Part 7 (1/2)
We hurried along the direct track to Niht-fall But fresh difficulties awaited us That s the torrents of the Missouri hills, had overflown its bed, and its waters were rushi+ng tu the Tigris We rode along its banks, hoping to find an encath, in the twilight, we spied soe behind the walls of a ruined village, and believing us to be marauders from the desert, prepared to defend the the rest of the party to stop, I rode forith the Bairakdar, and was in tiainst us
The nearest inhabited village was Tel Aswad, or Kara Tuppeh, still far distant As we rode towards it in the dusk, one or tolves lazily stole from the brushwood, and jackals and other beasts of prey occasionally crossed our path We found the Kiayah seated with so fire The miserable hut was soon cleared of its occupants, and we prepared to pass the night as we best could
Towards dawn the Kiayah brought us word that the Ghazir had subsided sufficiently to allow us to ford We started under his guidance, and found that the streah divided into three branches, reached in some places almost to the backs of the horses Safe over, we struck across the country towards Niradually withdrawn fro our absence, a new chamber had been opened in the north-west palace, to the south of the great centre hall The walls were of plain, sun-dried brick, and there were no remains of sculptured slabs, but in the earth and rubbish which had filled it, were discovered so relics obtained from the ruins of assyria A description of its contents alone will occupy a chapter
CHAPTER VIII
CONTENTS OF NEWLY DISCOVERED CHAMBER--A WELL--LARGE COPPER CALDRONS--BELLS, RINGS, AND OTHER OBJECTS IN METAL--TRIPODS--CALDRONS AND LARGE VESSELS--BRONZE BOWLS, CUPS, AND DISHES--DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBOSSINGS UPON THEM--ARMS AND ARMOUR--shi+ELDS--IRON INSTRUMENTS--IVORY REMAINS--BRONZE CUBES INLAID WITH GOLD--GLass BOWLS--LENS--THE ROYAL THRONE
The newly discovered cha a room previously explored[72] Its only entrance was to the west, and ale of the allery or terrace running along the river front of the building The walls were of sun-dried brick, panelled round the bottoh, placed one against the other They were coated with bitu the pavement, were inscribed with the na In one corner, and partly in a kind of recess, was a well, the h Its sides were also bricked down to the congloular intervals for descent When first discovered it was choked with earth The workmen emptied it until they came, at the depth of nearly sixty feet, to brackish water[73]
The first objects found in this chamber were two plain copper vessels or caldrons, about 2-1/2 feet in dia upon a stand of brickwork, with their e tiles Near them was a copper jar, which fell to pieces almost as soon as uncovered Several vases of the sa out of other parts of the ruins; but they were e were filled with curious relics I first took out a nuues, and various small copper ornaments, so bronze rods, bent into a hook, and ending in a kind of lip Beneath were several bronze cups and dishes, which I succeeded in rest these objects were several hundred studs and buttons in mother of pearl and ivory, with many small rosettes in metal
[Illustration: Feet of Tripods in Bronze and Iron]
All the objects contained in these caldrons, with the exception of the cups and dishes, were probably ornaments of horse and chariot furniture
Beneath the caldrons were heaped lions' and bulls' feet of bronze; and the res and bars, probably parts of tripods, or stands, for supporting vessels and bohich, as the iron had rusted away, had fallen to pieces, leaving such parts entire as were in the more durable metal
Two other caldrons, found further within the chamber, contained, besides several plates and dishes, four crown shaped bronze orna, ornamented bands of copper, rounded at both ends, apparently belts, such as orn by warriors in arrotesque head in bronze, probably the top of a ant shape; various metal vessels of peculiar form, and a bronze ornaht more caldrons and jars were found in other parts of the chamber One contained ashes and bones, the rest were eer vessels were crushed al in of the upper part of the building
With the caldrons were discovered two circular flat vessels, nearly six feet in diameter, and about two feet deep, which I can only compare with the brazen sea that stood in the temple of Solomon[75]
Caldrons are frequently represented as part of the spoil and tribute, in the sculptures of Nimroud and Kouyunjik They were so much valued by the ancients that, it appears froast the most precious objects that could be carried away from a captured city They were frequently embossed with flowers and other ornaments Homer declares one so adorned to be worth an ox[76]
Behind the caldrons was a heap of curious and interesting objects In one place were piled without order, one above the other, bronze cups, bowls, and dishes of various sizes and shapes The upper vessels having been most exposed to da into fragreen powder As they were cleared away, more perfect specimens were taken out, until, near the pavement of the chamber, some were found almost entire Many of the bowls and plates fitted so closely, one within the other, that they have only been detached in England It required the greatest care and patience to separate them from the tenacious soil in which they were e from the decomposition of the uish upon raved ornaland they have been carefully and skilfully cleaned, and the very beautiful and elaborate designs upon theht
The bronze objects thus discovered may be classed under four heads--dishes with handles, plates, deep bowls, and cups Some are plain, others have a simple rosette, scarab, or star in the centre, and ures of ns, either embossed or incised The inside, and not the outside, of these vessels is ornaures have been raised in the metal by a blunt instrument, three or four strokes of which in e of an animal Even those ornaments which are not embossed but incised, appear to have been formed by a similar process, except that the punch was applied on the inside The tool of the graver has been sparingly used
The land are:--
No 1, with ), secured by three bosses; diameter 10-3/4 inches, depth 2-1/4 inches; divided into two friezes surrounding a circulara male deity _with bull's ears_ (?) and hair in ayptian character, and a short tunic; the aryptians_ (?), who place their other hands on the head of the centre figure The inner frieze contains horse round in pairs; the outer, figures also wearing the Egyptian ”_shenti_” or tunic, hunting lions on horseback, on foot, and in chariots The hair of these figures is dressed after a fashi+on, which prevailed in Egypt frohth century B C Each frieze is separated by a band of guilloche orna a low rim, partly destroyed; ornaant shape, surrounded by three friezes of aniuilloche band The outer frieze contains twelve walking bulls, designed with considerable spirit; between each is a dwarf shrub or tree The second frieze has a bull, a winged griffin, an ibex, and a gazelle, walking one behind the other, and the saures
The inner frieze contains twelve gazelles The handle is for The ornan, are of an assyrian character
No 3, diameter 10-3/4 inches, and 1-1/2 inch deep, with a raised star in the centre; the handle for in sockets fastened to a riin, and secured by five nails or bosses; four bands of embossed ornaments in low relief round the centre, the outer band consisting of alternate standing bulls and crouching lions, assyrian in character and treathtly varied from the usual assyrian border by the introduction of a fanlike flower in the place of the tulip
Other dishes were found still better preserved than those just described, but perfectly plain, or having only a star, raved in the centre Many fragant handles, soures of rams and bulls
Of the plates the most remarkable are:--
No 1, shallow, and 8-3/4 inches in diahtly raised and incised with a star and five bands of tulip-shaped orna of tinged hawk-headed sphinxes, wearing the ”pshent,” or crown of the upper and lower country of Egypt; one paw raised, and resting upon the head of ahis hands in the act of adoration Between the sphinxes, on a coluure wearing on his head the sun's disc, with the uraei serpents, a collar round the neck, and four feathers; above are tinged globes with the asps, and a row of birds Each group is inclosed by two columns with capitals in the form of the assyrian tulip orna by a scarab with out-spread wings, raising the globe with its fore feet, and resting with its hind on a papyrus-sceptre pillar This plate is in good preservation, having been found at the very bottom of a heap of similar relics