About 2650 a.c., according to the corrected reckoning of Nabonidus, already mentioned, we find Sargon I in power, swaying his sceptre to the westward as far as the shores of the Med iterranean Sea. His son, Niram-Sin, carried on the extensions of his father's kingdom until he included in his realm northern Syria, northern Arabia, Mesopotamia and Elam. He designates himself, therefore, EKing of the four quarters of the world.) There is a break in the records at this point. The next ruler, rather patesi, of Lagash apparently inaugurates a new reign, that enfolds within its borders the sway of all southeastern Babylonia, including also Elam. This patesi was Gudea, one of the most famous rulers of this valley, at about 2500 B.c. The accompanying cut represents one of his inscribed statues of black diorite found at Telloh, around which we find 366 lines of writing very artistically cut into this hard stone. On the lap of the statue there is a plan of a building, designed in exact proportions, reveal ing the standard of measurements current in Gudea's day. His numerous inscriptions tell us of his world-wide commercial activity, though his political power may not have included more than Elam outside of Babylonian territory. The power of the patesis of Lagash stretched over some time, and was a distinct force in the civ ilization of lower Babylonia. We have also the names of several kings of Ur, of Nisin, of Erech, of Larsa and of some smaller cities, whose exact location in the chain of history is not as yet fixed.
Second Period — Babylonia: 1st to 3d Dynasties. Beginning of Assyria, 2232-1181 B.C.— The isolated city-kingdoms of Baby lonia had already existed for centuries, with here and there a ruler who had been able to gain the supremacy over one or more of his neighbors for a time. But the may above all others who unified these scattered realms under his own sceptre, with Babylon as a centre, was Hammurabi, whose long reign of 55 years be gan about 2130 B.C. He greatly improved the internal condition of his own country, both ma terially and politically, and carried his conquests to Elam, as had Sargon I, his predecessor by 500 years. Hammurabi's influence and power for the welfare of his subjects have been brought out anew by the discovery at Susa, in December 1901-January 1902, by M. J. de Mor gan at the head of the French expedition, of a code of laws which had been compiled under his direction and orders. This remarkable doc ument shows that Hammurabi's government was thoroughly regulated, for it provides laws now intact to the number of 243, to govern the complexities of commercial, social and official life. Successive kings of this 1st dynasty, founded about 2232 B.C. by Sume-abu, are known as yet but slightly, though many con tract tablets belonging to this period have been found.
The 2d dynasty in the of Kings' began in 1927 s.c. and consists of 11 rulers,
about whom we know nothing. It is thought that during their reign the Kassites made their way into Babylonia from the countries of Media and Elam and secured a hold on the throne.
The 3d dynasty in the
Second Period — Babylonia: 4th to 7th Dynasties. Assyria, 1180-997 B.C.— We do not know the name of the founder of the 4th Babylonian dynasty. It came into being about 1180 B.C. The 'List of Kings> is, unfortunately, mutilated so that we have only portions of the names of the last three kings. The 'Synchronous History' fills part of the gap by giving some of the relations between Babylonia and Assyria during the life of this dynasty. These relations were hostile in some of its earlier years, when Nebuchadrezzar I (1140 B.c.) was on the throne, and the battle went against the Babylonians. Then Marduk nadin-akhe, a Babylonian king, wrested victory from the Assyrians. Tiglathpileser I (1107 B.c.), King of Assyria, on the other hand, com pletely routed the same Babylonian king, cap tured a number of cities in north Babylonia, and even the city of Babylon itself. Succeed ing kings of this Babylonian dynasty and of Assyria made treaties of peace, and for the time being ceased their wasteful warfare. Of all the Assyrian kings who reigned in the time of this Babylonian dynasty, Tiglathpileser I was the most vigorous, aggressive and successful. His example furnished an inspiration for all succeeding Assyrian rulers, and his conquests, related in full in his cylinder inscription, give us a fine specimen of early Assyrian historical writing.