Chapter III

THE DYNASTIES OF BABYLON: THE CHRONOLOGICAL SCHEME IN THE
LIGHT OF RECENT DISCOVERIES

Chronology the skeleton of history--Principal defect
in the Babylonian scheme--The Dynasties of Nîsin,
Larsa and Babylon--Discovery of a List of the kings of
Larsa--Introduction of fresh uncertainty--Relationship
of the kings of Babylon and Nîsin--Absence of
synchronisms--Evidence of date-formula?.--A fresh and
sounder line of research--Double-dates supply the missing
link for the chronology--The Nîsin era--Explanation of the
double-dates--The problem of Rîm-Sin--Method of reconciling
data--Another line of evidence--Archæological research and
the Second Dynasty of the Kings' List--Date-formulæ of
Hammurabi, Samsu-iluna and Iluma-ilum--Methods of fixing
period of First Dynasty--Ammi-zaduga's omens from the planet
Venus--Combinations of Venus, sun, and moon--Possibility of
fixing period of observations--Alternative dates in their
relation to historical results--The time of harvest in
farming-out contracts of the period--Probable date for the
First Dynasty--Re-examination of chronological notices in
later texts--The Dynasties of Berossus and the beginning of
his historical period--Effect of recent discoveries on the
chronological scheme as a whole--Our new picture of the rise
of Babylon