The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1850-03-13

7 1
fntely less intricate than that Of the Assyrians.
have not left single monument the banks Of The
Tigris and will believe that The ruins OF Khora-
bad are those Of Nineyeh. @ -
Yet a few observations Ninevea was Situated
on the banks Of the Tigris, and we know Khorabad
is more than six leagues from that stream One
does not understand here how alluvial deposits
should intervene for the course Of the Tigris Is So
rapid, that to-day it would rather be necessary TO
search for Nineveh beneath the waters Of the river
than al certain distance from the bank. Accord-
ing to The French and German pbiIoIogists cBnei-
form writing characters in the shape Of WEDGE
belongs 10 the family Of Indo- European languages
from which the Assyrian is decended it represents
the ancient Persian In fact, il is found among the
runs Of Persepolis as well as on the bricks Of
Babylon. Finally, must il be avowed only the
wedge-like characters are seen in the monuments
Of khorabad, whereas the Assyrian inscriptions are
yet to be invented Oh wonder in the exhuned
| palaces Of the capital Of the AssyTians.
The basreliefs, the odd and colossal figures found
in PersePolis, have the most, striking analogy to
| the monuments Of Khorabad. The descriptive de-
tails given by Herodotus, Of hesd-dress and gar.
ments Of the Persians, are readily recognized Upon
the oriental front Of TchiL Minor Bersepos, Is seen
tue representation of winged ANIMAL having the
| body Of lion and the head Of man. with a long
beard, skfully dccked with tiara, 1t is precisely
the same figure which fixed the attention of the
Arabs of the sheik Abd-un-R -Rahman, among the
ruins Of Rineveh. This is not ALL - gives
the description, and even the name Of this symbol.
cal creature which is called 1lartich0nas that is to
say, cater Of te men, from the Persian mart (nanJ
aud cbor (eater.)
The nartichoras," says the physician OF Arlax.
erxes. has the face Of man ard the bodyo lion
his skin is red cnnabar he has three rows teeth
| and blue eyes, like those Of man. This fabulous
animal, which was considered very cruel and eager
Of carnage, was worshpped among the Persians.'
Well, none Of these remarks touch the antigua
rians Nineveh was on the banks Of tie Tigris
the city is six leagues distant from it evidently the
ruins of Khorabad are those of Nineyeh. The
monuments taken from these discoveries, all repre-
sent those of Persepolis. These last are Persian
accordingly the first are Assyrian. 1t is not We
| who reason thus. @
But an apparition which is here quite new, ant
very curious, is the figure Of winged divinity en-
| closed in circle, and holding ring in one hand
which is found carved beneath the mystic bean
between two kings, i'm manner showing that it re
ates to each, and that il extends its protection I,
both. This symbolical figure, Of SO great an impor
lance, whatever may be its veritabe Specification
had appeared exclusively to belong to the Persepo
Titan antiquities where it acts so prominent a par
in the sculptures Of Persepolis and Bakistan
always above the figure of the king. But in find
| ing ii here, upon the monuments Of khorabad,
under the same form, and in the connection wit
the king it becomes evident that il belonged origin
ally TO Assyran antiquities where it certainly ha
| the same yaIue.-JonrHat deS SaUans, iSepteDs5T
1919, p 550 .-..
Notwithstanding the respect which we owe th
| ilustrious academicfan whom we have Just cited
| we permit ourselves to ask him how it become
evident that the symbolcal figure (which acts 81
| prominent part in the sculptures of Persepolis
appertained originally to the antiquities Of Assyra
and how it had certainly the same value "a -
To sum up the whole, on, examining the question
in u calm and impartial manner, one will acknowl
edge that the ruins Of Khorabad are not the remain
OF Nineveh, but rather those of an ancient Persia
i city. As to the arguments Of our adversares The
are reduced, one begins to see to naught, unles
we should admit in the account the opinion Of I'll
Arabs.