﻿466 
  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1922. 
  

  

  " 
  Inscription 
  F 
  of 
  Gudea." 
  The 
  writing 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  early 
  hieroglyphic 
  

   forms 
  of 
  the 
  cuneiform 
  script, 
  and 
  it 
  runs 
  not 
  from 
  left 
  to 
  right 
  in 
  

   horizontal 
  lines 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  later 
  Assyro-Babylonian 
  inscriptions, 
  but 
  

   from 
  above 
  downward, 
  beginning 
  at 
  the 
  right 
  and 
  thence 
  proceeding 
  

   toward 
  the 
  left 
  in 
  parallel 
  vertical 
  columns, 
  the 
  face 
  of 
  the 
  charac- 
  

   ters 
  being 
  turned 
  toward 
  the 
  right, 
  not 
  the 
  left, 
  as 
  in 
  Chinese. 
  The 
  

   same 
  arrangement 
  is 
  met 
  with 
  in 
  the 
  Egyptian 
  hieroglyphics. 
  

  

  Two 
  Babylonian 
  inscribed 
  bricks. 
  

  

  Assyrian 
  Bas-reliefs. 
  Plaster 
  cast 
  reductions, 
  representing: 
  First 
  

   row, 
  human-headed 
  winged 
  lion 
  and 
  bull, 
  and 
  between 
  them 
  Gilga- 
  

   mesh, 
  who 
  is 
  identified 
  with 
  the 
  Biblical 
  Nimrod, 
  holding 
  a 
  lion; 
  

   second 
  row, 
  religious 
  procession; 
  third 
  row, 
  King 
  Sargon 
  (722-705 
  

   B. 
  C.) 
  and 
  suit; 
  fourth 
  row, 
  heads 
  of 
  a 
  king 
  and 
  of 
  a 
  eunuch, 
  with 
  

   an 
  offering 
  scene 
  in 
  the 
  center. 
  

  

  Babylonian 
  Altar 
  with 
  Bas-reliefs. 
  Cast 
  of 
  an 
  original 
  circular 
  

   altar 
  of 
  diorite, 
  now 
  in 
  the 
  Museum 
  of 
  the 
  Louvre, 
  Paris, 
  which 
  was 
  

   discovered 
  by 
  M. 
  de 
  Sarzec 
  in 
  the 
  ruins 
  of 
  Talloh, 
  on 
  the 
  site 
  of 
  the 
  

   ancient 
  city 
  of 
  Sirpula, 
  South 
  Babylonia. 
  

  

  34. 
  The 
  next 
  wall 
  case 
  is 
  given 
  over 
  to 
  Biblical 
  antiquities. 
  The 
  

   fashion 
  of 
  dress 
  and 
  ornament, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  household 
  

   utensils, 
  is, 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  assumed, 
  in 
  the 
  " 
  unchanging 
  East 
  " 
  essentially 
  

   the 
  same 
  at 
  the 
  day 
  as 
  in 
  Bible 
  time, 
  and 
  the 
  collection 
  shown 
  of 
  ob- 
  

   jects 
  of 
  modern 
  life 
  and 
  industry 
  in 
  the 
  Orient 
  explain 
  or 
  illustrate 
  

   many 
  allusions 
  in 
  the 
  Scriptures. 
  On 
  the 
  wall, 
  Syrian 
  coat, 
  called 
  

   in 
  Syriac 
  abba, 
  consisting 
  of 
  red 
  cloth 
  embroidered 
  in 
  white, 
  and 
  

   worn 
  as 
  an 
  outer 
  garment. 
  

  

  Sling 
  (Hebrew, 
  KeVa) 
  from 
  Damascus, 
  Syria. 
  The 
  sling 
  as 
  a 
  

   weapon 
  of 
  war 
  is 
  first 
  mentioned 
  in 
  Judges 
  xx, 
  16. 
  David 
  killed 
  

   Goliath 
  with 
  a 
  stone 
  thrown 
  from 
  a 
  sling 
  (I 
  Samuel 
  xvii, 
  40). 
  The 
  

   Israelitish 
  army 
  was 
  provided 
  with 
  companies 
  of 
  slingers 
  (II 
  Kings 
  

   iii, 
  25). 
  The 
  sling 
  was 
  also 
  employed 
  in 
  the 
  wars 
  of 
  the 
  Eomans 
  

   against 
  the 
  Jews 
  (Josephus, 
  Wars 
  of 
  the 
  Jews 
  iii, 
  7, 
  18; 
  iv, 
  1, 
  3). 
  

   According 
  to 
  the 
  monuments 
  the 
  sling 
  was 
  both 
  an 
  Egyptian 
  and 
  an 
  

   Assyrian 
  weapon. 
  It 
  consisted 
  of 
  a 
  strip 
  of 
  leather 
  or 
  woven 
  mate- 
  

   rial, 
  wide 
  in 
  the 
  middle 
  to 
  receive 
  the 
  missile, 
  and 
  narrowing 
  at 
  both 
  

   ends 
  into 
  a 
  rope. 
  Not 
  only 
  were 
  smooth 
  stones 
  used 
  for 
  hurling, 
  but 
  

   also 
  balls 
  made 
  of 
  burnt 
  clay, 
  of 
  lead, 
  and 
  various 
  other 
  hard 
  sub- 
  

   stances. 
  The 
  sling 
  is 
  still 
  used 
  by 
  shepherds 
  to 
  drive 
  away 
  wild 
  ani- 
  

   mals 
  from 
  their 
  herds, 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  David 
  (I 
  Samuel 
  xvii, 
  40). 
  

   (PI. 
  29.) 
  

  

  Bird 
  trap 
  (Hebrew, 
  pah) 
  from 
  Baghdad, 
  Mesopotamia. 
  The 
  

   usual 
  method 
  of 
  catching 
  birds 
  was 
  with 
  the 
  trap, 
  which 
  consisted 
  

   of 
  two 
  parts: 
  a 
  net 
  strained 
  over 
  a 
  frame, 
  and 
  a 
  stick 
  or 
  spring 
  

   (Hebrew, 
  mokesh) 
  to 
  support 
  it, 
  but 
  so 
  placed 
  that 
  it 
  should 
  give 
  

  

  