Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 39, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 February 1911 — Temples of Babylon [ARTICLE]

Temples of Babylon

The Deutsche Orlent-Gesellsehaft gives an Interesting account of the oast year's excavation work in three different parts of Babylon. In the town quarter known as Knsr were laid bare several hundred meters of a wall about 3b feet thick, broken by numerous door ' openings which were originally flanked by towers. The most interesting And here was a coffin of burned clay, on the lid of which was a relief of a bearded head. Near the north wall of the quarter known tui Sachn was discovered a system of drains, built of brick, laid in asphalt. Here were also found several fragments of tablets with cunl!'fl«rai inscriptions from the time of Nebuchad hexsar. This discovery enabled the excavators to complete fragmentary tablets discover pd some time before. The legend proved to refer to the building M the Zigurrat, the temple tower of Babylon. The beginning reads as follows: “Nebuchad C hexsar, king of Babylon, merer of the great ...

gods, establisher of Esagila and Ezida, son of KabopolassXr, of the king of Babylon, am L When Marduk, the great lord, elevated my head I abased myself reverently before Marduk, the god who created me.” After this Nebuchadnezzar goes on to boast that he made the temple “brilliant as the day with bitumen and blue glittering bricks" and that for the same end he has had mighty cedars prepared. The inscription ends with Nebuchadnezzar’s prayer that Marduk will reward his pious deeds by granting him "eternal days." Work was also carried on at the town wall built by Nabonid, the last king of Babylon, who reigned 365-538 B. C. About 400 meters of this wall were uncovered. The wall Is sbout 25 fset thick and has s tower every 60 feet The main gate lies In the line of the great Babylonian procession street. The pavement of the processional street at this point Is

perfectly preserved. It Is constructed of two or three layers of bricks set in asphalt and covered with a thick coating of asphalt. King Nabonid. it is proved, built his fortifications out of the ruliw of works constructed by his predecessors, as tha excavators found brick with a four lined inscription of Hertglissar, in which this ruler, whose inscriptions have hitherto been missing, describes himself as “the accompllsher of good deeds.” The excavations made in Assur by Dr. W. An dree In the season April to October yielded still more Important results. The complete ground plan of the Temple Of Assur was laid bare, and the history of the great butldlhjg pushed back to the third millennium. B. C. This makes it the oldest Mesopotamian temple so far discovered. The temple was renewed by the King SamsiAdad about .1800 B. C., and It was burned down 500 years later under Salmamaaaar 1., who, however, reconstructed It on exactly the old linea Many Important finds were made by Dr, Andrae. Near the door In the southeast front were found remains of a relief of a hull throe

times larger than life sixe. Another find was sn Inscription of Sennacherib to the effect that he had “builded a house to the God Nlnlh.” This presumably refers to an extension of the temple at the east corner, of which little now remains, but the temple well built by Sennacherib Is Intact The Temple of Assur Is shown to have been of vast extent. The excavations reveal a courtyard surrounded by rooms and two immense hails. The excavators found here fragments of enameled brick dating from modern Assy rlan times and showing markedly the Influence of Egypt These bricks depict battles, prisoners and soldiers on march and the destruction of CarQwssss. »