ORDINARY MEETING.* 



H. Cadman Jones, Esq., M.A., in the Chair. 



The Minutes of the last Meeting were read and confirmed, and ; 



The following Paper was then read by the Author. — [Since he did so 

 the important results of subsequent researches induced him to much 

 extend its limits and to add descriptions of certain valuable discoveries ; 

 hence the Paper and discussion are now, 1893, in an amplified and per- 

 fected form.] 



NOTES UPON SOME OF THE RECENT DIS- 

 COVERIES IN THE REALM OF ASSYRIOLOGY, 

 WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE PR! VA TE 

 LIFE OF THE BABYLONIANS. 



By Theo. G. Pinches, Esq., 



OF THE DErAKTMBNT OF EGYPTIAN ANB ASSYRIAN ANTIQUITIES, 

 BRITISH MUSEUM. 



I. 



Principally from an Inscription of King Gudea, about 2500 B.C. 



Toiling among the dust of ages, we Assyri'olo gists fulfil, 

 in our own domain, and as far as we may, that dictum which 

 says, that mankind's own true study is man. But mankind's 

 own study is not man only, but everything that pertains to 

 him. The student of Assyriology therefore not only tries 

 in his special line to answer all questions concerning him — 

 his origin in his native land, his history, his surroundings, 

 his thoughts, his feelings, and his religion- — but he studies 

 his language too, and tells of his joys and sorrows. Day by 

 day the quest goes on, and the cloud-masses obscuring the 

 vista are little by little cleared away ; and a time will doubt- 



* 3rd meeting, 2Gth Session. 



