NIN'EVEH. The later capital of the great Assyrian Empire. The etymology of the name (written /nun and Nina in cuneiform tions) is unknown. A popular etymology con nected it with 'fish; and made Nineveh the 'fish•eity.' Presumably the word is connected in sonic way with Nina. a Babylonian goddess, subsequently identified with Ishtar (q.v.). Nine veh was situated on the east bank of the Tigris, opposite the present Mosul (Slap: Turkey in Asia, K 4), where for centuries its ruins were indicated by a moldier of mounds, the two prin cipal ones 'wing known as Koyunjik and Nehi Yunus, the latter the traditional site of the preaching of the prophet Jonah and crowned by a famous Slohammedan shrine. Beferenees in Arabic geographers and early European travelers show that the location was always preserved in local tradition, although the value of this tradi tion was called in question in the eighteenth cen tury. Its trustworthiness was established by laud ius James Rich, whose examination of the mounds in 1521 marks the beginning of scientific investigation: he gave the first accurate descrip tion and prepared excellent maps (published, after his death. in 1536). The first excavations were made at Koyunjik by Paul Botta in At this early stage of Assyriological investiga tion or other large objects which eould be sent to Europe and arouse popular wonder Were I he MO in desiderata: and when three months' labor had brought to light nothing but fragments of reliefs and inscriptions. Botta con sidered the work disappointing and abandoned Koyunjik for Khorsabod Layard, while ev•avating at Nintrud (q.v.) in 1845-47. dug a few trenches at Koynnjik and made a tentative eNlinlinal inn which located the so•called south west palace (Seamaeherib's). During his second expedition HS RI 511 he mode a more thorough examination of this palace, brought to light numerous valuable sculpt tires, and discovered t he famous library of :\ssurbanipal. After Layard's departure operations wore continued by Bassani Sit, while Victor Place W.A.- al.-4, attempt ing to excavate at the --11110 IMP111141, t he work of the t110 imestigaIor. not always proceeding in a spirit Of discovered lie Mirth I, t he sculp tures of which belong to the finest specimens of Assyrian art. Ile also found here the second
half of .Assurbanipars library. including the Babylonian ;lemma of the deluge. The examina tion of the palace was continued for a short time after Rassain's departure by Loftus and Bouteher. The next attempt at Koyunjik was made by George Smith during two brief periods aggregating not more than three months together in 1573-74, and resulted mainly in the recovery of inseriptions from Assurbanipars library, pop ularly considered disappointing after the bril liant successes of Layard and Bassani, but in reality as important as any discoveries yet made. Bassani. during his four campaigns in 1875-82, made further excavations at Koyunjik; owing to the unfortunate attempt to do too much and the unsystematic and unscholarly methods fol lowed. the results were not all that could have been desired. Bassani also excavated at this time at Balawat (q.v.). about fifteen miles east of Slosul, like Khorsabad and Ninand one of the many cities grouped around. Nineveh, and at tempted without success to examine Nobi Yunus. It is known that the latter mound contains me morials of Adadnirari 111. (n.c. 812-783) and palaces of Sennacherih (n.c. 705-681) and Esar haddon (me. 681-668). but this mound has not vet been examined. Much also still remains to he done at Koyunjik. ''lie earliest explorations of Layard were carried on at the expense of Sir Stratford Canning and Layard himself; other investigations have been supported by the British Museum, where most of the antiquities discov ered are now stored. Besides ornaments. seals, and similar small objects of great importance as works of art. colossal statues were found, and small bas-reliefs representing incidents of war, hunting scenes, sacrificial rites, religious proces sions, building operations, and other events of daily life. The inscriptions on clay cylinders, obelisks, slabs, statues, and tablets of stone and other material have furnished data for tracing the history of the Assyrian empire with consider able detail from about n.c. 1100 to the fall of Nineveh.