Norwich bulletin., 1913-01-24
AN ANCIENT LIBRARY.
A Find in Ninevite Paiace-Evidence
 of Love of Literature.

Excavations have revealed to us some astonishing facts with regard to the literary attainments of the ancient peoples of the East. The most in-
 teresting of these finds were those encountered in the ruined palace of ancient Nineveh.
 It was no mere religious literature that was there discovered; it possessed far more solid elements. The tab lets found on the site of the city that long ago crumbled into the dust show that the scribes studied their literature to advantage. Commentaries, diction- aries and critical works evidence a love of literature, not the mere mak- ing of books. The NineVite library presents several curious features that for some time the archaeoIogists found 1t difficult to explain.
 In the first place, it Is pointed out there are no tablets except state docu- ments or historical inscriptions prior to the reign of Assur banipai (B. c. -625), a circumstance that indicates that the library was founded in his reign. Then, too, the careful arrange ment of the tablets in groups and sets, with an index or catalogue in many cases, shows that it was formed on definite plan and was not a gradual growth during long period of time. Finally very large numbers of the tablets have an endorsement to the eff feet that they were like the old copy"
 The question arises, What was the origin of these older works? The first indication was afforded by the state ment on certain of the tablets that they were copies of tablets from Babylonian cities, and the discoveries in the libraries of Babylonian temples of duplicates of tablets already known to the archaeologists from the Assyrian library proved that the Babylonians had similar literature. Copies of the Creation legends have been found at +h hn A -iarN jIN,-a r, q a copy of the Code of Hammurabi. It is clear, then, that it was Babylonia that furnished the 'old copies"
 All doubt to the Chaldean origin of the literary treasures of the royal library at Nineveh is removed by a tablet in the British museum. This consists of a letter written, apparent ly, by Assurbanipai, but probably by the priest scribe who acted as the royal librarian. It was addressed to a cer- tain Shadunu; who was a man of con- siderable importance, and as is now as certained, the head of a manuscript commission despatched to search for the tablets in the Babylonian libraries. It has been translated thus.
 The word of the king to Shadunu: I am well; mayst thou be happy. The day thou seest this letter mine take certain personals and such persons of Borsippa, as thou knowest, and seek out all the tablets which are in their houses, and ali the tablets laid up in the temple E-zida Seek out the rare tablets such as may be found on your journey which do not exist in Assyria, and send them to me. I am giving Crders to the treasurers and prefects. Thou shall put them in strong box. No one shall withhold tablets from thee; and if there be any tablet or stele of which l have not made men ton to you, and thou shall learn of it, and it is good for my palace, search for it and get it and send it to me"
 It thus appears that commission with unlimited powers was despatched by the Assyrian king te search beth the temple and private libraries of and take from them Werks