110 



THEOPHILUS G. PINCHES. LL.D., M.K.A.S.^ OX 



Bel-ibni. the Belibus of the Greeks, called Elibus by Alex. 

 Polyhistor. This new ruler, however, did not give satisfaction 

 — possibly he had tried to shake off the Assyrian yoke — and he 

 was therefore carried off' as a prisoner to Assyria, and Sen- 

 nacherib's eldest son, Assur-nadin-sumi, was placed on the 

 Babylonian throne. AVliilst the Assyrian king was warring in 

 the neighbourhood of Cilicia, however, theElamites seem to have 

 been plotting against Assyrian rule in Babylonia. Sennacherib 

 therefore went. " in ships of Hatti " — that is, Phcenician galleys 

 ( which were dragged overland and launched on the Euphrates) 

 — to Xagitu in Elam, where Merodach-baladan had taken refuge, 

 and captured another pretender, whom he calls Suzubu, and 

 whom he carried in chains to Assyria. This led to reprisals on 

 the part of the Elamites, who invaded Babylonia and carried off* 

 Assur-nadin-sumi, the king, Sennacherib's son, to Elam, and set 

 on the throne Xerigal-usezib (693 B.C.). 



Xerigal-usezib only ruled for a year or eighteen months, as 

 he was captured by the Assyrians, whose armies passed the 

 Elamite border, and ravaged the country " from Eas (Rosh) to 

 Bit-Buruaki." They would have been better employed, how- 

 ever, in watching over affaii*s in Babylonia, where another 

 pretender, Musezib-Mardiik. mounted the throne, and ruled for 

 four years. It seems probable that this new King of Babvlonia 

 in some way incurred the displeasure of Menanu (Uruman- 

 menanu), the King of Elam, who, after a battle with the 

 Assyrians, the result of which is doubtful, aided by an army 

 composed of Elamites and Babylonians, took Musezib-^Iardirk, 

 and dehvered him to the Assyrians. Sennacherib now again 

 (688 B.C.) became King of Babylon. Whether on account of an 

 attempt upon his life, or because the Babylonians were always 

 favouruig the cause of pretenders, giving him endless trouble, 

 or, most probable of all, on accoimt of the loss of his son, he 

 destroyed the capital, committing such cruelties that the 

 inhabitants never forgot them : and the seeds of such hatred 

 were thus sowed which were to bring forth for Assvria the 

 deadliest of all fruits — her own destruction. 



This is a lesson which militarist powers will never learn the 



wreakmg of vengeance upon the innocent or the less guilty does 

 not conduce to friendly feelings any more than do the breakinij 

 of treaties and ruthless neglect of the usages of civilized war"^ 

 fare. 



Eight years more of life were left to Sennacherib before his 

 assassination by his sons, but dming this period there is nothing 

 to show the state of affairs in Babylonia. To all appearance 



