The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1854-05-12
Recent Babylonian Discoveries

! Rawlinson says:
u hasten to communicate a discovery which
! have recently made in Babyionan history, AM
which is OF the utmost Importance Tor scrIPtura
] Illustration.
"AIr. J. Taylor who has been employed durin!
the winter in conducting the British Museum ex
| cavaflons IN Southern Chaldfpa under my superIn
| endence, has lately disinterrd a number OF clay
| cylinders, in the ruins of Um Quecr-(the anclen
| Ur OF the Chaldees, and near The modern Aral
! capital of Sock k-ess Shookh the Euphrates
| Two Of these cylinders have already reached me
and have found them to contain memorial 0
the works executed by Nabonidus Che last king
Babylon in Southern Chaldea They describe
| among other things the restoration OF temples
originally built hy The Chald1an monarchs, al
least 900 years previously, and further notice
the re-opening OF canals dug by Nabopoassar and
Nebuchadnezzar. The most important fact, how
ever, which they disclose, is, that the eldest son
of Nabondus was named BrI.sharezar, and that
he was admitted by his father TO share IN 'he
government. This name is undoubtedly the BEL
shazZar of Daniel, and thus furnishes us with n
key TO the explanation of that great historical
problem which has hitherto defied solution. We
can understand how BelshazZar, as Joint king
with his father may have been Governor OF Baby.
Ion, W hen the city was attacked by the combined
forces Of the Medes and Persans, and may have
perished in the assault which followed while Ma.
bonidus, leading force to the relief Of the place,
was defeated, and obliged 10 take refuge in the
neehborrg towns of Bors;ppa Tor Birs-i. Nmrud)
captivating, after short resistance, and being
subsequently assigned, according to Berosus, an
honorable retirement in Carmania. BY the dis
coverv indeed, of The name OF Bel shar- -eZer, as
appertainlng to the of Nabonidus, we are, for
the first time, ena bed to reconcile authentic his
tory (such as it is related by Herodotus and
Berosus, and not as we find it in the romance Of
Aenophon or the fables Of Ctesias,) with the in,
spircd record of Daniel, which forms one of the
bu!warks Of our religion.
s'lt may be further Of interest to your numerous
readers, if appended brief sketch Of the me-
MORALS OF The later Baby ylonan monarchs (subse-
quent TO the taking of Ninevah,) which now
available for the verifcaion Of Ibis portion o! his
tory. vi the time of Nahopoassa there are lew
tablets IN the British Museum which found
at Warka, but they furnish no h>rorIcal data OF
his son Nabuchadnf zar (or Nahuk udurnssur as
his name is written in Baby yIonian,) the monuments
are most extensive. The slab in the Museum OF
he East India House gives minute account Of
he various works executed by the King at Baby.
on or Borsippa further details. referring 10 other
parts Of Bahylonia, are furnished by cylinder
1ow in The possession of Sir Thomas Philips, and
he Inscription upon which was published u few
years back by DR.. Groteend, at Hanover Ma
eriais, in fact, exist in the Museums of England, /
France, ana Germany. for compiling full account
If The domestic history o. Nebuchadnezzar, though
up to the present time no record has
,een discovered Of his foreign wars. The DIS
'overy, however. Of such record vii, 1t Is to be
loped, reward the exerlIons now making by the
Assyrian Fund Society.
OF ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS son, Evil Merodach, the
'nIy relic which know is weight in the form
# duck brought by Mr.. Layard from Nineveh,
nd now lying in the British Museum. (Layard's
Nin. and Bah. p. 600) Many bricks have been
attly found at Baby Ion by the French Commits.
ion, bearing the names and titles of NergSsar,
# Nergal-Sharezer, who succeeded his brother.n.
aw, Ey-Merodach. His geneacgy is not given,
ut he bears the same title of Rab-mag, mot, how
yer, certainly with the signifcation of Chief Of
ne MagI) as in jeremiah xxx, 3, 3. The
on "f Nergal- -Sharezer, Labnrosoarcbod, who
eigned only nine months, has left no records but
Nabonidas, the last king, who, according to
erosns, was placed on the throne by a revolution
Babylon, we are now finding relics in all quar-.
'rs. The walls Of Babylon, on the river face,
rec1ed by this king, were completely exposed
urlng recent fall OF the river, and the bricks OF
hIch the wall was composed were found 10 be
stamped with his name and TILES ;
abiets also dated at various periods OF his reign
p 10 the sixteenth year, (accordng 10 history he
'gned seventeen years,l have been found at
orsiPpa and at Warka and the cylinders and g
ay barrels, recently excavated by Mr.. Taylor, |
MD the ruins of Ur, promise to furnish a com. c
ete record Of his domestic history. His eldest r
'n as have stated, was named Brl.sharezer c
IF BelshazZar,) and that this prince or Joint king d
as really slain at the taking of Babylon by CYRUS. O
may infer from inding in the Inscription of i
sItun that he imposor who caused the Baby Il
mans to revolt against Darius Hystapes and g
no Personaied the heir to the throne, did not Il
ke the name OF the eldest son Of Nabondas Bel. n
arezer, but Of The second son, Nabukuqurus<ur. n
is sufficiently remarkable that willie the Assyran b
lnders and monumental inscriptions re especial. d
devoted to record of the monarch's foreipn S
nquests, and merely speak incidentally of his "
meslIc history, the custom at Babylon seems 10 81
We been exactly the reverse. genealogical or
H0 t0e historical document has never vet been II
mo IN BdbyIonia or ChaldRa, while geographic tc
statistical sacerdota, and architectural descrip it
ms abound. 81
''lf would irespass TOO much upon your valuable 81
ace II were 10 give an abstract even OF the 81
esent state of our Babylonian and Assyrian b
owletge.-but few remarks upon the cbrono. "
~ may be perhaps Of interest There Can be
lie doubt, lhen, but that the historical dates pre.
we'd by Berosus, End corroborated by Calls. til
mes, ar" substantially Authentic Bsbv in
nan chronology dates from the latter half OF the iu
century D. e., and we nrn now find. ht
: both IN Citatea and Baby onia, relics Of mon. Ie
us WHO I'ed almost as early as D. C., 900