, 1873-01-12
ASSYRlA.

ASSYRlA.
What is Knov5n of trae Country By tl.c
Dccips,crcr OF the CI1a1dcan Story of
the Flood.
Front the London Daily Telegraph, Dee. 1c.
Tho following paper Oh the subject OF the
monumental records hitherto obtained in Meso-
potamia, from tho pen Of AR. George Smith, the
tablet" which contains tho Chaldean Story OF
the Flood, will i,o read with much interest at tho
p&T The subject Of Assyrian discovery is 30 vide,
AID tho results arc 80 numerous and important,
that it would be impossible to dispose of tho
whole question eyon in 0 dozen articles. Instead
OF wandering ovar the large range of AsByrlan
literature, I will, therefore take, to illustrate
the theme, some OF the main results as regards
history. Considerations Of space prevent my
entering into details ns to the discoyerers them
selves, and tho methods by which they arrived at
these facts. It must suffice to say that NIL Assy-
rian scholars hare had their Share in the work.
The earliest date yet verified ie that OF the con-
Ennlitc, B. @. 1850, mora than 1000 years ago.
kudur-nanhundi carried off from B.bylonia an
image of tho goddess Mana, much voncratod
by the BabylonianB. This captive goddess wns
set up in the City OF Shushan, and remained
there 1855 years, when it was reinken by the
Agsyrinns and restored to its place.
From tho twenty-third to the sixteenth cen
tu1y B. c., OF from about 1000 to 3,40o years
ago, the Bnbylonian inscriptions supply ua with
tile names Of many monarchs who ruled in tho
Euphrntes Valley. These monarclls built great
cities, excavated canals, and reared magnificent
tomp1es the ruins OF which exist to this day.
Want Of the records OF the period pre-
vents us from knowing thei- exact chronology,
in some few cases, their Inscriptions have
come down to us, and prove OF remarkable M
torest.
One Of the most famous Of these monarclls
was Sargon I. OF him the inscriptions. tell an
extraordinary tale. He is said to have been OF
royal descent his mother eayc birth to him in
obscurity, placed him in an ark OF rushes daubed
with bitumen, and exposed him on tho River
Euphrates, as Jochebed did the infant Noses on
the Nile. Sargon was rescued by q man named
Akki, who brought the child up rs his son. He
afterward became q husbandman, md, BY good
fortune, rose to be King. During his reign sar-
gon engaged in extensive wars, and carried the
Babyloni1n arms from the Mediterranean Sea to
tho Persian Gulf. Another renowned warrior
and builder was Hammurabi, who founded the
greatness of the City Of Babylon Before
Greece and Rome we're thought OF, and while
most of the peoples Of antiquity had not emerged
into national life, the first Babylo1ian empire
Ind already become old, its power had decayed,
and it's dominion was fast passing into the hands
Of the Younger and moro vigorous Kingdom OF
Assyria, then rapidly rising at the side Of it.
The history OF the early lAssyrian monarchs, 30
them warning against their neighbors on every
sido. and gradually welding together q nation
destined to overshadow the Eastern world.
Ono Of the greatest Of these early Kings was
llg1aen liless, e., ~ ~ ar Ii1;at p;laaar
claims to have conquered sixty. Kings during the
first five years Of his reign, and in the intervals
! he found time to engage in hunting expeditions
and to slaughter many ons VIZ oxen M leppaTtaa
ana otner ne.ce arlinaM. % a tae ~ Liz ror
on tne alopes o1 Ianu, ano n a. 1uu honao 10
po1se N inc MeteaIenea H. a. nnto ~ as,,. ,.o
rcared the great tower o. tne csy G11a o. snat'
Eh1cn Ii 1nafKea W tue rolis " naan ono: 6nhs:
Ono olsaster nevertheless' maras ine ralsn h1 Dr
TINS prosperons monaicn; 1. 10 Mas ~ ue4saasa Dg
Cty OF Akan; III Iafa.t e.,di -no.co5 1arac
year asenseu ;o r., taG,. n+,a +ha +. t1roat
past VI - auoss ~ E;i ~ 6thar
" tuo ~ xrl,at aro
on tAe oenIs u 10y r.1eo
caleo, ~ poli1Iaa n; 10 ao,t - ;r;r,atl
t1ons ana the ng o. mgsp' sen' 70 sasn arar
Eesel u s,,a,r ,,,a,a1ca ;,c1r,d;n1 SaanT
the history VI naoy netn1,ar re"au
nazf-pal, caieu tno eieas ,un4h ~ tha nr.;sb
many u "moeo s1a ~ 4i,a +;1so ~ shn1menoser
Museuh-"e Ali-1e "o aca s,lo ..aa - - iaea-a ~
u, Who relsneo ,r 9o' sa;+a ssa5a oeluFo +t;s Ia
Ch1astlan ora. II ~ -, ~ fo,,,,,,a III IL,
mona5cn are Iocoruen ~ fr,' o ,,rlb hoPh ~
UGGnS1 ~b3n sT nnI IN the Brsh Museum. This King in
.he s1 yeeP o, Hs ,ed an e nown to
from the Bols vas On ,ne 1onG onG ~ ta hena
TN Riyar orontes fought battle with Ben
naueo WIZ mas .,asa assS'G u Rsas, ~ T;ng ~ an.
afchs; anos 1y5e, ~ Sf ha M. III - 81 Iha
oa mon ~ Knaa reatea The storv Of he illness
43ooA ~ hass a5as;a I;s ,,rdor ~ Ii. aorrant
nen a8aah a1, u no., mn ,,srnaS 1,;a ttrona Altar
Hazaea, "a Tno ~ wv M.1aa1 sh.im,naser rra;n ;n-
yeed syrs and defeated Hazael M sRn
tha haeu 1no3,ntsns Of lebanon viii, heavy loss.
Gne x ~ ~ hst,Ia ,,,,r,,a, hg IL; o;e r;e.
a aazaei n 4e u nJ was tn hes;aeaa IN hs na
masens ~ ha "a opare unable to take
ti,a ~ raraoed tho eistrict of Haran. and
Tue Iie2' .teu t,,a ~ cosst TIara Jah1, Win now
malonsa ~ ~ rna Su ~ Iarae1 md thu Kinea Of
9ecnpaed td 7don rsro " hm trbnte Toward the
Lste a1d " t,;S rairn his son Assurani-
e.gsg y. sits ~ rasn ia crofyn rase} ra-
pa mpameIs; pt I.;s e. E;n.rah tho new cani-
~" asS,r tta.o15 ,1 canta and twenty-ye otLer
la, in1; c;;;iea ~ assYrs ionsd Tia revolution
Mneh mes nf pas 0o"A - '"''p'
n:alat1 p;1aaor r. xrhn re;cnad r c 45 ;s