200 
near Beyrout, or at Lake Van, where the Assyrian priests are 
represented as offering a bullock and a ram as a peace-offering 
in front of a tablet or stele of an Assyrian king hewn in the 
rock, and two attendants are in the act of throwing joints of 
meat into the sea, which may be an act of adoration or pro- 
pitiation to the sea ; but there are two monsters represented 
in the water in the act of devouring the flesh which is thrown 
to them ; one looks like a hippopotamus, and the other an 
alligator, which fact throws doubt on the supposition that the 
water represented on the plate is either the Mediterranean 
Sea or Lake Van. 
38. Within 15 feet of this gate I found another one, about 
half the size of the above ; but this has been greatly damaged 
from corrosion, and I fear that with all the care Mr. Ready 
will, I am sure, lavish upon it, he will scarcely be able to 
restore half of it. From all that can be seen of the illustra- 
tions upon it, it seems that all the subjects represent hunting 
scenes and domestic amusements ; and instead of the plates 
being divided into two rows of figures, as they are on the large 
gate, they only consist of one, but the designs are larger. 
39. At Balawat I also found a temple dedicated by Assur- 
nazir-pal, the builder of the north-west palace at Nimroud, to 
the goddess of war, wherein I discovered a marble coffer, with 
two tablets of the same material therein enclosed, covered 
with inscription. They begin with the pedigree of that king, 
and relate his conquests. Then they give an account of the 
erection of gates of cedar-wood overlaid with copper to adorn 
the temple. At the end of these tablets there is a curious 
invocation made to Istar, the goddess of war and battle, 
against those who would see them and desecrate them by re- 
moving them from their place ; and as I was the guilty party, 
I fear that I have fallen under their condemnation ! * 
40. The religion of the Assyrians and Babylonians has 
always been a great mystery to me, and unless some further 
discoveries are made in connection with Assyrian and Baby- 
lonian history which might throw more light upon the subject, 
we have to trust to mere theories founded on doubtful authori- 
* The literal translation of this quaint orison, according to Mr. Ernest 
Budge’s rendering, is as follows : — “ Whoever (this) tablet shall see and sins 
many shall speak, 0 goddess Istar, lady of war and battle, his weapons 
then thou breakest, his throne then takes from him. Whoever (this) tablet 
shall see and (?) remove, altars shall cleanse, a victim shall sacrifice, to its 
place shall restore (it), Assur the lord great, his prayers shall hear, in the 
battle of the kings, (in) place of meeting (approaching), the thought of his 
heart (courage) he shall cause to find (it) ?” 
