4  inches  in  height,  is  surrounded  by  entablatures  of  cuneiform, 
containing  twenty-three  lines. 

The  first  compartment  of  the  front  (fig.  178)  represents  the 
great  king,  who,  holding  two  arrows  and  attended  by  his 
eunuch  and  bearded  domestic,  the  captain  of  his  guard,  re- 
ceives the  homage  of  a  newly- subjugated  province,  to  which 
the  person  standing  erect  before  him  is  constituted  governor. 
The  king  seems  to  be  in  the  act  of  presenting  the  arrows  and 
a  bow,  as  insignia  of  ofiice,  or  more  probably  using  divination 
in  the  appointment  of  the  new  governor.*  High  in  the  back- 
ground, between  the  great  king  and  the  satrap,  are  two  em- 
blems :  one  of  Baal ;  the  other  a  circle  surrounding  a  star ;  the 
emblems  being  the  same  as  those  which  occur  on  other  sculptures 
from  Nimroud,  and  near  the  figures  on  the  rocks  of  Nahr  el 
Kelb.  As  regards  the  meaning  of  the  emblems,  we  take  one 
to  be  a  contraction  for  that  figure  of  the  divinity  which  accom- 
panies the  king  to  battle  in  the  various  rilievi ;  but  why  ac- 
companied by  the  globe — which  in  the  representation  of  the 
next  compartment  is  on  the  right  instead  of  on  the  left  side — 
it  is  difficult  to  conceive,  unless  it  be  to  signify  that  the  pre- 
sentation of  tribute  was  so  vast  that  it  occupied  from  sunrise 
to  sunset ;  or  that  the  dominion  of  the  great  king  extended  from 
the  rising  to  the  setting  sun. 

The  second  compartment  comprises  the  same  number  of 
figures,  and  similarly  arranged,  excepting  that  the  eunuch 
behind  the  king  holds  an  umbrella,  and  that  in  the  place  of  his 
satrap  stands  the  cupbearer  with  his  fly-flap.  In  this  repre- 
sentation the  forms  of  the  cap  and  robe  of  the  person  kissing 
the  feet  of  the  king  are  more  distinctly  delineated,  and  furnish 
matter  for  consideration  in  describing  another  compartment  at 
the  back  of  the  obelisk. 

In  the  third  compartment  are  two  men,  each  leading  a  Bac- 
trian  camel.     The  men  wear  the  fillet  round  the  head  and  the 

»  Ezek.  xxi.  21,  22. 


NIMEOUD. — OBELISK.— PRESENTATION   OF   TRIBUTE.         341 

short  tunic,  and  are  without  boots  and  sandals — the  dress  being 
that  of  a  people  with  whom  the  king  is  represented,  in  many  of 
the  sculptures  of  Nimroud,  to  be  at  war. 

The  fourth  compartment  exhibits  a  forest  in  a  mountainous 
country,  occupied  by  deer  and  wolves,  or  lions.  This  is  an 
episode  in  the  story  related  on  the  monument,  intimating  the 
vastness  of  the  dominion  of  the  king  of  Nineveh,  which 
extended  not  only  over  populous  districts,  but  over  forests  and 
mountains  inhabited  solely  by  wild  beasts.  Thus  in  Daniel : 
"  And  wheresoever  the  children  of  men  dwell,  the  beasts  of 
the  field  and  the  fowls  of  the  heaven  hath  he  given  into  thine 
hand,  and  hath  made  thee  ruler  over  them  all."  ^ 

The  fifth  and  last  compartment  on  this  side  of  the  obelisk 
represents  a  people  with  whom  we  have  made  acquaintance  in 
the  Hall  of  Judgment  at  Khorsabad,  and  of  whom  we  remarked 
that  they  resembled  in  costume  some  figures  we  had  seen  from 
the  ruins  of  Nineveh  that  we  were  sure  represented  Jews. 
They  are  a  short-bearded  race,  wearing  long  robes  and  boots, 
and  a  remarkable  cap  like  a  bag,  the  end  of  which  is  made  to 
turn  back  instead  of  falling  towards  the  front  like  the  Phry- 
gian. In  this  particular  compartment  the  people  carry  wood 
or  bars  of  metal,  baskets  with  fruit,  bags  and  bundles ;  but  on 
others  the  tribute  offered  by  the  new  race — the  recent  conquest 
of  which  the  monument  appears  especially  to  commemorate — 
consists  likewise  of  camels,  fringed  cloths,  and  vases  of  various 
forms  and  sizes.  In  evidence  of  the  conquest,  the  action  of 
the  figures  must  be  particularly  noted ;  the  prostrate  attitude 
in  the  first  two  compartments,  and  of  those  wearing  the  same 
costume  who  head  the  tribute-bearers  in  subsequent  represent- 
ations, being  all  indicative  of  fear  or  respect  as  exhibited  in 
the  bended  back  and  knee,  which  as  they  advance  is  exchanged 
for  the  prostrate  posture  of  submission  and  homage  yet  com- 
mon  in  the  countries  from  which  the  monument  is  brought. 
The  other  people,  of  whom  we  formerly  spoke,  as  contending 
with  the  king  in  battle,  bring  elephants,  monkeys,  and  ba- 
boons with  human  faces.  They  are  clad  in  short  tunics,  and 
wear  a  fillet  round  the  head,  but  are  barefooted. 

This  completes  the  description  of  the  front  of  the  obelisk, 
and  gives  some  idea  of  the  people  shown  on  the  three  other  sides. 

The  first  compartment  on  the  left  side  (fig.  179)  contains 

1  Daniel,  ii.  S8. 


342  NIMROUD. — LEFT    SIDE   OF   OBEtlSK. 

one  bearded  and  one  beardless  figure,  apparently  belonging  to 


J  .'n ,>./gA > >/A .^«1^ .^n  \\ ' -i- V/.1  %\f  sv^t 


»-:V*<<(\>>.   i.'*>;-j»-'/'.^'//'^>  fT'^^J  ."P/^ 


/if  C/vrT-^'*'  k-C'^;''  •  'A"'  ~-^'A^-'^^ 


^ 


Fig.  179.— LEFT  6IDK. 


the  suite  of  the  satrap  of  the  great  king,  together  with  a  groom. 


NIMBOTTD. LEFT  SIDE   OP  OBELISK.  343 

in  the  vestments  of  the  newly-conquered  people,  holding  a 
richly  caparisoned  horse.  The  second  compartment  has  a  repe- 
tition of  the  bearded  and  beardless  figures,  ushering  in  three 
of  the  new  race,  the  first  of  whom  is  in  the  attitude  of  awe 
before  mentioned,  while  the  remaining  two  follow  with  tribute 
in  a  richly  ornamented  box  and  basket.  The  third  represents 
a  bull  decorated  for  the  sacrifice,  followed  by  a  straight-horned 
ox,  as  we  judge  from  the  cloven  hoof,  length  of  leg,  and  posi- 
tion of  the  horn  (not  a  rhinoceros,  as  has  been  surmised),  and 
an  animal  of  the  gazelle  class.  It  is  to  be  observed  that  these 
animals  are  neither  led  nor  held,  and  that  the  bull,  the  alephf 
the  leader,  the  chief  of  his  class,  is  decorated  for  the  sacrifice 
— from  which  we  infer  that  they  do  not  appear  as  tribute,  but 
as  showing  the  abundance  of  food  in  the  king's  dominions — 
and  that  as  it  was  the  custom  to  sacrifice  to  the  gods  the  ani- 
mals intended  for  the  royal  table,  the  bull  is  decorated  accord- 
ingly. The  fourth  compartment  contains  four  figures  of  the 
race  wearing  the  fillet  round  the  head,  and  with  the  feet  bare. 
Two  carry  bundles,  and  the  two  behind  bear  a  piece  of  fringed 
cloth  slung  upon  a  pole.  The  fifth  again  shows  the  bearded 
and  beardless  attendants,  and  three  of  the  people  wearing  the 
fillet,  with  boots  upon  their  feet.  The  first  is  in  the  attitude 
of  respect,  the  second  carries  a  bag,  the  third  a  basket.  The 
inscription  beneath  contains  twenty-seven  lines.  The  custom 
of  presenting  robes  as  a  mark  of  honour  may  be  traced  to  the 
remotest  antiquity  in  eastern  countries,  and  even  still  prevails. 
The  Median  habit  was  made  of  silk,  and  among  the  elder 
Greeks  it  was  only  another  name  for  a  silken  robe.  Herodotus 
mentions  that  Otanes,  a  Persian  prince,  himself  and  all  his 
posterity,  were  annually  presented  with  a  Median  habit.^  He 
also,  states  that  the  Ethiopians,  who  border  on  Egypt,  and  a 
people^^of  India,  "  once  in  every  three  years  present  to  the  king 
(Darius)  two  choenices  of  gold  unrefined,  two  hundred  blocks 
of  ebony,  twenty  large  elephants*  teeth,  and  five  Ethiopian 
youths."  The  Arabians  contributed  every  year  to  the  same 
monarch  frankincense  to  the  amount  of  a  thousand  talents.  A 
Persian  present  is  fully  explained  in  the  Anabasis  (Book  I.): 
it  consisted  of  a  horse  with  a  gilt  bridle,  a  golden  coU&r,  brace- 
lets, and  a  sword  of  the  kind  peculiar  to  Media,  called  acinaces, 
besides  the  silken  vest. 

I  Tbalia,  Ixxxit 


344  NIMROUD. — BACK   OF   OBELISK. 

The  first  compartment  on  the  back  of  the  obelisk  (fig.  180) 


•vv«.n^!^\:jH^5'^^^^•1  !♦  ,^^  vJt>\t.:?Tr 


"^^y^^^^^^^^m^jnm^ 


T^i^T^^^^^^^^M^^ 


Fig.  180.— BACK  OP  OBELISK. 


exhibits  two  camels  of  the  Bactrian  race ;  the  first  led  by  one 


NIMROTJD. — FOXIETH   SIDE   OF   OBELISK.  345 

of  the  newly-conquered  people,  wearing  the  peculiar  cap  and 


*^^^lXT^?iW^i  nA\HI '  ♦►^A  T>^*3j  A  f  f 


j^t'fi  '>>i^^>M  ^X-'i'*  iikV'#«\*V^'>i5)  "V  )T 


^■■»gMP^— ^g^       '■■■  .11111111)1 JWW^-^Pi^— ^ 


K.y,y!>^  ^  \\\^v\l»!W'J5V»'»7^<'JKtIl5  ^U'l-fD 


«yr^*ys'\vv;V■al»'<^><«»vv^:^vfa.STT^»  •4TBT/j..T-iyTni\N.in 


Fig.  181.— FOURTH  SIDE. 


l)oots,  but  short  instead  of  long  robes ;  the  second  camel  is 


346  NIMROUD. — FOURTH   SIDE   OP  OBELISK. 

driven  by  one  in  a  similar  costume.  The  second  compartment 
contains  five  of  the  same  people,  clad  in  long  robes,  carrying 
bars  of  precious  woods,  vases,  virine-skins,  wine-cup,  and  a  long 
two-handled  basket,  empty.  The  third  compartment  shows 
an  elephant  and  two  bare-footed  men  wearing  a  fillet  and  short 
tunic :  each  man  is  leading  a  monkey,  the  hindmost  having 
likewise  a  small  monkey  on  his  shoulder.  The  fourth  com- 
partment represents  five  of  the  same  people,  with  long  robes 
and  bare  feet,  carrying  for  tribute,  baskets;  and  apparently 
pieces  of  cloth ;  bags,  probably  containing  gold  dust,  and  bars 
of  wood  or  metal.  The  fifth  compartment  contains  also  five  of 
the  same  people,  similarly  attired,  carrying  single-handled  and 
two-handled  baskets,  and  large  bundles.  The  lower  inscrip- 
tion on  this  side  contains  twenty-nine  lines. 

The  first  compartment  of  the  fourth  side  (fig.  181)  contains 
five  of  the  newly-conquered  people,  capped,  booted,  and  long- 
robed  ;  bearing,  as  tribute,  bars  of  metal  or  wood,  round 
bundles,  and  long  flat  baskets  with  fruit.  The  second  com- 
partment is  similar  to  the  last ;  but  the  men  carry  square 
bundles  and  bags,  like  wine-skins,  over  their  shoulders,  and 
baskets  in  their  hands — the  last  a  long  flat  basket,  containing 
fruit,  like  pines.  The  third  compartment  contains  two  men, 
without  cap  or  fillet,  barefooted,  and  clad  in  the  short  tunic, 
guiding  two  human-headed  baboons,  chained.  The  fourth  has 
four  men  wearing  the  fillet  and  long  robes,  and  bearing  baskets, 
long  bundles  over  the  shoulder,  and  bars  of  wood.  The  fifth 
and  concluding  compartment  resembles  the  last — but  the  tribute 
consists  of  baskets,  sacks  like  the  former,  and  bundles.  The 
entablature  of  inscription  on  this  side  contains  thirty-eight  lines. 

This  completes  the  details  of  the  obelisk. 

"  In  the  twelfth  year  of  Ahaz,  King  of  Judah,  began  Hoshea, 
the  son  Elah,  to  reign  in  Samaria  over  Israel  nine  years. 
Against  him  came  up  Shalmaneser,  King  of  Assyria;  and 
Hoshea  became  his  servant,  and  gave  him  presents.  And  the 
King  of  Assyria  found  conspiracy  in  Hoshea ;  for  he  had  sent 
messengers  to  So,  King  of  Egypt,  and  brought  no  present  to 
the  King  of  Assyria,  as  he  had  done  year  by  year ;  therefore 
the  King  of  Assyria  shut  him  up,  and  bound  him  in  prison.**^ 
The  illustrations  upon  the  obelisk,  and  the  subjects  on  the 
walls  of  Assyrian  palaces  (particularly  Khorsabad),  are  so 
1  2  Kings,  xvii.  1. 3.  6. 


NIMROUD. — ME.  HECTOB*S  CONTBIBTTTIONS.  347 

• 

entirely  in  harmony  with  what  we  read  of  Shalmaneser  in  the 
17th  chapter  of  the  second  book  of  Kings,  that  we  have, 
without  further  comment,  not  hesitated  to  insert  it. 

We  will  now  turn  our  attention  to  the  valuable  addition  to 
our  collection,  for  which  we  are  indebted  to  the  enterprising 
spirit  of  Mr.  Hector,  an  English  merchant  long  established  at 
Baghdad,  whose  antiquarian  knowledge  and  love  of  research 
induced  him  to  essay  some  excavations  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  M.  Botta's  rich  but  now  entirely  exhausted  mine.  It  is  not 
easy  for  a  private  individual  to  succeed  in  such  tasks  as  Mr. 
Hector  had  undertaken ;  but  he  eventually  surmounted  all  the 
diflficulties  in  his  way,  and  was  rewarded  by  rescuing  these,  to 
us,  umqtce  remains,  as  all  the  other  specimens  from  Khorsabad 
(excepting  a  few  contributed  by  Rawlinson)  are  in  the  hands 
of  the  French  government.  The  importance  of  his  exertions 
will  be  justly  appreciated  by  all  who  know  that  without 
them  our  collection  of  these  historical  records  would  have 
been  deficient  in  some  essential  links  in  the  chain  of  re- 
search. 

As  soon  as  Mr.  Hector  had  secured  and  packed  his  discoveries, 
he  consigned  them  to  the  care  of  Mr.  Stirling,  of  Sheffield — a 
gentleman  distinguished  alike  for  his  intelligence  and  for  a 
patriotic  desire  to  secure  to  the  nation  any  relics  or  information 
of  value.  Acting  upon  his  knowledge  of  the  interest  enter- 
tained by  the  public  on  the  subject,  Mr.  Stirling  at  once 
proceeded  to  negotiate  the  sale  to  the  British  Museum ;  and 
the  trustees  finally  paid  him  400/.  for  the  curious  property 
intrusted  to  him.  The  particular  remains  now  under  notice 
consist  exclusively  of  isolated  figures ;  although  there  can  be 
but  little  doubt  that  these  figures  form  portions  of  groups  and 
of  colossal  ranges  of  sculpture  similar  in  character  to  the 
smaller  friezes  from  the  walls  at  Nimroud. 

The  most  important  of  these  remains  are  three  figures,  8  ft. 
11  in.  high.  The  first  is  that  of  the  king  wearing  the  trun- 
cated cone-like  cap,  richly  embellished;  with  the  small  cone 
quite  perfect  at  the  top,  and  the  two  long  embroidered  and  fringed 
fillets  depending  from  the  back  of  the  cap.  He  has  long  pen- 
dant ear  rings,  bracelets  with  richly  carved  rosettes,  and  upon 
his  arm  is  an  ornamented  armlet  lapping  over.  His  beard  is 
very  long,  and,  like  the  hair,  is  formally  curled.  His  under- 
dress,  embroidered  with  rosettes  in  square  compartments,  and 


348     MR.  HECTOb's  collection  from  KH0R8AB1D. BEARDS, 

bordered  with  a  tasselled  fringe,  reaches  to  the  feet:  his 
mantle  is  decorated  with  rosettes,  dispersed  at  regular  inter- 
vals over  the  whole  surface,  and  a  fringe,  with  an  embroidered 
heading,  borders  the  mantle.  He  has  sandals,  of  which  the 
heel-piece  is  painted  in  red  stripes.  His  left  hand  rests 
upon  the  hilt  of  his  sword — the  two-lioned  scabbard  of  which 
appears  at  the  back ;  and  his  right  hand  is  raised,  holding  a 
long  staff  or  sceptre. 

The  next  figure  is  of  the  same  dimensions  as  the  last,  and 
the  broken  parts  on  these  two  and  other  slabs  prove  that  they 
are  but  separated  portions  of  continuous  groups,  representing 
an  interview  between  the  great  king  and  the  Rab  Signeen,  the 
governor  of  some  province  of  the  vast  Assyrian  empire ;  his 
dress  bespeaking  an  important  functionary,  His  head  is 
uncovered,  the  hair  elaborately  curled,  and  the  beard  of  that 
length  and  prescribed  form  which  denote  a  personage  of  rank. 

This  latter  is  still  an  infallible  indication  of  rank ;  for  down 
to  so  late  as  1848,  a  little  before  the  death  of  Mohammed  Ali, 
an  order  from  Constantinople  obliged  even  the  venerable  pacha 
himself  to  reduce  his  white  beard  to  a  hand's  breadth  below 
the  chin. 

There  are  also  indications  of  a  fillet  passing  round  the  head, 
the  two  long  embroidered  and  fringed  ends  of  which  hang  from 
the  back ;  and  he  wears  highly-ornamented  pendant  ear 
rings,  a  richly-carved  armlet  lapping  over,  and  bracelets  with 
ten  strings  connected  by  a  rosette-shaped  clasp.  The  robe, 
which  reaches  to  his  instep,  is  highly  decorated,  and  has  a 
deep-knotted  fringe  with  an  embroidered  heading;  over  the 
robe  is  worn,  suspended  from  the  neck  to  below  the  waist, 
a  broad  band  of  embroidery  like  that  on  the  robe,  from  the 
whole  of  which  falls  a  double  row  of  fur  or  fringe  reaching  to 
the  knee,  covering  the  entire  back  of  the  figure  from  the 
shoulder  downwards,  forming  also  a  covering  to  the  arm  to  a 
little  above  the  elbow.  The  right  hand  of  the  figure  is  up- 
raised ;  and  the  left  rests  upon  the  hilt  of  the  sword,  which  is 
thrust  into  the  band,  and  appears  under  and  behind  the  surcoat. 

The  third  figure  of  the  same  dimensions  is  beardless, — the 
face  is  full  and  the  hair  formally  curled  in  six  rows,  in  the 
same  fashion  as  all  the  other  beardless  figures.  The  details  of 
the  costume  are  precisely  like  the  last — excepting  that  the  robe 
is  without  embroidery,  that  the  armlet  wraps  twice  round  the 


MB.    HECTOb's  collection  FBOII   BHOBSABAD.  349 

arm,  and  instead  of  being  carved  all  over,  is  only  decorated  at 
each  end ;  and  that  the  bracelets  consist  of  four  rings  con- 
nected by  rosettes.  The  feet  are  much  mutilated,  yet  there 
remains  an  indication  of  the  sandal.  The  right  hand  of  this 
figure  is  clasped  in  the  left,  in  the  conventional  attitude  of 
respect,  which  would  suggest  that  the  person  stands  in  the 
presence  of  one  of  superior  rank,  and  therefore  that  it  belongs 
to  a  group  of  figures.  Of  this  we  are  unequivocally  assured, 
also  by  a  portion  of  a  fringed  garment,  and  part  of  the  scab- 
bard of  a  sword  represented  on  the  same  slab  before  the  figure. 

The  figures  which  we  shall  next  describe  are  3  ft.  3  in.  in 
height,  two  of  them  apparently  representing  priests.  In  the 
first,  the  hair  and  long  beard  are  elaborately  curled ;  around 
the  head  is  a  chaplet  of  twisted  cords  and  rosettes,  tied  at  the 
back  where  the  tassel  is  visible,  together  with  the  large  tassel 
under  the  hair.  He  wears  long  ear  rings,  overlapping  armlets 
wrapped  twice  round  the  arm,  and  bracelets  with  three  rings 
and  rosette  clasps.  The  right  hand  is  open,  and  raised  in  the 
attitude  of  prayer ;  and  the  left  is  slightly  extended,  holding 
a  plant,  with  three  branches,  either  a  mystic  emblem  or  an 
offering.  The  figure  is  clothed  in  a  short  tunic,  with  em- 
broidery and  tasselled  fringe,  with  two  cords  and  tassels  de- 
pending from  the  waist;  a  long  robe  with  a  simple  fringe  ;  and 
passing  under  the  right  arm  and  over  the  left  shoulder,  is  a  deep 
fur  or  fringe  headed  by  embroidery,  the  whole  similar  to  the 
peculiar  article  of  costume  described  in  the  second  colossal 
figure.  The  feet  are  broken  off.  This  figure  our  present 
knowledge  of  the  plan  of  the  palace  of  Khorsabad  permits  us 
to  define  as  one  of  the  priests  sculptured  on  the  recess  formed 
by  the  projection  of  the  bulls  at  the  central  entrances,  or  as 
belonging  to  the  divining  chamber  No.  ix.  Plan  of  Khorsabad. 

The  second  priest-like  figure  resembles  the  last  in  all  parti- 
culars, excepting  that  the  short  tunic  is  without  fringe,  whilst 
the  upper  robe  is  embroidered  above  the  fringe ;  that  the  brace- 
lets are  simple  rings ;  and  that  the  feet  are  perfect,  and  with- 
out sandals.  In  both  these  slabs  a  perforation  has  been  effected 
near  the  upraised  hands. 

The  third  figure  is  attired  in  a  long  tunic,  with  embroidered 
and  scalloped  fringe,  the  upper  dress  being  open  in  the  front ; 
the  head  is  uncovered,  and  the  beard  is  short  and  crisply 
curled.     The  left  hand  is  raised,  and  holds  a  sack,  which  the 


350 


MR.  HECTOE  S  COLLECTION  FEOM  KHOKSABAD. 


right  hand  supports  at  the  back.  "We  are  also  enabled  to 
assert  that  this  person  represents  a  tribute-bearer  from  the 
same  part  of  the  dominions  of  the  king  of  Assyria  as  those 
persons  we  first  became  acquainted  with  in  the  Court  of  As- 


Fig.  182.— TRIBUTE  HORSES. 


sembly,  and  subsequently  met  in  the  Chamber  of  Passage 
which  connects  the  Court  of  Assembly  with  the  King's  Court.^ 
This  figure,  from  its  diminutiveness,  must  have  belonged  to 
an  apartment  in  some  part  of  the  palace  where  the  sculpture 

See  plan,  Kborsabad. 


IIR.  HECTOB^S  COLLECTION  FBOM  EHOESABAD.  851 

was  divided  into  an  upper  and  lower  line  of  illustration  by  a 
band  of  inscription. 

The  fourth  figure  has  likewise  the  head  uncovered,  the  hair 
confined  by  an  embellished  fillet ;  and  the  short  curled  beard. 
In  his  left  hand  he  holds  a  bow,  and  in  his  right  two  arrows ; 
while  his  quiver  is  slung  behind,  and  his  sword  is  by  his  side. 
His  fringed  and  peculiarly  ornamented  tunic  reaches  only  mid- 
way down  the  thigh.  This  is  a  representation  of  a  person  from 
some  part  of  the  vast  dominions  of  the  great  king,  one  of  the 
people  whom  we  have  met  with  as  his  allies  in  some  of  the 
battles  on  the  walls  of  Xhorsabad. 

The  remaining  sculptures  are  all  detached  fragments,  as  fol- 
low : — Two  colossal  horses*  heads  richly  caprisoned  in  highly- 
decorated  head-trappings,  the  parts  of  which  resemble  those 
at  present  in  use  in  the  East  (fig.  182).  A  hand  is  seen  hold- 
ing the  horses ;  but  no  other  part  of  the  figure  remains.  This, 
we  presume,  is  a  fragment  of  a  similar  group  to  that  now  in 
the  Louvre ;  though  in  the  specimen  before  us  there  are  only 
two  horses,  while  in  that  of  the  Louvre  there  are  four.  In 
this  particular  they  both  differ  from  the  sculptures  formerly 
described, — the  number  of  horses  in  each  chariot  being  inva- 
riably three. 

Two  fragments  of  horses*  heads  similarly  decorated  but  of 
smaller  dimensions. 

A  fragment  containing  two  human  feet  and  the  fetlock  of 
a  horse.  The  foot  of  the  horse  with  a  portion  of  the  tail  are 
in  front ;  and  immediately  behind  is  a  human  foot,  with  a 
part  of  the  fringed  and  embroidered  robe  above  it.  The  second 
foot,  which  has  a  singular  fringed  garment  above,  belongs  to  a 
distinct  figure.  Three  rows  of  cuneiform  characters  in  a  very 
perfect  state  form  the  base  of  this  fragment.  Fragments  with 
horses'  hoofs  and  cuneiform  characters,  all  probably  belongs 
ing  to  a  procession,  of  tribute-bearers  headed  by  the  chiefs  of 
provinces,  as  we  have  seen  in  the  Passage  Chamber  (x)  Khor- 
sabad,  A  few  detached  and  unconnected  fragments  of  inscrip- 
tion :  two  hands  and  arms  with  rosette-clasped  bracelets,  one 
being  of  colossal  size ;  the  point  of  a  scabbard  decorated  with 
the  two  lions ;  and  the  following  heads,  complete  the  present 
list:— 

A  colossal  human  head,  with  a  turban,  represented  by  folds 
laid  close  round  the  head,  or  perhaps  leather  cap  (fig.  183) ;  a 


352 


MR.  HECTOB's  collection  FROM  EHOUSABAD, 


row  of  curls  appears  frora  underneath  the  turhan  at  the  hack, 
and  the  heard  is  short  and  formally  curled. — This  is  the  head 
of  one  of  those  colossal  figures  we  were  first  introduced  to  in 
the  Court  of  Assembly  —  whom  we  afterwards  met  in  the 
Chamber  of  Audience  at  Khorsabad — again  in  the  scene  re- 
presenting the  transport  of  timber,  and  which,  from  the  latter 
circumstance,  we  have  conjectured  may  be  a  Tyrian. 


Fig.  183,— XATIVE  OF  THE  COAST  OF  THK  MEDITEBEANEAK. 


Three  heads  of  smaller  size,  the  details  of  which  are  like 
the  last.  In  one,  however,  the  shoulder  indicates  that  the  left 
arm  is  raised ;  and  in  another,  the  thumb  and  palm  of  the 
hand  are  visible  upon  the  right  shoulder. 

Six  heads,  uncovered,  the  hair  arranged  in  six  formal  rows 
of  curls  at  the  back  (see  fig.  184).  The  faces  are  very  full, 
and  quite  beardless-  In  five  of  the  heads  the  three-lobed  ear- 
ring is  shown ;  whilst  in  the  sixth  it  is  the  long  pendant.    In 


ME.  HECTOR  S  COLIECTION  PROM  KHORSABAD. 


353 


one,  the  neck  of  the  robe  is  embroidered ;  on  another,  em- 
broidery is  visible  upon  the  shoulder;  and  on  a  third,  an 
ornament  like  a  chain  of  metal  plates  appears  over  the  shoulder. 
The  remains  of  colouring-matter  can  be  seen  upon  almost  all 
these  heads. — Finally,  two  smaller  heads  with  chaplets,  ap- 
parently belonging  to  priests;  and  part  of  a  head  with  a  short 
beard. 


Fig.  184. — ^POBTRAIT  OF  THE  CUP-BBABBB  OF  THE  KINO  OF  KHOBSABAU. 

All  the  heads  above  enumerated,  except  those  of  the  beard- 
less figures,  differ  from  those  of  the  attendants  of  the  great 
king,  and  from  those  who  defend  the  walls  of  the  beleaguered 
cities  in  the  bas-reliefs  from  Nimroud,  in  the  form  of  the  head- 
gear, and  also  in  the  fashion  of  the  hair  and  beard.  We  are 
now  able  to  pronounce,  with  a  probability  almost  amounting  to 
certainty,  that  they  represent  heads  of  that  people  of  Sidon 
and  Tyre,  or  the  coast  of  the  Mediterranean,  who  were  expert 
in  the  arts,  as  Homer  informs  us,  and  as  we  also  learn  from 
the  nature  of  their  tribute  exhibited  in  these  sculptures. 

There  now  only  j^emain  to  be  noticed  the  sculptures  for 

A  A 


354     8IB  HEKBT  £AWLINS0K*8  COLLECTION  FBOM  KHOBBABAD. 

warded  to  this  country  from  Khorsabad,  and  Nimrond,  and  by 
our  diligent  and  indefatigable  countryman,  Sir  Henry  Baw- 
linson.     Of  these  the  most  important  in  size  are — 

Two  statues  of  Nebo,  dedicated  by  Phulakh  II.  (Pul)  and 
his  queen,  Sammuramit,  from  the  South-East  edifice,  Kim- 
roud.  They  are  of  coarse  lime-stone,  and  most  rude  in 
execution.  From  Khorsabad,  two  human-headed  and  winged 
bulls,  15  ft.  in  height.  They  wear  the  high  cap  surmounted 
by  feathers  and  surrounded  by  rosettes,  and  in  all  other  re- 
spects are  so  identical  with  those  described,  pages  251,  801, 
that  farther  details  here  are  quite  unnecessary. 

Nos.  3  and  4  of  this  collection  are  colossal  figures  of  a 
winged  man  or  divinity.  They  are  in  higher  relief  than  the 
sculptures  we  have  hitherto  seen,  and  of  larger  dimensions, 
being  1 3  ft.  in  height.  The  head  of  both  these  figures  is  turned 
towards  the  spectator ;  but  they  otherwise  resemble  in  position 
all  the  winged  figures  previously  noticed,  holding  in  the  right 
hand  the  fir-cone,  and  in  the  left  the  square  basket.  The 
dress  is  also  like  those  we  have  formerly  described,  consisting 
of  the  egg-shaped  two-horned  cap,  the  short-fringed  tunic, 
and  the  long-fuired  mantle.*  The  alabaster  employed  is  of  a 
mottled  kind,  differing  in  this  respect  from  the  material  of  the 
other  sculptures.  In  point  of  style  these  figures  are  inferior  to 
the  other  works  of  art  from  the  same  place ;  the  hands  are  large, 
the  wrists  thicker  than  the  ankles,  and  the  legs  feeble  for  the 
upper  part  of  the  figure.  Both  these  figures  must  have  been 
long  exposed  to  the  rain,  for  the  whole  surface  is  corroded, 
and  the  features  are  water- worn  in  a  remarkable  degree. 

No.  5  (fig.  1 85)  is  a  very  interesting  frieze  in  basalt,  and 
which  we  therefore  conclude  to  have  formed  part  of  the  deco- 
ration of  the  building  M.  Botta  has  designated  *'  the  temple" 
(see  page  236) ;  but  among  the  ruins  of  which  he  did  not  find 
any  sculptures,  excepting  a  representation  of  two  divinities 
before  the  symbolic  tree.  The  subject  before  us  is  nearly 
identical  with  fig.  77.  It  represents  a  eunuch  in  a  forest 
shooting  birds,  and  a  forester  attending,  carrying  a  bow  and 
several  arrows ;  while  a  second  forester  has  a  hare  in  one 
hand,  and  holds  with  the  other  a  gazelle  over  his  shoulders. 

In  reviewing  and  comparing  the  palaces  of  Khorsabad  and 
Nimroud,  the  general  features  which  are  common  to  both,  and 
1  See  "  Illustrated  London  News,"  Dec.  28, 1850. 


NIlfBOTTD  AND  KHOKSABA.D  COMPABED. 


355 


the  characteristics  which  are  peculiar  to  each,  forcibly  present 
themselves  for  observation.  The  leading  principles  of  con- 
struction, such  as  the  elevated  substructure,  thick  walls,  suc- 


Fig.  185. — THB  KIKO'S  FOBBSTERS ;  A  FBIBZE  }S  BAAaLT. 

cessive  long  and  narrow  chambers,  the  courts,  and  the  mode 
of  decoration,  seem  to  have  been  so  nearly  alike  in  both  edi- 
fices, as  to  indicate  that  the  same  principles  were  in  force,  and 
that  the  same  rules  of  construction  prevailed  ;  but  when  we 
turn  to  examine  the  sculptures  in  detail,  and  their  arrange- 
ment upon  the  walls,  we  at  once  perceive  the  most  distinctly 
different  features.  In  the  example  at  Khorsabad,  the  palace 
was  built  according  to  a  regular  and  well-devised  plan,  of 
which  the  sculptured  decorations  formed  an  integral  part ; 
whereas,  in  the  palace  at  Nimroud,  although  the  plan  of  the 
chambers  and  courts  is  evidently  according  to  preconceived 
designs,  the  sculptures  generally  have  the  appearance  of  being 
adventitious  adjuncts,  probably  brought  from  other  palaces,  and 
adapted  to  the  walls  where  they  vere  found.  Again,  in  the  first- 
named  building,  the  character  of  the  illustrations  is  chiefly  regal 
and  historical, — the  divinities  which  are  represented  being 
introduced  only  as  guardians  of  entrances,  and  not  in  direct 
attendance  upon,  or  ministering  to,  the  king.     At  Nimroud, 

A  a2 


356         NIMROUD  AND  KHOBSABAD  COMPARED. 

on  the  contrary,  the  historical  subjects  bear  but  a  compara- 
tively small  part  in  the  decoration  of  the  walls,  and,  even  when 
seen,  are  rarely  found  in  consecutive  order,  while  the  king  is 
almost  invariably  represented  in  cod  junction  with  a  divinity. 
In  some  cases  the  divinities  are  ministering  to  him  ;  in  others, 
he  is  in  the  act  of  adoration  ;  and  in  others  he  is  accompanied 
to  the  battle-field,  or  in  victory,  by  the  symbol  of  his  god. 

Another  remarkable  peculiarity  is,  that  entire  chambers  at 
Nimroud  are  especially  dedicated  to  particular  divinities,  or  to 
representations  of  the  king  attended  by  divinities ;  while  at 
Khorsabad  there  are  no  analogous  chambers  or  representations. 
At  Nimroud,  the  symbol,  which  we  have  designated  Baal,  is 
repeated  in  every  historical  subject  where  the  king  appears  ; 
but  at  Khorsabad  there  is  not  a  single  example  of  this  symbol. 

At  Nimroud  we  have  tlie  beardless  divinity  with  four  wings, 
and  the  figures  of  deified  men  ;  the  Griffon,  and  Dagon ;  while 
at  Khorsabad  none  of  these  divinities  appear ;  but  we  have,  in 
their  stead,  the  four- winged  figure  we  have  named  Ilus,  occu- 
p)'ing  prominent  positions,  and  the  representations  of  Nimrod. 

At  Nimroud  we  have  seen  the  king  divining,  both  by  cup 
and  arrows ;  but  at  Khorsabad  there  is  not  one  subject  indi- 
cative of  divination. 

At  Nimroud,  trained  birds  of  prey  accompany  the  king,  and 
hover  over  every  battle-field ;  but  at  Khorsabad,  notwithstand- 
ing the  number  of  battle- scenes,  not  a  single  example  of  the 
bird  is  exhibited. 

At  Nimroud,  the  king  is  frequently  seen  in  the  act  of  drink- 
ing; but  at  Khorsabad  he  is  never  seen,  otherwise  than  in 
battle;  in  the  acts  of  walking,  conference,  and  judgment;  or 
in  receiving  homage  and  tribute. 

At  Khorsabad,  the  principal  wars  of  the  king  seem  to  be 
with  the  pastoral  people  clothed  in  skins ;  but  at  Nimroud  these 
people  are  never  seen  ;  and  the  contention  appears  invariably 
to  be  with  the  people  who  wear  the  fillet  upon  the  head. 

At  Nimroud,  the  tribute  or  spoil  laid  before  the  king  is 
always  accompanied  by  captives,  or  by  people  in  attitudes  be- 
speaking penitence  and  earnest  entreaties  for  mercy  ;  on  the 
other  hand,  at  Khorsabad,  the  numerous  processions,  carrying 
tribute,  suggest  the  idea  that  the  offerings  are  voluntary  gifts 
of  regular  vassals,  presented  by  the  governors  of  the  respective 
provinces,  acknowledging  the  rule  of  the  great  king. 


NIMBOUD  AND  KHOUSABA.D  COMPABKD.         357 

At  Nimroud  we  find  the  sculptures  traversed  by  numerous 
lines  of  inscription,  without  any  regard  to  the  figures  origin- 
ally represented  on  the  slabs ;  but  at  Khorsabad  there  are  no 
examples  of  similar  obliterative  inscriptions. 

At  Nimroud  we  have  seen  a  peculiarity  in  the  chariots,  the 
intention  of  which  is  not  clearly  understood,  namely,  an  ap- 
pendage to  the  pole,  which  seems  to  resemble  the  embroidered 
hanging, — and  sometimes  padded  separation,  between  the 
horses  and  bullocks  in  the  modern  cars  of  India ;  but  at  Khor- 
sabad  this  appendage  is  never  shown,  the  chariots  being  in  all 
respects  more  simple,  and  less  decorated. 

Finally,  the  very  marked  differences  in  the  styles  of  art 
which  the  sculptures  manifest,  must  strike  every  observer.  At 
Khorsabad,  the  style  is  broad,  simple,  and  flowing,  the  minor 
details  being  always  subservient  to  the  more  important  features 
which  the  artist  desired  to  present  to  the  spectator ;  at  Nimroud, 
on  the  contrary,  almost  everything  is  sacrificed  to  the  minute 
delineation  of  the  forms  within  the  contour  of  the  figure, — as, 
for  example,  the  affectation  of  anatomical  knowledge,  and  the 
multiplication  of  Unes,  particularly  about  the  knee-joint. 

The  inferences  to  be  drawn  from  a  consideration  of  the  fore- 
going analysis  are,  that  though  the  distinctive  characteristics 
of  the  sculptures  of  the  two  palaces  bear  the  stamp  of  national 
peculiarity,  yet  that  they  were  the  works  of  the  nation  at  dif- 
ferent periods ;  and  that  these  periods  were  sufficiently  distant 
to  admit  of  the  introduction  of  new  customs  and  innovations 
such  as  we  have  shown.  It  remains,  therefore,  to  be  deter- 
mined, to  which  the  priority  of  antiquity  is  due  ;  and,  to  this 
end,  we  venture  to  submit  the  following  observations,  derived 
from  our  readings  of  the  sculptures  themselves,  and  entirely 
irrespective  of  the  interpretations  of  the  cuneatic  inscriptions. 

Pirst,  in  regard  to  the  well -devised  and  systematic  arrange- 
ment of  the  sculptures  at  Khorsabad,  as  contrasted  with  the 
irregularity  and  nature  of  the  illustrations  found  upon  the 
walls  at  irimroud.  At  Khorsabad  we  are  impressed  with 
the  conviction  that  a  deliberate  and  mature  design  was  me- 
thodically accomplished,  in  accordance  with  the  original  plan. 
At  Nimroud,  all  that  we  see  indicates  haste, — the  general  plan 
being  imitated  from  existing  examples,  and  being,  apparently, 
carried  out  with  the  materials  which  had  adorned  previous 
Btructures.    Thus,  we  find  only  some  of  the  subjects  placed 


358        COMPABATIVE  ANTIQUITY  OP  KHOESABAD  AND  NIMROUD. 

in  consecutive  order ;  some,  one  above  the  other ;  and  others 
breaking  off  abruptly — a  new  subject  commencing,  without 
any  connection  with  the  last.  In  one  instance  the  double  line 
of  illustration  commences  in  the  angle  of  the  room,  and,  after 
continuing  for  some  distance,  is  abruptly  terminated  by  a  suc- 
cession of  colossal  slabs ;  and,  again,  colossal  slabs  are  awk- 
wardly placed  in  corners,  regardless  of  architectural  effect,  as 
if  the  builders  had  been  obliged  to  conclude  their  work  with 
undue  rapidity,  and  had  taken  the  first  materials  that  pre- 
sented themselves.  In  support  of  these  views  of  the  hurried 
erection  of  the  structure,  and  of  the  employment  of  the  ma- 
terials belonging  to  a  previous  building,  we  learn  from  Mr. 
Layard,  that  he  found  in  one  part  of  the  ruins  several  slabs 
which  were  evidently  in  process  of  removal  from  one  place 
to  another ;  thus  indicating  not  only  that  the  palace  was  in 
actual  progress,  and  being  hastily  constructed  out  of  the  ruins 
of  an  earlier  and  larger  building,  but  that  the  work  was  ab- 
ruptly arrested  before  completion  :  from  both  of  which  circum- 
stances it  may  be  inferred  that  the  Palace  of  Nimroud  dates 
subsequently  to  that  of  Khorsabad,  which  was  finished  prior 
to  the  period  of  its  destruction. 

Another  important  evidence  in  favour  of  the  superior  an- 
tiquity of  the  Khorsabad  palace  is  the  absence  of  the  inscrip- 
tion running  across  the  sculptures,  which  we  have  remarked 
at  Nimroud.  At  Khorsabad  it  would  seem  that  there  were 
two  classes  of  inscriptions,  religious  and  historical.  To  the 
first  class  is  to  be  attributed  those  inscriptions  on  the  back  of 
slabs,  and  those  impressed  on  the  bricks  forming  the  pave- 
ment of  the  courts,  and  cut  on  the  kiln-burnt  bricks  of  the 
walls ;  as  well  as  the  four  inscriptions  on  the  bulls,  which 
were  apparently  continuous  portions  of  the  same  text  repeated 
on  each  bull,  and  found  more  or  less  abridged  on  the  paving 
slabs  at  the  entrances.  To  the  second  class  belong  those  on 
the  walls  of  the  chambers,  generally  forming  a  long  band  se- 
parating the  two  ranges  of  bas-reliefs ;  and  those  engraved 
on  the  dresses  of  certain  personages,  over  the  heads  of  cap- 
tives, and  upon  the  walls  of  the  cities.  These  are  all  noto- 
riously historical,  for  the  texts  vary  with  the  subjects  repre- 
sented in  the  reliefs,  and  evidently  relate  to  them ;  but  instead 
of  being  placed  so  as  to  obliterate  any  part  of  the  sculpture, 
when  an  inscription  is  seen  upon  a  figure  it  is  invariably  upon 


KIMBOUO   AND   KHOBSABAD   COHFABED.  359 

a  plain  part  of  the  dress,  and  bordered  by  a  line,  the  whole 
presenting  the  appearance  of  a  label  containing  the  name  of 
the  person,  or  the  sentence  he  is  uttering. 

At  Nimroud,  the  inscriptions  which  appear  are,  possibly, 
also  religious  and  historical.  Those  of  a  religious  character 
occupy  positions  at  the  entrances,  upon  the  bulls,  and  in  the 
pavement,  as  in  the  example  at  Khorsabad ;  but  here  the  re- 
semblance ceases.  We  do  not  find  one  single  inscription  upon 
any  representations  of  buildings,  nor  on  any  special  figure ; 
but  instead  of  these  we  have  numerous  lines  of  cuneatic  run- 
ning across  the  centre  of  the  large  friezes,  without  any  respect 
for  the  subject  underneath.  Hence  it  may  reasonably  be  con- 
jectured that  he  who  built  the  palace  out  of  the  ruins  of  a 
former  one,  did  not  scruple  to  appropriate  the  sculptures  to 
himself,  and  to  obliterate  the  monuments  of  his  predecessor 
by  the  record  of  his  own  exploits ;  and  if  we  consider  these 
evidences,  in  conjunction  with  the  different  styles  of  art  of 
the  respective  structures,  it  follows  almost  indisputably  that 
the  Palace  of  I^imroud  is  of  more  recent  date  than  that  of 
Khorsabad. 

A  third  evidence  we  would  deduce  from  the  representations 
at  both  palaces,  of  the  processions  bearing  tribute.  At  Khor- 
sabad the  offerings  are  the  voluntary  tribute  of  vassals  from 
the  very  extremities  of  the  empire,  which  extends  even  to  the 
coast  of  the  Mediterranean,  showing  that  at  that  time  the 
empire  of  Assyria  Proper  was  in  the  plenitude  of  its  power ; 
whereas  at  Nimroud,  the  apparently  forced  tribute  would  seem 
to  be  rendered  by  revolted  subjects,  at  least  there  are  no  extant 
processions  of  voluntary  tribute-bearers,  like  those  so  frequently 
seen  at  Khorsabad. 

To  descend  to  more  minute  particulars,  derived  from  the 
customs  which  are  exclusively  exhibited  in  the  Nimroud  sculp- 
tures, we  will  first  instance  the  trained  birds  of  prey,  a  custom 
probably  imported  from  some  of  the  neighbouring  nations 
conquered  by  the  kings  of  Assyria,  and  which  continued  to 
prevail  in  Persia  so  late  as  the  seventeenth  century.  The 
practice  of  training  animals  for  the  chase  and  battle-field  has 
existed  in  various  countries  from  the  earliest  times,  and  his-p 
tory  tells  us  that  the  Egyptians,  Indians,  Romans,  Gauls,  and 
others,  had  animals  especially  trained  for  those  purposes.  The 
presence  of  the  bird,  therefore,  at  Mmroud  is  another  testi- 


360  NIMROUD   AND   KHOBSABAD  COMFABED. 

mony  in  favour  of  the  greater  antiquity  of  Khorsabad,  as 
obviously  the  custom  did  not  prevail  at  the  time  the  sculp- 
tures found  there  were  executed. 

Another  innovation  apparent  at  Nimroud,  is  the  alteration 
of  the  chariot,  probably  copied  from  some  other  country.  "We 
learn  from  Xenophon  (Cyrop.  book  vi.),  that  Cyrus  built  cha- 
riots of  a  new  form,  having  found  great  inconveniences  in  the 
old  ones,  the  fashion  of  which  came  from  Troy,  and  had  con- 
tinued in  use  till  that  time  throughout  all  Asia  ;  and  we  may 
easily  surmise  that  the  walls  at  Nimroud  supply  examples  of 
the  Trojan,  the  intermediate  stage  between  those  portrayed  at 
Khorsabad  and  those  introduced  by  Cyrus. 

The  most  important,  however,  of  all  the  characteristics  pe- 
culiar to  Nimroud,  are  the  divinities  seen  upon  the  walls,  and 
the  evidence  thus  afforded  of  the  introduction  of  new  gods,  and 
of  hero  or  demon-worship.  In  the  very  earliest  stages  of  society 
the  worship  of  mankind  was  pure  and  simple;  but  as  the 
people  spread  over  the  earth,  and  became  more  corrupt,  this 
primitive  worship  of  the  Deity  gradually  gave  place. to  types 
and  symbols  more  within  the  comprehension  of  the  degenerate 
race.  The  learned  Dr.  Faber  has  supposed  that  the  cherubim 
were  used  in  the  worship  of  the  true  God  prior  to  the  deluge, 
and  presumes  from  this  that  when  idolatry  sprang  up,  the 
demon-gods  would  be  worshipped  by  the  same  emblems  that 
had  been  already  consecrated  to  the  true  God.  The  uniform 
veneration  of  the  world  for  the  bull,  lion,  eagle,  and  man,  he 
thinks,  perfectly  accords  with  the  presumption  that  the  com- 
mon origin  can  only  be  found  in  a  period  when  all  mankind 
formed  one  society.  The  inspired  writers  inform  us,  that,  when 
the  Jews  departed  from  the  worship  of  the  true  God,  they 
adored  partly  the  host  of  heaven,  and  partly  certain  beings, 
called,  in  the  New  Testament,  Demonia,  and,  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, Baalim,  or  Siddim ;  these  demonia  being  the  same  as 
hero-gods,  or  the  souls  of  eminent  benefactors  to  mankind. 

When  we  turn  to  Khorsabad,  we  find  that  the  only  gods 
represented  on  the  walls  are  the  human-headed  eagle-winged 
bulls,  which  we  regard  as  cherubic  animals ;  the  Ilus,  or 
Cronus ;  the  divinity  with  two  wings ;  and  an  eagle-headed 
divinity,  who,  from  his  dress  and  the  situations  where  he  is 
found,  would  seem  to  be  of  inferior  importance.  Hence,  from 
these  few,  simple,  and  generally  noble  symbols  of  the  Divinity, 


NIMBOUD   AND    KHOKSABAII   COMPAKED.  361 

we  may  infer  that,  at  the  time  the  Palace  of  Khorsabad  was 
built,  the  religion  of  the  Assyrians  was  comparatively  pure. 
On  directing  our  attention,  however,  to  the  walls  of  Nimroud, 
we  at  once  perceive  degeneracy  in  the  system  of  religion,  from 
the  increased  number  of  divinities,  and  from  the  evident  ma- 
nifestations of  deified  mortals,  or  hero-worship. 

We  have  first,  the  divinities  common  to  both  palaces ; 
namely,  the  Cherubic  animal,  combining  the  man,  the  eagle 
and  the  bull ;  the  Ilus ;  the  divinity  with  two  wings ;  and 
the  eagle-headed  divinity.  In  addition  to  these  is  the  Cherubic 
animal,  combining  the  man  and  the  eagle  with  the  lion  ;  we  have 
the  Griffon,  the  supposed  spirit  of  evil ;  and  there  is  also  the 
four-winged  beardless  divinity,  nowhere  visible  at  Khorsabad  ; 
which  we,  therefore,  may  suppose  to  be  of  more  recent  origin. 

We  have  a  figure  of  Dagon,  which,  though  represented  in  a 
subject  piece,  is  nowhere  shown  at  Khorsabad  as  an  Assyrian 
divinity. 

We  have  then  the  winged  figures,  which  we  consider  to  be 
deified  mortals  from  their  wearing  the  head-dress,  and  bear- 
ing the  insignia  of  the  magi ;  the  absence  of  which  figures 
from  the  friezes  at  Khorsabad,  we  take  to  be  an  indication  of 
the  greater  antiquity  of  those  sculptures. 

We  next  perceive  that  the  eagle-headed  divinity,  so  unimpor- 
tant at  Khorsabad,  has  become  a  leading  and  predominant 
divinity  at  Nimroud. 

Finally,  we  have  the  feathered  symbol  always  accompanying 
the  king  in  war  and  triumph ;  and  as  we  likewise  find  this 
particular  divinity  prevailing  in  the  Persepolitan  sculptures 
after  the  period  when  the  Assyrian  empire  had  become  absorbed 
in  that  of  Persia,  the  inference  is  obvious  that  Nimroud, 
which  has  the  emblem,  occupies  an  intermediate  place  between 
Khorsabad  and  Persepolis,  and  consequently  farther  confirms 
our  view  that  the  Palace  of  Khorsabad  is  more  ancient  than 
that  of  ifimroud. 

We  have  been  induced  to  enter  thus  minutely  into  the  detail 
of  these  interesting  sculptures,  from  the  important  light  they 
throw  upon  our  previous  historical  records ;  for,  although  they 
can  in  no  way  be  available  for  their  beauty  as  works  of  art, 
the  high  state  of  civilisation  which  they  manifest  as  regards 
the  ornamental  and  useful  sciences  will  at  once  be  appreciated 
by  the  intelligent  and  enlightened  observer. 


362 


PLAN  OF   THE    PA.LACE   AT   NIMROTJD. 


Fig.  185.*— PLAX  OF  THR  PRINCIPAL  EDIFICE  (THE  K.  W.  PALACE)  AT  KIJCBOUD,  WHBNCB 
MOST  OF  THE  SCULPTURES,  THE  BB0NZE8,  AND  THE  IV0KIE8,  NOW  IN  THE  BKITIBH 
MUSEUH,  WISE  OEBIVED. 


A  Ante-Chamber. 

B  Great  Hall. 

C  Hall  of  Nisroch. 

D  Hall  of  Divination. 

E  Hall  of  the  Oracle. 

p  Chamber  of  Divinities. 

Q  Inscribed  Chamber. 

H  Central  Inscribed  Chamber. 

I  Second  Chamber  of  Divinities. 

J  Second  Inscribed  Chamber. 

K  Small  Ante-Chamber. 


I. 
M 
N 
O 

P 

Q 

R 

S 
T 


Side  Chamber  of  Inscriptions. 
Large  open  Court. 
Second  Hall  of  Divinities. 
Chamber  with  a  band  of  Inscription'. 
Unsculptured  Chamber. 
Chamber  of  the  Ivories, 
Chamber  of  Divinity,  Fig.  162. 
Ruined  Chamber  of  Inscriptions. 
Ditto,  in  which  was  found  the  name 

of  the  Rhorsabad  Kings. 
Chamber  of  Inscriptions  ? 


N.B.— Where  the  thick  black  line  does  not  appear,  the  slabs  of  gypsum  were  wanting. 


^  nmiSf  »T^'Wjf/>>}im'uu,i.\>j^"!v, o/;Si\l»^r::^,'^'y-^^"'}^'^-''-^i^* 


Fig.  186.*— PEOCE8810N  BETUBNIxa  FBOM  THE  CHASE. 


CHAPTER  III. 


KOUYUNJIK. 


It  has  already  been  mentioned  (p.  11)  that  M.  Botta  com- 
menced researches  in  the  mound  of  Xouyuojik  in  1842,  and 
that,  meeting  with  little  success,  he  abandoned  his  ezcavations 
in  the  following  year. 

Undeterred  by  the  failure  of  Botta,  Layard,  in  1846,  opened 
some  trenches  in  the  southern  face  of  the  mound,  but,  at  that 
time,  without  any  important  results.  At  a  subsequent  period, 
he  made  some  enquiries  respecting  the  bas-relief  described  by 
Eich,  and  the  spot  where  it  was  discovered  having  been  pointed 
out  to  him  in  the  northern  group  of  ruins,  he  opened  trenches, 
but  not  finding  any  traces  of  sculptures,  discontinued  his 
operations. 

Upon  completing  his  labours  at  I^imroud  in  1847,  Layard 
determined  on  making  some  farther  researches  at  Zouyunjik. 
He  commenced  at  the  south-western  comer,  and  not  only  dis- 
covered the  remains  of  a  palace,  which  had  been  destroyed  by 
fire,  but,  within  the  short  space  of  a  month,  had  explored  nine 
of  its  chambers.  All  the  chambers  were  long  and  narrow,  and 
the  walls  lined  with  bas-reliefs  of  larger  size  than  most  of 
those  he  had  found  at  Nimroud.  The  slabs  were  not  divided 
by  bands  of  inscription,  but  were  covered  with  figures  scattered 


364  KOUYUNJIK. LAYAKD*S   DISCOVETIIF.S. 

promiscuously  over  the  entire  surface,  all  the  details  heing 
very  carefully  and  delicately  executed.  The  winged  human- 
lieaded  bulls  at  the  entrances  resembled  those  found  at  Khor- 
sabad  and  Persepolis  in  the  forms  of  the  head-dress,  and  fea- 
thered cap  ;  and  the  costumes  of  the  figures  in  general  were 
also  like  those  found  at  Khorsabad.  The  period  of  the  palace 
was  conjectured  to  be  between  those  of  Khorsabad  and  Nim- 
roud.  After  Mr.  Layard  had  left  MoSul,  Mr.  Ross  continued 
the  excavations,  and  discovered  several  additional  bas-reliefs — 
an  entrance,  which  had  been  formed  of  four  sphinxes,  and  a 
very  large  square  slab,  which  he  conjectured  to  be  a  dais  or 
altar,  like  that  found  at  Nimroud. 

Mr.  Ross  having  been  requested  by  the  Trustees  of  the  Bri- 
tish Museum  to  carrj'-  on  the  excavations,  after  experiments  in 
various  parts  of  the  mound,  eventually  abandoned  the  palace 
discovered  by  Mr.  Layard,  and  employed  his  workmen  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  mound.  Here  he  found  a  chamber  lined 
with  sculptured  slabs,  divided,  like  those  of  Khorsabad  and 
Nimroud,  by  bands  of  inscription.  He  also  found,  at  the  foot 
of  the  mound,  a  monument  about  three  feet  high,  and  rounded 
at  the  top,  containing  a  figure  with  a  long  cuneiform  inscription, 
and  above  it  various  sacred  emblems  (see  Chronological  tablets, 
pp.  332,  333,  Fig.  174).  When  discovered,  it  was  supported 
by  brickwork,  and  near  it  was  a  sarcophagus  in  baked  clay. 

On  the  departure  of  Mr.  Ross  from  Mosul,  the  excavations 
were  placed  under  the  charge  of  Mr.  Rassam,  the  English 
consul,  with  power  to  employ  a  small  body  of  men,  so  as  not 
to  entirely  abandon  possession  of  the  spot. 

When  Mr.  Layard  revisited  Kouyunjik  in  1849,  there  were 
no  vestiges  of  the  sculptured  walls  discovered  two  years  pre- 
viously. Tbe  more  recent  trenches,  however,  dug  under  the 
superintendence  of  Mr.  Ross,  were  still  open ;  and  the  work- 
men employed  by  direction  of  the  British  Museum  had  run 
tunnels  along  the  walls  within  the  mound,  to  save  the  trouble 
of  clearing  away  the  soil,  which  had  accumulated  to  a  depth  of 
30  feet  above  the  ruins.  Under  the  direction  of  Layard,  the 
excavations  were  resumed  with  great  spirit,  and,  before  the 
lapse  of  many  weeks,  several  chambers  had  been  entered,  and 
numerous  bas-reliefs  discovered.  One  hall,  124  feet  X  90 
feet,  appears,  says  Layard,^  "  to  have  formed  a  centre,  around 
^  Discoveries  in  Nineveh  and  Babylon.    Murray,  1853,  p.  103. 


KOUrUNJIK. — BASSAM*S   AND   LOFTUS*    D18C0VEEIES.         365 

which  the  principal  chambers  in  this  part  of  the  palace  were 
grouped.  Its  walls  had  been  completely  covered  with  the 
most  elaborate  and  highly-finished  sculptures.  Unfortunately, 
all  the  bas-reliefs,  as  well  as  the  gigantic  monsters  at  the 
entrances,  had  suffered  more  or  less  from  the  fire  which  had 
destroyed  the  edifice ;  but  enough  of  them  still  remained  to 
show  the  subject,  and  even  to  enable  him,  in  many  places,  to 
restore  it  entirely.'* 

Continuing  his  discoveries  in  the  mound,  Layard  "  opened 
no  less  than  seventy-one  halls,  chambers,  and  passages,  whose 
walls,  almost  without  an  exception,  had  been  panelled  with 
slabs  of  sculptured  alabaster,  recording  the  wars,  the  triumphs, 
and  the  great  deeds  of  the  Assyrian  king.  By  a  rough  calcu- 
lation, about  9880  feet,  or  nearly  two  miles,  of  has  reliefs, 
with  twenty-seven  portals  formed  by  colossal  winged  bulls  and 
lion  sphinxes,  were  uncovered  in  that  part  alone  of  the  build- 
ing explored  during  his  researches.  The  greatest  length  of  the 
excavations  was  about  720  feet,  the  greatest  breadth  about  600 
feet.  The  pavement  of  the  chambers  was  from  20  to  35  feet 
below  the  surface  of  the  mound."  ^  **The  measurements 
merely  include  that  part  of  the  palace  actually  excavated." 

Most  of  the  sculptures  discovered  in  this  hall  and  group  of 
chambers  have  been  deposited  in  the  British  Museum,  and  will 
be  described  in  detail. 

Por  the  more  recent  collection  of  sculptures  which  have 
been  brought  to  light  and  forwarded  to  this  country,  we  are 
chiefly  indebted  to  the  labours  of  Mr.  Hormuzd  Rassam,  a 
native  of  Mosul,  and  a  friend  and  colleague  of  Layard ;  and 
to  Mr.  William  Kennet  Loftus,  the  agent  of  the  Assyrian  Ex- 
cavation  Fund.  In  1852,  Mr.  Rassam  was  appointed  by  the 
Trustees  of  the  British  Museum  to  take  charge  of  the  excava- 
tions at  Nineveh.  For  more  than  a  year  his  researches  were 
nearly  fruitless,  when,  at  length,  just  as  his  appointment  was 
about  to  terminate,  he  turned  again  to  a  previously-abandoned 
trench  in  the  north  side  of  the  mound,  and  was  almost  imme- 
diately rewarded  by  the  discovery  of  numerous  chambers  and 
passages,  covered  with  a  variety  of  bas-reliefs  in  an  excellent 
state  of  preservation,  having  suffered  less  injury  from  fire  than 
those  of  the  other  palaces.  In  one  room  was  a  lion  hunt,  in 
a  continuous  series  of  twenty-three  slabs,  with  but  one  inter- 

^  Discoveries  in  Nineveh  and  Babylon,  p.  589.  Lond.  Murray,  1853. 


366  KOXTTTJNJIK. MR.    LOFTUs'    BEPORT. 

val.  The  other  slabs  represented  exteriors  of  palaces,  gardens, 
battles,  sieges,  processions,  &c.,  the  whole  forming  the  decora- 
tions of  what  must  have  been  a  splendid  palace. 

Subsequently,  in  1854,  at  the  instance  of  Sir  Henry  Raw- 
linson,Mr.  Loftus  and  his  coadjutor,  Mr.  Boutcher,  transferred 
their  operations  from  South  Babylonia  to  Nineveh.  At  first, 
Mr.  Loftus'  excavations  were  unsuccessful,  but  about  the  begin- 
ning of  August  he  discovered  the  remains  of  a  building  on  a 
level  twenty  feet  lower  than  the  palace  that  Mr.  Rassam  was 
exploring,  and  which  proved  to  be  a  lower  terrace  of  the  same 
building,  even  more  highly  elaborated  and  in  better  preserva- 
tion than  those  previously  discovered  in  the  ruins.*  At  the 
entrance  of  an  ascending  passage  there  was  also  found  ''a 
mass  of  solid  masonry — apparently  the  pier  of  an  arch — the 
springing  of  which  is  formed  by  projecting  horizontal  layers 
of  limestone." 

Mr.  Loftus,  in  his  Report  of  the  9th  October,  observes  : — 

*'  The  excavations  carried  on  at  the  western  angle  of  the 
Korth  Palace,  Kouyunjik,  continue  to  reveal  many  interesting 
and  important  facts,  and  to  determine  several  points  which 
were  previously  doubtful : — 

**  1.  The  existence  of  an  outer  basement  wall  of  roughly 
cut  stone  blocks,  supporting  a  mud  wall,  upon  which  white 
plaster  still  remains,  and  from  which  painted  bricks  have 
fallen. 

"  2.  At  this  comer  of  the  palace,  and  at  a  considerable 
distance  from  the  principal  chambers,  is  an  entrance  hall,  with 
column  bases,  precisely  as  we  see  them  represented  in  the 
sculptures. 

"  3.  Above  this  entrance  hall  and  its  adjoining  chambers, 
there  was  formerly  another  story,  the  first  upper  rooms  yet 
discovered  in  Assyria.  This,  with  its  sculptured  slabs,  has 
fallen  into  the  rooms  below. 

'*  4.  The  various  sculptures  here  disinterred  are  the  works 
of  four,  if  not  five  different  artists,  whose  styles  are  distinctly 
visible. 

*'  It  is  evident  that  this  portion  of  the  edifice  has  been  wil- 
fully destroyed,  the  woodwork  burned,  and  the  slabs  broken 
to  pieces.  The  faces  of  all  the  principal  figures  are  slightly 
injured  by  blows  of  the  axe." 

1  Eeport  of  Assyrian  Excavation  Fund,  No.  II.  p.  2. 


KOXTTUNJIK   GALLEET,    BBITISH  MUSEUM.  367 

With  this  brief  recapitulation  of  the  progress  and  results 
of  the  excavations  in  the  mound  of  KouyuDJik,  we  will  pro- 
ceed to  examine  the  important  specimens  of  the  sculptures 
which  have  been  deposited  in  the  British  Museum. 

In  conducting  our  readers  round  the  Kouyunjik  gallery  we 
shall,  for  convenience  of  reference,  explain  the  sculptures 
in  the  order  of  their  arrangement  by  the  authorities  of  the 
Museum. 

N"o.  1.  Sennacherib, — This  is  a  cast  from  a  figure  sculptured 
on  the  rocks  of  Nahr-al-kelb,  (see  p.  144),  and  was  the  first 
Assyrian  figure  of  life-size  brought  to  England.  It  was  pre- 
sented to  the  British  Museum  by  his  Grace  the  Duke  of 
Northumberland.  The  cast  was  made  by  the  writer  of  this 
work  under  considerable  difiSculties.  In  the  first  place,  the 
gypsum  of  which  plaster  fit  for  the  purpose  of  casting  is  made, 
was  only  to  be  found  in  very  small  quantities  at  the  shops  of 
the  attareen,  or  sellers  of  perfumes  and  cosmetics.  The  entire 
stock  of  this  material  in  the  whole  city  of  Bey  rout,  was  not 
more  than  enough  for  the  required  cast,  and  was  accordingly 
bought  up.  It  was  first  broken  into  small  pieces  and  sent  to 
several  bakers,  then  pounded  by  men  with  wooden  shoes,  and 
lastly,  carried  to  the  spot  on  the  backs  of  mules.  When  at 
Nahr-al-kelb,  owing  to  the  bad  accommodation  afibrded  by  the 
single  miserable  shed,  the  entire  stock  got  spoilt  by  the  rain 
which  came  through  the  roof  at  that  part  of  the  Khan  in  which 
it  had  been  deposited;  so  that  after  a  fruitless  attempt  to  procure 
a  mould  of  the  Egyptian  relievo  it  was  necessary  to  return  to 
Beyrout.  The  same  tedious  process  had  to  be  repeated,  but 
this  time  at  a  more  favourable  season.  Eresh  plaster  was  made, 
and  a  successful  mould  of  the  Assyrian  figure  was  eventually 
accomplished,  as  well  as  accurate  drawings  and  measurements  of 
all  the  other  tablets  in  that  interesting  locality.  The  chance 
of  conveying,  safely,  two  inconveniently  large  slabs  of  plaster 
on  the  backs  of  mules,  over  a  bad  road,  to  a  distance  of  three 
hours,  was  so  doubtful  that  it  was  determined  in  preference  to 
trust  to  an  open  boat  and  pull  across  the  bay  to  the  house 
of  Mr.  Abbott,  the  English  consul,  at  that  time  living 
at  Beyrout ;  and  there,  in  his  hospitable  mansion,  was  made 
the  cast  now  safely  plastered  on  the  walls  of  the  Kouyunjik 
gallery. 

No.  2.  Armed  galley  in  motion : — A  fragment  representing 


368  BEED   MABSHES   OF   CHALB^A. 

a  double-banked  Assyrian  war-galley  conveying  soldiers,  whose 
shields  are  hung  round  the  bows  of  the  vessel. 

No.  3.*  Fragment  of  colossal  human  head. — The  face  of  a 
full-length  portrait  of  one  of  the  beardless  attendants  of  Sen- 
nacherib ;  very  probably  the  cup-bearer  whom  that  monarch 
sent  to  Hezekiah.  Round  full-length  statues  are  so  rare 
among  Assyrian  sculptures,  that  it  may  be  presumed  they 
were  employed  only  to  represent  persons  of  the  highest  rank 
and  dignity  in  the  Assyrian  court,  in  which  light  the  office  of 
chief  cup-bearer  was  considered,  as  we  learn  both  from  sacred 
writ  and  from  these  sculptures. 

Ko.  3.   Combat  hy  a  river  side, 

Nos.  4  to  8.  Battle  in  a  marsh,  with  rec^tion  and  registration 
of  the  prisoners  and  spoil. 

This  series  of  bas-reliefs  represents  the  conquest  of  a  flat 
marshy  countrj'',  intersected  by  streams,  on  the  borders  of  which 
grows,  in  great  luxuriance,  a  plant  that  bears  not  the  least 
resemblance  to  the  papyrus;  whence  we  apprehend  that  the 
country  intended  to  be  represented  is  not  the  Delta  of  the  Nile, 
but  that  of  the  two  great  rivers,  the  Euphrates  and  the  Tigris, 
close  to  the  entrance  of  those  streams  into  the  Persian  Gulf. 

To  show  our  readers  how  legible  and  reliable  are  the  topo- 
graphical notices  which  accompany  these  interesting  records, 
we  will  quote  the  description  of  this  region  which  Mr.  W.  F. 
Ains worth  has  given  in  his  admirable  work  entitled  **  Re- 
searches in  Assyria,  Babylonia,  and  Chaldsea  :'* — Speaking  of 
the  "reed  marshes  of  Chaldsea,"  he  says,  **  To  the  south  of 
these  great  inundations,  and  to  the  point  of  union  of  the 
Tigris  and  Euphrates,  the  land  is  occupied  by  perpetual  waters, 
and  hence  covered  with  an  aquatic  vegetation,  which  derives 
its  chief,  if  not  its  sole,  characters  from  a  species  of  agrostis ; 
which,  like  the  canebrake  {arundinaria)  of  North  America, 
has  the  port  and  aspect  of  the  true  reed  {arundo)  of  the  north 
of  Europe.  These  tracts  present,  hence,  in  every  direction, 
great  uniformity  of  feature ;  a  boundless  growth  of  plants  of 
the  same  aspect ;  only  here  and  there  interrupted  by  lakes  and 
ponds,  or  intersected  by  artificial  canals."  *  This  description 
is  so  precisely  in  harmony  with  what  we  gather  from  this  an- 
cient topographical  stone-picture  that  it  reflects  the  greatest 
credit  on  the  descriptive  powers  of  both  the  ancient  artist  and 
*   Researches,  &c.,  p.  129. 


DEPOETA.TION   OF  PEOPLE.  369 

the  modem  author.     It  is  of  this  reed  that  the  Turks  and 
Arabs  make  their  pens. 

The  unfortunate  natives  are  seen  crowded  together  upon 
rafts  made  of  these  reeds,  and  so  contrived  as  to  shelter  them 
from  their  assailants,  at  whom,  at  the  same  time,  they  can 
shoot  from  behind  their  floating  screen.  The  Assyrians  are  in 
boats  made  also  of  the  canes,  or  reeds,  in  the  same  way  that 
the  papyrus  boats  of  Egypt  seem  to  have  been  made — that  is 
to  say,  bundles  of  the  plant  bound  together  in  the  form  of  a 
boat. 

The  conquest  of  this  marshy  region  being  completed,  we  are 
next  shown,  as  usual,  the  deportation  of  the  inhabitants  and 
their  cattle.  Their  road  lies  principally  by  the  side  of  a  large 
stream  which  runs  through  a  country  abounding  in  the  date- 
palm — a  circumstance  further  corroborative  of  the  surmise  that 
the  marshy  region  we  have  just  left  is  that  of  the  embouchure 
of  the  two  great  rivers,  and  that  the  scene  now  before  us  is  the 
plain  country  of  Shinar,  still  famous  for  the  production  of  the 
palm.  Wending  wearily  along  are  groups  of  men,  some  ma- 
nacled together,  two  by  two,  carrying  provisions  for  the  jour- 
ney; others,  less  obedient,  having  their  hands  tied  behind 
them.  Each  group  is  preceded  by  an  Assyrian  soldier,  who 
sometimes  carries  the  head  of  one  or  two  of  those  who  have 
been  slain  in  battle ;  while  the  stragglers  in  the  rear  are  goaded 
on  by  blows  from  another  Assyrian  trooper.  The  women  are 
seen  in  separate  groups  carrying  their  provender  in  bags  and  in 
the  skins  of  kids  or  goats,  being  urged  on  their  toilsome  march 
through  the  hot  plain  country  with  little  less  harshness  than 
is  shown  towards  the  male  prisoners.  In  order  to  afford  more 
scope  for  incident,  the  slab  is  divided  into  two  horizontal  com- 
partments ;  the  upper  line,  however,  is  generally  in  less  perfect 
preservation  than  the  lower,  owing  to  its  having  suffered  most 
from  the  burning  of  the  material  of  the  roof  both  before  and 
after  it  had  fallen  in,  and  also  because  since  the  destruction  of 
the  city  it  has  become  more  subject  to  the  influence  of  the 
periodical  abundant  rains,  which  would  penetrate  the  soil  suf- 
ficiently to  effect  an  obliteration  of  the  sculptures  on  the  upper 
half  of  the  calcined  slabs ;  nevertheless,  enough  is  left  unin- 
jured to  show  that  in  both  lines  occur  groups  of  men,  women, 
and  cattle,  urged  on  to  the  place  of  registration,  and  that  the 
registration  is  performed,  on  each  line,  by  two  men — one 

s  B 


370  ASSTKIAN    AKCHER8   AND    CAVALRY. 

bearded  and  using  tablets  in  "which  to  record  the  prisoners  and 
spoil ;  while  the  second,  who  is  beardless,  seems  to  be  writing 
on  a  roll  of  parchment  or  papyrus.  Besides  the  registration  of 
the  captives  and  spoil,  they  also  notify  the  extent  of  the 
slaughter,  by  numbering  the  heads  of  the  slain,  which  are 
brought  and  piled  up  at  the  feet  of  the  registrars. 

No.  9.  SUngers  discharging  stones. — The  sling  was  a  weapon 
of  great  importance,  and  we  read  (Judges  xx.  16)  that  there 
were  **  seven  hundred  chosen  men"  of  the  tribe  of  Benjamin, 
"  left-handed,"  who  could  use  the  sling  with  extraordinary 
dexterity.  The  slingers  here  represented  are  clad  in  mail,  and 
carry  a  short  sword.  Slingers  were  sometimes  also  skilful 
bowmen  (1  Chron.  xii.  2). 

No.  10.  Archers  behind  screens. — A  fragment  representing  a 
company  of  archers.  The  bow  is  among  the  earliest  of  the  con- 
trivances of  man ;  and  down  to  comparatively  recent  times  it 
continued  to  be  the  principal  weapon  in  the  continent  of  Asia, 
both  for  the  chase  and  for  war.  These  sculptures  show  us 
that  both  slingers  and  archers  were  employed  in  Assyrian  war- 
fare, whether  in  the  field  or  in  advancing  to  the  siege  of  a  city. 
Each  bowman  was  accompanied  by  the  bearer  of  a  large  shield, 
under  cover  of  which  he  could  take  deliberate  aim  at  the  people 
on  the  walls.  That  this  was  the  constant  practice  of  the  As- 
syrians in  besieging  a  city,  we  learn  from  these  historical  sculp- 
tures of  Kouyunjik,  as  well  as  from  those  of  Khorsabad.  Of 
the  kind  of  shield  here  shown  is  to  be  understood  the  sentence 
in  Isaiah  (xxxvii.  33)  speaking  of  this  very  King,  **  Nor  come 
before  it  (Jerusalem)  with  shields.'*   . 

Nos.  11,  12.   Warriors  leading  horses. 

No.  13.  Part  of  a  military  procession. 

No.  14.  Procession  of  led  horses. 

These  four  sculptures  exhibit  specimens  of  Assyrian  cavalry, 
each  man  standing  by  the  side  of  his  horse,  and  armed  with 
the  bow,  arrows,  spear,  and  sword.  The  Assyrian  cavalry  was 
numerous  and  excellent,  and  we  are  constantly  reminded  in 
contemplating  the  sculptures  from  Nineveh  of  the  boast  of  Rab- 
shakeh,  the  cup-bearer  of  the  self-same  King  who  caused  these 
records  of  his  conquests  to  be  engraved  on  the  walls  of  his 
palace — **  Now,  therefore,  I  pray  thee,  give  pledges  to  my  lord 
the  King  of  Assyria,  and  I  will  deliver  thee  two  thousand  horses, 
if  thou  be  able  on  thy  part  to  set  riders  upon  them**  (2  Kings 
xviii.  23). 


If  ODE   OF  WABPABE.  371 

Nos.  15,  16,  17.  Procession  of  prisoners  with  collection  and 
registration  of  spoil, — Following  the  illustrations  of  the  va- 
rious divisions  of  the  army  of  the  King  of  Assyria,  is  this 
farther  example  of  the  registration  of  prisoners  and  slain.  It 
would  appear  that  the  spoil  has  already  been  noted  and  clas- 
sified under  four  heads — vases,  bows,  swords,  and  furniture. 
Among  the  prisoners  some  women  are  brought  in  a  rude  car, 
the  wheels  of  which  have  but  four  spokes.  As  in  the  former 
representation,  the  bearded  registrar  uses  tablets,  and  the 
beardless  one  a  scroll.  The  registration  takes  place  under  tlje 
shade  of  the  palm-trees  which  border  the  stream. 

Nos.  18, 1 9.  Part  of  a  Military  Procession. — These  slabs  show 
us  another  division  of  the  Assyrian  army,  the  spearmen,  who 
carry  the  large  circular  shield,  of  which  there  is  a  specimen,  as 
well  as  a  fragment  of  one  of  the  conical  helmets,  in  a  glass 
case  in  the  collection  of  Assyrian  Antiquities,  in  the  upper 
apartments  of  the  Museum.  These  men  form  the  body-guard 
of  the  king,  and  are  followed  by  the  grooms,  who  stand  before 
the  horses  of  the  royal  chariot. 

Nos.  20  to  22.  Soldiers  advancing  to  the  siege. 

Nos.  23  to  26.  Siege  of  a  city  on  a  hill, 

Nos.  27  to  29.   Warriors  receiving  prisoners  and  spoil. 

In  the  fragments  above  describeji,  we  have  examples  of  the 
various  regiments  that  constitute  an  Assyrian  army;  and  in 
the  following  (numbered  22  to  29)  we  have  a  complete  de- 
scription of  the  mode  of  warfare.  The  different  regiments  of 
the  eumy  having  arrived  before  the  city,  the  cavalry  dismount 
(Nos.  20,  21,  22)  ;  the  archers,  under  cover  of  the  tall  shields, 
advance  to  the  foot  of  the  artificial  mound  on  which  the  city  is 
built,  and  the  slingers  follow.  The  van  having  already  taken 
possession  of  the  suburbs  or  the  houses  built  in  the  plain,  the 
lighter  troops,  who  wear  the  crested  helmets  and  bear  the 
smaU  round  shields,  scale  the  mound,  whence  they  direct  their 
arrows  with  more  certainty. 

The  besieged  (Nos.  23  to  26)  discharge  stones  and  arrows 
at  the  besiegers,  but  with  litde  or  no  effect,  for  farther  on 
(No.  27)  we  see  some  men  and  women  of  the  same  sheepskin- 
clad  race,  whose  frequent  rebellion  is  so  clearly  notified  on  the 
walls  of  Khorsabad,  brought  as  prisoners  to  the  registrars 
(No.  28);  and  still  farther,  on  the  same  side  of  the  city 
(No.  29),  we  come  upon  a  detachment  of  cavalry,  each  man  by 

SB  2 


372  PBEPAEA.TIONS   POR   A   BANaXTET. 

the  side  of  his  horse.  The  country  in  which  this  city  is 
situated  is  watered  by  a  considerable  stream,  and  is  highly  pro- 
ductive of  the  vine  and  pomegranate. 

No.  30.  Archers  and  slingers. — A  fragment  portraying  archers, 
and,  perhaps,  a  company  of  left-handed  slingers. 

No.  31.  Horsemen  inflight, — Probably,  some  of  the  enemy. 

No.  32.  Horsemen  in  pursuit. — All  this  series  has  been  black- 
ened, whether  by  the  smoke  of  the  more  recent  inhabitants  of  the 
soil,  who  may  have  occupied  the  chamber  of  which  these  slabs 
formed  a  wall,  as  in  analogous  cases  in  the  temples  of  Egypt,  or 
whether  by  the  conflagration  of  the  city,  when  it  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  combined  forces  of  the  Medes  and  Scythians,  it  is 
impossible  to  say. 

No.  33.  Man  with  staff  or  spear — Eepresents  an  Assyrian, 
with  long  hair,  bearing  a  staff  or  spear. 

Nos.  34  to  38.  Horses  and  grooms. 

No.  39.  Attendant. 

No.  39*.  Back  of  39. 

No.  40.  Horse  and  groom. 

These  are  sculptures  on  the  walls  of  an  inclined  way,  which 
led  from  the  river  to  the  palace  of  Sennacherib.  Here  we  have 
on  one  wall,  as  if  leaving  the  palace,  some  grooms  of  the  royal 
stable,  leading  the  king's  horses  down  to  the  river  to  drink ; 
and,  on  a  projecting  piece  of  this  wall  (No.  39)  is  the  figure  of 
the  Sais-Bashee,  or  Master  of  the  Horse,  who  probably  stood  in 
that  very  corner  formed  by  the  projection,  to  observe  the  paces 
of  each  horse  as  it  passed  before  him.  The  figures  are  nearly 
life-size. 

Nos.  41  to  43.  Servitors  hearing  food  for  a  banquet. — These 
slabs  represent  bearded  men  carrying  various  articles  of  food, 
as  if  ascending  the  incline  into  the  palace.  The  food  consists 
of  baskets  of  flat  cakes  and  fruit,  such  as  grapes,  pomegranates, 
and  the  kishta  apple  {Anona  reticulata),  known  as  the  custard- 
apple,  all  probably  the  produce  of  the  country  north  of  Nine- 
veh, and  brought  down  to  the  metropolis  of  Assyria  by  water. 
The  baskets  containing  the  fruit  are  placed  on  trays,  carried 
on  the.  shoulders  of  two  men.  The  two  hindermost  servitors 
carry  locusts  tied  on  sticks,  as  we  see  cherries  at  the  corners  of 
our  streets. 

Many  other  slabs  of  this  passage  are  figured  in  Dr.  Layard's 
folio,  in  which  a  number  of  men  are  seen  canning  jars  filled 


BATTLE  WITH   THE   SUSIANS.  373 

with  water,  it  being  the  universal  custom  in  the  East  to  insert 
a  branch  of  some  flowering  shrub  in  the  mouth  of  a  water-jar, 
to  keep  it  cool,  and  prevent  flies  from  entering.  In  these  slabs 
the  kishta  apple  is  more  clearly  defined,  and  also  a  fruit  re- 
sembling the  pine-apple,  only  two  examples  of  which  are 
shown  and  are  triumphantly  held  up  by  two  men,  as  rare  and 
excellent  productions  of  the  king's  gardens. 

The  style  of  art  of  these  men  and  horses  is  so  superior  to  the 
rest  of  the  sculpture  in  this  chamber,  that  one  might  suppose 
the  Ninevite  conqueror  had  captured  some  Greek  artist  of  Asia 
Minor,  or  some  very  clever  sculptor  of  Tyre  or  Sidon,  and  em- 
ployed his  talents  on  this  part  of  the  palace. 

No.  44.  Monumental  tablet—^IVa^ment  of  pavement  slah, 

Nos.  45  to  47.  Army  of  Ashurahhal  III.  in  battle  with  the 
Susians. — Ashurakbal  is  said  to  be  the  name  of  the  Assyrian 
monarch  who  is  here  represented  as  having  subdued  a  people, 
which  the  same  inscription  declares  to  be  Susians.  These  im- 
portant details  are  derived  from  the  cuneatic  inscriptions  on 
the  slab,  concerning  which  not  more  than  eight  or  ten  persons 
in  the  world  can  as  yet  venture  to  give  any  opinion.  The  lan- 
guage, however,  which  we  pretend  to  decipher,  is  the  universal 
language  of  art^ — a  language  which  appeals  to  the  understand- 
ing through  the  eye,  and  can,  therefore,  be  interpreted  more  or 
less  successfully  by  all,  according  to  the  knowledge  possessed 
of  the  peculiar  idiom,  so  to  speak,  of  the  art  in  which  the  sub- 
ject matter  is  presented,  and  also  according  to  the  amount  of 
acquaintance  the  expositor  possesses  of  the  manners  and  customs 
of  the  people  represented. 

The  slab  is  divided  into  five  compartments.  From  the  sub- 
ject contained  in  the  upper  compartment,  we  conjecture  that 
the  city  was  taken  by  surprise.  Assyrian  soldiers  are  falling 
upon  some  men  occupied  in  grinding  corn  and  kneading  dough 
in  their  kneading- troughs,  and  casting  halters  about  their  necks, 
before  they  have  time  to  rise  from  the  kneeling  position  in  which 
Orientals  commonly  perform  the  grinding  and  kneading  pro- 
cesses of  bread-making.  The  mode  of  grinding  the  corn  here 
represented,  is  that  which  we  know,  from  Egyptian  sculpture, 
was  anciently  practised  in  that  country,  and  which  was  still  in 
use  twenty  years  ago,  in  Nubia,  at  which  time  the  circular 
mill  had  not  been  introduced.  Below,  the  Susians  are  seen 
in  great  disorder  descending  the  artificial  mound  on  which  we 


374  TRIUMPH    OVER   THE    SUSIANS. 

should  expect  to  find  the  city,  if  the  slab  on  the  left  hand  were 
in  existence.  They  are  hotly  pursued  into  the  plain,  where, 
midway  between  a  river  and  the  mound,  the  chariot — a 
quadriga— of  the  chief,  or  perhaps  king,  is  overturned.  Both 
the  king  and  his  charioteer  are  thrown  out  headlong.  Farther 
on,  we  find  the  same  person  wounded  and  taken  prisoner,  but 
soon  after  rescued.  At  last,  however,  he  is  slain  by  some  As- 
syrian spearmen,  who  mercilessly  pierce  him  while  in  the  act 
of  supplicating  for  his  life ;  and  lastly,  his  dead  body  is  found 
among  the  slain  by  an  archer  of  the  Assyrian  army,  who  cuts 
off  his  head  for  the  reward,  while  another  of  the  same  regiment 
gathers  up  his  helmet  and  arms. 

The  Susian  army  is  completely  routed,  and  the  remnant  is 
pursued  into  the  river  by  the  light  infantry  and  a  detachment 
of  cavalry  clothed  in  mail,  and  wearing  the  conical  cap,  whose 
horses  are  protected  by  a  covering  of  hide,  ingeniously  fitted 
to  the  horse  by  loops  and  buttons.  The  carcases  of  horses  and 
men  are  seen  floating  down  the  river,  in  which  are  fish  of 
various  kinds,  the  fresh-water  crab  being  conspicuous.  In  the 
more  distant  parts  of  the  field  vultures  and  eagles  are  preying 
on  the  dead  and  wounded.  These  birds  usually  begin  their 
work  by  pecking  at  the  eyes,  or  reach  the  softer  parts  at  some 
wound,  as  the  Assyrian  artist  has  noted  :  so,  in  the  deserts  of 
Egypt,  when  a  camel  dies  the  vultures  begin  their  attack,  and 
are  rarely  able  to  do  more  than  devour  the  eyes  and  the  hump 
before  the  dead  animal  becomes  a  natural  mummy,  the  sun 
and  wind  of  the  desert  so  effectually  drying  and  hardening  the 
skin  that  it  becomes  impervious  even  to  the  claws  and  beak  of 
the  large  vulture  that  measures  nine  feet  from  wing  to  wing. 
In  one  compartment  of  this  interesting  bas-relief  we  see 
some  of  the  Assyrian  soldiers  bringing  from  the  battle-field  a 
number  of  heads,  which  are  heaped  up  in  the  comer  of  a  tent 
in  which  one  bearded  and  two  beardless  Susians  are  standing, 
and  to  whom,  it  appears,  the  heads  are  shown,  possibly  for  the 
purpose  of  ascertaining  the  rank  of  the  persons  slain,  or,  per- 
haps for  intimidating  the  captives  and  inducing  them  to  dis- 
close some  important  information  :  here,  however,  the  context 
which  might  enable  us  to  decide  is  wanting. 

In  the  upper  part  of  this  slab,  at  47,  are  two  lines  of  pri- 
soners, chiefly  women  and  children,  being  brought  before  the 
registrars,  or  into  the  presence  of  the  king;  for  "If  they  get 


CRUELTIES  OF  THE  ASSYRIANS.  375 

the  victory,  they  bring  all  to  the  king,  as  well  the  spoil  as  all 
things  else**  (1  Esdras  iv.  5). 

None  of  the  Susians  wear  armour,  and  their  dress  is  other- 
wise distinguished  from  that  of  their  conquerors,  chiefly  by 
two  folds  of  embroidered  linen,  which  seem  tied  behind  the 
head.  The  king,  or  chief,  the  last  moments  of  whose  bio- 
graphy are  bo  distinctly  related,  wears  a  closely-fitting  cap 
with  a  single  feather,  which,  unlike  the  usual  mode  of  wearing 
such  ornaments,  is  arranged  so  as  to  hang  down  the  back. 

Nos.  48  to  50.  Triumph  of  Ashuraklal  III.  over  the  SU' 
sians, — In  the  upper  part  of  the  adjoining  slab  (No.  48)  we 
are  introduced  to  a  scene  of  terrible  cruelty.  Two  men  are 
stretched  naked  on  the  ground,  with  their  feet  and  hands  tied 
to  pegs  inserted  in  the  soil.  One  man  is  suffering  a  dissection 
of  the  lumber  muscles,  the  other  has  had  the  skin  removed 
from  the  anterior  part  of  the  thorax,  and  the  operation  is  be- 
ing continued  round  the  left  side.  To  this  last  an  Assyrian, 
with  violent  gesture,  appears  to  be  addressing  a  few  words, 
probably  the  sentence  written  in  cuneatic  over  his  head.  Be- 
neath these  unhappy  men  are  two  other  examples  of  Assyrian 
cruelty :  the  first  is  having  his  ears  pulled  off  with  some  in- 
strument, and  the  second  is  having  his  tongue  taken  out.  These 
enormities  take  place  in  the  presence  of  a  division  of  the 
Assyrian  army,  and  of  the  officers  of  the  king.  Two  columns 
of  the  king's  guard  stand  under  the  shade  of  rows  of  some 
variety  of  the  pine-tree,  and  the  space  between  is  occupied  by 
the  prisoners  and  executioners.  At  the  end  of  the  avenue  is 
his  majesty  himself  in  his  chariot,  accompanied  by  his  cha- 
rioteer and  umbrella-bearer.  Immediately  before  the  king,  in 
two  rows,  stand,  in  attitude  of  respect,  seven  long-bearded  and 
long-robed  men — the  hakim,  or  wise  men  (Esther  vi.  13. 
Isaiah  xix.  12.  Dan.  ii.  27  ;  iv.  6 ;  v.  7),  and  counsellors  of 
his  majesty,  and  also  ten  of  the  king's  beardless  household 
servants,  who  assist  at  this  judgment  scene.  Behind  and 
about  the  royal  chariot  is  a  company  of  sceptre-bearers. 

Among  the  crowd  of  captives  are  some  men  of  short  stature 
and  remarkable  costume.  They  wear  long  fringed  robes,  boots 
that  turn  up  at  the  toes,  and  a  peculiar  cap.  They  are  fettered 
and  manacled,  and,  to  add  to  their  misfortunes,  are  each  made 
to  carry,  slung  from  the  neck,  the  head  of  a  slain  countryman 
(perhaps  a  near  and  dear  relation).    One  is  awaiting  the  trial 


376 


SriTTING   IN   THE   FACE   AND   BUPFETTING. 


full  in  view  of  the  cruelties  just  described  (Fig.  1 87*).  Another 
stands  before  the  king,  accused  by  a  man  who  buffets  him  and 
spits  in  his  face.  His  accuser,  the  man  who  treats  him  with  such 
great  indignity,  is  apparently  a  fellow-countryman.  Although 
the  head-dress  of  both  differs  somewhat  from  that  of  the  short 
men  before  mentioned,  yet  they  appear  to  belong  to  the  same 
race.  The  act  of  spittiug  in  the  face  of  a  person  (Deut.  xxv. 
9)  was  considered  the  greatest  indignity  that  could  be  offered 
(Job  XXX.  10) ;  and  to  this  day  an  Eastern  in  relating  any  cir- 
cumstance at  which  he  desires  to  express  the  utmost  contempt, 

will  make  the  motion  with 
his  mouth .  "We  find  recorded 
in  Matthew  (xxvi.  67),  and 
in  two  other  of  the  Evange- 
lists (Mark  xiv.  65,  and  John 
xviii.  22),  an  exactly  parallel 
case  to  that  represented  in  our 
illustration,  inasmuch  as  the 
insult  of  spitting  was  aggra- 
vated by  the  additional  in- 
dignity of  buffetting ;  and  far- 
ther that  these  indignities  oc- 
curred before  the  judge  and 
assembled  court. 

In  the  line  above  is  another 
accused  person,  and  near  him 
is  an  Assyrian  soldier  handing 
to  a  comrade  a  human  head, 
which  has  been  prepared  to 
hang  round  the  neck  of  a  cap- 
Fig.  i87'.-TiiK  AccusEE  SPITS  upox  AKD  ^ive  bv  Si  cord  passcd  through 

BUFFETS  THE  ACCUSED.  .,  •'         .,  -^  ,  ,  ° 

the  mouth  and  under  the 
lower  jaw.  Standing  in  front  of  the  chariot  of  the  king  are  two 
remarkably  fat,  beardless  personages,  Susians  in  dress  and  ap- 
pearance. One  of  them  seems  to  be  reading  a  proclamation  out 
of  a  roll  which  he  holds  in  his  hand,  and  the  other  to  be  address- 
ing the  prisoners.  Each  man  has  what  appears  to  be  a  whip 
stuck  into  his  belt.  Over  their  heads  and  before  the  king  is  an 
inscription  of  eight  lines  in  the  cuneatic. 

Kear  the  chariot  of  the  king  are  ranged  a   company  of 
sceptre-bearers  and  a  detachment  of  cavahy,  each  man  by  the 


STJSHAN   ON   THE   EUKETJS.  377 

side  of  his  horse.  The  figures  of  the  king  and  of  his 
charioteer  and  umhrella-bearer  have  all  been  designedly  de- 
faced. 

In  a  lower  compartment  of  this  slab  we  perceive  the  arrival 
of  the  van  of  the  victorious  army  before  a  considerable  city  of 
the  Susians  situated  at  the  confluence  of  two  streams.  These 
streams  are  probably  tributaries  of  the  greater  stream  running 
along  the  lowest  part  of  the  slab,  and  which  may  represent 
either  the  Choaspes  (now  called  the  Kerkhah),  which  empties 
itself  into  the  Tigris  a  little  below  its  junction  with  the  Eu- 
phrates ;  or  else  that  other  large  stream  which  ramifies  through 
the  whole  of  Susiana,  entering  the  Tigris  still  nearer  the  Persian 
Gulf.  In  this  latter  case,  the  town  represented  may  |be 
Shusan  itself, — the  great  and  decisive  battle  having  been  fought 
at  some  place  situated  on  the  banks  of  the  Choaspes,  and  more 
to  the  south,  before  the  Assyrian  army  had  advanced  so  far  into 
the  country  as  the  capital.  The  city  in  question  is  surrounded 
by  a  wall,  flanked  by  numerous  towers ;  and  the  houses  of  the 
suburbs,  situated  among  date-groves  and  pleasant  gardens,  ex- 
tend to  the  side  of  the  river.  Near  is  a  remarkable  inlet  or 
lagoon  fed  by  the  parent  stream.  Two  castles  are  built  on  the 
elevated  banks  of  the  more  important  of  the  two  minor  streams, 
which  is  excessively  rapid,  its  current  impinging  first  on  this 
side  and  then  on  the  other.  These  evidences,  particularly  that 
of  the  rapidity  of  the  current  of  which  the  artist  has  been  so 
careful  to  inform  us,  are  so  entirely  in  accordance  with  the 
import  of  the  word  "i^n  (ulai),  which  is  derived  from  Vik 
(ul),  to  be  strong,  as  in  our  minds,  to  clearly  identify  the  spot. 
Our  conviction  is,  that  the  rapid  river  is  meant  for  that  on 
whose  bank  the  Prophet  Daniel  stood  when  he  "  was  at  Shu- 
shan,  in  the  palace  which  is  in  the  province  of  Elam,"  (Dan, 
viii.  2),  and  that  one  of  the  two  conspicuous  buildings  on  the 
banks  of  the  river  is  the  palace  alluded  to  in  the  narrative  of 
that  famous  vision  recorded  in  the  8th  chapter  of  the  Book  of 
Daniel.  The  name  of  the  city,  according  to  the  Ninevites,  is 
probably  indicated  by  those  distinct  cuneatic  characters  in  the 
flat  surface  unoccupied  by  houses. 

It  has  been  announced  to  the  inhabitants  that  they  and  their 
city  are  to  be  spared.  The  great  king  has  sent  two  of  his 
superior  officers — one  a  eunuch,  with  whose  figure  and  face 
the  artist  has  taken  particular  care,  and  no  doubt  attempted  a 


378  MOVING   BULL. 

likeness.  Perhaps  it  is  a  portrait  of  the  successor  in  office  of 
the  Kabshakeh,  who  was  sent  on  a  message  to  the  good  King 
Ilezekiah,  of  whom  the  pompous  bombastic  gait  reminds 
us,  and  contrasts  admirably  with  the  humble  posture  of  the 
captive  Susian,  who,  with  upraised  hand,  admonishes  the 
citizens  of  the  utter  hopelessness  of  resistance  after  the  late 
disastrous  affair,  in  which  so  many  of  their  fellow-countrymen 
had  perished,  and  himself  with  numerous  others  had  been 
taken  prisoner.  The  costume  of  this  important  officer  of  the 
Assj-rian  army  is  most  minutely  defined — the  hinge  of  the 
ear-flap  of  the  conical  helmet, — every  scale  of  his  coat  of  mail, 
— the  chain  mail  covering  his  legs,  and  the  thongs  of  his  lea- 
thern boots,  in  shape  not  unlike  those  worn  by  the  Calabrian 
peasants,  are  each  carefully  described,  and  fortunately  in  per- 
fect preservation.  The  military  chiefs  of  the  Susian  people 
advance  on  their  knees  and  kiss  the  ground  and  the  feet  of  this 
principal  officer  of  the  great  king.  During  the  enacting  of 
this  scene  a  company  of  musicians,  led  by  three  chief  perform- 
ers, dance  while  playing  upon  instruments  of  ten  and  twenty- 
one  strings  (1  Esdras  i.  15). 

Then  follows  a  company  of  women  playing  on  the  harp, 
double  flute,  and  timbrel.  "The  singers  went  before, the  players 
on  instruments  followed  after ;  among  them  the  damsels  play- 
ing with  timbrels"  (Ps.lxviii.  25).  So  ''Miriam  the  prophetess, 
the  sister  of  Aaron,  took  a  timbrel  in  her  hand ;  and  all  the 
women  went  out  after  her  with  timbrels  and  with  dances" 
(Exod.  XV.  20;  also  1  Samuel  xviii.  6,  and  Judges  xi.  34).  We 
learn  from  these  examples  in  Scripture,  as  well  as  from  these 
sculptures,  that  the  custom  of  going  out  with  music  and  dancing 
on  occasions  of  great  rejoicing  was  not  confined  to  Judea.  Lastly 
follow  women  and  children  in  postures  of  joy  and  surprise. 

Nos.  51,  52.  Sennacherib  superintending  the  movement  of  a 
colossal  hully  and  the  constrtiction  of  a  mound. — The  curious  and 
interesting  details  which  the  Assyrian  artist  has  brought  toge- 
ther in  this  superficies  of  forty-nine  feet  are  highly  worthy  of 
our  consideration.  In  the  first  place,  we  have  a  descriptive 
view  of  the  locality  of  Nineveh,  its  artificial  mounds,  its  hang- 
ing gardens,  its  mighty  river ;  and  in  the  second  all  the  details 
and  circumstances  attending  the  moving  a  great  statue  of  a 
bull,  exactly  resembling  those  that  we  possess  in  our  national 
collection,  from  the  shore  of  the  Tigris  up  to  its  place  on  the 


EATSING   WATEK.  379 

top  of  the  mound  of  Kouyunjik,  or  Nebbi  Yunis.  To  the  in- 
habitants of  Mesopotamia  the  mode  of  conveying  heavy  weights 
on  the  river  is,  and  must  have  been,  so  e very-day  an  occur- 
rence that  the  artist  has  not  deemed  it  necessary  to  occupy 
any  space  in  delineating  the  raft  upon  which  the  colossus  was 
brought  from  the  quarries  north  of  the  capital,  nor  will  we 
either  occupy  any  of  our  space  with  a  description  of  it,  but 
refer  our  readers  to  page  277,  Fig.  132. 

The  colossus  upon  its  sledge,  having  been  landed  on  the 
quay  at  Nineveh,  is  drawn  up  an  artificial  incline  by  com- 
panies of  captives.  Before,  however,  leaving  the  banks  of  the 
Tigris,  let  us  remark  how  the  artist  has  shown  us  that  oppo- 
site the  city  the  river  spreads  itself  out,  being  divided  into 
several  channels  by  barren  islands  or  sand-banks ;  and,  farther, 
how  up  a  narrow  creek  some  men  are  engaged  in  raising 
water  to  irrigate  the  hanging  gardens.  We  must  here  pause 
to  examine  the  contrivance.  One  man  stands  on  a  pier,  or 
artificial  elevation  built  out  into  the  river.  Upon  this  pier  are 
two  columns  or  buttresses,  carrying  a  pivot,  to  which  is  at- 
tached a  long  pole  bearing  a  leathern  bucket  at  one  end  and  at 
the  other  a  weight.  By  this  means  the  man  scoops  out  the 
water  five  or  six  feet  below  his  level,  and  draws  it  up  with 
considerable  ease.  The  water  thus  raised  is  emptied  into  a 
reservoir,  which  flows  to  another  similar  machine  where  two 
men  are  employed  to  raise  it  yet  another  six  feet,  and  so  on 
till  the  required  elevation  is  attained,  five  such  machines  being 
sufficient  to  raise  the  water  to  the  top  of  the  tel  or  mound,  a 
height  of  thirty  feet,  on  which  these  palaces  and  gardens  are 
constructed.  This  mode  of  raising  water  is  precisely  that 
practised  at  this  day  in  irrigating  the  corn-fields  on  the  banks 
of  the  Nile  during  six  or  eight  months  of  the  year,  and  that  it 
was  also  the  ancient  way  (in  Egypt)  we  know  from  the  paint- 
ings in  the  tombs — so  unvarying  are  the  customs  of  the  East. 

To  return  to  the  colossus.  Upon  the  top  of  the  statue  are 
four  men,  sceptre-bearers,  directing  the  work.  In  the  hand 
of  one  is  something  like  a  trumpet,  to  assemble  the  people 
together,  or  to  warn  them  to  make  ready  (Numbers  x.  2 — 4, 
Ezekiel  vii.  14).  The  fourth  is  stooping  to  examine  the  in- 
sertion of  a  wedge,  placed  as  a  fulcrum  to  a  lever  to  which  a 
company  of  men  are  preparing  to  give  efiect  by  their  collective 
weight.     Other  men  are  employed  in  bringing  pieces  of  wood 


380  CONSTRUCTING   MOUND. 

to  place  under  the  sledge.  Four  companies  of  captives,  urged 
on  by  cruel  taskmasters,  are  attached  to  as  many  cables  fastened 
to  the  front  of  the  sledge.  The  king  has  been  wheeled  up  to 
the  top  of  the  incline  in  a  chariot  drawn  by  two  men.  He  is 
accompanied  by  his  umbrella  and  fan  bearers,  as  well  as  by 
some  bearded  attendants.  In  front,  on  the  brink  of  the  pre- 
cipice, is  the  architect  vehemently  addressing  the  labourers,  or 
reiterating  the  commands  of  his  majesty :  for  if  "  he  command 
to  smite,  they  smite ;  if  he  command  to  make  desolate,  they 
make  desolate ;  if  he  command  to  build,  they  build ;  if  he  com- 
mand to  cut  down,  they  cut  down ;  if  he  command  to  plant, 
they  plant.  So  all  his  people  and  his  armies  obey  him"  (1 
Esdras  iv.  8,  9,  10).  The  lower  mound,  signified  by  a  second 
horizontal  line  across  the  two  slabs,  is  occupied  by  a  company  of 
the  crested-helmet  soldiers  and  a  company  of  archers.  Over  the 
heads  of  the  soldiers  is  another  horizontal  line,  also  across  both 
slabs,  representing  the  upper  level  or  hanging  gardens,  in  which 
the  cypress  and  the  fir,  the  pomegranate,  the  fig,  and  the  vine 
are  distinctly  portrayed.  Above  this,  again,  is  the  mountain- 
ous district  to  the  east  of  Nineveh,  in  which  grow,  in  luxuriant 
abundance,  the  same  trees  as  those  planted  on  the  artificial 
mound.  In  the  right-hand  corner  are  some  captives  con- 
structing an  inclined  plane  (as  we  infer,  because  the  material 
used  is  not  brick)  for  the  purpose  of  conveying  the  heavy 
sculptures  and  blocks  of  stone  from  the  plane  to  the  summit  of 
the  mound,  which  we  shall  see  better  in  the  next  slab. 

No.  53.  Sennacherib  constructing  a  mound. — **Thou  didst 
show  them  no  mercy:  upon  the  ancient  hast  thou  very 
heavily  laid  thy  yoke."  (Isaiah  xlvii.  6.)  **Woe  to  the 
bloody  city."  (Nahum  iii.  1.)  **Woe  to  him  that  buildeth 
a  town  with  blood,  and  stablisheth  a  city  by  iniquity."  (Hab. 
ii.  12.) 

It  is  impossible  to  conceive  of  a  more  perfect  embodiment  of 
the  words  of  the  above  quotation  (see  Fig.  188*).  If  any 
would  know  the  meaning  of  **  building  a  city  with  blood,"  let 
him  contemplate  these  ancient  historical  sculptures. 

The  subject  appears  to  be  a  number  of  Jewish  and  other 
captives  employed  in  constructing  a  mound.  The  artist  has 
most  successfully  conveyed  a  remarkable  expression  of  fatigue 
in  the  attitudes,  and  of  age  in  the  countenances  and  limbs,  of 
these  captives.     The  younger  men,  and  those  whom  the  task- 


JEWISH   CAPTIVES. 


381 


masters  seek  to  afflict  more  heavily,  wear  fetters,  others  are 
chained  two  by  two,  and  all  are  girt  for  labour.  A  string  of 
these  poor  men  is  seen  coming  down  the  incline,  followed  by  a 


Fig.  188*.— JEWISH  CAPTIVES. 


taskmaster,  and  the  quick  motion  of  descending  with  empty 
baskets  is  admirably  given,  contrasting  well  with  the  painful 
step  and  effort  exhibited  by  those  ascending  with  their  loaded 


382  CAPTIVES,  BOATS,  BELTS. 

baskets.  A  row  of  crested-helmet  soldiers  alternating  with 
archers  occupies  the  lower  horizontal  line,  while  the  upper  is 
planted  with  the  same  varieties  of  trees  as  appear  in  the  pre- 
ceding sculpture,  the  scene  being  evidently  descriptive  of  nearly 
the  same  locality,  but  higher  up  the  river.  Hardly  to  be  dis- 
cerned are  several  men  quarrying  some  large  blocks  of  stone, 
and  below  these  is  a  line  of  soldiers,  probably  as  guards  over 
them. 

'No.  54.  Slaves  dragging  a  colossal  figure. — In  the  upper 
part  of  this  fragment  of  a  slab  is  represented  an  angle  or  bend 
of  the  river  where  the  soil  is  marshy  and  occupied  by  the  reeds 
so  common  in  the  more  southern  latitudes.  In  the  river  the 
artist  has  shown  us  the  wicker  boats  still  in  use  on  the  Tigris. 
The  boats  are  impelled  by  four  men,  who  use  oars  of  a  singular 
construction,  very  well  defined  in  this  example  (Fig.  1 89*) ; 
but  why  of  this  form,  and  of  what  material  they  are  made,  we 
are  unable  to  say.  The  boats  are  conveying  ropes  and  tackling 
for  the  works.  There  are,  besides,  some  logs  of  rough  timber, 
on  which  are  two  men  rowing,  and  two  inflated  sheepskins  and 
a  piece  of  matting.  Below  is  a  mound  regularly  planted — young 
trees  alternating  with  older  of  the  same  species.     Beneath  this 

horizontal  line  are 
three  sets  of  cap- 


tives, all  those  of 
the    same  nation 

Fig.  189*.-OAR  TO  PBOPEI,  WICKER  BOAT.  ^^J^g  gfOUpcd  tO- 

gether.  Those  in  the  middle  row  wear  a  turban,  and  are  pro- 
bably people  from  the  coast  of  Syria  (Syro-Phynicians) ;  the 
others  are  without  any  head  covering,  but  all  these  various 
people  wear  the  hezam,  or  belt,  to  strengthen  their  loins  during 
work.  Here  we  see  very  distinctly  the  mode  formerly  employed 
in  Assyria  when  several  men  had  to  pull  at  the  same  cable. 
Each  has  a  small  rope  over  his  shoulder  precisely  in  the  same 
way  that  the  modern  boatmen  on  the  Nile  pull  a  boat  in  case 
of  contrary  wind.  Three  directors  of  the  works,  sceptre-bearers, 
and  some  men  carrying  poles  irregular  in  form,  complete  the 
subject. 

No.  55.  Movement  of  a  colossal  hull. — The  upper  part  of  this 
slab  is  occupied  by  a  representation  of  the  Tigris.  The  artist 
has  delineated  three  of  the  circular  wicker  boats  covered  with 
skins  or  bitumen.     These  boats  are  laden  with  building  mate- 


SAWS,    SHOVELS,    PICKAXES.  383 

rials,  bricks,  ropes,  and  some  thiDgs  which  appear  like  pulleys. 
The  artist  has  also  instructed  us  in  one  of  the  modes  of  catch- 
ing fish  in  those  days,  nor  has  he  neglected  to  tell  us  how  pre- 
carious was  the  vocation.  Two  men  are  seated  upon  inflated 
skins,  and  each  has  a  basket  on  his  shoulder ;  the  basket  of 
one  is  full,  while  that  of  the  other  is  empty.  A  variety  of 
fish  is  seen  in  the  stream,  amongst  others  is  a  crab  preying  on 
a  fish ;  near  the  margin  of  the  river  is  a  plantation  of  cypress 
or  of  fir. 

Below,  three  sceptre-bearers  head  a  procession  of  bearded 
and  beardless  persons  carrying  implements  for  the  prosecution 
of  the  work,  among  whom  are  three  eunuchs  carrying  saws, 
shovels,  and  pickaxes.  Ninety  camel-loads  of  this  last  instru- 
ment have  been  found  in  a  chamber  of  the  Palace  of  Khorsa* 
bad,  with  the  point  of  the  pick  made  of  excellent  steel.  The 
great  number  of  picks  that  were  found  together  would  surprise 
one,  if  we  had  not  been  informed  by  these  historical  sculptures 
that  it  was  sometimes  the  custom  of  the  Assyrian  conquerors 
to  raze  a  city  to  the  ground — really  and  actually  not  to  leave 
one  stone  upon  the  other. 

Behind  is  a  large  wheeled  car,  laden  with  ropes  and  spars, 
perhaps  rollers,  for  the  works  on  the  mounds,  drawn  by  two 
eunuchs;  and  still  further  behind  are  three  less  well-con- 
structed cars,  containing  tackle,  likewise  drawn  by  eunuchs,  on 
whom,  by  order  of  the  Kabsaris,  or  chief  of  the  eunuchs,  this 
penance  has  been  inflicted  for  some  misdemeanour  or  refractory 
conduct. 

Below  the  first-mentioned  car  is  an  old  man  carrying  a  saw 
and  some  hatchets,  accompanied  by  eunuchs  carrying  forked 
poles  and  thin  ropes.  In  advance  of  these  are  four  sceptre- 
bearers,  directing  the  men  drawing  the  cables  attached  to  the 
sledge,  on  which  is  lying  another  colossal  bull.  On  the  statue 
itself  stand  three  sceptre-bearers.  In  front  some  men  are 
bringing  rollers,  while  at  the  back  a  man  adjusts  the  fulcrum 
of  a  great  lever,  to  which  others  are  waiting  to  give  effect  by 
means  of  ropes.  Close  to  these  last  are  some  men  bringing  in 
another  lever. 

No.  56.  Sennacherib  superintending  the  movement  of  a  colossal 
hull, — This  fragment  is  highly  suggestive  of  the  marshy,  flat 
country  south  of  Nineveh,  On  the  upper  half  of  the  stone 
are  seen  the  banks  of  a  sluggish  stream,  covered  with  the 


384  CAil   DKAWN   BY   EUNUCHS. 

plants  already  so  frequently  described,  the  abode  of  the  wild 
boar  and  the  stag.  The  Landseer  of  his  day  has  delineated, 
with  great  knowledge,  three  separate  figures  of  the  latter  ani- 
mal, and  a  litter  of  nine  pigs  following  a  huge  sow.  In 
the  lower  half  of  the  slab  we  have  the  king  in  his  chariot 
superintending  the  works,  and  drawn  by  two  of  his  beardless 
attendants,  followed  by  his  umbrella  and  fan  bearers,  whose 
superior  rank  is  intimated  by  their  greater  size.  The  car  is 
surrounded  by  sceptre-bearers,  six  of  whom  walk  before.  The 
pole  of  the  vehicle  terminates  in  the  head  of  a  horse,  and 
flowers,  artificial  or  real,  are  pendent  from  the  margin  of  the 
umbrella.  In  the  four  lines  of  cuneatic  in  front  of  the  figure 
of  the  king  is  said  to  occur  the  name  of  that  Assyrian  monarch 
who  was  slain  by  his  sons,  Adrammelech  and  Sharezer  (2  Kings 
xix.  37,  and  Isaiah  xxxvii.  38). 

Nos.  57,  58,  59.  Siege  of  a  city  on  a  river,  and  reception  hy 
Sennacherib  of  prisoners  and  spoil. — This  subject  is  engraved  on 
three  consecutive  slabs.  The  centre  is  occupied  by  a  wide 
stream,  abounding  with  a  variety  of  fish,  among  which  the  eel 
and  the  fresh-water  crab  are  again  conspicuous.  On  both  banks 
of  this  large  river  grow  the  date-palm  in  great  luxuriance ; 
and  farther  that  the  transactions  recorded  took  place  in  the 
autumn  of  the  year,  the  artist  informs  us  by  representing  the 
trees  in  full  bearing. 

The  subject  engraved  on  the  combined  slabs  is  the  siege, 
capture,  and  deportation  of  the  inhabitants  of  a  city  situated 
on  an  island  in  the  great  river.  The  banks  of  the  lesser  stream 
which  flows  at  the  back  of  the  city  are  overgrown  by  the  cane- 
reed  so  common  to  the  marshy  districts  of  the  Tigris,  and  espe- 
cially at  the  embouchure  of  the  two  great  rivers  of  Mesopo- 
tamia. To  the  left  of  the  spectator  is  an  epitome  of  the 
besieging  army.  The  foremost  ranks  of  conical-shaped  helmets 
protected  by  the  great  shield-bearers,  which  supply  the  place 
of  the  trenches  and  earthworks  in  a  modern  siege,  have 
advanced  within  bowshot  of  the  walls.  Eehind  these  are  ranks 
of  the  crested-helmet  spearmen;  following  are  companies 
of  archers ;  and,  lastly,  a  detachment  of  cavalry.  In  advance 
of  all  are  some  crested-helmet  warriors,  who,  under  the  shelter 
of  their  round  shields,  are  setting  fire  to  the  gates  of  the 
lower  city. 

On  the  walls  of  the  citadel  are  seen  the  inhabitants  implor- 


MAN  WITH   lion's  HEAD.  385 

ing'for  mercy ;  then  follows  the  never-failing  result  of  a  con- 
quest— namely,  the  deportation  of  the  inhabitants — the  men, 
the  women,  the  children,  the  cattle,  the  goods  driven  off  by 
gigantic  warriors,  all  embodying  in  the  upper  part  of  the 
combined  slabs — "I  came,  I  saw,  I  conquered;**  with  the 
Assyrian  addition — "  I  carried  off.** 

The  next  division  of  this  subject  occupies  the  lower  part  of 
the  three  slabs — viz.,  the  king  in  his  chariot  witnessing  the 
registration  of  the  slain,  the  prisoners,  and  the  spoil.  Bows, 
spears,  furniture,  vases,  and  dead  men's  heads  are  heaped  up 
under  the  shadow  of  the  palm-trees  in  the  afternoon  or  early 
morning  of  the  day,  as  we  gather  from  the  pendant  contrivance 
attached  to  the  royal  parasol  to  screen  his  majesty  from  the 
oblique  rays  of  the  sun  in  this  southern  division  of  the  empire. 
The  face  of  the  king,  and  of  his  charioteer  and  umbrella- 
bearer,  have  this  time  escaped  the  vengeance  of  the  invaders 
of  Mneveh.  The  chariot  and  horses,  the  grooms  and  the  body 
guard,  of  the  king  in  this  slab  are  all  uninjured;  probably 
all  those  important  functionaries  that  surround  the  Royal  car 
are  in  some  degree  likenesses  of  the  persons  holding  the 
respective  offices  at  the  time  the  slab  was  sculptured. 

The  heads  of  the  slain  are  being  heaped  up  by  a  crested- 
helmet  soldier,  who  seizes  by  the  beard  a  manacled  prisoner 
of  rank.  The  other  captives,  chained  two  by  two,  and  carry- 
ing sacks,  are  driven  into  the  presence  of  the  king  by  a  gigantic 
trooper. 

1^0.  60.  The  last  piece  of  sculpture  in  this  gallery  is  the 
figure  of  a  man  with  a  lion*s  head,  whose  legs  probably  termi- 
nated in  the  claws  of  an  eagle,  in  the  attitude  of  striking  with 
a  dagger.  The  slab  on  which  this  Assyrian  composite  figure 
was  sculptured  was  probably  built  into  the  wall  of  the  palace 
near  a  doorway,  as  representing  one  of  those  invisible  imaginary 
beings  whose  office  it  was  to  guard  the  approaches  to  the  royal 
chambers. 

In  the  centre  of  the  gallery  is  a  vase,  sculptured  with  men 
and  lions. 

An  obelisk  of  four  gradients  at  the  top,  and  the  top  of  an 
obelisk  terminating  in  three  gradients. 

This  completes  the  existing  Kouyunjik  gallery  of  the  British 
Museum;  the  sculptures  we  are  now  about  to  describe, 
will  be  found  in  the  lower  chambers,  or  cellars,  of  the  build- 

c  0 


386  HUNTING   THE    LION. 

ing,  but  as  they  are  not  yet  formally  placed,  we  have  not  the 
advantage  of  any  system  of  numbering  to  assist  in  guiding. 

It  would  appear  that  in  the  Palace  of  Kouyunjik  there  was 
a  large  chamber  devoted  entirely  to  the  subject  of  Hunting  the 
Lion ;  and  it  is  to  this  series  of  sculptures  we  will  first  direct 
attention. 

We  gather  from  a  study  of  these  interesting  records,  that  the 
hunting  ground  was  in  a  royal  park,  and  that  the  space  allotted 
to  the  exciting  and  dangerous  amusement  was,  during  the 
hunt,  bounded  or  walled  in  by  a  double  row  of  soldiers,  those 
in  the  front  rank  being  armed  with  spears,  and  protected  by 
large  curved  shields  reaching  from  the  ground  to  the  shoulder, 
while  behind  was  a  row  of  bowmen.  The  Paradeisos  or  Park 
probably  extended  several  miles ;  for  if  we  mistake  not  the 
topographical  indications  in  the  plain  opposite  Mosul,  its  bouu- 
dary  is  marked  by  a  succession  of  low  hills,  including  both  the 
mounds  of  Kouyunjik  and  of  Nebbi  Yunis.  The  place  set  apart 
for  hunting  the  lion  was  a  barren  piece  of  ground,  near  to 
which  there  was  an  artificial  mound,  whereon  was  huilt  the 
hunting-lodge,  appropriately  decorated  with  slabs,  representing 
scenes  of  the  chase.  One,  showing  the  king  in  his  chariot  pur- 
suing a  lion,  has  been  supposed  to  be  a  perspective  delineation 
of  the  subject,  as  seen  at  a  great  distance  through  an  arch. 
Perspective,  however,  was  either  unknown  to  the  artists  of 
Nineveh,  or  else  was  wisely  considered  incompatible  with  the 
sculptor's  art;  for  if  the  laws  of  perspective  had  been  observed, 
both  we,  and  the  persons  for  whose  instruction  and  amusement 
these  valuable  records  were  designed,  would  have  remained  in 
ignorance  of  many  important  details  of  Assyrian  manners  and 
customs. 

Here  then,  at  the  foot  of  this  artificial  mound,  on  the  ap- 
pointed day,  were  wont  to  assemble  the  personal  attendants  of 
the  king  and  certain  officers  of  his  household,  such  as  the 
royal  huntsman,  and  those  who  had  charge  of  the  hounds ;  the 
sais  basha,  or  master  of  the  horse,  and  the  royal  grooms — 
those  who  had  the  care  of  the  lions,  and  those  who  brought 
them  in  cages  to  the  hunting-ground ;  the  sakkaeen,  or  water- 
carriers  ;  the  military  chiefs,  commanders  of  the  companies  of 
spearmen,  and  commanders  of  the  companies  of  archers. 

The  barren  plain,  in  which  the  hunt  was  to  take  place,  was 
next  surrounded  by  the  cordon  militaire — those  in  the  front 


HEN   HOLDING   SCBEEN8. 


387 


rank  armed  with  spears  and  protected  by  the  large  curved 
shields  forming  an  almost  impenetrable  wall,  each  shield 
either  touching  the  other,  or  leaving  only  sufficient  space  for 
the  passage  of  the  javelin  with  which  to  pierce  the  infuriated 
beast,  should  he  attempt  to  escape.  Behind  this  phalanx  of 
spearmen  stood  a  row  of  archers,  so  that  if  the  lion  escaped 
the  javelins  of  the  first  rank,  it  would  be  scarcely  probable 
that  he  could  gain  the  shelter  of  the  more  wooded  part  of  the 
Paradeisos  before  he  received  a  mortal  wound  from  one  of  the 
rank  of  bowmen. 

When  all  was  ready  and  the  hunting-ground  enclosed,  a  kind 
of  improvise  stable  and  coach-house  were  constructed  at  the 
base  of  the  mound,  on  which  stood  the  hunting-palace,  by  two 
divisions  of  spearmen  forming  themselves  into  a  hollow  square. 
Into  this  enclosure  was  led,  each  by  his  groom,  the  most  vigo- 
rous of  the  royal  stud.  Here  the  artist  has  represented  the 
master  of  the  horse,  who  has  already  made  his  choice  of  the 
two  horses  that  are  to  be  yoked  to  the  royal  car,  in  the  act  of 
commanding  the  grooms  to  take  the  other  horses  away,  lest 
they  should  hear  the  roar  of  the  lions,  and  become  unmanage- 
able. 

In  front  of  the  hollow 
square  is  another  enclosure, 
formed  by  a  company  of 
the  king's  eunuchs,  hold- 
ing tall  screens  close  to 
each  other  so  as  to  form  a 
wall,  and  thereby  prevent 
the  horses  from  seeing  the 
lions.  (Fig.  189*).  Within 
the  space  so  enclosed,  we 
see  the  king  in  his  chariot, 
receiving  his  bow ;  at  the 
same  time,  one  of  the 
bearded  spearmen,  who  ac- 
companies his  majesty, 
presses  down  a  strap  to 
make  firm  the  back  wall 
of  the  car,  while  both  he 
and    his    companion   are 

anxiously  looking  towards        ^'^'  ^^""-^^  =o^«»»^«  «c«"««. 

c  c  2 


388  FREFABATIONS   FOB   THE   CHASE. 

the  hunting-ground.  In  front  of  the  car  is  the  charioteer,  as- 
sisting two  grooms,  who  are  endeavouring  to  conquer  a  prudent 
reluctance  manifested  by  one  of  the  horses,  by  forcibly  backing 
him  into  the  traces ;  while  a  third  groom,  with  a  hearty  tug  at 
a  strap,  secures  the  less  terrified  animal  to  the  yoke.    (Fig. 

This  particular  slab  is  in  excellent  preservation,  and  exhibits 
a  minuteness  of  execution  quite  extraordinary.  Every  part  of 
the  king's  dress,  and  that  of  the  spearmen  and  of  the  charioteer, 
is  richly  ornamented ;  nor  should  we  omit  to  notice  the  em- 
broidered mitten  which  the  king  wears  on  his  left  hand, 
to  protect  the  royal  palm  from  the  friction  of  the  bow. 
This  scrupulous  attention  to  the  execution  of  details,  particu- 
larly of  those  connected  with  the  adornment  of  the  person,  is  a 
prominent  feature  in  aU  the  sculptures  from  Nineveh,  and  one 
in  which  the  slabs  before  us  are  in  no  way  inferior  to  any  that 
have  yet  been  brought  to  Europe.  There  is,  however,  in  this 
individual  composition  a  more  important  artistic  quality — 
namely,  a  propriety  and  vigour  of  action  in  the  figures  of  the 
grooms  and  of  the  companions  of  the  king,  and  an  expression  of 
fear  and  trembling  in  the  attitudes  of  the  horses,  not  exhibited 
in  any  of  the  former  sculptures,  in  which  we  discover  the  in- 
tention of  the  artist  to  impress  us  with  the  danger  of  the  sport, 
and  the  consequent  prowess  and  daring  of  the  king — as  well 
as  to  intimate  the  inefficiency  of  the  canvas  walls  for  keeping 
out  the  sound  of  the  roaring  of  the  lions. 

As  the  slabs  are  wanting  which  connect  these  preparations 
for  the  chase  with  the  actual  sport,  there  will  be  but  little 
impropriety  in  at  once  passing  the  phalanx  of  soldiers  and 
entering  the  hunting  ground  in  the  company  of  three  horse- 
men, who  gallop  past  their  ranks. 

Immediately  in  front  of  the  living  wall  is  a  man  standing 
on  the  top  of  one  of  those  cages  in  which  the  animals  were 
brought  to  the  field.  The  man  is  in  the  act  of  drawing  up  a 
portcullis  to  let  loose  the  last  lion.  (Fig.  191*.)  This  cage, 
made  of  strong  logs  of  wood,  is  held  securely  fast  by  a  peg  driven 
through  a  back  spar  into  the  ground  ;  and  we  recognise  a  no  less 
necessary  precaution  in  the  small  cage  at  the  top  of  the  larger, 
the  intention  of  which  is  to  enclose  the  man  should  the  lion  turn 
and  essay  to  make  his  keeper  the  first  victim.  In  the  middle 
of  the  barren  plain  we  descry  the  king  in  his  chariot,  which 


KING   IN   HUNTING   CAB,   BACKING    HOBSE.  389 


Fig.  1W)*.—KJXQ  IK  HUNTIMa  CAB,  BACEINO  HOBSE. 


390 


WOUNDED   II0N8. 


the  driver  urges  on  in  pursuit  of  the  lions  that  have  escaped 
the  mortal  arrow  from  the  bow  of  the  royal  huntsman.  Be- 
hind the  king  the  hunting  ground  is  strewn  with  dead  and 


^3  «*#...  vMi 


Fig.  191*.— LION  IN  CAGE. 

dying  lions  ;  one  infuriated  monster  only,  springs  at  the  hack 
of  the  chariot  and  attacks  the  spearmen  who  are  about  to  des- 
spatch  him  with  their  javelins.  Other  lions,  variously  wounded, 
are  in  flight  towards  the  opposite  boundary  of  the  hunting 
ground,  which  here,  as  first  described,  is  composed  of  a  cordon 
of  spearmen  supported  by  another  of  archers.  On  this  side, 
however,  the  spearmen  stand  with  upraised  javelins  ready  to 
transfix  any  goaded  and  exasperated  lion  that  should  attempt  a 
breach  in  their  ranks ;  besides  this  significant  array,  we  see,  in 
front  of  the  line  of  spearmen,  several  huntsmen  armed  with 
javelins,  and  each  with  a  bloodhound  eager  to  be  let  loose  on 
the  prey.  (Fig.  192*.)  All  these  extra  precautions  at  this  end  of 
the  hunting  ground,  intimate  that  the  last  desperate  effort  of  a 
slightly  wounded  and  highly  infuriated  beast  was  not  always 
unsuccessful — that  lions  did  sometimes  escape  to  the  more 
wooded  parts  of  the  royal  park.  To  convey  this  most  possible 
and  not  improbable  contingency  more  vividly  to  the  mind  of  the 
spectator,  the  skilful  designer  has  represented,  behind  the  pha- 


HUKTSMEN   AND    DOGS. 


391 


Pig.  192*. — ^HUNTSMEN  AND  DOOS. 

lanx  of  soldiers,  the  unarmed  domestics  of  the  king,  the  water 
carriers  and  their  beardless  companions,  with  other  officers  of 
the  court,  in  great  consternation  and  in  flight,  some  to  gain  the 
shelter  of  the  plantation  on  the  mound,  and  others  the  refuge 
of  the  palace.  Those  who  in  their  flight  have  reached  the 
upper  part  of  the  mound, 'and  who,  consequently,  have  a  more 
extensive  view  of  the  hunting  plain,  seem,  with  mingled  emo- 
tions of  fear  and  respect,  to  be  describing  to  their  companions 
what  is  taking  place  in  the  field : — "  0  ye  men,  do  not  men 
excel  in  strength  that  bear  rule  over  sea  and  land  and  all  things 
in  them.    But  yet  the  king  is  more  mighty.'*  (Esdras  ii.  2.) 

This  series  of  slabs  would  be  quite  complete  if  only  we  had 
those  which  should  join  on  to  the  left  of  the  spectator,  and 


392  COUEA.GE    OF   THE    KING. 

which  would,  in  all  probability,  show  us  the  king*8  armour- 
bearer  handing  to  his  majesty  the  bow,  and  the  equestrian 
guard  preparing  to  follow  him  to  the  field.  But  for  this  hiatus, 
we  have  in  these  fourteen  slabs  the  entire  subject  of  the  lion 
hunt ;  and  we  trust  that  we  have  been  able  to  show  a  well- 
arranged  design  in  the  mind  of  the  artist,  perfectly  in  harmony 
with  the  subject,  and  in  accordance  with  the  slabs  as  they 
follow  in  their  proper  succession. 

Before  introducing  our  readers  to  the  result  of  the  sport, 
namely,  the  bringing  in  the  slain  lions  and  laying  them  at  the 
feet  of  the  king,  we  will  examine  a  few  other  slabs  of  exactly 
the  same  size  as  those  already  described,  executed  evidently  by 
the  same  artist,  and  probably  taken  from  the  same  chamber. 
The  slabs  in  question  are  eight  in  number ;  they  exhibit  various 
incidents  in  that  favourite  and  dangerous  pastime  of  this 
particular  descendant  of  Nimrod,  which  have  been  thought 
worthy  of  record  in  marble  for  the  decoration  of  his  palace  at 
the  place  now  called  Kouyunjik.  Six  slabs  in  consecutive 
order,  repeat,  in  some  measure,  what  has  been  already  described. 
The  king  is  followed,  at  a  great  distance,  by  his  equestrian 
companions  in  the  chase,  and  the  space  between  himself  and 
them  is  strewn  with  dying  and  dead  lions.  The  new  incident 
that  we  have  to  remark  is  that  the  royal  chariot  is  being  pur- 
sued by  a  ferocious  lion,  which  wastes  his  strength  in  a  fruitless 
attack  on  the  quickly  revolving  wheel.  The  king  has  given 
his  bow  in  charge  to  a  beardless  attendant,  while,  with  appro- 
priate energy,  he  destroys  the  assailant  with  a  spear.  Before 
the  chariot  is  a  lion  pierced  through  the  fore  part  of  the  brain, 
rampant  in  spasmodic  action. 

The  next  subject  contains  another  exhibition  of  the  king*8 
dauntless  courage.  A  lion  has  succeeded  in  springing  on  the 
back  of  the  car.  The  king's  two  bearded  attendants,  with  an 
expression  of  terror  on  their  countenances,  are  attempting  to 
slay  him  with  their  spears,  while  the  king,  with  dignified 
coolness,  turns  round  and  thrusts  his  short  sword  through  the 
neck  of  the  savage  goaded  animal  before  the  spears  of  the 
guards  have  even  touched  him.  The  adjoining  slab  on  which 
the  horses  appear  in  full  gallop,  contains  a  circular-headed 
cavity  for  the  admission  of  the  lock  when  the  door  was  fully 
opened,  the  chamber  in  which  these  sculptures  were  found  being 


WOUNDED   LIONESS.  393 

long  and  narrow,  like  the  passage  chamber  in  the  palace  of 
Khorsabad. 

Let  the  spectator  now  examine  these  interesting  sculptures, 
and  consider  for  himself  the  various  attitudes  of  the  dead 
and  dying  lions.  What  a  familiarity  with  the  result  of  the 
various  wounds  each  separate  example  displays!  How  this 
lioness,  wounded  in  the  spinal  cord,  drags  her  paralysed  hind 
quarters  after  her !  (Fig.  193*.)     How  that  lion,  wounded  in 


?'i'f 


Fig.  193*. — WOUNDED  LIONESS. 

the  eye,  puts  up' his  paw  with  agony  to  the  spot !  How  ano- 
ther, pierced  with  four  arrows,  is  staggering  in  the  last  convul- 
sion !  How  yet  another,  wounded  in  the  brain,  has  fallen  over 
on  his  back  !  How  this  one,  wounded  in  the  lungs,  stops  to 
pour  out  the  life-stream  !  (Fig.  194*.)  And  lastly,  how  cer- 
tain it  is  that  the  king  and  his  court,  and  the  inhabitants  of 
Nineveh  in  general,  must  have  been  familiar  with  such  exhibi- 
tions, to  have  required  so  many  cruel  details  at  the  hand  of  the 
artist ;  and  how  equally  certain  it  is  (unacquainted  as  he  has 
shown  himself  with  anatomy)  that  the  artist  must  himself  have 
witnessed  the  dangerous  sport  more  than  once,  to  have  been 
able  to  portray  so  accurately  the  momentary  effects  of  such  a 
variety  of  wounds. 

TJnquestionably  a  very  considerable  establishment  for  the 
keeping  and  rearing  of  lions  must  have  existed  at  Nineveh  in 
order  to  supply  such  frequent  exhibitions   as  these  records 


394 


TERMINATION    OF  THE    LION   HUNT. 


attest.  We  now  know,  from  their  own  documents,  what  fre- 
quent and  cruel  wars  the  Assyrians  waged  with  their  neigh- 
bours for  conquest-sake,  for  spoil-sake,  for  the  supply  of  luxu- 
ries:  we  now  also  know  **  where  the  lion  did  tear  in  pieces 


Fig.  194*. — WOUNDED  LION. 


for  its  whelps,"  and  we  now  fully  comprehend  the  singular  pro- 
priety and  the  very  remarkable  applicability  of  the  prophet's 
metaphor,  in  speaking  of  Nineveh,  "  where  is  the  dwelling- 
place  of  the  lions,  and  the  feeding-place  of  the  young  lions." 
(Nahumii.  11,  12.) 

The  termination  of  the  lion  hunt  is  sculptured  on  five  con- 
secutive slabs  of  about  the  same  height  as  those  on  which  we 
have  seen  the  chase  itself  displayed.  These  slabs  appear  to  have 
panelled  a  wall  of  an  ascending  passage  connecting  the  lion- 
hunt  chamber  with  the  main  body  of  the  palace.  On  one  wall 
of  this  passage  was  represented  a  procession  of  huntsmen  with 
mules,  nets,  ropes,  and  stakes,  going  out  to  the  hunting-field ; 
while  on  the  opposite  wall  we  were  shown  the  Return  from 
the  chase,  with  the  results  of  the  hunt.  The  best  slabs  from 
this  part  of  the  palace  have  been  engraved  from  beautiful 
drawings  made  by  Mr.  Boutcher,  expressly  for  the  present 
edition  of  **  Nineveh  and  its  Palaces." 

The  illustration  at  the  head  of  the  chapter  (Fig.  186*)  repre- 
sents the  head  huntsman,  or  chief  of  the  lion  bearers,  armed 


HUNTSMEN  PROCEEDING  TO   THE  HUNTING-GEOUNDS.       395 

with  his  how,  conducting  a  company  of  six  eunuchs,  hearing  a 
huge  lion,  and  followed  hy  two  other  eunuchs,  one  carrying 
some  smaller  game,  a  hird  with  a  nest  full  of  young^  and  the 
other  a  bird's  nest  and  a  hare,  all  picked  up,  possibly,  on  their 
way,  and  about  to  be  laid  at  the  feet  of  the  king.  (1  Esdras, 
ii.  6.)  The  procession  is  closed  by  two  spearmen,  with  large 
shields,  and  an  archer,  with  his  bow  and  quiver  of  arrows. 

The  next  subject  is  exhibited  on  seven  consecutive  slabs, 
forming  part  of  the  opposite  side  of  the  ascending  passage.  It 
represents  eleven  men  and  two  mules,  carrying  out  nets,  gins, 
pegs  and  staves,  for  ensnaring  and  catching  stags  and  smaller 
game.     "We  have  first  (see  Fig.  197*)  two  men  bearing  nets, 


^mm^imMimm 


Fig.  197*.— HUuraMBN  psooebdixo  to  thb  huntino-obounds. 

cords,  with  pegs,  and  staves,  followed  by  a  youth,  leading  a 
mule  laden  with  nets, — and  then  the  driver  of  the  mule  with 
a  stick  in  his  right  hand.  To  this  group  succeeds  a  repetition 
of  the  boy,  mule,  and  driver,  followed  by  four  men  bearing 
nets,  cords,  and  staves ;  and  lastly,  a  shorter  huntsman,  with  a 
long  staff  in  one  hand,  leads  two  dogs  in  leash.  These  men, 
and  the  lion-bearers,  appear  to  belong  to  the  same  class  of  do- 
mestics, whose  office  it  was,  as  we  here  perceive,  to  prepare 
all  things  necessary  for  the  chase,  and  to  clear  the  hunting- 
ground  of  the  slain  lions. 

The  figures  sculptured  in  this  ascending  passage,  and  on  the 
fragment  we  are  about  to  describe,  are  larger  than  are  those 
on  the  other  reliefs ;  there  is  also,  no  doubt,  a  little  covert 
compliment  intended  in  the  exaggerated  dimensions  of  the 


396 


BMVING   AKD   SNARING   GAME. 


lion,  to  carry  which  required  the  strength  of  six  men  ;  whence, 
as  well  as  from  the  execution,  we  infer  that  the  same  skilful 

-     r.   i{ 


KING  SILLING  GAME.  897 

and  courtly  hand  was  employed  on  these  lions  as  on  those  in 
the  hunting-ground  hefore  descrihed.  The  next  subject  in  the 
order  of  succession  (Fig.  198*)  is  composed  of  two  slabs,  re- 
presenting the  *'  Driving  and  snaring  game."  It  was  found 
in  the  chamber  at  the  lowest  end  of  the  ascending  passage, 
where  the  lion  hunts  were  found.  The  artist  intends  to 
inform  us  that  a  considerable  space,  comprehending  rocky  hills 
and  wooded  valleys,  has  been  enclosed  with  nets  of  sufficient 
height  and  strength  to  prevent  the  escape  of  animals  of  the 
size  of  the  fallow-deer.  Two  men  are  shown,  the  one  trying 
to  extricate  the  deer  from  the  trap  in  which  it  has  been 
caught ;  and  the  other,  at  some  distance  off,  setting  a  trap  or 
gin.  Within  the  great  field  enclosed,  are  seen  four  deer,  the 
foremost  of  a  herd,  in  rapid  flight  towards  the  inevitable  boun- 
dary ;  and  we  no  doubt  should  see  the  king  in  chase  if  we  had 
but  the  adjoining  slabs  on  the  left  of  the  spectator. 

"We  now  come  to  a  series  of  small,  highly-finished,  cabinet- 
stone  pictures,  the  Gerard  Dows,  and  the  Wovermans  of  the 
Koyal  Ninevite  collection.  From  Mr.  Loftus*  Report,  they 
appear  to  have  fallen  from  the  apartments  above  the  Lion 
Hunt  and  adjoining  chambers.  The  slabs  on  which  the  sub- 
jects are  sculptured  are  about  the  same  height  as  the  others, 
but  they  are  generally  divided  into  three  horizontal  compart- 
ments, of  which  the  upper  and  middle  have  in  many  instances 
been  destroyed.  On  three  consecutive  pieces  of  the  wall  of 
the  cabinet,  we  have  in  the  upper  division,  the  king  on  foot, 
killing  a  succession  of  lions,  which  are  let  out  of  cages,  as  we 
do  pigeons.  The  king  is  attended  by  a  shield-bearer,  who 
seems  to  be  in  mortal  fear,  and  by  two  armour-bearers,  holding 
in  readiness  his  quiver  and  arrows ;  the  lion  he  is  immediately 
engaged  with  has  sprung  from  the  ground,  and  will  be  de- 
spatched by  a  deadly  shaft  from  his  bow,  while  a  second  is 
running  furiously  towards  him,  and  a  third  is  being  released 
from  his  cage. 

In  the  second  line,  or  compartment,  the  king  seizes  a  ram- 
pant lion  by  the  tail,  and  a  second  lion  is  sitting,  in  the  atti- 
tude of  a  sphinx,  facing  one  of  the  king's  equestrian  attendants. 
"Whether  these  be  tame  lions,  or  lions  of  a  less  ferocious  kind, 
described  by  the  present  inhabitants  of  the  soil,  or  whether 
they  have  been  drugged  or  prepared,  so  as  to  render  them 
harmless,  as  are  the  Uons  that  appear  occcasionally  at  our  the- 


398 


KING   ON   HORSEBACK   HUNTnfG   LIONS. 


__^c£i»^?£S^gfeS^^^^<'.l;'^^« 


fc. 


t-^-r't.-'--,  ~.  -T->r  —  ■^ 

Fig.  199*.— KIMO  UN  HOKSKBACK  UUNTINU  LIUNS. 


atres,  are  curious 
questions  which  we 
cannot  pretend  to 
decide.  At  a  little 
distance  is  seen  the 
king's  chariot  with 
the  charioteer,  and 
two  hoarded  spear- 
men apparently 
awaiting  his  majes- 
ty's return. 

The  third  and 
lowest  line  repre- 
sents the  king  pour- 
ing out  a  lihation 
before  an  altar  or 
table,  covered  with 
a  cloth,  on  which  are 
placed  some  objects, 
or  offering,  difficult 
to  defoie.  Behind 
the  altar  is  a  taU 
vase,  bearing  a  coni- 
cal heading  of  some 
material,  and  at  the 
king's  feet  lie  four 
dead  lions,  a  fifth 
being  brought  by  in 
a  number  of  eunuchs, 
preceded  by  two  mu- 
sicians performing 
on  the  stringed  in- 
strument we  have 
described  in  a  for- 
mer chapter  (p. 
289).  In  attend- 
ance on  the  king 
are  two  cup-bear- 
ers, fanning  him 
with  their  fly  flaps ; 
then  follows  the 
royal   aimour-bear- 


GAZELLES  FIEBCED   WITH  ABBOWS.  399 

er ;  and  lastly,  two  beardless  equestrian  attendants,  who  have 
only  just  dismounted  to  assist  at  this  religious  ceremony,  which 
we  may  imagine  to  be  a  kind  of  thanksgiving  to  the  god  of 
victory,  or  chase,  for  the  escape  of  the  royal  hunter  from  the 
many  perilous  situations  in  which  we  have  seen  him  exposed. 
Three  lines  of  cuneatic  extend  over  the  altar  from  the  king 
to  the  musicians. 

This  inscription  has  been  thus  translated  by  Eawlinson : 

"  I  am  Assur-bani-pal,  the  Supreme  monarch,  the  king  of 
Assyria,  who,  having  been  excited  by  the  inscrutable  divini- 
ties, Assur  and  Beltis,  have  slain  four  lions.  I  have  erected 
over  them  an  altar  sacred  to  Ishtar  (Ashtareth),  the  goddess  of 
war.  I  have  offered  a  holocaust  over  them.  I  sacrificed  a 
kid(?)  over  them." 

One  compartment  of  the  next  series  of  slabs  (Fig.  199*) 
represents  the  king  on  horseback,  leading  a  second  horse,  which 
is  pursued  and  attacked  by  a  wounded  lion,  but  is  defending 
himself  by  kicking  vigorously.  In  the  mean  time,  the  horse 
on  which  the  king  rides  is  attacked  in  front  by  another  lion, 
whose  fate  is  sufficiently  obvious — the  king  having  thrust  his 
spear  into  the  monster's  mouth  with  such  force,  that  it  has 
passed  right  through  the  neck  and  appears  under  the  mane. 
Two  mounted  attendants  follow  at  a  considerable  distance. 

In  the  upper  compartment  of  this  slab  the  king,  having  dis- 
mounted, seizes  an  infuriated  lion  by  the  throat,  and  thrusts  a 
short  sword  into  its  heart.  The  king  is  attended  by  his  ar- 
mour-bearer, and  a  beardless  groom,  who  holds  his  horse.  It 
is  to  be  observed  that  in  these  two  examples  the  king  wears  a 
richly-decorated  fillet  upon  his  head,  instead  of  the  pointed 
tiara,  which  is  his  usual  distinctive  head-dress ;  and  we  are  in- 
formed that  this  is  a  peculiar  feature  in  all  the  slabs  of  the 
series  found  in  this  part  of  the  palace  at  Kouyunjik. 

The  lowest  line  of  these  slabs  shows  us  gazelles  full-grown 
and  young,  browsing,  some  of  them  pierced  with  arrows  from 
the  king's  bow. 

On  a  separate  fragment  we  have  the  king  and  one  attendant 
crouching  down  in  a  sort  of  pit  made  in  the  sand  of  the  desert, 
in  order  to  hide  themselves  from  the  timid  animals,  which 
would  otherwise  be  deterred  from  coming  within  range  of  the 
arrows.  The  same  method  is  pursued  by  the  easterns  of  the 
present  day.    When  an  Arab,  (or  an  ibn  belled),  a  son  of  the 


400  THE   EING   FEASTING   WITH   HIS   QUEEK*. 

town  in  the  vicinity  of  a  desert,  has  ascertained  by  the  foot- 
prints in  the  sand  that  a  herd  of  the  animals  frequents  a  par- 
ticular track,  he  makes  a  sufficient  excavation  in  the  sand  to 
allow  of  lying  down,  taking  especial  care  that  the  surrounding 
ground  shall  not  appear  raised  or  disturbed,  or  the  quick  eye 
of  the  gazelle  would  discern  the  trap,  and  flee  away.  All 
being  prepared,  the  hunter  lies  down  in  his  trench  to  sleep 
until  morning,  when  the  animals  come  out  to  browse,  and  fall 
an  easy  prey  to  the  watcher. 

The  king,  attended  by  horsemen,  pursuing  the  wild  horse, 
occupies  several  fragments  of  this  smaller  series.  The  horses 
are  run  down  by  dogs,  sometimes  caught  by  the  lasso,  but 
most  frequently  killed  by  the  never- erring  shaft  of  the  royal 
hunter. 

In  another  of  these  smaller  compartments  the  king  has  dis- 
mounted to  superintend  the  dissection  of  a  huge  lion,  during 
which  ceremony  one  bearded  and  three  beardless  men  prostrate 
themselves  before  him. 

We  now  arrive  at  what  may  be  esteemed  to  be  the  conclu- 
sion of  the  scenes  we  have  described,  when  the  great  king 
relaxes  from  his  labours,  whether  of  the  battle  or  of  the  chase. 
He  is  represented  feasting  with  his  queen  in  the  garden  of  his 
palace. 

The  garden  (el  genina,  el  fardous)  anciently  as  at  this  day 
in  the  east,  is  the  locality  of  kaif  or  pleasure.  Shade,  cool- 
ness, and  repose  in  the  open  air,  seem  always  to  have  been 
essentials  in  the  oriental  mind  for  anything  like  an  approach 
to  a  state  of  happiness.  So  here  in  a  garden,  "  of  all  kinds  of 
fruits,"  (Eccles.  ii.  5,)  under  the  shade  of  a  vine  trained  over 
an  avenue  of  fir-trees,  the  king  and  queen  of  Assyria  were 
wont  to  repose,  during  the  autumnal  months,  in  the  more 
southern  districts  of  their  vast  dominions. 

High  on  a  richly-carved  sofa,  and  supported  by  cushions, 
reclines  the  great  king  ;  while  opposite  to  him,  on  a  chair  of 
state,  sits  her  Assyrian  majesty,  "  in  raiment  of  needle- work" 
(Psal.  xlv.  14),  and  surrounded  by  her  maidens.  The  elder 
woman  (the  malema),  or  chiefs  of  the  hareem — known  by 
their  richer  dress  and  furrowed  cheeks,  the  beauties  of  a  former 
reign — fan  the  king  and  queen.  While  some  of  the  younger 
women  are  employed  in  bringing  trays  laden  with  delicacies 
for  the  table,  those  skilled  in  singing  advance  performing  on 


XnSO  AND   QXTEEir  FEASTTNG  IN  6ASDEN.  401 

*'  musical  instruments,  and  that  of  all  sorts  "  (Eccles*  ii.  S), 


D  D 


402  KINQ  AND   QUEEN   FEASTING  IN   GABDEN. 

On  a  higWy-decorated  table  between  the  royal  personages  are 
already  placed  some  viands  ;  and  an  ivory  casket,  part  of  "  the 
peculiar  treasure  of  kings"  (Eccles.  ii.  8),  such  as  those  of 
which  we  have  fragments  in  the  glass  cases  of  the  Kouyunjik 
gallery.  Near  the  sofa  on  the  lower  table,  the  king  has  de- 
posited his  small  bow  and  quiver,  with  his  sword  or  sceptre. 
Still  nearer  the  margin,  at  this  end  of  the  slab,  appears,  from 
behind  a  date  tree,  a  hand  holding  a  wand,  but  for  what  pur- 
pose it  is  impossible  to  guess,  as  we  have  not  the  adjoining  slab. 
We  must  refer  our  readers  to  the  sculpture  itself  for  many  of 
the  above  details,  which  the  artist  has  been  unable  to  include 
within  the  limits  of  his  reduced  drawing. 

On  the  ground  at  each  end  of  the  sofa  is  a  vase,  in  which 
something  is  piled  up  in  sugar-loaf  fashion ;  and  over  the  arm 
of  the  sofa  is  slung  a  huge  chaplet  of  precious  stones.  Both 
the  king  and  queen  are  drinking  out  of  embossed  and  jewelled 
cups,  of  such  as  we  have  specimens. 

Her  majesty  is  not  wanting  in  those  personal  qualifications 
which  are  still  considered  in  the  east  as  essential  to  beauty, 
nor  has  the  artist  neglected  to  give  a  certain  rotundity  of  form 
even  to  the  less  distinguished  personages  of  the  hareem,  to 
qualify  them  to  "stand  before  the  king**  (Dan.  i.  5). 

Birds  sing  and  grasshoppers  chirp,  yet,  amid  all  this  picture 
of  delights,  there  are  touches  of  native  cruelty  in  the  incidents 
selected  by  the  Assyrian  artist  for  illustratioD,  and  in  the 
nature  of  the  pastime  indulged  in  by  the  king ;  as,  for  instance, 
a  bird  seizes  on  a  grasshopper,  and  hard  by,  on  a  tree,  hangs 
the  caricatured  mask  of  a  Susian  with  a  gash  in  the  cheek, 
which  probably  has  been  employed  in  some  sarcastic  comic 
performance,  now  to  give  place  to  the  gratification  of  the 
palate  and  the  ear. 

**  The  eye  is  not  satisfied  with  seeing,  nor  the  ear  filled  with 
hearing"  (Ecclesiastes,  i.  8).  The  experiment  of  happiness 
here  delineated  by  the  artist  as  being  made  by  the  king  of 
Assyria,  had  already  been  tried  three  hundred  years  before  by 
a  much  more  enlightened  sovereign  than  Sennacherib,  and  the 
record  of  it,  with  notes  and  commentations  written  by  the 
experimenter  himself,  has  fortunately  come  down  to  our  time. 
Precisely  in  the  same  way,  too,  did  he  proceed  in  his  search 
after  this  imaginary  summum  bonum  of  human  existence,  for 
he  says,  **  I  made  me  gardens  and  orchards,  and  I  planted  trees 


PABALLEL — ECCLESIASTES. 


403 


in  them  of  all  kind  of  £ruits. ...  I  got  me  servants  and  maidens. 
I  gathered  me  also  silver  and  gold  and  the  peculiar  treasure  of 
kings  and  of  the  provinces.  I  gat  me  men-singers  and  women 
singers,  and 
the  delights 
of  the  sons  of 
men,  as  mu- 
sical instru- 
ments, and 
that  of  all 
sorts  .... 
And  what- 
soever mine 
eyes  desired  I 
kept  not  from 
them,  I  with- 
held not  my 
heart  &om 
any  joy." 
Here,  how- 
ever, the  si- 
milarity be- 
tween      the 

sculptured 
and  the  writ- 
ten     docu- 
ments   ends ; 
for      beyond 
this  the  sculp- 
tor's art  can- 
not inform  us, 
nor  has  any- 
thing    like 
those      va- 
luable   notes 
and  commen- 
tations,    the 
result  of  the 

more  ancient  royal  experimentor*s  researdies,  "  the  conclusion 
of  the  whole  matter,"  been  extracted  from  the  cuneiform  in- 
scriptions. 

nn  2 


404  CASKET — DESCRIPTION  OF   ONE, 

Before  quitting  this  stone  picture,  we  will  offer  a  few  remarks 
on  some  very  interesting  details  which  it  contains,  namely,  the 
curious  carved  casket  upon  the  royal  table,  and  the  various 
kinds  of  musical  instruments  in  the  hands  of  the  musicians. 

We  possess  in  the  British  Museum  fragments  of  a  box 
(Fig.  255),  of  which  the  design  is  almost  identical  with 
that  shown  in  Fig.  199*.  Our  reason  for  calling  it  part  "  of 
the  peculiar  treasure  of  kings"  is,  that  such  costly  and  beau- 
tiful works  of  art,  in  which  the  skill  of  the  designer,  the 
sculptor,  and  the  metallurgist  was  combined,  could  not  have 
belonged  to  any  but  kings  and  princes.  It  is  evident  more- 
over, from  the  box  being  placed  so  conspicuously  close  to  the 
king,  that  it  was  of  importance,  and  especially  his  property ; 
its  form  and  contents,  therefore,  become  interesting  questions. 
— Did  it  contain  the  royal  signet  ?  Did  it  contain  some  com- 
pound of  the  alchemist,  which  might  have  been  considered  an 
elixir  of  life  ?  or  did  it  contain  some  confection  of  opium  or  hemp, 
which  might  have  been  supposed,  in  ignorance  and  sensuality, 
to  enhance  the  enjoyments  by  which  the  king  is  surrounded  ? 

Such  caskets  are  not  common  in  the  East  or  the  West ;  but 
Mr.  Edward  Falkener,  the  architect,  has  kindly  furnished  us 
with  a  description  of  one  in  his  possession,  which  is  supposed 
to  have  been  made  for  Haroun  e'  Rashid,  the  Kalif  of  Bagh- 
dad, and  who,  Sennacherib-like,  probably  carried  it  about  with 
him,  as  it  is  furnished  with  a  handle. 

The  following  is  Mr.  Falkener's  description  of  the  casket : 

"  The  small  casket  which  I  described  to  you  is  now  at  Man- 
chester, so  I  cannot  give  you  a  sketch  of  it  except  from  re- 
collection. 

"  It  is  of  bronze,  and  has  been  inlaid  with  silver  and  gold. 
It  has  a  cursive  Arabic  inscription  at  top  and  cufic  at  bottom. 
It  has  two  elaborate  hinges  at  back,  and  one  in  front,  with  a 
moveable  handle  at  top.     In  the  large  circles  are  represented — 

"1st.  The  hero  crossing  the  desert,  riding  on  a  camel,  with 
a  baldachin  over  him ;  the  camel  is  led  by  one  slave  and  driven 
by  another. 

"  2d.  He  is  on  horseback,  killing  a  panther  with  his  sword. 

**  3d.  Do.  do.,  with  his  spear. 

"4th.  He  returns  to  his  lady-love  with  his  sword,  bow  and 
arrows,  and  falcon.    The  lady  is  seated,  and  h«  standing. 


MUSICAL  IN8THUMENTS.  405 

''  5th.  The  lady  takes  his  falcon,  and  is  petting  it,  while  he 
takes  a  guitar,  and  sings  her  praises.  The  lady  holds  the  fal- 
con before  her  face  to  hide  her  blushes. 

"  These  are  all  the  large  medallions,  but  on  the  top,  round 
the  handle,  the  hero  is  represented  on  horseback,  killing 
panthers  in  four  different  ways ;  viz.,  with  a  sword ;  a  spear ; 
a  bow  and  arrow ;  and  a  falcon.  These  are  supposed  to  be 
seen  between  large  medallions  3  and  4.  Now  come  the  re- 
joicings. On  the  bevelled  edge  of  top,  the  hero  is  repre- 
sented seated  on  a  throne,  in  a  small  medallion  on  one  side, 
and  his  lady  in  another,  in  opposite  side ;  around  them  are  the 
members  of  the  court,  drinking  from  large  goblets,  playing 
upon  guitars,  flutes,  triangles,  tambarines,  harps,  &c.  &c. 
The  marriage  has  taken  place,  and  the  lady  has  the  casket  to 
keep  her  jewels  in. 

"  After  having  had  it  ten  years  in  my  possession,  I  disco- 
vered that  it  had  been  closed  by  a  most  ingenious  puzzle  lock. 
This  I  have  had  restored,  and  have  promised  the  contents  of 
the  casket  to  any  one  who  opens  it.  The  inscription  has  not 
yet  been  deciphered." 

In  noticing  the  various  musical  instruments  of  the  Ninevites 
represented  in  this  sculpture,  it  has  been  thought  desirable  to 
include  instruments  previously  described  (pp.  216,  261,  262, 
289).  In  order  to  compare  them  more  conveniently  with  those 
mentioned  in  the  Bible,  and  particularly  with  those  in  the 
third  chapter  of  the  prophet  Daniel,  we  will  begin  by  placing 
the  Chaldee  names  in  the  order  that  they  occur  in  the  sacred 
text,  by  the  side  of  the  Septuagint,  the  Latin  of  Jerome,  and 
our  own  version. 

Daniel,  cap.  iii.  v.  5. 

cornet. 

flute. 

harp. 

sackhut. 

psaltery. 

aulcimer. 

Calmet  says,  "  the  musical  instruments  of  the  Hebrews  are, 
perhaps,  what  has  been  hitherto  least  understood  of  any  thing 
in  scripture.    The  Eabbins  themselves  know  no  more  of  this 


M-»P, 

<ra\7riy5, 

.  tuba, 

KJTpTltt^, 

ertipiyS, 

fistula, 

D-ijrp, 

KiOaput 

cithara, 

K33D, 

aanJ^vKt}^ 

sambuca, 

r"in3D9, 

^/aXri^piov, 

psalterium. 

n*390TD, 

ffvfiifnttviaf 

symphonia, 

406 


MUSICAL   INSTEUMENTS HARP,    SACKBUT,    FLUTE. 


matter   than  other  coramentators,  who  are  least  acquainted 
with  Jewish  affairs." 

Calmet  had  no  means  of  assisting  his  speculations  by  ex- 
amining any,  representations  of  the  actual  instruments,  and, 
indeed,  never  till  now  have  we  had  so  good  an  opportunity  of 
arriving  at  some  definite  knowledge  of  the  form,  and  conse- 


Fig.  200*. — HABP,  PSALTERY,  SACKBUT,  FLUTE. 

quently  of  the  structure  and  quality  of  sound  emitted  by  the 
above-mentioned  instruments. 

In  the  sculpture  (Fig.  200*)  there  are  four  performers,  two 
men  and  two  women  ;  the  two  centre  figures  being  two  officers 
of  the  Assyrian  court  we  have  elsewhere  (p.  171)  designated 
as  superintendents  of  the  tribute  of  the  provinces. 

The  first  instrument  mentioned  in  the  list,  viz.,  the  cornet, 
wnp  (karna),  from  3'»P  (karn),the  horn  of  an  animal,  of  which  this 
instrument  was  probably  first  made,  is  met  with  in  the  sculp- 
ture representing  the  removing  of  the  colossal  bull,  but  is  not 
found  in  the  sculpture  before  us.  The  second  instrument  in 
the  list,  viz.,  the  flute,  (mashrukita)  Hrypmvm,  from  (sharak)  P^u', 
to  whistle,  to  shriek,  is  very  suggestive  of  the  kind  of  sound  that 
such  short  and  thin  tubes  would  make  as  those  in  the  hands 
of  the  woman  at  the  right  hand.  The  next  in  order  is  the  harp, 


MUSICA.L   INSTRUMENTS — TIMBREL,  PSALTERY.  407 

(kitras)  t>"TJTp,  from  (kush)  vp,  to  be  curved  or  bent  like  a  bow, 
from  which,  probably,  the  idea  was  taken,  and  of  which  struc- 
ture, in  fact,  all  ancient  harps  were,  and  some  modern  Indian 
harps  still  are;  the  strings  being  kept  tight  by  the  resistance  of 
the  back  of  the  instrument,  not  by  the  support  afforded  by  the 
column,  as  in  European  harps.  This  instrument  has  twenty 
or  twenty-one  strings,  and  is  played  without  a  plectrum. 


'    Pig.  201*. — TIMBEBIi,  PBAIiTEBT,  CTMBALS,  P8A.LTEBY,  WITH  DANCING. 

The  next  in  order  is  the  sackbut,  (shabkah)  kd^d,  from  (sha- 
bak)  lox),  to  interweave,  applied  to  the  lattice  of  a  window,  being 
the  Arabic  word  (shebbak)  iL^jj^i  window ;  and  hence  also 
the  name  of  the  instrument,  there  being  a  window  or  some  orna- 
mented perforations  in  the  sounding  board,  as  in  the  European 
guitar.  This  instrument  is  still  in  existence  in  the  east,  and 
an  accurate  drawing  of  one  which  was  brought  from  Aleppo 
by  a  native  musician  is  to  be  found  at  Pigs.  115,  116.  The 
ornamental  perforations  in  this  instance  are  at  the  sides.  The 
instrument  has  double  strings,  and  is  played  with  a  short  plec- 
trum. 

The  next  in  order  is  the  psaltery,  (phsanneterin)  rinjDSj,  from 
(phsal)  Vds,  to  carve,  because  the  two  columns  which  support  the 
cross  bar  of  this  instrument  are  carved  into  various  devices ; 
the  shorter  of  the  two  columns  in  the  ancient  Egyptian  ex^ 


408 


MUSrCAi  IN8TBUMENTS — DXTLCIMEB. 


amples  is  commonly  carved  in  the  shape  of  a  horse's  head.  It 
has  usually  five  or  seven  strings,  but  it  may  have  ten  ;  it  is  then 
called  ashur,  TnWi  or  the  ten  stringed :  another  variety  of  this 
instrument  is  seen  in  the  hand  of  a  man  (Fig.  201*). 


Fig.  202*. — DULCIMEB,  AND  A.  CHIEF  OF  THE  BIU8ICIAN3. 

The  next  in  order  is  the  dulcimer,  (sumphonia)  n»390TD,f  from 
(samak)  inv  to  lean  or  lay  ;  to  impose  as  the  hand  upon  any 
thing  (see  Fig.  202*) ;  which  exactly  corresponds  to  this  idea, 
both  because  the  instrument  is  supported  by  a  belt  over  the 
left  shoulder,  and  because  the  left  elbow  and  hand  are  imposed 
upon  it  to  twang,  or  stop  or  modify  the  sound  of  the  strings, 
which  are  struck  with  a  short  stick  held  in  the  right  hand. 

It  is  to  be  remarked  that  this  instrument  is  played  by  a 
person  wearing  a  high  cap,  probably  a  chief  musician. 

We  have  now  gone  through  the  list  of  all  those  instru- 

t  In  the  conviction  that  n*390TD  is  a  genuine  Chaldee  word,  and  not  de- 
rived from  the  Greek,  we  have  rendered  the  letters  literally  sumphonia 
instead  of  symphonia.  The  word  in  Daniel  is  the  name  of  one  single  in' 
$trument,  whereas  the  Greek  derivative  is  a  compound  word,  signifying  a 
harfnony  of  many  instruments. 


MUSICAL  IN8TBT7MENT8 — DRUM. 


409 


ments  which  were  employed  to  give  notice  to  the  diflferent 
people,  nations,  and  languages  at  what  time  they  were  to  fall 
down  and  worship  the  golden  image  which  Nebuchadnezzar 
had  set  up ;  and  we  have  shown  the  true  figures  of  them  taken 
from  these  most  authentic  coeval  commentations  on  the  Bible, 
as  the  sculptures  from  Nineveh  may  fairly  be  considered. 

In  the  last  psalm  (cl.),  which  was  probably  composed  after 
the  return  of  the  Jews  to  Palestine,  there  is  also  mention  of 
several  musical  instruments. 

The  trumpet  in  this  text,  as  in  that  from  Daniel,  is  placed 
first ;  but  here  it  is  called  (suphar)  "isw,  from  (saphar)  "i3a',  to  be 
bright,  as  the  instrument  would  be  if  made  of  silver  or  brass. 

The  next  in  this  series  is  the  psaltery,  here  called  (nehbel)  ''iJ, 
from  '?23,  a  bottle,  a  vessel,  or  jar,  for  the  strings  were  fastened 
over  a  kind  of  box  or  bowl,  like  the  instrument  still  in  use 
in  Nubia. 

The  next  that  occurs  is  translated  harp,  (kinnor)  I'oa,  from 
133,  imitating  a  tremulous  and  stridulous  sound. 

The  next,  timbrel,  (tuph)  sin,  from  lan,  to  strike,  to  beat  the  ta- 
bret.  This  word,  sn,  may  be  taken  to  signify  any  kind  of  drum  or 
tympanum ;  and  we  have  two  specimens,  one  in  the  shape  of  a 
tambarine  (Fig.  201*),  the  other  like  our  drums  (Fig.  203*)^ 
but  played  with  the  fingers  as  the  Indians 
do  the  small  horizontal  drum,  or  tom-tom, 
at  this  day. 

The  next,  translated  organ,  a^y  (hug- 
gab),  is  supposed  to  have  been  a  wind 
instrument,  perhaps  a  set  of  pipes  of 
unequal  length;  but  we  have  not  seen 
any  thing  of  the  kind  represented  in* 
these  sculptures. 

The  last  instrument  mentioned  among 
those  in  Psalm  cl.,  is  translated  cymbals, 
(zalzelim)  trbyby,  from  (zal)  '?"?5f,  to  tingle ; 
or  from  (zalzil)  Vbif,  roundness.  We  have 
a  representation  of  it  in  the  hands  of  a 
man  with  a  beard.  (Fig.  201*.)  They 
appear  to  be  flat,  circular  pieces  of  brass, 
fastened  one  in  each  hand,and  struck  toge- 
ther, as  are  our  instruments  of  the  same 
name.    All  four  of  these  musicians  are  at 


Fig.  203*.— DBUM. 


410  8USIA.N   PALACE. 

the  same  time  dancing,  as  also  it  was  the  custom  with  the 
Jews,  Psalm  cl.  4.  Religious  dances  are  still  practised  by  the 
Mohammedans. 

We  now  come  to  two  slabs  like  that  in  the  Kouyunjik  gallery 
(page  385),  representing  two  lion-headed  human  figures  with 
eagle* s  claws ;  the  right  hands  upraised  holding  daggers,  and 
the  left,  crossing  over,  holding  maces.  The  front  of  one 
figure,  and  the  back  of  the  other,  are  exhibited.  The  lower 
compartment  of  one  of  these  slabs  contains  a  figure,  the 
upper  part  human,  and  wearing  the  three-horned  cap ;  and 
the  body  beiug  that  of  a  lion  with  eagle's  wings. 

As  we  are  not  able  to  describe  the  slabs  that  follow  accord- 
ing to  any  consecutive  arrangement,  we  shall  make  our  se- 
lection of  those  which  appear  to  be  most  replete  with  novel 
and  suggestive  matter. 

We  shall  first  notice  several  large  fragments  of  sculptured 
slabs  which  formed  the  corner  of  a  chamber,  representiug  the 
hesieging  of  a  large  city  built  on  the  hanks  of  a  river,  and  defended 
by  Susians.  On  one  fragment  the  same  people  are  escaping 
into  the  reed-grown  margin  of  the  river,  indicating  that  the 
scene  is  in  the  southern  district  of  Susiana,  distinctly  difiering 
from  the  TJlai  or  Euleus,  whose  banks  are  wooded  and  whose 
stream  is  rapid.  Below  in  two  lines  is  the  subject  of  bringing 
the  prisoners  to  the  kiug ;  and  the  registration,  as  in  the  former 
examples,  is  performed  by  two  scribes,  one  bearded,  and  the 
other  beardless :  in  this  instance,  however,  both  hold  what 
we  have  described  elsewhere  (p.  184),  as  a  cylindrical  lump 
of  clay,  and  both  use  the  instrument  for  engraving  or  im- 
pressing the  characters.  Usually  one  scribe  writes  on  a  scroll, 
and  the  other  on  a  two-leaved  tablet. 

The  upper  half  of  the  slab  we  shall  now  notice  is  occupied 
by  the  delineation  of  a  magnificent  palace  surrounded  by  em- 
battled walls,  and  a  ditch  or  narrow  stream.  The  palace  is 
built  on  an  upper  terrace  ;  its  gates  are  flanked  by  colossal  lions 
end  winged  bulls,  or  it  may  be  that  the  columns  of  its  porticoes 
are  supported  by  lions  and  bulls,  as  are  the  columns  of  the 
porticoes  of  some  churches  of  the  middle  ages.  The  upper 
mound  is  surrounded  by  a  single  embattled  and  turretted  wall, 
while  the  lower  terrace  is  protected  by  a  lower  but  double 
wall  of  the  same  description.  This  very  interesting  sculpture 
may  be  a  near  view  of  that  famous  Susian  palace  which  was 


HANGING   GAEDENS — FLYING  ARABS.  411 

considered  one  of  the  most  magnificent  in  the  world,  and  con- 
tained, in  after-times,  all  the  treasure  of  the  kings  of  Persia. 
A  sm£dl  gate  opens  out  on  to  the  stream. 

The  lower  half  of  this  slah  describes,  in  three  lines,  the 
Susians  in  rapid  flight.  Some  are  in  cars  drawn  by  mules — 
a  few  are  on  horseback,  and  others  on  foot. 

On  the  upper  half  of  another  slab  is  delineated  a  beautiful  park 
or  garden,  containing  all  sorts  of  fruit,  and  other  trees.  At  the 
top  of  a  hill  is  a  temple  dedicated  to  some  divinity,  or  to  the  king 
whose  historical  tablet,  of  the  prescribed  form,  is  either  built 
into  the  wall  of  the  sekos,  or  more  probably  stands  isolated  at  the 
top  of  a  broad  walk  leading  up  to  the  side  of  the  building.  Be- 
fore the  tablet  is  an  altar  like  one  which  Layard  found  similarly 
placed  before  a  tablet  at  the  entrance  of  the  temple  at  Nim- 
roud.  Narrow  streams  for  irrigation  intersect  the  garden,  one 
crossing  the  broad  path,  and  another  flowing  from  beneath  one 
arch  of  a  series  in  a  valley  between  two  hills.  The  arches 
are  constructed  as  were  those  of  the  famous  bridge  over  the 
Euphrates,  that  is,  by  approaching  stones.  "We  are  taught  by 
the  construction  of  this  road  or  causeway  that  the  Assyrians, 
who  as  we  know  were  acquainted  with  the  true  arch,  were  also 
acquainted  with  the  self-destroying  principle  inherent  in  that 
mode  of  covering  a  space,  and  therefore,  like  the  ancient 
Egyptians,  never  used  the  true  arch  in  large  and  important 
structures,  but  only  in  small  and  insignificant  ones,  and  where 
the  abutments  were  unexceptionable*  These  arches  may  pos- 
sibly serve  for  an  aqueduct,  or  for  a  hanging  garden,  for  con- 
necting the  two  hills,  or  for  a  road,  planted  with  trees,  leading 
to  the  front  of  the  temple.  This  part  of  the  slab  is  much 
affected  by  calcination,  and  is  therefore  partially  indistinct. 

The  lower  half  of  the  same  slab  is  divided  into  three  lines, 
and  as  it  is  a  continuation  of  the  subject  of  the  flight  of  the 
Susians,  we  may  reasonably  conclude  that  the  garden  in  the 
upper  part  was  that  attached  to  the  palace  before  described, 
very  likely  only  one  slab  intervening. 

There  are  some  other  slabs  representing  the  flight  and  de- 
struction of  a  people  who  ride  on  camels  and  live  in  tents, 
probably  Arabs;  but  among  the  most  interesting  fragments 
are  two  showing  the  siege  and  capture  of  a  city  inhabited  by 
thin,  lank  men,  with  short  beards  and  woolly  hair ;  the  chiefs 
of  whom  wear  a  single  feather  stuck  upright  in  the  front  of  a 


412  SAMARITAN    PEIEST8, 

band  or  fillet  round  their  heads.  These  would  seem  to  be  the 
eastern  Ethiopians  mentioned  by  Homer  (Odyss.  ver.  22), 
Herodotus  (lib-jvii),  Pindar  (Olym.2),  HesiodTheog.  (ver.  984), 
Dionysius  the  geographer  (v.  177),  and  Eustathius,  all  of 
whom  speak  of  Ethiopians  located  in  Chaldaea  and  Susiana, 
which  statement  receives  a  remarkable  corroboration  in  this 
curious  ancient  sculpture  from  the  walls  of  a  palace  in  Nineveh. 

On  two  other  small  fragments  is  represented  the  utter  de- 
struction of  a  city  of  the  Susians.  The  Assyrian  soldiers  are 
seen  on  the  walls  with  pickaxes  and  crow-bars,  digging  and 
wedging  out  the  stones,  literally  not  leaving  one  stone  upon 
another,  while  other  parts  of  the  city  are  in  flames;  as  it 
is  said,  of  this  very  Assyrian  king,  or  his  immediate  predecessor, 
"now  have  I  brought  it  to  pass  that  thou  shouldest  be  to  lay 
waste  fenced  cities  into  ruinous  heaps.*'  2  Kings,  xix.  25.  This 
sculpture  explains  the  reason  of  the  large  number  of  picks 
found  at  Khorsabad  (see  p.  383). 

Other  fragments  represent  the  king  hunting  the  wild  horse, 
which  sometimes  is  caught  by  the  lasso,  and  sometimes  is  run 
down  by  dogs.  Fragments  of  three  smaller  sculptures  show 
the  king  superintending  the  dissection  of  a  huge  lion,  at  which 
ceremony  one  bearded  man  and  three  eunuchs  prostrate  them- 
selves before  him. 

Among  the  most  curious  of  these  highly  finished  cabinet 
sculptures  is  one,  unfortunately  very  small  fragment,  exhibiting 
two  singular  persons  bearing  vases,  and  attended  by  some  of 
the  king's  eunuchs.  Prostrated  on  the  ground  are  several 
men,  both  bearded  and  beardless.  The  two  persons  carrying 
vases  wear  long  fringed  robes,  and  are  remarkable  for  their 
thin  coxintenances  and  emaciated  figures,  and  for  the  form  of 
their  head  dresses  and  beards,  as  well  as  for  two  conspicuous 
curls  that  hang  down  from  the  right  side  of  their  heads.  Pro- 
bably they  represent  Samaritan  priests,  or  the  chiefs  of  the 
Jewish  inhabitants  of  Susiana  at  the  time  of  the  conquest  of 
that  country  represented  in  this  series  of  slabs,  for  one  of  these 
men  is  brought  before  the  king  among  Susian  captives. 

Another  piece  of  sculpture  is  in  high  relief.  It  represents 
the  king  putting  his  foot  upon  the  neck  of  a  captive,  and 
about  to  thrust  a  spear  into  his  back.  "  Joshua  said  unto  the 
captains  of  the  men  of  war  which  went  with  him,  come  near, 
put  your  feet  upon  the  necks  of  these  kings."    Joshua,  x.  24. 


BCULFTUBES.  413 

Temporarily  placed  upon  the  staircase  leading  to  the  lower 
chambers  of  the  museum  are  the  following  sculptures. 

Two  persons  playing  on  musical  instruments.  The  figures 
are  larger  than  usual,  yet  not  life  size,  and  they  are  executed 
in  flat  but  carefully  finished  relief.  The  foremost  person  ap- 
pears to  be  a  woman  playing  on  a  harp,  and  the  one  behind 
wears  a  singular  head  dress,  like  that  worn  by  certain  people 
met  with  on  the  bas-reliefs  of  Egypt.  This  person  carries  a 
lyre  resembling  that  one  which  we  have  ventured  to  suggest 
is  the  v'vaDS,  or  psaltery,  named  in  the  list  of  Daniel,  because 
of  the  carved  supports  of  the  back  to  which  the  cords  are 
attached.  Behind  are  two  other  figures  with  musical  instru- 
ments (see  Fig.  202*). 

In  the  next  slab  we  are  shown  three  persons  walking  in  a 
garden,  containing  various  trees  and  flowers,  the  fruitM  vine 
and  date,  the  fir  or  pine  being  all  represented,  and  among  the 
flowers  the  lily,  the  marygold,  and  one  resembling  the  lily  of 
the  valley.  One  of  the  figures  wears  a  chaplet  of  flowers, 
and  another  a  head-dress  of  feathers ;  following  the  third  is  a 
tame  lion  looking  behind  him.  In  another  fragment  which 
belongs  to  the  same  slab,  are  a  lion  roaring,  and  a  lioness  lying 
on  the  ground.  The  careful  execution  of  the  animals  re- 
sembles the  work  of  the  artist  of  the  lion  hunts. 

Another  slab  exhibits  two  soldiers,  one  being  a  spearman 
and  the  other  an  archer. 

Then  we  have  two  bearded  figures  and  part  of  a  third,  all 
wearing  long  fringed  robes,  embroidered  baldrics  and  belts, 
and  carrying  sceptres  or  maces. 

Next,  a  small  bas-relief  of  the  same  style  as  the  larger  of 
those  just  described.  It  represents  three  wingless  divinities 
wearing  the  caps  of  the  colossal  bulls  of  Khorsabad ;  the  right 
hand  clenched,  holding  a  hatchet,  the  left  down,  holding  a 
short  sword. 

The  remaining  two  sculptures  formed  the  sides  of  an  en- 
trance to  a  chamber.  They  each  contain  three  figures :  the 
first  wearing  the  egg-shaped  three-horned  cap :  the  second 
has  the  head  of  a  lion,  human  body,  and  feet  of  an  eagle,  in 
his  upraised  right  hand  a  dagger,  and  in  his  left  a  mace ;  and 
the  third  is  similar  to  ihe  first,  excepting  that  his  head  is  bare 
and  his  hair  arranged  in  peculiarly  large  free  curls,  and  that 


414 


TIGLATH   PILESEB. 


Fig.  204*.— CUBONOLOOICAL  TABLET — TIGLATH  PILESEB. 


LIST  OF  BCX7LWT7BE8. 


415 


he  holds  in  his  hands  a  spear,  or  long  staff,  with  a  spear  or 
pine-shaped  head. 

Upon  the  floor  are  several  large  fragments  of  pavement  slabs, 
most  richly  and  elaborately  carved  with  elegant  ornaments. 

The  last  piece  of  sculpture  in  this  portion  of  the  collection 
(Fig.  204*),  is  one  of  those  chronological  tablets  we  have 
so  frequency  mentioned  (Figs.  30,  94,  174).  It  is  supposed 
to  represent  Tiglath  Pileser,  and  was  discovered  at  Nimroud. 

The  attitude  is  exactly  like  that  of  all  the  figures  of  kings 
in  these  circular-headed  tablets.  The  left  arm  is  naked  from 
the  elbow,  and  the  hand  holds  a  sceptre.  The  two  fore-fingers 
of  the  right  hand  are  extended  towards  the  signs  in  the  upper 
part  of  the  field  of  the  work,  which  consist  of  the  homed  cap, 
a  winged  globe,  a  moon,  two  horns,  and  a  star  within  a  disc 
like  those  at  Fig.  174,  and  very  dissimilar  from  those  carved 
on  the  'Nahr  al  kelb  tablet.  The  dress  is  altogether  more  sim- 
ple than  in  the  other  examples,  but  he  has  a  narrow  fillet 
crossed  over  the  chest,  and  from  the  neck  is  suspended  a  cross 
in  shape  like  a  Maltese  cross. 

The  block  out  of  which  the  tablet  is  carved,  is  of  fine  lime- 
stone, and  an  inscription  covers  the  front,  side,  and  back,  from 
the  top  to  the  base.    The  characters  are  said  to  be  Babylonish. 


LIST  OF  SCULPTURES  FHOM  NIMROUD  IN  THE  BRITISH 

MUSEUM. 


Nam- 
ben  as 
at  Bri- 
tish 
Ma* 
settin. 


Befer 
ence 

to  En 
gnf- 

ininin 

Book. 

174 


204* 
43 

145 


Colossal  figure  of  king  in  chronological 
tablet  inscribed  at  front  sides  and  back 
do.  do. 

Colossal  figure  of  divinity  with  four 
wings,  Ilus,  holding  a  sceptre    . 

Two  kings  before  symbolic  tree ;  the 
emblem  of  Baal  aboTe ;  each  king  has  a 
sceptre  in  his  left  hand,  the  right  hand 
being  open  and  elevated,  and  he  is  fol- 
lowed by  a  diyinity  carrying  the  pine 
cone  and  basket . 


Size  of  Slab. 

Ft.  In.         Ft.  In 
10     1    X     4     6 


7    9X42 


X   14    2 


Page 

333 

414 

157, 
1328 


292 


416 


LIST   OF    SCULPTITEES. 


Nttm- 
bersas 
at  Bri- 
tisli 
Mu- 
■eum. 

Refer- 
euce 

to  Un. 
urav- 

ings  ia 

Book. 

Sa 

39 

Zb 

44 

4a 

136 

U 

ha 

136 

hb 

141 

6a 

134 

66 

140 

la 


%a 

lb 
8b 

9b 

9a 

10a 

lOJ 

11a 

Hi 

12' 
12a 

13a 

136 


120 


123 

130 
129 

128 

122 

121 

127 

113, 
lU, 
117, 
119 


112 
111 
126 


The  king  hunting  the  wild  huU 
The  return  from  the  bull  hunt 
The  king  hunting  the  lion     . 
The  return  from  the  lion  hunt 
King  on  foot  attacking  a  fortified  city 
The  League  or  Treaty  of  Peace 
Fugitives  crossing  a  torrent ;  castle 
Procession  conveying  prisoners  and 
spoil      .  .  .  •  ,         • 

King  in  his  chariot,  discharging  an 
arrow  at  the  enemy,  who  are  furiously 
repelling  the  attack ;  on  the  ground  are 
the  dead  and  dying,  upon  whom  the 
birds  are  preying  —  pecking  out  eyes. 
Divinity  above  .  .  • 

Standard-bearers  of    the  king — con- 
tinuation of  the  above    . 
Preparations  for  passage  of  river 
Continuation  of  above,  showing  round 
boat      .  .  .  •  • 

Continuation  of  above,  showing  pas- 
sage of  river  by  king  and  his  allies         . 
Charge   of  cavalry   followed   by  in- 
fantry ;  above,  trained  bird  of  prey 

Eunuch  warrior  in  battle,  above  is  the 
trained  bird  of  prey        .  •  . 

Triumphal  procession  towards  the  city : 
women  on  walls. 

Eunuch  receiving  prisoners;  mum- 
mers dancing;  grooming  horses ;  and  the 
royal  kitchen    .... 

The  kin^,  holding  two  arrows  and  fol- 
lowed by  his  chariot,  receiving  a  warrior; 
above  is  the  emblem  of  Baal  with  ring 
(woman  on  walls) 

Copy  of  slab  in  continuation  of  the 
above    .  .  .  •  • 

Standard-bearers  in  procession  after 
victory ;  above,  trained  bird  with  human 
head  in  talons.  .  .  ^ 

King  proceeding  victoriously  from  the 
battle-field,  followed  by  a  saddle-horse- 
continuation  of  12  a      .  •  . 

King  discharging  his  arrows  at  a  city ; 
besiegers  mounting  by  scaling  ladders ; 
women  and  children  led  into  captivity 


Size  of  Slab. 


Ft.  In. 

3     i 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 
3 
2  10 


Ft.  In. 
X     7    4 
do. 
do. 
do. 


3 

3 

3 

3  10 
3  8 
2  11 
3 


X 
X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 


2  11 
2  11 


7     4X3 


3    1  X     7    i 


7  1 
7 

7 

7  3 
7  1 
7  i 
7  10 


2  11  X     7    1 


X     7     1 


X  6  11 
X  7  1 
X     7    1 


Page 

285 
290 
283 
288 
281 
287 
280 

286 


265 

267 
276 

275 

274 
266 
265 
273 


260, 
261, 
263, 
264 

325 


259 
259 
271 


UST  OF  SCULPTimES. 


417 


Num- 
beriaa 
at  Bri- 
tish 
Mu- 
•eum. 

lib 


[I5b 


15a 
14a 

16b 
16a 

17 


18 


23 


24 
25 


Refer 
ence 

toEn- 
Brav- 

Book. 

125 


124 


107 
110 

149 


150 


163 


19 

154 

20 

155 

21 

158 

22 

ib. 

ib. 


Continuation  of  the  above.  Siege  of 
a  city,  possibly  Damascus ;  warriors  de- 
fending the  walls  and  endeavouring  to 
impede  the  action  of  the  war  engine  of 
the  besiegers     .... 

Continuation  of  the  above.    Chariot 
of  the  king  and  Assyrian  soldiers  follow- 
ing mailed  warriors ;  birds  of  prey  above, 
and  tearing  the  dying    . 
.   Xing  in  his  chariot  besieging  city 

Standard  bearers  of  the  king ;  con- 
tinuation of  the  above    . 

The  Flight ;  Parthian  bowmen 

Head  of  priest  with  garland  and  re- 
mains of  colour .  •  ,  » 

Colossal  figure;  Deifiedman,  wearing  a 
circlet  with  a  rosette  ornament  in  front ; 
he  carries  a  fallow  deer  on  his  right  arm, 
and  a  branch  in  his  left  hand    . 

Ditto,  do.  wearing  garland  and  carry, 
ing  a  goat  or  gazelle  on  his  left  arm,  and 
in  his  right  hand  an  ear  of  wheat 

Ditto,  captive  and  attendant  with  mon- 
keys as  a  tribute 

Ditto  of  King  (Ashorakbal  I.)  walk- 
ing, his  right  hand  holding  a  staff,  and 
his  left  resting  upon  his  sword  . 

Ditto,  Sceptre  bearer  and  divinity  with 
pine  cone  and  bag 

King  (Ashurakbal  I.)  seated  upon  his 
throne,  and  with  his  feet  resting  on  a 
footstool ;  he  holds  a  wine  cup  in  his 
right  hand,  and  behind  him  stands  a 
eunuch  with  a  fly  flap    . 

Divinity  with  pine  cone  and  bag,  fol- 
lowing the  royal  cup-bearer,  who  holds  a 
wine  strainer  and  fly  flap 

The  foregoing  three  slabs  form  one 
subject,  the  kiug  drinking  in  the  presence 
of  the  Grods  of  Assyria. 

Ditto  of  the  king  (Ashurakbal  I.)  hold- 
ing two  arrows  and  followed  by  a  divinity 
with  the  pine  cone  and  basket  . 

Dittoj  Divinity  with  offerings  and 
royal  attendant .... 


Size  of  Slab. 
Ft  In.         Ft.  In 


X    7 


2  114  X    1h 

3  X     7 


X     7     1 
X     7 


Fragment. 


4  44 

X 

7 

3 

294 

4  2 

X 

7 

4 

317 

9 

X 

9 

298, 
299 

4  8i 

X 

7 

24 

313 

6  8 

X 

7 

9 

304 

5  9  X     7  10 

6  8x79 


Page 


270 


268 
254 
258 


335 


^b. 

ib 


7    4  X     7     D 


E£ 


418 


LIST  or  BCULPTTJKES. 


Nam- 
beriaa 
»l  Bri- 
tish 
Mu. 
•eum. 

26 
27 


28, 
29 


Refer- 
ence 

to  til- 

(crav- 
in)C8ln 
Book. 


29* 
30 

30* 

31 


32 
33 


171 


172 


Size  of  Slab. 
Ft.  In.         Ft.  In. 


152 


31 
35 

160 

36 

170 

36* 
37a 

159 

37* 

38 

157 

39, 
40 

41 

162 

Colossal  figure,  King  (Asburakbal  I.) 
drinking,  attended  by  his  cupbearer 

Ditto,  Figure  with  rosette  and  twisted 
circlet,  a  priest  of  the  god  Rimraon,  and 
carrying  branch  of  three  flowers  in  his 
left  hand,  covered  with  46  lines  of  very 
perfect  inscription 

Ditto,  Griffon  pursued  by  a  four- 
winged  divinity,  wearing  the  egg-shaped 
three-horned  cap  and  hurling  thunder- 
bolts with  both  his  hands 

Ditto,  copy  of  perfect  figure  of  Dagon. 

Ditto,  Cannes,  the  Assyrian  Dagon, 
carrying  square  bag  and  basket . 

Cast  from  back  of  No.  30 

Small  divinity,  or  deified  man,  wear- 
ing garland  and  holding  a  branch  of  five 
pomegranates  in  his  left  hand ;  the  right 
being  raised  as  if  in  prayer 

Colossal  figure  of  priest  of  Kimmon, 
like  No.  27;    18  lines  of  inscription 

Do.,  Nisroch  presenting  pine  cone  and 
basket  Swings  entire)     . 

Do.  ao.,  the  wings  partly  wanting     . 

Colossal  figure,  beardless  divinity  with 
four  wings ;  he  wears  a  two-horned  cap, 
and  carries  a  garland  in  his  left  hand    . 

Warrior  in  his  chariot  hunting  the 
lion        ..... 

Cast  from  back  of  No.  36 

Two  divinities  with  two-homed  cap, 
kneeling  before  symbolic  tree     . 

Two  beardless  divinities  (No.  35), 
holding  garlands  and  standing  before 
symbolic  tree     .... 

Two  figures  of  Nisroch  before  sym- 
bolic tree  .  .  .  . 

Colossal  figure  of  King  (Ashurakbal 
I.),  between  figures  of  Nisroch,  beside 
symbolic  tree 

Colossal  divinity  in  egg-shaped  cap, 
with  three  bulls'  horns  round  the  base. 
He  offers  pine  cone  and  basket . 


5     9  X     7  10 


2    9x8 


7        X   11 


Page 


335 


312, 
326 


327 


2     8X8        329 


2  4i   X     3    7 

2    9X8 

5    5  X     ?  7i 
2  10  X    7  10 

4    6  X      7  9i 


2  6X52 

3  7X58 
3    6X53 


4    2  X     7  10 


312 

312, 
326 
296 
252 


310 
325 

309 

id. 
302 


295, 
316 


LIST  OF  SCTJLPTUBES. 


419 


FROM  THE  CENTEAL  EDIFICE  AT  NIMROUD. 


Nam- 
bersas 
at  Bri- 
tisU 
Mu- 
•eum. 

42 


43 

44 
45 


46 
47 


48 


49 
50 
51 
52 


53 

54 
55 

56 
57 


58 
59 

60 
61 

62 

63 
64 


Befer. 

ence 
to  En- 
gfav- 
iiiK*  in 
Book- 

166 


169 


164 


165 
167 


168 


175 


176 


12 


Evacuation  of  a  city ;  scribes  taking 
account  of  the  spoil 

Horsemen  pursuing  man  on  a  (Irome- 
dai^      .  .  .  ^ 

Eunuch  introducing  prisoners. 

Impetuous  assault  on  a  city  in  a  plain ; 
moyeable  tower,  artificial  moun^  and 
soldiers  felling  trees 

Impalement  of  prisoners  before  the 
walls  of  a  city    .... 

Fragment ;  two  warriors  protected  by 
a  moveable  shield,  discharging  arrows  at 
a  fortress  near  a  stream  on  the  banks  of 
which  grow  trees 

Two  horsemen  armed  with  spears 
pursuing  a  third ;  above  is  a  bird  of  prey 
with  entrails  of  the  slain 

Female  captive  followed  by  camels 

King  (Ti^lath  Pileser)  with  attendant. 

Man  driving  flock  of  sheep  and  goats. 

Frieze  in  two  compartments  sepa- 
rated by  a  band  of  inscription ;  upper 
division,  evacuation  of  a  city ;  lower  do. 
king  in  triumphal  procession     . 

Fragment;  captain  of  cavalry  com- 
manding a  halt .... 

Do.,  head  of  &  statue 

Do.,  head  and  shoulders  of  the  king's 
cup-bearer         .... 

Man-headed  bull,  Ehorsabad. 

Small  divinity  with  two-homed  cap, 
and  holding  branch  of  five  pomegranates 
in  left  hand;  the  right  raised  aa  if  in 
prayer  .  ,  .  , 

Ditto,  similar  in  all  respects  . 

Ditto,  with  homed  head-dress  and  pre- 
senting pinecone  and  basket 

Ditto,  ditto        .        . 

Colossal  head  with  homed  cap,  also 
foot  of  bull        .... 

Head  and  neck  of  colossal  human- 
headed  bull ;  S.  W.  Edifice 

Colossal  lion  from  great  mound 

Siege  of  a  city 


Size  of  Slab. 
Ft.  In.         Ft.  In. 

3     3X98 


X 
X 


3    7X37 


X     5    8 


7    8  X  12    6 

£  B  2 


Pag« 

320 

324 

318 
319 

322 


323 
324 
325 
ib. 


324 
325 

334 


311 
312 

ib. 
ib. 

336 

I*. 
77, 
331 


420 


LIST  OF  SCULPTURES. 


Nam- 

Refer- 

berus 

ence 

at  Bri- 

toEa- 

tish 

Ktav- 

Mu- 

iogsin 

seum. 

Book 

65 

66 

67 

68 

69 

■ 

70 

71 

156 

72 

106 

73 

Statue  of  a  priest  holding  a  sceptre 
and  sickle 

Circular  altar  with  three  legs. 

Statue  of  Nebo,  dedicated  by  Phulakh 
II.  and  his  wife  Sammuramit    . 

Ditto,  ditto 

Sitting  statue  in  basalt  from  Kalah 
Sherghat 

Cuneiform  inscription  of  22  lines 

Winged  human-headed  bull    . 

"Winged  hum  an- headed  lion   . 

An  obelisk  of  black  marble,  6ft.  6  in 
in  height ;  greatest  width  at  top,  1  ft.  6i 
in.  ;  at  base,  2ft. 

Numerous  tablets  of  inscriptions  and 
fragments  of  painted  bricks 


Size  of  Slab. 
Ft.  In.        Ft.  In. 

3    4 

2    4   X     *?     9 


Page 

332 
334 

354 
ib. 

112 
336 
SOI 
251 

339, 
342, 
344, 
345 


MR.  HECTOR'S  COLLECTION  OP  SCULPTURES  FROM 
KHORSABAD. 


8 

9 

10- 
12 
IS- 
IS 

19 
20. 
23 

24 


Colossal  figure  of  the  king     . 

Ditto,  Rab  Signeen,  the  governor  of  a 
province 

Ditto  of  a  eunuch 

Figure  of  priest,  wearing  a  wreath  of 
rosettes  and  cords;  right  hand  elevated 
left  with  trilobed  branch 

Ditto,  ditto    . 

Ditto,  left  hand  carrying  a  water-skin 
which  the  right  supports  at  the  back 

Armed  figure,  with  bow  in  left  hand 
and  two  arrows  in  the  right ;  his  dress 
resembles  that  of  an  Egyptian  . 

Two  colossal  horses'  heads,  richly 
caparisoned 

Colossal  human  head,  with  cap  laid  in 
folds  close  to  the  head  . 

Three  heads  like  the  last,  but  of 
smaller  size 

Six  ditto,  uncovered  and  beardless 

The  remains  of  colouring  matter  appear 
on  almost  all  these  heads. 

Part  of  a  head  with  a  short  beard 

Three  fragments  of  horses'  heads,  re 
sembling  No.  8 

And  numerous  small  fragments. 

Fragment  of  procession 


8  11  high, 
same  size. 

3     3  high. 


347 

ib. 
348 


ib. 
349 


350 
ib. 
352 

a. 
a. 


ib. 
33 


LIST    OP   SCITIPTXTKES. 


421 


CONTEIBUTED    BY  COLONEL  RAWLINSON  FROM  THE 
MOUNDS  AT  KHORSABAD. 


Nam- 
beruB 
at  Bri- 
tish 
Mu. 
■eum. 

1,  2 


3,  4 
6 


Refer- 
ence 

toEn- 
gnr- 

inKBin 

Book- 


2 
3 

3* 
4.8 

9 
10 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15-17 

18,19 
20-22 
23-26 
27-29 

30 

21 

32 

33 

34.38 

39 

39* 

40 


Size  of  Slab. 

Ft.  In.         Ft.  In. 

Human-beaded  and  winged  bulls  wear- 
ing tbe  higb  cap  surmounted  by  featbers 
and  surrounded  by  rosettes,  seen  in  the 
Ehorsabad  sculptures    .  .  .15  bigb. 

Colossal  figures  of  a  winged  man  or 
divinity  in  egg-sbaped  two-borned  cap, 
and  holding  the  pine-cone  and  basket    .  13  higb. 

Frieze  in  basalt;  Eunuch  in  forest 
shooting  birds,  forester  attending  with 
bow  and  arrows,  while  a  second  ^rester 
has  a  bare  in  one  hand,  and  holds  with 
the  other  a  deer  over  his  shoulders        .59X40 

"]  KOXJTUNJIK  GALLERY. 

Sennacherib ;  the  first  Assyrian  figure 
(of  life  size)  brought  to  this  country 

Armed  galley  in.  motion 

Combat  by  a  river  side 

Fragment  of  colossal  human  head 

Battle  ivL  a  marsh,  with  reception  and 
registration  of  prisoners  and  spoil 

Slingers  discharging  stones    . 

Archers  behind  screens 

Warriors  leading  horses 

Ditto,  ditto 

Part  of  Military  Procession   . 

Procession  of  led  horses 

Procession  of  prisoners  with  collection 
and  registration  of  the  spoil. 

Part  of  Military  Procession  . 

Soldiers  advancing  to  the  siege 

Siege  of  a  city  on  a  bill 

Warriors  receiving  the  prisoners  and 
spoil     .... 

Archers  and  slingers  . 

Horsemen  in  flight    . 

Ditto,  in  pursuit 

Man  with  staS  or  spear 

Horses  and  grooms  (descending) 

Attendant 

Back  of  39    . 

Horse  and  groom 


Page 
354 

ib.  • 


144 
.367 
ib. 
368 
t*. 
368 
370 
ib, 
ib. 
ib. 
ib. 
ib. 
ib. 
371 
ib. 
ib. 
ib. 

ib. 

ib. 

372 

ib. 

ib. 

ib. 

ib. 

ib. 

ib. 

ib. 


422 


LIST  OF  SCULPTURES. 


Nam- 
beraa* 
atBri- 
tiih 
Mu- 
seum. 

Refer- 
ence 
toEn- 
KTar. 
ingsin 
Book. 

41-43 

44 

45-47 

0 

48-50 

187* 

48* 

51-52 

53 

188* 

54 

189* 

55 

56 

57-59 


60 
61 
62 
63 


186* 


Servitors  bearing  food  for  a  banquet 
(ascending)       .  .  .  . 

Monumental  tablet.  Fragment  of 
pavement  slab    .... 

Army  of  Asburakbal  III.  in  battle 
with  the  Susians 

Triumph  of  Asburakbal  III.  over  the 
Susians ..... 

Back  of  48     .  . 

Sennacherib  superintending  the  moving 
of  a  colossal  bull,  and  the  construction  of 
a  mound  .... 

Sennacherib  constructing  a  mound 

Slaves  dragging  a  coloseal  figure 

Moving  a  colossal  bull 

Sennacherib  superintending  the  moving 
of  a  colossal  figure 

Siege  of  a  city  on  a  river,  and  recep- 
tion by  Sennacherib  of  prisoners  and 
spoil      ..... 

Man  with  dagger 

Basin  with  frieze  of  men  and  lions     . 

Obelisk  with  four  gradients  at  top     . 

Top  of  Obelisk  with  three  gradients  . 


Size  of  Slab. 


Ft.  In. 


Ft.  In. 


Page 

373 

ib. 

ib. 

375 

t6. 


378 
380 
381 
382 
383 

384 


This  completes  the  whole  of  the  Sculptures  from  Nineveh  as  yet  placed 
in  the  galleries.  For  the  description  of  the  additional  new  sculptures  at 
present  under  repair,  we  will  refer  to  the  present  chapter  from  page  366 
to  page  415. 


:   Fig.  186.— HEAD-i>SBSS  of  khobsabad  (botta,  pi.  163). 

SECTION  V. 

COSTUME. 


ASSTBIIN  AKT,    INDU8TBT,    AND   COJOTERCE. 

The  most  Btriking  facts  that  present  themselves  to  our  ima. 
gination,  in  contemplating  the  remains  of  the  Assyrian  Palaces, 
are  the  perfection  to  which  the  art  of  sculpture  had  arrived  at 
so  remote  a  period,  and  the  important  evidence  they  afford  of 
conversance  with  the  most  refined  arts  of  life ;  both  indicating 
a  pitch  of  refinement  that  we  should  find  it  difficult  to  recon- 
cile with  the  most  extended  scheme  of  chronology,  if,  at  the 
same  time,  we  were  hound  to  suppose  that  the  first  settlers  in 
the  land  were  in  a  parallel  state  of  ignorance  and  degradation 
with  the  inhabitants  of  New  South  Wales,  or  with  those  of 
the  back.woods  of  America.  The  Scriptures,  however,  afford 
ample  evidence  of  a  primitive  civilisation,  especially  in  the 
knowledge  of  the  working  in  metals,  and  of  other  refined  arts 
(Gen.  iv.  17,  21,  22,)  even  before  the  Deluge ;  and  this  testi- 
mony, we  apprehend,  sufficiently  accounts  for  any  degree  of 
proficiency  we  find  in  the  works  of  art  of  these  remote  ages, 
and  for  that  early  civilisation  of  the  human  family  which  the 
contemplation  of  these  sculptures  suggests. 

The  objects  of  sculpture  in  the  more  remote  ages  being 


424  ASSTBIAN   AKT,    INDXTSTEY,    AND   COMMEBCE. 

simply  to  record  the  remarkable  events  in  the  history  of  the 
people  and  their  sovereigns,  and  to  make  the  record  intelligible 
to  those  who  could  gain  the  required  information  from  no 
other  source,  the  necessity  for  presenting  the  events  vividly 
to  the  imagination  of  the  spectator,  unavoidably  induced  a 
conventional  mode  of  representation,  that,  in  course  of  time, 
became  settled  and  determined  by  certain  laws.  To  this  cir- 
cumstance we  attribute  the  mode  of  portraying  the  human 
figure,  such  as  we  find  in  these  and  in  the  Egyptian  rilievi, 
and  even  in  those  of  Greece,  which,  when  once  adopted,  was 
never  after  wholly  abandoned, — because  the  art  itself  imposes 
certain  limits,  that  the  moderns  have  in  vain  endeavoured  to 
remove,  by  the  introduction  of  perspective,  so  essential  an 
element  in  the  sister  art,  but  which  is  entirely  incompatible 
with  sculpture.  It  was  not  till  this  primitive  object  in  the 
practice  of  sculpture  had  ceased  in  some  measure  to  be  so 
rigidly  observed,  and  the  delineation  of  the  human  form^  had 
become  the  more  important  aim  of  the  artist,  that  sculpture 
began  to  leave  the  rigid  trammels  imposed  upon  it,  and  ulti- 
mately to  attain  that  perfection  we  admire  in  the  statues  of 
the  Phidian  age,  when  the  beauty  of  the  human  form,  in  all 
its  endless  varieties,  was  portrayed  in  the  statues  of  the  gods 
and  heroes, — its  chief  aim  being  to  assign  to  each  a  peculiarity 
of  excellence  which  eventually  became  as  much  the  attribute 
of  the  particular  divinity  as  any  emblematic  attribute  pecu- 
liarly belonging  to  it,  as  the  thunderbolt  to  Jupiter,  the  cadu- 
ceus  to  Mercury,  or  the  breast-plate  to  Minerva. 

From  the  very  beginning,  the  Greek  sculptors  seem  to  have 
possessed  a  nicer  perception  of  this  quality,  and  a  greater 
facility  in  expressing  it,  than  the  other  people  of  antiquity, 
and  they  consequently  quickly  freed  themselves  from  the 
bonds  which  shackled  them.  The  Egyptians,  on  the  con- 
trary, tied  down  by  a  system  of  theocracy  which  regulated 
every  action  of  their  life,  never  shook  off  the  prescribed  rules ; 
their  sculpture  was  always  influenced  by  them;  and  their 
productions  in  the  time  of  the  Komans  were  but  imperfect 
copies  of  the  works  executed  during  the  reign  of  the  most 
ancient  Pharaohs,  influenced  in  a  still  more  eminent  degree 
by  prescribed  and  time-honored  conventionalities.  Thus,  at 
the  present  day,  the  painters  who  decorate  the  Greek  or  Arme- 

^  Isaiab,  xliv.  13. 


CHABACTEBISTICS   OP   AS8TEIAN   ABT,  425 

nian  churches  bend  to  consecrated  rules  or  habits,  and  are 
content  to  copy  and  reproduce  the  old  Byzantine  types  in  all 
their  stiffiiess ;  wanting  always  a  certain  natural  simplicity, 
which  renders  their  copies  inferior  to  the  originals. 

The  Egyptians,  like  all  other  people  in  their  infancy, 
attached  importance  to  the  exterior  line  only.  In  their  paint- 
ings and  sculptures  they  made  simple  strokes  of  astonishing 
boldness  and  character,  by  which  both  proportions  and  action 
were  rendered  with  great  perfection.  But  here  their  science 
stopped ;  and  in  later  times,  as  in  the  most  remote,  they  never 
thought  of  completing  these  outlines  by  an  exact  representation 
of  the  anatomical  details  contained  within  them.  Their  finest 
statues  are,  in  this  respect,  as  defective  as  their  bas-reliefs  and 
paintings.  Seizing  on  the  characteristic  forms  of  objects,  they 
never  varied  them  under  whatever  aspect ;  thus  the  front  view 
of  the  eye  was  always  introduced  in  the  profile  face ;  the  pro- 
file foot  in  the  front  view  of  the  figure ;  and  but  extremely 
rarely  does  the  firont  face  occur,  although  the  body  may  be 
facing, — a  law  which  seems  also  to  have  considerably  influenced 
the  Greek  sculptors  in  their  compositions  for  bas-relief ;  and, 
as  it  appears  to  us,  one  imposed  by  the  art  itself.  All  the 
necessary  details,  however,  for  characterising  the  objects  in 
Egyptian  and  Assyrian  reliefs  are  always  made  visible,  whe- 
ther they  could  in  the  particular  point  of  view  be  seen  or 
not.  Lastly,  always  sacrificing  truth  to  the  desire  of  hiding 
nothing  which  in  their  eyes  appeared  more  important,  the 
Egyptian  painters  and  sculptors  have  carefully  avoided  cross- 
ing the  figures  by  accessory  objects  which  would  have  hidden 
any  part  of  them, — a  law  which  the  Greeks  also  observed ; 
and,  possibly,  to  the  same  law  may  be  attributed,  in  these  and 
Egyptian  representations  of  battles,  the  larger  dimensions  they 
have  given  to  the  conquerors  than  to  the  conquered. 

Most  of  these  characteristics  are  found  in  Assyrian  as  well 
as  in  Egyptian  art ;  but  they  are  less  strongly  marked,  and 
the  careful  observer  can  perceive  that  the  art  is  emerging  from 
its  state  of  infancy.  The  bodies  are  no  longer  all  full-face,  if  we 
may  so  express  it,  and  they  have  also  less  conventional  stiffiiess. 
The  figures  consist  no  more  of  mere  outlines ;  the  heads  are 
well  modelled ;  and  the  anatomical  details  of  the  limbs,  the 
bones,  and  the  muscles  are  always  represented,  though 
coarsely  and  ignorantly  expressed,  and  with  a  conventional 


426  PERIOD   OF   THE   AS9TBIAN   SCULPTURES. 

exaggeration  indicating  a  greater  knowledge  of  anatomy,  but 
a  less  artistic  mode  of  conveying  their  knowledge,  than  is 
found  in  Egyptian  figures  of  the  same  age.  The  reader  need 
only  compare  some  Egyptian  figures  in  the  British  Museum 
with  some  of  the  Assyrian  bas-reliefs  in  the  same  establish- 
ment, to  convince  himself  how  superior  the  latter  are  as  repre- 
sentations of  real  life ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  they  are  de- 
cidedly inferior  in  justness  of  proportion  and  purity  of  draw- 
ing. In  the  Assyrian  bas-reliefs  the  figures  are  generally  too 
short,  and  the  artist  has  not  always  succeeded  in  endowing 
them  distinctly  enough  with  animation. 

In  both  schools  animals  were  represented  with  more  fidelity 
than  men.  The  reason  of  this  is,  doubtless,  that  in  this  branch 
of  his  art  the  sculptor  was  not  shackled  by  rules  and  prejudices 
of  so  precise  a  description.  The  muscles  and  bones  of  the 
symbolic  bulls  are  admirably  modelled,  although  it  is  true,  a 
little  exaggerated  ;  the  statues  of  the  symbolic  lions,  however, 
are  inferior  to  them,  and  the  paw,  in  every  instance  that  has 
yet  arrived  in  Europe,  is  anatomically  iDferior  to  the  lions  in 
the  Egyptian  saloon ;  those  of  Assyria  representing  the  paw 
of  a  dog  instead  of  the  claw  of  the  cat,  to  which  class  the  lion 
belongs. 

Let  us  mark  a  peculiarity,  which  proves  how  tenacious 
these  anciert  sculptors  were  of  making  the  objects  they  repre- 
sented appear  perfect  from  whatever  point  they  were  contem- 
plated ;  for  this  purpose  they  gave  these  animals  five  legs,  in 
order  that,  whether  seen  in  profile  or  in  full,  they  should  leave 
nothing  for  the  mind  of  the  spectator  to  supply. 

In  the  bas-reliefs  at  Nineveh  may  be  seen,  as  it  were,  the 
first  essays  of  that  system  which,  brought  to  a  state  of  per- 
fection by  an  intelligent  people,  deeply  enamoured  of  physical 
beauty,  produced  the  chefs-d'cmvre  bequeathed  to  us  by  Hellenic 
antiquity.  There  is,  however,  between  these  two  schools  the 
whole  distance  which  separates  the  results  obtained  by  the 
first  timid  efibrts  of  a  novice  from  the  perfection  attained  by 
genius  favoured  by  the  most  fortunute  circumstances;  and 
whatever  partiality  we  may  entertain  for  Assyrian  art,  we  are 
far  from  putting  it  on  a  footing  of  equality  with  that  of  Phidias 
and  Praxiteles. 

As  regards  the  age  of  these  specimens  of  Assyrian  sculpture, 
we  recognise  in  them  a  degradation  from  that  simplicity  of 


PERIOD   OP  THE    AS8YKIAN   8CULPTDEES.  427 

style  which  characterises  the  earliest  specimens  in  other 
countries ;  we  are  therefore  inclined  to  suppose  that  the  art 
had  passed  that  stage  of  early  simplicity  at  a  period  anterior  to 
the  examples  before  us,  and  we  regard  Persian  art,  its  imme- 
diate successor,  as  a  continuation  of  the  degradation  we  ob- 
serve in  the  sculptures  from  Nineveh,  descending  through 
the  different  periods  of  Xhorsabad,  Souyunjik,  and  Kim- 
roud. 

After  having  compared  the  art  of  the  Assjrrians  with  that  of 
contemporary  nations,  it  will  not  perhaps  be  out  of  place  to  com- 
pare it  also  with  that  of  a  people  who  succeeded  them  in  the  em- 
pire of  the  world — the  ancient  Persians. 

The  sculpture  of  Persepolis  is  seen  accurately  in  the  drawings 
of  Ker  Porter  and  in  the  fragments  in  the  British  Museum  ; 
and  these  are  sufficient  to  show  that  the  Persians  borrowed  this 
art  from  their  predecessors,  the  Assyrians,  and  that  it  only  de- 
generated in  their  hands.  There  is  the  same  difference  between 
the  bas-reliefs  of  Persepolis  and  those  of  Khorsabad  as  between 
the  Egypti£^  bas-reliefs  sculptured  in  the  time  of  the  Ptolemies 
and  those  of  an  anterior  age ;  the  falling-off  is  the  same  in  both 
cases.  To  be  convinced  of  this,  it  is  sufficient  to  look  at  the 
figure  of  a  man  leading  a  horse,  sculptured  at  Persepolis ;  it 
will  then  be  seen,  that  if  the  school  of  sculpture  is  the  same 
as  at  Nineveh,  the  drawing  is  less  pure,  and  the  forms  heavier, 
while  the  anatomical  details  are  altogether  wanting,  or  are 
badly  indicated ;  it  is,  in  fact,  but  a  clumsy  imitation  of  im- 
measurably superior  models. 

Though  the  sculpture  of  the  Assyrians  was  in  some  respects 
superior  to  thdt  of  the  Egyptians,  and  though  it  incontestably 
surpassed  that  of  the  Persians,  their  architecture,  judging  from 
our  present  knowledge  of  it,  was  much  inferior  to  that  of  both 
these  people.  Perhaps,  however,  this  difference  is  only  appa- 
rent, and  after-discoveries  may  possibly  yet  show  us  that 
architectural  art  at  Nineveh  had  made  an  equal  progress  with 
other  arts. 

As  we  have  already  observed,  the  edifices  discovered  by 
Layard  in  the  mound  of  Nimroud  are  of  similar  character  to 
those  at  Khorsabad,  and  are  built  in  the  same  manner.  It  has 
no  doubt  been  remarked  that  the  external  and  internal  bas-reliefs 
bore  evident  traces  of  colours.  The  Assyrians,  then,  employed 
the  style  of  decoration  which  appears  to  have  been  used  by  all 


428  COLOTJR   ON   SCULPTURES. 

the  people  of  antiquity ;  and  we  ought,  besides,  to  have  ex- 
pected to  find  it  at  Nineveh,  for  the  Bible  expressly  mentions 
it  in  a  passage  which  seems  to  be  a  description  of  the  sculptures 
that  we  have  seen.  "  She  saw  men  portrayed  upon  the  wall, 
the  images  of  the  Chaldaeans  portrayed  with  vermilion,  girded 
with  girdles  upon  their  loins,  exceeding  in  dyed  attire  upon 
their  heads,  all  of  them  princes  to  look  to,  after  the  manner  of 
the  Babylonians  of  Chaldaea,  the  land  of  their  nativity.'* — 
Ezekiel,  xxiii.  14,  15.  This  remarkable  piece  of  evidence, 
added  to  the  traces  of  colour  still  subsisting,  proves  without 
doubt  that  the  Assyrians  were  accustomed  to  paint  their  bas- 
reliefs.  But  another  important  question  now  presents  itself. 
We  did  not  find  on  the  sculptures  of  Khorsabad  any  colours 
but  red,  blue,  and  black,  and  these  merely  on  the  hair,  the 
beards,  and  a  few  accessories.  Must  we,  in  the  first  place, 
believe  that  these  were  the  only  colours  employed  ;  and,  in  the 
second,  that  they  were  only  used  in  those  places  where  we 
found  their  traces,  while  the  remaining  portions  of  the  figures 
and  the  background  of  the  bas-reliefs  were  entirely  colourless  ? 
"We  are  without  facts  to  enable  us  to  give  a  decided  answer  ; 
but  it  appears  probable  that  the  colours  were  more  varied,  and 
that  the  whole  surface  of  the  bas-reliefs  was  covered  with  them. 
Thus,  on  the  bricks  there  are  other  tints  than  red,  blue,  and 
black :  we  found  yellow,  white,  green,  &c.  ;  and  there  is  no 
reason  why  the  Assyrians  should  have  used  these  latter  colours 
on  their  bricks,  and  not  have  employed  them  to  paint  their 
sculptures.  It  is  much  more  natural  to  suppose  that  the  portions 
not  at  present  coloured  were  coloured  formerly,  and  that  this 
was  done  with  some  substances  which,  being  less  lasting  than 
the  others,  have  been  destroyed,  either  by  fire  at  the  time  of  the 
conflagration,  or  by  time  and  the  earth,  in  which  they  have 
been  so  long  buried.  This,  however,  is  but  a  conjecture ;  and, 
consequently,  not  wishing  to  have  anything  hypothetical  in- 
troduced into  his  work,  Botta  insisted  that,  in  restoring  the 
facades  and  the  chambers,  no  colour  should  be  employed  where 
he  had  perceived  none.  M.  Flandin  would  have  acted  otherwise, 
because  he  believed  that  he  had  found  a  proof  of  the  former 
colouring  of  the  whole  surface  of  the  slabs,  and  principally  of 
the  figures.  The  following  are  his  reasons  for  this  belief. 
They  had  found  at  Khorsabad  a  head,  on  which  not  only  was 
the  black  colour  of  the  hair  and  the  beard  perfectly  preserved^ 


COLOITB   ON  SCULPTURES.  429 

but  there  was,  besides,  a  yellowish  crust  spread  over  the  whole 
surface.  Elandin  thought  that  this  yellow  tint  had  been  pur- 
posely applied  to  represent  the  colour  of  the  flesh.  Botta 
examined  this  fragment  carefully  at  Khorsabad  before  packing 
it  up,  and  afterwards  at  Paris,  where  it  is  at  present ;  and  it 
appeared  certain  to  him  that  the  bistre  tone  of  the  surface  was 
purely  accidental.  The  head  was  bound  with  a  red  band,  part 
of  which  had  been  carried  away ;  a  portion,  also,  of  the  cheek 
was  wanting.  Now  the  places  thus  left  empty  by  the  missing 
fragments  were  covered  with  the  same  yellow  crust  as  the  face 
itself.  This  would  not  be  the  case  had  the  colour  been  pur- 
posely applied,  for  then  there  would  have  been  none  in  the 
mutilated  parts.  It  cannot  be  said,  either,  that  these  mutila- 
tions existed  at  the  time  that  the  stone  was  sculptured,  and 
that  the  places  in  question  were  painted  like  the  rest  of  the 
head,  because,  in  that  case,  the  broken  portion  of  the  band 
would  have  been  painted  red,  and  not  yeUow.  It  is  most 
likely,  therefore,  that  this  tint  was  accidental,  and  that  it  was 
owing  to  some  incrustation  or  other — a  supposition  which 
iB  rendered  still  more  probable  by  the  unequal  and  wrinkled 
surface  of  these  portions  of  the  face.  This  fragment,  however, 
is  at  present  in  the  Museum  at  Paris,  and  the  colours  have  not 
been  injured  by  the  voyage. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  assert  the  perfection  of  the  arts  at 
Nineveh,  since  we  have  just  seen  the  proof  of  it ;  yet  we  must 
call  attention  to  the  splendour  of  the  costumes,  the  richness  of 
the  ornaments,  and  the  good  taste  of  the  details,  because  these 
facts  are  new  tons.  "We  can  now  better  understand  what  the 
Sacred  Books  say  of  the  splendour  of  the  court  of  the  Assyrian 
kings,  and  the  effect  that  it  must  have  produced  on  the  Hebrew 
people.  But  let  us  give  a  few  details  on  this  head,  and  pass 
in  review  what  these  newly-revealed  facts  have  taught  us. 

We  have  already  remarked  that  the  architecture  of  the 
palaces  of  Nineveh  was  not  so  perfect  as  that  of  Egypt  at  the 
same  epoch ;  yet  it  is  not  the  less  certain  that  the  Assyrians, 
by  the  dimensions  of  their  buildings  and  the  richness  of  their 
decorations,  equalled,  if  not  surpassed  all  that  the  various  people 
of  antiquity  ever  built.  The  ensemble  of  their  edifices  must 
have  been  as  imposing  as  it  was  magnificent ;  and  the  effect 
that  must  have  been  produced  by  their  paintings  and  sculptures 
well  corresponds  with  the  idea  given  by  the  descriptions  in  the 


430 


ASSYRIAN   rUENITTJRE. — UTENSILS. 


Bible  of  the  court  of  the  kings  of  Assyria.  Their  furniture,' 
by  the  richness  of  its  nature,  differed  completely  from  what  is 
now  seen  in  the  East,  for  the  Assyrians  used  arm  chairs  or 
stools,  and  ate,  like  us,  off  tables ;  the  representation  of  the 
banquets  allow  of  no  doubt  with  respect  to  this.  It  will  be 
seen,  from  the  detailed  descriptions  we  have  already  given  of 
some  few  articles  of  furniture,  that  the  tables  and  chairs 
were  ornamented  with  as  much  richness  as  taste,  and,  what  is 
very  singular,  with  the  same  objects  as  are  employed  in  deco- 
rating modern — that  is,  with  lions*  feet,  animals'  heads,  &c. 
These  models  might  be  studied  and  copied  at  present  with  ad- 
vantage. The  vases  of  different  kinds,  already  minutely  de- 
scribed, were  not  less  remarkable  for  their  elegance. 


Figs.  187, 188,  189.— VASES  (botta,  pi.  162). 

The  ghirab,  plural  ghirbeh,  or  bottles,  of  various  sizes  and 
shapes,  made  of  leather,  for  containing  liquid  butter  or  water, 
are  now  in  use  all  over  the  East,  more 
particularly  in  travelling,  as  any  other 
kind  of  vessel,  of  less  tough  materials, 
would  be  comparatively  useless.  These 
modern  examples  have  been  introduced 
with  a  view  of  affording  a  comparison 
with  the  ancient  representations  of 
similar  vessels,  occasionally  seen  in  the 
hands  of  the  sheepskin-clad  people  in 
the  sculptures  from  the  walls  of  the 
Palace  of  Khorsabad  (Fig.  81,  p.  207). 
The  dresses  also,  at  least  those  of  the  personages  attached  to 
the  court,  furnish  us  with  the  proof  of  a  state  of  great  luxury, 
and  remind  us  strongly  of  Xenophon's  description  of  the 
Median  court.  He  says,  **  Astyages  himself  was  richly  clothed ; 


Figs.  190,  191.— GHiRBion, 

FBOM  A   .SKETCH  BV  MB, 
BOHAINE. 


ASSYBIAN  COSTTTME. — DBESSES. 


431 


bad  his  eyes  coloured,  his  face  painted,  and  his  hair  embellished 
with  artificial  locks.  For  the  Medes  affected  an  effeminate  life, 
— to  be  dressed  in  scarlet,  and  to  wear  necklaces  and  bracelets."' 
The  robes  of  the  Assyrians  were  generally  ample  and  flowing, 
but  differed  in  form  from  those  of  the  Egyptians  and  the  Per- 
sians. They  consisted  of  tunics  or  robes  varying  in  length,  in 
mantles  of  diverse  shapes,  of  long-fringed  scarves,  and  of  em- 
broidered girdles.  Ornaments  were  scattered  with  profusion 
over  these  dresses,  some  of  which  appear  to  have  been  emble- 
matic of  certain  dignities  or  employments.  Thus  the  double 
mantle  with  the  points  thrown  over  the  shoulders  is  never  worn 
except  by  the  king,  and  that  on  state  occasions  only.  This 
principal  personage,  too,  is  the  only  one  who  wears  the  pointed 


Figs.  192, 193, 194, 195, 196.— A.83yBiAN  head-dresses  (botta,  pi.  163). 

tiara,  which  resembles  in  shape  the  Persian  cap  of  the  present 
day.  Xenophon  tells  us  that  Cyrus  wore  "  his  upright  tiara 
upon  his  head,  encircled  with  a  royal  diadem.  His  under  tunic 
was  of  purple  mixed  with  white,  which  was  a  colour  peculiar 
to  kings.  Over  his  other  garments  he  wore  a  large  purple 
cloak.  His  hands  were  uncovered."  Cyrus  likewise  gave  each 
of  his  superior  officers  and  allies  a  dress  of  the  Median  fashion, 
t.  e.,  "  long  robes  of  a  variety  of  the  brightest  colours,  and 
richly  embroidered  with  gold  and  silver."*  Other  shaped 
head-dresses  were  appropriated  to  the  deified  men  and  priests, 
who  alone  wear  the  robe  scooped  out  in  front,  and  the  divinities 
the  tiara  girt  with  horns.  The  eunuchs — who,  as  might  have 
been  expected,  from  the  frequent  mention  of  them  in  Holy 
»  Cyrop.  bk  i.  »  Ibid.  bk.  viii.       • 


432 


ASSYRIAN   SHIKLDS. 


Writ,  appear  so  often — always  wear  the  long  robe,  and  have 
nothing  different  from  the  guards,  or  from  tiie  principal  per- 
sonages. 

The  warlike  weapons  in  use  among  the  ancient  Assyrians 
have  been  described  from  time  to  time  in  a  preceding  chapter. 
Many  of  these,  however,  were  richly  ornamented,  and  require 
some  present  allusion  on  this  account.  The  shields  and  bucklers, 
for  instance,  were  often  of  the  most  enriched  character,  and  it 
is  supposed  that  these  were  formed  occasionally  of  the  precious 


Figs.  197, 198, 199,  200,  201 .— assyeiAn  shields  (botta,  pi.  160). 

metals.  The  tall  oblong  shields,  however,  that  were  used 
during  a  siege  to  protect  the  entire  person  of  the  besieger  from 
the  spears  and  arrows  of  the  enemy,  were  constructed  either 
of  wicker-work  or  of  the  hides  of  animals ;  and  even  the  cir- 
cular bucklers,  which  were  chiefly  used  by  the  charioteers, 


ASSYRIAlf   ARMS. 


433 


seem  to  be  made  of  small  pieces  of  wood  or  metal,  carefully 
joined  together.    The  decoration  of  the  Assyrian  bows  was 


Figs.  202,  203,  204,  205,206,  207.— assybiak  bow,  abbow,  and  quivebs. 
(botta,  pi.  159.) 

confined  chiefly  to  the  extremities,  which  were  formed  to  re- 
semble the  head  of  a  bird.  The  quivers,  however,  were  more 
elaborately  decorated,  and  were  slung  over  the  back  by  cords 
attached,  as  represented  in  the  engraving. 

The  helmets  of  the  Assyrians  were  of  various  shapes,  and 
some  were  particularly  elegant  in  form,  so  much  so  that  they 
furnished  models  to  the  Greeks.  Herodotus  describes  them  to 
have  been  made  of  brass ;  those,  however,  which  were  dis- 
covered in  the  ruins  appear  to  have  been  of  iron,  occasionally 
inlaid  with  copper.  The  Assyrian  swords  and  sceptres  were 
often  richly  decorated,  as  will  be  remembered  by  calling  to  mind 
the  descriptions  of  them  given  in  a  preceding  chapter.  The 
sword-hilt  was  generally  ornamented  with  several  lions'  heads, 
arranged  to  form  both  handle  and  crossbar.    Figures  of  lions 

F  F 


434 


ASSYRIAN   SWOKDS  AND   SCEPTRES. 


were  also  introduced  about  the  scabbard  with  a  boldness  and 
originality  that  were  productive  of  the  most  successful  result, 

208  209  210  211 


Figs.  208,209,  210,  211. — assybian  uelkets  akd  bead-dbesb  (botta,  pi.  16S). 

The  remainder  of  the  sheath  was  frequently  elaborately  em- 
bossed  or  engraved. 


212 


213 


214 


215 


Figs.  212,  213,  214.— ASSYRIAN  8WOBD8.     Fig.  215.— SCEPTBB   (botta,  pi.  152). 

Like  all  Orientals,  the  Assyrians  appear  to  have  taken  ex- 
treme care  of  their  beard,  which,  to  judge  by  the  bas-reliefs, 
they  allowed  to  grow  long,  and  arranged  in  so  regular  a  manner, 
that  the  representations  of  it  might  almost  be  regarded  as 
merely  conventional.   Their  hair  was  not  less  carpfuUy  attended 


A8STKIAN  T7MBEELLA. STAND ABD. — EAB-RTNGS.  435 

to,  and  was  always  gathered  up  on  the  shoulders  in  a  large 
bunch  of  formal  rows  of  curls. 

Their  eyelids,  according  to  the  ancient  and  universal  custom 
of  the  East,  were  stained  black  with  hholf  a  composition  of 
powdered  antimony  and  lamp-black.  Their  arms  and  wrists 
were  encircled  with  amulets  and  bracelets  of  various  simple 
forms,  and  probably  of  massive  gold;    and  they  also  wore 


Fig.  216.— UllBBBtLA(BOTTA,  pi.  161).  Fig.  217.-— ASBTBIAN  STANDARD  (BOTTA,  pi.  168). 

ear-rings,  varying  in  the  richness  of  their  design,  but  most  of 
which  might  serve  even  in  the  present  ,day  as  models  for 
similar  ornaments. 

Among  the  bracelets  is  a  kind  very  commonly  seen,  that 

218  219  220  221  222 


Figs.  218  to  222.— AS8YRIAK  ear-binos  (botta,  pi.  161). 

seems  composed  of  wire,  most  probably  gold,  bound  at  intervals 
by  transverse  wires,  which  we  presume,  from  that  circumstance, 

F  F  2 


436 


ASSYRIAN   BRACELETS. 


are  of  the  form  and  kind  called  b^ns,  **  Pathil,  or  Phatil,'^ 
(Kos.  224  and  227,)  derived  from  a  word  signifying  to  twist, 
and  commonly  worn  not  only  by  the  inhabitants  of  Mesopotamia, 
but  also,  as  we  learn  from  the  sculptures  and  the  book  of  Genesis, 
by  the  people  of  other  countries.  The  ladies  of  Syria  and 
Egypt  wear  bracelets  of  this  form,  sometimes  representing  a 
twisted  cord,  and  usually  made  of  massive  gold  of  the  purest 
kind,  the  ductility  of  the  metal  permitting  the  ornament  to  be 
bent  round  the  wrist  with  the  greatest  ease.  "We  have  given 
an  engraving  of  the  kind  most  commonly  seen  on  the  arm  of 
the  great  king,  terminating  in  the  head  of  a  bull,  which,  mas- 
sive as  it  is,  if  made  of  the  purest  gold  could  be  opened  suffi- 
ciently to  allow  it  to  be  placed  over  the  arm. 

In  Mr.  Smirke's  interesting  review  of  the  Assyrian  sculptures, 
he  remarks  : — "  Very  few  female  figures  occur  :  but  scarcely  a 
male  Assyrian  figure  is  represented,  whether  priest  or  warrior, 
without  large  ear-rings,  and  most  of  them  have  necklaces, 
bracelets,  and  armlets.  (Figs.  223,  224,  225,  226,  227,  228, 
229,  230.)     It  is  to  be  remarked,  however,  that  not  a  single 

226 


229 


230 


Figs.  223— 230.— ASSYBiAX  bbacbcets  (botta,  pi.  161). 

case  occurs  amidst  all  this  display  of  personal  jewellery,  of  a 
finger-ring ;  the  entire  absence  of  this  ornament  in  sculpture, 
wherein  details  of  this  nature  are  so  elaborately  and  carefully 


ASSTRIAN  MANXTPACTURES. — ^INDTTSTET.  437 

attended  to,  leads  to  the  conclusion  that  the  finger-ring  was  an 
ornament  then  unknown. 

"  The  apparel  of  the  Assyrians  appears  hy  these  sculptures 
to  have  been  almost  always  richly  fringed,  with  wide  borders 
ornamented  with  figures  of  men,  animals,  and  foliage.  The 
caparison  of  their  horses  is  most  gorgeous ;  every  strap  of  their 
head  and  body-housings  is  enriched ;  to  the  chariot  horses  there 
is  usually  seen  attached,  apparently  either  to  the  extremity  of 
the  pole  or  to  the  trappings  of  the  neck,  and  to  the  front  of  the 
chariot  itself,  a  long  fish-shaped  piece  of  drapery,  fringed  and 
embroidered.  Layard  is  at  a  loss  to  designate  this  object. 
Perhaps  *  the  precious  clothes  for  chariots,*  alluded  to  by  Ezekiel 
as  being  obtained  by  the  people  of  Tyre  from  Dedan,  may  have 
reference  to  this  singular  piece  of  horse-furniture. 

"  The  same  love  of  ornament  above  alluded  to  is  apparent  in 
their  pavilions,  of  which  there  are  specimens  in  these  sculptures, 
also  in  the  fashion  of  their  armour ;  the  hilts,  handles,  and 
sheath-ends  of  the  swords  ;  their  knife  handles,  their  slings,  and 
their  quivers.  There  are  in  the  British  Museum  some  lions* 
feet  of  bronze,  apparently  belonging  to  furniture,  which  formed 
part  of  Layard' s  collection  at  Kimroud,  and  are  equal  to  Greek 
workmanship  in  execution.'* 

In  some  things,  Assyrian  industry  had  attained  a  high  degree 
of  perfection.  The  Assyrians  were  able  to  work  the  hardest 
as  well  as  the  softest  substances,  with  a  view  to  their  employ- 
ment in  building  or  other  purposes.  This  is  proved  by  the 
jasper  or  crystal  cylinders,  and  by  the  bas-reliefs  sculptured  on 
gypsum  or  siliceous  basalt.  They  were  acquainted  with  glass, 
and  various  kinds  of  enamels.  They  could  bake  clay  for  bricks 
or  vases,  the  quality  ,of  the  clay  varying  in  fineness  according 
to  the  purpose  for  which  the  vases  were  intended.  Thus,  the 
bricks  employed  in  building  were  simply  burnt  in  the  sun  or 
slightly  baked,  so  as  to  remain  tolerably  soft,  while  those  in* 
tended  for  paving  were  excessively  hard.  Thus,  again,  the 
large  funereal  urns  were  of  but  middling  consistency ;  while, 
on  the  contrary,  the  cylinders  of  baked  clay  on  which  were  any 
inscriptions,  were  manufactured  out  of  a  very  fine  and  very 
hard  kind  of  earth,  Lastly,  the  arts  of  varnishing  pottery, 
and  painting  on  pottery  with  coloured  enamels,  were  known  at 
Nineveh. 
• ,  The  Assyrians  were  also  acquainted  with  the  art  of  founding^ 


438  GROUP   OF  POTTEET. — NINEVEH. 

of  working,  and  even  hammering  out  various  metals  ;  the  latter 
branch  of  manufactures  having  acquired  a  great  perfection 
among  them,  as  can  be  seen  by  the  little  statue  of  the  bronze 
lion,  the  nails,  calf  s  head,  &c.  The  metal  most  frequently 
used  appears  to  have  been  copper,  as  was  the  case  with  all 
people  of  antiquity ;  this  fact  is  easily  accounted  for,  with  re- 
spect to  Mesopotamia,  by  the  proximity  of  the  celebrated  mines 
of  Argana-Maaden,  eituatednearDiarbekir,  in  the  lesser  chains 
of  the  mountains  that  border  the  plain  on  the  north.  These 
mines,  even  now,  not  only  supply  the  whole  of  the  Ottoman 
empire,  but  considerable  quantities  of  metal  are  also  exported 
from  them.  Iron  appears  to  have  been  used  more  rarely :  but 
this  metal  oxydises  quicker  than  copper,  and  it  is  probabl)'^  on 
this  account  that  so  few  objects  fabricated  in  it  have  been 
found.  Lead  was  evidently  known  to  the  Assyrians,  for  the 
bronze  lion  was  fastened  with  this  metal  to  the  stone  which 
formed  its  base.  It  is  now  known  that  there  are  lead-mines 
in  the  mountains  of  Kurdistan,  at  a  little  distance  from 
Mosul. 

The  following  illustrations  consist  of  pottery  found  in  some 
tombs  on  the  western  face  of  the  mound  of  Nimroud,  and  to 
the  south  of  the  north-west  palace.  These  tombs,  Layard  in- 
forms us,  were  five  feet  above  the  remains  of  a  building,  the 
walls  of  which  had  been  covered  with  alabaster  slabs  : — 

Fig.  232  is  a  vase,  about  1  foot  high ;  it  is  formed  of  ordinary 
clay,  coated  with  a  blue  vitrified  varnish,  such  as  we  find  on 
Egyptian  pottery  and  idols. 

Figs.  233,  235,  239,  similar  vases,  of  somewhat  different 
forms. 

Fig.  236,  lamp,  of  ordinary  baked  clay,  with  elegant  device^ 
but  apparently  without  any  signification. 

Figs.  234,  237,  238,  lamps  of  ordinary  baked  clay,  without 
either  varnish  or  significative  ornament. 

It  was  natural  to  expect  that  when  the  buried  city  was 
exhumed,  a  great  number  of  small  objects  would  be  found, 
interesting  from  the  materials  of  which  they  were  made,  or 
the  uses  to  which  they  were  formerly  applied ;  the  excava- 
tions, on  the  contrary,  have  been  in  this  respect  very  unfruit- 
ful. The  reason  of  this  is  probably  to  be  attributed  to  the 
fact,  that  the  edifices  were  pillaged  before  being  destroyed  by 
fire.     The  despoilers,  whoever  they  were,  would  naturally 


GBOrP  OP  POTTERY. — NINEVEH. 


439 


carry  off  everything  of  any  value  or  interest,  prior  to  com- 
pleting their  work  of  devastation  hy  setting  fire  to  the  place. 


s 


•This  explanation  seetns  the  more  probable,  from  the  fact  that 
Layard,  while  excavating  the  mound  of  Nimroud,  found  nume- 


440 


BRONZE   LION   TJPON   ALTAB. 


reus  curious  little  objects  in  a  monument  thathad  Hot  undei'fcone 
the  action  of  fire,  while  he  found  nothing  in  another,  which,  like 
that  of  Khorsabad,  appeared  to  have  been  purposely  destroyed. 
If  the  palace  of  Khorsabad  was  pillaged,  it  will  easily  be 
conceived  that  everything  made  of  the  precious  metals  was 
taken  away  first ;  but  still  it  is  singular  that  Botta  should 
have  found  so  few  cylinders,  or  rather  small  relics,  and  only 
one  bronze  lion.  M.  Place  has,  however,  since  found  at  Khor- 
sabad inscribed  tablets  in  gold  (weighing  5  or  6  Napoleons), 
silver,  copper,  and  lead :  also  some  twenty  mace  heads,  like 


Fig.  240. — BBOKZK  UOX  OS  STONE  ENOBAVBD  WITH 
CUNBIFOBM  CHABACTBBS  (bOTTA,  pi.  151). 


those  on  the  sculptures,  the  handles  being  of  wood.  "We  have 
shown  at  page  88,  two  of  the  cylinders,  found  by  Botta,  and 
beneath  (fig.  240)  is  the  bronze  Hon. 


EING8  IN  PAVEMENT  TO  FIX  THE  AWNINGS  OF  C0UET8.      441 

This  little  statue  was  found  fixed  to  a  flagstone  that 
paved  the  recess  formed  by  the  projection  of  a  winged  bull 
and  pier  on  the  right  side  of  a  doorway.  ITiere  had  been 
similar  ones  not  only  on  the  other  side  of  this  doorway, 
but  at  all  the  grand  entrances,  for  the  flagstones  on  which  they 
had  been  fixed  still  remained.  The  present  statue  is  the 
only  one  that  had  not  disappeared ;  and  nothing  proves  more 
than  this  fact  with  what  avidity  everything  of  any  value  was 
carried  off  when  the  edifices  were  destroyed.  This  lion  is 
represented  in  a  quiet  posture,  with  his  fore-feet  stretched 
out,  on  a  square  base,  beneath  which  there  is  a  stout  conic 
stem  that  entered  a  hole  in  the  pavement.  The  animaPs  pos- 
ture is  perfect,  and  his  head  full  of  expression.  With  the 
exception  of  the  mane,  which  forms  a  sort  of  pad  round  the 
neck,  and  the  claws,  there  is  nothing  conventional  in  the 
workmanship:  it  is  a  true  representation  of  nature.  The 
statue  is  massive,  and  cast  in  a  single  piece,  with  the  plinth 
and  ring  in  the  middle  of  the  back. 

It  appears  to  us  that  the  purpose  to  which  these  bronze 
lions,  fixed  in  the  pavement,  was  dedicated,  was  to  attach  the 
cords  of  such  temporary  awnings  and  hangings  as  are  described, 
in  Esther,  to  have  been  in  the  court  of  the  palace  (Esther,  i.  6). 
There  are  some  rings  in  the  British  Museum,  found  by  Layard  at 
Kimroud,  whichmay  probably  have  been  applied  to  the  same  use. 

Another  relic  was  a  bronze  calf's  head.  This  is  not  cast, 
but  beaten  out  with  a  hammer.  It  must  have  been  adapted 
to  the  angles  of  a  seat  or  table,  for  we  have  seen  similar  ones 
represented  as  ornaments  of  the  furniture  in  one  of  the  Assyrian 
banquets.  Even  the  little  holes  are  seen  through  which  pass 
the  nails  that  must  have  served  to  fasten  it  to  the  wooden 
part  of  the  chair. 

The  examples  which  succeed  are  from  some  of  the  bronzes 
brought  by  our  indefatigable  countryman  from  Nimroud.  In 
these  remains  we  recognise  fragments  of  that  costly  ''  pleasant 
furniture"  of  "which  there  was  such  abundance  in  the  palaces 
of  Kineveh,  as  we  read  in  the  book  of  the  Prophet  Kahum ; 
and  we  are  enabled  to  define  each  particular  part  with  the 
same  certainty  that  we  could  in  a  cabinetmaker's  shop  point: 
out  the  back  of  a  chair,  the  leg  of  a  table,  or  the  foot  of  a  stool. . 

Fig.  241  of  our  illustration  is  a  part  of  the  leg  of  a  footstool, 
the  points  re&ted  upon  the  ground'  . 


442 


GEOUP  OF  BRONZES. NINEVEF. 


Fig.  242  is  a  grotesque  head  'with  human  ears,  and  nose 
and  mouth  of  some  animal.  This  head  formed  the  top,  or 
knob,  of  some  piece  of  furniture. 

Fig.  243  is  an  ornament  formed  of  thin  bronze,  and  was 
part  of  the  decoration  of  the  leg  of  a  chair  or  table. 

Fig.  241.  Fig.  242.  Fig.  243. 


Fig.  244. 


Fig.  246. 


GROUP  OF  BRONZES.— K1»BVEH. 


Fig.  244  is  an  ornament  near  the  termination  of  the  leg  of  a 
chair  or  table,  many  examples  of  which  may  be  seen  in  the 
great  work  published  by  the  government  of  France  on  the 
excavations  of  Xhorsabad. 

Fig.  245  is  part  of  the  bronze  ornament  which  covered  the 
wooden  bar  which  connected  the  legs  of  a  stool  or  chair.  This 
ornament  is  peculiarly  Assyrian,  and  is  frequently  represented 
in  the  sculptures  from  the  walls  of  the  palaces  of  Nimroud,  as 
may  be  seen  in  the  British  Museum. 

All  these  bronze  casings  for  the  wooden  chair  or  table  are 
throughout  of  an  equal  tibickness,  and  are  not,  as  has  been 


CLAY   SEALS. — FUNEBAL  UENS.  443 

supposed,  of  beaten  work,  but  have  been  cast  in  a  mould,  and 
produced  of  that  uniform  thickness  by  a  very  ingenious  pro- 
cess practised  by  our  silversmiths  at  the  present  day.  "We 
gather  this  fact  from  a  fragment  of  a  head  of  a  gazelle,  in 
which  still  remains  part  of  the'  core  of  the  mould ;  but,  as  it 
would  be  impossible  to  make  the  process  of  casting  clear  to 
those  who  have  not  seen  it  practised,  without  the  aid  of 
diagrams,  we  abstain  from  attempting  to  describe  it  here. 

We  have  already  described  the  small  burnt  clay  idols,  found 
hidden  under  the  pavements,  and  which  we  have  called  Tera- 
phim  (see  pp.  179,  180);  and  besides  these,  the  antiquity  of 
which  is  incontestable,  since  they  were  found  beneath  the  very 
earth  of  the  mound,  a  small  ram's  head  made  of  clay,  and 
beautifully  executed,  was  discovered.  During  the  very  first 
excavations  at  Khorsabad,  the  workmen  found  a  considerable 
number  of  balls  of  clay,  hardened  by  the  action  of  fire,  and 
on  which  was  seen  the  impression  of  an  emblem  that  is  fre- 
quently observed  on  the  cylinders,  and  which  is  also  found  at 
Persepolis ;  it  consists  of  a  man  disembowelling  a  lion  that  he 
holds  by  the  mane ;  the  man's  hair  and  beard  are  arranged  in 
the  Assyrian  manner.  This  scene  is  framed  with  a  border, 
outside  of  which  there  are  some  cuneiform  inscriptions,  dif- 
fering from  the  other  specimens.  These  little  inscriptions 
have  not  been  made  with  a  seal,  but  have  evidently  been 
traced  with  a  style  on  the  clay  when  wet.  The  balls,  which 
are  of  a  very  irregular  shape,  were  simply  kneaded  with  the 
hand ;  for  the  opposite  side  to  that  on  which  the  seal  is  cut,  still 
bears  the  marks  of  the  fingers,  and  even  the  pores  of  the  skin ; 
lastly,  they  have  always  a  hole  pierced  through  them,  and  in 
this  hole  there  are  still  found  the  remains  of  charred  twine. 
This  circumstance  is  another  proof,  added  to  the  rest,  that  the 
building  was  destroyed  by  fire :  these  balls  of  clay,  which 
were  hung  up  by  a  piece  of  string  in  different  situations,  must 
have  been  calcined,  and  the  string  burnt  inside  the  hole,  where 
the  remains  of  it  were  discovered. 

But  what  can  have  been  the  use  of  these  seals  of  clay  ?  It 
is  plain  they  were  not  objects  destined  for  any  very  long  term 
of  service ;  for  they  must  have  been  used  before  their  calci- 
nation  while  the  clay  was  yet  soft,  otherwise  the  string  would 
not  be  found  burnt  inside  the  hole.  The  most  plausible  expla- 
nation probably  is,  that  they  served  as  a  means  of  knowing 


444 


8EPT7LCHBE   AND   FUNEEEAL   URNS. 


whether  certain  doors  had  remained  shut,  and  for  this  purpose 
the  Assyrians  sealed  up  their  doors  with  these  halls.  This 
is  the  more  prohahle,  as  the  Bible  teaches  us  that  the  kings  of 
Assyria  were,  in  certain  cases,  in  the  habit  of  doing  so.* 

Funereal  urns  were  also  found.  These  urns  or  jars  were 
buried  in  the  mounds,  and  were  found  standing  upright  in 
rows.  They  are  oval  and  elongated  in  shape,  terminating  at 
the  bottom  in  a  very  narrow  foot,  and  widening  out  at  the 
mouth.  The  only  ornament  on  them  is  one  rim  or  fillet  round 
the  neck,  and  another  round  the  base.  These  urns  are  made 
of  baked  earth,  and  have  no  cover ;  they  are  about  four  feet 
high,  and  their  greatest  diameter  is  about  two  feet  and  a  half. 
They  were,  when  discovered,  entirely  filled  with  a  clayey 
earth,  in  which  was  found  a  great  many  fragments  of  bones, 
that  appeared  calcined.  Although  there  is  no  reason  to  doubt 
that  the  bones  were  those 'of  the  human  skeleton,  no  single 
fragment  was  found  considerable  enough,  or  in  a  sufficient 
state  of  preservation,  to  give  direct  proof  whether  it  belonged 
to  man  or  some  other  animal.     (Figs.  246  and  247.) 


v-^?^ 


Figs.  246,  247.— SECTIOK  and  plan  of  the  ABRANaKMENT  OP  THB  FUNBBEAL  UBNS 
DISCOVERED  BY  M.  BOTTA  (pi.  165). 

When  we  were  at  Jerusalem,  some  years  ago,  we  met  with 
an  Armenian  Christian  merchant  of  Baghdad,  who  had  come 
'  >  Dan.  vi.  17. 


NAILS, — ^BBONZE  IMPLEMENTS.  445 

to  yisit  the  sacred  localities,  and  to  cairy  back  with  him  a 
voucher  of  the  due  performance  of  the  pilgrimage,  imprinted 
in  indelible  blue  pigment  in  the  skin  of  his  right  fore-arm. 
He  related  to  us  that  the  Arabs,  who  tend  their  flocks  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  mounds,  in  the  plains  of  Mesopotamia,  find 
huge  vases,  containing  mummies,  or  skeletons  of  men,  and 
that  round  the  necks  there  is  generally  slung,  by  a  string,  one, 
of  those  cylindrical  engraved  stones.  AVe  apprehend  that 
these  vases  are  of  the  kind  described  by  the  merchant ;  and 
we  know  that  the  cylindrical  engraved  stones  are  those  known 
as  Babylonish  seals. 

Painted  bricks  were  discovered.  In  noticing  the  mode  of 
building  pursued  at  Xhorsabad,  it  was  evident  that,  above  the 
coating  of  gypsum  slabs,  there  had  been  several  rows  of  kiln- 
burnt  bricks,  the  united  surfaces  of  which  must  have  repre- 
sented subjects  analogous  to  those  which  were,  sculptured  on 
the  lower  part  of  the  walls.  Unfortunately,  only  a  few  frag- 
ments of  these  were  found.  They  are  sufficient,  however,  to 
give  an  idea  of  this  kind  of  decoration. 

Altars  must  next  be  mentioned  as  among  the  discoveries. 
Two  blocks  of  calcareous  stone,  cut  in  the  shape  of  altars,, 
were  lying  on  the  ground,  at  a  few  steps  from  the  Mound  of 
Khorsabad.  Their  trunks  are  triangular;  the  tops  of  the 
angles  are  cut  off,  and  terminate  with  lions*  feet,  very  well 
sculptured,  above  and  below  which  is  a  flat  band  ;  the  angles 
beneath  the  feet  are  round  like  columns,  instead  of  being  flat. 
The  whole  stands  on  a  plinth,  and  is  formed  of  one  single  block. 
A  cuneiform  inscription  is  engraved  on  the  circumference  of  the 
upper  part.  These  remains  are  called  altars,  since  no  better  ex- 
planation of  their  form  could  be  given.  Both  were  exactly 
alike.  Layard  likewise  found  one  (in  situ)  at  Wimroud  (p.  234), 

Kails  of  various  forms  were  found  in  the  earth  that  filled 
the  chambers ;  and  fragments  of  copper  utensils  were  also 
discovered.  Of  the  nails,  some  are  small,  and  similar  to  those 
we  call  brads ;  others  were  much  bigger,  and  were  square, 
with  round  heads  like  those  used  to  nail  ships*  planking.  All 
had  probably  belonged  to  the  roof;  for  some  appeared  to  have 
undergone  the  action  of  fire,  and  were  partly  melted,  being 
made  of  bronze. 

Besides  these  nails,  the  ring  which  was  fixed  in  the  wall 
above  the  small  bronze  lioui  already  mentioned,  was  found. 


446  •    MINIATTJBE   WEAPONS   BX7BIED  WITH   IDOLS. 

It  was  secured  in  the  wall  by  means  of  a  strong  square  rod, 
annulated  at  intervals,  so  that  it  might  not  be  torn  out  of  its 
place.  All  these  objects  are  exceedingly  well  made,  and  much 
superior  to  any  similar  articles  that  could  be  manufactured  in 
the  East  at  the  present  day ! 

A  few  words  must  now  be  said  of  the  fragment  of  a  small 
circle,  whose  use  it  is  not  easy  to  guess.  There  is  no  doubt 
that  this  fragment  formed  the  portion  of  a  wheel,  or  some- 
thing similar,  for  on  its  concave  side  the  roots  of  the  spokes  are 
still  to  be  seen  ;  but  it  is  too  small  and  slight  to  authorise  us 
in  believing  that  it  is  part  of  the  wheel  of  a  car.  If  the 
reader,  however,  will  again  look  at  the  wheels  represented  on 
the  bas-reliefs,  he  will  perceive  that  they  were,  in  truth,  very 
little,  and  the  spokes  remarkably  slight, — a  circumstance  that 
would  induce  us  to  believe  that  these  latter  were  formed  of 
metal.  We  cannot  believe,  it  is  true,  that  felloes  as  narrow  as 
those  of  the  fragment  in  question  could  ever  have  supported  a 
car  without  sinking  into  the  ground ;  but  the  bas-reliefs  again 
furnish  an  answer  to  this  difficulty.  We  can  see  by  them 
very  distinctly  that  the  felloes  are  formed  of  two  superposed 
circles,  the  external  circle  being  united  by  broad  flaps  to  the 
internal  one.  It  is  very  allowable  to  suppose  that  the 
Assyrians,  finding  great  difficulty  in  uniting  with  precision 
the  different  parts  of  a  wheel,  thought  of  casting  in  one  piece 
the  interior  portion,  that  is,  the  nave,  the  spokes,  and  the  first 
circle  of  the  felloe,  and  then  completing  it  by  another  circle 
of  wood,  thicker  and  broader  than  the  first,  in  order  to 
increase  the  diameter  of  the  wheel,  and  prevent  itb  cutting 
into  the  ground.  This  would  explain  the  bas-reliefs ;  and  the 
fragment  in  question  might  really  have  formed  part  of  the 
wheel  of  an  Assyrian  car. 

We  may  pass  over,  as  possessing  no  interest,  a  large  number 
of  large  thin  plates  of  bronze,  but  must  not  omit  mentioning  the 
small  models  of  arms  discovered  in  one  of  the  pits  containing 
the  idols  of  baked  clay.  In  this  place  were  little  lance-heads 
of  bronze,  with  a  handle  hollowed  out  for  the  insertion  of 
another  one  of  wood.  Some  thin  little  crescents  of  the  same 
metal,  also  furnished  with  a  small  handle,  were  likewise  disco- 
vered. As  these  playthings  could  have  been  of  no  use,  they 
were  doubtless  thus  buried  by  the  side  of  the  idols,  solely 
with  some  symbolic  intention.    The  crescent  and  arrow-head, 


LAPIS  OLLABIS  WITH  8TMS0LIC  SCULPTUBES. 


447 


of  which  we  here  give  engravings  (Figs.  248,  249),  are  taken 
from  larger  examples  of  the  same  symbols,  and  are  drawn 
full  size. 


Figs.  248, 249.— ABBew-HEiiD  akd  cbescbkt  (botta,  pi.  164). 

A  piece  of  lapis  ollaris^  flat  and  sculptured  on  several  sides, 
was  found  near  Amadia,  a  town  situated  at  a  distance  of  fifteen 
hours*  journey  to  the  north  of  M6sul,  in  the  first  range  of  the 
mountains  of  Kurdistdn.  One  side  represents  two  symbolic 
figures  lying  one  on  the  other,  each  of  which  is  encompassed 
by  a  cording  in  the  form  of  a  frame.  The  heads  of  these 
figures  are  human,  with  no  beards,  and  are  rather  effeminate. 
Their  head-dresses,  which  are  Assyrian,  are  encircled  with 
bands ;  their  bodies  resemble  that  of  a  lion  or  feline  animal, 
rather  than  that  of  a  herbivorous  one,  and  wings  completed 
their  fantastic  appearance.  The  other  side  is  also  divided  into 
two  compartments.  In  the  lower  one  there  is  a  goat,  lying  down 
and  looking  back ;  in  the  upper  one  there  are  two  of  these 
animals  also  looking  back,  and  standing  with  their  fore-feet  on 
a  stem  or  trunk  placed  between  them.  On  each  of  the  larger 
sides  is  seen  a  personage  whose  form  is  entirely  human :  he 
has  no  beard,  and  is  dressed  in  a  long  fringed  robe,  over 
which  he  wears  a  cloak  like  a  sort  of  pelisse,  but  rounded 
at  the  bottom.     Underneath,  it  is  furrowed  with  oblique 


448  ASSYRIA  :    ITS  COMMERCE  AND  WEALTH. 

lines,  which,  by  crossing  each  other,  form  lozenges.  Lastly,, 
the  top  is  bored  with  three  holes,  that  penetrate  nearly  to  the 
base.  It  is  very  difficult  to  discover  what  could  have  been 
the  former  use  of  this  stone. 

Here  it  will  not  be  out  of  place  to  add  a  few  words  on  the 
commerce  of  ancient  Assyria.  With  the  exception  of  some 
isolated  passages  in  Scripture,  we  must  entirely  depend  for 
the  sources  of  our  information  on  this  subject  upon  writers 
who  flourished  later  than  the  age  of  Cyrus.  But  it  must  be 
borne  in  mind  that  the  Orientals  can  preserve  a  traditionary 
policy,  undisturbed  and  unaltered,  for  many  generations.  The 
characteristic  attachment  to  peculiar  customs  is  exemplified  in 
the  well-known  proverb,  "  The  laws  of  the  Medes  and  Persians 
alter  not.'*  This  national  repugnance  to  innovations  of  every 
description  would  have  been  shared  with  equal  zeal  by  a 
despotic  government,  which  wohM  have  watched  with  sus- 
picion the  feeblest  attempt  to  disturb  the  prestige  of  hereditary 
privileges.  The  conqueror  would  soon  perceive  the  advantages 
to  be  derived  from  the  permanent  and  profitable  employment 
of  the  people ;  the  wants  of  the  vanquished  would  become  in 
time  those  of  the  victor,  and  dues  or  presents  would  be  exacted 
without  difficulty,  either  from  native  or  foreign  merchants. 
We  may,  indeed,  fairly  conclude  that  less  mischief  was  inflicted 
on  commerce  by  mere  changes  of  dynasty  and  conquests 
so-called,  than  by  those  fearful  anarchies  which,  at  a  later 
period,  caused  a  total  suspension  of  the  commerce  of  Persia. 
As  the  more  recent  dynasties  were  built  upon  the  same  foun- 
dations with  their  predecessors,  so  their  commerce  must  also 
have  retained  the  same  general  character ;  its  principal  seats 
remained  unchanged,  and  the  countries  in  which  they  were 
situated  were  at  all  times  adorned  with  rich  and  flourishing 
cities,  which,  after  the  most  cruel  devastations,  rose  unimpaired 
from  their  ruins.  With  these  preliminary  considerations  before 
us,  it  is  easy  to  understand  that  when  the  sceptre  of  Assyria 
passed  to  the  hand  of  the  intelligent  and  active  Persian,  very 
little,  if  any,  change  took  place  in  the  social  condition  and 
pursuits  of  the  people;  and  we  may  reasonably  conjecture 
that  their  commerce  and  manufactures  wei-e  rather  extended 
than  diminished  by  the  infusion  of  a  fresh  stimulus  to  industry 
and  exertion.  At  a  very  early  period  the  textile  fabrics  of 
Assyria  were  celebrated  all  over  the  civilised  world :  the  raw 


ITS  MANUFACTUBES.  449 

material  required  for  these  manufactures,  viz.,  flax,  cotton, 
wool,  and  perhaps  silk,  were  either  not  the  produce  of  their 
soil,  or  certainly  not  in  sufficient  quantity  for  their  own  con- 
sumption. This  fact  alone  implies  the  existence  of  a  very 
extensive  shipping  trade  with  the  East.  Accordingly,  we  find 
the  prophet  Isaiah  (xliii.  14)  alluding,  in  the  eighth  century 
before  our  era,  to  their  maritime  power — "Thus  saith  the 
Lord  your  Eedeemer,  the  Holy  one  of  Israel :  Por  your  sake, 
I  have  sent  to  Babylon,  and  have  brought  down  all  their  nobles 
and  the  Chaldeans,  whose  cry  is  in  their  ships."  Again,  the 
poet  -^schylus  says  in  **  The  Persians,**  "  Babylon  too,  that 
abounds  in  gold,  sends  forth  a  promiscuous  multitude,  who 
embark  in  ships,  and  boast  of  their  skill  in  archery.'* 

We  must  now  take  a  rapid  survey,  as  far  as  our  limits  per- 
mit, of  the  chief  branches  of  this  widely-spread  traffic :  first 
of  manufactures.  Among  those  who  traded  in  "  blue  cloths 
and  embroidered  work'*  with  Tyre,  Ezekiel  (xxvii.  24)  enu- 
merates the  merchants  of  Asshur,  or  Assyria.  In  these  stuffs, 
gold  threads  (Pliny  viii.  48)  were  introduced  into  the  woof  of 
many  colours,  and  were  no  doubt  the  **  dyed  attire  and  embroid- 
ered work**  so  frequently  mentioned  in  Scripture  as  the  most 
costly  and  splendid  garments  of  kings  and  princes.  The  cotton 
manufactures  were  equally  celebrated  and  remarkable,  and  are 
mentioned  by  Pliny  as  the  invention  of  Semiramis,  who  is 
stated  by  many  writers  of  antiquity  to  have  founded  large 
weaving  establishments  along  the  banks  of  the  Tigris  and 
Euphrates.  The  silken  robes  of  Assyria,  the  produce  chiefly 
of  the  looms  of  Babylon,  were  renowned  long  after  the  fall  of 
the  Assyrian  empire,  and  retained  their  hold  of  the  market 
even  to  the  time  of  the  Roman  supremacy.  Frequent  allusions 
are  found  in  classic  authors  to  the  brilliancy  and  magnificence 
of  the  Babylonian  carpets,  which  were  embroidered  with  sym- 
bolic figures,  together  with  animals  and  conventional  forms. 
One  of  these  covered  the  tomb  of  Cyrus,  when  visited  by 
Arrian  (vi.  29),  who  gives  a  minute  description  of  it.  The 
country  was  characterized  by  Ezekiel  (xvii.  4)  as  "  a  land  of 
traffic,  a  city  of  merchants  ;'*  and  we  can  gather,  even  from 
the  scanty  materials  at  our  command,  that  the  Assyrians  car- 
ried on  a  very  considerable  commerce  with  India,  Syria,  and 
thence  to  Asia  Minor,  and  even  parts  of  Western  Europe. 
Their  mountains  furnished  %  copious  supply  of  the  precious 


450  THE   IMAGE   SET  UP  IN   THE   PLAIN   OF   DUBA. 

metals,  copper,  lead,  and  iron,  in  great  abundance,  -which  are 
still  found  in  large  quantities  at  no  great  distance  from  M6sul. 
The  tribute  obtained  by  the  Egyptians  from  Mesopotamia 
consisted  of  vases  of  gold,  silver,  copper,  and  precious  stones ; 
and  similar  articles  were  oflfered  as  presents  by  the  prince  of 
Syria  to  David  (2  Samuel,  viii.  6  ;  1  Chron.  xviii.  10).     The 
most  extraordinary  traditions  were  observed  in  antiquity  of 
the  enormous  amount  of  gold  collected  at  Nineveh.     Every 
one  will  recollect  the  image  of  gold  raised  by  Nebuchadnezzar 
(Daniel,  iii.  1).     This  image  of  gold  which  Nebuchadnezzar 
the  king  made,  and  set  up  in  the  plain  of  Dura,  in  the  pro- 
vince of  Babylon,  was  three-score  cubits  high,  and  six  wide ; 
that  is  to  say,  its  height  was  ten  times  its  width — proportions 
which  we  are  inclined  to  think  cannot  refer  to  the  image  of  a 
man,  but  which  agree  perfectly  with  those  of  an  obelisk,  most 
of  the  Egyptian  obelisks  being  about  ten  times  the  width  of 
the  base  in  height ;  and  as  the  word  used  for  image  in  the 
Hebrew  and  in  the  Septuagint  does  not  necessarily  signify  the 
image  of  a  man,  we  think  it  more  probable  that  it  was  the 
figure  or  image  of  an  obelisk.     "We  are  informed  by  Pliny 
that  obelisks  were  considered  the  type  of  the  solar  rays,  and 
dedicated  to  the  Sun,  or  Baal.     A  cubit  is  generally  considered 
to  represent  1  ft.  6  in.  of  our  measure  ;  so  that  this  image  set 
up  by  Nebuchadnezzar  must  have  been  90  feet  high  and  9 
wide,  of  which  dimensions  there  is  still  standing  among  the 
ruins  of  Karnak,  in  Egypt,  an  obelisk  of  one  single  block  of 
granite,  and  we  have  only  to  fancy  that  monument  to  be  co- 
vered with  plates  of  gold  to  have  present  to  the  imagination 
the  image  of  the  plain  of  Dura.     "  Take  ye  the  spoil  of  silver, 
take  ye  the  spoil  of  gold,  for  there  is  none  end  to  the  store  and 
glory  out  of  all  the  pleasant  furniture,"   says  the  prophet 
Nahum,  ii.  9.     Copper  constantly  occurs  in  their  weapons,  and 
it  is  most  probable  a  mixture  of  it  was  used  in  the  materials 
of  their  tools.     M.  Place  discovered  at  Khorsabad  a  roll  of  thin 
copper  which  may  have  encased  a  wooden  pillar.     Its  deco- 
ration imitated  the  trunk  of  a  palm  tree,  and  close  to  it  were 
found  some  thin  pieces  of  gold,  which  fitted  exactly  the  orna- 
ment on  the  copper.  The  inference  is,  that  the  wooden  columns 
were  first  encased  in  copper,  and  then  plated  with  gold— 
**  He  overlaid  the  posts  with  fine  gold.**     2  Chron.  iii.   7. 
They  had  acquired    the  art    of    making  glass,  an  inven- 


rRAGMENTS   OP  IVOBIES, 


451 


tion   usually  attributed  to  the  Phoenicians.      Several  small 
bottles  or  vases  of  this  substance,  and  of  an  elegant  shapOi 


Figs.  250,  251. — fragments  of  two  heads  ;  ivoey. 

were  found  at  Kimroud  and  Kouyunjik.  The  well-known 
cylinders  are  a  sufficient  proof  of  their  skill  in  engraving 
gems.     Many  beautiful  specimens  of  carving  in  ivory  were 


Fig.  252. — KKD  OB  SIDK  OF  IVOBY  CASKET. 

also  discovered — an  interesting  illustration  of  a  passage  in 
Ezekiel  (zxvii.  6),  where  the  company  of  Assyrians  are  de- 

GG  2 


452 


IVORY   CASKET. 


scribed  as  the  makers  of  the  ivory  benches  of  the  Tynan 
galleys: — "The  company  of  the  Asshurites  have  made  thy 
benches  of  ivory,  brought  out  of  the  isles  of  Chittim."  Some 
tablets  of  ivory  from  Nimroud  are  richly  inlaid  with  blue 
opaque  glass,  lapis  lazuli,  &c. 

Herodotus  (i.  195)  mentions  the  delicately-carved  heads  of 


Fig.  253. — FBAOMENT  OF  IVORY  CASKET. 

walking-sticks,  in  the  shape  of  an  apple,  a  rose,  lily,  or  an 
eagle :  some  of  these  are  still  extant. 

We  have  selected  for  our  illustrations  of  the  lesser  objects 
some  fragments  of  sculpture  in  ivory  found  by  Mr.  Layard  in 
a  small  chamber  at  the  southern  extremity  of  the  north-west 
Palace  of  the  Mound  of  Nimroud,  The  whole  being  engraved 
of  the  size  of  the  originals. 


IVORIES. — EGYPTIAN   SUBJECTS. 


453 


Figs.  250  and  251  are  fragments  of  two  heads,  which,  by 
reference  to  Fig.  252,  will  easily  be  understood  to  have  formed 
part  of  the  decoration  on  the  sides  of  a  box.  The  hair  and 
treatment  of  these  fragments  are  so  entirely  Egyptian,  that  we 
have  no  hesitation  in  supposing  them  to  have  been  imitated 
firom  some  Egyptian  works  of  art.     The  eyebrows  and  eyes  in 


Fig.  254. — SOTPTIAV  EXAMPLE.     OOD  HlliCS  AS  BHOWy  ON  THE  THRONES  07 
THE  EOTPTIAN  KING  PHABAOH  NECHO. 


these  are  cut  out  with  great  precision,  for  the  purpose  of  in- 
serting some  other  material,  to  represent  with  greater  eflPect 
those  important  features  of  the  human  countenance,  and  to 
enhance  the  value  of  the  work.  This  practice  was  universal 
in  Egjrpt,  and  numerous  examples  may  be  seen  on  the  mummy- 
cases  in  the  Egyptian  rooms  of  the  British  Museum.  Besides 
these  especial  peculiarites  of  Egyptian  origin,  we  may  notice 


454  IVOKIES. — EGYPTIAN   SUBJECTS. 

a  very  remarkable  similarity  in  the  position  of  the  ear,  which 
in  these  fragments,  as  well  as  in  the  sculptures  of  Egypt,  is 
placed  considerably  higher  than  in  the  statues  of  Grecian 
and  Eoman  workmanship,  and  higher  likewise  than  it  is  found 
in  the  natives  of  either  country,  or  in  the  human  race  gene- 
rally. Hence,  again,  we  argue  that  this  peculiarity  must  have 
been  imitated  from  a  fashion  or  conceit  which  originated  in 
Egypt. 

Fig.  252  is  a  flat  piece  of  ivory,  which  formed  one  of  the 
ends,  or  part  of  the  side,  of  an  ivory  casket.  We  are  led  to 
this  conclusion  from  some  similar  fragments  in  the  collection 
being  furnished,  like  this,  with  projections  from  the  upper  and 
lower  margin,  which  projections  we  take  to  be  the  tenons  for 
securing  it  to  the  top  and  bottom  of  the  casket.  In  the  example 
before  us  we  have  nearly  the  entire  compartment  containing 
the  Egyptian  mask,  and  below  it  is  a  singular  ornament, 
which  is  imitated  from  one  found  only  in  the  ancient  tombs 
in  the  immediate  neighbourhood  of  the  great  pyramid  in 

Fig.  253  is  another  flat  piece  of  ivory,  which  likewise  formed 
one  of  the  ends,  or  part  of  the  side,  of  a  casket.  The  most 
extraordinary  feature  of  this  fragment  is,  that  it  represents  the 
Egyptian  god  Nilus  in  the  attitude  in  which  that  divinity  is 
usually  sculptured  upon  the  sides  of  the  thrones  of  the 
Egyptian  kings;  that  is  to  say,  binding  up  the  stems  of 
some  water-plant,  and  with  one  foot  placed  against  a  heart- 
shaped  termination  of  a  central  stem  or  support  of  a  horizon- 
tal line.  Our  Egyptian  example  (fig.  254),  illustrating  this 
curious  analogy,  is  copied  from  the  throne  of  Pharaoh  ITecho, 
who  carried  his  arms  to  the  banks  of  the  Euphrates,  where 
he  was  defeated  by  Nebuchadnezzar  (circa  610).  In  the  work 
we  are  now  examining,  the  inferiority  of  the  Assyrian  sculptor 
in  the  knowledge  of  the  proportions  of  the  human  figure  is 
very  palpable,  for  the  heads  are  much  too  large  for  the  bodies 
and  limbs  of  the  figures — a  defect  that  is  never  found  in 
Egyptian  works  of  art. 

Fig.  255  (p.  403)  is  likewise  part  of  the  side  or  end  of  a  box. 
It  represents  two  lions  with  human  heads,  in  the  position,  and 
wearing  that  peculiar  covering  for  the  fore-leg  imitated  from 
the  lion  in  the  throne  of  Ehamses  IV.,  in  the  procession  of 
Medinet  Haboo,  and  elsewhere.     These  figures  are  placed  back 


IVORY  FBA6MENTS. 


455 


to  back,  after  the  fashion  of  the  bulls  of  the  fa9ade  of  the 
King's  Court  in  the  palace  of  Khorsabad,  and  like  them  they 
are  furnished  with  wings — in  this  respect  differing  from  any 
of  the  human-headed  Sons  of  Egypt,  which  are  never  repre- 
sented with  wings. 


Figs.  256,  257.— ^IVOBT  fbaoments. 


Pigs.  256,  257,  258,  259.--It  is  difficult  to  guess  the  pur- 
pose of  these  fragments.  They  represent  gazelles  or  goats, 
and  may  have  served  for  the  handles  of  daggers  or  fly-flaps, 
such  as  we  see  in  the  hands  of  the  attendants  of  the  king  in 


Fig.  258.— IVOBT  FBAQMBNT 


the  sculptures  from  the  walls  of  the  palaces  of  Nimroud  and 
Khorsabad.  These  fragments  are  fiat,  and  in  this  respect 
differ  from 

Fig.  260,  which  is  part  of  a  statue  of  a  gazelle  in  the  round. 

Fig.  261. — ^Two  hands,  which  we  presume  to  have  belonged 


466 


IVQET   FRAGMENTS. 


to  a  statue  of  a  man  in  the  attitude  of  respect,  of  which,  pro- 
bably, the  robes  were  formed  of  some  other  material. 

Fig.  262^  and  263  are  flat,  and  may  be  part  of  a  box. 

Figs.  264. — A  rosette  ornament. 


Fig.  259.— IVOBY  FBAGMENT.    t! 

Fig.  265. — A  carved  ornament,  resembling  an  architectural 
decoration  of  Greece,  from  the  treasury  of  Atreus,  which  may 
be  seen  in  the  Elgin  Boom  of  the  British  Museum. 


Pig  260.— FIGURE  OF  ▲ 
GAZELLE ; IVOBT. 


Fig.  261.— TWO  HANDS  JOINED  ;    IVOBT. 


Fig.  266  is  a  fragment,  part  also  of  a  box,  representing  a 
figure  and  flowers  of  the  lotus. 
These   interesting   fragments  go  far  towards  establishing 


ITOBT   FBAGMENTS.  457 

the  hypothesis  of  the  intimate  connexion  between  the  arts  of 
Egypt  and  Assyria,  of  which  so  many  curious  illustrations 
have  already  been  shown. 

When  the  ivories  we  have  delineated  were  originally  dis- 
covered by  Mr.  Layard,  owing  either  to  their  great  antiquity, 
or,  as  is  more  probable,  to  the  conflagration  of  the  roof  of  the 
chamber  in  which  they  were  found,  they  were  in  so  fragile  a 
condition  as  to  render  separation  from  the  soil  almost  imprac- 


Fig.262.— F&AOMKKT,  PBOBABLT  or  ▲  BOX. 

ticable.  However,  by  dint  of  the  utmost  perseverance,  Mr. 
Layard  succeeded  in  collecting  all  possible  fragments  and  in 
transmitting  them  to  the  British  Museum,  where,  by  the  inge- 
nious process  of  immersion  in  boiling  isinglass,  the  animal 
matter  was  restored  to  the  mineral  structure,  and  the  ivory 
resumed  its  natural  appearance  and  solidity. 

Layard  discovered  in  a  room  in  the  old  Nimroud  Palace,  an 
extraordinary  assortment  of  relics :  shields,  swords,  paterae, 
bowls,  crowns,  cauldrons,  ornaments  in  ivory,  mother.of-pearl, 
&c.  The  vessels  are  formed  of  a  kind  of  copper,  or  rather 
bronze, — some  perfectly  preserved,  and  as  bright  as  gold  when 


458 


IVORY   FBAGMENTS. 


the  rust  is  removed.  The  engravings  and  embossing  on  them 
are  very  beautiful  and  elaborate  ;  and  comprise  the  same  mythic 
subjects  which  are  found  on  the  robes  of  the  figures  in  the 
sculptures, — men  struggling  with  lions,  warriors  in  chariots, 
and  hunting  scenes. 

He  also  is  said  to  have  found  the  throne  on  which  the 
monarch,  reigning  about  3000  years  ago,  sat  in  his  splendid 
palace.    It  is  composed  of  metal  and  of  ivory — the  metal  being 


Fig.  264.— BOSBTTE  OBNAHEMT. 


Fig.  263.— FBAGMENT  IH  IVORY. 


Pig.  265.— OUliLOCHB  pattebn  ih  ivobt. 


richly  wrought,  and  the  ivory  beautifully  carved;  The  throne 
seems  to  have  been  separated  from  the  state  apartments  by 
means  of  a  large  curtain,  the  rings  by  which  it  was  drawn  and 
undrawn  having  been  preserved.  No  human  remains  have 
come  to  light,  and  everything  indicates  the  destruction  of  the 
palace  by  fire.  It  is  said  that  the  throne  has  been  partially 
fused  by  the  heat. 

Besides  the  objects  above  described,  the  glass  cases  in  the 
Kouyunjik  Gallery  of  the  British  Museum  contain  numerous 
other  most  interesting  relics.     Glass  vessels,  and  statuettes  of 


IVOET. — ^FIGTTBE   AND   I0TTJ8. 


459 


Venus  from  Susa ; — bronze  hatchets,  knives,  &c.  from  Tel  Sifr, 
South  Babylonia.  Inscribed  cones  of  the  early  ChaldaBan  em- 
pire. Glass,  terra  cotta,  and  implements  supposed  to  have  been 
used  in  writing  on  clay,  from  Werka.    Needles,  copper  wine 


Fig.  266.— PAST  OP  ▲  BOX. 


strainer,  and  bells,  from  Nimroud,    And  from  Kouyunjik 
several  clay  figures  of  Dagon,  portions  of  chain  armour,  hat- 


460  ASSYRIA:    ITS   FERTIIJTT. 

chets,  knives,  ladles,  &c. ;  clay  records  of  Ashur-bani-pal  II. ; 
glass  vases  and  fragments. 

To  the  foregoing  refinement  of  art  the  gems,  the  silk,  cotton, 
ivory,  and  sugar-cane  of  India,  and  the  spices  of  "  Araby  the 
blest,"  must  have  added  their  luxurious  tribute.  Indeed,  a 
hasty  glance  at  the  map  is  sufficient  to  show  that  the  country 
was  favourably  situated  for  commercial  enterprise.  Enclosed 
by  two  mighty  rivers,  which  flow  without  interruption  to  the 
Persian  Gulf,  it  presented  one  vast  unbroken  level,  everywhere 
intersected  by  canals,  which  gradually  decreased  in  size  till  they 
became  mere  ditches.  The  banks  were  covered  with  innume- 
rable machines  for  raising  the  water  and  spreading  it  over 
the  soil.  The  aridity  of  the  climate  rendered  this  constant 
irrigation  absolutely  necessary ;  but  here,  as  in  Egypt,  the 
labour  of  man  was  rewarded  by  a  luxuriant  crop,  such  as  the 
most  fertile  valleys  of  Europe  never  produce. 

"  Of  all  the  countries  I  am  acquainted  with,"  says  Hero- 
dotus (i.  193),  ** Babylon  is  by  far  the  most  fruitful  in  corn; 
the  soil  is  so  particularly  suitable  for  it,  that  it  never  produces 
less  than  two  hundred  fold,  and  in  seasons  remarkably  favour- 
able it  sometimes  amounts  to  three  hundred.  The  ear  of  the 
wheat,  as  well  as  the  barley,  is  four  digits  broad,  but  the 
immense  height  to  which  the  cenchrus  and  lesanum  grow, 
although  I  have  witnessed  it  myself,  I  dare  not  mention,  lest 
those  who  have  not  visited  this  country  should  disbelieve  my 
report."  The  fig-tree,  olive,  and  vine,  according  to  the  same 
authority,  were  not  found  at  all ;  but  their  place  was  supplied 
by  an  abundance  of  date  or  palm  trees,  which  still  grow  in 
large  quantities  on  the  banks  of  the  Euphrates.  The  vine 
occurs  on  the  sculptures  from  Nineveh,  and  Rabshakeh  ex- 
pressly describes  his  country  to  the  Jews  as  a  "  land  of  com 
and  wine,  a  land  of  bread  and  vineyards,  a  land  of  olive  oil 
and  of  honey"  (2  Kings,  xviii.  32),  as  indeed  the  northern 
region  of  Mesopotamia  is,  and  it  was  formerly,  more  productive. 
Of  lofty  trees  the  country  is  now  destitute,  but  there  is  no 
reason  for  believing  that  it  was  always  so ;  on  the  contrary, 
the  logs  of  charred  wood,  the  remains  of  the  beams  of  the  roof 
found  in  the  excavations,  is  an  evidence,  to  the  contrary ;  and 
among  the  sculptures  from  ISTimroud  in  the  British  Museum  is 
a  specimen  of  considerable  dimensions. 

Here  we  may  borrow  the  words  of  Professor  Heeren,  to 


CONDITION  OF  THE   KUINS.  461 

whose  valuable  work  on  the  commerce  of  the  principal  nations 
x>t  antiquity  we  must  refer  the  reader  who  requires  a  more 
elaborate  discussion  of  this  interesting  subject.  "  Situated," 
he  says,  **  between  the  Indus  and  the  Mediterranean,  it  was 
the  natural  staple  of  such  precious  wares  of  the  East  as  were 
esteemed  in  the  "West.  Its  proximity  to  the  Persian  Gulf,  the 
great  highway  of  trade,  which  nature  seems  to  have  prepared 
for  the  admission  of  the  seafaring  nations  of  the  Indian  seas 
into  the  midst  of  Asia,  must  be  reckoned  as  another  advantage, 
especially  when  taken  in  connection  with  its  vicinity  to  the 
two  great  rivers,  the  continuation,  as  it  were,  of  this  great 
highway,  and  opening  a  communication  with  the  nations 
dwelling  on  the  Euxine  and  the  Caspian.  Thus  favoured  by 
nature,  this  country  necessarily  became  the  central  point  where 
the  merchants  of  nearly  all  the  civilized  world  assembled ;  and 
such,  we  are  informed  by  history,  it  remained,  so  long  as  the 
international  commerce  of  Asia  flourished.  Neither  the  de- 
vastating sword  of  conquering  nations,  nor  the  heavy  yoke  of 
Asiatic  despotism  could  tarnish,  though  for  a  time  they  might 
dim,  its  splendour.  It  was  only  when  the  European  found  a 
new  path  to  India  across  the  ocean,  and  converted  the  great 
commerce  of  the  world  from  a  land  trade  to  a  sea  trade,  that 
the  royal  city  on  the  banks  of  the  Tigris  and  Euphrates  began 
to  decline.  Then,  deprived  of  its  commerce,  it  fell  a  victim 
to  the  twofold  oppression  of  anarchy  and  despotism,  and  sunk 
to  its  original  state  of  a  stinking  morass  and  a  barren  steppe." 
The  condition  of  the  ruins  is  highly  corroborative  of  the 
sudden  destruction  that  came  upon  Kineveh  by  fire  and  sword. 
**  Then  shall  the  fire  devour  thee ;  the  sword  shall  cut  thee 
off."  ^  It  is  evident  from  the  ruins  that  both  Khorsabad  and 
Nimroud  were  sacked  and  set  on  fire.  "  She  is  empty,  and 
void,  and  waste."*  Neither  Botta  nor  Layard  found  any  of 
that  store  of  silver  and  gold,  and  **  pleasant  furniture"  which 
the  palaces  contained ;  scarcely  anything,  even  of  bronze,  escaped 
the  spoiler,  but  he  unconsciously  left  what  is  still  more  valu- 
able ;  for  to  the  falling  in  of  the  roofs  of  the  buildings,  by  his 
setting  fire  to  the  columns  and  beams  that  supported  them,  and 
his  subsequent  destruction  of  the  walls,  we  are  indebted  for  the 
extraordinary  preservation  of  the  sculptures.  In  them  we 
possess  an  authentic  and  contemporary  commentation  on  the 
1  Nahum,  iii.  15.  «  Ibid.  ii.  9,  10. 


462 


CONDITION   OF   THE   BXJINS. 


prophecies ;  in  them  we  read,  in  nnmistakeable  characters,  an 
evidence  of  that  rapacity  and  cruelty  of  which  the  Assyrian 
nation  is  accused.  "  For  the  stone  shall  cry  out  of  the  wall, 
and  the  beam  out  of  the  timber  shall  answer  it.  "Woe  to  him 
that  buildeth  a  town  with  blood,  and  establisheth  a  city  by 
iniquity!"^ 

1  Habakkuk,  ii.  11,  12. 


Fig.  267.— VIEW  OF  THE  TOMB  OF  THE  PROPHET  JOXAH  ON  THE  MOUND  OF 
^MEBBI  YUNI8,  FBOM  ▲  SKETCH  BY  MB.  BOMAINE. 


Fig.  268. — VIEW   FBOM  M080I-,   liOOKINO  OVKB  THB   PLAINS  AND   M0UHD8  OF  NIKEVBH 
TOWASDS  THK  QEBEL  UAKLODB,  FBOM  A  SKETCH  BY  Kfi.  BOKAIMB. 


SECTION  VI. 


INSCRIPTIONS. 


CHAPTER    I. 


AS8TEIAN   HTSCBIPTIONS,    AND    THEIR    INTEEPEETATION. 

The  wedge-shaped  and  arrow-headed  inscriptions  of  the  Assy- 
rian palaces  have  been  frequently  referred  to  during  the  pro- 
gress of  this  narratiye.      The  adventures  and  successes  of 


464         CUNEIFOKM  INSCRIPTIONS  AND  THEIK  INTEEPHETERS. 

European  scholarship  in  interpreting  this  writing  would  entitle 
the  subject  to  especial  notice,  even  were  its  contents  less  im- 
portant to  our  future  knowledge  of  Assyrian  history.  Inscrip- 
tions in  wedge-shaped  characters  are  found,  as  we  have  already 
shown,  on  other  monuments  than  those  of  Nineveh,  and  with 
the  external  appearance  of  these,  Europeans  have  long  been 
familiar  through  copies.  The  wedge-shaped  signs  of  Assyrian 
inscriptions,  or  the  cuneiform  characters,  as  they  are  com- 
monly called,  are  of  two  kinds :  the  first  form  is  that  of  a 
straight  line  divided  at  the  top  like  the  notch  of  an  arrow, 
and  ending  in  a  point  so  as  to  resemble  a  wedge,  while  others 
look  like  the  two  sides  of  an  obtuse  angle.  A  number 
of  these  wedges  of  larger  or  smaller  size,  and  perpendicular  or 
horizontal  in  their  arrangement,  are  grouped  to  form  a  letter, 
and  the  letters  are  separated  from  each  other  by  a  particular 
sign. 

Pietro  della  Valle  and  Figueroa  were  the  first  European  ti-a- 
vellers  who  are  known  to  have  formed  any  conjectures  re- 
specting the  cuneiform  characters  ;  they  supposed  that  the  in- 
scriptions were  to  be  read  from  left  to  right,  and  subsequently 
Chardin  inclined  to  the  same  view,  though  he  thought  they 
might  possibly  be  read  perpendicularly.  Niebuhr  published 
the  earliest  exact  copies  of  cuneiform  inscriptions,  and  in  1798, 
Tychsen,  of  Rostock,  followed  by  Miinster,  of  Copenhagen, 
thought  that  they  had  ascertained  the  characters  to  be  alpha- 
betical, and  to  be  read  from  right  to  left.  Dr.  Hager,  in  1801, 
published  a  dissertation,  to  show  that  the  characters  were  mo- 
nograms ;  and  Lichtenstein  supposed  that  in  the  various  com- 
binations only  one  was  essential,  the  rest  being  added  without 
necessity  or  rule,  each  group  accordingly  having  the  same 
value,  and  finally  that  the  characters  were  to  be  read  from 
right  to  left. 

It  will  be  seen  that  down  to  this  period  no  substantial  pro- 
gress had  been  made  in  interpreting  the]cuneiform.  However, 
in  the  year  1800,  an  unknown  scholar  studying  at  the  univer- 
sity of  Bonn  was  bold  enough  to  attempt,  without  the  advan- 
tages of  Oriental  learning,  to  extract  the  latent  meaning  of 
an  inscription  copied  by  Niebuhr  from  a  monument  at  Per- 
eepolis.  Men  of  the  most  powerful  intellect  had  just  been 
applying  themselves  to  discover  a  phonetic  language  in  the 
hieroglyphics  of  Egypt,  with  what  great  results  is  at  this 


^  TFT  flff=  -"f-  ►^-^ffi-  -^  a-  -^  ^TIf4- 
/>4<X'^^   nay  ^  >^    Y^»»:^ 

^^  TF  T  ><f -^I^  ^    >i-'f'«<t^HRrfr>^ 
"   ^fe  >^TTTN[    t^  ►^  >t-TT^ 

«HIII^'^TTr^3^]i[>H    ^T 


^'f  •  MB<— IMKUBU)  BLAB  IM  BBITISa  MOSKOII.  P>  4M> 


gbotefend's  system.  465 

time  of  day  sufficiently  known.     But  the  Bosetta  stone  dis- 
covered in  Egypt  contained  a  Greek  manuscript  of  the  hiero- 
glyph ical  sentences.     Plutarch  had  dissected  the  Pantheon, 
and  given  the  names  of  the  gods ;  and  Manetho  had  classified 
the  dynasties,  and  transmitted  the  names  of  the  kings :  with- 
out such  helps  the  meaning  of  the  Egyptian  signs  might  have 
remained  a  mystery  to  this  day.     No  similar  aid  awaited  the 
young  German.     The  inscription  upon  which  he  commenced 
his  labours  was  written  in  three  languages;    and  whether 
either  was  a  known  tongue  concealed  under  this  curious  al- 
phabet was  uncertain.    The  first  step,  then,  was  to  find  out 
what  sounds  were  represented  by  these  signs,  before  inquiring 
what  those  sounds  might  signify  when  ascertained.     All  this 
has  been  done ;  and  with  so  much  certainty,  that  Col.  Rawlin- 
son  at  Baghdad,  and  Professor  Lassen  at  Bonn,  could  sit  down 
to  interpret  the  same  passage,  and  furnish  readings  only  just 
discrepant  enough  to  show  that  they  had  not  acted  in  concert. 
Now,  if  this  be  but  an  accidental  coincidence ;  if  by  assuming 
that  certain  unknown  signs  are  the  equivalents  of  certain 
known  letters,  exactly  the  names  which  we  might   expect 
come  out  from  the  process ;  if  the  right  letters  always  occur 
at  the  right  part  of  the  words,  and  are  found  in  other  words 
composed  of  the  same  elements ;  lastly,  if  all  that  is  found  in 
these  inscriptions  when  interpreted  agrees  with  history,  and 
only  varies  to  make  it  fuller   and  more  exact, — then  we 
have  an  accumulation  of  probabilities  in  favour  of  the  sound- 
ness of  the  principle  of  interpretation,  which  cannot  be  re- 
jected without  shaking  the  very  foundations  of  evidence. 

It  was  Professor  Grotefend,  since  Director  of  the  Gymna- 
sium of  Hanover,  who  first  clearly  determined  nearly  one- 
third  of  the  alphabet.  His  first  discovery,  communicated  in 
the  year  1800  to  the  Royal  Society  of  Gottingen,  was  reviewed 
by  Tychsen,  in  the  forty-ninth  number  of  the  Gottingeschen 
Gelehrten  Anzeigen,  September  18,  1802 ;  and  he  afterwards 
wrote  an  account  of  his  system  for  M.  Heeren,  who  published 
it  in  his  "Considerations  on  the  Politics,  Intercourse,  and 
Trade,  of  the  Principal  Nations  of  Antiquity."  Appendix  ii. 
vol.  2.  (Gottingen,  1815.  Oxford  edition,  1833.) 
The  chief  points  of  Grotefend's  systems  ara: — 
That  the  cuneiform  characters  are  neither  simple  nor  nume- 
rical figures,  but  alphabetic  characters. 

H  H 


466  ANCIENT    INSCianiONS^ 


That  the  Persepolitan  inscriptions  contain  three  different 
systems  of  cuneiform,  so  that  the  deciphering  of  one  would 
supply  the  sense  of  the  others. 

That  the  characters  are  not  syllabic,  as  there  are  no  words 
of  ten  syllables. 

That  the  inscriptions  are  to  be  read  from  left  to  right. 

That  the  systems  contain  forty  signs,  including  separate 
characters,  representing  the  long  and  the  short  related  vowels, 
an  opinion  he  supports  by  the  analogy  of  the  Zend.     And, 

That  the  Persepolitan  inscriptions  are  in  Zend,  and  belong 
to  the  period  of  Cyrus  and  Alexander. 

We  cannot  follow  the  entire  process  by  which  Grotefend  ar- 
rived at  these  conclusions  after  more  than  thirty  years  spent 
in  patient  investigation :  a  few  words,  however,  will  serve  to 
indicate  the  system  he  pursued.  Having  in  the  first  instance 
assumed  that  the  inscriptions  related  to  the  kings  whose  por- 
traits they  accompanied,  he  proceeded  to  carefully  examine 
and  analyse  them,  word  by  word,  and  letter  by  letter,  till  at 
length  he  satisfied  himself  that  he  had  found  a  genealogical 
succession  of  three  distinct  proper  names.  His  inquiries  into 
history  having  convinced  him  that  the  inscriptions  themselves 
belonged  to  the  Achsemenian  dynasty,  his  next  step  was  to 
try  the  names  from  Cyrus  downwards ;  and  here  an  important 
difficulty  appeared,  for  the  names  in  the  inscriptions  all  began 
with  difierent  letters,  and  at  the  same  time  were  of  nearly 
equal  length ;  so  that  both  Cyrus  and  Cambyses,  and  Cyrus 
and  Artaxerxes,  were  successions  equally  irreconcilable.  Find- 
ing that  the  first  name  of  the  inscription  contained  seven  letters, 

?7-m-£ T  •I<c  'JE  <t <•  <M.<<A 

he  gave  a  hypothetical  value  to  these — 

D-A-R-H-E-A-       U-  SCH.  (Darius.) 

which  he  compared  with  the  Hebrew  Daryavesch,  Darius. 
The  name  of  Xerxes  appeared  to  be  formed  of  the  following 
letters — 

<'<'ff<<:-K=-rTf-T'fn-\ 

KH  -  SCH-H      -     E     -     R    -    E.  (Xerxes.) 

The  value  of  these  letters  having  been  thus  fixed,  the  first 


ANCIENT  INSCRIPTIONS,  467 

four  letters  of  the  root  of  the  word  which  he  thought  meant 
king  were  KH-SCH-P-H.  He  was  informed  that  in  the  Zend, 
once  spoken  in  the  country  of  the  inscriptions — 

KH  -  SCH  -  E     -     H     -     I     -     O    -    H.    (King.) 

signified  king.  The  proper  name  of  the  king  and  his  title 
having  been  thus  disposed  of,  Grotefend  was  led  by  a  concur- 
rence of  reasons,  apparently  trivial  when  viewed  apart,  but 
sufficiently  conclusive  in  their  connection,  to  consider  the 
third  word  in  each  sentence  which  preceded  the  word  **  king," 
as  an  epithet  or  honorary  title.  It  had  four  letters,  the  first 
of  which,  according  to  the  hypothesis,  ought  to  be  an  E,  and 
the  third  an  R,  to  agree  with  the  same  characters  found  in  the 
name  of  Darius — 

E       -  GH    -    R     -     E.    (Great.) 

This  time  he  went  to  the  Zend,  and  finding  that  the  word 
spelt  E-GH-B-E  meant  "great,"  he  adopted  that  reading 
here.  Grotefend  had  thus  constructed  a  system  by  which  the 
whole  inscription  might  be  read ;  and  he  soon  proceeded  to 
test  it  in  a  manner  which  may  be  more  easily  illustrated  by 
the  English  names.  Thus,  if  the  three  names  were  Hystaspes, 
Darius,  and  Xerxes,  it  is  evident  that  the  first  and  second 
letters  of  the  first  name  should  not  occur  again ;  the  third 
should  occur  as  the  sixth  of  that  name ;  the  t  would  not  again 
appear ;  the  a  must  be  the  second  of  the  second  name ;  the  p 
must  not  occur  again,  but  the  e  should  appear  in  the  third 
name. 

In  its  beginnings,  Grotefend*s  great  discovery  was  thus  a 
guess ;  he  yet  obtained  in  this  manner  the  fragment  of  an  al- 
phabet, and  approached  the  true  mode  of  spelling  so  nearly, 
that  those  best  qualified  to  form  an  opinion,  have  never  hesi- 
tated a  second  as  to  its  adoption. 

An  important  basis  for  future  labours  had  now  been  laid, 
but  beyond  this  nothing  further  appeared,  until  in  1836,  M. 
Bournouf,  a  scholar  distinguished  for  his  intimate  knowledge 
of  the  Zend  language,  interpreted  two  of  the  Hamadan  in- 

hh2 


468  LASSEN    AND    KAWLINSON. 

scriptions,  and  likewise  ascertained  that  one  of  the  Persepo- 
litan  inscriptions  contained  numerous  proper  names  of  ten  syl- 
lables, of  which  he  was  able  to  fix  the  true  reading.  The  al- 
phabet was  considerably  extended  by  this  performance,  and 
confidence  in  its  power  was  so  fully  established,  that  it  only 
needed  the  application  of  a  critical  knowledge  of  Zend,  Sans- 
crit, and  other  dialects  cognate  to  the  old  language  of  Persia, 
to  solve  the  difficulty. 

In  Professor  Lassen,  of  Bonn,  the  pupil  of  A.  "W.  Schlegel, 
a  man  of  almost  universal  Orientalism,  these  requisites  were 
found;  and  between  1836  and  1844  he  published  three  me- 
moirs, developing  an  alphabet  which  left  scarcely  anything 
farther  to  be  accomplished. 

While  the  continental  scholars  were  working  in  their  quiet 
studies  on  copies  of  inscriptions  more  or  less  accurate,  by  some 
happy  fortune  a  young  officer  of  the  East  India  Company's 
army,  not  behind  any  German  recluse  in  antiquarian  zeal,  was 
attached  to  our  mission  in  Persia.  Colonel  Rawlinson,  being 
ignorant  of  what  was  going  on  in  Europe,  or  of  the  processes 
by  which  Grotefend  had  been  led  to  the  discoveries  of  which 
he  had  heard,  set  to  work  to  decipher  two  of  the  inscriptions 
at  Hamadan.  He  found  them  in  every  respect  identical,  ex- 
cept an  epithet,  and  the  groups  being  arranged,  like  Grote- 
fend's,  genealogically,  he  applied  the  same  process,  arrived  at 
the  same  conclusion,  and  succeeded  in  reading  part  of  the  text 
of  the  inscription.  At  this  time  Bournouf  s  work  and  the 
great  Behistun  inscription  supplied  him  with  abundant  analo- 
gical and  analytical  aid;  and  he  eventually  succeeded  in  con- 
structing an  alphabet  which  only  varied  in  a  single  character 
from  that  formed  by  Lassen,  at  Bonn. 

One  of  the  cuneiform  alphabets  had  now  been  deciphered, 
and  the  language  was  found  to  be  an  ancient  Persian,  easily 
interpreted  by  the  analogies  of  modern  Zend,  and  the  Sanscrit 
of  the  Vedas.  The  industry  and  acumen  of  Colonel  Rawlin- 
son has  worked  out  the  problem  so  far,  that  further  inquiry 
will  relate  only  to  the  refinements  of  grammatical  criticism. 

The  same  work  had  now  to  be  performed  for  the  Assyrian 
texts ;  but  here,  while  the  process  of  analysis  was  essentially 
the  same,  its  application  was  accompanied  with  tenfold  diffi- 
culties. The  Persian  alphabet  contained  forty  distinct  cha- 
racters ;  the  Assyrian  text  appeared  to  contain  600.     When 


INSCRIPTIONS. — EAWLINSON.  469 

Bawlinson  had  worked  at  it  for  some  time,  he  found  that  some 
of  these  were  only  variants,  or  slightly  deviating  forms  of  the 
same  letter ;  but  having  discovered  this,  and  determined  the 
value  of  the  alphabetic  letters,  the  language  still  remained  to 
be  mastered.  An  unexpected  aid  was  about  this  time  dis- 
covered. Just  as  Arab,  Persian,  and  Turlc,  exist  side  by  side 
in  Mesopotamia  at  the  present  day,  so  did  the  Assyrian,  the 
Persian  or  Mede,  and  the  Scythian,  in  the  days  of  Darius. 
To  this  circumstance  we  owe  it  that  any  progress  has  been 
made  in  their  decipherment.  All  of  them  are  trilingual :  one 
written  in  Persian,  another  in  Assyrian,  and  a  third  in  a  lan- 
guage which  has  not  yet  been  fully  deciphered.  The  Behistun 
inscription  from  which  Colonel  Eawlinson  picked  out  his  As- 
syrian contains  from  80  to  100  proper  names,  which  he  could 
now  read  in  the  Persian  cuneiform  writing ;  it  was,  therefore, 
not  difficult  to  construct  an  Assyrian  alphabet  pretty  nearly 
accurate.  The  most  frequently  recurring  words  were  soon 
recognised;  and  when  the  sound  had  been  approximatively 
determined,  it  was  found  that  the  language  was  very  nearly 
allied  to  the  Hebrew  and  the  ancient  Chaldee.  It  will  not 
be  supposed  that,  even  after  this  discovery.  Colonel  Eawlin- 
son* s  task  was  henceforth  easy.  Obstacles  lay  in  his  way,  of 
which  students  who  learn  a  language  with  all  the  aids  of 
lexicons,  grammars,  and  annotated  texts,  have  no  conception. 
Thus,  this  Behistun  inscription  is  engraved  on  a  rock  at  an 
elevation  of  300  feet  above  the  plain ;  and  its  delicately- 
executed  characters  had  to  be  read  by  the  aid  of  a  telescope ; 
besides  which,  a  part  of  it  was  peeled  off  and  irrecoverably 
lost.  The  inscriptions  at  Persepolis  were  so  short,  so  crowded 
with  proper  names,  and  so  full  of  repetition,  that  it  was  diffi- 
cult to  ascertain  what  the  real  language  was.  In  spite  of  all 
these  impediments.  Colonel  Bawlinson  considers  the  meaning 
of  about  500  words  as  certainly  determined ;  and  as  these  con- 
tain many  substantives,  verbs,  and  adjectives,  with  probably 
all  the  prepositions,  they  suffice  to  explain  the  meaning  of  any 
simple  record  of  events,  and  such  is  the  character  of  most  of 
these  inscriptions. 

The  inscriptions  at  Khorsabad  are  never  found  upon  any  of 
the  fagades,  but  run  along  the  sides  of  the  chambers,  forming 
a  line  between  the  upper  and  lower  bas-reliefs.  There  are 
also  shorter  ones  engraved  upon  the  bottom  of  the  dresses  of 


470  INSCRIPTIONS. — BAWLINSON. 

the  different  figures,  and  others  still  briefer  between  the  legs 
of  the  bulls  at  the  doorways,  as  well  as  on  the  large  flags 
which  pave  the  entrance  to  the  doors.  Besides  these,  others, 
seemingly  consisting  of  a  single  word,  are  to  be  seen  over  the 
heads  of  captives,  and  the  representation  of  different  towns. 
These  Botta  conjectures  to  be  proper  names.  Another  class  of 
inscriptions  was  discovered  upon  the  back  of  the  gypsum  slabs 
which  formed  the  panelling  of  the  chambers.  Botta  at  first 
accounted  for  this  fact  by  supposing  that  the  remains  of  some 
still  more  ancient  building  had  been  employed  in  the  construc- 
tion of  the  Khorsabad  monument ;  but  as  the  inscriptions  were 
always  the  same,  and  invariably  placed  in  the  very  middle  of 
the  block,  he  came  to  the  conclusion  that  they  must  represent 
the  name  or  genealogy  of  the  monarch  who  raised  the  struc- 
ture, or  else  commemorate  some  historical  fact.  This  suppo- 
sition is  strengthened  by  the  circumstance  that  the  inscriptions 
in  question  are  also  cut  upon  the  sides  of  the  stones  which 
formed  the  angle  of  the  chambers.  They  were  not  executed 
with  the  same  care  and  nicety  as  those  upon  the  walls  of  the 
chambers,  but  were  evidently  placed  in  the  position  they  oc- 
cupied, in  the  same  manner,  and  for  the  same  reasons,  that 
coins  and  medals  are  deposited  under  the  foundation-stones  of 
modern  buildings. 

The  inscriptions  at  Khorsabad  are,  without  exception,  all 
written  in  the  cuneiform  character,  and,  with  few  variations, 
the  same  as  that  employed  at  Nimroud.  This  fact  fixes  the 
date  of  the  monument  anterior  to  the  termination  of  the  As- 
syrian empire.  Botta  gives,  at  great  length,  a  catalogue  of  the 
characters  he  met  with  at  Khorsabad,  and  also  a  list  of  the 
different  groups  formed  by  these  simple  characters  or  elements, 
and  finds  these  groups,  including  the  variations  which  he  ob- 
served in  their  form,  to  amount  to  642.  The  number  of  simple 
elements  in  each  group  varied  from  one  to  fourteen,  but  never 
exceeded  the  latter  number.  Botta  is  of  opinion  that  the  dif- 
ferent groups  are  not  resolvable  into  their  simple  elements,  but 
that  each  represents  a  separate  sound,  as  in  Chinese :  in  this 
view  he  differs  from  all  other  inquirers.  At  Khorsabad  a 
great  many  inscriptions  illustrate  historical  subjects,  and  it 
cannot  be  supposed  that  they  always  contain  the  same  indivi- 
dual words.  With  so  small  a  number  of  groups,  therefore,  it 
is  impossible  each  group  can  have  represented  a  word ;  they 


INSCEIPT10N8.— RA.WLINSON.  4Yl 

must  evidently  stand  for  either  a  letter  or  a  syllable.  The 
words,  too,  generally  consist  of  a  number  of  signs  or  groups, 
varying  from  one  to  four,  from  which  it  may  be  concluded  that 
the  language  is  syllabic,  or  that,  at  least,  the  signs  representing 
the  consonants  contain  also  the  necessary  accompaniment  of 
vowels.  Botta  was  at  first  inclined  to  believe  in  the  co-exist- 
ence of  another  system  of  writing,  on  account  of  the  complexity 
of  the  cuneiform,  and  also  because  he  discovered  bricks,  vases, 
and  gems,  with  inscriptions  somewhat  resembling  the  Phoeni- 
cian character.  He  accounts  for  this,  however,  by  supposing 
that  the  cuneiform  letters  may,  like  the  Chinese,  for  ordinary 
use,  be  written  quickly,  and,  as  is  the  case  with  hieroglyphics, 
be  reduced  to  such  simplicity  as  to  become  almost  irrecog- 
nisable  as  variants  of  the  normal  form.  He  also  suggests,  as  a 
reason  for  the  two  systems  of  writing,  that  as  the  Phoenician- 
like characters  were  always  found  upon  small  articles,  such  as 
gems,  vases,  cylinders,  &c.,  they  might  have  been  the  work  of 
foreign  workmen,  anxious  to  leave  some  mark  of  their  nation- 
ality, or  may  have  been  engraved  by  the  captives  who  were 
kept  prisoners  by  the  monarchs  of  Assyria.  This  may  certainly 
have  been  the  case  at  Babylon,  where  many  of  these  objects 
with  the  inscriptions  in  question  were  discovered,  and  where 
there  was  a  constant  communication  with  the  Phoenician  popu- 
lations inhabiting  the  shores  of  the  Mediterranean. 

There  is  one  remarkable  fact  connected  with  the  cuneiform 
inscriptions  of  Khorsabad.  Ko  modification  ever,  or  hardly 
ever,  is  observable  at  the  commencement,  or  in  the  middle  of 
the  words.  The  termination  alone  is  affected.  This  peculi- 
arity, Botta  thought,  went  far  to  prove  that  the  language  was 
not  Semitic,  as  in  the  latter  class  of  languages  the  changes 
always  occur  in  the  beginning ;  nor  is  it  of  the  Arian  family, 
as  there  are  no  traces  of  prefixed  prepositions  or  composed 
words. 

Having  given,  we  trust,  full  credit  to  the  acumen  of  Grote- 
fend  and  to  the  profound^learning  and  skill  of  Lassen,  we  may 
now  devote  the  remainder  of  our  space  to  an  account  of  the 
labours  of  our  own  countryman,  Rawlinson,  of  whom  every 
Englishman  may  well  be  proud.  We  shall  do  this  chiefly  in  his 
own  words,  as  contained  in  the  "Journal  of  the  Asiatic  Society.** 
In  a  memoir,  prepared  in  1839,  but  not  then  published,  the 


472  INSCBIPTIONS. RAWLINSON. 

Colonel  thus  wrote  respecting  the  labours  of  his  predeces- 
sors : — 

"  It  -would  be  interesting,  perhaps,  to  the  lovers  of  Oriental 
literature,  if  I  could  open  the  present  memoir  with  a  detailed 
account  of  the  progress  of  cuneiform  discovery,  from  the  time 
when  Professor  Grotefend  first  deciphered  the  names  of  Cyrus, 
Xerxes,  and  Darius,  to  the  highly  improved  condition  which 
the  inquiry  now  exhibits ;  but  my  long  absence  from  Europe, 
where  the  researches  of  Orientalists  have  been  thus  gradually 
perfecting  the  system  of  interpretation,  while  it  has  prevented 
me  from  applying  my  own  labours  to  the  current  improvements 
of  the  day,  has  also  rendered  me  quite  incompetent  to  discrim- 
inate the  dates  and  forms  under  which  these  improvements 
have  been  given  to  the  world.  The  table,  however,  in  which 
I  have  arranged  the  different  alphabetical  systems  adopted  both 
by  continental  students  and  by  myself,  will  give  a  general 
view  of  their  relative  conditions  of  accuracy,  and — supposing 
the  correctness  of  my  own  alphabet  to  be  verified  by  the  test 
of  my  translations — it  will  also  show  that  the  progress  of  dis- 
covery has  kept  pace  pretty  uniformly  with  the  progress  of 
inquiry. 

"  Professor  Grotefend  has  certainly  the  credit  of  being  the 
first  who  opened  a  gallery  in  this  treasure  house  of  antiquity. 
In  deciphering  the  names  of  Cyrus,  Darius,  Xerxes,  and  Hys- 
taspes,  he  obtained  the  true  determination  of  nearly  a  third  of 
the  entire  alphabet,  and  thus  at  once  supplied  a  sure  and  ample 
basis  for  further  research.  M.  Saint  Martin,  who  resumed  the 
inquiry  on  its  being  abandoned  by  the  German  professor,  im« 
proved  but  little  on  the  labours  of  his  predecessor :  but  shortly 
afterwards  Professor  Rask  discovered  the  two  characters  re- 
presenting M  and  K,  which  led  to  several  most  important 
verifications. 

"  The  memoir  of  M.  Bournouf  on  the  two  cuneiform  inscrip- 
tions of  Hamadan,  published  in  1 836,  added  several  discoveries 
of  interest;  and  the  recent  researches  of  Professor  Lassen, 
supplying  an  identification  of  at  least  twelve  characters,  which 
had  been  mistaken  by  all  his  predecessors,  may  entitle  him 
almost  to  contest  with  Professor  Grotefend  the  palm  of  alpha- 
betical discovery. 

*'  In  a  very  few  cases  only,  which  may  be  seen  on  a  reference 
to  the  compai'ative  table,  have  I  indeed  found  occasion  to  differ 


INSCRIPTIONS. — ^HAWLINSON.  473 

with  him  as  to  the  phonetic  power  of  the  characters,  and  in 
some  of  the  cases  even,  owing  to  the  limited  field  of  inquiry,  I 
have  little  more  than  conjecture  to  guide  me. 

"  But  in  thus  tracing  the  outlines  of  the  discovery  as  far  as 
they  are  at  present  known  to  me,  and  in  thus  disclaiming  any 
pretension  to  originality  as  far  as  regards  the  alphabet  which 
I  have  finally  decided  on  adopting,  I  think  it  due  to  myself  to 
state  briefly  and  distinctly  how  far  I  am  indebted  for  my  know- 
ledge of  the  cuneiform  character,  and  of  the  language  of  the 
inscriptions,  to  the  labours  of  continental  students  which  have 
preceded  the  present  publication.  It  was  in  the  year  1835 
that  I  first  undertook  the  investigation  of  the  cuneiform  cha- 
racter. I  was  at  that  time  only  aware  that  Professor  Grote- 
fend  had  deciphered  some  of  the  names  of  the  early  sove- 
reigns of  the  house  of  Achsemenes ;  but  in  my  isolated  position 
at  Kermanshah,  on  the  western  frontier  of  Persia,  I  could 
neither  obtain  a  copy  of  his  alphabet,  nor  could  I  discover 
what  particular  inscriptions  he  had  examined.  The  first  ma- 
terials which  I  submitted  to  analysis  were  the  sculptured 
tablets  of  Hamadan,  carefully  and  accurately  copied  by  myself 
upon  the  spot ;  and  I  afterwards  found  that  I  had  thus,  by  a 
singular  accident,  selected  the  mbst  favourable  inscriptions  of 
the  class  which  existed  in  all  Persia  for  resolving  the  diffi- 
culties of  an  unknown  character. 

"These  tablets  consist  of  two  trilingual  inscriptions,  en- 
graved by  Darius  Hystaspes  and  his  son  Xerxes.  They  com- 
mence with  the  same  invocation  to  Ormazd  (with  the  exception 
of  a  single  epithet  omitted  in  the  tablet  of  Darius);  they 
contain  the  same  enumeration  of  the  royal  titles,  and  the  same 
statement  of  paternity  and  family ;  and,  in  fact,  they  are  iden- 
tical, except  in  the  names  of  the  kings  and  in  those  of  their 
respective  fathers.  When  I  proceeded,  therefore,  to  compare 
and  interline  the  two  inscriptions  (or  rather,  the  Persian  co- 
lumns of  the  two  inscriptions ;  for  as  the  compartments  exhi- 
biting the  inscription  in  the  Persian  language  occupied  the 
principal  place  in  the  tablets,  and  were  engraved  in  the  least 
complicated  of  the  three  classes  of  cuneiform  writing,  they 
were  naturally  first  submitted  to  examination),  I  found  that 
the  characters  coincided  throughout,  except  in  certain  parti- 
cular groups,  and  it  was  only  reasonable  to  suppose  that  the 
groups  which  were  thus  brought  out  and  individualised  must 


474  INSCRIPTIONS. — BAWLIN80N. 

represent    proper  names.      I   further  remarked,  that  there 
were  but  three  of  these  distinct  groups  in  the  two  inscriptions ; 
for  the  group  which  occupied  the  second  place  in  one  in- 
scription, and  which,  from  its  position,  suggested  the  idea  of 
its  representing  the  name  of  the  father  of  the  king  who  was 
there  commemorated,  corresponded  with  the  group  which  oc- 
cupied the  first  place  in  the  other  inscription,  and  thus  not 
only  served  determinately  to  connect  the  two  inscriptions  toge- 
ther, but  assuming  the  groups  to  represent  proper  names,  ap- 
peared also  to  indicate  a  genealogical  succession.     The  natural 
inference  is,  that  in  these  three  groups  of  characters  I  had 
obtained  the  proper  names  belonging  to  three  consecutive  ge- 
nerations of  the  Persian  monarchy ;  and  it  so  happened  that 
the  first  three  names  of  Hystaspes,  Darius,  and  Xerxes,  which 
I  applied  at  hazard  to  the  three  groups,  according  to  the  suc- 
cession, proved  to  answer  in  all  respects  satisfactorily,  and 
were  in  fact  the  true  identifications.** 

The  Colonel  is  not  able,  after  the  lapse  of  so  many  years,  to 
describe  the  means  by  which  he  ascertained  the  power  of  each 
particular  letter,  or  to  discriminate  the  respective  dates  of  the 
discoveries ;  but  he  has  no  doubt  that  some  years  ago  he  could 
have  explained  the  manner  in  which  he  had  identified  these 
eighteen  characters  before  he  met  with  the  alphabets  of  Gro- 
tefend  and  Saint  Martin. 

He  continues :  "  It  would  be  fatiguing  to  detail  the  gradual 
progress  which  I  made  in  the  enquiry  during  the  ensuing  year. 
The  collation  of  the  two  first  paragraphs  of  the  great  Behistun 
inscription  with  the  tablets  of  Elwand  supplied  me,  in  addi- 
tion to  the  names  of  Hystaspes,  Darius,  and  Xerxes,  with  the 
native  forms  of  Arsames,  Ariaramnes,  Teispes,  Achaemenes, 
and  Persia,  and  with  a  few  old  words,  regarding  which,  how- 
ever, I  was  not  very  confident ;  and  thus  enabled  me  to  con- 
struct an  alphabet  which  assigned  the  same  determinate  values 
to  eighteen  characters  that  I  still  retain  after  three  years  of 
further  investigation. 

**  During  a  residence  at  Teheran  in  the  autumn  of  1836, 1 
had  first  an  opportunity  of  becoming  acquainted  with  the 
labours  of  Grotefend  and  Saint  Martin.  In  Heeren*8  Ideeny 
and  in  Klapworth's  Aper^u  de  VOrigine  des  diver ses  JEcritureSf  I 
found  the  cuneiform  alphabets  and  translations  which  had  been 
adopted  la  Germany  and  France :  but  far  from  deriving  any 


INSCBEPTIONS. — BAWLINSON.  475 

assistance  from  either  of  these  sources,  I  could  not  doubt  that 
ray  own  knowledge  of  the  character,  verified  by  its  application 
to  many  names  which  had  not  come  under  the  observations  of 
Grotefend  and  Saint  Martin,  was  much  in  advance  of  their 
respective,  and  in  some  measure  conflicting,  systems  of  inter- 
pretation. As  there  were  many  letters,  however,  regarding 
■which  I  was  still  in  doubt,  and  as  I  had  made  very  little  pro- 
gress in  the  language  of  the  inscriptions,  I  deferred  the 
announcement  of  my  discoveries  until  I  was  in  a  better  con- 
dition to  turn  them  to  account. 

"In  the  year  1837  I  copied  all  the  other  paragraphs  of  the 
great  Behistun  inscription  that  form  the  subject  of  the  present 
memoir;  and  during  the  winter  of  that  year,  whilst  I  was 
still  under  the  impression  that  cuneiform  discovery  in  Europe 
was  in  the  same  imperfect  state  in  which  it  had  been  ]eft  at 
the  period  of  Saint  Martin's  decease,  I  forwarded  to  the  Koyal 
Asiatic  Society  my  translation  of  the  two  first  paragraphs  of 
the  Behistun  inscription,  which  recorded  the  titles  and  genea- 
logy of  Darius  Hystaspes.  It  is  important  to  observe  that 
these  paragraphs  would  have  been  wholly  inexplicable  accord- 
ing to  the  systems  of  interpretation  adopted  either  by  Grotefend 
or  Saint  Martin ;  and  yet  the  original  Prench  and  German 
alphabets  were  the  only  extraneous  sources  of  information 
which,  up  to  that  period,  I  had  been  enabled  to  consult.  It 
was  not,  indeed,  until  the  receipt  of  the  letters  which  had 
been  sent  to  me  from  London  and  Paris,  in  answer  to  my  com- 
munication to  the  Royal  Asiatic  Society,  that  I  was  made 
acquainted  even  with  the  fact  of  the  inquiry  having  been 
resumed  by  the  Orientalists  of  Europe;  and  a  still  further 
period  elapsed  before  I  learnt  details  of  the  progress  that  had 
been  made  upon  the  Continent  in  deciphering  the  inscriptions 
simultaneously  with  my  own  researches  in  Persia.  The 
memoir  of  M.  Bournouf  on  the  inscriptions  of  Hamadsin, 
which  was  forwarded  to  me  by  the  learned  author,  and  which 
reached  me  at  Teheran  in  the  summer  of  1838,  showed  me 
that  I  had  been  anticipated  in  the  announcement  of  many  of 
the  improvements  that  I  had  made  on  the  system  of  M.  Saint 
Martin ;  but  I  still  found  several  essential  points  of  difference 
between  the  Paris  alphabet  and  that  which  I  had  formed  from 
the  writing  at  Behistun,  and  my  observations  on  a  few  of  these 
points  of  difference  I  at  once  submitted  to  M.  Bournouf, 


476  INSCRIPTIONS. — KA.WL1NS0N. 

througli  the  Secretary  of  the  Royal  Asiatic  Society  of  London. 
The  materials  with  which  I  had  hitherto  worked  were  fur  from 
being  complete.  Theinscriptionswhich  Ihad copied  at  Hamadan 
and  Behistun  supplied  my  only  means  of  alphabetical  analysis ; 
and  the  researches  of  Anquetil  du  Perron,  together  with  a  few 
Zend  MSS.,  obtained  in  Persia,  and  interpreted  for  me  by  an 
ignorant  priest  of  Yezd,  were  my  only  guides  in  acquiring  a 
knowledge  of  the  ancient  language  of  the  country.  In  the 
autumn,  however,  of  1838,  I  was  in  a  condition  to  prosecute 
the  inquiry  on  a  far  more  extended  and  satisfactory  scale.  The 
admirable  commentary  on  the  Ya9na  by  M.  Bournouf,  was 
transmitted  to  me  by  Dr.  Mohl,  of  Paris,  and  I  there  for  tlie 
first  time  found  the  language  of  the  Zend  Avesta  critically 
analysed,  and  its  orthographical  and  grammatical  structure 
clearly  and  scientifically  developed.  To  this  work  I  owe  in  a 
great  measure  the  success  of  my  translations ;  for  although  I 
conjecture  the  Zend  to  be  a  later  language  than  that  of  the 
inscriptions,  upon  the  dSbris  of  which,  indeed,  it  was  probably 
refined  and  systematised,  yet  I  believe  it  to  approach  nearer  to 
the  Persian  of  the  ante- Alexandrian  ages  than  any  other 
dialect  of  the  family,  except  the  Vedic  Sanscrit,  that  is  avail- 
able to  modern  research.  At  the  same  time,  also,  that  I 
acquired,  through  the  luminous  critique  of  M.  Bournouf,  an 
insight  into  the  peculiarities  of  Zend  expression,  and  by  this 
means  obtained  a  general  knowledge  of  the  grammatical  struc- 
ture of  the  language  of  the  inscriptions,  I  had  the  good  fortune 
to  procure  copies  of  the  Persepolitan  tablets  which  had  been 
published  by  Niebuhr,  Le  Brun,  and  Porter,  and  which  had 
hitherto,  formed  the  chief  basis  of  continental  study.  The 
enumeration  of  the  provinces  tributary  to  Darius  Hystaspes 
I  found  to  be  in  a  greater  detail,  and  in  a  far  better  state  of 
preservation,  in  the  Persepolitan  inscription,  than  in  the  cor- 
responding list  which  I  had  obtained  at  Behistun ;  and  with 
this  important  help,  I  was  soon  afterwards  able  to  complete 
the  alpiiabet  which  I  have  employed  in  the  present  translations. 
"On  my  arrival  at  Baghdad  during  the  present  year  I 
deferred  the  completion  of  ray  translations,  and  of  the  memoir 
by  which  I  designed  to  establish  and  explain  them,  until  I 
obtained  books  from  England  which  might  enable  me  to  study 
with  more  care  the  peculiarities  of  Sanscrit  grammar ;  and  in 
the  meantime  I  busied  myself  with  comparative  geography. 


INSCRIPTIONS. — RAWLINSON.  477 

It  was  at  this  period  that  I  received  through  the  Vice-President 
of  the  Royal  Asiatic  Society  a  letter  from  Professor  Lassen, 
containing  a  precis  of  his  last  improved  system  of  interpre- 
tation; and  the  Bonn  alphabet  I  recognised  at  once  to  be 
infinitely  superior  to  any  other  that  had  previously  fallen  under 
my  observation.  The  Professor's  views,  indeed,  coincided  in 
all  essential  points  with  my  own,  and  since  I  have  been  enabled, 
with  the  help  of  Sanscrit  and  Zend  affinities,  to  analyse  nearly 
every  word  of  the  cuneiform  inscriptions  hitherto  copied  in 
Persia,  and  thus  to  verify  the  alphabetical  power  of  almost 
every  cuneiform  character,  I  have  found  the  more  reason  to 
admire  the  skill  of  Professor  Lassen,  who,  with  such  very 
limited  materials  as  were  alone  at  his  disposal  in  Europe,  has 
still  arrived  at  results  so  remarkably  correct.  The  close 
approximation  of  my  own  alphabet  to  that  adopted  by  Professor 
Lassen  will  be  apparent  on  a  reference  to  the  comparative 
table ;  and  although,  in  point  of  fact,  the  Professor's  labours 
have  been  of  no  further  assistance  to  me  than  in  adding  one 
new  character  to  my  alphabet,  and  in  confirming  opinions 
which  were  sometimes  conjectural,  and  which  generally 
required  verification,  yet  as  the  improvements  which  his  sys- 
tem of  interpretation  makes  upon  the  alphabet  employed  by 
M.  Boumouf  appear  to  have  preceded  not  only  the  announce- 
ment, but  the  adoption  of  my  own  views,  I  cannot  pretend  to 
contest  with  him  the  priority  of  alphabetical  discovery.  Whilst 
employed  in  writing  the  present  memoir,  I  have  had  further 
opportunities  of  examining  the  Persepolitan  inscriptions  of 
Mr.  Kich,  and  the  Persian  inscription  of  Xerxes,  which  is 
found  at  Vdn ;  and  I  have  also,  in  the  pages  of  the  Journal 
Asiatiqtief  been  introduced  to  a  better  knowledge  of  the  Pehlevi, 
by  Dr.  Miiller,  and  I  have  obtained  some  acquaintance  with 
Professor  Lassen's  translations,  from  the  perusal  of  one  of  the 
critical  notices  of  M.  Jacquet." 

Respecting  cuneiform  writing  in  general,  Rawlinson  observes, 
that  the  Babylonian  is  unquestionably  the  most  ancient  of  the 
great  classes  of  cuneiform  writing.  It  is  well  known  that 
legends  in  this  character  are  stamped  upon  the  bricks  which 
are  excavated  from  the  foundations  of  all  the  buildings  in 
Mesopotamia,  Babylonia,  and  Chaldsea,  that  possess  the  highest 
and  most  authentic  claims  to  antiquity :  and  it  is  hardly  extra- 
vagant, therefore,  to  assign  its  invention  to  the  primitive  race 


478  IlfSCRIPTIONS. — EAWLINSON". 

•which  settled  in  the  plains  of  Shinar.  It  embraces,  however, 
80  many  varieties,  and  is  spread  over  such  a  vast  extent  of 
country,  that  Orientalists  have  been  long  divided  in  opinion  as 
to  whether  its  multitudinous  branches  can  be  considered  as 
belonging  to  one  type  of  alphabet  and  language.  Those  who 
have  studied  the  subject  with  most  care  have  arrived  at  the 
conviction  that  all  the  inscriptions  in  the  complicated  cuneiform 
character,  which  are  severally  found  upon  rocks,  upon  bricks, 
upon  slabs,  and  upon  cylinders,  from  the  Persian  mountains  to 
the  shores  of  the  Mediterranean,  do  in  reality  belong  to  one 
single  alphabetical  system ;  and  they  further  believe  the 
variations  which  are  perceptible  in  the  different  modes  of 
writing  to  be  analogous,  in  a  general  measure,  to  the  varieties 
of  hand  and  text  which  characterise  the  graphic  and  glj-phic 
arts  of  the  present  day.  Colonel  Rawlinson,  however,  can 
hardly  subscribe  in  all  its  amplitude  to  this  general  and 
complete  amalgamation.  He  perceives  modifications  of  a 
constant  and  peculiar  character,  which  though  insufficient  to 
establish  a  distinction  of  phonetic  organisation  between  the 
Babylonian  and  Assyrian  writing,  but  which  may  be  held, 
nevertheless,  to  constitute  varieties  of  alphabetical  formation  : 
and  the  inscriptions  of  Elymais  also,  from  their  manifest  dissi- 
milarity to  either  one  system  or  the  other,  are  entitled,  he 
considers,  to  an  independent  rank.  He  then  proceeds  to  exhi- 
bit  a  classification  of  the  complicated  cuneiform  writing, 
according  to  the  opinions  which  he  has  formed  from  an  exten- 
sive examination  of  the  inscriptions ;  premising,  at  the  same 
time,  that  he  sees  no  sufficient  grounds  at  present  to  prevent 
us  from  attaching  all  the  languages  which  the  various  alpha- 
bets are  employed  to  represent,  to  that  one  great  family,  which 
it  is  the  custom  (improperly  enough)  to  designate  as  the 
Semitic ;  and  that  he  leaves  untouched  the  great  and  essential 
question,  whether  the  difference  of  character  indicates  a  dif- 
ference of  orthographical  structure,  or  whether  the  varieties 
of  formation  are  merely  analogous  to  the  diversity  which  exists 
between  the  Estranghelo  and  the  Kestorian  alphabet,  the 
printed  and  the  cursive  Hebrew,  or  the  Cufic  and  the  modern 
Arabic. 

The  complicated  cuneiform  character,  then,  may,  he  thinks, 
be  divided  into  three  distinct  groups — Babylonian,  Assyrian, 
and  Elymsean  j  and  the  two  former  of  these  groups  will  again 


INSCBIPTIONS. — KAWLINSON.  479 

admit  of  subdivision  into  minor  branches.  Of  the  Babylonian 
there  are  only  two  marked  varieties;  the  character  of  the 
cylinders  may  be  considered  as  the  type  of  the  one ;  that  of  the 
third  column  of  the  trilingual  inscriptions  of  Persia,  of  the 
other.  The  former  is  probably  the  primitive  cuneiform 
alphabet.  It  is  also  of  extensive  application ;  it  is  found  upon 
the  bricks  which  compose  the  foundations  of  the  primaeval 
cities  of  Shinar,  at  Babylon,  at  Erech,  at  Accad,  and  at  Calneh  ; 
and  if  the  Birs-i-Nimroud  be  admitted  to  represent  the  tower 
of  Babel,  an  identification  which  is  supported,  not  merely  by 
the  character  of  the  monument,  but  by  the  universal  belief 
of  the  early  Talmudists,  it  must,  in  the  substructure  of  that 
edifice,  embody  the  vernacular  dialect  of  Shinar  at  the  period 
when  "  the  earth  was  of  Que  language  and  of  one  speech." 
But  it  was  not  confined,  as  has  been  sometimes  supposed,  to 
cylinders  and  bricks.  It  has  the  same  title  as  that  of  the 
trilingual  inscriptions  to  be  considered  a  lapidary  character ; 
for  we  have  specimens  of  it  on  Sir  Harford  Jones's  great  slab, 
published  by  the  Honourable  the  East  India  Company  in  1803, 
as  well  as  upon  numerous  stones  and  hard- baked  pieces  of  clay 
that  have  been  disinterred  at  Babylon  at  different  periods. 
Nor  was  its  employment,  or  at  any  rate  its  intelligence,  restricted 
to  that  immediate  vicinity;  Rawlinson  copied,  in  the  year 
1836,  a  very  perfect  inscription  of  thirty- three  lines  in  this 
character,  from  a  broken  obelisk  on  the  mound  of  Susa ;  and 
a  black  stone,  which  is  engraved  with  1 04  short  lines,  of  the 
same  writing,  and  which  is  now  in  the  possession  of  the  Earl  of 
Aberdeen,  was  excavated  not  long  ago  from  the  ruins  of 
Nineveh. 

The  second  form  of  this  alphabet  is  the  best  known,  as  it  is 
also  unquestionably  the  least  ancient,  branch  of  the  Babylonian 
writing.  It  is  employed  with  little  or  no  variation  of  type  to 
represent  the  transcript  in  the  third  column  of  all  the  trilingual 
tablets  of  Persia,  and  it  may  perhaps  therefore  be  not  inappro- 
priately termed  the  AchaBmenian-Babylonian.  By  what  means 
it  became  simplified  from  the  primitive  writing,  or  by  how  many 
centuries  its  adoption  preceded  the  rise  of  the  Achaemenian 
dynasty,  we  have  no  data  at  present  for  determining ;  but  that 
it  was  in  use  until  a  late  period  of  the  Persian  empire,  is  proved 
by  the  inscription  on  a  vase  in  the  treasury  of  St  Mark's  at 
Venice,  which  records  the  name  and  titles  of  Artaxerxes  (Ochus) 


480  KAWLINSON    ON    THE   ASSTKIAN   ALPHABETS. 

in  hieroglyphics  and  in  the  trilingual  characters  of  the  Achae- 
menians.  It  is  curious  to  remark  that  although  at  Persepolis, 
at  Hamaddn,  at  Ydn,  and  at  Behistun,  this  writing  exhibits  no 
sensible  variety,  it  may  be  doubted  if  a  genuine  Babylonian 
monument  has  been  ever  met  with  of  which  the  character  is 
precisely  identical.  The  inscriptions  published  by  Rich  are 
certainly  a  near  approximation,  and  Grotefend  observes  that  the 
writing  upon  the  stone  described  by  Mr.  Millin  partly  resembles 
the  same  type ;  but  Rawlinson  repeats  that  he  is  not  aware  of 
any  legend  discovered  at  Babylon  that  may  lay  claim  to  an 
absolute  identity ;  and  this  is  the  more  to  be  regretted,  as  we 
are  indebted  to  the  trilingual  inscriptions  of  Persia  for  our  only 
key  to  the  decipherment  of  the  Babylonian  alphabet,  and  any 
variation,  accordingly,  from  the  former  type  seriously  impedes 
the  extension  of  the  inquiry. 

Respecting  the  Assyrian  character,  Rawlinson  says :  "  M. 
Botta,  who  has  exhumed,  under  the  liberal  patronage  of  the 
French  government,  the  multitudinous  inscriptions  of  Khorsa- 
bad,  and  who  will  shortly,  it  is  hoped,  confer  a  more  important 
benefit  upon  science  by  rendering  their  contents  intelligible, 
regards  the  Assyrian  writing,  wherever  it  may  exist,  as  of  one 
common  and  universal  type.  I  do  not  pretend  at  present  to 
contest  this  view,  as  far  as  it  may  concern  either  the  language 
or  its  alphabetical  structure;  but  in  respect  to  the  configuration 
of  the  character,  it  requires,  I  think,  to  be  somewhat  modified. 
If  the  permutations  of  letters  occurring  in  certain  words  (par- 
ticularly names)  at  Van  and  at  Khorsabad,  were  regular  and 
constant,  or  if  the  frequent  repetition  of  those  words,  either  at 
one  place  or  the  other,  by  a  different  employment  of  signs 
connected  the  two  systems  of  orthography  together,  and  ex- 
plained the  process  of  amplifying,  abridging,  or  modifying  the 
respective  characters  at  will,  then,  by  an  extensive  assortment 
of  variants,  the  alphabets  perhaps  might  be  brought  to  coalesce ; 
but  such  I  cannot  find  to  be  the  case.  On  the  contrary,  I  per- 
ceive characters  at  V4n  which  never  occur  at  Khorsabad,  and 
vice  versd  ;  and  without  impugning,  therefore,  in  any  way,  the 
possible  identity  of  language,  or  the  probable  identity  of  its 
phonetic  organisation,  as  I  have  distinguished  between  the 
Babylonian  writing  of  the  primitive  and  Achaeraenian  periods, 
so  do  I  also  recognise  a  difierence  between  the  Medo- Assyrian 
and  the  Assyrian  alphabets.     By  the  Medo-Assyrian  alphabet 


EA.WLIN80N   ON   THE  ASSTRIAB"   ALPHABETS.  481 

I  indicate  that  which  Twith  the  exception  of  the  trilingual 
inscription  of  Xerxes)  is  exclusively  found  on  the  rocks  at 
Vdn  and  its  neighbourhood,  which  occura  at  Ddsh  Tappeh,  in 
the  plain  of  Miydndkb,  and  on  the  stone  pillar  at  the  pass  of 
Kel-i-Shin,  and  which,  as  far  as  I  can  judge  from  an  imperfect 
specimen  of  the  writing,  is  also  the  character  employed  in  a 
rock  inscription  on  the  banks  of  the  Euphrates,  between  the 
towns  of  Malatieh  and  Kharput.  The  Assyrian  alphabet,  on 
the  other  hand,  appears  to  be  peculiar  to  the  plains  of  Assyria, 
In  this  character  are  engraved  the  entire  series  of  the  marbles 
of  Khorsabad.  Broken  slabs  bearing  the  same  writing  have 
been  excavated  from  the  ruins  of  Nineveh,  and  I  was  also  lately 
favoured  with  the  fragment  of  a,n  inscription  from  Nimroud 
(perhaps  the  Eehoboth  of  Scripture),  which  is  unquestionably 
of  the  Assyrian  type.  The  bricks,  moreover,  which  I  have 
seen  from  Khorsabad,  Nineveh,  and  Mmroud,  are,  as  might  be 
expected,  impressed  with  legends  in  the  Assyrian  character, 
and  exhibit,  in  this  respect,  a  very  remarkable  difference  from 
the  relics  of  the  same  class  in  Babylonia.  Unfortunately  I 
have  never  been  able  to  obtain  bricks  stamped  with  the  cunei,. 
form  character  from  either  of  the  sites,  which  I  suppose  to 
represent  the  sister  capitals  of  Kesen  and  Calah.  Such  relics, 
however,  I  have  every  reason  to  believe,  are  found  both  at 
Shahrizor  and  at  Holw&n,  and  if,  when  submitted  to  examina- 
tion, the  writing  should,  prove  to  be  of  the  Nineveh  type,  we 
then  may  claim  for  the  Assyrian  character  an  antiquity  of  in- 
vention and  An  extensiveness  of  employment  almost  equal  to 
that  of  the  primitive  Babylonian, 

'*I  have  already  mentioned  the  disinterment  of  a  stone  from 
the  ruins  of  Nineveh,  which  exhibits  a  very  long  and  perfect 
inscription  in  the  character  of  the  Babylonian  cylinders.  The 
discovery  of  this  relic,  however,  in  situ,  does  not,  as  it  appears 
to  me,  necessarily  confound  the  limits  of  Assyrian  and  Baby- 
lonian writing.  It  was  probably  of  foreign  manufacture,  and 
may  have  been  preserved  by  some  inhabitants  of  Nineveh  as 
an  amulet  or  sacred  curiosity.  Under  any  circumstances,  it 
can  only  be  regarded  as  a  specimen  sui  gmeris ;  for  the 
usual  writing  which  is  found  upon  cylindrical  pieces  of  hard- 
baked  clay  excavated  from  Nineveh  is  quite  distinct  from  any 
variety  of  character  which  occurson  similar  relics  at  Babylon, 
The  Assyrian  running-hand,  as  it  may  be  called,  is  e^^tremely 

I  I 


482  RAWLINSON   ON  THE  ASSTBIAN  ALPHABETS. 

minute  and  confused,  and  the  letters,  by  their  sloping  position, 
are  made  so  thoroughly  to  intermingle,  that  it  is  almost  impos- 
sible to  discriminate  their  respective  forms.  Mr.  Eich 
(^Babylon  and  FersepoUs,  Plate  9,  No.  5)  has  published  a  frag- 
ment of  writing  which  appears  to  me  to  be  in  this  difficidt 
character ;  numerous  specimens  of  it  are  to  be  found  in  the 
museums  of  Europe,  but  by  far  the  most  interesting  and 
perfect  relic  of  the  class  that  has  been  ever  hitherto  disco-  ^ 

covered,  is  a  hexagonal  cylinder  of  clay,  in  the  possession  of 
Colonel  Taylor,  which  exhibits  on  each  side  between  seventy 
and  eighty  lines  of  writing,  in  excellent  preservation,  but  so 
elaborately  minute  as,  I  fear,  to  defy  all  attempts  at  analysis. 
I  have,  indeed,  a  paper  impression  of  this  curious  record,  in 
which  the  relief  of  the  characters  is  more  clearly  marked  than 
on  the  original  cylinder,  and  yet,  although  I  have  repeatedly 
examined  it  with  the  aid  of  a  magnifier,  I  hesitate  to  say 
whether  it  most  resembles  the  writings  of  KJiorsabad  or 
Van. 

**  Before  I  quit  the  subject  of  the  Assyrian  inscriptions,  I 
must  also  notice  the  tablets  at  the  mouth  of  the  Nahr-el-Kalb, 
in  the  vicinity  of  Beyrout.  I  remember  to  have  seen  in  Persia 
many  years  ago  a  lithographed  sketch  of  the  entire  sculptures, 
executed  by  Mr.  Bonomi ;  but,  as  far  as  my  recollection  serves 
me,  there  was  no  attempt  in  that  sketch  to  delineate  the  forms 
of  the  characters.  At  present,  I  can  only  consult  a  drawing 
of  the  principal  figure,  made  by  an  Armenian  gentleman, 
together  with  a  few  detached  specimens  of  characters ;  and  I 
find  from  the  materials  that,  although  the  style  of  sculpture  at 
the  Nahr-al-Kalb  resembles  in  every  particular  the  figures  at 
Khorsabad,  the  letters  appear  to  be  of  the  Medo-Assyrian 
type — a  circumstance  which,  if  it  should  be  verified  by  more 
elaborate  examination,  will  have  the  important  effect  of  deter- 
minately  connecting  the  monuments  of  Van  and  Khorsabad. 
At  any  rate,  in  a  locality  accessible  at  all  times  to  European 
curiosity,  a  question  of  so  much  interest  to  historical  research 
ought  not  to  remain  long  in  doubt. 

"  It  will  thus  be  seen  that  the  classification  which  I  have 
adopted  of  the  complicated  cuneiform  writing,  embraces  the 
following  divisions : — 

(Primitive  Babylonian, 
Achaemenian  Babylonian ; 


KAWLIN80N  ON  THE  ALPHABET  AND  WRITING.  483 

r  Medo- Assyrian, 
\  Assyrian ; 
Elymaean. 

"  It  is  not  my  intention  in  this  place  to  discuss  the  affinities 
of  the  respective  alphabets.  They  all  possess  a  great  number 
of  signs  in  common,  but  there  are  also  certain  characters  pecu- 
liar to  each  system,  which,  as  they  are  constant  in  their 
respective  localities,  can  hardly  be  explained  by  the  caprice  or 
extravagance  of  the  artist.  M.  Botta  has  observed,  that  a 
person  who  can  read  the  Khorsabad  inscriptions  can  read  every 
other  species  of  the  complicated  character ;  and  I  consider  his 
opinions  entitled  to  the  utmost  respect ;  but  the  principle  will 
certainly  not  hold  good  in  an  inverse  application,  for  my  own 
acquaintance  with  the  Achsemenian  Babylonian  is  of  some 
extent,  and  yet  I  have  not  hitherto  succeeded  in  identifying  a 
single  name  in  the  tablets  of  Vdn  or  Khorsabad. 

*'  I  will  now  add  a  few  remarks  on  the  attempts  which  have 
hitherto  been  made  to  decipher  this  interesting  character. 
Germany  took  the  lead  in  the  inquiry.  In  the  Mines  de  V  Orient ^ 
vols.  IV.,  v.,  and  VI.  (1814 — 1816),  there  are  several  elaborate 
papers  on  the  subject ;  and  I  learn  from  Professor  Grotefend's 
Essay  on  the  cuneiform  character,  forming  appendix  l^o.  2  to 
the  second  volume  of  Heeren*s  JJesearcAes  (published  in  1815), 
that  his  own  labours  were  either  subsequent  to,  or  cotemporary 
with,  those  of  a  host  of  other  archaeologists.  The  names  of 
Tychsen,  Miinter,  Kopp,  De  Murr,  Hager,  Millin,  and  "Wahl 
are  particularly  conspicuous  among  the  early  inquirers  ;  but  I 
do  not  perceive  that  any  real  advantage  resulted  from  their 
labours  beyond  the  preliminary,  but  most  necessary,  process  of 
classifying  the  characters.  This  classification,  I  understand, 
has  been  carried  to  a  much  greater  extent  of  late  years  in 
England  by  Mr.  CuUimore,  and  it  is  probable  that  Siguier 
Mussabini's  work,  which  I  see  announced  for  publication,  may 
contain  some  attempt  at  phonetic  expression.  The  laborious 
task,  however,  on  which  M.  Botta  has  been  engaged  during 
his  excavation  of  the  Nineveh  marbles,  promises  to  be  of  far 
greater  importance  to  the  interpretation  of  the  inscriptions 
than  all  preceding  efforts.  Having  an  inexhaustible  field  of 
comparison,  he  has  been  employed  in  constructing  a  complete 
table  of  variants,  the  frequent  repetition  of  the  same  words 
with  orthographical  variations  of  more  or  less  extent,  fur- 

II  2 


484  KAWLINSON   ON  THE  ALPHABET  AND  WBITING. 

nishing  him  with  a  key  to  the  equivalent  signs ;  and  by  these 
means  he  has  succeeded,  as  he  informs  me,  in  reducing  the 
Assyrian  alphabet  to  some  manageable  compass.  My  own 
labours  have  been  restricted  to  the  Achaemenian  Babylonian, 
as  I  have  found  it  at  Persepolis,  Hamad dn,  and  Behistun,  and 
I  have  attempted  nothing  further  at  present  than  the  determina- 
tion of  the  phonetic  powers  of  the  characters.  I  have  obtained  a 
tolerably  extensive  alphabet  from  the  orthography  of  the  fol- 
lowing names: — Achsemenes,  Cyrus,  Smerdis,  Hystaspes, 
Darius,  Arty  stone,  Xerxes,  Artaxerxes,  Gomates,  Magus, 
Atrines,  Naditabirus,  Nabochodrossor,  Nabonidus,  Phraortes, 
Xathrites,  Cyaxares,  Martins,  Omanes,  Sitratachmes,  Veisdates, 
Aracus,  Phraates,  Persia^  Susiana,  Margiana,  and  Oromasdes ; 
but  I  have  left  the  grammar  and  construction  of  the  language 
hitherto  untouched. 

*****It  is  natural  to  infer,  from  the  peculiar  form  of 
cuneiform  writing,  that  in  all  ages  and  in  all  countries,  it 
must  have  been  confined  exclusively  to  sculptures  and  impres- 
sions.    In  Babylonia  and  Assyria  there  was  certainly  a  cursive 
character  employed  in  a  very  high  antiquity,  synchronously 
with  the  lapidary  cuneiform.     We  meet  with  it  occasionally 
on  bricks  and  cylinders ;  and  if  these  relics  were  insufficient 
to  prove  its  authenticity,  we  might  refer  to  the  squared  Hebrew 
which  the  Jews  are  believed  to  have  adopted  in  Babylonia, 
and  to  have  first  substituted  for  the  old  Samaritan  when  they 
returned  from  the  captivity  with  a  language  sensibly  affected 
by  their  long  residence  on  the  Tigris  and  Euphrates.     It  is 
probably,  however,  the  cuneiform  character  of  Assyrian  type 
to  which  Herodotus  and  Diodorus  allude  under  the  titles  of 
Syrian  and  Assyrian  writing;  and  the  tablets  of  Accarus, 
regarding  which  Clemens  of   Alexandria  has  preserved  so 
curious  a  notice,  were  inscribed,  I  should  imagine,  with  the 
same  letters,  but  of  the  Achaemenian  Babylonian  class.     The 
latest  monument  upon  which  the  ancient  character  is  pre- 
served,  is  probably  the  inscription  of  Tarki,   north  of  the 
Caucasus — a  relic  that  M.  Bournouf  has,  with  some  plausi- 
bility, assigned  to  the  period  of  Arsacide  dominion.     In  Baby- 
lonia Proper  its  employment  could  hardly  have  survived  the 
era  of  Alexander  the  Great,  and  as  it  appears  never  to  have 
been  used  in  Persia,  except  in  connection  with  a  foreign  lan- 
guage, and  for  the  purpose  of  ministering  to  the  pride  of  the 


EAWUNSON  ON  THE  ALPHABET  AND  WBITING.  485 

Achsemenian  monarchs,  who  claimed  to  have  inherited  the 
science  as  well  as  the  wealth  and  glory  of  Bahylon,  it  ceased, 
no  doubt,  to  be  understood  to  the  eastward  of  the  mountains 
after  the  extinction  of  that  dynasty.  Grecian  civilisation 
then,  as  it  is  well  known,  replaced  for  a  while  Semitic  influ- 
ence in  the  interior  of  Persia;  and  when  the  Macedonians 
retired,  they  were  succeeded  by  that  tide  of  immigration  from 
the  eastward  which  for  many  centuries  imposed  a  Scythic 
character  on  the  usages,  the  religion,  and  perhaps  also  in  some 
degree  on  the  language  of  the  Parthian  nation." 

The  great  feats  of  interpretation  which  such  a  man  as 
Eawlinson  has  accomplished,  should  not  be  suffered  to  blind  us 
to  the  fact  that  our  materials  for  Assyrian  history  even  now, 
after  a  partial  elucidation  of  such  inscriptions  as  have  been 
found,  are  extremely  limited  and  fragmentary,  and  in  their 
present  state  convey  little  that  is  positive  in  its  results,  at  least 
so  far  as  a  chronological  narrative  is  concerned.  The  system 
of  Assyrian  writing  is  still  extremely  obscure,  and  the  lan- 
guage which  it  records  is  only  partially  intelligible  through 
the  imperfect  key  of  the  Behistun  inscriptions.  Again,  it 
should  not  be  forgotten,  though  valuable  as  are  the  annals  we 
possess  of  individual  kings,  and  important  as  they  may  one 
day  become  as  elements  of  a  complete  series,  they  go  but  a 
very  little  way  towards  filling  the  gap  of  sixteen  hundred 
years,  which  must  have  intervened  between  the  age  of  Nimroud 
and  the  destruction  of  Nineveh  by  Oyaxares.  All  we  can 
expect  at  present  is,  that  the  inscriptions  may  supply  us  with 
internal  evidence  respecting  the  relative  position  of  the  dif- 
ferent royal  families,  and  the  probable  interval  which  elapsed 
between  them.  Future  discoveries  of  sculptures  and  a  further 
development  of  the  alphabet,  are  to  be  expected  from  the  zeal 
of  those  inquirers  now  in  the  field,  and  to  these  we  must  look 
for  the  more  complete  elucidation  of  the  history  of  Assyria. 

Pending  this  development,  the  date  of  the  chief  sculptures 
can  only  be  conjecturadly  assigned ;  Colonel  Eawlinson  thinks 
that  the  Nimroud  marbles  now  in  the  British  Museum  are  of  a 
very  high  antiquity,  and  as  the  north-west  palace  appears, 
beyond  all  doubt,  to  have  been  the  oldest  building  in  Nimroud, 
60,  too,  the  inscriptions  are  the  earliest  records  in  the  cuneiform 
character  which  have  been  there  brought  to  light.  These 
Colonel  Eawlinson  attributes  to  a  king  whose  name  he  reads 


486  eawlinson's  opinion  on  the  period  op  nimroitd  palace. 

as  Assaradan-pal)  and  who  he  thinks  may  be  identified  with 
the  war  like  Sardanapalus  of  Callisthenes. 

But  although  this  Sardanapalus  may  be  the  first  king  of  As- 
syria whose  annals  have  been  brought  to  light,  he  was  neither 
the  first  king,  the  first  founder  of  the  city,  nor  the  first  great 
builder  in  Assyria.  In  all  his  inscriptions,  Sardanapalus 
names  both  his  father  and  grandfather,  to  each  of  whom  he 
gives  the  title  of  King  of  Assyria ;  and  when  commemorating 
the  building  of  the  Palace  of  Nimroud,  he  says  that  the  city 
was  founded  by  Temen-bar.  How  many  kings  reigned  in  the 
interval  between  the  two,  it  is  impossible  to  say  at  present. 
The  name  of  the  king  who  succeeded  Temen-bar  is  read 
Hernenk  or  Henenk,  a  word  which  resembles  the  Evechius  of 
the  Greek  chronologers,  which  they  say  is  the  true  Chaldsean 
designation  of  ^imrod.  The  name  of  the  next  king  is  repre- 
sented  by  a  group  of  characters,  which  Rawlinson  takes  to 
mean  **  servant  of  Bar,"  but  to  which  he  cannot  give  any 
syllabic  form. 

We  now  come  to  the  Assar-adan-pal,  or  Sardanapalus, 
author  of  the  inscriptions  in  the  north-west  palace  at  Nimroud. 
The  formula  with  which  all  these  begin  is,  **,This  is  the  palace 
of  Sardanapalus,  the  humble  worshipper  of  Assarac  and 
Beltis,*'  &c.  After  this  introduction,  the  inscription  goes  on 
to  notice  the  exertions  of  the  king  to  establish  the  Assyrian 
worship ;  and  then  follows,  although  the  connexion  is  not  very 
obvious,  what  is  taken  for  a  long  list  of  geographical  names  of 
the  nations  then  tributary  to  Nineveh.  Could  these  names  be 
identified  with  certainty,  we  might  be  able  to  determine  the 
extent  of  the  Assyrian  empire  when  they  were  engraved. 

Thus  has  Rawlinson  been  sedulously  engaged  in  applying 
his  discoveries  to  the  inscriptions  in  the  old  north-west  palace 
at  Nimroud.  He  has  read  on  the  black  obelisk,  from  the 
centre  of  that  mound,  a  record  of  the  wars  and  history  of 
thirty-one  years  of  the  seventh  century  before  the  Christian 
era ;  and  it  is  not  too  much  to  expect,  from  his  talents  and 
power  of  application,  that,  should  his  life  be  spared,  a  most 
interesting  chapter  of  the  world's  history  may  yet  be^restored. 
His  translation  of  this  inscription  is  as  follows. 

Colonel  Eawlinson,  after  stating  that  the  inscription  on  the 
obelisk  commences  with  an  invocation  to  the  gods  of  Assyria 
to  protect  the  empire,  goes  on  to  say  :  **  I  cannot  follow  the 


kawlinson's  heading  of  the  obelisk.  487 

sense  of  the  whole  invocation,  which  takes  up  fourteen  lines 
of  writing,  as  well  from  the  obscurity  ©f  the  titles  apper- 
taining to  the  gods,  as  from  the  lacunae  in  the  text,  owing  to 
the  fracture  liof  the  corner  edge  of  the  gradines ;  but  I  per- 
ceive, I  think,  the  following  passages :  *  The  god  Assarac  the 
great  lord,  king  of  all  the  great  gods ;  Ani,  the  king ;  ITit, 
the  powerful,  and  Artenk,  the  supreme  god  of  the  provinces ; 
Beltis,  the  protector,  mother  of  the  gods.*  A  few  lines  further 
on,  we  have  *  Shemir  (perhaps  the  Greek  Semiramis),  who 
presides  over  the  heavens  and  the  earth,*  (another  god  whose 
name  is  lost).  'Bar,*  with  an  unknown  epithet;  then 
* .  .  .  Artenk,  Lama,  and  Horns  ;*  and  after  the  interval  of 
another  line,  '  .  .  .  Tal,  and  Set,  the  attendants  of  Beltis, 
mother  of  the  gods.*  The  favour  of  all  these  deities,  with 
Assarac  at  their  head,  the  supreme  god  of  heaven,  is  invoked 
for  the  protection  of  Assjrria.  Temen-bar  then  goes  on  to  give 
his  titles  and  genealogy ;  he  calls  himself  king  of  the  nations 
who  worship  Husi  (another  name  for  the  god  Shemir)  and 
Assarac;  king  of  Mesopotamia  (using  a  term  which  was 
afterwards  particularly  applied  to  the  Euphrates) ;  son  of 
Sardanapalus,  the  servant  of  Husi,  the  Protector,  who  first 
introduced  the  worship  of  the  gods  among  the  many  peopled 
nations  (the  exact  terms  being  here  used,  which  answer  to  the 
*  dah-ydioa  pwrutoa-zana*  of  Persepolis).  Sardanapalus,  too, 
is  called  the  son  of  Katibar  (or  *the  servant  of  Bar'),  who 
was  king  of  Zahiri,  which  seems  to  have  been  one  of  the  many 
names  of  Assyria. 

"  Temen-bar  then  says : — 

"  *  At  the  commencement  of  my  reign,  after  that  I  was 
established  on  the  throne,  I  assembled  the  chiefs  of  my  people 
and  came  down  into  the  plains  of  Esmes,  where  I  took  the  city 
of  Haridu,  the  chief  city  belonging  to  Nakharni. 

"  '  In  the  first  year  of  my  reign,  I  crossed  the  Upper  Eu- 
phrates, and  ascended  to  the  tribes  who  worshipped  the  god 
Husi.  My  servants  erected  altars  (or  tablets)  in  that  land  to 
my  gods.  Then  I  went  on  to  the  land  of  Khamdna,  where  I 
founded  palaces,  cities,  and  temples.  I  went  on  to  the  land  of 
Mdlar,  and  there  I  established  the  worship  (or  laws)  of  my 
kingdom. 

"  *  In  the  second  year,  I  went  up  to  the  city  of  Tel  Barasba, 
and  occupied  the  cities  of  Ahuni,  son  of  Hateni.    I  shut  him 


488  bawlinson's  beading  of  the  obelisk. 

up  in  his  city.  I  then  crossed  the  Euphrates,  and  occupied 
the  cities  of  Dabagu  and  Abarta,  belonging  to  the  ^eta,  toge- 
ther with  the  cities  which  were  dependent  on  them. 

"  *  In  the  third  year,  Ahuni,  son  of  Hateni,  rebelled  against 
me,  and  having  become  independent,  established  his  seat  of 
government  in  the  city  of  Tel  Barasba.  The  country  beyond 
the  Euphrates  he  placed  under  the  protection  of  the  god  As- 
sarac,  the  Excellent,  while  he  committed  to  the  god  Rimmon 
the  country  between  the  Euphrates  and  the  Arteri,  with  its 
city  of  Either,  which  was  held  by  the  Sheta.  Then  I  de- 
scended into  the  plains  of  Elets.  The  countries  of  Elets, 
Shakni,  Dayini,  Enem  (?)  Arzaskan,  the  capital  city  of  Arama, 
king  of  Ararat,  Lazan,  and  Hubiska,  I  committed  to  the  charge 
of  Detarasar.  Then  I  went  out  from  the  city  of  Nineveh,  and 
crossing  the  Euphrates,  I  attacked  and  defeated  Ahuni,  the 
son  of  Hateni,  in  the  city  of  Sitrat,  which  was  situated  upon 
the  Euplirates,  and  which  Ahuni  had  made  one  of  his  capitals. 
The  rest  of  the  country  I  brought  under  subjection ;  and 
Ahuni,  the  son  of  Hateni,  with  his  gods  and  his  chief  priests, 
his  horses,  his  sons  and  his  daughters,  and  all  his  men  of  war, 
I  brought  away  to  my  country  of  Assyria.  Afterwards  I 
passed  through  the  country  of  Shelar,  (or  Keldr),  and  came  to 
the  district  of  Zoba.  I  reached  the  cities  belonging  to  Nikti, 
and  took  the  city  of  Yedi,  where  Nikti  dwelt.*  [A  good  deal 
of  this  part  of  the  inscription  I  have  been  obliged  to  translate 
almost  conjecturally,  for  on  the  obelisk  the  confusion  is  quite 
bewildering ;  the  engraver  having,  as  I  think,  omitted  a  line 
of  the  text  which  he  was  copying,  and  the  events  of  the  third 
and  fourth  year  being  thus  mingled  together ;  while  in  the  bull 
inscription,  where  the  date  is  preserved,  showing  that  the  final 
action  with  Ahuni  took  place  in  the  fourth,  and  not  in  the 
third  year,  the  text  is  too  much  mutilated  to  admit  of  our  ob- 
taining any  connecting  sense.  I  pass  on  accordingly  to  the 
fifth  year.] 

"  *  In  the  fifth  year,  I  went  up  to  the  country  of  Abyari ;  J 
took  eleven  great  cities ;  I  besieged  Akitta  of  Erri  in  his  city, 
and  received  his  tribute. 

"  *  In  the  sixth  year,  I  went  out  from  the  city  of  Nineveh, 
and  proceeded  to  the  country  situated  on  the  river  Belek.  The 
ruler  of  the  country  having  resisted  my  authority,  I  displaced 
him,  and  appointed  Tsimba  to  be  lord  of  the  district ;  and  I 


SAWLn7SON*8  BEADING  OF  THE   OBELISK.  489 

there  established  the  Assyrian  sway.  I  went  out  from  the 
land  on  the  river  Belek,  and  came  to  the  cities  of  Tel-At6k  (?) 
and  Habaremya.  Then  I  crossed  the  Upper  Euphrates,  and 
received  tribute  from  the  kings  of  the  Sheta.  Afterwards  I 
went  out  from  the  land  of  the  Sheta  and  came  to  the  city  of 
Umen  (?).  In  the  city  of  TJmen  (?)  I  raised  altars  to  the  great 
gods.  From  the  city  of  Umen  (?)  I  went  out  and  came  to  the 
city  of  Barbara.  Then  Hem-ithra  of  the  country  of  Atesh,  and 
Arhulena  of  Hamath,  and  the  kings  of  the  8heta,  and  the 
tribes  which  were  in  alliance  with  them,  arose ;  setting  their 
forces  in  battle  array,  they  came  against  me.  By  the  grace  of 
Assarac,  the  great  and  powerful  god,  I  fought  with  them  and 
defeated  them ;  20,500  of  their  men  I  slew  in  battle  or  carried 
into  slavery.  Their  leaders,  their  captains,  and  their  men  of 
war,  I  put  in  chains. 

"  *  In  the  seventh  year,  I  proceeded  to  the  country  belonging 
to  Khabni  of  Tel-ati.  The  city  of  Tel-ati,  which  was  his 
chief  place,  and  the  towns  which  were  dependent  on  it,  I 
captured,  and  gave  up  to  pillage.  I  went  out  from  the  city  of 
Tel-ati,  and  came  to  the  land  watered  by  the  head-streams 
which  form  the  Tigris.  The  priests  of  Assarac  in  that  land 
raised  altars  to  the  immortal  gods.  I  appointed  priests  to 
reside  in  the  land  to  pay  adoration  to  Assarac,  the  great  and 
powerful  god,  and  to  preside  over  the  national  worship.  The 
cities  of  this  region  which  did  not  acknowledge  the  god  Assa- 
rac I  brought  under  subjection,  and  I  here  received  the  tribute 
of  the  country  of  Nahiri. 

**  *  In  the  eighth  year,  against  Sut-Baba,  king  of  Tana-Dunis, 
appeared  Sut-Bel-herat  and  his  followers.  The  Jatter  led  his 
forces  against  Sut-Baba,  and  took  from  him  the  cities  of  the 
land  of  Beth-Takara. 

"  '  In  the  ninth  year,  a  second  time  I  went  up  to  Armenia 
and  took  the  city  of  Lunanta.  By  the  assistance  of  Assarac 
and  Sut,  I  obtained  possession  of  the  person  of  Sut-Bel-herat. 
In  the  city  of  Umen  (?)  I  put  him  in  chains.  Afterwards, 
Sut-Bel-herat,  together  with  his  chief  followers,  I  condemned 
to  slavery.  Then  I  went  down  to  Shinar,  and  in  the  cities  of 
Shinar,  of  Borsippa,  and  of  Ketika,  I  erected  altars  and  founded 
temples  to  the  great  gods.  Then  I  went  down  to  the  land  of 
the  Chaldees,  and  I  occupied  their  cities,  and  I  marched  on  as 
far  even  as  the  tribes  who  dwelt  upon  the  sea-coast.    After- 


490  BAWLINSON*S  READING  OF  THE   OBELISK. 

wards  in  the  city  of  Shinar,  I  received  the  tribute  of  the  kings 
of  the  Chaldees,  Hateni,  the  son  of  Dakri,  and  Baga-Sut,  the 
son  of  Hukni,  gold,  silver,  gems,  and  pearls. 

" '  In  the  tenth  year,  for  the  eighth  time  I  crossed  the  Eu- 
phrates. I  took  the  cities  belonging  to  Ara-lura  of  the  town 
of  Shalumas,  and  gave  them  up  to  pillage.  Then  I  went  out 
from  the  cities  of  Shalumas,  and  I  proceeded  to  the  country 
belonging  to  Arama,  who  was  king  of  Ararat.  I  took  the  city 
of  Arnia,  which  was  the  capital  of  the  country,  and  I  gave  up 
to  pillage  one  hundred  of  the  dependent  towns.  I  slew  the 
wicked,  and  I  carried  off  the  treasures. 

"  *  At  this  time,  Hem-ithra,  king  of  Atesh,  and  Arhulena, 
king  of  Hamath,  and  the  twelve  kings  of  the  tribes  who 
were  in  alliance  with  them,  came  forth  arraying  their  forces 
against  me.  They  met  me,  and  we  fought  a  battle,  in  which 
I  defeated  them,  making  prisoners  of  their  leaders,  and 
their  captains,  and  their  men  of  war,  and  putting  them  in 
chains. 

"  *  In  the  eleventh  year,  I  went  out  from  the  city  of  Kineveh, 
and  for  the  ninth  time  I  crossed  the  Euphrates.  I  took  the 
eighty-seven  cities  belonging  to  Ara-lura,  and  one  hundred 
cities  belonging  to  Arama,  and  I  gave  them  up  to  pillage. 
I  settled  the  country  of  Khamana,  and  passing  by  the  country 
of  Yeri,  I  went  down  to  the  cities  of  Hamath,  and  took  the 
city  of  Esdimak,  and  eighty-nine  of  the  dependent  towns, 
slaying  the  wicked  ones,  and  carrying  off  the  treasures. 
Again,  Hem-ithra,  king  of  Atesh,  Arhulena,  king  of  Hamath, 
and  the  twelve  kings  of  the  tribes'  [or  in  one  copy,  the  twelve 
kings  of  the  Sheta]  *  who  were  in  alliance  with  them,  came 
forth  levying  war  upon  me ;  they  arrayed  their  forces  against 
me.  I  fought  with  them  and  defeated  them,  slaying  10,000 
of  their  men,  and  carrying  into  slavery  their  captains,  and 
leaders,  and  men  of  war.  Afterwards  I  went  up  to  the  city 
of  Habbaril,  one  of  the  chief  cities  belonging  to  Arama  (of 
Ararat),  and  there  I  received  the  tribute  of  Berberanda,  the 
king  of  Shetina,  gold,  silver,  horses,  sheep,  and  oxen,  &c.  &c. 
I  then  went  up  to  the  country  of  Khamdna,  where  I  founded 
palaces  and  cities. 

"  *  In  the  twelfth  year,  I  marched  forth  from  Nineveh,  and 
for  the  tenth  time  I  crossed  the  Euphrates,  and  went  up  to  the 


BAWLINSON*S  BEADING  OP  THE   OBELISK.  491 

city  of  Sevarrahuben.    I  slew  the  wicked,  and  carried  off  the 
treasures  from  thence  to  my  own  country. 

"  *  In  the  thirteenth  year,  I  descended  to  the  plains  de- 
pendent on  the  city  of  Assar-animet.  I  went  to  the  district 
of  Ydta.  I  took  the  forts  of  the  country  of  Y^ta,  slaying 
the  evil-disposed,  and  carrying  off  all  the  wealth  of  the 
country. 

*'  *  In  the  fourteenth  year,  I  raised  the  country,  and  assem- 
bled a  great  army ;  with  120,000  warriors  I  crossed  the  Eu- 
phrates. Then  it  came  to  pass  that  Hem>ithra,  king  of  Atesh, 
and  Arhulena,  king  of  Hamath,  and  the  twelve  kings  of  the 
tribes  of  the  upper  and  lower  country,  collected  their  forces 
together,  and  came  before  me  offering  battle.  I  engaged  with 
them,  and  defeated  them ;  their  leaders,  and  captains,  and  men 
of  war  I  cast  into  chains. 

" '  In  the  fifteenth  year,  I  went  to  the  country  of  Nahiri, 
and  established  my  authority  throughout  the  country  about 
the  head-streams  which  form  the  Tigris.  In  the  district  of 
Akh^bi  I  celebrated*  [some  great  religious  ceremony,  probably, 
which  is  obscurely  described,  and  which  I  am  quite  unable  to 
render]. 

** '  Afterwards  I  descended  to  the  plains  of  Lanbuna,  and 
devastated  the  cities  of  Arama,  king  of  Ararat,  and  all  the 
country  about  the  head  waters  of  the  Euphrates ;  and  I  abode 
in  the  country  about  the  rivers  which  form  the  Euphrates,  and 
there  I  set  up  altars  to  the  supreme  gods,  and  left  priests  in 
the  land  to  superintend  the  worship.  Hasd,  king  of  Dayini, 
there  paid  me  his  homage,  and  brought  in  his  tribute  of  horses, 
and  I  established  the  authority  of  my  empire  throughout  the 
land  dependent  on  his  city. 

"  *  In  the  sixteenth  year  I  crossed  the  river  Za,b,  and  went 
against  the  country  of  the  Arians.  Sut-Mesitek,  the  king  of 
the  Arians,  I  put  in  chains,  and  I  brought  his  wives,  and  his 
warriors,  and  his  gods,  captives  to  .my  country  of  Assyria ;  and 
I  appointed  Yanvu,  the  son  of  Elhanab,  to  be  king  ov«r  the 
country  in  his  place. 

" '  In  the  seventeenth  year,  I  crossed  the  Euphrates,  and 
went  up  to  the  country  of  Kham^na,  where  I  founded  palaces 
and  cities. 

"  '  In  the  eighteenth  year,  for  the  sixteenth  time,  I  crossed 
the  Euphrates.    Xhazakah  of  Atesh  came  forth  to  fight ;  1121 


492  ka-WLInson's  beading  of  the  obelisk. 

of  his  captains,  and  460  of  his  superior  chiefs,  with  the  troops 
they  commanded,  I  defeated  in  this  war.^ 

"  *  In  the  nineteenth  j'ear,  for  the  eighteenth  time,  I  crossed 
the  Euphrates.  I  went  up  again  to  Khamdna,  and  founded 
more  palaces  and  temples. 

** '  In  the  twentieth  year,  for  the  nineteenth  time,  I  crossed 
the  Euphrates.  I  went  up  to  the  country  of  Ber^hui.  I  took 
the  cities,  and  despoiled  them  of  their  treasures. 

"  *  In  the  twenty-first  year,  for  the  twentieth  time,  I  crossed 
the  Euphrates,  and  again  went  up  to  the  country  of  Khazakan 
of  Atesh.  I  occupied  his  territory,  and  while  there  received 
the  tribute  from  the  countries  of  Tyre,  of  Sidon,  and  of 
Gubal. 

**  *In  the  twenty-second  year,  for  the  twenty-first  time,  I 
crossed  the  Euphrates,  and  marched  to  the  country  of  Tubal. 
Then  I  received  the  submission  of  the  twenty-four  kings  of 
Tubal,  and  I  went  on  to  the  country  of  Atta,  to  the  gold  country, 
to  Belui,  and  to  Ta-Esferem. 

**  *In  the  twenty-third  year,  I  again  crossed  the  Euphrates, 
and  occupied  the  city  of  Huidara,  the  stronghold  of  EUal  of 
Meluda ;  and  the  kings  of  Tubal  again  came  in  to  me,  and  I 
received  their  tribute. 

■    ** '  In  the  twenty-fourth  year,  I  crossed  the  river  Zab,  and 
passing  away  from  the  land  of  Kharkhar,  went  up  to  the  country 

*  "  It  was  to  commemorate  this  campaign  that  the  colossal  bulls  found 
in  the  centre  of  the  mound  at  Nimroud  were  set  up.  The  inscription 
upon  them  recording  the  war  is,  of  course,  far  more  detailed  than  the 
brief  summary  on  the  obelisk,  and  I  muy  as  well,  therefore,  give  my 
reading  of  it. 

"  It  commences  with  a  geographical  catalogue  : — *  The  upper  and  lower 
countries  of  Nihiri,  the  extensive  land  which  worshipped  the  god  Husi, 
Khamana  and  the  Sheta,  the  countries  along  the  course  of  the  Tigris,  and 
the  countries  watered  by  the  Euphrates,  from  Brelats  to  Shakni,  from 
Shakni  to  Meluda,  from  Meluda  to  Dayani,  from  Dayani  to  Arzesk&n, 
from  Arzeskan  to  Latsan,  from  Latsan  to  Hubiska ;  the  Arians  and  tribes 
of  the  Chaldees  who  dwell  upon  the  sea-coast. 

"  ♦  In  the  eighteenth  year,  for  the  sixteenth  time,  I  crossed  the  Eu- 
phrates. Then  Khazakan  of  Atesh  collected  his  warriors  and  came  forth  ; 
these  warriors  he  committed  to  a  roan  of  Arancrsa,  who  had  administered 
the  country  of  Lemnan.  Him  he  appointed  chief  of  his  army.  I  engaged 
with  him,  and  defeated  him,  slaying  and  carrying  into  slavery  13,000  of 
bis  fighting  men,  and  making  prisoners  1121  of  his  captains,  and  460 
superior  officers,  with  their  cohorts.'  " 


BAWLINSON*S   EEADINQ    OP    THE   OBELISK,  493 

of  the  Arians.  Yanvu,  whom  I  had  made  king  of  the  Arians, 
had  thrown  off  his  allegiance,  so  I  put  him  in  chains,  I  cap- 
tured the  city  of  Esaksha,  and  took  Beth-Telabon,  Beth-Everek, 
and  Beth-Tsida,  his  principal  cities.  I  slew  the  evil-disposed, 
and  plundered  the  treasures,  and  gave  the  cities  over  to  pillage. 
I  then  went  out  from  the  land  of  the  Arians,  and  received  the 
tribute  of  the  twenty-seven  kings  of  the  Persians.  Afterwards 
I  removed  from  the  land  of  the  Persians,  and  entered  the 
territory  of  the  Medes,  going  on  to  Eatsir  and  Kharkhar;  I 
occupied  the  several  cities  of  Kakhidra,  of  Tarz^nem,  of  Irleban, 
of  Akhirablud,  and  the  towns  which  depended  on  them.  I 
punished  the  evil- disposed.  I  confiscated  the  treasures,  and  gave 
the  cities  over  to  pillage,  and  I  established  the  authority  of  my 
empire  in  the  city  of  Kharkhar.  Yanvu,  the  son  of  Khaban' 
[usually  written  Khanab],  *  with  his  wives  and  his  gods,  and 
his  sons  and  daughters,  his  servants  and  all  his  property,  I 
carried  away  captive  into  my  country  of  Assyria. 

"  *  In  the  twenty-fifth  year,  I  crossed  the  Euphrates,  and 
received  the  tribute  of  the  kings  of  the  Sheta.  I  passed  by 
the  country  of  Khamdna,  and  came  to  the  cities  of  Akti  of 
Berhui.  The  city  of  Tabura,  his  stronghold,  I  took  by  assault. 
I  slew  those  who  resisted,  and  plundered  the  treasures :  and  all 
the  cities  of  the  country  I  gave  over  to  pillage.  Afterwards, 
in  the  city  of  Bahura,  the  capital  city  of  Aram,  son  of  Hagus, 
I  dedicated  a  temple  to  the  god  Kimmon,  and  1  slao  built  a  royal 
palace  in  the  same  place. 

"  *  In  the  twenty-sixth  year,  for  the  seventh  time,  I  passed 
through  the  country  of  Khamana.  I  went  on  to  the  cities  of 
Akti  of  Berhui,  and  I  inhabited  the  city  of  Tanaken,  which 
was  the  stronghold  of  Etlak ;  there  I  performed  the  rites  which 
belong  to  the  worship  of  Assarac,  the  supreme  god  ;  and  I  re- 
ceived as  tribute  from  the  country,  gold  and  silver,  and  com, 
and  sheep,  and  oxen.  Then  I  went  out  from  the  city  of  Tanaken, 
and  I  came  to  the  country  of  Leman,  The  people  resisted  me, 
but  I  subdued  the  country  by  force.  I  took  the  cities,  and  slew 
their  defender ;  and  the  wealth  of  the  people,  with  their  cattle 
and  corn,  and  moveables,  I  sent  as  booty  to  my  country  of 
Assyria.  I  gave  all  their  cities  over  to  pillage.  Then  I  went 
on  to  the  country  of  Methets,  where  the  people  paid  their 
homage,  and  I  received  gold  and  silver  as  their  tribute.  I 
appointed  Akharriyadon,  the  son  of  Akti,  to  be  king  over  them. 


494  bawlinson's  beading  of  I'he  obelise. 

Afterwards  I  went  up  to  Khamana,  where  I  founded  more 
palaces  and  temples ;  until  at  length  I  returned  to  my  country 
of  Assyria. 

**  *  In  the  twenty-seventh  year,  I  assembled  the  captains  of 
my  army,  and  I  sent  Detarhassar  of  Ittdna,  the  general  of  the 
forces,  in  command  of  my  warriors  to  Armenia ;  he  proceeded 
to  the  land  of  Khamdna,  and  in  the  plains  belonging  to  the  city 
of  Ambaret,  he  crossed  the  river  Artseni,  Asidura  of  Armenia, 
hearing  of  the  invasion,  collected  his  cohorts  and  came  forth 
against  my  troops,  offering  them  battle ;  my  forces  engaged 
with  him  and  defeated  him,  and  the  country  at  once  submitted 
to  my  authority. 

*'  *  In  the  twenty-eighth  year,  whilst  I  was  residing  in  the 
city  of  Calah,  a  revolt  took  place  on  the  part  of  the  tribes  of 
Shetina.  They  were  led  on  by  Sherrila,  who  had  succeeded  to 
the  throne  on  the  death  of  Labarni,  the  former  king.  Then  I 
ordered  the  general  of  my  army,  Detarasar  of  Ittana,  to  march 
with  my  cohorts  and  all  my  troops  against  the  rebels.  Detar- 
asar accordingly  crossed  the  Upper  Euphrates,  and  marching 
into  the  country,  established  himself  in  the  capital  city  Kanala. 
Then  Sherrila,  who  was  seated  on  the  throne,  by  the  help  of 
the  great  god  Assarac,  I  obtained  possession  of  his  person,  and 
his  officers,  and  the  chief  of  the  tribes  of  the  Shetina,  who  had 
thrown  off  their  allegiance  and  revolted  against  me,  together 
with  the  sons  of  Sherrila,  and  the  men  who  administered  affairs, 
and  imprisoned  or  punished  all  of  them ;  and  I  appointed  Ar- 
hasit  of  Sirzakisba  to  be  king  over  the  entire  land.  I  exacted 
a  great  tribute  also  from  the  land,  consisting  of  gold  and  silver 
and  precious  stones,  and  ebony,  &c.  &c.  &c. ;  and  I  established 
the  national  worship  throughout  the  land,  making  a  great 
sacrifice  in  the  capital  city  of  Kanala,  in  the  temple  which  had 
been  raised  there  to  the  gods. 

'*  *In  the  twenty-ninth  year,  I  assembled  my  warriors  and 
captains,  and  I  ascended  with  them  to  the  country  of  the  Lek. 
I  accepted  the  homage  of  the  cities  of  the  land,  and  I  then 
went  on  to  the  Shenaba. 

**  In  the  thirtieth  year,  whilst  I  was  still  residing  in  the 
city  of  Calah,  I  summoned  Detarasar,  the  general  of  my  army, 
and  I  sent  him  forth  to  war  in  command  of  my  cohorts  and 
forces.  He  crossed  the  river  Zab,  and  first  came  to  the  cities 
of  Hubiska:  he  received  the  tribute  of  Daten  of  Hubiska; 


IlAWLINSON*S  EEADING   OF  THE   OBELISK.  495 

and  he  went  out  from  thence  and  came  to  the  country  helong- 
ing  to  Mekadul  of  Melakari,  where  tribute  was  duly  paid. 
Leaving  the  cities  of  Melakari,  he  then  went  on  to  the  country 
of  Huelka  of  Minni.  Huelka  of  Minni  had  thrown  off  his 
allegiance  and  declared  himself  independent,  establishing  his 
seat  of  government  in  the  city  of  Tsiharta.  My  general  there- 
fore put  him  in  chains,  and  carried  off  his  flocks  and  herds 
and  all  his  property,  and  gave  his  cities  over  to  pillage. 
Passing  out  from  the  country  of  Minni,  he  next  came  to  the 
territory  of  Selshen  of  Kharta  ;  he  took  possession  of  the  city 
of  Maharsar,  the  capital  of  the  country,  and  of  all  the  towns 
which  depended  on  it ;  and  Selshen  and  his  sons  he  made  pri- 
soners and  sent  to  his  country,  dispatching  to  me  their  tribute 
of  horses,  male  and  female.  He  then  went  into  the  country 
of  Sardera,  and  received  the  tribute  of  Artaheri  of  Sardera ; 
he  afterwards  marched  to  Persia,  and  obtained  the  tribute  of 
the  kings  of  the  Persians ;  and  he  captured  many  more  cities 
between  Persia  and  Assyria,  and  he  brought  all  their  riches 
and  treasures  with  him  to  Assyria. 

"  *  In  the  thirty-first  year,  a  second  time,  whilst  I  abode  in 
tbe  city  of  Calah,  occupied  in  the  worship  of  the  gods  Assarac, 
Hem,  and  Nebo,  I  summoned  the  general  of  my  army,  Detara- 
sar  of  Ittdna,  and  I  sent  him  forth  to  war  in  command  of  my 
troops  and  cohorts.  He  went  out  accordingly,  in  the  first 
place,  to  the  territories  of  Daten  of  Hubiska,  and  received  his 
tribute ;  then  he  proceeded  to  Enseri,  the  capital  city  of  the 
country  of  Bazatsera,  and  he  occupied  the  city  of  Anseri,  and 
the  thirty-six  other  towns  of  the  country  of  Bazatsera;  he 
continued  his  march  to  the  land  of  Armenia,  and  he  gave  over 
to  pillage  fifty  cities  belonging  to  that  territory.  He  after- 
wards-proceeded to  Ladsdn,  and  received  the  tribute  of  Hubu 
of  Ladsdn,  and  of  the  districts  of  Minni,  of  Banana,  of  Khar- 
ran,  of  Sharrum,  of  Audi,*  [and  another  district  of  which  the 
name  is  lost],  *  sheep,  oxen,  and  horses,  male  and  female. 
Afterwards  he  went  on  to  a  district '  [of  which  the  name  is 
lost],  'and  he  gave  up  to  pillage  the  cities  Biaria  and  Sithuria, 
cities  of  consideration,  together  with  the  twenty-one  towns 
which  were  attached  to  them.  And  he  afterwards  penetrated 
as  far  as  the  land  of  the  Persians,  taking  possession  of  the  cities 
of  Baiset,  Shel-Khamana,  and  Akori-Khamana,  all  of  them 


496  kawlinson's  beading  op  the  obelisk. 

places  of  strength,  and  of  the  twenty-three  towns  which  de- 
pended on  them  ;  he  slew  those  who  resisted,  and  he  carried 
off  the  wealth  of  the  cities.  And  he  afterwards  moved  to  the 
country  of  the  Arians,  where,  by  the  help  of  the  gods  Assarac 
and  Sut,  he  captured  their  cities,  and  continued  his  march  to 
the  country  of  Kharets,  taking  and  despoiling  250  towns; 
until  at  length  he  descended  into  the  plains  of  Esmes,  above 
the  country  of  Umen  (?)."^ 

1  **  It  is  extremely  difficult  to  distinguish  throughout  these  last  two 
paragraphs  between  the  first  and  third  persons.  In  fact  the  grammatical 
prefixes  which  mark  the  persons  are  frequently  put  one  for  the  other  even 
in  the  same  sentence.  From  the  opening  clause  of  the  paragraphs,  I  cer- 
tainly understand  that  the  Assyrian  general  conducted  both  of  these  ex- 
peditions into  High  Asia ;  yet  it  would  seem  as  if  the  king,  in  chronicling 
the  war,  wished  to  appropriate  the  achievements  to  himself. 

•*  It  remains  that  1  should  notice  the  epigraphs  which  are  engraved  on 
the  obelisk  above  the  five  series  of  figures.  These  epigraphs  contain  a 
sort  of  register  of  the  tribute  sent  in  by  five  diflferent  nations  to  the  Assy- 
rian king ;  but  they  do  not  follow  the  series  of  offerings  as  they  are  re- 
presented in  the  sculpture  with  any  approach  to  exactitude. 

"The  first  epigraph  records  the  receipt  of  the  tribute  from  Shehua  of 
LadsSin,  a  country  which  joined  Armenia,  and  which  I  presume,  therefore, 
to  be  connected  with  the  Lazi  and  Lazistan. 

"  The  second  line  of  offerings  are  said  to  have  been  sent  by  Yahua,  son 
of  Hubiri,  a  prince  of  whom  there  is  no  mention  in  the  annals,  and  of 
whose  native  country,  therefore,  I  am  ignorant. 

"  This  is  followed  by  the  tribute  of  a  country  which  is  called  Misr,  and 
which  there  are  good  grounds  for  supposing  to  be  Egypt,  inasmuch  as  we. 
are  sure  from  the  numerous  indications  afforded  to  the  position  by  the 
inscriptions  of  Khorsabad,  that  Misr  adjoined  Syria,  and  as  the  same 
name  (that  is  a  name  pronounced  in  the  same  manner,  though  written 
with  different  phonetic  characters)  is  given  at  Behistun  as  the  Babvloiiian 
equivalent  of  the  Persian  Mudraya.  Misr  is  not  once  mentioned  in  the 
obelisk  annals,  and  it  may  be  presumed,  therefore,  to  have  remained  in 
complete  subjection  to  Assyria  during  the  whole  of  Temen-bar's  reign. 

"  The  fourth  tribute  is  that  of  Sut-pal-adan,  of  the  country  of  Sheki, 
probably  a  Babylonian  or  Elymaean  prince,  who  is  not  otherwise  men- 
tioned ;  and  the  series  is  closed  by  the  the  tribute  of  Barbarenda,  the 
Shetina,  a  Syrian  tribe,  which  I  rather  think  is  the  same  as  the  Sharutana 
of  the  hieroglyphic  writing. 

"I  cannot  pretend  at  present  to  identify  the  various  articles  which  are 
named  in  these  epigraphs ;  gold  and  silver,  pearls  and  gems,  ebony  and 
ivory,  may  be  made  out,  I  think,  with  more  or  less  certainty ;  but  I  can- 
not conjecture  the  nature  of  many  other  of  the  offerings ;  they  may  be 
rare  woods,  or  aromatic  gums,  or  metals,  or  even  such  articles  as  glass  or 
porcelain. 


DR.    GROTEFENd's   BEADING    OF   THE    OBELISK.  497 

Since  the  foregoing  reading  of  the  Nimroud  Obelisk  was 
published  by  Colonel  Eawlinson,  a  paper  by  Dr.  Grotefend, 
*'  On  the  age  of  the  Obelisk  found  at  Mmrud,"  has  been  pre- 
sented to  the  Royal  Society  of  Gottingen  (12th  August,  1850), 
and  printed  in  the  Gottingischen  Gelehrten  Anzetgen,  No.  13, 
August  26th,  1850.  A  translation  of  this  paper  by  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Renouard,  was  communicated  by  Dr.  John  Lee  of  Hart- 
well,  to  the  Syro-Egyptian  Society,  January  13th,  1852,  and 
we  avail  ourselves  of  Dr.  Lee*s  kind  permission  to  introduce  a 
brief  account  of  Dr.  Grotefend's  memoir  to  our  readers. 

He  observes  in  the  commencement,  that  though  Rawlinson 
is  able  to  make  out  the  general  meaning  of  the  inscription,  we 
are  yet  so  far  in  the  dark  as  to  the  proper  value  of  some  of  the 
Assyrian  characters,  that  there  is  no  security  for  the  correct 
reading  of  the  proper  names  by  which  the  periods  could  be 
determined ;  and  that  he  himself  is  persuaded  that  the  Assy- 
rians distinguished  the  proper  names  of  their  kings  more  by 
their  signification  than  by  their  sound.     As,  however,  a  know- 
ledge of  the  general  import  of  the  inscription  can  be  of  little 
use,  unless  we  can  determine  the  time  at  which  the  Obelisk 
was  erected,  he  has  turned  his  attention  to  the  events  recorded 
on  the  monument ;  and  the  conclusion  he  arrives  at  perfectly 
coincides  with  our  own  views.     The  Professor  is  of  opinion 
that  irrespective  of  the  high  state  of  civilisation  which  the 
arts  and  sciences  must  have  reached  in  Assyria,  it  is  incredible 
that  this  nation  could  have  made  the  great  conquests  in  west- 
ern Asia  chronicled  on  the  Obelisk,  without  some  report  of 
them  having  reached  contemporary  writers  in  Holy  Writ,  or 
the  inquiring  Greeks  of  a  later  period,  to  whom  the  ancient 
sources  of  information  were  accessible.     He  infers  thence  the 
improbability  of  the  Obelisk  being  erected  so  early  as  the 
12th  or  13th  century  before  Christ;  and  considers,  (from  certain 
lingual  coincidences  occurring  in  chronological  order,  which 
he  copiously  explains)  that  the  monument  may  be  referred  to 

"  "With  regard  to  the  animals,  those  alone  which  I  can  certainly  identify 
are  horses  and  , camels,  the  latter  being,  I  think,  described  as  *  beasts  of 
the  desert  with  the  double  back.' 

"  I  do  not  think  any  of  the  remarkable  animals,  such  as  the  elephant, 
the  wild  bull,  the  unicorn,  the  antelope,  and  the  monkeys  and  baooons, 
are  specified  in  the  epigraphs ;  but  it  is  possible  they  may  be  spoken  of  as 
rare  animals  from  the  river  of  Aiki  and  the  country  beyond  the  sea." 

K  K 


498  I)R.    GKOTEFEND  S   READING    OF    THE    OBELISK. 

the  end,  or,  reckoning  backward,  to  the  beginning  of  the 
eighth  century  before  Christ,   when  Shalmaneser  was  conti- 
nuing the  conquests  which  had  been  commenced  by  Pul  and 
Tiglath  Piieser.     After  analysing  the  name  of  Shalmaneser, 
and  suggesting  that  Temenbar  should  be  read  Shalmanassar, 
he  considers  tibat  the  Assar-adan-pul  and  Kati  Bar  of  Rawlin- 
son  may  be  read  so  as  to  accord  with  Tiglath-pileser  and  Pul ; 
he  proceeds  to  investigate  his  history,  and  shows  that  Rawlin- 
son's  reading  of  the  Obelisk  agrees  exactly  with  the  time  and 
events  of  the  reign  of  Shalmaneser.     "  If,  however,  it  is  be- 
lieved that  the  last  ten  years  recorded  on  the  Obelisk  elapsed 
after  the  death  of  Shalmaneser,  because  we  read  in  2  Kings, 
xviii.  13,  &c.,  that  Sennacherib,  at  that  time  King  of  Assyria, 
took  all  the  strong  cities  of  Judaja,  we  may,  on  the  other  hand, 
remark  that  he,  as  well  as  Sargon  (Isaiah  xx.  1),  was  only  a 
subordinate  king,  who  made  no  scruple  to  take  upon  himself 
the  title  of  King  of  Assyria.*'     (A  surmise  supported  by  his 
'  reading  of  the  inscription  on  the  Obelisk  itself.)  Grotefend  adds : 
"  That  the  remarkable  event  by  which  the  vast  army  under 
Sennacherib  was  destroyed,  should  be  wholly  unnoticed  on 
the  Obelisk,  though  described  in  a  fabulous  manner  by  Jewish 
and  Egyptian  writers,  will  occasion  no  surprise  when  we  con- 
sider the  anxiety  of  the  Assyrian  to  publish  nothing  respect- 
ing himself  but  what  redounded  to  his  fame.     I  therefore 
refer  the  account  of  the   twenty-first  year  of  the  Assyrian 
king's  reign,  in  which  he  took  possession  of  the  territory  of 
Khazakan    of  Ateth,  and   there   received   the  tribute  from 
Tyre,  Sidon,  and  Byblus,  to  the  campaign  mentioned  by  Isaiah 
(xx)  and  Nahum  (iii.  8). 

"  In  fine,  as  so  much  which  the  inscription  on  the  Obelisk 
states  concerning  the  Assyrian  king,  coincides  with  what  we 
know  from  other  sources  of  the  history  of  Assyria  in  the  eighth 
century  before  the  birth  of  Christ,  and  as  even  the  determin- 
ation of  the  years  agrees,  no  essential  contradiction  is  found  ; 
it  will  therefore  be  the  more  readily  acknowledged  that  the 
Obelisk,  whether  we  reckon  backwards  or  forwards,  must 
have  been  erected  at  the  close  of  that  century,  as  everything 
which  Layard  has  observed  respecting  the  remains  of  Nineveh 
unites  in  corroborating  that  supposition,  while  much  may  be 
recalled  to  mind  which  militates  against  the  supposition  of  a 
higher  antiquity." 


DE.  HINCKS*  OPINION  ON  THE  DATE  OP  THE  OBELISK.       499 

Dr.  Hincks  makes  out  that  the  king  on  the  second  line  of 
sculptures  on  the  Obelisk,  is  Jehu,  King  of  Irsael,  and  there- 
fore that  the  date  of  the  relic  is  about  875  b:c.,  about  one 
hundred  years  earlier  than  Grotefend's  view.  (See  "Athe- 
naeum," Dec.  27th,  1851.) 

The  following  most  interesting  paper  by  Colonel  Eawlinson, 
which  establishes  the  identity  of  the  king  who  built  the 
palace  at  Kouyunjik  with  the  Sennacherib  of  Scripture,  is 
curiously  corroborative  of  Dr.  Grotefend's  opinions.  He  says> 
in  writing  to  the  *'  Athenaeum" — 

"  I  have  succeeded  in  determinately  identifying  the  Assyrian 
kings  of  the  lower  dynasty  whose  palaces  have  been  recently 
excavated  in  the  vicinity  of  M68ul ;  and  I  have  obtained  from 
the  annals  of  these  kings  contemporary  notices  of  events  which 
agree  in  the  most  remarkable  way  with  the  statements  pre- 
served in  sacred  and  profane  history. 

"The  king  who  built  the  palace  of  Khorsabadj  excavated  by 
the  French,  is  named  Sargina  (the  pa"ic^  (Sargon)  of  Isaiah) ;  but 
he  also  bears,  in  some  of  the  inscriptions,  the  epithet  of  Shal- 
maneser,  by  which  title  he  was  better  known  to  the  Jews.  In 
the  first  year  of  his  reign  he  came  up  against  the^city  of  Samaria 
(called  Samarina,  and  answering  to  the  Hebrew  r'>'a*'^  Samarin) 
and  the  tribes  of  the  country  of  Beth-Homri  (^iw  or  'Omri, 
being  the  name  of  the  founder  of  Samaria,  1  Kings,  xviii.  16, 
&c.)  He  carried  off  into  captivity  in- Assyria  27,280  families, 
and  settled  in  their  places  colonists  brought  from  Babylonia, 
appointing  prefects  to  administer  the  country,  and  imposing 
the  same  tribute  which  had  been  paid  to  former  kings.  The 
only  tablet  at  Khorsabad  which  exhibits  this  conquest  in  any 
detail  (Plate  lxx.)  is  unfortunately  much  mutilated.  Should 
Monsieur  de  Saulcy,  however,  whom  the  French  are  sending 
to  Assyria,  find  a  duplicate  of  Shalmaneser's  annals  in  good 
preservation,  I  think  it  probable  that  the  name  of  the  king  of 
Israel  may  yet  be  recovered. 

"  In  the  second  year  of  Shalmaneser's  reign  he  subjugated 
the  kings  of  Libnah  (?)  and  Khazita  (the  Cadytis  of  Hero- 
dotus) who  were  dependent  upon  Egypt ;  and  in  the  seventh 
year  of  his  reign  he  received  tribute  direct  from  the  king  of 
that  country,  who  is  named  Pirhu,  probably  fromnyis  (Pharaoh), 
the  title  by  which  the  kings  of  Egypt  were  known  to  the 
Jews  and  other  Semitic  nations.     This  punishment  of  the 

K£2 


500  bawlinson's  fubtheb  biscoyebies. 

Egyptians  by  Sargon  or  Shalmaneser  is  alluded  to  in  the  20th 
chapter  of  Isaiah. 

**  Among  the  other  exploits  of  Shalmaneser  found  in  his 
annals,  are, — the  conquest  of  Ashdod,  also  alluded  to  in 
Isaiah  xx.  1,  and  his  reduction  of  the  neighbouring  city  of 
Jamnai,  called  Jabneh  or  Jamneh  in  the  Bible,  Jamnaan  in 
Judith,  and  'la/xvg/a  by  the  Greeks. 

**  In  conformity  with  Menander's  statement,  that  Shal- 
maneser assisted  the  Cittaeans  against  Sidon,  we  find  a  statue 
and  inscription  of  this  king,  Sargina,  in  the  island  of  Cyprus, 
recording  the  event ;  and,  to  complete  the  chain  of  evidence, 
the  city,  built  by  him,  and  named  after  him,  the  ruins  of  which 
are  now  called  Khorsabad,  retained  among  the  Syrians  the  title 
Sarghun  as  late  as  the  Arab  conquest. 

**  I  am  not  sure  how  long  Shalmaneser  reigned,  or  whether 
he  made  a  second  expedition  into  Palestine.  His  annals  at 
Khorsabad  extend  only  to  the  15th  year;  and  although  the 
names  are  given  of  numerous  cities  which  he  captured  in  Ccelo- 
Syria  and  on  the  Euphrates — such  as  Hamath,  Beraea,  Damas- 
cus, Bambyce,  and  Carchemish — I  am  unable  to  trace  his  steps 
into  Judaea  Proper.  On  a  tablet,  however,  which  he  set  up 
towards  the  close  of  his  reign  in  the  palace  of  the  first  Sarda- 
napalus  at  Nimroud,  he  styles  himself  *  conqueror  of  the 
remote  Judaea  ;*  and  I  rather  think,  therefore,  that  the  expe- 
dition in  which,  after  a  three  years'  siege  of  Samaria,  he 
carried  off  the  great  body  of  the  tribes  of  Israel,  and  which  is 
commemorated  in  the  Bible  as  having  been  concluded  in  the 
sixth  year  of  Hezekiah,  must  have  taken  place  subsequently  to 
the  Palace  of  Khorsabad. 

"  Without  this  explanation,  indeed,  we  shall  be  embarrassed 
about  dates ;  for  I  shall  presently^show  that  we  have  a  distinct 
notice  of  Sennacherib's  attack  upon  Jerusalem  in  the  third 
year  of  that  king's  reign  ;  and  we  are  thus  able  to  determine 
an  interval  of  eighteen  years  at  least  to  have  elapsed  between 
the  last-named  event  and  the  Samaritan  campaign ;  whereas 
in  the  Bible  we  find  the  great  captivity  to  date  from  the  sixth 
year  of  Hezekiah,  and  the  invasion  of  Sennacherib  from  the 
fourteenth. 

"  I  now  go  on  to  the  annals  of  Sennacherib.  This  is  the 
king  who  built  the  great  Palace  of  Kouyunjik,  which  Mr. 
Layard  has  been  recently  excavating.    He  was  the  son  of 


bawlinson's  further  discoveries.  501 

Sargina  or  Shalmaneser ;  and  his  name,  expressed  entirely  by 
monograms,  may  have  been  pronounced  Sennachi-riba.  The 
events,  at  any  rate,  of  his  reign,  place  beyond  the  reach  of 
dispute  his  historic  identity.  He  commenced  his  career  by 
subjugating  the  Babylonians,  under  their  king  Merodach- 
Baladan,  who  had  also  been  the  antagonist  of  his  father ;  two 
important  points  of  agreement  being  thus  obtained  both  with 
Scripture  and  with  the  account  of  Polyhistor.  The  annals  of 
the  third  year,  however,  of  the  reign  of  Sennacherib,  which  I 
have  just  deciphered  after  the  copy  of  an  inscription  taken  by 
Mr.  Layard  from  one  of  the  bulls  at  the  grand  entrance  of 
the  Kouyunjik  Palace,  contain  those  striking  points  of  coinci- 
dence which  first  attracted  my  attention,  and  which,  being 
once  recognised,  have  naturally  led  to  the  complete  unfolding 
of  all  this  period  of  history.  In  his  third  year,  Sennacherib 
undertook,  in  the  first  instance,  an  expedition  against  Luliya, 
king  of  Sidon  (the  'EXouXaTog  of  Menander),  in  which  he  was 
completely  successful.  He  was  afterwards  engaged  in  opera- 
tions against  some  other  cities  of  Syria  (which  I  have  not  yet 
identified)  ;  and,  whilst  so  employed,  learned  of  an  insurrection 
in  Palestine.  The  inhabitants,  indeed,  of  that  country  had 
risen  against  their  king  Padiya,  and  the  officers  who  had  been 
placed  in  authority  over  them,  on  the  part  of  the  Assyrian 
monarch,  and  had  driven  them  out  of  the  province,  obliging 
them  to  take  refuge  with  Hezekiah,  king  of  Jerusalem,  the 
capital  city  of  Judaea.  (The  orthography  of  these  three  names 
corresponds  very  nearly  with  the  Hebrew  reading :  Xhazakiyahu 
representing  "n*pm,  Ursalimma  standing  for  oVunT,  and  Yahuda  for 
rmn%).  The  rebels  then  sent  for  assistance  to  the  kings  of 
Egypt ;  and  a  large  army  of  horse  and  foot  marched  to  their 
assistance,  under  the  command  of  the  king  of  Pelusium  (?). 
Sennacherib  at  once  proceeded  to  meet  the  army ;  and,  fighting 
an  action  with  them  in  the  vicinity  of  the  city  of  Allaku  (?), 
completely  defeated  them.  He  made  many  prisoners,  also, 
whom  he  executed,  or  otherwise  disposed  of.  Padiya  then 
returned  from  Jerusalem,  and  was  reinstated  in  his  govern- 
ment. In  the  meantime,  however,  a  quarrel  arose  between 
Sennacherib  and  Hezekiah,  on  the  subject  of  tribute.  Sen- 
nacherib ravaged  the  open  country,  taking  *all  the  fenced 
cities  of  Judah,*  and  at  last  threatened  Jerusalem.  Hezekiah 
then  made  his  submission,  and  tendered  to  the  king  of  Assyria, 


502  eawlinson's  fxtkther  discovebies. 

as  tribute,  30  talents  of  gold,  300  talents  of  silver,  the  orna- 
ments of  the  Temple,  slaves,  boys  and  girls  and  men-servants 
and  maid-servant-s  for  the  use  of  the  palace.  All  these  things 
Sennacherib  received.  After  which  he  detached  a  portion  of 
Hezekiah's  villages,  and  placed  them  in  dependence  on  the 
cities  which  had  been  faithful  to  him,  such  as  Hebron,  Ascalon, 
and  Cadytis.     He  then  retired  to  Assyria. 

"  Kow  this  is  evidently  the  campaign  which  is  alluded  to  in 
Scripture  (2  Kings  xviii.  13 — 17)  ;  and  it  is  perhaps  the  same 
which  is  obscurely  noticed  in  Herodotus,  lib.  ii.  c.  141,  and 
which  is  further  described  by  Josephus,  Ant.  lib.  x.  c.  1.  The 
agreement,  at  any  rate,  between  the  record  of  the  Sacred 
Historian  and  the  contemporary  chronicle  of  Sennacherib  which 
I  have  here  copied,  extends  even  to  the  number  of  the  talents 
of  gold  and  silver  which  were  given  as  tribute. 

**  I  have  not  yet  examined  with  the  care  which  it  requires 
the  continuation  of  Sennacherib's  chronicle  ;  but  I  believe  that 
most  of  the  events  attributed  to  that  monarch  by  the  historians 
Polyhistor  and  Abydenus  will  be  found  in  the  annals.  His 
pretended  conflict  with  the  Greeks  on  the  coast  of  Cilicia  Will, 
I  suspect,  turn  out  to  be  his  reduction  of  the  city  of  Javnai, 
near  Ashdod, — the  mistake  having  arisen  from  the  similarity 
of  the  name  of  Ja/vnai  to  that  of  Javanif  or  lonians,  by  which 
the  Greeks  were  generally  known  to  the  nations  of  the  East. 
At  any  rate,  when  Polyhistor  says  that  *  Sennacherib  erected 
a  statue  of  himself  as  a  monument  of  his  victory  (over  the 
Greeks),  and  ordered  his  prowess  to  be  inscribed  upon  it  in 
Chaldsean  characters,'  he  certainly  alludes  to  the  famous  tablet 
of  the  Kouyunjik  king  at  the  mouth  of  the  Nahr-al-Kelb, 
which  appears  from  the  Annals  to  have  been  executed  after 
the  conquest  of  the  city  of  Javnai, 

"  The  only  copy  which  has  yet  been  found  of  SennacheriVs 
annals  at  Kouyunjik  is  very  imperfect,  and  extends  only  to  the 
seventh  year.  The  relic  known  as  Colonel  Taylor's  cylinder 
dates  from  one  year  later ;  but  I  have  never  seen  any  account 
of  the  events  of  the  latter  portion  of  his  reign.  His  reign, 
however,  according  to  the  Greeks,  extended  to  eighteen  years, 
so  that  his  second  expedition  to  Palestine,  and  the  miraculous 
destruction  of  his  army,  must  have  occurred  fourteen  or  fifteen 
years  later  than  the  campaign  above  described.  Pending  the 
discovery  of  a  complete  set  of  annals,  I  would  not  of  course 


bawlinson's  further  discoveries.  503 

set  much  store  by  the  Greek  dates ;  but  it  may  be  remarked 
that  Hezekiah  would  have  been  still  living  at  the  period  of  the 
miraculous  destruction  of  Sennacherib's  army,  even  if,  as  I 
have  thus  conjectured,  the  second  invasion  of  Judaea  had 
occurred  fourteen  or  fifteen  years  later  than  the  first ;  for  the 
earlier  campaign  is  fixed  to  the  fourteenth  year  of  his  reign, 
and  his  entire  reign  extended  to  twenty-nine  years. 

**  I  will  only  further  mention  that  we  have  upon  a  cylinder 
in  the  British  Museum  a  tolerably  perfect  copy  of  the  annals 
of  Essar-Haddon,  the  son  of  Sennacherib,  in  which  we  find  a 
further  deportation  of  Israelites  from  Palestine,  and  a  further 
settlement  of  Babylonian  colonists  in  their  place : — an  expla- 
nation being  thus  obtained  of  the  passage  of  Ezra  (iv.  2),  in 
which  the  Samaritans  speak  of  Esar-Haddon  as  the  king  by 
whom  they  had  been  transplanted. 

**  Many  of  the  drawings  and  inscriptions  which  have  been 
recently  brought  by  Mr.  Layard  fi'om  Nineveh  refer  to  the  sou 
of  Esar-Haddon,  who  warred  extensively  in  Susiana,  Baby- 
lonia, and  Armenia, — though,  as  his  arms  never  penetrated  to 
the  westward,  he  has  been  unnoticed  in  Scripture  history  :  and 
under  the  son  of  this  king,  who  is  named  Saracus  or  Sardana- 
palus  by  the  Greeks,  Nineveh  seems  to  have  been  destroyed. 

**  One  of  the  most  interesting  matters  connected  with  this 
discovery  of  the  identity  of  the  Assyrian  kings  is,  the  pros- 
pect, amounting  almost  to  a  certainty,  that  we  must  have  in 
the  bas-reliefs  of  Khorsabad  and  Kouyunjik  representatives 
from  the  chisels  of  contemporary  artists,  not  only  of  Samaria, 
but  of  that  Jerusalem  which  contained  the  Temple  of  Solomon. 
I  have  already  identified  the  Samaritans  among  the  groups  of 
captives  portrayed  upon  the  marbles  of  Khorsabad  ;  and  when 
I  shall  have  accurately  learnt  the  locality  of  the  difierent 
bas-reliefs  that  have  been  brought  from  Kouyunjik,  I  do  not 
doubt  but  that  I  shall  be  able  to  point  out  the  bands  of  Jewish 
maidens  who  were  delivered  to  Sennacherib,  and  perhaps  to 
distinguish  the  portraiture  of  the  humbled  Hezekiah. 

H.  C.  RAWLINSON." 
"  Loudon,  August  19,  1861. 

**  P.S.  It  will  be  seen  that  in  the  above  sketch  I  have  left 
the  question  of  the  Upper  Assyrian  dynasty  altogether  un- 
touched. The  kings  whom  I  have  identified,  and  who  form 
what  is  usually  called  the  Lower  Assyrian  dynasty,  extend 


504  bawltnson's  furteer  discoveries. 

ovrer  a  period  from  about  740  to  600  b.c.  Antecedent  to  Shal- 
maneser  there  must  have  been,  I  think,  an  interregnum.  At  any 
rate,  although  Shalmaneser's  father  seems  to  be  mentioned  in  one 
inscription,  there  are  no  means  of  connecting  his  line  with  the 
Upper  Assyrian  dynasty.  Of  that  dynasty  we  have  the  names  of 
about  fifteen  kings ;  but  I  have  never  yet  found — nor  indeed 
do  I  expect  to  find — any  historical  synchronisms  in  their 
annals  which  may  serve  to  fix  their  chronology.  Implicitly  as 
I  believe  in  the  honesty,  and  admiring  as  I  do  the  general 
accuracy,  of  Herodotus,  I  should  be  inclined  to  adopt  his 
limitation  of  520  years  for  the  duration  of  the  Assyrian  Empire 
— a  calculation  which  would  fix  the  institution  of  the  monarchy 
at  about  1126  B.C.,  and  would  bring  down  the  date  of  the 
earliest  marbles  now  in  the  Museum  to  about  1000  b.c.  But, 
at  the  same  time,  I  decline  without  further  evidence  commit- 
ting myself  to  any  definite  statement  on  this  subject." 

At  the  meeting  of  the  British  Association  in  1850,  a  paper 
on  the  language  and  mode  of  writing  of  the  Ancient  Assyrians 
was  read  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Hincks  of  Belfast,  to  whose  inde- 
fatigable labours  we  are  indebted  for  much  light  upon  cuneiform 
writings,  especially  for  the  discovery  of  the  numerals,  and 
more  recently  of  the  name  of  Kebuchadnezzar  on  some  Baby- 
lonian bricks,  and  of  that  of  Sennacherib  on  some  of  the 
inscriptions  of  Kouyunjik. 

In  this  paper  the  author  began  by  observing  that  the  lan- 
guage and  mode  of  writing  of  the  Assyrians  are  themselves 
two  important  ethnological  facts.  The  language  of  the 
Assyrio- Babylonian  inscriptions  is  generally  admitted  to  be  of 
the  family  called  Semitic.  It  is  in  many  respects  strikingly 
like  the  Hebrew,  but  has  some  peculiarities  in  common  with 
the  Egyptian,  the  relationship  of  which  to  the  Semitic  lan- 
guages has  been  already  recognised.  The  mode  of  writing  of 
the  Assyrians  differed  from  that  of  the  Hebrew  and  other 
Semitic  languages,  and  agreed  with  the  Egyptian  in  that  it 
was  partly  ideographic.  Some  words  consisted  entirely  of 
ideographs  ;  others  were  written  in  part  phonetically,  but  had 
ideographs  united  with  the  phonetic  part.  As  to  the  part  of 
the  writing  which  consisted  of  phonographs.  Dr.  Hincks  main- 
tained, in  opposition  to  all  other  writers,  that  the  characters 
had  all  definite  syllabic  values ;  there  being  no  consonants,  and 
consequently  no  necessity  or  liberty  of  supplying  vowels.  This 


SYSTEMS    OP    RAWLINSON    AND    HINCKS.  505 

use  of  characters  representing  syllables,  he  considered  to  be 
an  indication  that  though  the  language  of  the  Assyrians  was 
Semitic,  their  mode  of  writing  was  not  so.  A  second  proof 
that  the  mode  of  writing  was  not  Semitic,  he  derived  from  the 
absence  of  distinct  syllables  to  represent  combinations  of  the 
peculiar  Semitic  consonants,  Koph  and  Ain.  From  these 
facts  he  inferred  that  the  Assyrio-Babylonian  mode  of  writing 
was  adopted  from  some  Indo-European  nation  who  had  pro- 
bably conquered  Assyria ;  and  he  thought  it  likely  that  this 
nation  had  intercourse  with  the  Egyptians,  and  had  in  part, 
at  least,  derived  their  mode  of  writing  from  that  most  ancient 
people. 

This  paper  having  been  read.  Colonel  Rawlinson  observed 
that  Dr.  Hincks  had  stated  that  he  considered  the  difference 
between  the  two  systems  adopted  by  Colonel  Kawlinson  and 
himself  of  interpreting  the  inscriptions  to  be,  that  the  one 
took  the  signs  for  letters,  and  the  other  for  syllables.  Now 
he  (Colonel  Rawlinson)  by  no  means  admitted  that  he  did  take 
the  signs  altogether  for  letters.  He  believed  them  all  to  have 
once  had  a  syllabic  value,  as  the  names  of  the  objects  which 
they  represented,  but  to  have  been  subsequently  used — ^usually 
its  initial  articulation — to  express  a  mere  portion  of  a  syllable. 
He  could  adduce  numerous  instances  where  the  cuneiform  signs 
were  used  as  bond  fide  letters ;  but,  at  the  same  time,  the  two 
systems  of  interpretation  might  now  be  said  to  be  very  nearly 
identical ;  so  far,  indeed,  as  he  understood  Dr.  Hincks'  paper, 
there  appeared  to  be  only  about  half-a-dozen  out  of  a  hundred 
letters  on  the  phonetic  powers  of  which  they  were  not  agreed. 
Certain  inscriptions  were  found  in  various  parts  of  Persia 
engraved  in  three  different  languages  and  alphabets,  all  of 
which  were  originally  unknown. 

The  first  of  these  that  was  deciphered,  very  nearly  resembled 
the  Sanscrit.  The  language  of  the  second  class  of  cunefic 
inscriptions  was  found  to  be  closely  allied  to  the  Sanscrit, 
being  in  fact  the  language  of  the  Aborigines.  This  tongue 
was  of  the  same  sort  as  the  Mogul  and  Tartar,  and  he  believed 
it  to  have  been  spoken  by  the  greater  part  of  the  aboriginal 
inhabitants  of  Persia.  At  any  rate,  it  was  the  native  lan- 
guage of  the  Parthians  and  the  other  great  tribes  who  inhabited 
the  north  of  Persia.  Coming  to  the  Assyrian  and  Babylonian 
languages,  we  were  first  made  acquainted  with  them  as  trans- 


506  SYSTEMS   OP   BAWLINSON   AND   HINCK8. 

latioDS  of  the  Persian  and  Parthian  documents  in  the  above- 
noticed  trilingual  inscriptions  of  Persia  ;  but  lately  we  had  an 
enormous  amount  of  historical  matter  brought  to  light  in 
tablets  of  stone  written  in  these  languages  alone.     The  lan- 
guages in  question  he  certainly  considered  to  be  Semitic.     He 
doubted  whether  they  could  trace  at  present  in  any  of  the 
buildings  or  inscriptions  of  Assyria  and  Babylonia  the  original 
primitive   civilisation  of  man — that  civilisation   which  took 
place  in  the  very  earliest  ages.     He  was  of  opinion  that  civi- 
lisation first  showed  itself  in  Egypt  after  the  immigration  of 
the  early  tribes  from   Asia.      He  thought  that  the  human 
intellect  first  germinated  on  the  Nile,  and  that  then  there  was, 
in  a  later  age,  a  reflux  of  civilisation  from  the  Nile  back  to 
Asia.     He  was  quite  satisfied  that  the  system  of  writing  in  use 
on  the  Tigris  and  Euphrates  was  taken  from  the  Nile ;  but  he  ^ 
admitted  that  it  was  carried  to  a  much  higher  state  of  perfec- 
tion in  Assyria  than  it  had  ever  reached  in  Egypt.     The 
earliest  Assyrian  inscriptions  were  those  lately  discovered  by 
Mr.  Layard  in  the  north-west  palace  at  Nimroud,  being  much 
earlier  than   anything  found  at  Babylon.     Now,   the  great 
question  was  the  date  of  these  inscriptions.     Mr.  Layard  him- 
self, when  he  published  his  book  on  Nineveh,  believed  them  to 
be  2500  years  before  the  Christian  era ;  but  others,  and  Dr. 
Hincks  among  the  number,  brought  them  down  to  a  much 
later  date,  supposing  the  historical  tablets  to  refer  to  the  Assy- 
rian kings  mentioned  in  Scripture  (Shalmaneser,  Sennacherib, 
&c.).     He  (Colonel  Exiwlinson)  did  not  agree  with  either  one 
of  these  calculations  or  the  other ;  he  was  inclined  to  place  the 
earliest  inscriptions  from  Nimroud  between  1350  and  1200 
before  the  Christian  era ;  because,  in  the  first  place,  they  had 
a  limit  to  antiquity ;  for,  in  the  earliest  inscriptions,  there  was 
a  notice  of  the  sea-ports  of  Phoenicia,  of  Tyre  and  Sidon,  of 
Byblus,  Arcidus,  &c.,  and  it  was  well  known  that  these  cities 
were  not  founded  more  than  1500  years  before  the  Christian 
era.     "We  find  again  certain  tribes  (the  Khita,  the  Sherutena, 
and  others)  mentioned  in  these  inscriptions,  which  are  only  to 
be  found  in  the  Egyptian  inscriptions  of  a  particular  date,  that 
is,  during  the  eighteenth  and  nineteenth  and  the  beginning  of 
the  twentieth  dynasties.     The  earliest  of  the  Assyrian  inscrip- 
tions were,  in  his  opinion,  about  synchronous  with  the  close  of 
the  eighteenth  dynasty,  and  none  of  the  documents  which  he 


SYSTEMS    or   EAWLINSON   AND   HINCKS.  507 

had  yet  seen  were  so  late  as  the  twenty-second  dynasty.  As 
another  proof  of  the  antiquity  of  the  records  at  Nimroud  and 
Khorsabad,  Colonel  Rawlinson  referred  to  the  cities  in  Lower 
Chaldsea,  and  stated  that  numerous  cities  had  been  lately 
visited  in  those  parts  where  traces  were  found  of  a  series  of 
kings  extending  from  747  before  the  Christian  era  to  600  ;  but 
in  edl  these  cities  and  in  all  these  inscriptions  they  had  never 
found  any  trace  of  the  names  by  which  the  cities  were  desig- 
nated in  the  earlier  records.  This  showed  that  the  names  of 
these  cities  and  countries  had  all  been  changed  during  the 
period  which  elapsed  between  the  Assyrian  and  Babylonian 
periods,  and  consequently  placed  the  former  period  long  before 
the  era  of  Nabonassar,  or  747  b.c.  He  could  not  admit  the 
hypothesis  of  Dr.  Hincks  with  regard  to  the  Indo-European 
origin  of  the  Assyrians,  for  their  language  was  as  much 
Semitic  as  the  Hebrew  or  Chaldaean,  and  the  mode  of  writing 
was  much  more  Egyptian  than  Indo-European :  the  Assyrians 
he  believed  to  have  hardly  come  in  contact  with  Indo-European 
tribes.  They  certainly  knew  nothing  of  India — their  arms 
never  penetrated  eastward  of  the  Caspian  Sea.  Of  course 
they  came  in  contact  with  many  Scythian  tribes,  and  more 
especially  with  the  Cymri ;  but  whether  this  last  tribe  had 
anything  to  do  with  our  Celtic  Cymri,  he  could  not  undertake 
to  say ;  his  own  opinion  was,  however,  that  they  had  not.  He 
rather  believed  that  the  Celts  applied  specifically  to  themselves 
the  name  of  Cymri,  which  was  a  generic  name  for  Nomades, 
as  a  Mogul  tribe  named  themselves  Eiuth,  from  Eelyant,  the 
generic  name  of  the  wandering  tribes  of  Persia.  Colonel 
Bawlinson  added,  that  we  had  every  prospect  of  a  most  impor- 
tant accession  to  our  ethnological  materials,  for  every  letter  he 
got  from  the  countries  now  being  explored  announced  fresh 
discoveries  of  the  utmost  importance.  In  Lower  Chaldaea, 
Mr.  Loftus,  the  geologist  to  the  commission  appointed  to  fix 
the  boundaries  between  Turkey  and  Persia,  had  visited  many 
cities  which  no  European  had  ever  reached  before,  and  had 
everywhere  found  the  most  extraordinary  remains.  At  one 
place,  Senkereh,  he  had  come  on  a  pavement,  extending  from 
half  an  acre  to  an  acre,  entirely  covered  with  writing,  which 
was  engraved  upon  baked  tiles,  &c.  At  Wurka  (or  Ur  of  the 
Chaldees),  whence  Abraham  came  out,  he  had  found  innu- 
merable inscriptions ;  they  were  of  no  great  extent,  but  they 


608  SYSTEMS   OF    RAWLINSON   AND   HINCK8. 

were  exceedingly  interesting,  giving  many  royal  names  pre- 
viously unknown.  Wurka  (XJr,  or  Orchoe)  seemed  to  be  a 
holy  city,  for  the  whole  country  for  miles  upon  miles  was 
nothing  but  a  huge  necropolis.  In  none  of  the  excavations 
in  Assyria  had  coffins  ever  been  found,  but  in  this  city  of 
Chaldsea  there  were  thousands  upon  thousands.  The  story  of 
Abraham's  birth  at  Wurka  did  not  originate  with  the  Arabs, 
as  had  sometimes  been  conjectured,  but  with  the  Jews;  and 
the  Orientals  had  numberless  fables  about  Abraham  and  Nim- 
rod.  Mr.  Layard,  in  excavating  beneath  the  great  pyramid  at 
Nimroud,  had  penetrated  a  mass  of  masonry,  within  which  he 
had  discovered  the  tomb  and  statue  of  Sardanapalus,  accom- 
panied by  full  annals  of  the  monarch's  reign  engraved  on  the 
walls.  He  had  also  found  tablets  of  all  sorts,  all  of  them  being 
historical ;  but  the  crowning  discovery  he  had  yet  to  describe. 
The  palace  at  Nineveh,  or  Kouyunjik,  had  evidently  been 
destroyed  by  fire,  but  one  portion  of  the  building  seemed  to 
have  escaped  its  influence ;  and  Mr.  Layard,  in  excavating  in 
this  part  of  the  palace,  had  found  a  large  room  filled  with 
what  appeared  to  be  the  archives  of  the  empire,  ranged  in 
successive  tablets  of  terra-cotta,  the  writings  being  as  perfect 
as  when  the  tablets  were  first  stamped.  They  were  piled  in 
huge  heaps  from  the  floor  to  the  ceiling ;  and  he  wrote  to  him 
(Colonel  Rawlinson),  stating  that  he  had  already  filled  five 
large  cases  for  despatch  to  England,  but  had  only  cleared  out 
one  corner  of  the  apartment.  From  the  progress  already  made 
in  reading  the  inscriptions,  he  believed  we  should  be  able 
pretty  well  to  understand  the  contents  of  these  tablets — at  all 
events,  we  should  ascertain  their  general  purport,  and  thus 
gain  much  valuable  information.  A  passage  might  be  remem- 
bered in  the  book  of  Ezra,  where  the  Jews,  having  been  dis- 
turbed in  building  the  Temple,  prayed  that  search  might  be 
made  in  the  house  of  records  for  the  edict  of  Cyrus  permitting 
them  to  return  to  Jerusalem.  The  chamber  recently  found 
might  be  presumed  to  be  the  house  of  records  of  the  Assyrian 
kings,  where  copies  of  the  royal  edicts  were  duly  deposited. 
"When  these  tablets  had  been  examined  and  deciphered,  he 
believed  that  we  should  have  a  better  acquaintance  with  the 
history,  the  religion,  the  philosophy,  and  the  jurisprudence 
of  Assyria  1500  years  before  the  Christian  era,  than  we  had  of 
Greece  or  Borne  during  any  period  of  their  respective  histories. 


DB.    GROTEFEND   ON   THE    BUILDERS  OP  THE    PALACE.         509 

The  "Athenseum"  of  September  8tli  and  20th,  October 
25th,  December  27th,  1851,  and  January  3rd,  1852,  contained 
some  very  interesting  contributions  by  Mr.  Bosanquet  of  Clays- 
more,  and  Dr.  Hincks,  relative  to  Assyrian  chronology  and  the 
cuneiform  writings.  In  Dr.  Hincks*  letter  of  January  3rd,  he 
states  that  he  has  found  on  the  slabs  of  the  south-western 
palace  at  Nimroud,  a  name  which  he  identifies  as  Menahem  of 
Samaria,  proving  that  the  slabs  belonged  to  Pul  (2  Kings  xv. 
19,  20),  and  that  the  deportation  spoken  of  was  that  in  the 
reign  of  Pekah,  and  attributed  to  Tiglath  Pileser,  who  was 
consequently  the  same  as  Sargon,  the  builder  of  Khorsabad. 

"  Syro-Egyptian  Society,  Feh.  16. — A  paper  was  read  *  On 
the  Builders  of  the  Palaces  at  Khorsabad  and  Kouyunjik,'  by 
Dr..  Grotefend,  translated  by  the  Eev.  C.  Eenouard.  The 
names  of  the  builders  ascertained  by  Colonel  Rawlinson  to 
be  Arkotsin,  Bela-donim-sha,  and  Assar-adanassar,  have  little 
security,  Dr.  Grotefend  argues,  lor  having  been  correctly 
read.  The  first  would  appear  to  have  reigned  between  the 
times  of  Cyaxares  and  Cyrus,  and  to  have  conquered  a  king 
of  Egypt  whose  name  Colonel  Rawlinson  reads  Biarka,  or 
Biarku,  but  Dr.  Grotefend  reads  Pharaoh  Nechoh, — and  who 
held  his  court  at  Kabek  or  Heliopolis.  (Mr.  Sharpe  re- 
marked that  Thebes  was  a  Rabek,  or  '  city  of  the  sun,*  as 
well  as  Heliopolis,  and  the  more  likely  seat  of  empire.)  Erom 
this  circumstance,  and  the  details  of  the  other  campaigns  of 
the  same  king,  as  described  by  Colonel  Rawlinson,  Dr.  Grote- 
fend thinks  that  the  builders  of  Khorsabad  may  be  identified 
with  the  Biblical  Nabopolassar  and  his  son  Nebuchadnezzar, — 
and  the  builder  of  Kouyunjik  with  the  Biblical  Evil-Merodach, 
a  Jewish  distortion  of  Abil-Beredam.  Dr.  Grotefend's  opinion 
further  communicated  by  Mr.  Sharpe  with  regard  to  the  north- 
west palace  at  Nimroud  is,  that  that  palace  was  built  by 
the  father  of  the  king  who  made  the  obelisk  now  in  the  Bri- 
tish Museum,  and  that  it  was  plundered  by  his  fourth  successor, 
or  the  builder  of  Khorsabad;  that  is,  that  it  was  built  by 
Tiglath,  the  father  of  Shalman,  and  plundered  by  Nabopolassar. 
Secondly,  that  the  south-east  building  bears  the  name  of  the 
builder  of  Khorsabad,  and  also  that  of  his  grandson,  and  also 
that  of  the  Persian  Cambyses.  Thirdly,  that  the  south-west 
palace  was  built  by  the  Babylonian  builder  of  Khorsabad,  and 


510    DE.  GKOTEFEND  ON  THE  BUILDEBS  OP  THE  PALACE. 

his  two  successors,  and  had  additions  made  to  it  by  Cambyses. 
Thus,  Dr.  Grotefend  is  of  opinion  that  the  interesting  monu- 
ments lately  discovered  at  Nineveh  were  the  work  of  three 
periods,  the  Assyrian,  the  Babylonian,  and  the  Persian, — that 
the  earliest  was  made  by  Tiglath,  and  the  latest  by  Cam- 
byses." 


^___  ..   _      •^Si3'-i^|*WjB?.f^'--  "  ■    } 


Fig.  270. — ABAB  TENT,  FKOM  A  SKETCH  BY  MR.  UOMAIME 


1      ^  ~      -C-r.W  •'■ 
Fig.  271.— VIEW  IN  THE  EXCAVATIOUS,  FEOM  A  SKETCH  BY  ME.   BOMAINE. 


CHAPTER  II. 


LATEST  PE0CEEDING8  AND  DISCOVEEIES  IN  ASSYKIA. 

Intelligence  of  the  more  recent  movements  and  discoveries  of 
Layard,  Rawlinson,  and  others,  finds  a  place  from  time  to  time 
in  the  literary  journals,  and  Reports  of  the  learned  societies. 
In  the  columns  of  the  "Athenseum"  a  short  paragraph  every 
now  and  then  reports  progress,  leading  us  to  anticipate  the 
period  when  our  national  repositories  will  be  enriched  by  fur- 
ther spoils  from  Assyria.  Some  of  these  reports  of  progress 
may  be  here  introduced,  since  they  contain,  in  truth,  the  latest 
information  about  the  buried  cities  of  the  East. 
April  20th,  1851.  **  Mr.  Layard  and  his  party  are  still  carry- 


512  LA.TEST  PE0CEEDING8  IN  ASSTEIl. 

ing  on  their  excavations  at  Kimroud  and  Kineveh.  A  large 
number  of  copper  vessels,  beautifully  engraved,  have  been  found 
in  the  former ;  and,  from  the  latter,  a  large  assortment  of  fine 
slabs  illustrative  of  the  rule,  conquests,  domestic  life,  and  arts  of 
the  ancient  Assyrians,  are  daily  coming  to  light,  and  are  com- 
mitted to  paper  by  the  artist,  Mr.  Cooper,  one  of  the  Expe- 
dition." 

October  Wth,  "Mr.  Layard  has  now  proceeded  to  Baby- 
lonia, for  the  purpose  of  examining  the  various  ancient  sites 
that  are  scattered  over  that  extensive  country,  and  with  a  view 
of  ascertaining  the  spots  most  favourable  for  excavation. 

*'  Royal  Asiatic  Society,  March  Qth. — The  Assistant- Secre- 
tary read  a  letter  which  he  had  received  by  the  last  overland 
mail  from  Colonel  llawlinson,  who  has  resumed  his  official 
labours  at  Baghdad,  after  a  few  busy  weeks  at  the  ruins  at 
^Nineveh.  This  letter  is  confirmatory  of  the  discoveries  promul- 
gated by  Dr.  Hincks  at  the  close  of  the  last  and  beginning  of 
the  present  year ;  and  the  coincidence  of  two  independent 
discoveries,  placed  thousands  of  miles  apart,  will  be  a  strong 
confirmation  of  the  truth  of  their  reading  to  those  who  are 
unable  to  investigate  for  themselves,  and  an  evidence  of  the 
value  of  Colonel  E-awlinson's  Indiscriminate  List  of  Assyrian 
Characters,  published  in  the  December  number  of  the  Society's 
journal.  The  Colonel  says,  *  I  am  now  satisfied  that  the  black 
obelisk  dates  from  about  860  b.  c.  The  tribute  depicted  in  the 
second  compartment  upon  the  obelisk  comes  from  Israel :  it  is 
the  tribute  of  Jehu.  The  names  are  Yahua,  the  son  of  Khumriya, 
or  Kin»,  the  son  of  »-joy.  Jehu  is  usually  called,  in  the  Bible,  the 
son  of  Nimshi  (although  Jehoshaphat  was  his  actual  father, 
2  Kings,  ix.  2) ;  but  the  Assyrians,  taking  him  for  the  legitimate 
successor  to  the  throne,  named  as  his  father  (or  rather  ancestor) 
'Omri,  the  founder  of  the  kingdom  of  Samaria,  *0mri*8  name 
being  written  on  the  obelisk  as  it  is  in  the  inscriptions  of  Shal- 
maneser,  where,  as  you  already  know,  the  kingdom  of  Israel 
is  always  called  the  country  of  Beth  *Omri.  If  this  iden- 
tification of  name  were  the  only  argument  in  favour  of  Jehu, 
I  should  not  so  much  depend  on  it ;  but  the  King  of  Syria  is 
also  named  on  the  obelisk  Khazail,  which  is  exactly  the  "jKntn 
(2  Chron.  xxii.  6),  Hazael  of  Scripture,  who  was  the  contem- 
porary of  Jehu ;  and  in  the  inscription  of  the  obelisk  king's 
father  (whom  I  have  hitherto  called  Sardanapalus,  but  whose 


LATEST   PB0CEEDING8   IN   A8SYBIA.  513 

real  name  must  be  read  Assur-akh-baal),  there  is  also  a  notice 
of  Ithbaal,  king  of  Sidon,  who  was  the  father  of  Jezebel,  the 
wife  of  Ahab,  and  a  contemporary  of  Jehu.  These  three  identi- 
fications constitute  a  synchronism  on  which  I  consider  we  may 
rely,  especially  as  all  the  collateral  evidence  comes  out  satis- 
factorily. The  tributes  noted  on  the  obelisk  are  all  from  the 
remote  nations  of  the  west;  and  what  more  natural  than 
that  the  tribute  of  Israel  should  thus  be  put  next  to  the  tribute 
from  Egypt  ?  There  was  no  Assyrian  campaign  at  this  period 
against  either  Egypt  or  Israel ;  but  the  kings  sent  offerings,  in 
order  to  keep  on  good  terms  with  their  eastern  neighbour.  I 
have  not  yet  had  time  to  go  through  the  very  elaborate  history 
of  *Assur-akh-bal,'  contemporary  with  the  prophet  Elijah;  but  I 
expect  to  find  several  other  synchronisms,  which  will  set  the 
chronological  question  at  rest  for  ever.'  The  line  in  which  the 
name  of  Jehu  appears  was  read  by  Colonel  Rawlinson,  in  his 
'Commentary,'  published  in  May,  1850,  *Yahua,  the  son  of 
Hubiri,*  (p.  47)  ;  the  alteration  of  the  b  to  um,  in  the  second 
syllable  of  Hubiri,  is  given  in  the  Indiscriminate  List  above 
mentioned.  We  are  now  fairly  entitled  to  expect  the  discovery 
of  nK)re  synchronisms  when  the  mass  of  inscriptions  already 
published  shall  be  examined,  with  the  aid  of  Colonel  Rawlinson's 
alphabet  and  analysis,  by  the  many  English  and  foreign  savants 
who  are  thus  put  in  possession  of  the  key  to  their  contents." 

**  Letters  received  in  Paris  from  M.  Place,  consul  at  Mosul, 
report  further  excavations  and  successes  among  the  mounds  of 
Nineveh.  Among  the  recent  gains  from  this  rich  mine  of  anti- 
quities, besides  a  large  addition  of  statues,  bas-reliefs  in  marble, 
pottery,  and  articles  of  jewellery,  which  throw  light  on  the 
habits  and  customs  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  ancient  city,  the 
French  explorers  have  been  able  to  examine  the  whole  of  the 
palace  of  Khorsabad  and  its  dependencies.  In  so  doing,  they 
are  said  to  have  elucidated  some  doubtful  points,  and  obtained 
proof  that  the  Assyrians  were  not  ignorant  of  any  of  the 
resources  of  architecture.  M.  Place  has  discovered  a  large 
gate,  12  feet  high,  which  appears  to  have  been  one  of  the  en- 
trances to  the  city, — several  constructions  in  marble, — two 
rows  of  columns,  apparently  extending  a  considerable  dis- 
tance,— the  cellar  of  the  Palace,  still  containing  regular  rows 
of  jars,  which  had  probably  been  filled  with  wine,  for  at  the 
bottom  of  these  jars  there  is  stiU  a  deposit  of  a  violet  colour. 

LL 


514  LATEST   PROCEEDINGS    IN   ASSTEIA. 

"  The  operations  have  not  been  confined  to  the  immediate  vi- 
cinity of  Khorsabad.  M.  Place  has  caused  excavations  to  be 
made  in  the  hills  of  Bashika,  Karamles,  Tel  Lauben,  Mattai, 
Kara  Kiish,  Digan,  &c.,  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Tigris,  within 
ten  leagues  of  Khorsabad.  In  them  he  has  found  monuments, 
tombs,  and  jewellery,  and  some  articles  in  gold  and  other  me- 
tals, and  in  stone.  At  Dziziran  there  is  a  monument  which, 
it  is  supposed,  may  turn  out  to  be  as  large  as  that  of  Khorsabad. 
At  Mattai,  and  at  a  place  called  Bar  Tau,  M.  Place  has  found 
bas-reliefs  cut  in  the  solid  rock :  they  consist  of  a  number  of 
colossal  figures,  and  of  a  series  of  full-length  portraits  of  the 
kings  of  Assyria.  M.  Place  reports,  that  he  has  taken  copies  of 
his  discoveries  by  means  of  the  photographic  process ;  and  he 
announces  that  Col.  Bawlinson  has  authorised  him  to  make 
diggings  near  the  places  which  the  English  are  engaged  in  ex- 
amining." 

Sept.  18,  1855.  Colonel  Bawlinson  delivered  a  Lecture  on 
the  Cuneiform  Inscriptions  of  Assyria  and  Babylonia,  to  a 
crowded  audience  of  the  members  of  the  British  Association, 
in  the  City  Hall,  Glasgow.  We  will  not  follow  him  through  his 
very  interesting  preliminary  matter,  but  will  make  some  ex- 
tracts from  the  concluding  part  of  his  lecture.     He  says : — 

"  Whether  it  was  the  king  who  wished  to  issue  a  bulletin, 
or  a  shopkeeper  to  make  up  his  accounts — the  same  process 
had  to  be  gone  through  of  stamping  it  on  clay  tablets.  The 
decipherment  of  these  inscriptions  led  to  important  results  in 
an  ethnological  point  of  view,  both  as  indicating  the  race  to 
which  the  writers  belonged,  and  affording  important  informa- 
tion with  reference  to  the  habitat  of  races  and  their  migrations. 
Among  the  many  points  which  they  were  now  enabled  satis- 
factorily to  settle,  he  alluded  to  the  connection  between  the 
Turanian  and  Hamic  families,  and  to  the  occupation  of  Western 
Asia  by  the  Scythic,  and  not  the  Semitic  race.  He  also 
mentioned  that  from  the  inscriptions  he  believed  it  could  be 
shown  that  the  Queen  of  Sheba  came  from  Idumaea.  As  to 
the  advantages  conferred  on  geography  by  these  discoveries,  he 
would  not  attempt  to  give  in  detail  the  ramifications  of  geogra- 
phical knowledge  which  had  been  thus  obtained An 

erroneous  impression  was  at  one  time  in  circulation  that  the 
information  obtained  from  the  inscriptions  was  adverse  to 
Scripture.    But  so  much  was  it  the  reverse  of  this,  that  if  they 


LATEST  FB0CEEDIKO3  IN  ASSYRIA.  515 

were  to  draw  up  a  scheme  of  chronology  from  the  inscriptions, 
without  having  seen  the  statements  of  the  Scriptures,  they 
would  find  it  coincide  on  every  important  point.  The  excava- 
tions at  Chaldaea  furnished  them  with  inscriptions  showing 
the  names  of  the  kings — ^their  parentage — the  gods  they  wor- 
shipped— the  temples  they  built — the  cities  they  founded — 
and  many  other  particulars  of  their  reign.  ....  He  then 
mentioned  some  circumstances  with  reference  to  the  mound  at 
Birs-Nimroud,  which  he  had  recently  uncovered,  and  which 
he  found  laid  out  in  the  form  of  seven  terraces.  These  were 
arranged  in  the  order  in  which  the  Chaldaeans  or  Sabeans 
supposed  the  planetary  spheres  were  arranged,  and  each 
terrace  being  painted  in  different  colours,  in  order  to  represent 
its  respective  planet.  Another  curious  circumstance  with  this 
excavation  was  the  discovery  of  the  documents  enclosed  in  this 
temple.  From  the  appearance  of  the  place  he  was  enabled  at 
once  to  say  in  what  part  they  were  placed,  and,  on  opening 
the  wall  at  the  place  he  indicated,  his  workmen  found  two 
fine  cylinders.  He  also  mentioned  another  small  ivory 
cylinder  which  he  had  discovered,  and  round  which  were 
engraved  mathematical  figures,  so  small  that  they  could  hardly 
be  seen  with  the  naked  eye,  and  which  could  not  have  been 
engraved  without  the  aid  of  a  very  strong  lens.'* 

KoYAL  Asiatic  Society. — Feh,  2,  1 856.  Col.  Sir  Henry  Eaw- 
linson  reported  that  he  had  recently  met  with  an  inscription  from 
the  uppdr  chambers  of  the  Central  Palace  of  Nimroud  which  was 
of  much  historical  importance.  It  belonged  to  the  king  already 
well  known  to  the  Assyrian  student  as  the  husband  of  Sammu- 
ramit,  or  Semiramis ;  and  it  confirmed  the  opinion  which  he 
had  so  long  entertained,  of  the  identity  of  this  monarch,  whose 
name  he  read  as  Phulukh,  with  the  Pul  of  Scripture,  Phalock  of 

the  LXX,  and  Bolochos  of  the  Greeks The  inscription 

showed  that  Phulukh  had  actually  overrun  Syria,  and  had 
moreover  received  tribute  from  Samaria.  The  words  were, 
**  I  have  reduced  under  my  yoke  all  the  countries  from  the 
banks  of  the  Euphrates  as  far  as  the  great  sea  of  the  setting 
sun,  including  Khetti,  Akharri,  Tsuru,  Tsidunu,  Khumria, 
Hudumu,  and  Palazta" — these  names  representing  severally, 
the  countries  of  the  Hittites,  or  Northern  Syria,  Southern  Syria 
(called  Akharri,  or  Martu),  Tyre  and  Sidon,  Samaria  (called 
Khumria,  after  Omri,  the  builder  of  the  city  on  Mount  Geri- 

ll2 


516  LATEST  PROCEEDINGS  IN  A8STEIA. 

^im)  Edom  and  Philistia.  The  inscription  went  on  to  parti- 
cularise a  recent  campaign  in  which  Damascus  was  taken, 
and  an  enormous  tribute  exacted  of  the  king,  consisting,  among 
other  articles,  of  twenty  talents  of  gold,  2,300  talents  of  silver, 
3,000  talents  of  copper,  and  5,000  talents  of  brass.  After  this 
triumph,  which  probably  took  place  about  B.C.  750,  Phulukh 
returned  to  Babylonia,  received  the  homage  of  the  Chaldaeans, 
and  sacrificed  in  tbe  cities  of  Babylon,  Borsippo,  and  Cutha,  to 
the  respective  tutelar  divinities,  Bel,  Kebo,  and  Nergal. 

April  5,  1856.  The  **  Athenaeum  "  contains  a  list  of  Assy- 
rian Antiquities  which  had  just  been  received  at  the  British 
Museum  from  Sir  Henry  Rawlinson.  They  consisted  of  twenty- 
three  slabs,  forming  the  walls  of  one  single  chamber,  and  repre- 
sented a  series  of  royal  lion  hunts.  (See  Sec.  IV.,  Cap,  iii.) 
Four  slabs.  Architectural  subjects. 

Eighteen  slabs,  in  double  series,  representing  scenes  con- 
nected with  the  conquest  of  Susiana. 

Six  pavement  slabs — one  complete  in  four  pieces. 
Four  slabs  representing  mythological  figures. 
Eleven  other  slabs  from  different  parts  of  the  building. 
Sir  Henry  Rawlinson   further  selected  half-a-dozen  slabs 
from  other  buildings  of  the  age  of  Tiglath-Pileser  and  Senna- 
cherib, and  completed  the  collection  by  adding  two  statues  of 
the  God  Nebo  (one  colossal  and  one  life-size),  bearing  the 
famous  inscription  of  Pul  and  Semiramis ;  together  with  an 
obelisk  inscribed  with  the  annals  of  the  father  of  Pul. 

Royal  Asiatic  Society. — April  I9th.  Sir  H.  Rawlinson  read 
the  translation  of  an  inscription  which  he  had  recently  copied 
from  a  Babylonian  cylinder  belonging  to  Trinity  College,  Cam- 
bridge, which  had  been  for  nearly  fifty  years  available  for  the 
study  of  European  scholars,  and  yet  had  almost  escaped  notice. 
The  inscription  related  to  a  king,  Nergal-shar-ezer,  who  was 
only  previously  known  to  cuneiform  students  from  a  few  brick 
legends  obtained  by  M.  Fresnel  at  Babylon. 

July  24th.  "  The  London  Monthly  Review,"  No.  1,  contains 
a  paper  by  Sir  H.  Rawlinson,  "  On  the  Clay  Cylinders  of 
Babylon  and  Assyria,"  which  is  so  valuable  that  we  make 
extracts  from  it. 

"  The  Clay  Cylinders  of  the  Babylonian  Monarchs,  now  depo- 
sited in  the  British  Museum,  are  of  various  shapes  and  sizes,  the 
largest  being  about  eighteen  inches  in  length  and  eight  inches 


LATEST  PROCEEDINGS  IN  ASSTEIA.  517 

in  diameter,  while  the  smallest  are  not  more  than  four  inches 
in  length  and  one  and  a  half  inches  in  diameter.  The  Chaldsean 
and  Babylonian  samples  are  always  barrel-shaped,  bulging  more 
or  less  in  the  middle ;  the  Assyrian,  on  the  other  hand,  are 
usually  cylindrical  or  polygonal,  having  six,  eight,  or  ten  sides 
of  equal  width.  They  are  flat  at  each  end,  and  in  every 
instance  are  perforated  by  a  hole  through  their  *axis.  They 
are  made  of  different  sorts  of  clay,  and  exhibit  eveiy  variety 
of  quality  and  fineness.  The  best  are  those  of  TiglatJi  Pileser 
(cir.  B.C.  1200),  and  the  worst  are  those  of  Asshurbani-pul, 
son  of  Esar  Haddon  (cir.  B.C.  660). 

**  The  earliest  yet  found  belongs  to  the  Chaldaean  period  (b.c. 
1800).  It  was  excavated  from  the  ruins  of  a  temple  at 
Mugheir  (IJr  of  the  Chaldees),  and  contains  the  annals  of  one 
of  the  primitive  kings,  written  in  the  old  Hamite  language  of 
ChaldfiBa.  The  cylinder  is  in  fragments,  and  incomplete — the 
material  is  a  hard,  gre3rish,  well-baked  clay,  and  the  surface 
seems  to  have  been  polished. 

"  Four  cylinders  of  the  time  of  Tiglath  Pileser  I.  are  now  in 
the  British  Museum.  They  are  octagonal,  and  were  extracted 
from  the  four  corners  of  a  temple  at  Shergdt.  They  are  formed 
of  very  fine  clay,  admirably  baked,  and  were  all  in  fragments. 
The  inscription  is  about  800  lines  in  length,  and  is  now  being 
lithographed. 

**  The  next  are  cylinders  of  Sargon.  A  number  were  found 
by  M.  Place,  among  the  ruins  of  Khorsabad,  but  we  have  no 
specimen  in  the  British  Museum.  The  cylinders  of  Sargon, 
like  those  of  Babylon,  are  barrel-shaped — they  are  all  in  good 
preservation. 

"  The  fourth  are  cylinders  of  Sennacherib  (b.c.  702-680). 
Barrel-shaped  and  perfect.  One  was  brought  to  England  by 
Mr.  Rich,  and  has  been  in  the  British  Museum  thirty  years. 
A  more  important  relic  of  the  same  king  has  recently  been 
bought  by  the  nation  from  the  estate  of  Col.  Taylor.  It  is  in 
excellent  preservation,  and  was  found  in  the  ruins  of  Nineveh. 

"  One  cylinder  and  fragments,  of  time  of  Esar  Haddon  (680- 
660),  in  British  Museum.  Esar  IIaddon*s  cylinders  may 
usually  be  recognised  by  the  whiteness  of  the  clay,  resembling 
in  that  respect  the  material  employed  by  Tiglath  Pileser  I. 
All  the  Esar  Haddon  relics  came  from  Kouyunjik  or  Nineveh. 

"  Asshur-bani-pal  (660-640).    Fragments  of  four  in  British 


518  LATEST    PROCEEDINGS   IN    ASSYRIA. 

Museum.  Clay  of  inferior  quality ;  the  more  remarkable,  as 
many  of  the  tablets  belonging  to  the  same  king  are  among  the 
best  specimens  of  Assyrian  terra  cotta. 

'  "Nebuchadnezzar  (604-561).  The  principal  in  British 
Museum  are  from  the  Rich  collection.  All  the  Nebuchadnezzar 
cylinders  are  perfect. 

"  Nergal-shar-ezer  (557).  One  cylinder,  Trinity  College, 
Cambridge. 

"  Nabonidas  (555),  last  king  of  Babylon.  Four  now  in  British 
Museum  found  in  the  four  corners  of  the  temple  of  the  Moon 
at  Mugheir.  They  are  the  most  beautiful  yet  found,  from  the 
fine  quality  of  the  clay,  the  thorough  burning  it  has  under- 
gone, from  the  delicacy  of  the  writing,  and  the  perfect  state  of 
preservation  in  which  they  are. 

*'  No  cylinders  have  been  found  of  later  date  than  Nabonidas, 
though  there  are  tablets  dated  under  Seleucus  and  Antiochus. 

**  The  inscriptions  on  these  cylinders  were  evidently  executed 
by  the  hand  while  the  clay  was  yet  soft,  and  by  means  of  a 
square-headed  stylus,  something  like  a  graver.  The  High 
Priest  of  the  year  seems  to  have  been  especially  charged  with 
the  preparation  of  the  annals ;  and  the  historical  inscriptions 
accordingly,  on  the  cylinders,  always  preserve  his  name  in  the 
record  of  the  date.  The  placing  of  the  cylinders  also  ;in  the 
walls,  or  foundations  of  the  temples,  to  serve  as  a  record  of 
the  work,  is  generally  noticed  in  the  inscription  upon  them." 

As  an  appropriate  conclusion,  we  annex  a  valuable  extract 
from  Dr.  Oppert's  Chronology  of  the  Assyrians  and  Babylo- 
nians ;  and  a  Greneral  Chronological  Table,  derived  from  various 
authorities. 


ABBIDGED    EXTRACT    FROM   THE    "  CHRONOLOGY  OP  THE   ASSYRIANS 


AND  BABYLONIANS,       BY  DR.  JULES  OPPERT. 

Epoch  at  which  the  Chaldseans  place  the  building  of  the  Tower  of 
Babel  (42  amar,  or  2940  years  before  Nabuchodouosor) 

I.  DYNASTIES.  NON-SEMITIC, 

comprehended  under  the  name  of  Scythic  Supi-emacy  during 

1500  years. 

I.  Hamite  Kikodom 

II.  Abian  Invasion 

III.  TouRANiAK  Domination  (Scythic) 


B.C. 

3540 


3540—2449 
2449—2225 
2225-2017 


CHEONOIOGT  OF  THE  AS8TB1ANS  AND  BABYLONIANS.        519 


II.  SEMITIC  DOMINATION.  b.o.  b.c. 

I.  FiBST  CHALDiGAN  Empibe,  49  kings  during  450  years         .       .  2017—1669 

First  king  unknown 

Ismidagan,  lord  of  Assyria about  1950 

Sainsi-Hou,  son  of  Ismidagan  (644  years  before  Assourdayan) 

Naramsin,  king  of  the  four  regions 

(The  names  of  the  other  kings  are  not  yet  deciphered.) 
II.  Abab  Invasion.— 8  kings  during  245  years         ....  1559—1314 

The  Khet  of  the  Egyptian  hieroglyphics,  according  to  M. 
de  Koug^,  probably  the  Dummukh  of  the  Assyrians. 
III.  Gbeat  Asstbian  Empibe.— 45  kings  during  526  years      .       .  1314—  788 

a.  First  dynasty.— Ninippalloukin,  first  king    ....  1314 
.   ...  Assourdayan,  son  of  the  preceding,    about  1300 

Moutakkil-Nabou,  son  of  the  preceding, 

about  1270 
Assour-ris-ili,  son  of  the  preceding.  (Com- 
mencement of  the  Assyrian  power,  fol- 
lowing  the    Egyptian    preponderance, 
which  had  lasted  500  years),     .     about  1250 
...  Tiglath  Pileser  I.,  son  of  the  preceding, 

(historical  Cylinder  of  800  lines),    about  1220 
Sardanapalus  I .,  son  of  the  preceding,    . . .    1200 

Tiglath  Pileser  II 

Sack  of  Nineveh  by  the  Chaldseans,  418  years 
before  the  first  year  of  Sennacherib,    about  1122 
Belochus  I.,  son  of  the  preceding,         ...    1100 
5.  Second  dynasty. — Belitaras  (5e^A»«-iras«ow),  usurper,        ...    1100 
Salmanassar  I.,  founder  of  the  Palace  of 

Calah  (Nimrond)      .        .        .        about  1050 
Sardanapalus  II.,  great-grandson  of  Beli- 

taras about  1020 

Salmanassar  II.,  son  of  the  preceding,  ...  1000 
Assourdan-il  I.,  son  of  the  preceding,  ...  980 
Belochus  II.,  grandson  of  Assourdan-il  I., 

about    970 
Tiglath  Pileser  III.,  son  of  the  preceding, 

about    950 
Sardanapalus  III.,  son  of  the  preceding. 
Great  Conqueror      .        .         about  930 — 900 
...  Salmanassar  III.,  son  of  the  preceding, 

adversary  of  Jehu,  king  of  Israel. 
(Nimroud  Obelisk), .        .        .    about  900—860 
'    ...  Sam-si-ou  II.,  son  of  the  preceding, 

about  860—840 
'   ...  Belochus  III.,  son  of  the  preceding, 

husband  of  Semiramis  (Sammoura- 

mit), about  840—820 

Semiramis,  17  years  alone,       .      ...    820—803 
Sardanapalus  IV.,  probablv  son  of  the 
preceding,  last  king  of  the  great 
empire,      ....       about  807—788 

III.    DIVISION  OF  DOMINION  BETWEEN  SHEMITE3  AND  ARIANS. 


Babylon. 


Nineveh. 


Phul  Belesis  founds  the  empire  of  Chaldsea,  first 
King  of  Babylon  subjugates  Assyria     .... 
King  of  Babylon  tUl    747 

Tiglath  Pileser  IV., 
re-establishes  the 
Assyrian  monar- 
chy  

Nabonassar    .    .    .  747—733  Commencement     of 

thecaptivity  of  Is- 
rael    .    .    .    .    • 


788^769 


769—725 


740 


Media  and 
Pebsia. 


Arian  repub- 
lic. Arbaces 
first  chief, 
B.C.788-.710 


SUSIANA. 


Kingdom  of 
Susiana. 


Soutrouk 
Nakhounta. 


520 


CHRONOLOGY  OP  THE  ASSYRIANS  AND  BABYLONIANS. 


DIVISION  OF  DOMINION  BETWEEN  SHEMITES  AND  ARIA'SS— continued. 


Babylok. 


Nineveh. 


Nabios 733—720 

Kinzirus  and  Poms  731—720 


Ilulaeus  ....  726—721 
Merodachbaladan    .  721—709 

Sargon,  king  of  Ba- 
bylon from  .    .    .  709—704 
( Arkeanos  of  Ptolemy.) 
Anarchy     ....  704—702 

Belibus 702—699 

Assourinaddinson, 

son  of  Sennacherib  699—693 

Irigibel 693—692 

Mesisimardocas  .  .  692—688 
Anarchy  .  .  .  688—680 
Assarhaddon,  son  of 

Sennacherib  .  .  680—688 
King  of  Assyria, 

Saosdouchin    .    .    .  668—647 


B.C. 

Salmanassar  IV. 
takes    Samaria 
(720)  and. is  de- 
throned by  Sargon  725—720 

Last  Ninevite  dv- 
yASTY(  Sargonide8720— 725) 

Sargon     (founded 
Khorsabad  about 
706) 720—704 


Sennacherib,  son  of 

Sargon     ....  704—676 
Campaign  against 

Egypt  and  Judaea  702 


of    Egvpt,    and    of 

Meroe       ....  676—668 

Tiglath  Pileser  V., 

sonof  Assarhaddon  668—660 

Sardanapalus  V.,  son 

of  Assarhaddon    .  660—647 


Assourdanil    II.,     son    of    Sardanapalus   V., 
(Ktvt\akav  of  the  Greeks)  last  king  of  Assyria.  647—625 

Total  destniction  of  Nineveh 625 

Babylonian  dynasty,  625—538. 

Nabopallasar    (Nabou-pall-assour)  and  Ni- 

tocris  the  Egyptian 625—604 

Nabuchodonosor  (.ya6oM-fc)Mc?o»/rr-ow«o«r)  .  604—561 

Evil  Merodach  (Avil-MardouJc) 561—559 

Nergalsarassor  {Nirgal-sarr-ousour)      ....  559—555 
Labousardochus  (Belakh-isrouk),  son  of  the  pre- 
ceding, 9  months 555 

Nabonid  {Nabou-nafiid)  son  of  Nabou-balatirib  .  655—538 

Cyrus  takes  Babylon 538 

Cyrus,  king  of  Babylon,  and  of  nations     .  638—529 
Cambyses 529—522 


Nidintabel,  Pseudo  Nabuchodonosor,  son 

of  Nabonid 522—518 

Darius,  son  of  Hystaspes,  takes  Babylon 

the  first  time 518 

Arakhou,  Pseudo  Nabuchodonosor    .    .    .  517—516 
Darius  takes  Babylon  the  second  time  .    .  516 
Nabouimtouk  renders  himself  independ- 
ent, and  reigns  with  his  son  Belsarous- 

sour,  about 508—488 

Complete   submission  of  the  Chaldeeans 
about 488 


Media  and 
Persia. 


B.C. 

Aspabara 
about  .    720 


Dynasty   of 
theDeiocides 

Deiocesking, 
710—657 


Phraortes, 

657—635 
Achaeraenes 
8ubmits,650 


Cyazares 


SUSIANA. 


Koutir-Nak- 
hounta,  son 
of  the  pre- 
ceding. 


Tarhak,  bro- 
ther of  the 
preceding. 

Houmbani- 
gas    van- 
quished by 
Sargon. 


Tioumman 
conquered 
by  Sardana- 
palus V. 


.  636-595 


Astyages  .    .    .  596—560 
Achwrnenian  dynasty. 

Cyrus,   king    of 
Persia    .    .    .  560-529 


Cambyses      .    .  529—622 

Gomates  the  ma- 
gian  (Pseudo 
Smerdis)     .    .  522 

Darius,  son  of 
Hystaspes    .    .  531—486 

(Darius  the  Mede.) 


Xerxes  I.,  Aha- 
suerus  of  the 
Jews    (Esther 
473)      ....  486-465 


521 


CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE  ACCORDING  TO  VARIOUS 
AUTHORITIES. 


ACCESSION  OF  KINGS, 
&C.     &C.     &C. 

i 

i 
i 

i! 

00 

1 

■< 

PS 
H 

2 

o 
768-752 

< 
so 

1 

o 

Pul,  king  of  Assyria. 

769 

767 

770 

747, 

770 

748-732 

774 

788-769 

Menahem    

770 

invadas 

Iinel. 

lur  year. 

747-738 

770-760 

747-736 

757-746 

773 

767 

770 

Jotham    

758 

754 

757 

733 

768 

733-718 

743-728 

759 

Tiglath  Pileser 

738 

736 

738 

Retia. 

746 

760  730 

between 

732-706 

552-725 

763 

769-725 

Ahaz    

741 

738 
730 

738 
7.*lfi 

741 

717 
716 
702 

741 
738 
730 

718-703 

728-713 

743 

Pekah  slain    

7.<W 

706 

731 

Shalmaneser 

724 

9  19W 

724 

705-691 

725-706 

734 

725 

1  «>Y 

•ame  ae 
Sargon 

Hoshea 

729 
720 

735 

728 

706 
697 

729 

706-697 

716-708 

731 

Fall  of  Samaria 

720 

721 

720 

696 

708 

722 

720 

Hezekiah    

725 

723 

725 

701 

725 

703-674 

713 

728 

idcnlical 

f  *«V 

■  ACF 

lame  M 

Sargon 

with  t»u. 
bitddua. 

721 

720 

705-691 

706-2 

Eiar. 

h  addon. 

720-704 

Sennacherib   

713 
713 

709* 
709 

711t 
711 

692 
689 

712 

691-674 
689 

702-680 
699 

720 
714 

704-676 
702 

14th  Hezekiah  

Esarhaddon 

711 
606 

708 
626 

708 

667 

582 

696 
625 

674-667 
607 

606 

683 
623 

680-668 
626 

Fall  of  Nineveh 

Eclipse  of  Tbales  ... 

610 

585 

6ioi: 

Nebuchadnezzar  ... 

604 

605 

680-678 

604-561 

606 

604-561 

Fall  of  Jerusalem  ... 

588 

602 

686 

562 

588 

688 

Cyru8,fatherofCam- 

byses    

669 

569 

559-529 

535 

■am* 
penor. 

560-629 

Gyrus,  grandson  of 

Astyages 

521 

Fall  of  Bahylon 

638 

562 

663 

530 

538 

Ahasuerus  Cyaxares 

son  of  Astyages... 

538 

538 

[Darius,  son  of  Aha-^ 
saerus  byadoption,  \ 
or  marriage,  king 

I  of  the  Mede.s 

[Darius,  set  over  the") 

538 

521 

cn^^ 

i 

621-486 

realm  of  the  Chal- 

/  deans  when  sixty- 

638 

651 

493 

490 

two  years  of  age, 

(  king  of  Persia 

^Rebuilding  of  thel 
j  Temple  of  Jerusa^i 
1  lem    I 

620 

511 

616 

492 

520 

dedicit 

ion.    ^ 

^                               ^ 

' 1 

*  Sennacherib  invades  Judea. 

t  Solar  Eclipse  which  led  to  the  conclusion  of  the  war  between  the  Lydians  and  the  Me* 
dians,  610. 
X  Solar  Eclipse  foretold  by  Tbales  to  the  loniaus,  685. 


Fig.  273.~ABAB  SHEIKH,  FROM  ▲  SKETCH  BT  HE.  ROMA.IVS. 


INDEX. 


Abana,  river  of  Damascus,  272. 

Abbott,  Dr.,  of  Cairo ;  Egyptian  Bomme- 
reng  in  collection  of,  155. 

Abdullah.  Sultan,  Tomb  of,  114. 

Abednego,  210,  231. 

Aberdeen,  Earl  of;  Inscribed  stone  be- 
longing to,  146,  479. 

Abou  Simbal,  Temple  of,  268. 

Abraham  paid  current  money  for  Cave  of 
Machpelah,  172. 

Abu  Jawari,  village  of,  113. 

Abu  Serai,  the  father  of  palaces,  the  pre- 
sumed site  of  Kirkisyah,  47. 

Accad,  or  Accur,  third  city  of  Nimrod,  44, 
45,  46. 

Achsemenian  Dynasty,  466 — writings,  482 
-484. 

Adrammelech,  son  of  Sennacherib,  254. 

^schylus,  449. 

iEmilius  Sura,  65. 

African  on  Sculptures,  206. 

A  gag.  King  of  the  Amalekites,  287. 

Ahab,  613. 

Ahasuerus'  Feast  to  great  and  small,  244 


—couches  to  recline  on  at  feast  of,  217— 
cups  used  at  feast  of,  215. 

Ahaz,  King  of  Judah,  sends  messengers 
to  Tiglath  Pileser,  78,  346. 

Ahriman,  the  father  of  evil  of  the  Zend 
Avesta,  328. 

Ain  Es-soufra,  109. 

Ainsworth,  Mr.  William  Francis;  Excur- 
sion in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  Tigris 
and  Nineveh,  30  — Nimroud  Tep&ss£,  47 
discovered  foundations  of  walls,  104 — 
conglomerate  of  which  the  walls  of  Ni- 
neveh were  built,  106— journey  to  Kalah 
Sherghat  and  Al-Hadhr,  112,  118;  190 
—Researches,  368. 

Akkerkuf,  site  of  Accad,  46, 116. 

Akthamar,  Sea  of,  Lake  Van,  142,477,  480. 

Albania,  Layard's  travels  in,  29. 

Aleppo,  40. 

Alexander,  120,  466,  484. 

Al-Hadhr,  ruins  of,  visited  by  Layard,  80 
—by  Ainsworth,  30— visited,  112,  116, 
117— Rilievi,  118. 

Al-Uambra,  decorations  on  walls^  271* 


INDEX. 


523 


Al-Heiraar,  120. 

Altars,  230— in  high  places,  991, 230, 487— 

at  Nimroud,  334,  441,  445. 
Amadia,  a  town  north  of  Mosul,  447. 
Amalekites,  287. 
Ammun  Ra,  87. 
Ammianus  Marcellinus,  mention  of  cities, 

45. 
Amos  Prophet :   Calnah,   47  —  Assyrian 

boast,  198— people  of  Syria  led  captivcj 

272— nations  likened  to  cedars,  297. 
Amram  Ibn  Ali,  mound  of,  120— identical 

with  western  Palace  of  Babylon,  120. 
Amrapbel,  King  of  Shinar,  49,  68. 
Amunothph,  Egyptian  king,  332. 
Amyntas,  King  of  Assyria,  69. 
Animals  decorated  for  the  sacrifice,  343. 
Ani,  or  Anamelech,  487. 
Anona  reticulata — custard  apple,  372. 
Anquetil  du  Perron,  476L 
Antiochus,  tablets,  518. 
Arabia,  brothers  of  Nimrod  settled  in,  45, 

207. 
Arabs— Arabians,  35,  158,  207,  277,   343, 

399,  411— language  related  to  Cbaldee, 

176. 
Aras,  or  Araxes,  river,  53, 79. 
Arbaces  the  Mede  takes  Nineveh,  71,  78. 
Archaeological  Journal,  Celts,  270. 
Arched  chamber  discovered  by  Layard  at 

Nimroud,  36,  411. 
Archei-s,  Assyrian,  371,  387,  449. 
Argana  Maaden,  mines  of,  near  Diarbekir, 

438. 
Arian,  120,  449. 

Ariocli,  King  of  EUasar,  49,  68. 
Armenia,  country  of,  68, 119, 141— Heykab, 

King  of,  69— boats  of,  276,  489,503. 
Army,  Assyrian, 371. 

Arpad,  King  of,  conquered  by  Assyria,  240. 
Arrows,  divining  by,  308— two  in  hand,  275, 

287,325. 
Arsacenian  race,  136. 
Artaxerxes,  466— Ochus,  479. 
Artificial  mounts  employed  in  sieges,  209, 

215, 318, 320. 
Asaphim,  wise  men,  189. 
Ascalon,  Semiramis  born  at,  66. 
Ascending  passage  or  stairs,  372, 394. 
Ashdod,  502. 

Ashpenaz,  Prince  of  the  Eunuchs  of  Ne- 
buchadnezzar, 164. 
Asia  Minor,  Layard's  travels  in,  SO. 
Asordanius,  Esarhaddon,  68. 
Asphalte,  pure  springs  of,  114, 
Assault  of  a  city  and  impalement  of  pri- 
soners, 219  —  siege,  prisoners  impaled, 

319. 
Assembly,  Court  of,  150. 
Assarac,  an  Assyrian  god,  487,  489, 493. 
Asser-Hadan-Pul,  perhaps  Sardanapalus. 

77, 486-498. 
Asshur;  Assyria,  Oreek  derivative  from, 

48— his  kingdom,  t&.  — governed  in  the 

same  way  as  Nimrod,  48— dispersed  his 
.  people,  t(.— conquering  nation,  49,  0(K-| 


founded  monarchy  of  Assyria,  65,66 — its 
merchants,  449. 

Asshurbani-pul,  son  of  Esar-haddon,  617. 

Assur-akh-baal,  373, 417,  418. 

Assyria  and  Mesopotamia,  43,  49 — palaces 
of,  147-248,  249-362,  and  363,  422- called 
Zahiri,  487— analogy  with  Egypt,  168 
— took  Manasseh  to  Babylon,  191 — king 
of,  held  possession  of  part  of  the  coast 
of  the  Mediterranean,  241  —  merchants 
of,  449. 

Assyrian  Antiquities  and  Inscriptions,  5 
and  6 — kings,  52— destruction  of  Assy- 
rian army,  66  — monarchy  founded  by 
Asshur,  66— United  Empire  founded  by 
Ninus,  66 — sketch  of  Assyrian  History, 
by  S.  Sharpe,  Esq.,  77— Ancient  Assy- 
rian Empire,  43, 63— character  of  mounds 
on  which  Assyrian  palaces  stood,  95— 
first  Assyrian  monument  brought  to 
England,  142-144— Assyrian  monuments 
in  British  Museum,  249 — lion,  77, 135— 
Architecture,  121,  427 — Assyrian  Bom- 
mereng,  155— Assyrian  Hercules,  164— 
omaments,  162 — ships,  166 — cruelties  of 
the  Assyrians,  219,  375  —  divisions  of 
army,  371— slingers,  archers,  spearmen, 
cavalry,  ib. — musical  instruments,  216, 
261,  262,  290,  378,  405-9— construction  of 
palaces,  240 — chariots,  255,  437 — Assy- 
rian Art  intermediary  between  Grecian 
and  Egyptian,  426— dress,  431— warlike 
weapons,  432— beards,  434— earrings,  162, 
436  —  bracelets,  435,  436  — working  of 
metals,  437— vases,  215,  216,  430— furni- 
ture, 230-234,  430. 

Assyrian  Excavation  Fund  appoint  agents, 
365— W.  K.  Loftus,  W.  8.  Boutcher,  ib. 

Astarte,  Assyrian  Venus,  311. 

Astyages,  grandfather  of  Cyrus,  289, 306 — ' 
painted  face  and  false  hair,  431. 

Athensdiim,  225,  250,  338,  499,  509,  516. 

At  Meidan,  Obelisk  of,  69. 

Attack  of  an  advanced  fort,  206 — of  cities, 
214,  219,  221,  222-224. 

Audience,  Chamber  of,  209. 

Australian  Bommereng  compared  with  As- 
syrian, 154, 155. 

Avicenna  the  Philosopher,  tomb  of,  137. 

Awnings  to  cover  courts,  244, 441. 

Azariah,  74. 

Azerbijan,  141. 

Azotus,  city  of,  80, 169. 


Baal,  88,  291— symbols,  292— Egyptian 
symbol,  293— Persian,  t&.— Elijah  apos- 
trophises, 291, 340, 356,  361,  460. 

Baalim,  360. 

Baalbec,  Heliopolis  of  the  Greeks,  88. 

Babel,  first  city  of  Nimrod,  46— tower  o^* 
*&.,  il6— original  of  Babylon,  45. 

Babylon,  dissimilarity  between  Nineveh, 
and,  9— size  of,  compared  with  Nineveh 
and  London,  51— seat  of  empire,  74— 
valla  of,  110, 120— the  £asr,  115,  120— 


524 


INDEX. 


representations  on  walls  of,  239— bricks, 
149 — governors  over  provinces  of,  210 — 
Darius  impaled  3000  of  the  nobility  of, 
219,  449,  460— king  of,  divining,  308  — 
last  king  of,  518. 

Babylonian,  cylindrical  seals,  88— roofs, 
242— writing,  most  ancient,  477. 

Bah-el-haded,  a  gate  of  Cairo  which  Ma- 
bommed  AH  never  went  out  by,  182. 

Bactria,  ancient  name  of  part  of  Persia, 
67 — camel,  two-humped  species  of,  323, 
340. 

Baghdad,  Rich  East  India  Company's  Re- 
sident  at,  2— seals  brought  from,  9— 
sculptures  arrived  at,  26,  37,  38,  40,  41, 
113— information  supplied  by  merchant 
of,  444— Rawlinson  at,  476,  512. 

Balaam,  his  parable,  50. 

Banqueting  Hall,  213. 

Banquets,  198,  215,  216,  217,  372,  400. 

Basalt  Temple,  230. 

Basaltic  Statue,  112,  337. 

Bassora,  27. 

Battering  Rams,  185,  206,  214. 

Battle  scenes,  183,  203-206,  213,  214,  219— 
227,  255-8,  265-6-7,  270,  368,  373,  384,  412. 

Bazani  and  Bashika,  109,  407  —  within 
boundary  of  Nineveh,  108. 

Beardless  Divinities,  310,  356— figures, 
eunuchs,  161. 

Beards,  157, 174— of  chiefs  long,  302,  336— 
extreme  care  of,  326,  348. 

Behistun,  or  Besithun,  inscription  of,  139, 
468— difficulties  of  decipherment,  469, 
476,  484,  485. 

Belesis,  governor  of  Babylon,  71. 

Belshazzar,  vision  of,  Daniel,  first  year  of, 
252. 

Belteshazzar,  name  given  to  the  prophet 
Daniel,  335. 

Bennett,  Mr.,  transactions  of  Zoological 
Society,  284. 

Berlin,  145. 

Berosus,  historian,  65,  83,  86, 168,  331. 

Besithun,  119— described  by  Diodonis,  138 
—tablets  at,  139— Sir  R.  Ker  Porter's 
description,  139— perfection  of  writing, 
140— siliceous  varnish  on  rock,  141. 

Beyrout,  the  ancient  Berytus,  a  city  of 
Phoenicia,  between  Biblos  and  Sidon,  5 
— monuments  discovered  near,  142,  482. 

Birch,  Mr.  Samuel,  observations  on  hiero- 
glyphical  inscriptions  on  the  Obelisk  of 
the  At  Meidan  at  Constantinople,  and 
on  the  Tablet  of  Kamak,  69. 

Birds  of  prey,  trained  to  accompany  the 
Persian  army  in  battle,  267 — on  sculp- 
tures at  Nimroud,  258,  266,  269,  272,  323, 
356, 359. 

Birs  Nimroud,  supposed  temple  of  Belus, 
46,  115— measurements   compared  with 
other  mounds,  115 — size  of,  119,  479, 515. 
Black  Sea,  240,  461. 
Boats,  274,  276,  369. 
Bochart,  45,  46. 
Bommerengs,   Assyrian,  Egyptian,  Aus- 


tralian, South  African,  Bishareen,  and 
Central  African,  154, 155. 

Bones  and  gold  leaf,  found  by  Layard,  un- 
der stones  in  great  hall,  293. 

Bonn,  464,  465,  468,  477. 

13onomi,  I ,  on  Nahr  al  Kelb  Monument, 
142— bi-ought  monument  to  England,  144, 
366— drawing  by,  482. 

Borsippa,  Birs  Nimroud,  115, 119. 

Bosanquet,  Mr.,  conquest  of  Media  by 
Nebuchodonosor  astronomically  fixed, 
B.C.  614,  59— fall  of  Nineveh,  B.C.  579, 
72 ;  509— chronological  table,  521. 

Botta,  appointed  Consul  at  Mdsul,  7 — re- 
searches and  disappointments,  8,  10 — 
opens  mound  at  Kouyunjik,  11 — at  Khor- 
8abad,12— publication  of  discoveries,  13 — 
grants  of  funds  from  the  French  govern- 
ment, 14, 18— difficulties  with  the  Pasha, 
14— excavations  stopped,  tft.— Turkish 
official  delinquencies,  15  —  discovers 
bull's  head,  17— excavations  resumed, 
19,  22 — purchases  village  of  Khorsabad, 
19,  20— relics  sent  to  Paris,  and  difficul- 
ties of  removal,  25.  27— colour  on  sculp- 
tures, 428 — Mahadalet,  243— opinion  on 
destruction  of  Khorsabad  palace,  245, 248 
— opinion  on  inscriptions,  480,  483. 

Boundary  of  Nineveh,  106  — of  ancient 
Assyria,  64— Mesopotamia,  ib. — Baby- 
lonia, ib. 

Bournouf,  M.,  discoveries  in  the  Assyrian 
inscriptions,  467,  476,  484. 

Boutcher,  Mr.  W.  S.,  artist  sent  to  Nine- 
veh by  Assyrian  excavation  fund,  865. 

Bowmen,  224,  225,  318,  322— Parthian,  294, 
370,  371,  387,  449. 

Bows,  arrows,  and  quivers,  433. 

Bracelets,  the  kind  termed  Pbatil,  435— 
and  others,  162,  436. 

Brazier,  263. 

Bricks  at  Nineveh  not  available  for  build- 
ing, 9— sun-dried  and  kiln-burnt,  9 — 
rarely  used  in  modern  buildings  at  Md- 
sul, 10 — the  pasha  and  a  dyer  obtained 
them  from  Botta  to  build  ovens,  11, 12 — 
no  straws  or  reeds  in  bricks  at  Khor- 
sabad, 98 — radiated,  116— with  cunei- 
form atKalah  Sherghat,  t5.— dimensions 
of,  140— inscribed,  148,  477, 481— painted, 
428, 445 — ^uninscribed  in  pavement,  180, 
186. 

Bridle  in  lips,  194,  196, 198. 

British  Association,  544. 

British  Museum,  monument   of  Rameses 
IV.  in,  158— Bommereng,  154 — Assyrian 
sculptures    in,   33,  227,   249,  367-415— 
list  of  sculptures  in,  415— ivories  in,  404, 
451 — copper  and  glass  vessels,  457,  459 — 
bells,  wine  strainer,  ladles,  &c-,  ib. 
Bronze  lions,  244, 336,  440— weights,  337. 
Bronze  castings,  442. 
Buffetting  and  spitting  in  the  face,  376L 
Bull-hunt,  284— return  from,  290,  291. 
Burning  besieged  city,  221. 
Burnt  clay  idols,  Teraphim,179,180,2dd,234. 


INDEX. 


525 


Byblus,  49a,  507. 

Byzantine  art,  426. 

Byzantium,  Chronicles  in  temples  of,  223. 


Cababet,  Lieut.,   ships  first  sculptures 

from  Khorsabad,  27. 
Cairo,  illustrations  of  customs  of,  229,  243, 

271. 
Caillou  de  Michaud,  inscribed  stone  in  the 

Louvre,  6,  200. 
Calah,  city  built  by  Asshur,  48— identified 

with  Kalah  Sherghat,  49,  79,  111,  112, 

481,  494. 
Callisthenes,  486. 
Calmet,  44,  47, 104, 171,406. 
Camels,  173,  323,  340,374,411. 
Cane  reed,  368,  384. 
Canning,  Sir  Stratford,  volunteers  to  assist 

Layard,  33,  36— obtained  marbles  from 

Halicamassus,  33. 
Captives,  led  by  a  ring  in  the  lips,  194, 

196,  198— and    spoil,  206,  207— heading 

procession  of  tribute-bearers,  298,  300 — 

manacled  and  fettered,  369— ill  used,  375, 

379— Jewibh,  381,  412. 
Caramania,  people  of,  300. 
Caskets,  of  Haroun-e'-Rashid,  404 — ivory, 

402  462  454. 
Caspian  Sea,  63,  78,  79, 82,  240,  461,  607. 
CasBus,  Mount,  wood  from  the  forests  of, 

241. 
Castings  in  bronze,  442. 
Caucasus,  Mount,  falcons  of,  267,  484. 
Cavahry,  266. 293,  323, 370. 
Cavities,  under  the  pavement  containing 

Teraphim,  179— for  lock,  392. 
Celts,  bronze  chisels  at  the  end  of  poles, 

270— Mr.  James  Yates'  account  of,  ib. 
Chain  armour,  469. 
Chairs,  229, 230— wheeled,  229,380. 
Chaldseans,  46,    74— origin   of,   189— four 

orders  of.  189,  238— hero,  143— tablets, 

142, 146 — inscribed  cones,  469. 
Chaldseo-Babylonian  empire,  74. 
Chalnah,  fourth  city  of  Nimroud,  45,  47. 
Chamber  of  Judgment,  196 — of  Audience, 

209  —  Divinities,  309  —  inscribed,  ib.- 

Chamber  in  thickness  of  the  walls,  310 

— Inner  presence,  311— Private  Council, 

212— Retiring,  226— Divining,  234— lion 

hunt,  386— upper  chamber,  ^7. 
Charchemish,  47,  74,  600. 
Chardin,  Sir  John,  travels  of,  181,  267, 464. 
Chariots,   204— Egyptian,  255— Assyrian, 

266— appendage  to,  266, 357, 437. 
Chartumim,  enchanters  and  diviners   of 

the  Chaldseans,  189. 
Chasdim,  Chaldnan  magicians,  189. 
Chased,  son  of  Nahor,   from  whom  the 

Chaldeans,  189. 
Chedorlaomer-Ninyas,  68. 
Cherubim,  152— guardians  of  entrances, 

ib. — of  paradise,  of  the   tabernacle,  of 

the  temple,   of  the  Assyrian  palaces, 

152,  360, 361. 


Chesney,  Colonel,  46, 47,  49,  64,  65,  90, 104, 
137,  277. 

Child,  carried  on  shoulders  of  women,  207. 

China,  great  wall  of,  110. 

Chinese  language  compared,  470. 

Choaspes,  Kerkhah  river,  377. 

Chronicles,  first  book  of,  Jewish  kingdom 
under  David  and  Solomon,  60— Tiglath 
Pileser,  frequently  mentioned,  62  — <• 
slingers  and  bowmen,  370— vases  as  tri> 
bute,  450. 

Chronicles,  second  book  of,  Tiglath  Pileser, 
62 — Hoshea  rendered  tribute,  63 — Ma- 
nasseh  carried  into  captivity,  59 — He- 
zekiah's  tribute,  66,  80— Manasseh  re- 
stored to  his  throne,  52,  81 — Pharaoh 
Necho  defeated  by  Nebuchadnezzar,  83 
— tlirone  of  the  king,  127  —  cherubim 
guarding  sanctuary  of  the  temple,  152 — 
war  engines,  185— fetters.  191 — people 
of  Gozan,  240— captives,  272. 

Chronology,  table  of,  by  Mr.  S.  Sharpe,  86— 
by  Dr.  Oppert,. 519— according  to  various 
authorities,  521. 

ChTonological  tablets,  69, 137, 141, 142, 144, 
145,  223,  332,  363,  411,  414. 

Chushan-rishathaim,  king  of  Mesopota- 
mia, 50 — Israelites  served,  ib.,  69. 

Chyniladan,  king  of  Assyria,  81. 

Cilicia,  210— Oppianus,  native  of,  323,  502. 

Circular-headed  or  chronological  tablets, 
6  and  6,  69,  137,  141,  142,  144,  145,  332, 
414 — on  sculptures,  223,  411. 

Cisterns  and  subterranean  aqueducts  at 
Persepolis,  124. 

Citians,  a  people  of  Citinm,  146,  600. 

Citium,  the  modem  Lamaka,  a  town  of 
Cyprus,  144. 

Clasp  on  dress  of  Mylse,  210. 

Claw  in  lion's  tail,  284. 

Coffins  found  in  Werka,  608. 

Colossal  figures,  list  of,  415-422. 

Colour  on  sandals,  227 — on  figures,  239, 
428. 

Columns,  410,  450,  513. 

Comparative  size  of  cities ;  Nineveh,  Ba- 
bylon, and  London,  51. 

Constantinople,  orders  from,  15, 16,  83,  36 
— ornaments,  271— papusch,  300. 

Construction  of  Assyrian  palaces,  240. 

Convent  of  St.  George,  within  boundary  of 
Nineveh,  108. 

Copper,  tablets,  440 — pillars  encased  with, 
450 — vases,  467. 

Corbeaux,  Miss  Fanny,  her  paper  on  the 
Rephaim,  330— Dagon,  f6. 

Cormorant,  the  ship  that  conveyed  the 
first  sculptures  found  at  Khorsabad  to 
Europe,  27. 

Comet,  hom,  a  musical  instrument,  406. 

Cory's  fragments,  58,  65,  67,  68,  69, 81, 82, 
158,  168, 317. 

Costume,  chapter  on,  423. 

Courts  of  Assembly,  150— reception,  176 — 
inner,  227. 

Cronus,  same  as  Ilus,  god  of  the  PhoenL 


526 


INDEX. 


cians,  158,  211,  327,  328,  331,  360,  361, 

483. 
Cruelties  of  the  Assyrians,  219,  375. 
Ctesiphon,  47. 

Culinary  operations,  264,  265. 
CuUimore,  Mr.,  331, 483. 
Cuneiform  writing,  464 — Babylonian  the 

most  ancient  form  of,  477. 
Cup-bearers,  211,  212,  213,240.  260,  289, 334 

— to  the  king  of  Khorsabad,  his  portrait, 

353 — of  Sennacherib,  368. 
Cups,  divining,  306— drinking,  216,306— 

of  brass  and  silver,  307 — embossed  cups 

found  by  Layard,  307— Babylon  a  golden 

cup,  308— of  Jemshid,  307. 
Current  money,  172. 
Curvetto  moulding  of  Egypt  and  Assyria 

compared,  235.  - 
Cush,  grandson  of  Noah  and  father  of  Nim- 

rod,  44. 
Custard  apple,  372. 
Cyaxares,  son  of  Phraortes  the  Mede,  took 

Nineveii,  and  subdued  the   Assyrians, 

61  73  82  484  485. 
Cylinders,  Babylonian.  4,  5,  9,  88,  331,  437, 

445,  478,  481— Rawlinson's  article  on,  516 

— placed  in  the  foundations  of  temples, 

518. 
Cymbals,  409. 
Cyprus,  69,  119 — Assyrian  monument  at, 

144— Lepsius,  information,  144,  241,  253, 

332  500 
Cyrus  takes  Babylon,  75— tomb  of,  132, 134 

— in  Egyptian  head-dress  at  Mourgaub, 

87, 132— sceptre-bearers  attending,  282— 

tiara,  431 — as  cup-bearer,  289,  305 — cha- 
riots, 360 — carpet  on  tomb  of.  449 — name 

in  inscriptions,  484. 


Dagon,  god  of  the  Phoenicians,  158,  168, 
169  329. 

Damascus,  53, 78,  272,  476,  500. 

Daniel,  prophet,  tomb  of,  31  — carried  into 
captivity,  74 — describes  fall  of  Chaldse- 
Babylonian  empire,  /6.—stewai'd  of  king's 
household  mentioned  by,  164— governors 
of  provinces,  172— ruler  over  the  pro- 
vince of  Babylon,  173 — four  kinds  of 
magicians  mentioned  by,  189,  238 — chief 
of  the  slayers  mentioned  by,  192— go- 
vernors, 211 — mighty  men,  231— Lion 
with  eagle's  wings,  252 — deified  man, 
315— called  Belteshazzar,  335,402— vast- 
ness  of  Assyrian  empire  describod  by, 
341— wise  men,  375  —  Shushan,  377  — 
vision,  ib. — musical  instniments  named 
by,  405— seals  on  doors,  444— image  of 
gold  in  plains  of  Dura,  172,  450. 

Darius  Hystaspes,  tomb  of,  135 — symbol 
of  divinity  on  tomb  of,  136 — castle  of, 
137  — impaled  3000  of  the  nobility  of 
Babylon,  219 — tribute  raised  by,  343— 
name,  362,  467,  484. 

D4sh-Tappeh,  Assyrian  inscriptions  at. 
145,  481. 


Date  trees  not  productive  in  Samaria,  321, 
384. 

David,  50,  52,  53. 

Dedan,  precious  clothes  for  chariots,  437. 

D'Herbelot's  travels,  120. 

Deified  men,  294,  315,  317. 

Deioces,  collected  the  Medes  into  a  nation, 
and  attacked  Nineveh,  73. 

Demons,  hero  gods,  360. 

Denhara  and  Clapperton's  travels,  155.    . 

De  Saulcy,  M.,  denies  existence  of  Nahr  al 
Kelb  monument  144. 

Deuteronomy,  spit  upon,  376. 

Diarbekir,  town  on  the  Tigris,  438. 

Dickenson,  Mr.,  on  the  fate  of  the  ten 
tribes  of  Israel,  54. 

Didymus  of  Alexandria,  early  commenta- 
tor, 283. 

Difficulty  of  removing  sculptures,  25. 

Digan,  513. 

Din&rdn^s,  a  wild  tribe  of  Khuzistan,  32. 

Diodorus  Siculus,  65,  67,  71, 106, 110, 121, 
138,  484. 

Divination,  Hall  of,  303. 

Divining  Chambers,  188— cups,  307— ar- 
rows, 308. 

Divinities,  Chamber  of,309— Hallof.SU- 
with  four  wings,  Ilus  or  Cronus,  157,  158, 
211,  328,  331,  356,  361 -with  four  wings 
and  beardless,  310— with  two  wings  and 
egg-shaped  cap,  pine-cone,  and  basket, 
295,  315,  316— with  eagle  head,  178,  295, 
296— with  human  head,  eagle's  vings, 
and  body  of  bull,  151 — with  human  head, 
eagle's  wings,  and  body  of  lion,  251  — 
ditto  with  arms,  295,  410— Baal,  291,  292, 
340, 356— combined  with  fish,  Cannes,  the 
Chaldsean  Dagon,  329— wingless,  413. 

Dogs,  and  other  animals,  trained  for  the 
battle-field,  268,  359— paw,  326— used  in 
hunting,  390. 

Doors,  destroyed  by  fire,  175,  178— mode 
of  fastening  and  keeping  them  open,  171. 

Doorways,  inscribed  pavements  in,  179, 
184, 186 -how  guarded,  151, 177— images, 
Teraphim  secreted  at  the  entrance,  179, 
181,  233— opposite  each  other  at  Khor- 
sabad, differing  from  those  at  Nimroud, 
which  are  irregular,  250. 

Drains,  found  by  Layard  at  Nimroud,  37, 
131, 148. 

Dress,  of  King,  159,  160,  257, 312,  388— of 
Eunuch,  162— Sacerdotal,  238— Nisroch, 
252,  295— Sagartii,  174— Nysians,  184— 
Mylyw,  210— Sultan  Medinet,  172— of 
Susians,  374 — of  queen,  400 — of  eastern 
Ethopians,  411 — Samaritan  priests,  412. 

Drinking-cups,  Assyrian  and  Greek,  216 — 
of  brass  and  silver,  307. 

Driving  and  snaring  game,  396. 

Dromedaries,  323. 

Drum,  409. 

Dujeil,  river,  the  lesser  Tigris,  64. 

Dulcimer,  Sumphonia,  408. 

Dura,  image  set  up  in  the  plains  of,  172, 450. 

Dzizeran,  513. 


INDEX. 


527 


Eaolr-beaded  divinity  at  Khorsabad, 
short  dresses,  178, 360, 361. 

Earrings.  162, 436,  436. 

Eastern,  side  of  mounds  at  Khorsabad,  102 
—Ethiopians,  412. 

Ebony,  tribute.  343, 345,  494. 

Ecbatana,  ancient  city  of,  137— tombs  of 
Esther  and  Mordecai  at,  137— castle  of 
Dariua,  137, 141. 

Ecclesiastes,  garden,  400 — 102. 

Edomites,  63. 

Egg-shaped  head-dress,  Divinity  with,  316 
— inscribed  stones,  6. 

Egypt,  visited  by  Botta,  7— Hoshea  seeks 
aid  from,  64— tablets,  144, 145— sculptors 
and  painters  of  Assyria  and  Egypt,  239, 
307,  428— grinding  com  in,  373— orna- 
ments, 431. 

Egyptian,  Assyrian,  and  Grecian  Art  com- 
pared, 424 — symbols  of  life,  and  analo- 
gous representations  in  Assyrian  re- 
mains, 168  —  head-dress,  on    Cyrus  at 

.  Mourgaub,  87,  132— ship,  166— chariot, 
256  —  curvetto  moulding  of  buildings, 
235 — temples,  236,  354 — decorations  on 
walls,  428— tribute,  460— writing,  604. 

£1-Assayab,  site  of  Erech,  46. 

Eli,  the  prophet,  fell  off  a  high  seat  and 
was  killed,  217-218. 

EUasar,  El-Asar,  Arioch,  king  of,  49,  68. 

£1-Madair,  site  of  Calnab,  47. 

£1  malema,  elder,  or  chief  women  of  the 
harem,  400. 

El-M&rhama,  the  embroidered  napkin  for 
the  mouth,  carried  by  cup-bearers,  289, 
305. 

El-Seramum,  113. 

Elulseus,  King  of  Tyre,  145,  501. 

Elwand,  Mount,  inscribed  stones  on,  474 
ancient  roads  across,  137, 138. 

El-Yemen,  visited  by  Botta,  7 — inhabi- 
tants, 231. 

Endogenous  plants  of  the  date  and  cocoa- 
nut  tribe,  that  do  not  increase  by  exter- 
nal concentric  additions  to  their  bulk, 
322. 

Enemessar,  Shalmaneser,  53,  79,  145, 346, 
498,  500,  501,  604. 

Entrances  of  palaces,  how  guarded,  IM, 
177, 180, 233,  234,  385,  413. 

Erech,  Irak,  or  Werka,  second  city  of  Nim- 
rod,  46,  46, 47,  508. 

Esarhaddon,  King  of  Assyria,  son  of  Sen- 
nacherib, 68, 81, 603, 517—  cylinders  of,  ib 

Esdras,  Book  I.,  all  things  brought  to  the 
king,  374,  395— dancing,  378,  380— king, 
mighty,  391. 

Es-Selem,  bommereng  of  the  Desert  be- 
tween the^Nile  and  the  Red  Sea,  155. 

Esther,  sepulchre  of,  at  Hamadan,  an- 
ciently Ecbatana,  137 — illustrated,  176, 
215,  217,  218,  244,441-wise  men,  376. 

Establishment  for  training  lions,  393. 

Etruscans,  306. 

Euteus,  Ulai,  river,  377. 

Eunuchs,  161— dress  of,  162— cooking,  264, 


266— in  battle,  265,  266— at  Court  of  Ba- 
bylon, 334,  378 — drawing  car  as  punish- 
ment, 412. 

Euphrates,  river,  46, 47,  95,  263— rafts  and 
boats  on,  26, 37,  277,  487. 

Evacuation  of  a  city,  320,  321. 

Evil  eye,  superstition  of  the,  181. 

Exodus,  dancing,  378. 

Eyes  of  captive  put  out  by  King  of  As- 
syria, 194. 

Ezekiel,  44— power  of  Nineveh  described 
by,  60— niin  of  Nineveh  described  by, 
61— Jews  carried  into  captivity,  74 — To- 
garmah  nfentioned  by,  193  —  hook  in 
nose  and  bridle  in  lips,  196, 198— colour* 
ed  images  of  Ghaldseans,  239— ravenous 
birds,  272 — nations  and  kings  likened  to 
cedars,  297 — divination  by  arrows,  308 — 
artificial  mounts  and  battering-rams, 
318— divination,  340— trumpets,  379  — 
simile,  428 — precious  clothes  of  chariots, 
437 — commerce  of  Assyria,  449— benches 
of  ivory,  451. 

Ezra,  prophet,  212, 609. 


Fabeb,  Dr.,  Reasons  for  adopting  Samari- 
tan Text  of  Bible  in  preference  to  the 
Hebrew,  49 — on  cherubim,  and  hero- 
gods,  360. 

Facades,  sculptures  on,  13, 151. 

Palkener's,  Mr.  E.,  description  of  casket, 
404. 

Fayoum,  district  of  Egypt,  Obelisk  of,  338. 

Feasts,  216,  217— with  queen,  400. 

Fergusson,  Mr.  James,  160 — his  restora- 
tions of  the  palaces,  245. 

Ferouher  of  Persians,  on  tomb  of  Darius 
Hystaspes,  like  Assyrian  and  Egyptian 
symbols,  291. 

Fettered  prisoners,  191, 194, 195,  369. 

Figueroa,  European  traveller,  464. 

Fir-cone  held  by  divinities,  177, 193 — pre- 
sented at  entrances,  158— analogy  with 
Egyptian  symbol  of  life,  ib, 

Flandin,  M.,  arrives  at  M6sul,  19,  22— 
firmness  during  a  riot,  23— returns  to 
Paris,  24— opinion  respecting  colour  on 
slabs,  428 — opinion  respecting  construc- 
tion of  roof,  247. 

Flaying  prisoner,  192, 375. 

Flute,  406-6. 

Fly-flaps,  162. 

Foresters  of  the  king,  202,  364. 

Four  kinds  of  magicians  mentioned  by 
Daniel,  189. 

Four-winged  beardless  divinity,  310. 

Four-winged  divinity  Ilus  or  Cronus,  158, 
211, 327, 328,  331,  360,  861, 483. 

Funeral  urns  in  tombs,  444, 445. 


Gable  roofs,  186, 187, 244. 
Gako,  mount,  90. 

Galilee,  people  of,   subdued   by  Tiglath 
Pileser,  63. 


528 


INDEX. 


Gardens,  373— hanging,  379,  411— place  of 
pleasure,  400,  413. 

Gate,  513. 

Gauzanites,  country  mentioned  by  Pto- 
lemy, and  identical  with  Gozan,  54. 

Gazelle,  178, 189,  343, 399, 456. 

Gebel  Makloub,  the  overturned  mountain 
bounding  the  plains  of  Nineveh,  107, 
108, 109. 

Gedaberaiyah,  the  khaznadar,  or  treasurer 
of  the  king's  household,  173. 

Genesis,  cities  founded  by  Nimrod,  44 — 
brothers  of  Nimrod,  45— cities  founded 
by  Asshur,  48— Jewish  power,  50-Che- 
dorlaomer,  68— Cushan  Kishathaim,  69— 
cities  near  Nineveh,  79— Resen,  104 — 
Cherubim  guarding  gates  of  Paradise, 
152 — current  money  paid  by  Abraham, 
172— Teraphim,  179, 181— Chased  son  of 
Nahor,  189— Phatil,  436. 

Gesenius,  44. 

Girbeh,  or  Ghirab,  water-skins,  207,  430. 

Gibbor,  mighty  one,  44. 

Gibborin,  mighty  men,  always  attached  to 
the  court  or  army,  and  in  attendance 
upon  the  king,  231. 

Glass  vessels  and  statuettes,  451,  458 — 
460. 

Gold,  leaf  and  bones  fotmd  by  Layard  under 
slab  in  Great  Hall,  293-tablets  of,  440. 

Gomer,  193. 

Gfittingen,  Royal  Society,  465. 

Governors  uf  rural  districts,  and  gover 
nors  of  provinces,  inferred  from  the  in^ 
signia  which  they  carry,  175. 

Gozan,  river  of,  54,  240,  321. 

Gozartes,  139. 

Grecian  art  compared  with  that  of  Assyria 
and  Egypt,  426  —  drinking  cup,  216— 
lyre,  ib. 

Griffons  found  by  Layard  at  Kouyunjik, 
36— seen  at  Al  Hadhr,  118— at  Persepo- 
lis,  128— on  sculptures,  326,  327. 

Grinding  corn  and  kneading  bread,  373. 

Grotefend,  Dr.,  deciphers  cuneiform  in- 
scriptions, 465,  497— his  reading  of  the 
Obelisk,  ib. 

Guardians  of  entrances,  151, 177, 180,  233, 

234,  385,  413. 
Gumpach,  M.  I.  von,  chronological  table,521. 
Gypsum  and    limestone    casing    of  the 
mounds,  148, 151,476. 


Habbakkuk,  horses  and  horsemen,  323— 

prophecy,  380, 462. 
Habor,  city  to  which  the  Israelites  were 

sent  captive,  54,  321. 
Hachemich  village,  near  Khorsabad,  93. 
Hager,  Dr.,  on  inscriptions,  464,  483. 
Hair:  care   with   which   the    Assyrians 

dressed  the,  162. 
Hakims,  wise  men  of  Babylon,  176,  203— 

governors,  210,  211,375 


Hales'  chronological  table,  521. 

Hall,  of  Judgment,  190 — of  Historical  Re- 
cords, 202— Great,  251— of  Nisroch,  803— 
of  Divination,  ib. — of  the  oracle,  308 — 
second,  of  Divinities,  314— of  inscrip- 
tions, 317— Banqueting,  213. 

Hamadan,  ancient  Ecbatana,  137 — inscrip- 
tions at,  137,  475,  480, 483. 

Haman,  176. 

Hamath,  a  country  including  great  part  of 
the  coast  of  Phoenicia,  240,  489,  490,500. 

Hammam  Ali,  visit  to,  113. 

Hananiah,  74. 

Hanging  gardens,  379,  411. 

Haram,  or  blanket  seen  on  the  Assyrian 
sculptures,  and  worn  by  the  modern 
Arabs,  207,  209. 

Haran,  240. 

Hareem  of  Jamshid,  134. 

Hareemlik,  upper  apartments  of  an  eastern 

'  palace,  289. 

Haroun  e'  Rashid,  casket  belonging  to,  404. 

Hai-p,  378,  407,  413. 

Harut,  and  Manit,  names  given  by  the 
Arabs  to  the  Mujallibah,  120. 

Hatchets,  413,  460. 

Havilah,  a  brother  of  Nimrod,  45. 

Heads,  number  of,  registered,  370-4,  385— 
on  neck  of  captives,  375,  376. 

Head-dresses,  431, 434. 

Hebrew  language,  allied  to  the  Assyrian, 
469. 

Hector,  Mr.,  his  contributions  to  the  Bri- 
tish Museum,  250.  347,  353. 

Heeren,  M.,  465,  474,  483. 

Helmets  of  leather,  210— of  brass,  433— of 
iron,  ib. 

Herodotus ;  Temple  of  Belus,  45 — mention 
of  cities,  ib. — tradition  of  the  destruction 
of  Sennacherib's  army,  56,  57,  486, 502— 
Babylon,  67,73  —  duration  of  Assyrian 
empire,  71, 504 — locality  of  Nineveh,  70 
—fall  of  Nineveh,  72,  73— Egyptians  set 
up  a  statue  of  Pthah,  80— walls  of  Ba- 
bylon, 110 — Persian  costume,  125 — Ny- 
sians,  184— Chaldseans,  190 — Sagartii  or 
Togai-mah,  193— Milyse,  210— Darius  im- 
pales three  thousand  of  the  nobility  of 
Babylon,  219— chronicles  in  temples  of 
Byzantium,  223— Babylonian  staff;  228, 
452 — circular  boats,  276  —  transport  of 
goods  on  Euphrates  and  Tigris,  278 — 
tribute,  346 — Assyrian  helmets,  434 — 
fertility  of  Babylon,  460 — Assyrian  writ- 
ing, 482 — Assyrian  dynasties,  486 — Ca- 
dytis,  601. 
Heykab,  king  of  Armenia,  conquers  king 

of  Assyria.  69. 
Hewing  a  figure  to  pieces,  187, 188. 
Hezam,  or  belt,  382. 

Hezekiah,  king  of  Judah,  55— renders  tri- 
bute, 65, 172, 197, 240, 368,  378,  500. 
Hillah,  village  on   the   Euphrates,   near 
Babylon  and  the  Birs-Nimroud,  45. 


Halah,  city  to  which  the  Israelites  were  Hilly  country  represented  on  sculptures, 
sent  captive,  54,  321.  i     214,221. 


INDEX. 


529 


Hincks,  Dr.,  discovers  the  cnneiform  nume- 
rals, 604— reading  of  certain  names,  498, 
604— system  differs  from  that  of  Kawlin 
son,  505 — recent  discoveries,  406, 609. 

Historical  chambers  in  palace  of  Khorsit- 
bad,  182. 

Holes  in  pavement  for  the  spears  of  the 
guards,  165— for  the  Teraphim,  179,190. 

Holofernes,  60, 61. 

Holw&n,  481. 

Hoods  worn  by  a  people  with  whom  the 
king  of  Assyria  is  at  war,  206. 

Hophra,  king  of  Egypt,  aids  the  Jews,  84. 

Horace,  Odes  of,  294. 

Horses,  as  tribute,  173,  350,  495- -capa- 
risons, 232,  350,  351— grooming,  263,  372 
— leathern  coverings  for,  374— harness- 
ing, 38S— wild  horses,  400, 412. 

Horus,  Egyptian  god,  169. 

Hosea,  the  prophet,  62, 79, 199. 

Hoshea,  king  of  Israel,  renders  tribute  to 
Shalmaneser,  53 — seeks  alliance  with  So, 
king  of  Egypt,  64 — is  imprisoned  by 
Shalmaneser,  54, 346. 

Hunga  Munga,  the  Bommereng  of  South- 
em  Africa,  155. 

Hunting  lodge,  386— hunting  ground  en- 
closed, 387— with  nets,  397,  399,  400.  412. 

Hunts,  and  hunting  scenes,  200-203,  283- 
285— return  from  the  bull,  290,  291— and 
from  the  lion,  288. 


iDUJtKEA,  queen  of  Sheba  from,  514. 

Hlustrated  London  News,  250,306,338,354. 

Hus,  or  Cronus,  four-winged  divinity,  168 
— god  of  the  Phceniciaus,  ifc.— Alia  of  the 
Arabians,  211,  327, 328,  331,  360,  361. 

Iman-Fadla  of  Rich,  Fadlieh,  91— within 
boundary  of  Nineveh,  106. 

Impalement  of  prisoners,  219— Darius  im 
paled  3000  before  the  walls  of  Babylon, 
219,  319. 

India,  expedition  of  Semiramis  against,  67< 

Indian  appendage  to  chariots  analogous  to 
that  seen  on  Assyrian  sculptures,  256, 
857,  437— Tom-tom,  261»  409. 

Inflated  skins  to  support  rafts  and  swim 
mers,  26,  276,  277,  382. 

Inner-chamber,  186. 

Inner  presence  chamber,  211 — court,  227. 

Inscribed  slabs  in  pavement,  179, 182,  186 
—stone  of  Sir  Harford  Jones,  6,  479  — 
chambers,  309— engraved  tiles  in  pave- 
ment, 608— in  British  Museum,  to  face  p. 
464— cones  of  Chaldna,  459. 

Inscriptions  at  Shikaiti  Salman,  31 — Per- 
sepolis,  128— Mt.  Elwand,  137— Behistun, 
139— Keli  Shin,  141— Lake  Van,  142— 
Khorkhor,  ib. — Nahr  al  Kelb,  i6.— Cy- 
prus, 144— in  the  Desert,  at  Dash  Tap- 
peh,  at  Mel  Amir,  on  the  obelisk  at  Susa, 
on  the  banks  of  the  Euphrates,  and  be- 
longing to  the  Earl  of  Aberdeen,  146,479 
— across  the  sculptures  at  Nimroud,857, 
358— not  so  at  Kouyunjik,  463— chapter 


on,  463 — Persepolitan,  466— on  Nimroud 
obelisk,  486. 

Ionic  pillars  seen  on  Assyrian  sculptures, 
199. 

Iron  known  to  the  Assyrians,  433, 438— hel- 
mets, 433. 

Isaiah,  Assyrian  boast,  49— his  prophetic 
message,  66  —  destruction  of  Assyrian 
host,  i6.— death  of  Sennaclierib,  67, 384— 
Merodach  Baladan,  58 — siege  of  Azotus, 
80,  170, 171— key,  170— Metaphor  illus- 
trated, 194,  196,  198— threatening  boast 
of  Assyrians,  240  —  women  with  long 
tresses,  272,  273 — vessels  of  bulrushes, 
277— to  tread  the  prey  and  spoil  beneath 
the  feet,  287— greatness  and  glory  liken- 
ed to  cedars,  297 — to  set  up  a  mount,  320 
— shields,  370— wise  men,  375 — prophecy, 
380  —  beauty  of  a  man,  424  —  ships  of 
Babylon,  449— Sargon,  499,  600— Byblus, 
498,  607— Ashdod,  60O— Jehu,  512. 

Ismail  Pasha,  35. 

Israel  led  captive,  64,  78,  79. 

Ithbaal,  king  of  Sidon,  613. 

Ivories  found  at  Nimroud,  86,  87— ivory 
benches  of  Tyrian  galleys,  462— ivory 
caskets,  402,  452— Egyptian  figures  on 
ivory  caskets,  464— fragments,  454,  458. 


Jamb  of  door  at  Khorsabad,  148. 

Jamshid,  Hareem  of,  134 — cup  of,  307. 

Jareb,  name  assigned  to  Sennacherib,  79. 

Jebel  Kbanukah,  114. 

Jehennem,  village  of,  113 — valley  of,  107. 

Jehu,  king  of  Israel,  223,  499, 512, 613. 

Jehoshaphat,  valley  of,  227. 

Jeremiah,  308, 319. 

Jeroboam,  60. 

Jerome,  189. 

Jerusalem,  siege  of, 62,  74,  81, 227,  501. 

Jews,  82,  84.  197. 

Jezebel,  613. 

Job,  spit  upon,  376. 

Joel,  187,  219. 

Jonah  the  Prophet,  60, 61, 82,  83, 462. 

Jones,  Sir  Harford,  slab,  479. 

Jordan,  river,  50,  63. 

Joseph,  Patriarch,  stratagem,  307. 

Josephus,  49, 502. 

Joshua,  feet  on  neck  of  kings,  412. 

Josiah,  King  of  Judah,  82,  83. 

Journal  Roy.  Asiatic  Soc.,  Rawltnson's 
Outline  of  the  Histoiy  of  Assyria,  46— 
Dickenson  on  the  fate  of  the  Ten  Tribes 
of  Israel,  64 — road  crossing  Mount  Oron- 
tes,  138 — Siliceous  varnish  coating  rock 
inscription,  140 — Rawlinson's.memoirs  on 
cuneiform  inscriptions,  472,  512, 515,  616. 

Journal  Roy.  Geo.  Soc.,  Ross's  Joui-ney 
from  Bagdad  to  Al  Hadhr,  116— Rock  of 
Behistun,  138. 

Journal  Asiatique,  Memoir  on  Lake  Van, 
142, 477. 

Journal  of  Sacred  Literature,  330. 

JubaKlah,  118. 

»  M 


530 


INDEX. 


Judah,  194. 

Judea  led  captive,  59,  74,  83,  500,  501. 

Judges,  69— alings,  370— dancing,  378. 

Judgment,  Hall  of,  190— Chamber  of,  195. 

Judith,  59,  60,  500. 

Jupiter,  138,  424. 

Justin,  66,  67. 


Kalabshe,  Temple  of,  in  Nubia,  175. 
Kalah  Sherghat,  5,  30^— statue  found  at,  39 
— ruins  identical  with  Galah,  49 — visit 
to,  112— remains  of  wall  of  hewn  stones, 
115 — measurement  of  mound  compared 
with  others,  ib. — remains  not  noticed  by 
Mr.  Ross,  116— radiated    bricks,   ib. — 
towers  for  hydraulic  pni"poses,  ib. — ba- 
'    saltic  statue,  112,  337,  517. 
Kala  Tul,  30. 

Kar4-k6jah,  plain  south  of  Mosul,  112. 
Kara  Kush,  109— meaning  of,  ib. — within 

boundary  of  Nineveh,  108,  514. 
Karamles,  103 — within  boundary  of   Ni- 
neveh, 91,  103,  106— north  of  Nimroud, 
108,  109,  514. 
Karnak,  tablet  of,  69— example  of  roof  in 

temple  of,  242— obelisk  of,  450. 
Karun,  the  river  in  Khuzistan,  31,  32. 
Kasr,  or  terraced  palace  of  Nebuchadnez 

zar,  size  of,  115, 120. 
Kata,  partridge,  common  in  the  East,  202. 
Kedron,  the  brook,  227. 
Keli  Shin,  monument  at,  141,  481. 
Kelleks,  rafts  used  to  navigate  the  Tigris 
and  Eviphrates,  26 — mode  of  construc- 
tion, 26,  38,  277-279. 
Kenites,  Highlanders  to  the  east  of  the 

Jordan,  50. 
Kermanshah,  138,  473. 
Kerkhah,  river  Choaspes,  377. 
Kerkisyah,  the    modem    Abu-Serai,  the 

father  of  palacps,  47,  54. 
Khabur,  a  tributary  of  the  Euphrates,  47. 
Hiiauser,  river,  4,  90 — ruins  on,  100. 
Khorkhor,  on  lake  Van,  142,  492. 
Khotsabad,  few  small  articles  found,  8— 
Botta's  excavations  and  success,  12 — in 
salubrity  of  place,  i3 — village  purchased 
by  Botta,  19— excavations  completed,  24 
— description   of  mounds   of,   90-101 — 
name,  91— roads  to,  92 — low  ground  on 
which  it  stands,  94— dimensions  of  double 
mound,  95,  108,  109, 149— description  of 
palace,  147- sculptures  in  Louvre,  ib. — 
plan  of  palace,  150— description  of  sciilp- 
Uires,  147-249  —  Palace  of  Khorsabad 
compared  with  that  of  Nimroud,  354— 
construction  of  palaces,  241  —  inscrip- 
tions on  people  and  cities,  358,  470— tri- 
bute voluntary,  356— palace  older  than 
Nimroud,  358-361. 
Khuzistan,  Susiana,  Cush,  or  Cuthan,  a 

province  of  Persia,  Jl. 
Kings,  First    Book  of;    rise   of   Jewish 
power,  50— tribute  paid  by  King  of  Is- 
rael to  King  of  Assyria,  52— Tiglath 


Pileser,  52,  78— cherubim  guarded  the 
sanctuary  of  the  temple,  152— wooden 
doors,  154 — porch  of  judgment,  176  — 
cedar  used  for  roofs,  243 — staircases  in 
the  thickness  of  the  wall,  244. 
Kings,  Second  Book  of;  Pekah,  king  of 
Israel,  52— Ahaz  sends  tribute  to  King 
of  Assyria,  t&.— Hoshea  ditto,  53— He- 
zekiah  rebels,  submits,  and  gives 
pledges,  65,  80— Merodach  Baladan,  58, 
80  —  Menahem  conquers  Tipsah,  78  — 
Tyre  holds  out  against  Shalmaneser, 
79— destruction  of  Assyrian  host,  80— 
Esarhaddon  reigns,  81— Jews  reduced  to 
vassalage  under  Babylon,  82,  83 — Necho 
defeated  by  Nebuchadnezzar,  83— Nebu- 
chadnezzar dies,  84— Tartan  chief  of 
tribute,  164 — pieces  of  gold  as  tribute, 
174— fetters  of  brass,  191 — metaphor  il- 
lustrated, 194,  196,  198— register  of  the 
slain,  220— furious  driving,  223— threat- 
ening boast  of  Assyrians,  240— people  of 
Gozan  and  Hamath,  ib. — Nisroch,  252, 
295 — people  of  Damascus  led  captive  to 
Kir,  272  —  Abana  and  Pharpar,  ib.  — 
cedars,  and  glory  likened  to  cedars,  297 
— Rimmon,  312— Samaria  led  captive, 
321  —  eunuchs,  334 — Assyrian  cavalry, 
370— Sennacherib,  3B4 — cities  in  ruinous 
heaps,  412— fertility  of  Assyria,  460— 
Sennacherib's  campaigns,  501 — Pul,  509. 
King's  Court,  or  Court  of  Reception,  176, 
237  —  porch  for  the  throne,  177— gate, 
176. 
King's  House,  237. 

King,  the  Great,  160,  313— bas-relief  of, 
and  Court,  159,  160— dress,  257,  312— 
giving  audience,  209 — putting  out  eyes 
of  captive,  194 — drinking  or  divining  in 
presence  of  the  divinities  of  Assyria, 
304— divining,  308— before  Baal,  292— in 
battle.  255,  265, 271,280— in  triumph,  258, 
375 — crossing  a  river,  274 — superintend- 
ing moving  bull,  and  the  constructing  a 
mound,  378— hunting,  200,  283-  285,  392, 
399.  400,  412 — returniug  from  the  chase, 
288-291— pouring  out  libation,  398— re- 
ceiving prisoners,  191,  412  —  receiving 
tribute,  165,  203  — forming  League,  or 
Treaty  of  Peace,  287 — in  chronological 
tablet,  333,  366,  414— face  of,  genemlly 
defaced,  385. 
Kiosk,  or  pleasure-bouse,  199. 
Kir,  or  K(ir,  a    river   tributary  to   the 

Araxes,  63,  79. 
Kishta,  custard  apple,  372. 
Kitchen,  royal,  and  culinary  operations, 

264,  265. 
Kiz  Fukra,  within  boundaiy  of  Nineveh, 

108. 
Kizlar  Aga,  keeper  of  the  women's  apart- 
ments in  an  eastern  household,  289. 
Klaprotlj,  M.,  474. 
Kneading— kneading  troughs,  373. 
Knef,  Egyptian  god,  horns  of,  in  head- 
dress of  Cyrus  at  Persepolis,  87. 


INDEX. 


531 


Knives  found,  460. 

Kohl,  or  alkohl,  black  pigment,  use  of,  434. 

Koran,  229. 

Koum,  Roum.  or  Tel,  synonymous  with 
hill,  109,  110. 

Kouyunjik  Tepfe,  3,  4.  29, 32— dimensions, 
as  measured  by  Rich,  3 — compared  with 
others,  115— Botta's  excavations,  11,  27 
— large  stones  joined  with  bitumen,  6 — 
bricks,  11— situation  of  mound,  11,  90— 
signification,  109— size,  105— in  boundary 
of  Nineveh,  109— chronological  tablet 
and  sarcophagixs;  sphinxes,  363 — palaces 
and  sculptures,  363-415— man  with 
lion's  head  and  eagle's  claws,  385,  413 — 
glass,  451. 

Kruger,  M.,  chronological  table,  521. 

Kufah,  or  round  basket-boat,  277. 

Kurdistan,  79,  438. 

Kurds,  21— same  as  Chaldseans,  79-81. 

Kursi,  high  seat,  229. 

Kut  Amarah,  120. 


Laban's  gods,  the  Teraphim,  179-181. 

Labynitus,  King  of  Babylon,  probably  Na- 
bopolassar,  or  Ahasuerus,  73. 

Ladles,  460. 

Lake  Van,  in  Armenia,  141 — inscriptions 
at,  142. 

Lamlum  marshes,  76  miles  south  of  Ba- 
bylon, 120 — tombs  of  kings  in,  ib. — ^boats 
of,  279. 

Landseer.  Mr.  John,  opinion  respecting 
Babylonian  cylinders,  252. 

Larissa,  £1  Resen  of  Scripture,  104 — mo- 
dern Mimroud,  49. 

Lamaka,  ruins  of  Citium,  in  Cyprus,  144. 

Lassen,  Professor,  suggestions  respecting 

*  Assyrian  inscriptions,  465,  468,  477. 

Lasso  used  in  hunting  wild  horse,  412. 

Latest  proceedings  and  discoveries  in  As- 
syria, 411. 

Layard,  Mr.  A.  H.,  his  labours  in  Assyria, 
29— travels,  tJ.— excursions  with  Ains- 
worth  and  Mitford,  30, 116 — visits  Ispa- 
han, 30— the  Murgasht,  Kala  Tul,  Mel 
Amir,  Sfisan,  Gebr,  Daniel,  Akbar,  and 
Kh6zist&n,  30, 31— returns  to  M<Ssul,  32 
— is  assisted  by  Sir  Stratford  Canning, 
83— establishes  himself  at  Naifa,  and 

.  then  at  Selamiyah,  ib. — commences  ex- 

.  cavatious  at  Nimroud,  t&.— difficulties, 
84— discovery  of  colossal  head,  35— exca- 
vations stopped,  36  —  visits  Tunnel  of 
Negoub,  and  discovers  vaulted  chamber, 
85— discoveries  despatched  to  Europe,  37 
— tubular  and  other  drains,  ib. — grant  of 
funds,  ib. — prepared  raft,  and  sent  fur- 
ther sculptures  to  Europe,  38— visited 
K&lah  Sherghat  and  discovered  statue, 
89 — difficulties  in  conveying  the  large 
sculptures,  {&.— bull  and  lion  despatched, 
40— leaves  M6sul  for  Europe,  42  —  his 
boundary  to  Nineveh  not  sustained,  107 
—contributions  to  the  British  Museum, 


249-347,  367-385— coincides  with  Botta 
respecting  destruction  of  palaces,  248 — 
discoveries,  250-347— at  Kouyunjik,  363 
-385— 463-459— on  inscriptions,  498, 499, 
501, 503,  506.  508,  511,  513. 

Lead  known  to  the  Assyrians,  438,  400. 

Lee,  Dr.,  of  Hartwell,  87— mummy  case  in 
collection  of,  t6.— Grotefend,  509,  510. 

Lepsius,  Dr..  information  respecting  mo- 
nument at  Cyprus  furnislied  by,  144. 

Linant,  M.,  information  respecting  inscrip- 
tions in  the  desert  supplied  by,  145. 

Lichtenstein  on  inscriptions,  464. 

Lions,  hunts  283,  325— claw  in  tail.  283— 
weight,  337— winged,  251,  252,  293,  301, 
386— in  cages,  388— wounded,  393  — 
tamed,  397— establishment  for  keeping, 
ib — dissection  of,  412. 

List  of  Assyrian  sculptures  in  the  British 
Museum,  415-422. 

"  Literary  Gazette,"  511. 

Lock  of  wood  to  doors,  170, 171 — cavity  for, 
392. 

Locusts  tied  on  sticks,  372. 

Loftus,  Mr.  W.  K.,  the  geologist,  250— 
excavated  at  Susa, *132— agent  of  Assy- 
rian Excavation  Fund,  366— operations 
in  South  Babylonia,  iA.— discovers  build- 
ings at  Kouyunjik,  ib. — Report,  366  — 
discoveries,  365,  386. 

London  Monthly  Review,  Art.  on  cylinders, 
616. 

Longperier,M.  de;  Notice  des  Antiquit^s 
— name  of  people  of  Assyria  derived  from 
Bull,  301— inscription  on  Bull,  303. 

Louvre,  sculptures  of  Khorsabad  in  the, 
28, 147,  248,  249,  347,  351. 

Lucan,  lion  stimulates  himself  to  rage,  283. 

Lucian,  311. 

Luliya,  king  of  Sidon,  501. 

Lycus  the  modera  Nahr-al-Kelb,  143. 

Lyre,  Assyrian,  216. 


Ma  ADEN,' (mine)  Argana,438. 

McCaul,  Mr.,  spare  bowstring,  225. 

Maclipelah,  current  money  paid  by  Abra- 
ham for  cave  of,  172. 

Magi,  magicians,  132, 189, 190. 

Manasseh,  king  of  Judah,  59,  81, 191. 

Map  of  Nineveh  and  the  surrounding 
country,  facing  page  1. 

Map  of  Assyria  and  Mesopotamia,  43. 

Mar  Daniel,  on  the  Gebel  Makloub,  106, 
108, 109. 

Mar  Elias,  108. 

Mar  Shimoun,  Patriarch  of  Nestorian  Chris- 
tians, 21. 

Mar  Matteh,  91. 

Maritime  subject,  building  a  fort,  166-170. 

Marsh  with  boars,  stags,  &c.,  384— natives 
hiding  in  reed  marsh,  369. 

Master  of  the  horse,  372. 

M  attei,  M.,  Prussian  Consul  at  Cyprus,  145. 

Mayadin,  town  of,  on  the  Euphrates,  49 — 
ruins  called  Behobotb,  near  to,  ib. 

U  M  8 


532 


INDEX. 


Medes  revolted  from  Assyria,  72,  372. 

Media  not  separated  from  Assyria,  54 — 
subjugated,  59 — inscriptions,  119, 137. 

Median  wall,  Chain,  or  Sid  Nimroud,  64, 
65, 110— writing,  140— robes,  341,430, 431, 
432— court,  430. 

Medinet  Haboo,  Temple  of,  at  Thebes,  166 
—  ships  resembling  the  Assyrian  de- 
picted on  the  walls,  168— secret  cham- 
bers at,  310. 

Mediterranean  Sea,  169,  353. 

Mel  Amir,  ruins  and  inscriptions  in  the 
plains  of,  30,  145. 

Melek,  a  king,  287. 

Melzar,  steward  or  dispenser,  in  the  house- 
hold of  Assyrian  sovereigns,  164. 

Memnonium  at  Thebes,  242. 

Menahem,  King  of  Israel,  52,  78,  85,  509. 

Menander,  79,  145,  500,  501. 

Merodach  Baladan,58,  80. 

Meshach,  210,  231. 

Mesopotamia,  Naharaim,  the  country  be- 
tween the  two  rivers,  45,  69 — character 
of  the  plain,  64,  ;90 — of  Scripture,  43 — 
of  Classical  writers,  63, 110. 

Mespila,  of  Xenophon,  104. 

Metals,  306,  438. 

Metaphor,  in  Psalms  illustrated,  306 — in 
Isaiah,  198— Micah,  48. 

Micah,land  of  Assyria  and  land  of  Nimrod, 
distinct,  48— evacuation  of  a  city,  821. 

Mighty,  hunter,  44,  154,  283— men,  231. 

Milyse,  a  people  of  Cilicia,  210. 

Mimosa  Nilotica,  Sunt  tree,  whence  the 
g^um  Arabic,  155. 

Minasha,  or  fly-flap,  162,  289, 305. 

Mitford,  Mr.,  accompanied  Layard,  Ains- 
worth,  and  Rassam  in  excursion,  30, 116. 

Mitten  on  king's  hand,  388. 

Mohammed  Ali,  4,  20,  30  —  superstition, 
181— beard,  348. 

Mohammed  Pasha,  15  —  duplicity,  16  — 
death,  17,  30,  33. 

Mohammed  Taki  Khan,  32. 

Mohammedans;  law  respecting  landed 
property,  20— leave  tuft  on  the  top  of 
the  head,  and  for  what  purpose,  220. 

Mohl,  M..  the  translator  of  "Firdousi," 
assists  Botta,  8, 13, 14.  18,  246, 476. 

Montenegro,  Layard's  travels  in,  29. 

Moorish  buildings,  271. 

Mordecai,  tomb  of,  at  Hamadan,  137 — Ha- 
man  and,  176. 

Moriah,  Mount,  227. 

Moses  Choronensis,  65, 142. 

M6su1,  permanent  part  of  bridge  built 
with  stones  found  between  Kouyunjik 
and  Nebbi  Yunis,  3,  4— BottA  appoint- 
ed Consul  to,  8 — people  of,  rise  against 
the  Christians,  note,  23  —  Mohammed 
Pasha  governor  of  province  of,  15 — situ- 
ation, 29— mound  in,  109. 

Mo'tammid,  atrocious  barbarity,  32. 

Mourgaub,  valley  of,  132. 

Mxigheir,  Ur  of  the  Chaldees,  517,  518. 

Mi^elllbeh,  45,   107— measurement  com- 


pared, 115— size,  116 — ancient  tradition, 
126. 

MQller,  Dr.,  477. 

Mummers  dancing,  261. 

Mimgast  mountains,  30. 

M (inter  of  Copenhagen  examines  inscrip- 
tions, 464,  483. 

Musical  instruments,  216, 261,  262, 289, 378, 
398— mentioned  by  Daniel, ^5 — in  Psalm 
cl.,  409. 

Musicians  dancing,  378,  409. 

Mussabini,  Professor,  483. 

Mylitta,  Assyrian  Venus,  311. 


Naaman  ibn  Naouch,  assistant  of  Botta,  27. 

Naaman  paid  pieces  of  gold  for  his  cure, 
172. 

Nabonidas,  cylinders,  none  later,  518. 

Nabopolassar,  61,  73,  82,  83,  86. 

Naharaina,  Mesopotamia,  64,  69. 

Nahr  al  Kelb,  monument  at,  5,  87 — de- 
scribed, 142— cast  of  monument  brought 
to  England,  144,  367— referred  to,  241, 
253,  332,  340, 482,  602. 

Nahum  prophecy,  61,  380. 

Naifa,  Layard  at,  33. 

Naksh-i-Roustam,  121 — sepulchres  at,  121, 
127  131  132  134. 

Neb  lord,'Nebo  god,  86, 354.  420,  516. 

Nebbi  Yimis,  the  tomb  of  Jonah,  3,  4, 9, 
11,90,105,109,462. 

Nebuchadnezzar,  74,  83,  84,  86,  164,  176» 
192,  231,  450,504,  509- cylinders,  518. 

Nebuchodonosor,  59,  60, 73. 

Needlework,  400. 

Negoiib,  tunnel  of,  36. 

Nergal-shar-ezer  cylinder,  518. 

Nestorians,  21,  22  —  employed  to  remove 
the  sculptures,  26— employed  by  Layard, 
40,  41. 

Niebuhr,  2, 3, 45,  464. 

Nile,  145, 155,  382. 

Nimrod,  founder  of  the  earliest  post-diln- 
vian  cities,  44— mighty  hunter,  ib. — bro- 
thers of,  45  —  sovereignty  of,  47 — shown 
on  walls  of  Khorsabad,  153, 154 — bom- 
mereng  in  the  hand  of,  154— not  at  Nim- 
roud, 356— Evechius,  486. 

Nimrond  Tapass^,  Tel  Nimroud,  46 — ex- 
cavations commenced  by  Layard,  33,  34 
—discoveries,  35,  37— mound  of,  91— di- 
mensions of  mound,  104-  Resen  of  Scrip- 
ture, 49,  104,  111— no  grand  portal  to 
palace,  251— absence  of  uniformity  of 
plan,  260  —  winged  lions,  251-252 — de- 
scription of  sculptures  from,  251,  347 — 
palace  of  Nimroud  compared  with  that 
of  Khorsabad,  354 — sculptures  adapted 
from  former  building,  355,  356 — royal 
and  sacred  character  of  palace  of,  356— 
inscriptions  across  sculptures,  357,  369— 
no  labels  on  individuals  or  cities,  359 — 
palace  of  Nimroud  intermediate  between 
Khorsabad  and  Persepolis,  361 — era  of, 
485,609. 


INDEX. 


533 


Nineveh^  the  buried  city  discovered,  2,90 
— site  examined  by  Rich,  3,  8 — Botta's 
researches,  8— rnins  unlike  those  of  Ba- 
bylon, 9— bricks  not  available  for  build- 
ing, 9— of  the  Bible,  43— extent  of,  50, 
61, 82—  Diodorus's  account  of  taking  of, 
71— founded,  65 — Scripture  account  of 
the  fall  of,  61— walls  of,  82,  106-111— 
view  of  locality  of,  378,  483,  488, 510. 

Niniouah,  village  of,  9, 92,  111. 

Ninus,  descendant  of  Asshur,  66 — his  wars, 
t6. — marries  Semiramis,  67— death,  ib. 

Ninyas,  son  of  Ninus  and  Semiramis,  67- 
same  as  Chedorlaomer  of  Scripture,  68. 

Nisroch,  57. 81, 178— eagle-headed  divinity 
at  Nimroud,  252 — derivation  of  name, 
264,  296,  302,  306— Hall  of,  303,  360, 361. 

Nitocris,  queen  of  Nebuchadnezzar,  74. 

Northumberland,  duke  of,  presented  Nabr 
al  Kelb  monument  to  the  British  Mu- 
seum, 144, 367. 

Nubia,  musical  instruments  of,  216,  290 — 
gn^inding  com,  373. 

Nubian  harp,  290. 

Numbers ;  Asshur  leads  Kenites  captive, 
50 — l>eaten  work,  307 — trumpet,  379. 

Nysians,  Lydians  from  Mount  Olympus, 
seen  on  Assyrian  sculptures,  184. 


Oaknes,  the  Chaldsean  Dagon,  158, 168. 

Oar  to  propel  wicker  boat,  382. 

Obelisk,  103  —  described,  338-347,  385— 

Rawlinson's  reading  of,  487, 612--Grote- 

fend's  reading,  497— Dr.  Hincks'  reading, 

499,  509— of  Kamak,  450. 
Oben  Ra,  same  as  Ammun  Ra,  87. 
Olives,  Mount  of,  227. 
Olympus,  Mount,  184. 
Oppert,  Dr.  Jules,  Chronological  Tables, 

619,  521. 
Oppianus,  a  poet  of  Cilicia,  323. 
Oracle,  Hall  of  the,  308— the,  310. 
Orchoe,  the  Ur  of  the  Chaldees,  114—  City 

of  the  Chaldseans,  46. 
Organ,  a  wind  instrument,  409. 
Orientals,  pertinacious  adherence  to  an 

cient  customs,  181. 
Ormazd,chief  of  the  Bagas,  138,  328, 473— 

Rabban,  91. 
Ornaments,  315— found,  163,  431. 
Orontes,  Elwand,  river  and  mount,  84, 137, 

138, 474. 
Otanes,  a  Persian  prince,  presented  with 

Median  dress,  343. 
Ouranus,  158. 


Pachavatha,  orPasha,Govemorof  a  Pro- 
vince, 210. 

Painted,  beams,  243— bricks,  428— figures, 
239,  317,  428. 

Palestine,  people  of,  191, 197. 

Papusch,  slipper,  300. 

Park  or  Paradeisos  at  Nineveh,  386. 


Parthian  bowmen,  294— language  of  the 

nation,  485, 506. 
Pasargadse,  a  town  of  Persia,  founded  by 
Cyrus ;  the  kings  of  Persia  were  always 
crowned  there ;  and  it  was  likewise  their 
burial-place,  132. 

Passage  chamber,  170 — double  lines  of  pro- 
cessions in,  171— ascending,  372,  394. 
Pastoral  people,  clad  in  sheep  and  leopard 

skins,  174— Sagartii,  193, 196,  240, 371. 
Pa  til  or  Phatil,  wire  bracelets,  436, 436- 

Pavement  slabs,  inscribed,  179, 182, 186 — 
carved,  416. 

Peechabeur,  river,  90. 

Pekah,  the  usurper  of  the  Government  of 
Israel,  62. 

Persepolis,  figure  of  Cyrus  on  monument 
near,  87— Palace,  121,  122— sculptures, 
123 — stairs,  ib.  —  columns,  124,  I26  — 
sculptures,  125— excavated  tombs,  132 — 
plan  of  ruins,  130,  139- sculptures,  147 
— Fergusson,  149,  246. 

Persia,  mode  of  training  the  kings  of,  46— 
punishment,  219 — superstitions  in,  181. 

Persian  Gulf,  168, 460— empire  arose  out  of 
the  ruins  of  Assyria,  121 — poets,  307 — 
superstition,  i&.— architecture,  427. 

Peutingerian  Tables,  a  map  of  the  military 
roads  of  the  kingdom  of  the  Visigoths, 
called  after  Conrad  Peutinger,  a  German 
scholar,  46. 

Pharpar,  river  of  Damascus,  272. 

Pharaoh-Necho,  King  of  Egypt,  opposes 
Nebuchadnezzar,  74— defeated  by  Ne- 
buchadnezzar, 83,  454. 

Phatil  or  Patil,  wire  bracelets,  435, 436. 

Phidias,  426. 

Philistines,  53, 168. 

Phoenicians,  158,  167, 169,  471. 

Phoenicia,  overrun  by  Shalmaneser,  145, 
241— tribute,  176. 

Phraortes,  son  of  Deioces,  killed  in  an  ex- 
curaion  against  the  Assyrians,  73,  81— 
Arphaxad,  73. 

Phrygian  head-dress,  341. 

Phul,  Pul,  first  Assyrian  King  who  ap- 
peared west  of  the  Euphrates,  52, 78, 86. 

Phulakh,  354,  498,  515. 

Pick-axes,  on  sculptures,  382  — ninety 
camel-loads  found  at  Khorsabad,  382. 

Pietro  della  Valle,  464. 

Pillars  of  Persepolis,  121,  124, 126— in  the 
Mourgaub,  132— at  Tacht-e-Taoohst,  134 
— on  the  tomb  of  Darius,  135— on  Assy- 
rian sculptures,  199,  261,  262— Babylo- 
nians used  wooden  pillars,  243 — of  mar- 
ble in  the  Palace  of  Shushan,  244 — at 
Khorsabad,  450. 

Pine-apples,  rere,  373. 

Place,  M.,  successor  to  M.  Botta  as  eonsnl 
at  M(Ssul,  makes  discoveries,  440,  450, 
613, 517. 

Plan  of  mounds  of  Khorsabad,  89— of  plat- 
form on  which  Uie  palace  stood,  96— of 
Persepolis,  130— of  Palace  of  Khorsabad, 
150— N.W.  Palace  at  Nimroud,  362. 


534 


INDEX. 


Pliny,  132, 449. 

Pomegranates     in    hands   of    divinities, 

priests,  and  king.  178,  31*2. 
Pompeii,  secret  chambers  in  temples  of, 

310. 
Popular  Encyclopsedia,  110. 
Population  of  Nineveh,  50. 
Portals  at  Persepolis,  123— at  Khorsahad, 

149-157, 176. 
Porter,  Sir  Robert  Ker,  Travels,  121-129, 

132-136, 137,  139,  427,  476. 
Pottery,  438,  439. 
Praxiteles,  426. 

Precious  metals,  tribute  of,  174. 
Priest,  with  gazelle  as  sacrificial  offering, 

178, 190,  238— Samaritan,  412. 
Piisoners  before  the  king,  191, 385. 
Private  Council  ('hamber,  2l2. 
Proceedings  of  Zoological  Society,  claw  in 

lion's  tail,  284. 
Processions,  165,  I7I,  209.228, 248,  259, 273, 

300— on  obelisk,  341-346— at  Kouyunjik, 

871,.372,395. 
Psalms,  292,  297,  306,  378,  409. 
Psalteiy,  cai-ved  musical  instrument,  407- 

413— mentioned  by  Daniel  in  Psalm  cl.,409 
Psammeticu.s,  King  of  Egypt,  82. 
Ptolemy,  Ptolemies,  45,  54,  81,  82,  427. 
Punishment  of  chiefs  of  five  different  na- 
.  tions  recorded  in  the  Scriptures,  195. 


QUARRTINO,382. 

Queen  feasting,  400. 


Raamab,  a  brother  of  Nimrod,  45. 

Rabhan-Ormazd,  91. 

Rab-Saris,  chief  of  the  eunuchs,  172, 179, 
208.  213,  240. 

Rab-Shakeh,  the  chief  cup-bearer,  172, 
179,  208,  248,  260, 289,  334,  353, 368. 

Rab-Signeen,  chief  of  the  princes  or  go- 
vernors, 163, 176,  179,  195,  196, 197,  203, 
212,  213,  270,  290. 

Rab-Tabachiyeh,  chief  of  the  slayers,  192. 

Rafts  onTigrisand  Euphrates,  26,27,38, 277. 

Raising  water  for  irrigation,  379. 

Raiment  of  needlework,  400. 

Ras  £1-Ain  within  boundary  of  Nineveh, 
108. 

Rask,  Professor,  472. 

Rassam,  Mr.,  30,  116, 117,  250— discoveries 
at  Kouyunjik,  365. 

Rawlinson,  Colonel,  31, 138,  140,  273,  337, 
346, 46&-496— on  the  period  of  the  Nim 
roud  Palace,  486— on  the  obelisk,  487— 
identity  of  king  who  built  Kouyunjik, 
499  —  difference  between  his  and  Dr. 
Hincks'  systems,  505— lecture  at  Glas- 
gow, 614 — on  inscription  with  name  of 
Pul,  515— antiquities  forwarded  by,  ib. — 
on  cylinders,  ib. 

Reception,  Court  of;  the  King's  Court,  176. 

Reed-marshes  of  Chaldsea,  368— pens  of 
Turks  and  Arabs,  ii.— boats  and  rafts,  ib. 


Rehoboth,  city  built  by  Asshnr,  48 — near 
the  town  of  Mayadin,  49,  481. 

Relationship  between  the  ancient  Chaldee 
and  the  modem  Arabic,  176. 

Rennel,  Major,  4. 

Rephaim,  ancient  giants  of  Canaan,  330. 

Rescn,  city  built  by  Asshur,  48— identical 
with  Nimroud,  49, 104— means  a  bridle 
or  curb,  104,  111. 

Reservoir  communicating  with  cistern  at 
Persepolis,  124, 131. 

Retiring  chamber,  311. 

Rezin,  king  of  Damascus,  78,  722. 

Rhamses,  Rameses  II.,  king  of  Egypt, 
Sesostris,  record  of  his  conquests,  70, 143, 
175, 332. 

Rhamses,  Rameses  IV.  entering  his  tomb, 
158. 

Rhinoceros,  343. 

Rich,  Mr.,  2 — his  examination  of  site  of 
Nineveh,  3,  8— account  of  Nebbi  Yunis, 
4 — chambers,  passages,  and  inscriptions, 
4,  9— inscribed  slabs  with  bitumen  on 
under  sides,  5 — notice  of  Birs  Nimroud, 
45,  91,  93,  104,  106,  477,  480. 

Rimmon,  the  god  of  Damascus,  273,  312, 
488,  493. 

Rings  in  pavement  to  secure  awnings  over 
courts,  244 — in  backs  of  lions,  244,  337, 
440 — in  lower  lips  of  captives,  194, 196, 
198,  445. 

Rollers  to  harden  roofs  to  Syrian  houses, 
243~also  found  in  the  ruins  of  Khorsa- 
had, ib. 

Romaine,  Mr.,  sketches  by,  146,  249,  277, 
278,  279,  462,  463,  610,  511. 

Roman  walls,  110. 

Rome,  spiked  balls  on  racehorses  of  the 
Corso,  257. 

Roofs,  structure  of,  242— supported  by 
pillars,  243— gable,  186, 187. 244r-timber 
for,  243,  460. 

Rosetta  stone,  465. 

Ross,  Mr.,  33, 115, 116,  120,  363. 

Koumelia,  Layard's  travels  in,  29. 

Roustam,  Nakshi,  the  sculptures  of,  121, 
127, 131, 132, 134. 

Royal  mount  at  Persepolis,  122  —  cup- 
bearer, 289  —  sword-bearer,  297  —  trea- 
surer, 173^— sceptre-bearer,  288 — stand- 
ard-bearers, 268,  259,  268,  273  — door- 
keepers, 112,  241. 
Russia,  Layard's  visits,  29. 


Sabtah  and  Sabtechah,  brothers  of  Nim- 
rod, 45. 

Sackbut,  a  musical  instrument,  407. 

Sacks  carried  by  tribute-bearers,  200. 

Sacerdotal  dress,  238. 

Sacred  edifice,  186, 187— doors,  203. 

Sagartii,  a  people  described  by  Herodotus, 
seen  on  the  sculptures.  174 — identical 
with  the  Togarmah  of^  Scripture,  193, 
196,  240— at  Kouyunjik,  371. 

Saint  Martin,  M.,  472, 474, 476. 


INDEX. 


535 


Sais  Basha,  maoter  of  the  horse,  372,  887. 

Sakkaeen,  water  carrierii,387. 

Salamlik,  lower  or  reception  apartments, 
289. 

Samaria,  invaded  by  Shalmaneser,  64, 346, 
600— the  date  tree  not  productive  in, 
321. 

Samaritans,  197— priests  on  sculptures,  412, 
603. 

Sammuramit  Queen,  364,  420. 

Samuel  (1  and  2),  Dagon,  168— Teraphim, 
179,  229,  287— fate  of  the  Prophet  Eli, 
217,  218— kursi  or  high  seat  in  court- 
yard of  houses,  229— Agag  before  Saul, 
287— dancing,  378— vases  as  tribute,  460. 

Sanchoniatho,  168. 

Sandals,  160,  207. 

Sanscrit  language  cognate  dialects,  468, 
469. 

Saracenic  architecture,  ornaments  resem' 
bling,  271. 

Sardanapalus,  71,  77,  486. 

Sardocheus,  King  of  Nineveh,  81. 

Sargon,  king  of  the  country  of  Assur^  303 
—617. 

Sarut,  120. 

Sauerwein,  Dr.,  401. 

Saws,  shovels,  picks,  383. 

Scales  for  weighing  the  spoil,  187,  337. 

Sceptres,  161,  238,  282,  413—434. 

Sceptre-bearers,  259— Cyrus  had  300  in 
his  army,  282,  288, 375,  379,  3a3,  384. 

Schlegel,  Professor,  468. 

Schulze,  M.,  copies  inscriptions  at  Lake 
Van,  6,  142. 

Screens  for  temporary  stable,  387. 

Scribes,  184— taking  account  of  the  spoil, 
187 — implements  used,  369, 371. 

Sculptures  of  Khorsabad  described,  147 — 
Nimroud  deBciibed,249— Kouyunjik,3S3 
—colour  on,  238, 336,  429— adapted,  355, 
356— forwarded  by  RawUnsou,  366-616, 

Scythians,  82,  240,  372. 

Seals,  Babylonian,  88,  262, 331,  445, 477. 

Seat  of  Judgment,  229— high,  217. 

Seba,  brother  of  Kimrod,  45. 

Semaliyah,  village  near  the  Tigris,  33. 

Selby,  Lieut.,  survey  of  rivers  in  Persia, 
32. 

Seleucia,  84. 

Seleucus,  76— tablets,  618. 

Selikdar,  or  sword-bearer,  131,  210,  211, 
297. 

Sellem,  the  bommerengof  the  Bishareen 
deseit,  165. 

Semiramis,  66— at  Behistun,  138,  142  — 
mountain-road  ascribed  to,  138 — ^gai'den, 
138— Sammuramit,  354,  420, 487, 515. 

Sennaar,  visited  by  Botta,  7, 173,  207. 

Sennacherib,  65-58,  79-81,  179,  240,  241— 
slain,  264,  367— constructing  mound,  380 
—moving  bull,  383, 498,  601, 602. 
Sepharvaim,  King  oi^  64,  240. 
Serdab,  underground  apartments,  note,  10. 
Sesostrls,  Rhamses  II.,  66,  70,  143  — in 
Temple  of  Aboo  Simbal,  268.  _ 


Setho,  or  Sethos,  a  priest  of  Memphis,  com- 
mands Egyptian  army,  66,  80. 
Seven  wise  men,  376. 
Shadrach,  197,  210,  231. 

Shah  of  Persia,  181,  239. 

Shalmaneser,  King  of  Assjrria,  leads  Israel 
captive,  54,  79, 346 — overruns  Phoenicia, 
145,  498,  500. 

Sharbetgee,  sherbet-maker,  cup-bearer,  289. 

Sharezer,  son  of  Sennacherib,  254. 

Sharpe,  Mr.  S.,  69,  76 — sketch  of  Assyrian 
history,  77-88,  609 — reading  of  sculp- 
ture, 169,  241 — chronological  table,  621._, 

Shatt  el  Arab,  the  Euphrates,  64. 

Sheba,  queen  of,  614. 

Sheikhs,  chief  of  tribes,  229. 

Sheikh  Amir,  within  boundary  of  Nine- 
veh, 108. 

Shemiramgerd,  city  of  Semiramis  on  Lake 
Van,  142. 

Shen  Si,  province  of  China,  110. 

Shields,  432— c\irved  off,  205, 221, 432— tall, 
moveable,  235. 

Shikajti  Salman,  sculptures  and  cunei- 
form inscriptions  at,  31. 

Shiuar,  land  of,  44,  46,  47,  48— cities  of,  45, 
479,  490. 

Ships,  Assyrian  and  Egyptian,  166, 167. 

Shooting  at  target,  201. 

Shuckford's  Sacred  and  Profane  History, 
connected,  68. 

Siddim,  demonia,  hero  gods,  360. 

Sidek,  town  and  district  of,  141. 

Sidon,  353,  492,  498,  501,  607. 

Siliceous  varnish  upon  inscribed  rock  at 
Behistun,  140. 

Silken  vests.  Median  robes,  343. 

Sinjar  mountains,  47, 161. 

Skins,  inflated,  to  support  rafts  and  swim- 
mers, 26.  41,  275-279, 

Slabs,  (With  oblong  depression,  to  receive 
the  blood  of  tlie  sacrifice,  189,  293. 

Slingers,369,  371. 

So,  King  of  Egypt,  54,  346. 

Speaimen,  371,  384,  386,  387. 

Spitting  upon,  375. 

Stable,  263— temporary  at  hunting  ground, 
387. 

Staff,  228, 462. 

Stairs,  grand  flights  at  Persepolis,  121, 
123— none  found  at  Khorsabad  or  Miui- 
roud,  243. 

Standard-bearers  of  the  King,  258,  268 
268,  273. 

Statues  found  at  Nimroud,  331,  354. 

Statuettes  of  glass  found  at  Susa,  469. 

Stirling,  Mr.,  of  Sheffield,  Khorsabad 
sculptures  consigned  to,  347. 

Strabo,  64.  79,  13tj,  190,  228,  243. 

Sultan,  Medinet,  Governor  of  province, 
166,  172,  210,  211,  234. 

Sunt  tree.  Mimosa  Nilotica,  whence  the 
gum  Arabic,  166. 

Superstitions ;  influence  of  evil  eye,  181— 
respecting  going  out  and  coming  in,  in 
Persia,  181. 


536 


INDEX. 


86san,  Shushan,  Snsa  of  ancient  geogra- 
phers, 31, 145,  217,  479— identified,  377. 

Susians,  373— chief  of,  374-S- dress,  i6.— 
homage,  378— city,  410-412. 

Swovda,  434 — like  yatagans,  ib. 

Symbolic  tree,  182,  302, 303,  309. 

Symbols  of  the  divinity,  292,  293— Egyp- 
tian of  life,  168. 

Syria,  visited  by  Botta,  7— Damascus  in, 
312— ladies  of,  436. 

Syro-Egyptian  Society,  497, 509, 510. 

Taacht  e  Taoosht,  Hareem  of  Jamshid, 
in  the  valley  of  Mourgaub,  134. 

Taautus,  Thoth,  the  Ibis-headed  divinity 
of  Egypt,  158. 

Tablets,  Karaak,  69— Nahr  al  Kelb,  142, 
144,  482,  602— Cyprus,  144— Lake  Van, 
142— Mt.  Elwand,  137— Bchistun,  139— 
Pereepolis,  128  — Keli  Shin,  141  — the 
Desert,  146— Khorkhor,  142— represent- 
ed on  sculptures,  223— found  at  Nimroud, 
331-333— of  Tiglath  Pileser,  414,— at 
Kouyunjik,  363— of  Acicarus,  484. 

Tacelothe,  King  of  Bubastis,  86. 

Tahyar  Pasha,  Governor  of  A]6sul,  36. 

Tamboura,  guitar  of  modern  Syrians,  seen 
on  the  Assyrian  sculptures,  262,  263. 

Tarki,  inscription  of,  484. 

Tarsus,  built  by  king  of  Assyria,  241. 

Tartan,  an  officer  of  Sennacherib,  80— 
chief  of  tribute  in  the  household  of  the 
king  of  Assyria,  his  insignia  of  office  a 
double  wand,  164.  171, 172.  197,  212,325. 

Tauk  Kesra,  the  White  Palace  of  the  Per- 
sian Kings,  among  the  ruins  on  the  site 
of  Calneh,  47. 

Taylor,  Col.,  on  the  site  of  Erech,  46,  482, 
503, 617. 

Teheran,  town  of  Persia,  474. 

Tels,  all  indicate  artificial  mounds,  107- 
109— Tel  Billa,  109— Tel  Gilla,  i6.— ex- 
amples in  Scripture,  107. 

Tel  el  Minar,  hill  of  Minarets,  Chehel 
Minar,  Palace  of  forty  columns  at  Per- 
sepolis,  121-126  — Tel  Kaif,  109  — Tel 
Nimroud,  hill  of  Nimroud,  46— Tel  Hei 
mar,  120— Tel  Barasba,  487. 

Temmen-bar,  486,  487. 

Temple,  236— of  Kalabshe  in  Nubia,  175. 

Temporary  stable,  387. 

Ten  tribes  of  Israel,  fate  of,  54. 

Tent  cabin  on  Kellek,  279. 

Teraania,  or  door-keepers,  212, 241— deriv- 
ation and  definition,  212. 

Teragn  gate,  the-king's  gate,  176. 

Teraphim,  Laban's  gods,  found  in  cavities 
under  t\\e  pavement,  179-181,  233, 234. 

Terowa,  within  the  boundary  of  Nineveh, 
108. 

Teutamus,  king  of  Assyria,  sends  assist- 
ance to  the  Trojans,  70. 

Tharthar,  river,  117. 

Thebes,  city  in  Egypt,  166,  310,  337, 509. 

Thelasar,  people  of,  240. 


Thothmes  I.,  III.,  IV.,  kings  of  Egypt,  69, 
70. 

Tiara,  Assyrian.  Cyrus,  87, 134 — on  king 
of  Khorsabad,  169 — painted,  159. 

Tiglath  Pileser,  assists  Ahaz,  62,  53, 78— 
his  name,  86,  88,  419, 498,  509,  516,  617. 

Tigris,  river,  Nineveh  on  the,  1, 25, 30, 37, 
94,  96,  263,  277,  491. 

Timber,  for  roofs,  243,  245— from  Mount 
Cassus,  241. 

Timbrel,  a  sort  of  drum  or  tambarine,  378, 
407,  409. 

Tirhakah,  king  of  Ethiopia,  marches  to 
aid  the  Jews,  57,  80. 

Tobit,  50,  61,  73. 

Togarmah.  Sagartii,  a  people  of  Scythia, 
who  traded  in  horses,  193, 196,  240,  311. 

Tombs  of  Assyrian  kings,  120— outside  the 
walls  of  city,  222. 

Tom-tom,  Indian  drum,  seen  on  Assyrian 
sculptures,  261,  409. 

Tower  of  living  men,  32. 

Trained  birds  of  prey,  267, 359. 

Trans.  Roy.  Soc.  Literature.  Obelisk  of 
the  At  Meidan  and  tablet  of  Kamak,  69 
— Nahr-al-Kelb,  142, 144. 

Tribute- bearers,  164,  165,  171,  173— from 
the  extremities  of  the  empire,  175— ana- 
logous representation  in  Temple  of  Ka- 
labshe, 176. 

Tribute,  caparisoned  horses,  173,  343,' — 
manufactured  articles,  174,360,351,449 
— precious  metals,  174  —  cups,  sealed 
bags,  gold  dust,  wire,  285  —  elephants' 
tusks,  ib.  —  pi-ecious  woods,  ib.  —  em- 
broidered stuffs,  i6.— monkeys,  299 ,  300 
—on  obelisk,  341  —  human-beaded  bar 
boons.  341,  346  —  bar.H  of  metal,  ib. 
—  elephants,  ib. —  monkeys,  343,  346  — 
baskets  of  fruit,  ib.  —  Bactrian  ca- 
mels, 340,  346-ebony,  343,  346-fringed 
cloths  or  robes,  341,  343  —  bags  and 
baskets,  343,  346— vases,  341 — voluntaiy 
at  Khorsabad,  356 — obligatory  at  Nim- 
roud, 356,  450,  490,  492,  493,  602. 

Trombasli,  the  bommereng  of  central 
Africa,  155. 

Troy,  a  dependent  on  the  Assyrian  empire, 
70— chariots,  360. 

Trumpet,  379,  409. 

Tubular  drain  tiles  at  Nimroud,  37. 

Turcomania,  countiy  between  the  Black 
and  the  Caspian  Seas,  193. 

Turkey,  custom  of  educating  youths  for 
offices  in  the  government,  as  in  the 
time  of  Daniel,  164. 

Tyre,  193,353,437,498. 

Tychsen  of  Rostock  on  inscriptions,  464, 
465,483. 

Ulai,  EuLiEUS,  river;  derived  from  Ul,  to 
be  strong,  37^— rapid  river,  t*. 

Umbrella,  128,  435. 

Umbrella-bearers.  200,  260,  290, 435. 

Ur,  city  of  the  Chaldseans,  46, 114,  517— 
land  of,  18&-Orchoe,  114, 50a 


INDEX. 


537 


Uramiyeh,  lake,  141. 


Van,  lake,  Sea  of  Akthamar  in  Armenia, 
6,  376,  477,  480,  482. 

Varnish,  an  inscribed  rock  at  Behi8tun,140. 

Vases,  containing  skeletons,  444 — as  tri- 
bute, 341— as  spoil,  385— of  glass,  460. 

Vaux,  Mr.,  report  on  sculptures,  516. 

Vedas,  Sanscrit  writings  so  called,  468. 

Vulture  leaving  the  field  of  battle,  323, 374. 


Wall  of  Babylon,  110— China,  tJ.— Me. 
dian,  64,  66, 110— Roman,  110— Nineveh, 
t6.— section  of  Khorsabad,  242— thick- 
ness of,  at  Khorsabad  and  Nimroud,  110, 
244  355 

Walking-staflf,  228,  452. 

Wanghay,  the  Yellow  Sea,  110. 

"Wanton  destruction  of  ancient  ruins,  (n.)  4. 

War-engines,  185— wicker,  282— shields, 
215. 

Warfare,  mode  of,  371. 

Water,  jars  with  flowering  shrubs  in 
mouth,  372 — raising,  for  irrigation,  379. 

Weasel,  foot-prints  on  brick,  338. 

Weights,  weighing,  187,  244,  337. 

Werka,  same  as  Erech,  46— Rawlinson's 
speculations,  46, 608— coffins  foundat,508. 

Wheeled  chair,  229,  380. 

Wicker  shields  and  war-engines,  185, 216, 
281,  282,  432— boats,  383. 

Wigs,  330. 

Wild  horses  hunted,  400, 412.  ; 

Wine-strainer,  305, 459. 

Wine-vase,  215. 

Winer,  M.,  chronological  table,  521. 

Winged,  bulls,  151— cheiiibic  animals,  152 
—lions,  symbols  of  the  Assyrian  em- 
pire, 252, 301— divinity.  316. 

Women,  led  into  captivity,  206,  272,  320, 


322, 369, 371, 374— on  walls,  573— playing 

on  the  harp,  flute  and  timbrel,  378,  406, 

413,  491. 
Wooden  lock,  170,  171,  173 — doors  burnt, 

175, 178— cavity  for,  392. 
Writing  implements,  459. 


XENOPHOy,  education  of  Persian  kings,  45 
— account  of  the  taking  of  Babylon,  75— 
Larissa,  104— swords,  126 — description 
of  procession,  125— Mithras,  265— sceptre 
bearers,  282— Cyrus  as  cup-bearer,  829, 
305— Persian  present,  343 — chariots,  360 
—descriptions  of  Astyages  and  Cyrus, 
289,  305,  360. 

Xerxes,  75, 193— name  deciphered,  466, 473. 


Yahia  Pasha,  a  governor  of  Mosul,  21. 
Yarumjeh,  mound  of,  103. 
Yatagan,  sword  like  modem,  204,  434. 
Yates,  Mr.  James,  an  instrument  called 

celt,  270. 
Yemen,  province  of,  7,  231. 
Yezd,  people  of,  476. 
Young  persons  educated  in  the  conrt  of 

Babylon  in  the  time  of  Nebuchadnei^- 

zar,  164. 


Zab,  river,  21,  79, 105, 491, 492,  494. 
Zagros,  Mount,  64. 
Zahiri,  a  name  of  Assyria,  487. 
Zedekiah,  bound  by  fetters  of  brass,  194— 

fate  of,  ib. 
Zend  language,  467,  468,  476,  477. 
Zephanii^,  62. 
Zikr,  Ismail,  104. 
Zikru-1-awaz,  dyke   of  solid  masonry  in 

the  Tigris,  103. 
Zoroaster,  King  of  the  Bactrians,  66. 


THE   E^"D. 


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