106 



bearing date in the twentieth year. Counting from the over- 

 throw of the brother, this would bring us to B.C. 628, or 

 about three years before the siege of Nineveh by the Northern 

 allies, according to Greek writers ; and two years before the 

 accession of Nabupalassar to the Babylonian throne. The 

 date of this accession is fixed by the eclipse of the year 

 B.C. 621. Ptolemy records that in the 127th year of the 

 Nabonassar period, that is the 127th year from B.C. 747, the 



first year of Naho-nassar Y >->-Y >^W[' ^"^ I "^*"T ^ {Nabu 

 na-zir (Nebo protects), which would be B.C. 621, there was 

 an eclipse of the moon in the month Athyr, and that year 

 was the Jiftli year of the reign of Nabupalassar, King of 

 Babylon. His accession was, therefore, in B.C. 626, and 

 first year in B.C. 625, as stated in the canon.* An inscrip- 

 tion, recently obtained from Babylon, enables us to fix this 

 date in another way. In this text we have a record of the 

 overthrow of the Median power, under Astyages, by Cyrus, 

 and its date accurately fixed. 



In this chronicle of the latter days of Nabonidus, found on a 

 Babylonian tablet {Trans. Soc. Bih. Arch., vol. vii., p. 156). 



IS - TU-VE-GU ZABI SU IPPALKIT - SU-VA INA KATI 

 Astyages his soldiers revolted against him in hands 



ZA- BAT A - NA D.P. KU - RAS ID - DI - NU 



theji took (and) to Cyrus they gave him 



(0). I H #« Tf -^T ^Mf \m'y^-^lii^ -W 



KU-RAS A- NA MAT A-GAM- TA- NU ALU-SARRUT - U 

 Cyrus to the land of Ecbatana and the royal city 



ERub KASPA KHURATZA SA - SU SA - GA 



entered, silver gold furniture and. gods {lie captured). 



* The Babylonians calculated the regnal years of their kings as follows : — 

 From the death of the previous ruler until the first day of the succeeding 

 month Nisan, the first month of the year (March and April) was called 



•^ ^Tl »^ HN^ >-^=-' '"^1 sanat ris sarrutu, " the year of the 

 beginning of Royalty," or accession year. This is the period referred to in 

 2 Kings XXV. 27, as " the year that he began to reign." The first year 

 began with the first day of Nisan in the king's reign. 



