Beginning of the Decline.—In 652 a general insurrection broke out. Egypt declared her independence, Syria was in revolt, Elam and the N. E. provinces re- ' fused tribute, and Kandalanu, the new Viceroy of Babylon, proclaimed himself King, while his successor, Nabopolassar, father of Nebuchadnezzer, openly threw off all semblance of his allegiance and declared himself king. The last Assyrian King was Esar-haddon II. (the Sarakos of Ctesias), in whose reign Babylon definitely threw off the Assyrian yoke. There are some tablets relating to this prince which show that during his rule the N. E. provinces were invaded by a powerful confederation of Aryan and Tu ranian tribes, Medes, Cimmerians, and Armenians, under the command of Cyaxares. The meager character of the inscriptions about this date, and the ap parent number of claimants to the throne, indicate that after the death of Asshur the Ottoman Turks from 1638, at which period it was wrested from the Persians.
People and Language.—The Assyrians belonged to the northern branch of the Semitic family, a race of people who spread over the country and mingled with or supplanted the original inhab itants, while their language took the place of the Akkadian, the latter becom ing a dead language. Their language differed little from the Babylonian, and both retained traces of the Akkadian.
Religion.—The religion of Assyria, though essentially of Babylonian origin, was much simpler, and although poly theistic in character, was free from the banipal a period of disruption and an archy set in, followed, about 606 B. C., by the siege and destruction of Nineveh by the combined forces of Cyaxares and Nabopolassar. Assyria became a Median province in 606 B. C., and afterward, in conjunction with Babylonia, formed one of the satrapies of the Persian Empire, In 312 B. C. Assyria became part of the kingdom of the Seleucidx, whose capital was Seleucia, on the Tigris. It was after ward subject to the Parthian kings, whose capital was Ctesiphon, and was more than once temporarily in possession of the Romans. When the Persian mon archy of the Sassanidx, which succeeded that of the Parthians, was destroyed by the Mohammedans, Assyria was subject to the caliphs, whose seat was at Bagdad from 702 A. D. tin 1258. It has been under multitudinous pantheon of the more an cient empire. At the head of the pan theon was the god Assur, the national deity. He was symbolically represented by a winged circle inclosing the figure of an archer. The Assyrian pantheon contained two principal triads, with numerous minor deities. A number of
spirits, good and evil, presided over the minor operations of nature. There were set forms of regulating the worship of all the gods and spirits, and prayers to each were inscribed on clay tablets with blanks for the names of the persons using them. The morning and evening sacrifice, the offering of cakes, wines, milk, and honey, are found in the litur gies of the temple.
Art and Industry.—Tht. Assyrians were far advanced in art and industry, and in civilization. They constructed large buildings, especially palaces, of an imposing character. The palaces were raised on high terraces; there were no windows, light being obtained by carry ing the walls up to a certain height and then raising on them pillars to support the roof and admit light and air. The Assyrian sculptures, as a rule, were in relief, figures in the full round being the exception. In many cases, however, as in those of winged bulls and other monsters, a compromise was attempted between the full round and relief, the heads being worked free and the body in relief, with an additional leg to meet the exigencies of different points of view. The Assyrians understood and applied the arch; constructed tunnels, aqueducts, and drains; used the pulley, the lever, and the roller; engraved gems in a highly artistic way; understood the arts of in laying, enameling, and overlaying with metals; inanufactured procelain, trans parent and colored glass, and were ac quainted with the lens; and possessed vases, jars, and other dishes, bronze and ivory ornaments, bells, gold ear rings and bracelets of excellent design and workmanship. They had also sil ver ornamental work. Their household furniture also gives a high idea of their skill and taste.
Assyrian Astronomy.—The cities of Nineveh, Assur, and Arbela had each their royal observatories, superintended by astronomers-royal, who had to send in their reports to the king twice a month. At an early date the stars were numbered and named; a calendar was formed, in which the year was divided into 12 months (of 30 days each) called after the zodiacal signs, but as this division was found to be incorrect, an intercalary month was added every six years. The Assyrians employed both the dial and the clepsydra. Eclipses were recorded from a very remote epoch, and their recurrence roughly de termined. The principal astronomical work, called the "Illumination of Bel," was inscribed on more than 100 tablets.