10 



EEV. AXDEEW CEAIG ROBIXSOX, M.A., OX DAEIUS 



of the great gods, am I. E-ljul-hul, the temple of Sin, 

 wliicli is in Harran wherein from eternity Sin the great 

 lord as in the dwelling-place of the delight of his heart 

 dwells, with the city and that temple his heart was wroth 

 and the Scythians (Umman-man-da) he brought and that 

 temple he destroyed and caused it to fall into ruins. In 

 my legitimate reign Bel the great lord through love for my 

 kingdom unto the city and that temple was gracious and 

 had mercy. In the beginning of my everlasting reign 

 they caused me to behold a dream : Marduk, the great 

 lord, and Sin, the light of heaven and earth, stood on either 

 side : Marduk spake to me, ' Xabonidus, king of Babylon, 

 vrith the horses of thy chariot bring bricks, E-hul-hul build, 

 and Sin the great lord therein cause to inhabit his dwelHng- 

 place.' With fear I spake to the lord of the gods, Marduk : 

 ' That temple which thou commandest me to build, the 

 Scythian (Umman-man-da) infests it and mighty is his 

 strength.' But Marduk spake unto me : ' The Scythian 

 (Umman-man-da) of whom thou speakest, he, his land, 

 and the kings, his alhes, are no more.' In the third year 

 on an expedition they caused him to advance, and Cyrus, 

 King of Anzan, his petty vassal, with his troops that were 

 few. the wide-spreading Scythians (Umman-man-da) scattered 

 Astyages, king of the Scythians (Umman-man-da), he cap- 

 tured and as a prisoner to his land he took him. It was' 

 the word of the great lord Marduk and of Sin, the light 

 of heaven and earth, whose command was not annulled." 



The text transhteration and translation are given in First 

 Steps in Assyrian, L. W. King, p. 95, see reproduction in this 

 paper. 



Of this conquest of Astyages by Cyrus the Xabomdus-Cyrus 

 Chronicle [Brit. Mus., Sp. II, 964), has the following account : — 



" His forces he (i.e. Astyages) collected and against 

 Cyrus, king of Ansan, to conquer him went. But against 

 Astyages his forces revolted, and in capti^dty to Cyrus they 

 dehvered him. Cyrus went to Ekbatana the royal city. 

 Silver, gold, possessions, property of Ekbatana, he carried 

 off and to Ansan he took.*' — Cuneiform text, transliteration 

 and translation are given in First Steps in Assyrian, L. W. 

 King, p. 101. 



