, 1873-01-12

discrimination, younger son OF t1nt monarch,
uho entered EineyeL in tho carly part of tbs
year g. C. e5o, aad YES crowned Hing Of Assyria.
10 Easarladdon tribute was paid by manasseh,
King Of Judah. Esarlsddon destroyed the City
Of Zidon, the great emporium Of Eastern trade.
aud lie extended his power over to the laland of
Cyprus. ten kings Of which submitted to him.
Later in his reign To attacked Tirlakah, tho
Ethiopian, aad drove that monarch out Of
Egypt, which country 1,e now added to the Assy-
rian donainions. Esarhaddon il also famous for
his expedition into Arabia. Tho arid deserts Of
Arabin hayo formed O barrier through which few
of tho conquc7ors Of antiquity over yontured to
pa6s SO that tllis campaign Of Esarhaddon las
fow parallels in history
Esarhaddon avoided my strife ct hiB death by
himself crowning his son Assurbanipal, cele-
brated as tho Sardanepe1uB OF tue Greeks. Tho
pride and pomp OF sarda2apalue, end tho luxury
of his court have been described by many
writer's. Tho inscriptions and sculptures OF
this epoch bear out those decriptions in all re-
spccts save one-for the King himself was not
the effic1ninate nlonarcl, the Greeks describe him,
but warrior anu hunter whose deods rival those
OF his long line of predecessors. In thdfime Of
Sardanapalus raigned Gygcs, King Of Lydia:
The romantic story Of Gyges and the wife OF
Caudaulus forms almost tho opening passago Of
tho history OF uorodotus aud soma of his
statements regarding LYdian history ere vol
confirmed by tho Assyrian Inscriptions. sar-
dnnapa1us tolls ua that Gyees WAS warned
by Assur, tho national deity Of the Assyrians,
~ buutL1a W hAC A4ut3 " A+AA s14-+N
upon he sent m embassy to Niaeych,. and
present to Sarlauapalus, alone Eltl Lis tribute,
two C:mmcrian chiefs, captured in battle. 6ar-
dauapalus engaged in wars in Egypt ho de-
fcntcd TirEakan who had again invaded that
country. and ho restored the twenty Kings OF
Egypt who had been set up by his father. The
annals of Sardanapalu3 aleo accord tho SUCCESS
ful revolt Of Psammesichus, who conquered the
other petty Kings Of Egypt, and freed the conn-
try from the Assy1ian yoke. The palace Of Sar-
danapalus, ut Einevah, was adorned with slabs
on which wore depicted the wars and hunting
expeditions Of tho King. Some Of those are ex-
ocuted with greet spirit and finish, and are tho
finest Ausyrian sculptures which hayo yet boon
discovered.
Tho inscriptions are too imperfect to giro Us
my information as to the closing scenes Of tho
Assyrian Empire; but VIC know that the Baby
lonia1l power there revived nfte its long pe11od
Of depression, and under Nabopolas6er and Nc
tuchadnozzai arose to almost universal conaina-
ton. Tho history OF Eebuchaduczzar, the de-
stroycr Of Jerusalem, the rebuildor Of Babylon,
has not boen recovered; and tho Inscriptions
OF his reign which have been found relate e1clt1-
sirely to his architectural works. The palace
Which Ncbuchaduezzar built at Babylon
has for centuries formed the qunrry OF building
materials from the people Of the district. Vari-
GUS other inscriptions havo bcon discovered re-
1ating to the histories OF Eabonidus, Delshazzar,
Cyrus, Darius. and many other monarchs; F.; but,
in spite OF the grc1t accessions to our know
lodge derived from the cuncform Inscriptions,
there is still long blanks in the history, and
many important questions pressing Tor that 60
luton which eearch in tile rich dust Of tho
Mesopotamian mounds would no doubt furnish.