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KINBVEH. 



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NImea baa long bran an importaot manufaotoriiig town. Its iiu- 

 portanoe baa bet-o Utciy od tba iooreaaa in codaaqueDoe of iU being 

 tb« centra fr-m which the railwaya diTerga that coooeot the towu 

 with Alaia, Montpellivr, Cette, Arlea, Avignon, and MariHtille. The 

 principal nianufactuiN-a are fancy ailk goo<i», Bilk atockingii and cap», 

 hosiery of all kinds relvet, amall wares, printrd cotton*, ahawls, hand- 

 krrchirfii, chintxea, 4c There are seTcral dyc-hou«e«, potteries, brandy- 

 distillrritn, viurgar-works, and tan-yanis ; and the town is the grrat 

 mart for the raw aillu of the aurrouniliuc district Iflmea carries on 

 oonsiderable trade in theae productions ; and in wine, spioea, drugs, 

 dleaginoua aaads, medicinal plants, and dyMtuffs. 



Mme* cirra title to a biabop, whoae see is the department of Card. 

 It baa a High Court, which baa jurisdiction over the departments of 

 Ardiebe, Oard, Loairr, and Vaucluae ; thrre are also tribunals of first 

 instance and of commerce, a chamber of commerce, and an exchnnge, 

 a council of prud'bommes, a theological college, an endowed college, 

 a school of design, a botaniuil garden, aeveml cabinets of antiquities, 

 and a public bbntr; of 30,000 volumes. By rrceut legislation of the 

 French empire the Univeraity-Acadeuiy of Nlmes has with some others 

 been aupprrvsrd, and the department of Card is now placed within 

 the limits of the Univenity-Academy of Hontpellier. 



NINEVEH, called by the Greeks and Romans Ninus, the capital 

 of the Assyrian empire, was situated in the plain of Aturia, on the left 

 bank of the Tigris, opposite to the modem town of Hoeul. The 

 Hebrew and Oreek writera concur in describing Ninereh as a very 

 large and populous city. Jonah speaks of it as " an exceeding great 

 city of three days' journey' (Jon., til 3), and states tliat there were 

 more than 120,000 persona in it that knew not their right band from 

 their left (iv. II ). Roaenmiiller and other commentatora suppose this 

 to be a proverbial cxprexsion to denote children under the age of three 

 or five years, and accordingly estimate the eutira population at two 

 miUiona, Strabo says that it was larger than Babylon (xvi. 737) ; but 

 if any dependence is to be placed on the account of Diodorus (ii. 3), 

 who statoi that it waa 480 stailia in circumference, it must have been 

 about the aame atxe aa Babylon. (Herod., L 178.) The walls of 

 Kineveh are described by Diodorua as 100 feet high, and so broad that 

 three chariots migtit be driven on tbem abreast. Upon the wall stood 

 1600 towers, each 200 feet in height, and the whole was so strong as 

 to be deemrd impregnable. (Diod., ii. 3 ; Nahum, chap, ii) 



According to the Oreek writera, Ninus waa founded by a king of 

 the same name ; but in the book of Genesis it is only statrd to have 

 been boilt by the Assyriana, which appears to bo the meaning of the 

 paaaga in Qea, x. \\. It was the nsidence of the Assyrian kings 

 (2 Kings, zix. 36, Isaiah, xxxvil 37 ; Strabo, il, p. 84 ; xvL, p. 737), 

 and ia mentioned aa a plaue of great commercial importance ; whence 

 Nahum speaks of its merchanta as more than the stars of heaven 

 (iiL 16). But as in the case of most large and wealthy cities, the 

 greateat corruption and licentiousness prevailed, on account of which 

 Nahum and Zephaniah (il 13) foretold its destruction. 



On the dissolution of the great Assyrian monarchy, in the 8th 

 eaatvay B.C., Nineveh waa taken by the Idedea under Arbaces, in con- 

 a«queno« of the rivor demolishing part of the wall ; when it is said 

 to have been destroyed. (Diod., ii 26-28.) But it appears to have 

 •till existed as the capital of an Assyrian king<lom till B.c. C25, wlien 

 it waa taken by the Medea under Cyaxarea. (Herod., i. 106.) Strabo 

 ■ays that it fell into decay immediatrly after the Hissoluiion of the 

 Aasyrian monarchy by the Medea (xvi, p. 737) ; and this account is 

 confirmed by the fact that in the history of Alexander the Great the 

 town ia not mentioue<l, although in hia march along the banks of the 

 Tigris, previous to the battle of Oaugamrla, he must have been very 

 near the apot where it is supposed to have stood. 



Until the recent discoveries of M. Botta and Dr. Layard the site of 

 Nineveh waa a matter of conjecture. According to Abulfamj and 

 the general testimony of Oriental tradition, moat modem writers 

 ■opposed it to have been aitiuted on the left or east bank of the 

 Tigria, opposite Moaul, and partly on the site of the modern village of 

 Nuuia, cr Nebbi Yunus. At first sight the ruins of Nineveh present 

 the appearance of a range of hills; but from all these hills large stones, 

 frequently with bitumen adhering to tbem, are constantly dug out in 

 gnat numbers. The bridge over the Tigris is said by Biuh to have 

 ton entirely built of stones dug out of the ruins of Nineveh, which, 

 be adds, ia an inexhaustible resource. On the largest of these hills or 

 mounds tbcro is a mosque, which is supposed to cover the tomb of 

 Jonah. I'be walls and ditches which surrounded part of the city 

 mi'y rtill be traced very clearly in many parts. It was also Uicb'a 

 opinion that the part inclosed by these wall* (four miles long by two 

 miles broad) formed only "a pirt of a great city, probably either the 

 oitadel or royal prccincta, or perhaps both, as the pivctice of fortify- 

 ing the residence of the sovereign is of very ancient origin. There 

 are very few traoea of ruins outside these wall? j but they may 

 probably exist to a greater extent than ha* yet been suppured, since 

 Kich relates that people digging for stones in a place outside the iu- 

 ck»ure, found huge atones laid in Isyera of bitumen and lime morbtr. 



M. Botta, conaul of Fnnce at Mosul, led the way to settling tlie 



2iMation about the site of Nineveh by making excavatioua in 1843, 

 '• '••B"* with some operations in the inclosure on the river, jimt 

 uloded to. He fouixl only some bricks and fragments of no value. 

 th« inhabitanta of the environs, seeing the consul engaged 



in these researches, brought him bricks with inscriptions, and other 

 remains of antiquities, which indnoed him to aend his workmen to 

 the village of Khoraabad, distant about five hours N.E. from Mosul, 

 on the left bank of the Khauser. M. Botta's rrsearche* in this place 

 proved more auceesaful. Commencing hi* excavations in a email 

 mound, his workmen soon came upon a buihiing remarkable for the 

 number ond style of the sculptures with which it is mlomed, and 

 which appears to have been a royal palace. "The figures," says 

 H. Botta, " though rather stiCT, are well designed, the attitudes admi- 

 rable, the muscles strongly marked, and the hands, feet, and ornaments 

 very carefully executed. I have no doubt that the building has been 

 destroyed by fire [the slabs had the appearance of gypsum, or alabaster]; 

 on the ground were found a qu-mtity of charcoal and some remains of 

 burnt beams." Some of the sUbs had on the back also ooneifonn 

 inscriptions. 



Among the most interesting of M. Botta's discoveries were two 

 colossal statues of bulls, 15 feet high, with human heads, and between 

 th'-m a passage 74 f''et wi>le, forming a portal of a atrikiug character 

 and of great ma;;nit)cence. These bulls were wicged ; they are not 

 properly statues, but in high relief. They have five legs, so con- 

 trived that from whatever side you look at them, one 1' g being hid 

 by another, four legs are always to bo seen. On each of the walls of 

 the passage to which this is the entrance t'.rre is a figure with the 

 head of a bird of prey ; the hair is regularly brnided : on the head is a 

 sort of cup which comes down to the shoulder. The figure has a 

 necklace, armlets, and bracelets, and wears a short tunic with a fringe 

 girdle. On the opposite side cf the chamber M. Botta afterwards 

 found a similar portnl. M. Botta resolved to send two of these bulls 

 to Paris ; but unfortunately the excavations made by the workmen 

 deprived the calcined limestone of its only support, and very soon 

 afttr their discovery these long buried architectural oraamenti and 

 historical records fell in pieces. Many sculptures however, an'l inscrip- 

 tions, were sent to France, where they form an Assyrian museum. 

 Drawing.4 were made of most of the sculptures by M. Flandin, a French 

 artist sent out for the purpose. lu these drawing* the manners and 

 customs, the religion, the art of war, the costunief, and the instru- 

 ments of the people who built the palace, are delineated in faithful 

 copies of the biia-reliefs. The priiicipid ligure in moat of them is a 

 sovereign, king, or hero ; on his head ho wears the tiara, his fore- 

 heo'i is low and prominent, his eyebrows thick ; his hair and beard 

 fall straight on the shoulder* and breast, terminating in large ringlets. 

 The dress, which appears to have been extremely magnificent, consists 

 of a richly-embroidered tunic, and an upper garment reeembling the 

 surplice of a Roman Catholic priest This figure appears, sometimes 

 engaged in combiit, driving his enemies before him ; sometimes seated 

 at an entertainment ; and sometimes in a solemn procession, guiding 

 a chariot with four horses abreast Among the many figures of com- 

 batants thera is frequently a shield-bearer, under whose protection 

 another warrior draws his bow or poises his lance. M. Victor Place 

 baa continued the French researches on the site of Nineveh, and seve- 

 ral antiquities, including the monumental gates of the city, four 

 gigantic bulls, several bas-reliefs, many utensils of earthenware, copper, 

 and iron, and a number of very ancient statues, are now (Feb. 18£5) 

 on their way to France. 



Since M. Botta's first discoveries were made known to Europe still 

 greater additions to our knowledge of Nineveh have been made by 

 Dr. Layard, who spent much timt in making excavations in the great 

 incloture near the Tigris, before mentioned. Here, in the Mound of 

 Nimroud, he discovered the ancient palace of the great Assyrian 

 monarchs ; brought to light those colossal human-headed bulls, the 

 kings, warriora, priests, and winged messengers, which form subjects 

 of astonishment to visitors of the British Muaeum ; and gave to 

 learned eyes to read from long cuneiform inscriptions the pompous 

 but interesting catalogue of Assyrian triumphs in war or in archi- 

 tecture. In a word, the discoveries of Dr. Layard, which form the 

 interesting atibject of the volumes quoted at the end of thi* article, 

 have shed light upon one of the dnrkest periods of history, and laid 

 bare befom us the life, arts, and maunen of a p<ople of whom pre- 

 viously little more was known than the name. Colonel Kawlinson, 

 Dr. Edwiird Hincks, and other distinguished British and continental 

 scholars, have made great progress in interpreting the cuneiform 

 inscriptions. An account of wliat they have done is given in the 

 ' Joumal of the AsUtic Society,' vols, xii., ziv., &o. Of the sculptures 

 now in the British Museum a more partiuuhtr account will be given 

 in the Arts and Sciemoes Division. 



{Ultra (U M. BoUa, tur la Dicott/rtrta d KKortabad, Paris, 1845 ; 

 Niebuhr, Travtli; Rich, Narrative of a JUtidence in Kooi-diMan ; 

 Layard, Diicoreriet in Ninereh and Jiabylon.) 



NINIANS, ST. [SlIBUKUBHIBE.] 



NIO, lOS, one of the Cyclades, situated 5 miles S. by W. from 

 Naxos, and 10 miles N. by W. from Thei« or Santorini It is about 

 9 miles in length, and 5 miles in its greatest breadth, which is towards 

 the middle of the island. The surface is billy, but not so rocky or 

 barren aa most of the smaller Cyclades. The island produces some 

 com (but not enough for the consumption), which is of good quality, 

 cotton, oil, hoU'-y, and wine ; but it is deficient in fruit and other 

 tnes. The population is about 3700. The town, called also Nio, 

 il built on a hill on the western coast, above a bay in which there ia 



