The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1901-12-28
FACTS ON NOAH'S ARK.
THE cHALpeAN RECORD OF ITS Oh
MENsIoNs AND CONTENTS.

CudiuGdH tTduitiOu Va ~
writes a correspondent OF the Lonuon
Times. The best known account oi
this tradition is contained in the iate
George Smiths "Chaldean Genesis.
There was given the first connected
account OF the Assyrian version Oh tne
old Babylonian myths concerning inc
flood This version has been drawn
up for the library of Ashurbanipai, tne
last great King of Assyria. ana mas
been brought by Sir Henry Layard
from the ruins of Nineveh. more
complete edition, consisting OF all the
fragments of the story, preserved IN
the British Museum, has been pup
lished by Prof. Haupt
Unfortunately, the lines which once
recorded the dimensions OF the ark
are defective, and though Prof. Haupt
considers it probable that the length
was 100 cubits, while the breadth ana
height were both 120 cubits, We have
no certainty about the length. by as
suming that the measure named In the
text really denotes half cubit, as was
once held by Prof Oppert, the conJec-
tured length would agree with the
900 cubits of the Biblical narrative.
Now one of the tablets, probably
also once in King Ashurbanipals IL
brary at Nineveh, appears to give
different estimate of the dimensions OF
Noah's ark. 1t Is catalogued as "a
list of animals and certain measure
ments' &c, and was recently copied
by me for my "Assyrian Deeds and
Documents" where the cuneiform text
| will appear as No. TIT. A closer ex-
animation of the contents has made
me think they deserve to be more
| widely known.
There is no distinct statement on
| the tablet that the measurements re-
| fer to the, ark, but | fail to see with
what else the figures given could be
concerned. The first three lines read
simply, 1890 cubits long. $50 cubits
broad, $50 cubits high" The whole
tablet is written in the Geographic
| style. and some of the kilograms used
are not to be found in published lists
OF signs and kilograms" But these
lines only employ such signs as are
well known from their use in the his
torical inscriptions. and l assign to
them the meanings which they always
have in such texts as concern the d.
mansions of buildings.
But this would be very large
building indeed. The great Temple OF
Merodacb az Babylon. by manI identi-
fed with the Tower of Babel. was only
1870 cubits high. If we consider these
dimensions as those of tower it must
have been nearly 1900 feet high. Such
height could only be that of noun
tain. Then it would be difficult to ac'
!. count for the presence of the animals
recorded below. There were no ami.
naels kept in the Tower of Babel, so
: far as we are told. The animals
whose names can be recognized are
, not such as we have any reason to
: SURPRISE were kept by the Kings OF
Nincveh in a menagerie or geological
gardens.
The mythical character of the build
| | ing seems evident. The next two
lines give other dimensions in precise
ly similar terms to those used in de
scribing the terraces or palaces. In
teTpreting the signs in the same wa3
as is always done in such cases. the
substructure of this strange building
was 410 cubits across and 1888 cubtts
along it's side. There is no sugges
ton of height.
Now, the Ninevite version Of the
Chaldean tradition. above referred tc
contemplates the ark as house" or
boat" or raft. 1t may be ques
: toned whether in these texts height
necessarily means vertical height.
: If not, we may suppose boat 7Ss
cubits In length over all and 410 Gu
, bits In breadth amidships, carrying 9
, box-shaped house $50 cubits long, 39t
. cubits broad and $50 cubits high above
the deck. 1t Is possible that the roo
! sloped from central ridge. Also ths
dimensions given may be those Of Z
rectangular raft. In either ease there
would be free space ten cupits wide
along the sides and 81 cubits wide a
the ends, to serve as deck promen
ade." If we prefer to take $50 cubit.
as the height, part Of this may have
i been submerged: but, In any case
we should have curious shape for al
ark, though one quite admissible TO
( an imaginary temple tower.
The animals named. so far as l an
. able to recognize their topographic
1 descriptions, are dromedaries. camels
|. horses, mules, asses. both male anil fe
male of each species, forming on
group; then oxen and cows of variou
o eorts, sheep, goats. antelopes or ga
: zelles, hares. with their young ones
and Of both sexes. forming secon'
, group. The first group seems to b
\ the animals, mans helpers and sci
> wants; the second group Ia possibl
:. those clean animals used for food.
Z may be noted that the antelope or go
! xelle Is frequently depicted as assoc
ated with Ishtar, or Venus. who play
such a prominent part in the trad
ton of the food. No numbers are 81,
!. en-, in marked contrast to the Bibles
narrative, but there, were evidentl
. pairs in the first group. and 1t woul
. not be difficult to make out seven 70
the bovine race and sheep. In tn
many herd lists Of Nineveh Kings tn
numbers of each sort are, of course. q
ways given. Hence we can scarcel
4 think OF the animals In farmyard.
4 Then follows list Of birds. mos
Then followE list Of birds, most &
which are not vet to be identified wit
any certainty. though nearly all tn
kilograms occur also in the lists {
offerings made to the gods. Sue
4 birds were in all probability used fc
H food. The list ends with 'the dow,
the swallow, the raven" Now in th