The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-01-20
THE EARLIEST PRINTING
Specimens of Ancient Typography
in the National Museum.
Many of Them Date From $500
Yenrs Before the Christian Era.
The Characters Impressed Upon
CIny-Results of Explorations by
tie Assyrinns and BabyIoninns.

There are to be seen In the National
Museum facsimile specimens of the earl
lest form of printing. properly so called.
in the reproductions of the brick-books Of
the Assyrians. Many OF these specimens
date from 800 years before the Chris ian
era. The characters are impressed upon
clay. which, after receiving the impress
sions, were then either partially baked in
an oven or submitted to the influence of
the SUMS rays. The Egyptians employed
this process freely but they did not carry
1t to such high state of perfection as
did the Assyrians, and It has been re-
Gently eonjectured that somes of the
printed brick books OF the latter are OF
Egyptian bricks of clay.
Thanks to the explorations conducted
among the ruins OF the Babylonian and
Assyrian cities. and which are still In
progress. vast quantity OF material IL
Illustrative Of the labors of their printers
has been collected and explained The
characters used by the Assyrians ara
called cuneiform on accoun. of their
wedge-like shape. which probably origi-
mated in the nature OF the material used,
as any instrument put into clay Is apt
to make aiarger mark at the point where
it is inserted than at the point from which
it is withdrawn Beginning probably
with what we're little more than rude at
tempts to write in clay. the Assyrians
progressed until they devised engraved
cylinders containing the letters or figures
they wished to impress and. by these cyl
inders. copies OF clay tablets were readi-
ly multiplied. The art was used for pur
poses similar to those to which printing
is applied at the present day, the differ
ence being only in the material employed.
Agreements or deeds testifying to the
sale OF land or slaves, duplicated copies
Of proclamatiCns sent to distant prov
inceS, and books of considerable length
are still extant. Following are a few
TRANSACTIONS OF the printed brick-book
Assyrian literature in this most Interest
ing collection:
Hymn 10 the Fire Coded of Fire.
with thy bright flannel The tenement Of
darkness by thee is illumined. The title
Nabu is likewise glorious. OF iron and
lead the melter throw OF gold and silver
thou art the reiner. Thou art the tabbu
Of the great Nialsasi Thou bringest ter
ror to the wicked by night. Tie WORKS of
man. the child Of his God. do thus purify.
Like the earth thou devourest, thou shin
est with the glory above
'Almanic or Astrological Pred ctions:
when, On the 14th day of the month,
the moon and the sun with each other are
seen, the fase shall be right. the heart of
the country shall be good. the Gods Of
Akkad (Babylcnia) to give blessings shall
incline, joy shall be in the hearts Of the
people, the chart of the King shall be
right, and the cattle of Akkad in the
desert shall in safety lie down and Sleep"
When the aspect OF the moon is very
cloudy. great foods shall come.
THE star of Marnduka (Jupiter} at its
rising lis called the star Dunpanddu,
when it reaches 5 Kaspu. 4 the star SAX
misa. when it is in the middle OF heaven
(sonthing) the star Nibiru.
''Assur- ni-ral. the great king. the
powerful king, king of nations. king Of
Assyria, son Of Esarhaddon, king OF
Assyria, son of Sennacherib. king OF
Assyria; according to the documents and
old tablets of Assyria. and SuHlri, and
Akkadi this tablet in the collection of
tablets 1 wrote. studied (?l, explained.
and fer the inspection of my kingdom
within my palace l placed Whoever my
written record defaces, and his own rec
ords shall write may Nabu all the written
tablets of his memory deface."