Part 8 (1/2)
Theof the ivory relics were, a carved staff, perhaps a royal sceptre, part of which has been preserved, although in the last stage of decay; and several entire elephants' tusks, the largest being about 2 feet 5 inches long
The ivory could with difficulty be detached froments, and even to dust, almost as soon as exposed to the air I have described elsewhere[84] the frequent use of ivory for the adornment of ancient Eastern palaces and temples, as well as for thrones and furniture Ezekiel includes ”horns of ivory” aht to Tyre from Dedan, and the assyrians may have obtained their supplies from the same country, which sost various s on one face the figure of a scarab with outstretched wings, inlaid in gold; very interesting specist the earliest known, of an art carried in reat perfection in the East
Two entire glass boith fraglass, like all that fro rereatest brilliancy, showing, under different lights, therelic is the na of assyria, in cuneiforure of a lion We are, therefore, able to fix its date to the latter part of the seventh century B C It is, consequently, the lass, none fro, it is believed, earlier than the ti of the fifth century B C) Opaque colored glass was, however, manufactured at a much earlier period, and soon vase was blown in one solid piece, and then shaped and hollowed out by a turning-machine, of which the marks are still plainly visible With it were found, it will be reer vases in white alabaster, inscribed with the na solass boas discovered a rock-crystal lens, with opposite convex and plane faces Its properties could scarcely have been unknown to the assyrians, and we have consequently the earliest specilass It was buried beneath a heap of fraglass, apparently the enamel of some object in ivory or wood, which had perished
In the further corner of the chah it was utterly impossible, from the complete state of decay of the materials, to preserve any part of it entire, I was able, by carefully re the earth, to ascertain that it rese, as seen in the sculptures of Kouyunjik and Khorsabad, and particularly that represented in the bas-relief already described, of Sennacherib receiving the captives and spoil, after the conquest of the city of Lachish[87] With the exception of the legs, which appear to have been partly of ivory, it was of wood, cased or overlaid with bronze, as the throne of Soloold[88] The raved and eures and ornaments, like those e, such as winged deities struggling with griffins, ed lion and bull
As the ork over which the bronze was fastened by means of small nails of the same material, had rotted away, the throne fell to pieces, but the s were adorned with lion's paws resting on a pine-shaped ornament, like the thrones of the later assyrian sculptures, and stood on a bronze base A rod with loose rings, to which was once hung eed to the back of the chair, or to a frame-work raised above or behind it
In front of the throne was the foot-stool, also of wood overlaid with embossed metal, and adorned with the heads of rams or bulls The feet ended in lion's paws and pine cones, like those of the throne The two pieces of furnitureto the Gods, as Midas placed his throne in the temple of Delphi[89] The ornaments on them were so purely assyrian, that there can be little doubt of their having been expresslybeen the spoil of son nation
Such, with an alabaster jar, and a few other objects in metal, were the relics found in the newly-opened roo my former excavations, this accidental discovery proves that other treasures ret that means were not at my command to remove the rubbish from the centre of the other chambers in the palace
CHAPTER IX
VISIT TO THE WINGED LIONS BY NIGHT--THE BITUMEN SPRINGS--REMOVAL OF THE WINGED LIONS TO THE RIVER--FLOODS AT NIMROUD--YEZIDI MARRIAGE FESTIVAL--BAAZANI--VISIT TO BAVIAN--SITE OF THE BATTLE OF ARBELA--DESCRIPTION OF ROOK SCULPTURES--INSCRIPTIONS--THE SHABBAKS
By the 28th of January, the colossal lions forreat hall in the north-west palace of Nied to the river-bank The walls and their sculptured panelling had been removed from both sides of them, and they stood isolated in the ht to the mound, to look on them for the last ti-places The e of the deep wall of earth rising around the over the stern features of the hu before it the dark shadohich still clothed the lion fored froloom, until the et that night, or the eures caused within er where they had stood unscathed aes It seee to tear them from their old haunts to make them a mere wonder-stock to the busy crowd of a neorld They were better suited to the desolation around thelory, and it was for them to watch over it in its ruin Sheikh Abd-ur-Rahman, who had ridden with us to the azed listlessly at the griht cold, and turned his , but stood speechless in the deserted portal, until the shadows again began to creep over its hoary guardians
Beyond the ruined palaces a scene scarcely less solemn awaited us I had sent a party of Jebours to the bitus, outside the walls to the east of the inclosure The Arabs having lighted a s to throw the burning sticks upon the pitchy pools A thick heavy sht of the ues of flah the htened, a thousand fantastic forht played a fresh slie stones into the springs; a new volulare upon the figures and upon the landscape The Jebours danced round the burning pools, like de their war-cry, and brandishi+ng their glittering arms In an hour the bituradually died away, and the pale light of the ain shone over the black slime pits
The colossal lions were moved by still simpler and ruder means than those adopted on my first expedition They were tilted over upon loose earth heaped behind the checked by a hawser, which was afterwards replaced by props of wood and stone They were then lowered, by levers and jackscrews, upon the cart brought under thee of the ed fro to recent heavy rains, which had left in many places deep swa the cart over the plain to the river side Three days were spent in transporting each lion The unwieldy mass was propelled from behind by enormous levers of poplar wood; and in the costumes of those orked, as well as in the means adopted to move the colossal sculptures, except that we used a wheeled cart instead of a sledge, the procession closely resereat figures, and which we see so graphically represented on the walls of Kouyunjik As they had been brought so were they taken away
It was necessary to humor and excite the Arabs to induce theh the deep soft soil into which it continually sank At one time, after many vain efforts to move the buried wheels, it was unaniht ill luck, and no one would work until he retired The cuain all exertions were fruitless Then the Frank lady would bring good fortune if she sat on the sculpture The wheels rolled heavily along, but were soon clogged oncethe work been detected upon whonominiously driven aith shouts and execrations This i been reain caraded fro been dressed up in tawdry kerchiefs, and invested with a cloak, was pronounced by Hormuzd to be the only fit chief for such puny ave way, under the new excitement caused by this reflection upon the character of the Arabs When that had subsided, and the presence of the youthful Sheikh no longer encouraged his subjects, he was as sureybeard of ninety was raised to the dignity in his stead He had his turn; then the most unpopular of the Sheikhs were co wheels ernaut over its votaries With yells, shrieks, and wild antics the cart was draithin a few inches of the prostrate men As a last resource I seized a rope myself, and with shouts of defiance between the different tribes, ere divided into separate parties and pulled against each other, and a _tahlel_ of the woe
The winter rains had not yet swelled the waters of the river so as to enable a raft bearing a very heavy cargo to float with safety to Baghdad
It was not until the month of April, after I had left Mosul onof the snows in the higher ris I was consequently obliged to confide the task of e the sculptures to Behnan, my principal overseer, a Mosuleean stonecutter of considerable skill and experience, Mr Vice-consul Rassa to extraordinary storms in the hills, the river rose suddenly and with unexampled rapidity The Jaif was one vast sea, and a furious wind drove the waves against the foot of the mound The Arabs had never seen a sih land many persons were overwhelmed in the waters
When the flood had subsided, the lions on the river bank, though covered with mud and silt, were found uninjured They were speedily placed on the rafts prepared for the the operation one of them, which had previously been cracked nearly across, separated into two parts Both sculptures were doo the night, broke the nose I was unable to discover the author of this wanton er, who had so in the excavations[90]
The rafts reached Baghdad in safety After receiving the necessary repairs they floated onwards to Busrah; and although they encountered several serious dangers andmy hasty visit in the autumn to Bavian, I had been unable either to examine the rock-tablets with sufficient care, or to copy the inscriptions The lions having been moved, I seized the first leisure moment to return to those re invited e of his niece at Baashi+ekhah, we left Nie The Cawal, followed by the principal inhabitants on horseback, and by a large concourse of people on foot, accos, e It was already the second day of the e On the previous day the parties had entered into the contract before the usual witnesses, a and dances After our arrival, the bride was led to the house of the bridegrooayest robes, and by the Cawals playing on their instruments of music She was covered from head to foot by a thick veil, and was kept behind a curtain in the corner of a darkened roouests had feasted three days, after which the bridegroom was allowed to approach her
The courtyard of the house was filled with dancers, and during the day and the greater part of the night, nothing was heard but the loud signs of rejoicing of the women, and the noise of the druht early in the , and led in triu at each a trifling present He was then placed within a circle of dancers, and the guests and bystanders, wetting small coins, stuck them on his forehead
The money was collected as it fell, in an open kerchief held by his companions under his chin
After this cere roo off the uests, locked them up in a dark room until they consented to pay a ransom for their release The money thus collected was added to the dowry of the newlythe revellers I rode to Baazani with Cawal Yusuf, Sheikh Jindi (the stern leader of the religious ceremonies at Sheikh Adi), and a few Yezidi notables, to exae I once more searched in vain for soht have obtained the slabs used in their buildings At the entrance of one of the deep ravines, which runs into the Gebel Makloub, a clear spring gushes frorotto in the hill-side Tradition says that this is the cave of the Seven Sleepers and their Dog, and the Yezidis have e[91]
A ride of seven hours brought us to the foot of the higher li the rock-sculptures