﻿464 
  ANNUAL, 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1922. 
  

  

  Some 
  consider 
  the 
  structure 
  a 
  temple 
  dedicated 
  to 
  the 
  worship 
  of 
  

   the 
  sun, 
  and 
  assign 
  its 
  erection 
  to 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  Neolithic 
  period 
  on 
  

   the 
  ground 
  that 
  no 
  bronze 
  relics 
  were 
  found. 
  Analogous 
  stone 
  

   circles, 
  of 
  which 
  about 
  200 
  are 
  known 
  in 
  the 
  British 
  Isles, 
  were 
  

   chiefly 
  used 
  as 
  tombs, 
  and 
  this 
  would 
  suggest 
  that 
  sepulture 
  was 
  at 
  

   least 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  purposes 
  for 
  which 
  Stonehenge 
  was 
  erected. 
  This 
  

   would 
  also 
  account 
  for 
  its 
  situation 
  on 
  Salisbury 
  Plain, 
  where 
  there 
  

   existed 
  in 
  the 
  Bronze 
  Age 
  an 
  extensive 
  necropolis, 
  as 
  evidenced 
  by 
  

   the 
  numerous 
  barrows 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  Stonehenge. 
  This 
  

   would 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  exclude 
  its 
  use 
  as 
  a 
  temple. 
  It 
  may 
  have 
  served 
  

   for 
  the 
  performance 
  of 
  funerary 
  rites 
  analogous 
  to 
  the 
  mortuary 
  

   temples 
  of 
  Egypt. 
  

  

  33. 
  The 
  fourth 
  wall 
  case 
  contains 
  Babylonian 
  and 
  Assyrian 
  an- 
  

   tiquities 
  : 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  wall 
  of 
  the 
  case 
  are 
  casts 
  of 
  Assyrian 
  bas-reliefs, 
  repre- 
  

   senting 
  warriors 
  with 
  a 
  bull 
  ; 
  a 
  king 
  slaying 
  a 
  lion, 
  and 
  a 
  flute 
  player 
  

   in 
  front 
  of 
  a 
  palm 
  tree. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  upper 
  shelf 
  are 
  bisque 
  statuettes 
  of 
  Sennacherib, 
  King 
  of 
  

   Assyria 
  705-681 
  B. 
  C., 
  and 
  of 
  Ashurbanipal, 
  King 
  of 
  Assyria 
  680- 
  

   668 
  B. 
  C, 
  and 
  his 
  queen; 
  a 
  sacrificial 
  dish 
  which 
  is 
  adorned 
  on 
  the 
  

   four 
  corners 
  with 
  the 
  heads 
  of 
  bulls, 
  an 
  animal 
  which 
  was 
  much 
  

   venerated 
  by 
  the 
  Assyro-Babylonians, 
  and 
  engraved 
  on 
  the 
  sides 
  with 
  

   various 
  figures 
  and 
  symbols; 
  head 
  of 
  a 
  priest, 
  and 
  an 
  amphora 
  of 
  

   alabaster. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  lower 
  shelf 
  are 
  incantation 
  bowls 
  inscribed 
  in 
  the 
  Aramaic 
  

   language 
  found 
  in 
  Babylonia; 
  iridescent 
  glass 
  bottles, 
  glazed 
  tiles; 
  

   besides 
  : 
  

  

  The 
  Chaldean 
  Deluge 
  Tablet, 
  containing 
  the 
  cuneiform 
  text 
  of 
  

   the 
  Babylonian 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  Deluge, 
  as 
  restored 
  by 
  Professor 
  Paul 
  

   Haupt. 
  Engraved 
  in 
  clay 
  under 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  Professor 
  Haupt, 
  

   by 
  Dr. 
  K. 
  Zehnpfund, 
  of 
  Kosslau, 
  Germany. 
  The 
  Babylonian 
  story 
  

   of 
  the 
  Deluge 
  is 
  contained 
  in 
  the 
  eleventh 
  tablet 
  of 
  the 
  so-called 
  

   Izdubar 
  or 
  Gilgamesh 
  legends, 
  commonly 
  known 
  under 
  the 
  name 
  

   of 
  the 
  Babylonian 
  Nimrod 
  Epic. 
  The 
  Babylonian 
  narrative 
  of 
  the 
  

   Deluge 
  closely 
  accords, 
  both 
  in 
  matter 
  and 
  in 
  language, 
  with 
  the 
  

   Biblical 
  account 
  as 
  contained 
  in 
  Genesis 
  vi-viii. 
  Xisuthrus 
  or 
  

   Hasisadra 
  or 
  Zit 
  Napishtim, 
  the 
  hero 
  of 
  the 
  Babylonian 
  account, 
  

   corresponding 
  to 
  the 
  Biblical 
  Noah, 
  is 
  informed 
  by 
  a 
  god 
  of 
  the 
  

   coming 
  flood 
  and 
  ordered 
  to 
  build 
  a 
  ship 
  to 
  preserve 
  himself, 
  his 
  

   family 
  and 
  friends, 
  and 
  various 
  animals. 
  After 
  sending 
  out 
  divers 
  

   birds 
  (a 
  dove, 
  a 
  swallow, 
  and 
  raven) 
  he 
  lands 
  on 
  the 
  mountain 
  

   Nizir 
  in 
  Armenia 
  and 
  offers 
  a 
  sacrifice 
  to 
  the 
  gods, 
  after 
  which 
  he 
  is 
  

   taken 
  to 
  live 
  with 
  the 
  gods. 
  

  

  