98 



MK. BOSCAWEN ON THE HISTORICAL 



found on the bricks and tablets^ indicating the gradually- 

 increasing power of the Semitic element in the population. 



How long this dynasty of kings of Ur, of which Urbahu 

 was the founder_, lasted, it is difficult to say_, but it was cer- 

 tainly seriously reduced in power by the invasion of Chaldea 

 in B.C. 2280 by Kudur-Nakhundi, King of Blam, who sacked 

 the city of Uruki, or Erech, the then capital of the country, 

 and carried the image of Nana, the protecting goddess, away 

 to the city of Susa, where it remained until recovered by 

 Assurbanipal seventeen centuries later. 



Now at this period in Babylonian history we come in 

 contact with a most highly important series of Babylonian 

 documents — namely, the chronological lists discovered by Mr. 

 Pinches, and which for the first time^ enable us to arrange 

 the kings in a systematic order.* 



These tablets give a dynasty of eleven kings ruling at 

 <T< "^^t^y^ <]^ DIN-TIE (ki), or Babilu, from B.C. 2232-1 969, 

 together with the length of their reigns and their relationship 

 to one another : — 



The importance of these dates is very great, as the 273 

 years of their reigns cover the area embracing the very period 

 we have under consideration, as the dates given for the birth of 



* Proceedings of the l:ioc. Bib. Arch., January 11, 1881, p. 42. 



+ The reading of these names seems uncertain. The first elements in 

 Nos. 1, 2 seem to be to be sumu, a name, but the rendering of the second is 

 very obscure. The first may read, Sumu-abi, " The name of his father." 

 In Nos. 9, 10, the first element is probably the Semitic aonmti, "family, 

 tribe." The Hebrew ?oj?, as in W.A.I, v. pi. 44, col. 1, No. 22. Ammi- 

 diduga is expressed by Kimtum Kittim, "the fiiniily is legitimate." Samsu 

 in No. 11 is probably the same as in No. 7, the Sun-god ; but the termination 

 of the name is difficult, probably a compound ideograph. Some valuable 

 notes explanatory of these names are found in Dr. F. Delitzsch, Die 

 Spraclie der Kossder, Leipsig, 1884, pp. 64-75. 



