186 



T. G. PINCHES, LL.D., M.E.A.S., ON 



king Assur-bani-apli, Nebuchadrezzar, Evil-Meroclach, and 

 probably other rulers. Koldewey suggests that a statue of 

 Nin-ma{i occupied a central position on the platform of her 

 temple ; and that it was here that Alexander made his daily 

 offerings, according to custom, when he was ill (Arrian, An., 

 vii, 25). 



In the southern portion of the city lay the temple of Ninip 

 (in Semitic Amisat, according to Pognon). Unlike E-mah, this 

 temple (which was called E-pa-tu-tila) had a courtyard east 

 of the centre of the building, and three entrances. The 

 chambers have recesses and platforms before which the 

 ceremonies were performed, and which are closely centred to 

 their respective entrances, implying a wish that worshippers in 

 the courtyard should have a chance of seeing what was going on 

 within. Numerous inscriptions were found likewise here — 

 cylinders of Nabopolassar and his son Nebuchadrezzar (the last 

 brought, in ancient times, from the Tower of Babylon), and 

 150 contract-tablets of the period Esarhaddon to Artaxerxes. 

 These give nothing of importance for the history of the 

 temple. 



A very noteworthy thing is the evidence of other erections 

 in this part of the city. The upper layers of the ground are 

 thickly covered with Parthian graves, and Parthian and Greco- 

 Parthian buildings are visible. Beneath these are house-ruins of 

 the Babylonian period, the later houses being built over the 

 earlier ones. This, says Koldewey, goes down to the level of 

 the foundation water, and does not end even there, either 

 beneath ruin-mounds, or where we find level ground. It is of 

 interest to note also that the ancient city was not merely 

 co-extensive with the existing mounds, but reached far beyond 

 on every side. 



APPENDIX. 



The Captuke of Babylon by Cyrus, 539 b.c. 



In accordance with my intention at the time, I add here a 

 new rendering of the account of the capture of Babylon by 

 Ugbaru or Gubaru, Cyrus's representative, as an addition to the 

 remarks which I made on the occasion of the reading of the 

 liev. Craig Robinson's paper " The Fall of Babylon and 

 Daniel v, oO," on December 9th last. 



This tablet forms one of a collection acquired by the Trustees 

 of the British Museum in 1879, and the text was published by 



