CHIEFLY FROM NIPPUR. 25 



of " the four quarters of the world " is identical with his conquest of " the land of 

 the West," or (c) that the conquest of " the four quarters of the world " followed as 

 a result upon his subduing the West. In opposition to the first view is the fact that 

 a kingdom of "the four quarters of the world" in the far West is nowhere else 

 mentioned, that the phrase stands without the usual determinative mitu, dlu, etc., 

 and that this title was claimed by Babylonian kings even when they made no con- 

 quests in the West. 1 The identification of the " four quarters of the world " with 

 "the land of the West" needs no refutation, as it has never been advanced, and 

 in fact has no support. We can, therefore, only regard the conquest of " the four 

 quarters of the world " as the result of Sargon's victories in the West, so that by the 

 use of the title the claim is made to a quasi- world wide dominion, 2 as has been cor- 

 rectly stated by Lehmann (l. c, p. 91). And indeed, Sargon, after having conquered 

 the West, was fully justified in the Babylonian sense of the word "world," in thus 

 designating his large dominion. For, in order to subjugate the West, he was obliged, 

 because of the Arabian desert, to march victoriously first to the ^North, then to the 

 West and finally southward. The enemies in the East having been previously sub- 

 dued, and South Babylonia being also brought under his sceptre, 3 he could indeed 

 call a kingdom his own which was enclosed on all sides by natural boundaries. 4 



The city which had obtained the hegemony through Sargon's deeds was Agade. 

 For he calls it " my city " (" Legend," 1. 26). It is the city in which he was shut up 

 during the insurrection against him (IV R. 2 , 34, col. I, 37). And furthermore, in 

 all his inscriptions as yet found, he calls himself "king of Agade." But, if I 

 understand the tablet of omens correctly, Agade does not appear to have been the 

 capital of the empire of the four quarters of the world, as one would naturally have 

 supposed. After Sargon had subjugated "the whole world,'' he regarded as his next 

 work the building of a capital worthy of this grand empire. The account of this 

 important work is evidently related in IV E. 2 , 34, 1. 7-10, a passage 6 unfortunately 

 much mutilated and heretofore entirely misunderstood. After a careful comparison 



1 Against Tiele, Gesch., p. 78. 



2 Tiele (I. c, pp. 73, 78) concedes the possibility, indeed even the probability of this explanation, but adds, that 

 the title may also have had an entirely different meaning (p. 73). But what else could it have meant with Sargon I? 



3 This is evident from his building in Nippur, and from the fact that even his son, who was less prominent than 

 his father, extended his influence to Shirpurla. Cf. also the express statements of the "Legend." 



4 The Elamite mountains on the east, the mountains of Armenia on the north, the Mediterranean Sea (and 

 Cyprus) on the west and the Persian Gulf on the south. 



5 In spite of all that has been said in support of Agane, I regard this reading as improbable (cf. my remarks on 

 Oande, p. 28). Lehmann's statements (I. c, p. 73) prove nothing against Agade. More as to this in another place. 



6 For recent translations cf. Hommel, Qesch., p. 305, and Winckler in Schrader's K. B. HI, Part 1, p. 102 seq. 

 A. P. S. — VOL. XVTII. D. 



