FROM WORLD-DOMINION TO SUBJECTION. 



131 



I have not revised tliis inscription, and quote it from 

 Strassmaier's copy, the date of which I suppose to be correct. 

 The text is marked in the British Museum, " A.H., 83-1-18, 

 295," and is, therefore, one of the tablets excavated at Sippar 

 (Abu-habbah) by the late Hormuzd Eassam. Even in war time, 

 it is evident that the king's business was attended to. The 

 position of Euzabu, the city to which Abu-la-idu was going, 

 is not known. Instead of z and 5, however, s and 'p might be 

 substituted, making Bmci'pii, which closely resembles the Hebrew 

 Bezeph. The Assyrian form of this name, however, is Rasapu. 

 Nevertheless, identification with Eezeph is not altogether ex- 

 cluded, especially when we consider that it is identified with 

 the modern Rusafa, south-west of Sura, on the Euphrates, 

 and also on the Palmyra road. 



It is noteworthy that this record (practically an historical 

 document) has no witnesses. This is owing to the fact that, 

 though belonging to the class of dated inscriptions, it is not 

 really a contract. 



Discussion. 



The Chairman : We have had this evening, I think, one of the 

 most fascinating of the many addresses which Dr. Pinches has given 

 us. He has reconstructed for us the history of Babylon during the 

 most interesting part of its existence, and I think he has brought 

 home very vividly to us the politics and the intrigues of that time. 

 And as we are now in a state of war, we can appreciate very keenly 

 that the men who lived in those days acted very much as, unfortu- 

 nately, men act in these. 



Dr. Pinches refers to the character of Babylonia — i.e., of Mesopo- 

 tamia, as our troops have learnt to call it at the present time. We 

 have one member, who has been a considerable time in Mesopotamia, 

 and who not only knows that region, but also the Punjab very well 

 indeed, and his view upon Mesopotamia is this : During the last few 

 years the habitable portion of the Punjab has been largely extended, 

 following on the sinking of wells right out in the desert and the 

 extension of irrigation, so that the amount of country now under 

 cultivation has greatly increased quite within a short space of time. 

 The most prosperous peasantry in the world at the present time are 

 now living where ten or fifteen years ago there was apparently an 

 unreclaimable desert. 



K 2 



