Part 15 (1/2)

From the banks of the Arantu I departed Between the countries of _Saraban_ and _Tapan_ (?) I occupied the country By the seashore I encamped To the city of _Ariboua_ (?), a principal city of Lubarna, the Sharutinian, I returned (undeciphered passage) _I caused some men of assyria to dwell in his palace_ (?) Whilst I was in Ariboua the cities of Lukuta I took I slew many of theirmen_ (or ? the deserters froainst their city I impaled them[151] At that time the countries that are upon Lebanon I took possession of, to the great sea of the country of Akkari (the Mediterranean) On the great sea _I put_ my servants (?) Sacrifices to the Gods I offered The tribute of the kings of the people elt near the sea, of the Tyrians, the Sidonians, the Kubalians, the _Mahalatai_ (?), the Maai, the Kha, and the Akkarians (all nations to the north of Tyre), and of the city of Arvad, which is in the s (?) of copper, _ingots_ (?) of copper, two kinds of _clothing_ (?) (perhaps the dyed cloth of Tyre, or ereat '_yagouti_' and s not determined), some wooden objects, apparently of cedar, and _pearls_ (?), from the rivers at or between the sea[152] I went to the mountain of Kamana (the Camanus, in the north of Syria) I sacrificed to the Gods I es_ (or beaht them to Bithkara, for my own house, for the temple of San, for the temple of the sun I went to the forests and cut thees_ (?) (or roofs or beams) of the wood, for Ishtar, mistress of the city of Nineveh, n of this king are briefly alluded to in the standard and other inscriptions discovered in the north-west palace at Nimroud; but in the records just described we have a raphical detail, which enables us to trace the course of his expeditions with great certainty

Standing one day on a distant part of thecedar The Arab work out a bea cold, had at once made a fire to warm themselves The as cedar; probably one of the very beaht fro who built the edifice After a lapse of nearly three thousand years, it had retained its original fragrance It is likely that the whole superstructure, as well as the roof and floor of the building, like those of the temple and palace of Solomon, were of this precious material

In these ruins was also found a mass of lead melted by the fire, for est the various sed deities, &c, of clay, colored in the mass with a blue derived from copper; eyes, beards, hair, and ornaures of wood,the cryselaphantine statues of the Greeks; eyes of black ht blue enas, and other parts of figures in charred wood

Frags in low relief, several inscribed fragate, lapis-lazuli, cornelian, and other precious materials, beads, cylinders, and one or two clay tablets with inscriptions and impressions of seals, complete the list of small objects discovered in this te last described, and on the very edge of the artificial platform, I discovered a second temple

Its principal entrance faced the south, and was on the saateas forathered up lips and nostrils, flowing h to a certain extent conventional in foror so remarkably displayed by the assyrian sculptor in the delineation of anith and power, the veins and muscles were accurately portrayed, and the outline of the body was not deficient in grace and truth But the front of the animal, which was in full, was narrow and craiven five legs to the aniave theht offer a coht feet wide, was paved with one inscribed slab

The height of the lions was about eight feet, and their length thirteen

An inscription was carved across the at right angles with the entrance, were two altars, hollow at the top, and orna the battlements of a castle The exterior walls appeared to have been adorned with enamelled bricks, many of which still remained

Unfortunately, one of these lions had been too h cracked in several places when discovered, and consequently moved in pieces, has been preserved, and is now in the British Museum

The Lion portal led into a chamber 57 feet by 25 At one end was a recess similar to that in the opposite tereat alabaster slab, inscribed on both sides This monolith, 19-1/2 ft by 12 ft, was likewise broken into several pieces, and had been injured in parts by fire

The inscription on the upper side, divided into two colu 230 lines, was nearly the sa in the frame and on the monolith in the other tens of the early Ni contained no inscriptions, sculptures, or other objects of interest

In the earth above the great inscribed slab was found an interesting figure, 3 feet 4 inches high, and cut in a hard, co hih priest in his sacrificial robes In his right hand he held an instru a sickle, and in his left the sacred irdle; and his left ar in the opposite tear from them The beard and hair were elaborately curled, the features were ether incorrect, with the exception of a want of breadth in the side view peculiar to assyrian works of art of this nature It was, however, chiefly re the only entire statue ”in the round”

of this period, hitherto discovered in the ruins of Nineveh

On the breast is an inscription nearly in these words:--After the na, ”The conqueror froris to Lebanon and the Great Sea, who all countries, fro down thereof, has reduced under his authority” The statue was, therefore, probably raised after his return fron in Syria described, as we have seen, on the monoliths, and alluded to in the standard inscription

This statue originally stood on a pedestal of reddish liure itself, was found broken into several pieces They have been restored, and are now in the British Museus just described, the only undoubted remains of temples hitherto found at Nimroud, complete the discoveries at the northern extremity of the mound They enable us, as will hereafter be seen, to restore part of the group of edifices raised on the grand platform in this quarter of Nineveh

CHAPTER XVII

THE SUMMER--ENCAMPMENT AT KOUYUNJIK--VISITORS--MODE OF LIFE--DEPARTURE FOR THE MOUNTAINS--AKRA--ROCK-TABLETS AT GUNDUK--DISTRICT OF ZIBARI--NAMET AGHA--DISTRICT OF shi+RWAN--OF BARADOST--OF GHERDI--OF SHEMDINA--MOUSA BEY--NESTORIAN BISHOP--CONTENT OF MAR HANANISHO--DIZZA--AN ALBANIAN FRIEND--BASH-KALAH--IZZET PASHA--A JEWISH ENCAMPMENT--HIGH MOUNTAIN Pass--MAHMOUDIYAH--FIRST VIEW OF WAN

The difficulties and delay in crossing the Tigris, noollen by theof the mountain snows, induced me to pitch my tents on the mound of Kouyunjik, and to reside there with allto and fro in the rude ferry-boats to the ruins The small European come party of travellers Two English gentlehdad: the Hon Mr Walpole, who has since published an account of his adventures in the East; the Rev Mr

Malan, to whom I am indebted for lish clergyman, on a tour of inspection to the Eastern churches, host the ruins of Nineveh and Babylon, and his companion, Mr Sandresky, were our visitors, and were uests

Our tents were pitched at the northern corner of Kouyunjik The spring was now fast passing away; the heat becareater; the corn was cut, and the plains and hills put on their su of dull parched yellow ”The pasture is withered, the tender herb faileth, the green herb is no his, or burning winds from the south, which occasionally sweep over the face of the country, driving, in their short-lived fury, everything before the was foretold by a sudden fall in the baroain as soon as they had passed

At Nimroud the excavations had been almost stopped: at Kouyunjik they were still carried on as actively asand packing sculptures from both ruins Fro in the arched fra out the evil principle, the fish-God, the colossal lion fro sculptures, were taken to the river-bank, and sent on rafts to Busrah At Kouyunjik none of the slabs could be reed in carts to the Tigris, unloaded below the piers of the ancient bridge, and there placed on rafts prepared to receive the the day, when not otherwise occupied, I s of the bas-reliefs discovered in the subterranean passages My guests, choosing soround near the parties ere at work, spread their carpets beneath the cru sculptures We all went below soon after the sun had risen, and re the open air, until it was far down in the western horizon The tereeable, nearly twenty degrees of Fahrenheit lower than that in the shade above but I found it unwholeso intermittent fever

After the sun had set we dined outside the tents, and afterwards reclined on our carpets to enjoy the cool balht We slept under the open sky,our beds in the field