The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1854-12-13
asauins OF Ni7nevch Illus
lPaaiMg Scripture.

We cannot conclude this article
without speaking OF some interesting
illustrations of Scripture furnished Jy
the work before us. We select only
Htuw out Of many, On one sculpture,
embracing u battle scene, number
of captivcs appear before the victori-
GUS chief, some kneeling, some bow
ing, and others Frustrated on the
earth; as it is prophesied in Psalm
lxxiii::9. Ills enemies shall lick the
dust" The Assyrian generals, return.
ing home, arc apparently welcomed
by bands Of men and women, instru-
mcnts of music, singing and dancing.
Just as ''wIlcn David returned from
tile slaughter Of the Philistincs, the
women came out of all the cities Of
lsreal, singing and dancing to meet
Saul, with tabcrets, with joy, and with
instruments Of music," l Samuel,
xiii, g. 1t is evident from the
llyss OF the Iabourers employed on
the great public work at the A>syrians,
purtrayed or the bas reIicfs, that they
ARE foreigners. The Jews, owing to
their peculiar physiognou,y, can be
easily detected among the builders,
e Kings, xviii, 23) These were the
men whom the king of fAssyria carried
away, and rcpIa ed them by the colo,
mist from his own dominions, & Kings
xviii, 2I.) All The sculptures repre-
senting battles and conquests, show
the Assyrian king, according to custom
carrying away to remote regions the
people of the countries which he had
conquered. And not the people only,
hut also their idol god. On some of
the slabs before alluded to, the iAsSy
rians arc represented rs carrying away
in triumph the gods Of the conquered
nation, placed on poles, and borne
in procession on mems shoulders. To
this custom allusion is made in Isaiah,
xxxvi., 10, and xxxvii., ID, I3. The
chariot horses Of the Assyrians, as
we'll as their cavalry, are continually
represented as having bells around
their necks. So it is said in Zech.,
xiv, 20, "IIolincss to the Lord shall
sbe written on the bells of the horses "
I'm several instances are bas reIiefs OF
rhariots having usually lofty wheels
So VIC read in Ezekiel, l., Is, Gas for
their rings. (circimtcrcnccs,) they
were SO high that they were dreadful -
This prophet, being among the cap
tives in Assyria, by the river Chcbar
must have been familiar with such
things. The book Of ljzekicl's proph
ecy presents many combination o
liiving animals, in which the combina
'tion is indicative Of union of tho
qualities Of the animals on being
introduced. Thus in Ezekiel, j., 10
III, we nave union ofthe lace Of man
'tntelligence,) and lion strength
ron the right side, and Of an OK (pa
thence and mildness) on the oihc
side; and the face of All eagle, (swilt
ness and penetration, answering t,
'omniprcscnce.) So doubtless tn,
.Assyrians, in their human headct
bulls, eagle headed men, and othc
Heterogeneous figures, designed b,
these combinations to represent th
union of different qualities in the sam,
'being-a result which, in this picture
language, could in no other way b.
so easily, briefly, and naturally attain
ed. Similar combinations in tn
hierog'yphics of Egypt. Pcrhap
D"g"n, the god who figures so large
Iy in the sculptures, may be com
pounded in this manner, Of a fish an,
/" man, in which the man prcdomina
tcs. in allusion to the Eastern nolio
which made the spirit Of evil alik
intelligent, md each striving for tn
1nastery. The human fern NIGH
symbo ize the spirit of good the lisl
The slippery, deceptive spirit of evil
Ihe bowls batn,e Tho altar" (ZecI,
~ XIV 20 are ~ividly brought to min
NY tho jdlecovcry, in,hn ruins of Bah,
htn, of several bowls with Inscription
@f'eh 1:il may have been carried thi.ht
from Jerusalem bY lhs captive II
bre%s;- G'hsaar. .Rep. 49,