Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1888-01-05
ANCIENT IRRIGATION.
The old Kings who Dug Fertilizing
Canals In the Euphrates Valley
Four Thousand Years Ago.


Four Thousand Years Ago.
Babylonia was indeed land of riv-
ers, owing 10 its eX stence to the two
streams which flowed through it. year
by year adding TO its growth by the
deposit of rich alluval soil. The early
occupants of the land recognized their
debt TO these fcrtlizng waters, and
their gratitude found expression in the
names which they gave to some of
them. The slow Euphra,es, which
year by year rose TO spread its broad
Hoods Of water over the fields, was
called the Life of the Land" the sis
;er-stream der we'd its name of "The
Rusher" from its narrow and more
rapid course. To other rivers which
,an not now be identified such names
AS ''The Mother of Canals" 'The Riv-
81 Flowing with Abundance" 1.-The
Crystal River" and other such names
were given. Ea, the old culture god
Of Er,dhu. the god of the ocean, be.
came "The God of the Rivers" and
especially Of the Euphrates, and Rim
man the ram-god bore the title of
The One Who Causes the Floods to
Flow in the Canals" BY these canals
I network of fertllizing streams was
spread through town and village, gar
len and field.
How early this work commenced we
10 k,,t - N
prehistorc days, for among the most
ancient of the cuneiform characters we
find the topographic 'gn for the canal,
and in the hymns of the primitive re-
ligous schools OF Eridhu. which reach
back beyon the forth millennium be-
ore the Christian era, canals are
mentioned. Indeed, like the rivers
they were sacred. and prayers were
offered to them rs to the greater Tigris
and Euphrates. A portion of one of
these hymns is preserved in Il frag-
mentary tablet discovered by Prof.
Saycc. Chou canal. l have made
thee In the day when ] dug thee,
then The great gods were beside thy
bank, and Eta. the king of the deep. had
created blessings within thy heart. and
he presented his flood before thee. .
thou mighty river. supreme are Thy
members (streams). That which is
evil in my body, in thy camel erase it
and bear it with thy stream. May l
glorify that which is made. MAY eX-
alt thy spring" This small fragment
suflices to prove that in Babylonia, as
in China and Egypt. the construction
of canals was regarded as u pious act,
and under the protection and blessing
of the gods. Proof of this in II storic
times is afforded by inscriptions discov-
cred by Mr.. Hormuzd Rassam during
his excavations in Babylonia. In
about the year Is. c. 2l50 the throne OF
Babylon was seized by u Kassite OIL
Kossean prince named Khammurabi.
who. during his reign of fifty years.
succeeded, rs he says in his inscrip-
tons, in building the lanT'-tha'
is, uniting together the scattered and
independent states into one, with Baby
lon ms capital This prince like Ur.
bahu (B. c. 4000O before him ant
the great Nebuchadnezzar, no,
only rebuilt the empire,
but directed .his attention to the repair
of ruined temples, palaces. and public
works; and his records are found il
many of the ancient cities. Among thC
inscriptions of this monarch found by
Mr.. Russian is one of which we hav,
five copics-two written in the still sur
viving Sumerian or Turannian Ian
, guage, and three in the Semitic dialec
of North Babylon'a. which was fast be
!, coming the national tongue. These in
scriptions were found in the ruins o
: III cur rod. and relate to the kings res
, toration Of the temple and other pub
| lie works. In the text the king says
/ 81 am Khammurabi. the mighty king
king of Babylon, king of four quarters
builder of the land, the king of Whose
\ deeds are pleasing to the glory of Sham
MS anu NtTOutCI1. nC JoNGl \ODSClN
ator,) of Sippara, with heaps of eartl
like (unto) the high hills, its summit
, raised. and with rampant l cncircle'
it. The canal of Sippara to Sippara
: dug, and with double banks | regulat
, ed it," In closing this inscription IN
: says: Since far distant days that whicI
+ each king among the kings of the cit.
G had not done for Shamas my lord
: magniicently ] did" The great publ
work here referred to is evidently tn
4 same rs that described on the clay tab
: let in the Louvre. which is somewha
c longer. The king there says: 9Th
s river of Khammurabi. the benefactor @
}. men, pouring out the waters of fertilit
for the men of Sumir and Akkad,
dug. Its complete course of fertilizo
ton I restored, tho two banks / pro
e longcd. and perennial streams for tn
|. people of Sumir and Akkad / up
Ii.