NINEVEH, an ancient historical city, frequently mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. It was built on the eastern bank of the Tigris, opposite the modern town of Mosul. It was 8 miles round, was well fortified, and contained a large popula tion and numerous merchants (Nahum iii. 16). It was long the capital of the Assyrians, a Semitic race, and seems to have been a populous city in the 19th century n.c. It was finally overthrown, n.c. 606, by the confederate armies of Nabo polassar of Babylon, Necho of Egypt, Cyaxares of Media, and the king of Armenia, and in the assault its monarch Assaf. Ebil-Ili set fire to his palace, and perished in the flames. The Assyrians worshipped Assur, Nebo and his consort Urmitu, Merodach and his wife Zirrat banit, Ishtar (Astarte), Nirgal, Ninip, Vul, Anu, and flea. They had many libraries of clay tablets in cuneiform characters. Their religion, science, literature, and method of writing were derived from Babylon.
Mr. George Smith estimated that there were over 10,000 inscribed tablets in the royal library at Nineveh. By far the greater number of the tablets brought to Europe from there belong to the age of Sardanapalus, who reigned over Assyria B.C. 670.
When visited by Jonas, who was sent thither by Jeroboam, king of Israel, it was three days' journey in circumference. Diodorus Siculus, who has given the dimensions of Nineveh, says that it was 480 stadia, or 47 miles, in circuit ; that it was surrounded by a wall and towers, the former 100 feet in height, and so broad that three chariots might drive on it abreast ; and the towers 200 feet high, and amounting in number to 1500. The numerous mounds indicate great vicissitudes ; and so utter was its destruction, that though in B.C. 400 Xenophon must have passed within a few miles of its site, be makes no mention of it ; and Lucian, a native of Samasata, near the Euphrates, living between A.D. 90 and 180, states that its site could not then be pointed out. Mr. Rich, however, in 1820, detected it in the mounds opposite Mosul ; and M. Botta in 1843, and Mr. Layard in 1845, obtained numerous sculptures from it. Sir Henry Rawlinson and George Smith have also been discoverers.—Kin neir's Geographical :Memoir; Layard's Nineveh ; Bunsen; Chesney.