from tite Site of anllent Babylon. 255 



but it had, perhaps, still greater pertinence, as, in that part 

 of the structure which bricks with this impress were de- 

 signed to occupy, each one might serve to commence a 

 new series in the annual order of astronomical records, 

 which the entire pillar, or obelisk, might be destined to 

 preserve. In Egypt, we know, one name of the dog-star 

 was SETH, and that the most antieut and wise of the 

 Egyptian astronomers dated the commencement of their 

 year from his heliacal rise (Jablonski, II. 31). How far 

 this name extended, it is not easy to define ; but .Tosephus 

 mentions a tradition of the existence of two brick pillars of 

 Seth, one of them siin-haked, which contained astronomical 

 records antecedent to the food. The true history of this 

 might be, that on them were inscribed a relative register of 

 solar, lunar, and sideral revolutions, adjusted to the series 

 of antediluvian years. The Egyptians, however, dated the 

 origin of the world from the fii'st rise of the dog star, and 

 a notion not unlike it occurs in the sublime poem of Job, 

 who bordered on the confines of Chaldea, (chap, xxxviii.) 



Where wert tliou when I laid the fouadations of the eaith > 

 - Whereupon were the sockets thereof set ? 

 Or who laid the corner stone of the same ? 

 When the morning stars sang together, 

 And all the sons of God shouted for joy. 



Though it were to a far less remote period that the astro- 

 nomical observations extended, which wt:re recorded on 

 bricks at Babylon, and thence transmitted by Callisthcnes 

 to Aristotle, they, however, fix the first foundation of that 

 citv to the time of Nimrod, and most accurately agree with 

 its history by Moses. 



But here a consideration arises of no little importance. 

 The inscriptions on the two sides of this brick essentially 

 differ, the one being of alphabetic characters, the othtr 

 monogrammic. Alphabetic characters of the same form 

 may be seen, in frequent recurrence, upon both Egyptian 

 and i-hoenician remains ; yet, as far as I can discover, are 

 visible on no other of these bricks ; whilst the monogram- 

 9nic occur on them all. Dr. Hagkr, who hath written on 

 the Babylonian iaecriptions with much erudition and acute- 

 ncss, passes this topic unnoticed. By comparing, never- 

 Ihelcss, the bricks engraved in his work*, it will be seen, 

 from the order in v/hich particular characters recur, that 

 sullicicnt scope is left to suppose the inscriptions of whicl]^ 



*■ For an account of Dr. Hagcr's vvjrk, £te P.iilosnphital M.ngazine, 

 vol. xi. 



they 



