32 THEorniLUS g. pinches^ esq., ll.d., m.r.a.s., on 



the obverse, to refer to the temple E-sagila (probably the 

 heavenly fane of that name), and afterwards speaks of Mero- 

 dach's net and his bow, the cunning work of which the gods 

 admired. Ann, the god of the heavens, taking up the bow, 

 kissed it, and proclaimed its names, " the long wood," and " the 

 star of the bow," fixing it afterwards in the heavens (which 

 were his special domain), apparently under that name. It is 

 not improbable that this is simply inserted in the legend to 

 explain the name of the constellation of the Bow, which occurs 

 in the list of the thirty-six constellations to which reference has 

 already been made. After speaking of the setting of a throne, 

 the fragment breaks off. 



Another broken piece which is supposed to come in here 

 seems to refer to the frothy foam of Ti(amthu), but in what 

 connection, does not appear. Farther on, the god Ansara speaks 

 to the winds, evidently appointing them to their several places. 

 After this, there is apparently a mention of the cutting 

 through of the nostrils of Tiamthu, to pouring out, and to 

 water-springs, probably a symbolical explanation of some 

 natural phenomenon or other. 



The lines which follow refer to the troop (?) of the Abyss, 

 and give a conversation concerning Ansara, who, as one of the 

 gods of the heavens (his name means " the heaven-host "), 

 speaks, seemingly, of the construction of the upper Abyss, oppo- 

 site E-sarra, as his work, and announces the production of other 

 things — a house and a citadel, probably in the Abyss. After 

 this, " constant lamentation " is twice referred to, and it may be 

 guessed that this was described as proceeding from the followers 

 of Tiamthu, and it is not impossible that this portion of the 

 legend was devoted to the description of the provisions made 

 for their safe keeping. Next the things created by a deity 

 whose name is wanting, but who was probably this same 

 Ansara, are spoken of. Of special interest in this part is the 

 line referring to the city of Assur, here indicated by the 

 characters Bala-sumun, with the prefix for city, the whole 

 meaning, as indicated by Delitzsch long ago, " the city of the 

 old realm," or " government." It will easily be recognized that 

 the mention of the city Assur in connection with Ansara is 

 most natural, the name of the god being written with the same 

 characters as that of the Assyrian god Assur. A further 

 confirmation of the identity of the two names is furnished by 

 Daniascius, who does not write the name of Ansara as Ansaros 

 or Assaros, but as Assoros, with o instead of a. Evidently there 

 was a tendency to pronounce Ansara as Assora or Assor, the 



