﻿OLD 
  WORLD 
  ARCHEOLOGY 
  CASANOWICZ. 
  465 
  

  

  The 
  originals 
  were 
  found 
  during 
  the 
  British 
  excavations 
  in 
  the 
  

   valley 
  of 
  the 
  Euphrates 
  and 
  Tigris, 
  and 
  are 
  now 
  preserved 
  in 
  the 
  

   British 
  Museum 
  in 
  London 
  (pi. 
  27). 
  

  

  Babylonian 
  Votive 
  Tablet 
  of 
  the 
  Sun-god. 
  Cast 
  from 
  the 
  original 
  

   of 
  alabaster, 
  now 
  in 
  the 
  British 
  Museum, 
  London. 
  Found 
  in 
  1881 
  

   in 
  the 
  ruins 
  of 
  Abu 
  Habba, 
  the 
  site 
  of 
  ancient 
  Sippara, 
  which 
  is 
  

   identified 
  with 
  the 
  Biblical 
  Sepharvaim, 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  centers 
  of 
  the 
  

   worship 
  of 
  the 
  sun 
  god, 
  Shamash. 
  The 
  sun 
  god 
  is 
  seated 
  on 
  a 
  

   throne 
  in 
  his 
  shrine, 
  holding 
  in 
  his 
  right 
  hand 
  a 
  staff 
  and 
  a 
  circle, 
  

   the 
  emblems 
  of 
  his 
  authority. 
  Above 
  are 
  the 
  symbols 
  of 
  the 
  sun 
  god, 
  

   the 
  moon 
  god, 
  and 
  of 
  Ishtar 
  (Aashtarte). 
  Before 
  the 
  shrine 
  is 
  an 
  

   altar, 
  with 
  the 
  sun 
  disk 
  on 
  it 
  held 
  with 
  ropes 
  by 
  two 
  attendants. 
  

   Three 
  persons 
  approach 
  the 
  god 
  in 
  adoration. 
  Over 
  them 
  is 
  an 
  

   inscription 
  reading 
  : 
  " 
  Image 
  of 
  the 
  sun-god, 
  the 
  great 
  lord, 
  who 
  

   dwells 
  in 
  the 
  temple 
  Ebabbara 
  (white 
  house) 
  in 
  Sippar." 
  The 
  in- 
  

   scription 
  below 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  tablet 
  recounts 
  the 
  his- 
  

   tory 
  of 
  the 
  temple 
  (pi. 
  28). 
  

  

  A 
  selection 
  of 
  seals. 
  The 
  cast 
  of 
  a 
  bronze 
  bell, 
  now 
  in 
  the 
  Berlin 
  

   Museum, 
  merits 
  notice 
  because 
  of 
  the 
  design 
  running 
  around 
  the 
  

   cup, 
  representing 
  demons 
  portrayed 
  as 
  wild 
  animals 
  of 
  hybrid 
  

   character 
  in 
  an 
  upright 
  posture 
  and 
  in 
  a 
  threatening 
  attitude. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  case 
  : 
  Babylonian 
  boundary 
  stone. 
  Boundary 
  

   stones 
  record 
  grants 
  of 
  land 
  to 
  individuals 
  by 
  royal 
  decree, 
  or 
  trans- 
  

   fer 
  of 
  property 
  made 
  by 
  legal 
  procedure. 
  They 
  are 
  decorated 
  

   with 
  the 
  god 
  or 
  gods 
  (in 
  the 
  present 
  instance, 
  the 
  sun 
  god 
  Shamash) 
  

   who 
  are 
  invoked 
  as 
  witnesses 
  to*the 
  transaction, 
  and 
  were 
  set 
  up 
  at 
  

   the 
  boundary 
  of 
  the 
  property 
  in 
  question 
  as 
  memorials 
  of 
  the 
  gift 
  

   or 
  transfer. 
  

  

  Torsos 
  of 
  the 
  figures 
  representing 
  Gudea, 
  an 
  ancient 
  priest-king 
  

   (patesi) 
  as 
  architect. 
  The 
  originals 
  of 
  black 
  diorite, 
  now 
  in 
  the 
  Mu- 
  

   seum 
  of 
  the 
  Louvre 
  in 
  Paris, 
  France, 
  were 
  found 
  in 
  an 
  ancient 
  tem- 
  

   ple 
  at 
  Telloh, 
  Babylonia, 
  during 
  the 
  extensive 
  excavations 
  under- 
  

   taken 
  in 
  1877-1881 
  by 
  M. 
  Ernest 
  de 
  Sarzec, 
  the 
  French 
  vice 
  consul 
  

   at 
  Bassora. 
  

  

  Gudea 
  (" 
  Speaker 
  " 
  or 
  " 
  Prophet," 
  in 
  Semitic, 
  Nebo) 
  reigned 
  

   about 
  2500 
  B. 
  C. 
  The 
  figure 
  is 
  seated 
  on 
  a 
  stool 
  in 
  a 
  religious 
  atti- 
  

   tude. 
  The 
  hands 
  are 
  clasped 
  in 
  the 
  oriental 
  posture 
  of 
  meditation 
  

   and 
  devotion. 
  On 
  the 
  knees 
  is 
  held 
  a 
  tablet 
  with 
  plan 
  of 
  a 
  fortress 
  

   having 
  six 
  gates 
  flanked 
  by 
  towers 
  and 
  walls 
  surrounded 
  by 
  battle- 
  

   ments. 
  In 
  front 
  of 
  this 
  tablet 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  graduated 
  rule 
  10§ 
  inches 
  

   long 
  (=27 
  cm., 
  i. 
  e., 
  a 
  Babylonian 
  half 
  cubit), 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  side 
  is 
  the 
  

   stylus 
  with 
  which 
  the 
  architect 
  engraved 
  his 
  design. 
  The 
  figure 
  is 
  

   clad 
  in 
  a 
  sleeveless 
  cloak 
  crossed 
  over 
  the 
  breast 
  and 
  thrown 
  back 
  

   over 
  the 
  shoulder. 
  The 
  inscription 
  covering 
  the 
  figure 
  is 
  known 
  as 
  

  

  