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THEOPHILUS G. PINCHES^ LL.D._, M.E.A.S.. ON 



hardly less than 100,000, if my memory serves me. Among the 

 sites at which he worked were Kouyunjik (Nineveh) ; Balawat, 

 where the famous hronze gates were found ; Babylon ; Borsippa, 

 the site of the great temple of Nebo ; Tel-lbralum, the site of 

 the Babylonian Cutheh ; Dailem, the ancient Dilmu, generally 

 callad Dilbat ; and, last but not least, Abu-Habbah, the ancient 

 Sippar, one of the great centres of the worship of the sun-god. 

 The now venerable explorer describes this site as being an 

 extensive series of mounds surrounded by a high wall of earth. 

 The mound upon which the principal buildings are erected is 

 about 1,300 feet by 400 feet, and contains, in Mr. llassam's 

 opinion, at least -300 chambers and halls. Of these he excavated 

 about 130, when the work came to an end by the expiration of 

 the firman. 



According to the plan drawn up by Father Scheil, who 

 worked there after Eassam for the Turkish Government, the 

 city wall is an oblong rectangle, curving inwards at the north- 

 western end, to follow the course of the canal which formed 

 the boundary of the city at that point. It was near that canal, 

 to all appearance, that the ziqqurat or temple-tower stood, but 

 very little of that structure now remains. Tliere were tablets 

 everywhere, and notwithstanding the excavations which have 

 been carried on since those of Kassam, the site is probably by 

 no means exhausted. In these ruins were found the celebrated 

 mace-head of Sargon of Agade, and in all probability also the 

 equally well-known cylinder-seal of Ibni-sarru, that king's 

 secretary. Then we have the beautiful " Sungod-stone," carved 

 for JSTabu-abla-iddina — a precious thing wdiich, apparently for 

 safety, they buried under the bitumen pavement. Impressions 

 of the design were made in clay, in case the original should be 

 destroyed, and it was placed in a terracotta box inscribed with 

 the nature of the contents, so that people should know what it 

 w^as as soon as they came upon it. Among the texts of late date is 

 an ancient map of the then known world ; and the oft-quoted 

 cylinder of Nabonidus, which refers to his restoration of the 

 temple of the moon-god at Harran ; the date of Naram-Sin, son 

 of Sargon of Agade ; and other important historical and 

 archaeological facts. Except the stone monument of Nabonidus 

 giving details of the murder of Sennacherib and the downfall of 

 Assyria at the hands of the Babylonians and the Medes, 

 Professor Scheil has found nothing equalling in importance 

 the discoveries of Mr. Eassam. Among Professor Scheil's finds, 

 however, may be mentioned some interesting clay figures of 

 animals — dogs, bears, etc. — the most interesting of them being 



