Chapter I: Preface

In every department of science the theories of yesterday are perpetually being displaced by the empirical facts of to-day, though the ascertainment of these facts is frequently the indirect outcome of the theories which the facts themselves dissipate. Hence it is that the works of the greatest scholars and experts have no finality, they are but stepping-stones towards the goal of perfect knowledge. Since the publications of Layard, Rawlinson, Botta and Place much new material has been made accessible for the reconstruction of the historic past of the Babylonians and Assyrians, and we are consequently able to fill in many gaps in the picture so admirably, and as far as it went, so faithfully drawn by the pioneers in the field of excavation and research. This work, which owes its origin to a suggestion made by Dr. Wallis Budge, represents an endeavour on the part of the writer to give a brief account of the civilization of ancient Babylonia and Assyria in the light of this new material.

It is hoped that the infinitude of activities and pursuits which go to make up the civilization of any country will justify the writer’s treatment of so many subjects in a single volume. It will be observed that space allotted to the consideration of the different arts and crafts varies on the one hand according to the relative importance of the part each played in the life of the people, and on the other hand according to the amount of material available for the study of the particular subject.

No effort has been spared to make the chapters on Architecture, Sculpture and Metallurgy as comprehensive as the limitations of the volume permit, while for the sake of those who desire to pursue the study of any of the subjects dealt with in this book, and to work up the sketch into a picture, a short bibliography is given at the end.

It has not been thought desirable to amass a vast number of references in the footnotes, and the writer is thereby debarred from acknowledging his indebtedness to the works of other writers on all occasions as he would like to have done.

In addition to the chapters which deal expressly with the cultural evolution of the dwellers in Mesopotamia, two chapters are devoted to the consideration of the Cuneiform writing—its pictorial origin, the history of its decipherment, and the literature of which it is the vehicle, while another chapter is occupied with a historical review of the excavations. The short chronological summary at the end obviously makes not the slightest pretension to even being a comprehensive summary; it merely purports to give the general chronological order of some of the better known rulers and kings of Babylonia and Assyria to whom allusion is made in this volume, together with a notice of some of the more significant land-marks in the history of the two countries.

The writer’s thanks are due to the Trustees of the British Museum for permission to photograph some of the objects in the Babylonian and Assyrian Collections, and to Dr. Wallis Budge for facilities and encouragement in carrying out the work; to the University of Chicago Press for allowing him to reproduce illustrations from the _American Journal of Semitic Languages_ and also diagrams from Harper’s Memorial Volumes; to M. Ernest Leroux for permitting him to make use of some of the plates contained in the monumental works of De Sarzec and Heuzey, and to M. Ch. Eggimann of the “Libraire Centrale d’art et d’architecture ancienne maison Morel,” for his very kind permission to reproduce two of the plates contained in Dieulafoy, _L’Art Antique de la Perse_. He is similarly indebted to the Deutsche-Orient Gesellschaft for allowing him to make an autotype copy of one of the plates in Andrae’s _Der Anu-Adad Tempel_. He further desires to acknowledge the generosity of Prof. H. V. Hilprecht in allowing him to make use of many of the illustrations contained in his numerous publications, and also of Dr. Fisher for permitting him to reproduce some of the photographs contained in his magnificently illustrated work on the excavations at Nippur. He is very sensible of his indebtedness to these two gentlemen, as also to M. Leroux and the Deutsche-Orient Gesellschaft, for the photographs of excavations in progress are obviously of a unique character and admit of no repetition; he further desires to express his obligations to Dr. W. Hayes Ward for his most kind permission to copy a number of seal-impressions and other illustrations contained in his recently published work—_Cylinder-Seals of Western Asia_. Lastly, he welcomes the opportunity of acknowledging the kindness of Mr. Mansell for allowing him to publish many photographs of objects in the British Museum and the Louvre contained in his incomparable collection, and for in other ways facilitating the illustration of this volume. Most of the plans and drawings used for this volume are the work of Miss E. K. Reader, who has performed her task with her usual skill.

P. S. P. H.

_March, 1912._

ERRATA ET CORRIGENDA

p. 6, l. 3, _for_ 2500 B.C. _read_ 2400 B.C.
p. 6, l. 18, _for_ 2500 B.C. _read_ 2400 B.C.
p. 43, l. 7 from foot, _read_ both French and English explorers
p. 62, l. 2, _for_ considerable _read_ much
p. 89, l. 5, _for_ ± _read_ —
p. 110, l. 2, _for_ 2500 B.C. _read_ 2400 B.C.
p. 125, l. 7 from foot, _for_ or _read_ and
p. 130, l. 23, _for_ 2400 B.C. _read_ 2350 B.C.
p. 155, l. 31, _for_ having _read_ have
p. 235, l. 9 from foot, _for_ Sumu-la-ilu _read_ Sumu-ilu
p. 247, l. 1, _for_ 2500 B.C. _read_ 2400 B.C.
p. 249, l. 35, _after_ crudeness _read_ these heads

The reference numbers as printed on Plates VII to XI are inaccurate, and should be altered as follows, in agreement with the List of Illustrations and the references in the text:—

_Present number _Correct number
and position_ and position_

ZIGGURAT OF ASHUR-NAṢIR-PAL VII _Facing_ p. 64 VIII Facing p. 78
INSCRIPTIONS ON CLAY VIII ” 78 IX ” 106
RUINED MOUNDS AND COURT OF MEN IX ” 106 X ” 132
WATER CONDUIT, NIPPUR X ” 132 XI ” 138
EXCAVATIONS IN TEMPLE COURT XI ” 138 VII ” 64

CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE

I. INTRODUCTION—

(_a_) Land and People 1

(_b_) Sketch of Babylonian and Assyrian History 28

II. EXCAVATIONS 40

III. DECIPHERMENT OF THE CUNEIFORM INSCRIPTIONS 85

IV. CUNEIFORM INSCRIPTIONS 95

V. ARCHITECTURE 119

VI. SCULPTURE 181

VII. METALLURGY 242

VIII. PAINTING 270

IX. CYLINDER-SEALS 284

X. SHELL-ENGRAVING AND IVORY-WORK 309

XI. TERRA-COTTA FIGURES AND RELIEFS 317

XII. STONEWARE AND POTTERY 325

XIII. DRESS, MILITARY ACCOUTREMENTS, ETC. 337

XIV. LIFE, MANNERS, CUSTOMS, LAW, RELIGION 364

SHORT BIBLIOGRAPHY 406

LIST OF THE MORE IMPORTANT KINGS AND
RULERS AND A BRIEF CHRONOLOGICAL
SUMMARY 408

INDEX 411

ILLUSTRATIONS

PLATE IN COLOURS

PLATE

I. Coloured Lion at Khorsabad _Frontispiece_

PLATES IN HALF-TONE

FACING PAGE

II. Kouyunjik and Nebi Yûnus (two views) 42

Nimrûd (Calah) 42

Khorsabad 42

III. Excavations at Nimrûd (Calah) in Ashur-naṣir-pal’s
Palace 44

IV. “Fish-God,” and Entrance Passage, Kouyunjik 48

V. Doorway at Tellô, erected by Gudea 54

South-eastern façade of Ur-Ninâ’s building at
Tellô 54

VI. Remains of a Stele in a building under that of
Ur-Ninâ 58

The Well of Eannatum 58

XI. Excavations in the Temple Court, Nippur 64

VIII. The Ziggurat and Palace of Ashur-naṣir-pal,
Ashur 78

IX. Inscriptions on clay illustrating the sizes and
shapes of the Tablets, etc., used by the Babylonians
and Assyrians 106

X. The Ruined Mounds of Nippur 132

Court of the Men from the North-East, Nippur 132

XI. Water Conduit of Ur-Engur, Nippur 138

XII. Portion of the “Vulture Stele” of Eannatum,
Patesi of Lagash 186

XIII. Stele of Victory of Narâm-Sin 192

XIV. Stele engraved with Khammurabi’s Code of
Laws 198

The Sun-God Tablet 198

XV. Bas-relief of Ashur-naṣir-pal 202

XVI. Bas-reliefs of Ashur-naṣir-pal (four subjects) 204

XVII. Siege of a City by battering-ram and archers 206

XVIII. Ashur-bani-pal’s Hunting Scenes: Lion and
lioness in a garden 218

XIX. Ashur-bani-pal’s Hunting Scenes (two subjects) 218

XX. Ashur-bani-pal’s Hunting Scenes: Hunting
wild asses with dogs 220

Ashur-bani-pal pouring out a libation over
dead lions 220

XXI. Ashur-bani-pal reclining at meat 222

Musicians and Attendants 222

XXII. Limestone figure of an early Sumerian 224

Three archaic stone heads 224

XXIII. Head and two diorite statues of Gudea;
upper part of female statuette 228

XXIV. Statues of Nebo and Ashur-naṣir-pal; torso
of a woman 230

XXV. Winged man-headed genii 236

XXVI. Stone lion of Ashur-naṣir-pal 238

XXVII. The Kasr lion 240

XXVIII. Miscellaneous objects of bronze, from
Nimrûd 254

XXIX. Bronze bowl, from Nimrûd 256

XXX. Decorated arch at Khorsabad 278

XXXI. Glazed bricks 282

XXXII. Ivory panels, from Nimrûd 314

XXXIII. Pottery, from Nimrûd and Nineveh 334

ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE TEXT

FIGURE PAGE

1. Pictographs 97

2. Pictographs 99

3. Late Babylonian “squeeze” of an early inscription 117

4. Brick-stamp of Narâm-Sin 117

5. Clay covering of the “Sun-Tablet” 117

6. Restoration of the temple at Nippur 137

7. Restoration of the Anu-Adad temple at Ashur 144

8. Restoration of Sargon’s palace at Khorsabad 151

9. Domed roofs in Assyria 155

10, 11. Terra-cotta drains 159

12. Columnar piers at Tellô 161

13. Large column capital; small column capital 165

14. Columns (various) 166

15. Early arch at Nippur 170

16. Early arch at Tellô 170

17. Corbelled arch at Nippur 173

18. Round arch at Babylon 173

19-22. Arched drains at Khorsabad 174

23. Burial-vault at Ashur 176

24. Burial-vault at Ur (Muḳeyyer) 176

24_a_. Ziggurat on Assyrian bas-relief 180

24_b_. Ziggurat at Khorsabad 180

25. Six early bas-reliefs 182

26. Stele of Ur-Ninâ and mace-head of Mesilim 185

27. Two fragments of the “Vulture Stele”; little
sculptured block (Entemena’s reign) 189

28. Five bas-reliefs, including one of Narâm-Sin 194

29. Bas-relief of Sargon, king of Assyria 209

30. Bas-relief of Sennacherib; removal of stone bull 213

31. Sennacherib at Lachish 215

32. Statue of Esar, king of Adab 223

33. Early stone statue of a woman 224

34. Statue of Manishtusu; seated figure of a woman;
head of a woman 225

35. Seated figure of Shalmaneser II 231

36. Stone lion-head; figure of a dog; stone figure of
a human-headed bull inlaid with shell 234

37. Copper spear-head; hollow copper tube 243

38. Early copper figures 245

39. Copper figures of Basket-bearers; copper figure
of Gudea 247

40. Figures and heads of animals in copper and bronze 250

41. Two Assyrian swords; an Assyrian axe 254

42. Bronze dish 257

43, 44. Bronze gate-bands 259, 260

45. Silver vase of Entemena 265

46. Coloured clay relief lion from Babylon 274

47. Coloured bull at Babylon; coloured bull at Nimrûd
(Calah) 275

48. Three cylinder seals; clay tablet bearing a
seal-impression 285

49-77. Impressions from cylinder-seals 289-307

78-83. Engravings on shells 310-312

84. Carved ivory panel from Nimrûd 314

85. Early terra-cotta figures 318

86. Terra-cotta figures of later date 320

87. Terra-cotta figure of a dog 323

88. Terra-cotta plaque showing dog with attendant 323

89. Stone vase of Narâm-Sin 328

90. Decorated stone vase of Gudea 328

91. Three stone vessels, one of which bears an inscription
of Sennacherib, and another the name of Xerxes;
small glass vessel of Sargon 330

92, 93. Two early clay pots from Nippur 332

94. Boomerang-shaped weapons 342

95. Assyrian jewellery 348

96, 97. Combs 349

98, 99. Foot-spearman and Foot-archers of the first
Assyrian period 350

100-102. Archers in the reign of Sargon 351

103-105. Archers in the reign of Sennacherib 352

106, 107. Assyrian cavalry 354, 355

108. Assyrian chariotry 356

109. Assyrian helmets and head-gears 357

110. Assyrian weapons of offence 358

111. Battering-rams and shields 360

112. Naval equipment of the Assyrians 362

113-115. Babylonian emblems 396, 398

MAPS

(1) Mesopotamia, (2) Babylonia _Folder at end_

Mesopotamian Archæology