The Washington herald., 1907-04-07
LIBRARY OF NINEVEH.
Most Ancient Collection of
Worlds Documents.
LITERATURE OF HIGH CLASS
Tablets Date Back Six Hundred
Years Before Christ-COpies of
Tablets from BabylOH-Letters OF
Kings In Relation TO Wharf.-The
Library Dedicated TO God NebO.


is no more astonishing event than the
discovery Of the ruined palaces Of ancient
Nineveh. The uncultured East suddenly
appears before US in a new and totally
unexpected role. The stately palaces Of
! Sennacherib and Assurbanipal are deco
rated with sculptures which rival. If not
surpass, the Greek art OF the period
writes w. St. Chad Roseawen in the Lon
don Globe The sculptures from the Lion
Hunt Room of Assurbanipal are at least
la century and a half older than the age
Of Pheidlas, and the horses in them are
but little behind those Of the Parthenon
/ The wealth of incident introduced into
the war panorama sculptures such as
| those Of the Siege Of Lacish by Sennache-
/ rib, or the Eiamite wars Of Assurbanipal,
show that our special artist at the seat
Of war is no modern invention.
| If the architecture and decoration Of
/ the Assyrlan palaces was a vindcation
/ Of the culture of the house OF Minus. how
much more astonishing was the discovery
OF vast mass OF literature, embracing
almost every branch OF human knowledge
The discovery OF the rich library in the
palace Of Assurbanipal IS. undoubtedly
/ the greatest event in the chronicles OF
Oriental literature. The Dedantic classical
school who had expended their sarcasm
on the unlettered East-the land Of dream
and fable-had now 10 face a literature
Of the highest standard.
Niniyite Library.
Il was not merely a religious literature.
/ a collection OF hymns and prayers; It
! possessed far more solid elements. The
tablets found show that the scribes
studied their literature. Commentaries,
dictionaries. and critical works show
| love of literature, not mere making
Of books The Ninivite library presents
/ several curious features which it has
| hitherto been difficult 70 explain.
| In the first place we have no tablets,
except state documents or historical in
/ scriptiona, prior to the reign Of Assur-
banlpal u. c. 66S-625). which shows that
/ the library was founded in his reign.
Next the careful arrangement Of the
tablets in groups and sets, with in many
/ cases an index or catalogue, shows that
it was formed on a definite plan and not
gradual growth during d long period of
time. Finally very large numbers Of the
tablets have a colOph0n or Endorsement
which states that they wers like the old
copy" which shows that they were new
editions Of older works.
What was the origin OF these older
works. The FIRST indication was afforded
by the statement on some of the tablets
that they We're copies of tablets from Bor-
sippa Kutha, and other Babylonian cities,
and the discoveries in the libraries OF
BabylOnian temples OF duplicates OF tab
lets already known 70 us from the Assy
riau library proved that the Babylonians
had a similar Literature. Copies Of the
Creation LEGENDS have been found at BOr-
sippa, and the Assyrian library had q copy
Of the Code Of Hammurabi Transcribed
into the Assyrian script. It is clear. then,
that it was BabylOnia that furnished the
old copies All doubt as 20 the Chaldean
origin OF the literary treasures OF the
royal library AT Nineveh is now removed
by an important document in the British
Museum.
4 Kings Letter.
This tablet IS a letter written, apparent
Is, by Assurbanipal, but probably by the
priest scribe who acted as the royal Ii
brarian. 1t is addressed to a certain
Shadunu. who was a man Of considerable
Importance, and, as we now know, the
head Of manuscript commission dis
patched 10 search for tablets in the Baby
lonian libraries. It reads: 1.-THE word
Of the king to Shadunu-I am we'll; mayst
thou be happy. The day thou seest this
letter OF mine take Certain persons) and
such persons Of Borsippa as thou knowest,
and seek out all the tablets which are in
a .FF
in the temple of E-zida (the temple of
Nebo) Seek out the rare tablets such
as may be found on your journey which
do not exist in Assyria. and send them
10 me. am giving orders TO the treas
urers and projects. Thou shall put them
in a strong box. No one shall withhold
tablets from thee; and if there be any
tablet OF STEELE Of which I have not made
mention TO you, and thou shalt learn of
il, and # is good for my palace, search
for 1t and get it and send it TO me-"
It is evident. then. that a commission
with unlimited powers was dispatched by
the Assyriau king TO search both the
temple ard private libraries Of Babylona
and take from them works suitable for
the newly instituted royal library al
Nineveh. The writer OF the letter is one
thoroughly conveTsant with Babylonian
literature, for he enumerates the titles of
several works he especially requires, such /
as the tablets for the days of the month /
of Nissan.
He is especially anxious to obtain tab
let's of omens relating to war. and men /
tons a series, the first words of which /
are in battle a staff shall not come near !
the man" It must be mentioned that the /
title of a Babylonian book was derived 1
from the first words Of the first tablet /
of the series. 1t is evident, then, that the 1
writer was well versed in Babylonian [
literature.
Babyionian Tablets.
The tablets which shadunu and the /
others obtained were sent to Nineveh. /
and there Transcribed BY the Assyrian +
scribes. It is more than probable that /
they were returned to the BabyIonian (
for very few Babylonian tablets |
were found in the palace of Assurbanipal. I
We cannot say when the king began the /
work Of making this great literary col t
lection, but It was probably about eco /
b. C. and il was certainly complete by
the end Of his reign.
The destruction Of Nineveh took place
about 500 B. c. So the library had only /
a life of about half a century, and this /
would account in a great measure for the
Of the tablets. In the colophon
Or Endorsement attached to the tablets
Assurbanipal claims all the credit Of the
work. lie tells US that Neho and Tasmito,
bis WIFE, had enlarged his mind and UNI
aerstanding to have the tablets copied
and explained, and placed in his palace
for the instruction Of my people"
The real motive, however. is known 10
US. Prior to this kings reign all As