Esarhaddon, his son and successor, held his court sometimes at Nineveh, sometimes at Babylon. Bricks bearing his name have been discovered at Hillah, and a tablet at Babylon dated in his reign. This explains how Manasseh brought to him at Babylon, when lie was led captive from Jerusalem (2 Chron. xxxin.). No record has as yet been discovered of this expedition Palestine. His edifices are not inferior to those of his predecessors. He employed Greek and Phoenician artists, and to them, probably, we owe the beautiful bas-reliefs that adorn the edifices of his erection. The decline of the empire probably commenced with Asshur-bani-pal II. The arts of peace flourished, while the military vigor of the nation declined. The sculptures of this reign are decidedly superior to the earlier in spirit, delicacy. and freedom from convention ality. The slabs show that hunting, not war, was this king's favorite pursuit. He was succeeded by his son Asshur-emit-ili, the last king of whom any records have yet been discovered. It is uncertain whether Nineveh was destroyed under him, or under a successor, the Saracus of Berosus, the effeminate Sardanapalus of the Greeks. The character usually given of this last king, as a debaucbee throwing off his indolent habits, and after performing prodigies of valor, perishing by a glorious death, rather than surrender, is derived solely from Ctesias. All we distinctly know is that, finding him self betrayed to the Median king by Nabopolassar, governor of Babylon, he set fire to his palace and perished in the flames.
We may here note a singularly important cuneiform discovery made by Mr. George Smith, of the British museum, and the substance of which was made public at a meeting of the Biblical archeological society in Dec., 1872. While engaged on an examination of the collection of Assyrian tablets in the British museum, Mr. Smith lighted upon a curious series of legends, indluding a copy of the story of the flood. On discovering these documents, which were much mutilated, he searched over all the collections of fragments of inscriptions, consisting of several thousands of smaller pieces, and ulti mately recovered 80 fragments of these legends. The tablets were originally at least 12 iu number, forming one story or set of legends, the account of the flood being on the 11th tablet. Of the inscription describing the flood, there are fragments of three copies, containing duplicate texts. These texts belong to the time of Asshur-bani-pal (circa 660 B.C.), and were found in the library of that monarch in the palace of Nineveh. The original text, according to the statements on the tablets, belonged to the city of Erect', and appears to have been either written in or translated into the Semitic Babylonian at a very early period. Mr. Smith is of opinion that its composition cannot be placed later than the 17th c. B.C., while it may be much older. The Assyrian story of the deluge is both like and unlike the Scripture narrative. The flood is sent as a punishment for sin; the builder of the ark is called Sisit (the Xisuthrus of the Grmco-Chalchean Berosus); he gathers into the vessel all his male and female servants, all the sons of the army, and all the beasts of the field; the storm of rain lasts only six days, and yet submerges the whole earth; all life is destroyed; Sisit sends forth a dove which can find no resting-place, and returns; then a swallow, which is also forced to return; then a raven, which does not come back. The ark rests on a mountain, the animals are liberated, an altar is
built by the grateful patriarch, and Bel, the great god, makes a "covenant" with Sisit. minuter details of this Assyrian legend diverge greatly from the Hebrew account, and lead to the conclusion that in each we have an independent tradition of some great natural catastrophe in the early ages of human history. Mr. Smith notices that the Biblical narrative is the version of an inland people; the name of the ark in Genesis means a chest or box, and not a ship; there is no notice of the sea or of launching, no pilots are spoken of, no navigation is mentioned. The inscription, on the other hand, belongs to a maritime people; the ark is called a ship, the ship is launched into the sea, trial is made of it, and it is given in charge to a pilot. This seems to point to the Persian gulf as the birthplace of the old legend. Mr. Smith returned in 1874 from Chaldsea, and gave an account of his valuable discoveries in a work entitled Assyrian Discoveries (1873). Believing that many more legends and histories lay beneath the ruins of the ancient cities of Chaldma, he was on his way to prosecute his third exploration, when he succumbed to the hardships and privations of the task, and died at Aleppo in August, 1876.
Guveritincitt.The government was despotic, as suited the character of the people. The empire was a mere congeries of kingdoms bound to the supreme authority only by certain obligations of paying tribute, giving presents, and showing due respect. Each kingdom retained its own rulers, laws, and religion, although we do find some attempts to rule by satraps and collectors of tribute. Tiglath-pileser also boasts, in an inscrip tion, of having punished and crucified the Clialdteans who refused to worship his gods. In consequence of this imperfect organization, the empire was exposed to frequent revolts of the subject nations, when such opportunities offered as a disputed succession, or want of energy in the ruling prince. Then the labor of conquest bad to begin anew, and it was sought to diminish the danger of the central power by inflicting severe punishments on the rebels. The history of the Jews has made us familiar with one of these devices—viz., the wholesale deportation of the inhabitants of the offending district. It may be readily believed that such an empire, though imposing from the magnificence and wealth of the capital, yet, from the impoverishment and weakness of the subject states, was continually liable to fall to pieces, and was ill fitted to resist an attack from without. That A. did actually last for five centuries, was owing to a long succession of warlike princes, and to the energy of the population.