ylvania Library

partment

   
    
       
    
    

University of Penns
Circulation De

book as
der to avoid a fine
t date stamped below.

soon as you have

Please return this
finished with it. In or it must

be returned by the lates

 

M-7l 9

 

/W

E,
L,

 

2.97

C
ART. V.-—Topographg of Nineveh, illustrative of the Maps of
the chief cities of Assgria ; and the general Geography of the
country intermediate between the Tigris and the Upper Zal).
By FELIX JONES, Commander Indian Navy, and Surve3/or
in Mesopotamia. ’

[Read 2nd July, 18.53.]

WITHIN the last decade of years, the museums'of France and England
have been enriched by numerous monuments of Assyrian art, that
clearly show the soil from which they w ere obtained was peopled by
a race who, to its warlike habits, added many of the refinements of
civilized life. The researches of Botta and Layaid—so far as lapi-
dary tablets are capable of conveying the economy of a nation—have
familiarised us in some measure with the public rites and ceremonies
of the Assyrians, as well as given an insight into their more domestic
concerns; and the pens of these travellers have further elucidated the
subject in a manner of which the praise of the public is guarantee to
the ability dis splayed, while the monuments themselves, as patents of
their energy, remain in the capitals of Europe, until, in the course of
time, they share in the fate of their Assyiian predecessors. Pro-
foundly indifferent, however, to Such an event, our savans are .in the
mean time labouring to unravel the mystic characters engraved on the
records so lately revealed to us ,' and such is the progress made, that
we may shortly expect to be as cognizant of the deeds of the “ stout—
hearted king and the glory of his high looks,”1 as we are conversant
with the celebrities of Greece or Rome. The only desideratum
wanting, it appears, to complete the picture of Assyria, is a faithful
sketch of her aspect in desolation, when she is “ empty, and void, and
waste; when flocks lie down in the midst of her 3 and when her
rivers are opened, and her palace is dissolved.”2 This we have endea—'

7 voured to supply in the three maps of the vestiges of Assyria, made

from actual survey of the spot. Topography, however, is a dry
subject, and we enter upon it with diflidence and reluctance.

The third sheet of the vestiges of Assyria is intended to convey a
general idea of the region where flourished the principal cities of the
Ninevite kings. On it, the relative positions of N 1mrud and Khor-
sabad will be readily seen, with those of Nineveh and other remains

‘ ’ more recently recognised as belonging to the same period. We may

infer that in its local features the region cannot have materially
changed since the era in which Nimrod, Asshur, or Ninus, migrated

’ Isaiah x. 12. ’3 .Nahum 1i. 6, 10; Zephaniah ii. 14.

{lease Y2

298 TOPOGRAPHY or NINEVEH.

from the plains of Babylonia1 to found a dynasty and a kingdom
beyond the Zzib. The great mountain ranges of the Taurus to the
north and Zagros to the north-east and east, in this region sink almost
imperceptibly into plains traversed at certain intervals only by slight
ridges which, having a direction parallel to the sides of the greater
chains, just rise in lines above the soil or crop forth only in undu-
lations2 of varying height, from VV.N.VV. to E.S.E. Eastward of the
modern Mosul these ridges are mostly depressed and broken, offering
outlets to the pent-up mountain streams which unite to form the
Upper Zéb, as well as to give passage to other tributaries, principally
Winter torrents and minor rivulets, that issue from the Jebel Maklfib,
of which the Khésrsu or Khorsabad stream is the chief. During
winter rains this becomes an impassable barrier, while at other periods
it is fordable in most places. It falls into the Tigris, in latitude
36° 21’ N., just opposite the modern Mosul; and the Zéb debouches in
the same way, in the parallel of 35° 59’ N., enclosing between its broad
shingly bed and the Khésr stream, a highly arable plain, diversified,
here and there only, by gentle undulations and slopes. This plain, a
somewhat irregular parallelogram in shape, and in extent twenty-five
miles by fifteen, contains most of the Assyrian sites we are yet acquainted
with. It has a gradual declination westward from the basis of the inci-
pient Mountain range of the J ebel M ukli’ib and hill of Ayn-es-safra, which
are the most prominent natural features in the Nineveh landscape.
These, skirted on the NE. and E. by the Gomel or Ghazir-su, as bya
ditch, defended the tract sufficiently on these sides, while the broad and
rapid currents of the Tigris and the Zéb protected it on the W., S.,
and SE. The Khosr rivulet on the N. and N.\V., insignificant as it
naturally is, was rendered too a strong defensive barrier from invasion
on these points, by artificial works, which we shall speak more fully
of in a subsequent page.

It was thus an admirably selected position. Undulation and vale,
ridge and plain, alike capable of tillage throughout the tract, offered

1 \Ve use these names as the generally recognized appellations of the founders
of the Assyrian monarchy. The angums of Onkelos and Jerusalem supply,
however, other readings for some of the proper names found in our version of
Genesis X.

2 The Hamrfn, Kara. Husseyn, and Kara Chokh ridges, are curious instances
of these gradations from mountain to plain, leaving narrow but extended steppes .
of very rich land intermediate between them ; we shall notice them more in detail
ina future paper. The first bounds Mesopotamia to the N.E., the latter termi-
nates in the Sinjar group, dipping below the country west of Arbél, where the
Tigris and the Zéb courseimpetuously over its depressions. The undulations are
left white in Sheet III.

TOPOGRAPHY or NINEVEH. 299

'a. sufficiency of pasture at most seasons. ‘ Crossed too as it is by the
beds of many watercourses, and generously visited with dews and
Winter rains, it was then, doubtless, as now, a most fertile region.
In the spring and autumn, when covered with verdure and wild
flowers, it must have offered such teeming plenty with little labour,
that man, naturally desirous of ease, could not fail to appreciate its
bounties. The climate too, if unchanged since that period, was favor~
ablepto his feelings in the primitive state of his existence, and the
summer heats, tempered by breezes from the adjacent mountains,
were doubtless deemed cool in comparison with the torrid blasts he
had experienced in the plains of Shinar,’ while the rigour of winter
in the rugged country beyond him was equally unheeded and unfelt
in the genial atmosphere of the steppes where he had determined on
fixing his future abode.

Here then we may presume Nimrod, Asshur,1 or Ninus, first estab-
lished himself, and planned the erection of those cities and edifices,
the monuments of which, after thirty-five centuries of time, have been
abstracted piecemeal by the stranger, and borne off as the trophies of
a nation then unheard-of and void. We shall notice these cities more
in detail when the first and second sheets of the vestiges of Assyria
come under observation. In our remarks upon them we shall endea—
vour to maintain the metropolis in the position where it is evident
it was first designed, notwithstanding some pains have been taken to
transfer it to other sites ; and, at the same time, shall attempt to do
aWay with the prevailing idea as to its vast magnitude, which, founded
on the gross description of Ctesias, quoted by Diodorus Siculus,2 has
led many intelligent men astray in search of the stupendous walls
wherewith that author begirts Nineveh. Even the mountain range
of the Jebel Makli’ib, pronounced as “calcareous mountains” by a ,
modern writer in one page, is made on the weakest authority “the
entire work of man ” in another; and, as such, is sought to be identified
with the imaginary ample walls of the ancient city.3 This range
rises perhaps to 2000 feet above the level of the Tigris, and, as we
have before remarked, is the chief natural feature in the Nineveh

1 This name would seem to imply that of the country, not that of the founder
of the Assyrian monarchy, if the readings of the VClialdee Targums are to be
adopted ; and certainly the sense of the passage in Genesis x. is not done violence
to, but on the contrary, is maintained by these interpretations.

.2 Ctesias’ fragments would appear to be loose in every respect. Plutarch,
»Aulus Gellius, Aristotle, and Joseph Scaliger, it would seem, estimate his cha-

racter for veracity at a. very low scale.
3 “Nineveh and its Palaces,” in the Illustrated London Library, pp; 83, 94, 97.

300 TOPOGRAPHY or NINEVEH.

landscape; we sought in vain for vestiges of such stupendous struc-
tures as Ctesias ascribes to Nineveh, and which indeed could not have
existed on a soil such as this Without leaving traces of their presence
to a considerable extent.1 The proof of this is in the remnants before
us of minor structures of the period.

Independent of its connection with scriptural events, and with the
themes which excited the inspiration of the prophets, the tract repre-
sented on Sheet III. has high claims to the consideration of the scholar
and antiquarian. Here are the mines which connect the present civi—
lization with the history of the past 3 for all that we know of the early
world, and all future knowledge that we are likely to derive, will
doubtless be traced to the fortuitous occurrences recently enacted on
this soil. Nineveh and its celebrities, as mere names, were just indeed
discernible in the wake of subsequent historical events, when the
spades of Botta and Layard revealed them distinctly to our View, and
this too at an appropriate time, when enlightened minds were prepared
for their study by long application to other records in a cognate cha—
racter, though in a different tongue. To us, indeed, this concurrence
of physical and mental energy appears more than a mere coincidence,
and what may yet be disclosed to us from the interpretation of the
records still entombed in the 350 square miles of the district, we are
at a loss even to conjecture; for while fresh tablets are being exposed
as the work of excavation proceeds, Cuneiform studies have acquired
a stability which. cannot but lead to success. Its claim to our regard,
however, is not solely confined to the interesting discoveries but
lately made by our travellers,- the scene before us was the theatre
of other renowned actions long subsequent to the struggles between
the Assyrian and the Mede. Even when their names were as a
proverb of the past, and England’s fame lay buried in the future, this
region between the Tigris and the Zéb shone as the stage on which
sovereign actors contended for the empire of the world. pDarius here
resigned his sceptre to the Macedonian ; and Persia, after acquiring a
second ascendancy, again fell before the victorious legions of Hera~
clius at the fatal battle of Nineveh. Mirwan, the last khalif of the
line of 0mmiyeh, relinquished too his sovereignty and his life on
the same field, and from this reverse a new dynasty arose, that of the
Abbass1yin, whose power, emanating from Baghdad, governed the
world for the long space of 520 years. The banks of the Khézir, the

1 Layard’s testimony is conclusive of the exaggeration of the ancient writers.

See Nineveh and its Remains, vol. ii. chap. 2, p. 27 5 ; and N iebuhr, in his Lectures,

discards altogether the evidence of. Ctesias, when considering the historical value
of ancient chronicles.‘

ToroeRAPHY or NINEVEH. ' 301

Tigris, and the Zéb have indeed witnessed much bloodshed, and if
thus consecrated to posterity, they are no less sacred as the early seats
of Christianity, for the faith as taught by the first missionaries is not
yet Wholly obliterated, though much distorted by\ immoralities
and schisms. Five distinct creeds still flourish on the tract
before us; in the Shebek and Yezidi faiths, we think, the first
- Chaldaic worship, terminating in subsequent Magian forms, may be
traced; and the transplanted Israelite wanders, like the captives of
Tobit’s time, equally contemned and separate from his fellow man ;
while. the Christian sects—perhaps from the persecution they have
I suffered—are distinguished as the most ignorant and boorish of all. '
The schools and colleges, hoth Mahcmedan and Christian, once so
- celebrated here, remain only as mere names, while the distinguished
works which emanated from the spot are either lost, swept off, or
destroyed. In fact, in whatever way we contemplate the country
presented to us, a vivid interest is excited, pregnant with heroic
examples and moral lessons, adapted alike to the statesman, the
soldier, and the priest. But we'must quit the instructive pages of
Assemannus and lay aside reflections suggested by the incidents related
in the Anabasis and in writings of a subsequent age 3 our task is
topographical description, and a laborious one we find it, for em—
bracing, as it should do, every subordinate feature, with fatiguing
precision, w'evcannot hope to escape the charge of prolixity, as well
as that of venturing beyond our depth in endeavouring to relieve the
monotony of geographical narrative.
As the nucleus of Assyrian dominion, we may denominate the
territory shewn in Sheet III. as Central Assyria, for hence emanated
,the large possessions afterwards included in the several names of
Athi’ir, Asshfir, Ati’lr, or Assyria. It was known also to the older
historians and geographers as a part of Adiabene (’A5La/37imy), the
name of the province watered by the Zéb, or, as it was sometimes
written Dial), or Adiab, though strictly speaking, perhaps, its proper
appellation as a ”mere district of Adiabene was, as written by Strabo,
Calachene 5 the term having reference to the period when N imri’id, or
the Calah of Genesis, flourished as the chief city after the destruction
\ of the original Nineoek. Nimrl’id, indeed, is still occasionally called
Ati’ir or Assyria, and was known as such to the Arab geographers,1
We have pointed out in the paper on that place the probable manner
in which these names become attached to Nimrfid, from, as we believe,
its being the latest inhabited city of the region, which in the Cunie—
form tablets is represented by 1‘ >1»? (E, meaning, if we

1 see Yam, in his majifia alBuldan,

302 TOPOGRAPHY or NINE‘VEH.

rightly understand Colonel Rawlinson, “the low country Ati’ir or
Asshur.” These characters would thus represent generic terms for the
land, in the same way as Shinar represented Babylonia 3 and the
interpretations of the Chaldee Targums of Onkelos and Jerusalem
would then agree with the sense of the passage in Genesis X. 11, of
“ Nimrod going forth to build Nineveh,” instead of Asshur the son of
Shem, as read in our version of the Bible. Many learned men, among
whom are some rigid divines, we believe, prefer this reading as agree-
ing with the context; and a passage in Micah, quoted by the author of
the article on Assyria in Kitto’s Cyclopaedia, confirms this view of the
subject. It runs thus, “ They shall devour the land of Asshur with
the sword, even the land of Nimrod,” &c., designating the country as
well as the accepted name of the founder of its primitive edifices.
That such was a custom of ancient times, and pertains to this day in
the East, is evident from the names being new indifferently used by
the Arabs, who not only also characterize Egypt by its title of “Misr,”
but identify it equally as well by that of “ Ardh Pharaoun,” or the
“ land of the Pharaohs.”

The conformation of the land and the positions of its chief edifices
will be best seen from the map. We have no wish to recapitulate, but
we must here express an opinion, contrary to those who have speculated
on the exact form and dimensions of Nineveh, that it had no defined
limit on the tract before us, such as Layard conceives it to have
occupied in the area within the angles formed by the metropolis and
Khorsabad at one, and Keremlis and N imri’id at the other, extremity
of the line.1 On the contrary, we are disposed to view the Assyrian
cities as placed where locally best suited to defence and convenience
within the natural boundaries we have specified, without regard to any
regularity on a grand scale, though the towns themselves, especially
Nimrud and Khorsabad, in their order of alignment bear evidence of
much care in construction, as does the capital also, for the superior
ends it was designed for. Led away by the gross relations of Ctesias,
with reference to the size of the capital, and by its inferred magnitude
from the pages of Jonah, the writer of Nineveh and its Palaces, a wOrk
published for the Illustrated London Library, in his second chapter
has indulged too in an erroneous theoretical view based on the serious
mistake of another sort which we have pointed out before,2 and which

‘ When this was written we understood Layard to mean these positions as
forming the angles of a, connected line of circumvallation around Nineveh ; but we
have since hadreason to believe we have misinterpreted the sense of his remarks
on this head, and that his conjectures on this subject agree with our own in a
general view.

9 In the opening pages of this paper. The work alluded to (pp. 83, 94, 97) is

'5

TOPOGRAPHY or NINEVEH. 303

indeed negatives his arguments, otherwise founded, as far as we can
see, upon no system at all. We are sorry to expose these errors, but
silence would only serve to perpetuate an hypothesis which must
strangely mislead instead of instruct. Much labour,indeed, has been lost
in searching for walls where it, is evident none existed, and the most
zealous missionary—were he to denounce aloud in the public streets,
as Jonah is presumed. to have done—would find an ample three days'
employment in the capital and its immediate suburbs 3 or, were his
mission but a simple visitation to the four principal seats in the
Nineveh district, a modern curate with no other incitement than his
small pittance would easily perform the journey and his task in the
specified period ,' for the entire circuit is but 61% English miles. We
incline to the belief that Jonah’s enumeration of its inhabitants has
reference to the whole of the tract in our map, which includes arspace
of 350 square miles, and might accommodate a proportionate popula—
tion of six or seven hundred thousand souls, including their abundance
‘of cattle, with much ease.1
In the opening page we have characterized the incipient mountain
ranges of the Jebel Maklub and hill of Mar Daniel or Ayn-es—Safra as
the chief natural features in the'scene. The attention of the traveller
is soon, however, drawn from these to observe and speculate upon the
numerous tumuli which cover the plain in every direction around.
These constitute the artificial points of the Nineveh landscape, and are
represented in our map by dark shaded circles, such as distinguish
conical peaks in chartography. These are all the undoubted work of
the human race, but whether of the Assyrian period, or of a Parthian
era, there are at present some doubts. Some refer them to the latter,
principally from the absence of anything tangible to theorize upon in
the more regular tumuli, most of which, as we at present see them,
are mere mounds of earth elevated in different places to heights
varying from ‘20 to 80 feet above the plain. Others, such as the great
pyramid at Nimrfid, are found to be regular structures of sun-dried
brick} observable only when the interior of the mound is arrived at,
the action of the elements on the outside having, in the course of
' time, reduced the material to the consistency and form of its original
earth. The principal ones have square platforms, at present but little
raised above the plain, though evidently connected in some way with

from the pen of M, Bonomi, and though there is doubtless some good collated in-
formation in it, it cannot be generally quoted as a guide for the attainment of
Assyrian knowledge.

1 More will be said on this hitherto bewildering subject in the detailed notice
of Nineveh to elucidate sheet II. of the vestiges of Assyria.

304 TOPOGRAPHY or NINEVEH.

the higher structures adjoining them.‘ Though now rounded and for
the most part preserving a beautiful conical outline, we are disposed to
think most of them were originally of a pyramidal form, the gradual
crumbling of the apex and falling débris having served to obliterate
the angles in thelapse of time. There can be no question, we think,
of their purpose being other than for religious Observances; as, from
the earliest times, “high places” were deemed essential to these forms;
and the custom, moreover, with little variation, is still perpetuated by
every age and nation, whatever be the creed. From the days when
“ Go to I let us build us a tower” were first uttered, eminences were
preferred for sacrifice and prayer.1 Traces of this preference still
exist in the steeples of our own churches and the spires of our cathe-
drals ; and the minarets of Islam, the pagodas of Burmah, China, and
India, are, we conceive, but perpetuations of the “high places” of the
Magi, which, perhaps, when artificial, were raised on the model of
their archetypes, the pyramids in Egypt and the towerof Shinar.2
Nimrud, in our eyes, has consideration, indeed, as the chief spiritual,
residence of Assyria, from the lofty and peculiar structure of its
pyramid ; while Nineveh, we conceive, is entitled to the temporal
honours of the capital, in which the Ninevite sovereigns were simply
monarchs, whereas in the former they would seem to have performed
also the functions of high priests. At all events these structures have
preference, we think, rather as Assyrian than Parthian relics, from the
fact of the Cuneiform-inscribed brick being found in some of those that
have been excavated; and we may perhaps identify much that is
related by Diodorus Siculus, 3 concerning the works of Semiramis, in
this respect, with the singular eminences before us ,' as well as of her
descent from the mermaid—goddess Derceto, as yet, we believe, only
found represented in the sculptures of Nineveh and Khorsabad. To
continue the subject of these extraordinary piles. From the situation
of some of them along the Khdsr’s course they may have served too as
. rallying points for defence. The principal ones north of the Zéb,

shown in our map, are those of Tel Chimeh (556 L11;), Tel Sabt

(i. 3 n J3),Khazneh(ajj‘g),Keremlis4(»:“ »Y x ,3 Jg, ),
Fadhliyeh (6133,45), Beibokh (trash Nejmok ((5%), Telthameh

1 See Lucian on Sacrifices, 1—4. 2 Babel.

3 Book IL, Chap. I. “She caused high mounds or eminences to be raised
wherever she fixed her camp.”

4 Evidently a religious edifice; this Cuneiform name, according to Colonel
Rawlinson, being that of a god of the period.

TOPOGRAPHY or NINEVEH. ' 305

(Mm), Abbasiyeh (Lanna), Tel Yam (pt, It), and Chittel
(“ll—9.). The rest are comparatively small, and those of Tel Billa

(.ll: k3.3) and Sherifkhan (vi; w 1.5;), or “the city Tarbis,”1

partake more of the nature of mounds covering considerable ruins
than that of isolated eminences. The latter, indeed, has proved a
temple of Sennacherib’s, having been recently excavated at fthe
desire of Colonel Rawlinson. These works more than anything else
speak of the populousness of the district; and, indeed, of all Assyria 3
for they exist in every direction within the extended limits of that
empire: every homestead appears to have had one attached; and if
really for sacred practices, we may imagine the sublimity of the scene
presented by the assemblage of the congregations around the various
altars in the open air. A signal by day, or the sacred fire at night,
displayed from the chief sanctuary, might have prostrated the whole
nation—under the great canopy of Heaven only—in simultaneous
prayer. Beneath these eminences there yet exist two archaic treasures
which, if excavations are continued, must be discovered. We advocate,
however, more strenuous efforts for this end, for there is no knowing
when the pleasure of the Porte may cancel the present firman in our
favour, and leave us in the dark just at the time when some new
phase in Cuneiform readings requires the greatest light to be thrown
on the subject. The old proverb, “ make hay while the sun shines,”
is equally applicable to Assyrian harvests; and while the rays of
Osmanli friendship are warm upon us we should gather in our crops,
for there are other and jealous gleaners in the field.

The rivers of this region are classic streams, and noticed as they
. are by writers of every age, they require little remark from our pen.
Of \he‘Tigris, enough has been' said of its present locality in the suc—
ceeding papers 3 a bridge of boats at present spans it at Mosul, where
a solid structure previously stood at no very distant period. From
appearances above water it certainly looks like a modern work, and,
we believe, has received repairs, even in the last century. Such a
structure did exist, if we recollect right, when the legions of Heraclius
crossed the Tigris to fight the disastrous battle of Nineveh, and the
present remains may, therefore, be the identical piers over which that
emperor, on his favorite horse Phallus, some twelve centuries back,
marched to the conquest of Persia, then governed by a Sassanian
monarch, Whose ancestors may have constructed the bridge as neces—
sary to their repeated designs upon the, Roman frontiers in Syria and

1 »:YY k : :EYY of the Cuneiform tablets.

 

\

306 TOPOGRAPHY or NINEVEH.

Asia Minor. That no bridge existed here in Alexander the Great’s
time we gather from the difficulty he experienced in crossing the
Tigris,1 though no enemy opposed his passage: and, we may presume,
the spot was equally devoid of one in the most flourishing period of
Assyria, from its absence on the sculptures, where, however, we have the
name of the Tigris in the Cuneiform, little differing from the various
names preserved to us at the present day. On the map, the cha-
racters representing it, as kindly furnished by Colonel Rawlinson, are

Y; E} ». ».» and Y; 15} >1— Cy‘Q E&, (signifying The

River Hattikkar or Hattiggar) the first two letters being the

determinative of a river, while Y; E »EY :E» :Y ><Y< has
reference, the Colonel thinks, to the branch of the Tigris then wash-
ing the mounds of Koiyunjik and Nebbi Yunus. As this river
was so well known in the early ages we may well express some
surprise at its being confounded with the Euphrates by many
authors, particularly by Ctesias and Diodorus Siculus, at a later
period. The error is easily accounted for, however, on other grounds
than Ctesias being a proverbially loose writer, and we have in some
measure pointed out the confusion as existing to the present time, in
a previous paper2 in the Geographical Transactions of Bombay. The
fact is, this gross irregularity in the nomenclature has arisen chiefly
from local events, and has been perpetuated by writers whose chief
object appears to have consisted in collecting every amount of inform—
ation, without critical examination of its value. It is as gross an
error of speech in situ, at the present day, as it was doubtless in the
age of our first historians. The error, indeed, is not confined to the
vicinity of Mosul alone; it extends as far south as Samara on the
Tigris, and is to be explained in our own day by the constant wan-
derings of the Dellim, the J ebour, and the Shammar,—the great tribes
in Northern Mesopotamia-from the banks of the one river to those
of the other. The J ebour, and the Dellim especially, own the large
tract east of the Euphrates from the mouth of the K habi’ir to Felfigia
opposite Baghdad; and having drank of its waters from infancy, it
remains a cherished appellation, and with them a generic or normal
one, for most streams they meet with in their periodical wanderings
to the Tigris in search of pasture, Where it is considered more exu—
berant and of a better quality in the spring. Possessed too, as the
tract itself now is, by a new people originally from the west of the

1 He forded it in the autumn, not an easy task, even at this season.« At others
it is impassable on foot.

2 .On the Median Wall of Xenophon and position of Opis.

TOPOGRAPHY or NINEVEH. 307

Euphrates, which river they were familiar with, the name has become
in a measure patent for the Tigris, with the lower classes in the towns,
not excepting the boat and raft-men who ply upon it, of every degree.
To the Arab geographers and the less illiterate portion of the modern

community, it is, however, well known as the Dijl or Dijleh (be)

the Hiddekel of Genesis, identically the Khali,‘ Hattikkar, or Hattig-
gar of the Cuneiform Tablets, and through the Greek TLI'prS‘, our form
of Tigris. The ignorant Arab, moreover, while wrongly designating it
the “Frat " or “ Euphrates ” will readily admit his error if reasoned
with on the real distinctive titles the streams separately bear. The
confusion, indeed, appears to have originated very early in the con-
stant changes which the country underwent during the incessant wars
maintained for extension of empire, in which the inhabitants of a
region were, as captives, transported “ en masse ” to swell the distant
possessions of the conqueror. The countries beyond the boundary of
the Euphrates were ever the coveted possessions, and the Assyrians,
we know, gained an extended frontier westward of that stream, Whose
population, -as captives of war, thus carried with them to the banks of
the Tigris which they were subsequently to colonize, the associations
and the names attached to the homesteads of which they were indi-
vidually bereaved. The descriptions of Herodotus, Xenophon, and
Arrian are, however, testimonies too strong to affect our positions in
favour of a change, even were we unable to point out the mode in
which such and other discrepancies prevail in the pages of Ctesias and
Diodorus.

The Upper Zéb is the next principal stream in our plan. Having
its source in many tributaries from the Kurdistan mountains2 it falls
into the Tigris over a‘broad shingly bed, interspersed with several
islands, in latitude 35° 59’ 30" north. There is evidence in its banks
that it flowed in a more confined space in early times, its occasional
fierce character as a mountain stream coursing over a hard bed having
now widened its valley to an extent in places equal with the Tigris,
though in the autumn it is insignificant enough. This extent of valley
> has rendered it diflicult to bridge, and in no place is the poverty of
‘ the Turkish government so conspicuous as it is in the passage of the

‘ This term I believe is still to be traced in the country; it is found applied
to old water~chanuels. See my journey in search of the Median Wall and Opis,
7 in Bombay Geographical Transactions. Khéli or Chali are indifi'erently used

at the present time for the 01d watercourse so long confounded with the Median

vWall of Xenophon, and known more generally as the Sidd-i-Nimrfid or Nimrod‘s
dyke to the modern Arabs.

3 “ Sogdian mountains ” of Arrian.

308 TOPOGRAPHY or NINEVEH.

Zab, where, on the main road to the principal cities, we have, as a
means of crossing, but a couple of ricketty rafts of nine feet square,
worked by a few Yezidi Kurds in connection with the miserable ham-
let and post—house located at the Kellaks of our map, where the road
from Baghdad, past Arbil, leads on to Mosul. Wretched as the site
is at present, the occurrences connected with the second name invest
it with an interest singularly pleasing to the traveller, for, unchange— '
able as things are in the East, these spots doubtless mark the iden-
tical fords passed by Alexander the Great, in pursuit of Darius.
Here, indeed, we may presume the conqueror encamped to refresh his
weary followers after the battle, which so far as conjecture and history
guide us, was fought on the tongue of land intermediate between the
Z2311) and its tributary the Khazr.

The army of Darius, we imagine, occupied the superior portion of
the gentle slopes leading from the summit of the tongue to the Khazr’s
bed, which stream is recognized by philologists as the Bumédus of
Arrian’s history, through its modern name of Gomel, as used in the
north districts of its course, by the simple and prevalent interchange
of the ,8 for the <y and 8 for the 7t in the name.1 Gomel or Gomelus
thus becomes Bumadus; and the Gaugamela, where Darius was en-
camped, may with more certainty be identified with the actual name
of the stream, although Rich questions such an inference, suggested
first, we, believe, by the celebrated Rennell. The present Tel Aswad
may, therefore, mark the site of the “ Gan ” of this tributary, what-
ever its own signification may be. At all events, Arrian’s distances
of the armies from each other and descriptions of the locality coincide
in a remarkable manner with the present features. Sixty stadia’s
length westward on the main road would place Alexander’s army in
the depressed plains around Keremlis, shut out by the intermediate
elevations which, skirting the west bank‘ of the Gomel or Kh azr, connect
the heights to the right with the hill of Ayn-es—safra and the Maklub
range, to the left. A large army encumbered with chariots and
armour could only follow this road even if Darius had not selected a
position (unfavourable, as we think it) between the two streams, one
of which, the Zéb, difficult of passage, was in his rear. Doubtldss, per-
sonally he had the means of retreat across it, and to this perhaps, his
defeat may be ascribed, for he was in evident alarm at the character
of his adversary, or he would not have permitted him to pass the
Tigris with the impunity he did. It may be, however, that Darius
himself had reached thus far only on his road to oppose him, and a

1 Colonel Rawlinson, we believe, holds this Opinion.

TOPOGRAPHY or NINEVEH. 3 09

fortuitous event, perhaps, aided in accomplishing his overthrow. But
we are digressing while endeavouring to point out “the httlochs lying
in the middle ” which hindered the army of Alexander seeing their oppo-
nents when at the distance of sixty stadia, and will conclude this part of
our subject with a reference to the map, where it will be seen an advance
of the thirty stadia, mentioned byArrian, would place the Greeks on
the level of the ridge just east of the artificial tumuli Tel Amir‘and
Tel Husseyn, in “full view of the barbarians,” where the great council
of war was held, and where Alexander exhorted1 his captains and fol-
lowers to maintain their ancient valour in the field, which was so soon
to deStrOy the prestige of the Persian name, and revolutionize all Asia
for two subsequent centuries at least.

Previous to this great- event, however, there was another equally
glorious to the character of the Greeks, in part enacted on the same
soil. We allude to the retreat of Xenophon and the celebrated Ten
Thousand through this territory. Though we have no tangible
position described, we are at no loss to decide upon the exact point of
the Greek's passage of the Zéb. From the twenty—five stadia, enume-
rated in the Anabasis, as performed on the day of crossing, before
coming to the valley and the villages west of the zeb, we are confident
that the army forded the stream, which then bore the name of Zabatus,
a little above its junction with the Ghazr or Khasr-su. This latter is
undoubtedly identical with the “ valley formed by a torrent,” where the
Greeks suffered so much annoyance by the enemy as to retard their ad-
vance; and there is no question of their subsequent positions on the region
embraced by our map ,' for the harassed legions were evidently bending
their steps to the Tigris, where at least one flank was safe from annoy—
ance, after a diversion made to ford the Zéb in the best available spot _
above the confluence of a considerable torrent, which rendered that
river impassable in its career through the lower and softer soils
below. They moved early on the following day, to give time for

7 the passage of the Ghazr in face of an active enemy, whom, a little
beyond, they defeated with some loss, thus enabling the march to be
performed without difficulty for the rest of the day. Twelve geo-
graphical miles may, therefore, be fairly allotted to this performance,
anxious as they were to proceed, yet vigilant and in battle array, and
we accordingly lead them from the banks of the Khazrsu, at Ghaza- .
Khan Teppeb, in a direct line through the gently undulating valley,

"past the position .of Khidr Elyas to the Tigris abreast of Nimrud,

which ruin is too distinctly described in the Larissa of the Anabasis,

1 See Arrian’s Expedition of Alexander the Great, Book 111., chaps. 7 to 15,
inclusive. '

310 TOPOGRAPHY or NINEVEH.

to admit a doubt of its identity, though twenty-two centuries have
elapsed. If, indeed, uncertainty existed it would be dispelled in the
next position near Mespila, where the intermediate distance of six
parasangs can scarcely be more correctly defined ,' the “ Castle of the
Madras,” or ancient Nineveh itself, being, by our map, a little under
seventeen geographical miles. 1
p The Zab, indeed, is a well known stream, and abounds in beautiful
fish, some of which attain a very large size, particularly the Firkh,

((13) a good donkey-load, found also 1n the lower Zéb, Diyaleh, and

other streams emanating from the Zag1o.s Singular enough the name
of Zab has from the ea111est times been maintained to the present day.
rl‘he Arab geographers and historians wrote it in the same way as it is
found engraved on the Cuneiform tablets, in terms meaning “ the higher

or upper Zéb,” the characters "lg“ (.41, zab a1 Ala, or Lasj'dl UB1
Zi’iab-al—Ala, answering to the Assyrian Y; B W >—((Y >>—Y
:(YH pronounced as “Zéba—elita ” by the learned Assyrian com—

mentator. Xenophon gives it as the Zabatus, while other Greek writers
name it as the Lycus, Ads-09, “ the wolf,” this being apparently a mere
Hellenized form of Zéb, which in the Semitic dialects, especially under
the Arabic form of gel) bib) or gr; 5, has the significations of
“wolf,” and “restless 3" such as is applied to the disorder created
among flocks by the sudden approach of the animal of that name.
The term, indeed, is quite characteristic of its wayward and suddenly
impetuous energy when acted upon by bill thunder-storms. The
province of Adiabene derived its name also, it is supposed, from this
and its sister stream, being in the Aramaean, according to the writer
of the article on Assyria 111 Kitto, Chadyab, or Hadyab. We suspect,
indeed, that mountain streams like the Zéb and Khazr-su, in the latter
Assyrian dynasties, bore a sacred character, from the labour taken
to conduct them by the canal and underground tunnel represented in
our map, originally emanating from Negoub, but afterwards extending
below the hills from the banks of the Khazr-su to Nimri’id, which in
its Observances as the chief asylum of religion, may have required the
employment of mountain water thus brought, perhaps by a praise-
worthy veneration, to this sanctuary , for the Tigris, even at the pre-
sent time, is not so far distant as to necessitate the undertaking of such
a work for the ordinary wants of life, when a canal dug in the allu-
vial plain from the bend of the river at Selamiyeh would, at any time,
convey the fluid to the base of the great pyramid and the palaces to
the west of the town. The eastern suburbs of Nimrud, also, isolated

TOPOGRAPHY or NINEVEH. 311

as they are from the enceinte of the original town, would seem to
have risen in a subsequent age, as if designed for purposes connected
with the great conduit terminating at the base of the mounds. The
high cliff, through which the mouth of the aqueduct is tunnelled at
Negoub, shews that the Zzib originally ran deep on the northern bank,
and maintained a constant stream in the canaL The river, however,
it is evident, subsequently abandoned this work for the opposite shore
as its bed gradually widened, and hence the continuation of the tunnel
4 beneath the elevations which lead to the banks of the Khazr, which

stream, we may suppose, was permanently dammed near its junction
' with the Zéb, to turn its waters fully into the excavation. For the
age, it is undoubtedly a great work, and, moreover, bears testimony
» that the science of levelling was well known to the Assyrian people.1
Butasmall portion remains at present entire at Negoub, the encroach-
ments of the river having swept off the parts connecting it with the;
remnants near Gubbeyeh, in the course of time. It is neatly chiselled
through [a hard sandstone and surface-conglomerate, to a depth, per-
haps of forty feet ,' the sluices and dams which regulated the supply
of water being ingeniously formed from the original rock left standing
in the Centre. The work is referred to, we believe, in the Assyrian
records; and an inscription formerly existed at Negoub, which, thrown
down, has been carried off or broken by the parties employed in
Assyrian desecration- At all events it no longer remains “in situ ”
to proclaim the name and charitable purpose of its founder, though
these and its own title have been rescued from oblivion ,' the latter we

have furnished us by Colonel Rawlinson, as H E fl: >(Y(
t»: >Y<Y€ “ Pati—kanal,” the last word evidently the “ canal” of

l

5 our own language. The Arabic Negoub (“-9”) is a mere modern

appellation applied to it, as a tunnel or “hole ” in the rock; and
Kariz, (1:013), that of its connecting arm with the Khazr, is a com—

pound Persian term in general use for subterranean water channels.
The latter tributary of the Zéb, in the countryrepresented by the
map, is generally known as the Ghazr, but the real orthography, as

given by Yakfit 1n the M’ ajim-al— —buldan, 1s Khazir (y 14>.) the former
being a corruPted form of it, used only 1n speech.

1 Much ingenuity and hydraulic skill 1s he1e evident 1n the Assyrian people,

the canal being, for eight miles, led contrary to the natural course of every stream
in the district.

3 See also Layard’s Nineveh and Babylon, chap. XXVI. ., pp. 616, 617, and
note §.

1 VOL. xv. Z

312 i TOPOGRAPHY or NINEVEH.

The remaining stream of the region is the Khosr-Sn, the character
of which is more minutely given in the paper on Nineveh. It rises in
the elevations north of Khorsabad, but we were not allowed time to
accomplish more than an imperfect survey of its course, from the west
of that ruin to the Tigris. Indeed, for the same reason, we were
compelled to abandon any lengthened operations at Khorsabad-itself,
though we were enabled to connect its principal features trigonomet-
rically with its sister cities, in which work we derived all possible
information and assistance from the kindness of M. Place, the French
consul, then resident there. We observed, however, of the Khosr, that
though at times a mere rivulet, its deep and tolerably wide bed, by
shutting up its outlet at the margin of the Tigris and supporting the
accumulated waters by strong dams at appropriate positions on the
gradations 0f the country, could be filled to any extent, and thus
converted into an effective barrier against aggression from without.
We are persuaded, indeed, that such a system of defence was adopted
by the Assyrians, for the protection both of the capital and Khorsabad,
which places were doubtless insulated from approach by the simple
retention of as much water as was necessary in the Khosr and its
adjuncts around the latter city. This subject is, however, touched
upon in our opening conjectures upon Nimrud, and we see no reason
to alter the opinion we have hazarded, regarding the necessity of
establishing the mass of the population on this, naturally the weakest
side of the district before us. On the contrary, we are more than
ever impressed with the idea, purely on geographical grounds,
that Khorsabad arose as a stronghold of Assyria simultaneously
with Nineveh itself, though it has been generally held to have
less claim to antiquity than other sites on the same soil. Of its
sculptures and other works of art, considered with reference to the
glory of the founder of the palace (Sargon), we have nothing to offer,
but award it archaic honours from the earliest period, in consideration
of the necessity for its position alone. After all, the palace of Sargon
may consist only of an embellished suite of apartments, or a temple of
a later period, built upon, or adjoining to, the original structures.

Were we, however, to draw an inference of the age of Khorsabad
from its monuments, we confess a desire to support our local arguments
by the presence of the fin-tailed monster on its walls; which effigy
exists also at Koyunjik, while absent from the sculptures obtained in
N imrnd, as if out of its element there. Under its various appellations
of Dagon, Odakon, Derketo, Atergatis, Oannes, and Noah, it seems
pretty generally understood that the device subsequently worshipped
in many parts of the East, emanated in Babylonia, where it heralded

\

TOPOGRAPHY or NINEVEH. 313

the descent of the people from the patriarch of the flood ,' and as such,
we may presume, in the chambers of Khorsabad and Koiyunjik, typi-
fled the race of their founder as originally from the plains of Shinar.
Semiramis is named by some authors1 as the ofi‘spring of a mythic
goddess of this nature, who as a mermaid may have represented the
patriarch’s wife, as did the merman our second progenitor, Noah. At
' all events the symbol, in combination with these historical person-
ages, has a signification of some value perhaps, in the considera-
tion of the comparative antiquity of Assyrian and Babylonian ves-
7 tiges, and in the former place, may also serve as a relative index for
determining priority of construction in its several edifices. Colonel
llawlinson, we are aware, has long held the opinion that the Baby-
' Ionian vestiges in Southern Mesopotamia are those of the most early
structures of the human race, derived partly from the history of the
people and partly confirmed by his own observations on the spot.2
\Ve but allude to the figure in two of the Assyrian edifices as indica—
tive perhaps of their being the first established positions in the region,
as well as confirmative of our own ideas that Khorsabad was an out-
work of‘Nineveh at the dawn of Assyrian existence as a colony. The
lofty tumuli of Telthameh, Nejmok, Beibokh, and Abbasiyeh, erected
at regular distances on the Khosr’s course, and midway between the
extreme posts, speak of a vigilance essential to the preservation of the
dams which rendered the Khosr a sufficient bulwark against invasion
from the north- west. In the inscriptions this stieam is written

ll E ii EB]: i r<i< and ll E ll (1. KM

i ll »(Y(, which Colonel. Rawlinson pronounces as “the river

.Zakapbirati ;” and the signs Y; E »Y LEW ll»? :1 have, he

thinks, reference to the modern name Khosr f?’ found in the
geographical dictionary of Yaki’it. It is written indifl'erently by the
moderns Khozr 119, and sometimes further corrupted to W’

Khusru. It has been thought too that Khorsabad derived its name
from a permutation of the letters in that of the stream, but this is not

~ 1 See Diodorus Siculus especially.
2 Within the last few months other Babylonian ruins have been brought to
light that were never before known to Eu10peans. Our active Vice- Consul at

Basrah, Mr. John Taylor, escorted by his Arab friends, visited the most prominent —
of these, termed Abu Shehreyn. His journals are in the hands of the trustees to
the British Museum, and there are not wantng people in every way calculated for
such enterprise, who are readyto explore the region as soon as the authorities
have settled the question. Let us hope the French are not the first 1n the field, as

' .ifi Niflevb‘h and Khorsabad.

Z2

 

314 rrorocuurnr or NINEVEH.

the case, though the title Khorsabad is a corrupted form in itself, from

Khuri’istabad, $th.15. as given in the ’Majim—al—Buldan of Yaki’it.
This latter is the name of a village which grew on the spot long after
the Assyrian period, but Yakut notices the older ruin, under the

name of Sargh (1n, , )9 1,9, which is found too on the tablets excavated

by M. Botta, shewing that the Assyrian name attached to the spot

a few centuries back only. It appears on the Cuneiform tablets, ac—

cording to Colonel Rawlinson, as :E ;_<Y Y <<: il’ or :E

E?— :5»»> >YY& >37, “Dur Sarginaf’ but whether

it ever possessed or not a previous title, must, perhaps, remain in the
obscurity of the past.

We here close the more general description of the locality, to enter
upon that of the capital, better seen on the large scale of Sheet I.
Before doing so, however, we would call attention to the Appendix,
(No. 1), where the interested reader will find the names of the various
places noted in Sheet III, written in the Syriac form, with both the
proper and corrupt modes of writing their Arabic equivalents. It is
scarcely necessary to add, that the more corrupt orthography and
pronunciation are most in use, at the present day, among the lower
classes,- and the significations of some of them must be considered
doubtful also, from the difference of opinion expressed in the country,
as to the true meaning of many of the terms.

REMARKS ON THE METROPOLIS OF ASSYRIA.
Descriptive of the Capital, as shown in the first sheet of the 3161105.

It is evident that in the selection of a site for “ the great city,”
the founder of Nineveh was not actuated by chance or caprice alone 3
for no little ingenuity has been displayed in taking advantage of the
natural features of the country, so as to adapt them to the propOsed
end, that of protection and defence from the encroachments of his
fellow-men. But before entering into the dimensions and details of the
metropolis of Assyria, we call attention to it only as the principal city
of the district included within the four streams shown in Sheet III,
and distinctly specified in page 3 of the paper accompanying it. “79
need not look, indeed, for the extended walls ascribed to it by Ctesias,
for it is evident they never existed, except in the imagination of the
writer 5 and the “ exceeding great city, of three days’ journey,”
enumerated by J ouah, instead of being, as is generally thought, corro-

awn—gvrirrw»? ‘C'W' ‘

TOPOGRAPHY 0F NINEVEH. 3 l 5

b'orative of Ctesias’ accuracy, is simply conclusive, we think, of the
character of the Ninevite abodes, separate, yet contiguous to each
other; for the term “journey,” in our opinion, implies a going-out
from one to the other}, for the necessary visitation demanded by the
mission of the prophet. More will be said on this subject when we
consider the identification of the spot bearing the name of Nineveh at
the present day.

We have here only to remark that the implied population, from the
metaphorical expressions of Jonah, could not he maintained within the

» circumscribed limits before us.

But that the worn- -down mural structures of our map are those of

the principal city of the region there 1s little doubt, and we infer there—

fore, as in other countries, 2 the capital derived its name from, or vice
'veisd gave its name to, the district Where the founder first determined

on fixin his abode. The hrase “a reat cit ” mi ht indeed with
_ g P g y g 7

every propriety, be collectively or individually applied to either one
or all of the Nineveh edifices; for it must be remembered, the people
of the climates we are treating of, were, from the earliest times,
dwellers in tents, from the Nile to the Tigris; and walled enclosures,
however diminutive, possessed, in their eyes, a relative 111agnitude
which we cannot question in the present day.

“Is not this Great Nineveh I have built 2”" may be a pardonable
pexultation in-the mouth of the Assyrian monarch who raised the first
edifices over the heads of barbarian men ,' but, in the present civiliza-

1 From Nineveh to Nimrud in round numbers is eighteen miles; thence to
Khorsabad about twenty-eight, and back to Nineveh by the road fourteen miles.
2 Exemplified in many counties of England alone: Yorkshire, Gloucester-

‘shire, N ottinghamshire, and others, where the “ shire,” as derived from the Saxon

“scir,” simply means a division, or separate territory, and the chief town
took the name of its original lord, or first possessor. We have the same term

’)

in‘the Persian term ‘9 Shehr,” J43, “city, applied to separate congregations

of men : and in the similar Arabic word we can perhaps trace the extended mean-
ing of “renowned,” or “wide-spread,” a favourite title for illustrious cities, as
well as personages, of the olden time. We are inclined, indeed, to consider that
in the words Nineveh and N inns we trace the name of Nimrud ; the “ m” and “ n

in the middle of the names being common enough mutations in every language;

while the terminations “eveh” and “us” are referable, perhaps, to Semitic and
Greek forms, with which the learned may assimilate the meaning of “ house,” or
“ abode.” N imrfid is supposed to be a compound name; the latter syllable in the
Hebrew being expressive of the title of “rebel,” or “mighty,” in accordance
with his character.

'- 3 The quotation is here, perhaps, a little distorted, but is equally applicable to
Nineveh as to Babylon. Sacred and profane writers agree in distinguishing it by

_ the term “ great,” and in a poetical fragment of Diodorus Siculus, Nivog M5750").

is employed to express its character as a city.

/

316 TOPOGRAPHY or NINEVEH.

tion of Europe, such language would be intolerant in prince or subject 3
for the simple reason that man is daily familiarised with progressive
art, which enables him to conceive and behold the most stupendous
objects with less admiration and astonishment. The superficialobser-
.ver may, therefore, derive no interest from the dry topographical details
of a spot more insignificant, in respect of size, than a second—rate
borough town in Europe, still the associations connected with its
foundation—its subsequent rise to power, and reverses to degradation
-——-its monuments and records, but recently exhumed—must invest it
with an importance that will attach even to the crumbled walls, which,
for twenty—five centuries at least, have concealed the materials which
fill up a large gap in the previous history of our world.

In considering the map of the capital of Nineveh1 we must exclude
from our mental view all human structures, and regard, at first, the
natural features of the spot alone. Imagine the Tigris, then, thirty~five
centuries back, confined by the cliffs now seen at Bash-Tabiyeh,
abutting further to the northieast, in a valley of two—thirds of its pre-
sent breadth only, and‘ for this reason attaining a somewhat higher
level than it does at the present day, especially in the floods. As the
dip of these countries is all southerly, fluid pressure will also, unless
diverted by local irregularities, impinge on the southern curves of the
land. This has led toithe abrasion of the western cliffs, and diverted
the Tigris from its original position, now occupied by the village of
Armi’ishiyeh. In the low season of the stream, from September to
January, during those remote ages, let us regard it as occupying .the
curve it does now, just east of the wooded island, near where the road
leads up the cliffs to Tel Keyf, past the tomb of Sheikh Ahmed-al-
Kharaza.2 From this point, to have flowed over the site of the modern
village of Armfishiyeh, at the season and time we speak of, it must
have had its eastern margin just in the line now occupied by the south-
western wall, the alignment of which we may presume was laid out
along it ,' and, indeed, the gentle curve at the south-west angle of the
city will warrant this inference alone. As the spring drew on, we can
readily conceive the rising water, bound in by the abrupt precipices of
the right bank, extending its approaches more to the east, up the
gentle incline, as far as the margin of what we term the spur, or lower
crops, emanating from the undulations north of the city, until the
highest annual level had been attained, in the season of our May. At.‘

1 Vestiges of Assyria. Sheet I. “ An ichnographic sketch of the remains of
ancient Nineveh, with the enceinte of modern Mosul.”

2 A Mahomedan doctor of some reputation in the neighbourhood, though we
could not ascertain the precise nature of his claims for veneration.

 

' TOPOGRAPHY or NINEVEH. 317

this time we can picture to ourselves the steep cliffs north-west of the
tomb of the modern Mahomedan Sheikh Kharaza, begirt to some
height by the swollen and rapid Tigris, which passing onwards, swept
more gently into the inclined and shallow recess to the south-east,
occupying the embayment as far as the mill of Armi’ishiyeh, and.
beyond that place submerging, in its spring career, the then winter
delta of the Khésr-sfi, with the low grounds now marked “swamp” in
the map ,' covering at the same time the ground plots of Koiyunjik and
"Nebbi Yi’inus, then not raised, and filling the valley and ravine (No.
29), until checked by the rising grounds bounding them on the south,
which its waters then embraced, in their descent onwards towards
Ya1emjeh. The hard sandstone clifl‘s north of Kharaza, as well as the
softer sedimentary deposits forming the old river margin lower down,
bear evidence of this water attrition, in an unmistakeable extent.
Keeping in view this spring aspect of the Tigris in the early ages,
when considering the'natural form of the land at the period, let us
quit the margin of the great river, and range eastward along the banks
of the Khésr-su. As we progress across the spur it will be observed
that the land, on either hand of the rivulet’s course, has a gentle rise,
until we stand on the position occupied by the east wall of the capital,
on the crest of the spur,1 and that the country declines to an extended
hollow plain, before rising again into other lofty and more distant
undulations beyond. ‘ From this point the general direction of the
Khésr-su, to the gorge west of the iuined position of Hashemiyeh,i
nearly n01 th, keeping, howevei, a lather winding course through th:
hollow plain, terminating at the declivity of the crest, until it meets,
and is diverted westward by, somewhat more elevated slopes, abutting
.eastwards from the position No. 11, where, if we take up a new posi-
tion, we perceive that the Khosr—sfi, by channelling the land at our
feet, can be led southwards along the east face of the spur into the
vale and ravine delineated at No. 29. Turning northwards again, we
skirtthe crest of the spur to its junction with the low range from
Whichit is thrown off, andwith which a few cropping mounds alone
‘ connect it, separating, at the same time,2 the recess or bay on the west
side from the hollow plain d bed of the Khésr-sfi on the east ; while
‘the original low range itselafnsweeps here to the east, as far as, and
beyond, the gorge west of Hashemiyeh, where there are numerous
ravines,3 so deeply furrowed by the action of winter torrents, that the
designer of the city could not fail to foresee and provide for the acces-

‘ No. 27 of the map.
2 No.23 of map of Nineveh. ,
3 N0. 26 of map of Nineveh. _,

318 TOPOGRAPHY OF NINEVEH.

sions to the waters of the Khésr itself, which must, as in the present
day, have been at times wholly impassable; and, indeed, if happening
conjointly with the season of flood in the Tigris—when we are con-
templating our mental survey—the platform of Nineveh, for the most
part, must have presented an unwholesome swamp. The Words of
Nahum,1 “but Nineveh is of old like a pool of water,” in reality
would seem to convey the primz'tice aspect of the site, at a certain
season of the year.

To enter into detail as to the motives2 for the selection would be,
perhaps, a profitless task, but as we proceed we shall see the skill of
the designer enabled him to convert the morass into a habitable posi- _
tion, strong enough in those days to defy the power of mankind, as
well as to become the “treasure house” of the surrounding nations,
which its people had despoiled.

We will now view the locality under the autumnal garb we consider
it to have worn at the period we are discussing, when the waters of the
Tigris had receded, and occupied, in respect to space only, the number of
yards, as in breadth its bed does at the present day; but, in regard to
position, the course we have pointed out two pages back. At this sea-
son, the stream of the Khosr, represented by an ancle—deep rill, slowly
wound its way among numerous islands and shingle flats in its bed 5
and the spur of cropping undulations, which under the spring aspect
resembled an almost isolated peninsula, was now edged by a broad
expanse of pebble and alluvium, deposits of the retiring floods. This
is the period for operations, and the Assyrians, let us suppose, are
gathered to the task. The cut3 along the east face of the spur, to the
south, is rapidly completed, and a corresponding one, on the opposite
side of the Khosr, to the north, is stretching its channel to the verge
of the range, where the Spur is thrown off, to meet a canal‘ cut from
the right bank of the Khésr, about a mile north of the gorge near the
position of Hashemiyeh. This cut is the city moat (12), or inner
ditch to the capital, and, where meeting the canal, is on a perceptible
higher level than the southern portions. To continue this ditch the
spur is separated from the range it was attached to by a cut of nine '

1 Nahum, ii. 8. ‘ I

2 It will suffice, perhaps, to point out the Khdsr channel as the weakest boun-
dary of the district under review. The bulk of the population was here necessary
to its defences; and in the angles formed by the Khésr’s junction with the Tigris,
the most convenient site was found for the capital, whether for trading purposes,
or for protection and defence. See also “Topography of N imrud,” where the
iubj ect is further considered.

3 No. 12, map of Nineveh.

4 N o. 24, map of Nineveh.

TOPOGRAPHY or NINEVEH. 319

feet deep,1 crossing it in a direction of south-west, from just above the
junction of the canal, to the east (No. 28) margin of the Tigris ,' its
continuation, south of the Khosr bed, stretching at the same time
with an easy decline, to the ravine at ‘No. 29, which connected it in
this part with the Tigris also.’

While these excavations were proceeding, the walls of the capital,
we may presume, were being fashioned of sun—dried bricks out of the
earth extracted from the trenches, and of blocks of stone, which, we
believe, on further examination, will be found forming their basement
throughout the alignments of the city; for in most parts Where the
wall has been dug into, neatly hewn blocks of limestone have been
extracted, and indeed, may be passed on the surface of the soil around.
Their regular cut surfaces lead us to conclude, however, that if the
Babylonians, under Nimrud, first founded the city, the walls must
have been fashioned by the expert masons of some other land, where

lapidary science and the tools necessary to it had already attained to
i a respectable standard which could not have been acquired by the foun-
ders themselves, whatever may have been their skill in the construe:
tion of, ordinary bricks, which they had doubtless some experience of,
from Babel tuition, under the discipline of a Nimrod, in the plains of
Shinar. At all events the perfect form of these cubes of masonry, com-
bined with their singular position—if they do really exist throughout
the foundations of what has been considered by some as the arche-
type of cities—would point to an architectural era long antecedent,
perhaps, to the foundation of Nineveh.2 We believe the question has
been already settled by the learned in favour of the antiquity of Egypt.
The subject is still, however, curious and interesting, considering the
author of the Pentateuch (himself an Egyptian) in the pages of
Genesis accords to Mesopotamia and Assyria the geniuses of design
and execution in the establishment of permanent abodes. This is,
however, a digression from the subject in hand.

The excavation (No. 12) is prepared, we infer, for the reception of
the Khésr and the protection of the city. “As soon, therefore, as com-
i‘plete, let us imagine a dam (N0. 27) of massive stones being carried
across the bed of the Khosr so as connect the ridge of the spur sepa-

1 No. 23, map of Nineveh.

3‘ Xenophon, in the famous Retreat of the 10,000 Greeks, notices a plinth of
polished stone, forming the lower parts of the walls of the Median city which is
identical with that-before us. He adds, however, it was full of shells, and this
statement can be verified by the curious in the present day. The conglomerate
is a. predominant‘feature in the excavated ditches, and an artificial concrete in

- many places forming a facing to the scarped sides to prevent water attritition,
is traceable also in many parts.

320 TOPOGRAPHY or NINEVEH.

rated naturally by its current. The Khosr—or at least a part of
it—thus turned into the new channel, joins the Tigris by the ravine at
No. 29,‘ the remainder, by partially damming the stream further to
the north, filling the canal extending from its right bank to No. 24,
and there bifurcating, one branch occupying the cut separating the
spur from the range (Nos. 12 and 23), the other coursing down the
decline to the south to join the pent-up basin in its bed at the dam,
where, unsupported, during the freshes of spring and in heavy winter
rains,'there must have been a pressure threatening considerable danger
to the growing city. This was, however, provided for, and the risk
much lessened, by erecting other substantial dams1 (27, 27, 27) in
advance of the main one; and a semilunar fosse, with a sluice gate}
of slightly irregular form, named in the map, the central ditch (No.
13) would seem to have been subsequently added for further security
against floods. It has a deeper channel at its head than the city moat
(No. 12), but where it was conducted into that aqueduct below No.
11, the former becomes increased both in depth and extent. ‘

It is evident, however, that these outlets were deemed at times
either insufficient in magnitude for the purpose, or that danger from
without required a stronger bulwark to guard against the surprise of
an active enemy, by the formation of the great eastern ditch and ram—
part, No. 14 of the map. This in itself, for the age we speak of, is
a work of great magnitude, considering it is cut for upwards of
two miles with a breadth of two hundred feet3 through a peculiarly
hard and compact siliceous conglomerate, perhaps the very worst of
all soils to excavate and remove, for neither the pick, the chisel,
nor the. spade, can be used with advantage in it. ‘ This . ditch occupies
the whole breadth of the flat or hollow at the base of the spur,
the rampart thrown up on its east side acting as a great barrier
to the Khosr's further progress eastward, and atithe same time by

1 Remains still exist.

2 See dam in fosse just below the Ayn-al-Demlamajeh. The other outlets
appear also to have had dams and sluices for arresting the rapidity of the current
in its descent into the ravine at No. 29; the places they occupied are shown in the
map. At No. 23, where the spur has been separated from the range, for the
reception of a. part of the Khésr waters brought by the canal to No. 24, the
obstructions are placed'teethwise from either side of the bank to‘ check the velocity
0f the torrent in its passage over the spur, before descending into the low recess
beyond the cliffs.

3 The cast bank is the great rampart facing the plain beyond. It varies in
height from sixty to eighty feet above the level of the bottom of the ditch at the
present day, though roads have led over it for many centuries back. It is
formed from the excavated soil of the channel at its base.

TOPOGRAPHY or NINEVEH. 32 1

a sweep at its north extremity enclosing the ravines at No. 26‘ so
as to accumulate their supplies as well as carry off all redundancy in
extraordinary floods of the Khésr. Thus the defence of the city on
the land or Median side was amply provided for by shutting the
great dam, which, we may infer by the remains, existed at No. 2.9, so ‘
as to close the space between the south wall of the city and the ter—
tiary ridges rising immediately southward of it. In this way, not
only the three excavated channels forming the defences south-east of
the Khosr’s bed would be filled, but, if necessary, the large open space
including the bed of the Khosr to the north of the dams (27, 27, 27)
might be converted into a lake extending from the east wall of the
\eity to the great rampart beyond the outer ditch, by simply preventing
the further discharge of the Khésr’s water through the canal No. 24
into the Tigris at No. 28 of the map. The pressure, indeed, on the
dams (28 and 29) at the margin of the Tigris was doubtless very
great under such circumstances, but, we may presume, it could be
relieved by sluices at any time; and the cross dykes, acting like lock
gates in the canals themselves, would prevent the whole force weigh—
ing on these positions alone. Appearances too in the present road to
Khorsabad, crossing to the north—east angle of the city from immedi—
ately north of the great mound of Koiyunjik, convince us that the
eastern ditches and canal of the Khésr had here an outlet to the Tigris
also, though at present, by the crumbled wall near N0. 24 having filled
up the bed, we do not observe the actual point of connection. Imme-
diately within the wall, however, and around the mound of Koiyunjik,
the bed is well marked that must have isolated the palace of Sen-
nacherib from the'adjacent quarters of the town. This branch, sepa—
rating into two arms at the north-east angle of the Koiyunjik mound,
fell into the Tigris to the west, and into the delta of the Khosr,
then, as we have often repeated, near the mill of Armnshiyeh. The
water defences,itherefore, could not have been more perfect; and the
beauty of the landscape must have been considerably enhanced by
their variety and disposition.

' Having, as far as we are able, described the locality and the
System adopted by the Assyrians for turning the natural streams into
artificial defences, let us consider the enceinte of Nineveh itself. The
principal wall is evidently that on the east side; it is raised on the
, _ Crest of the spur of rock selected for the site of the town,’and forms a
slight curve, in the natural direction of the rock, with its convexity
to the north-east-by-eas't. That the wall was originally continuous,
the remains of the great dam in its line, as well as the water-channels
to the south-east, leave no cause to doubt. It is now, however, rupe

322 TOPOGRAPHY or NINEVEH.

tured, and the Khosr again flows in its ancient bed. 7 From the Khosr
the portion of the wall northwards is the highest and most consider-
able in respect to dimensions, averaging, in its present crumbled state,
forty-six feet above the actual soil, which, as the crest of the spur, is
of course more elevated than the surrounding land. A slope, partly
legitimate, partly débris of wall, forms a glacis of one hundred and
thirty feet horizontal width on to the city moat in this part, which
latter is ten feet in depth; and at No. 25, where there appears from
the existing ruins to have been an outwork, the water admitted to it
would seem to have passed beneath a bridge to its connection, as well
as to have been carried around the east side of the outwork itself.
This portion of the wall is 6,800 feet in length, while that south of the
Khosr, varying little from it in height and breadth, is 9,200 feet long,
having, at 4000 feet, where‘the main road to Baghdad now passes
through, two tumuli1 more elevated than the adjoining parts, from
which much fine masonry, bearing Cuneiform legends, has been ex—
tracted. At 7,850 feet from the Khésr is another elevation, which
probably contained also a loftier edifice, that Would seem, from the
dam in the bed of the moat, to have acted as a keep to the work, as
did the buildings enclosed by the tumuli to similar dams lying just east-
ward of them in the moat, as well as in the beds of the central and
eastern ditches beyond 3 for a covered way to all appearance led from
the walls to the open platform or semilune adjoining, on which, in
time of invasion, could be assembled a large force for the protection of
the dykes, the only vulnerable points exposed to an enemy. The
outwork at No. 25 from its position would also imply its formation for
a similar object connected with the dams in the canal and moat- to the
north of the city.

The north wall of Nineveh lies across the neck of the spur crop-
ping from the undulations to the north, and extends from the north-
east angle of the city to the Tigris, in a direction perfectly straight, of
S. 55° W. from the true meridian. Its length is 7000 feet exactly; of
which 2,333 feet is carried over the. rising ground, the remainder
falling with an easy decline to the margin of the Tigris, here, at the
present time, so far as we can judge, in the same position as it held
when the city was marked out. At the same distance of 2,333 feet,
being precisely half way between the elevated structure on the ridge
and the north-west angle of the city on the Tigris, is the position of a.
gateway With a.road, at present, as perhaps in olden times, leading to
the pass ascending the great mound of Koiyunjik. On the east of this

1 No. 11 of the map:

TOPOGRAPHY or NINEVEH. 323

gateway which,ito distinguish it in the map, is named “the porch of
Bulls,” is an elevated circular mound covering some splendid specimens
of colossal sculpture, homotaurs, and other sacred figures, that in their
singular position, quite hid from View until frowning abOve you, occa-
sion sensations which to transcribe would be at variance with topo-
graphical detail. From this point another 2,333 feet concludes the
northern wall, here broken and much worn down by its contiguity to
the river. Masses of stone embedded in the soil beyond the angle of
the city, point to the dam (No. 28) that retained the water in the
moat to the north. This wall, seen in section, has an uneven summit
from being raised over the inequalities of the natural rock we have
pointed out near N0. 23, which numeral shows the position of the
toothlike obstructions in the cut, for breaking the velocity of the
current of the canal in its descent into the lower ground.

We now come to the west face of the city, which, according to our
view, was originally washed by the Tigris.1 From the north-west
corner to a culminating point of the wall on the bed of the stream,
north of the Koiyunjik mound, is 3,500 feet; its alignment for this
extent being at an accurate rig/at angle from the north wall we have
just described. This portion is broken by several gaps, worn through by
the footsteps of men and animals during centuries of progress, and its
dimensions compared with the eastern wall are inferior and low. The
area comprised within the angle of the walls and the embayment
formed by the rising grounds of the spur, we have characterized before
as originally a swamp; but after the erection of these ramparts as a
defence against the river, it appears to have been appropriated as the
quarter for the more stable buildings, perhaps those of the notables
of the city, judging from the debris of edifices, and other signs within.
The former forms only the northern of the three portions which com-
prise the western wall of Nineveh; for the great mounts of Koiyunjik
and Nebbi Yfinus, covering the palaces and temples of its kings,
occupy considerable spaces in the structure. The central portion is
that extending south of Ihe Khosr to the mound of Nebbi Yfinus in a
line of S. 400 E. for 2,700 feet; and the southern or third, formsaslight
curve, then evidently along, a sweep of the river, to the south-west

1 In the inscriptions this portion of the stream seems as if represented by

Y; E 1” :Q :Y >—<Y(. Colonel Rawlinson, however, cannot yet

decide on the subject ; but gives as more general terms for the Tigris, the Cunei-

form equivalents Y; E 4— :& E& and Y; E >_>_ y,—

the Hatikkar and Hatiggar of English orthography, the Tiyptg of the Greeks, and
the Tigris of our own geography.

324 TOPOGRAPHY or NINEVEH.

angle of the city. This latter wall is 4000 feet long but of somewhat
more irregular construction, being low and broken by gaps, as the rest
are, converging at the same time towards the great eastern wall,
which is separated only from its southern extremity by a transverse
wall of 3000 feet, meeting it in a direction of S. 6'3 E.

In more general language the enceinte of Nineveh may be said to
form an irregular triangle,1 having its apex abruptly cut off to the
south. The sides of this figure have a length respectively in the
order described as follows,

w

ft.
The East Wall . . . . . 16,000
The North Wall . , . ‘ . . 7,000
The West \Vall, including space occupied
by the great mounds of Koiyuiijil; and
Nebbi Yunus . . . . . 13,600
The South Wall . . . . . 3,000

Making a total circuit of . 39,600

or 13,200 yards, equal to seven miles four furlongs of English statute
measure, just one-eighth of the dimensions assigned to the city by
Diodorus Siculus.2

The contained area of the quadrangle of Nineveh from the above
measurements is 8,712,000 square yards or 1,800 English acres of
land,- and if to an inhabitant of a city be allotted fifty square yards in
the computation of a census, the capital Nineveh would have accom-
modated a population of one hundred and seventy-four thousand souls
only.3

But of the existing remains of Nineveh, the most remarkable and
interesting are undoubtedly the great mounds, bearing at the present
time, the appellations of Koiyunjik and Nebbi Yuni’is. These, as
monuments of man’s labour and decay, have towered above the plains
of Assyria, perhaps in their present form, for twenty-five centuries of

‘ With more propriety it should be termed a trapezium.

9 The fragments of Ctesias which Diodorus quotes would seem to be loose in
every respect.

3 About a fourth only of the number computed by those who have considered
the metaphorical enumeration followed by Jonah. See Gcguet, Origines des Loix,
&c., tome 3, quoted by Gibbon. We must, however, compare the prophet’s
implied census of the inhabitants with his Itinerary, and identify accordingly the
Whole district included within the four streams, specified in page 3 of the paper

accompanying, the general map, as comprehended in the prophet’s designation of
Nineveh.

TOPOGRAPHY or NINEVEH. 325
time.1 Their positions with respect to each other and to the north-
west and south—west angles of the city will be observed to have been
designed, for their centres on the alignment of the western wall are
equidistant from one another and from the named points also, beingJ
in fact, placed at each intermediate third of the entire length of the
face of the capital then bordering on the Tigris. Koiyunjik2 is the
most considerable in extent of the two, and may be appropriately
named the Acropolis 0f Nineveh, for the eminence. bounded on three
sides by the waters of the Khosr (led through the city into its old
bed near the mill from the moat and canal at No. 24) must have been
isolated from the surrounding edifices, while washed at the same time
by the protecting current of the Tigris on the west, where the walls
had openings to admit of the debouchure of the north—eastern stream.

The beds of these are well marked at the foot of Koiyunjik, and
the purposes they fulfilled are as easily recognized on examination.3
The shape of Koiyunjik is that of an irregular oval, some what elongated
at its north-eastern extremity,- which, however, occupies the more
elevated portion of the plain the eminence stands upon, though in itself
inferior in height to the south-western extremity. This latter rises
ninety-six feet above the Khésr, near itsjunction with the Tigris. Its
sides, on the east and north particularly, are deeply furrowed by the ,
rains of succeeding winters, forming broken ravines, at uncertain inter-

1 Subsequent to the ruin of the city, Koiyunjik would appear to have been used
occasionally as a defensive position in many of the wars which have waged between
the Orientals and their western neighbours. Xenophon notices a castle on the
site, as also Tacitus, (Annal. xii., 13). In the thirteenth century too, Abulfaraj

and Bar-hebreeus, the former in Hist. Dynast. p. 404, the latter in his Chronicles,
p. 464, mention a “ castellum ’_’ there.

2 This term is the Turkish name at present given to the great mound, and is'
indifi'erently Written either as ‘g'Sl. "a; or (3;:th 731,5 according to the ortho-
graphy of Mr. RasSam, which, however, may be doubted. As a. favorite resort of

, the shepherds and their flocks, ‘,'§. 1:): “lambs ” may be deemed more strictly
the derivative of the modern name, especially as the mound is known by the appel-

lation of Armfishiyeh to the Arabs. The term 5‘1“)” J; is of doubtful signifi-
~- .1

cation, but the root F]; has a latitude of interpretation, and may be applied to

“ variegated flocks ” or “great embankments.” These modern names, as far as
we can see, carry, however, no weight with them for the identification of the more

' ancient names. ‘
' 3 It must be remembered that the Khosr was shut out from its original
1 channel further to the'east on the building of the city. The lower portion adjoin-
ing theATigris in its‘shape, offered however, we presume, a. convenient ditch for
the separation of Koiyunjik on the east, and hence the canal led to it from the

- north-eastern angle of the city enclosure.

 

326 TOPOGRAPHY OF NINEVEH.

vals, in the steep declivities which conduct, over debris of the super-
structures, from its summit to the adjoining plain. The surface, in
general flat, now exposes numerous mounds of loose earth, thrown up
above its south-west extreme, and is dotted also with them in other
parts. We ascend the pile, and find these hillocks being daily added
to, by the excavated soil from deep trenches, which yawn in every di-
rection beneath and around. A closer inspection shews man is the
labourer, and, busy in his vocation, we see him in the bowels of the
mound, running to and fro with the pick, the shovel, and the basket,
endeavouring to rescue from oblivion the long—lost labour, and even the
lost history of his fellow-man; for among the operations we discern an
eminent palaeo,0_‘rapher,1 regardless of mud below and rain above him,
transcribing from the lapidary tablets which face the chambers and
galleries excavated by the indefatigable Layard. Koiyunjik has, in
fact, through the exertions of the latter, proved one of the greatest
repositories of Assyrian art, and its records, it is hoped, through the
perseverance and skill of the former, will develope to us the economy of
a people who were illustrious and great as a nation, at a period just
within the horizon of our mental capacity of time. The palaces, tem—
ples, and sculptured galleries of the Ninevite kings, buried beneath
their own ruins, and those of the superstructures of many succeeding
dynasties in Koiyunjik alone, cover in extent of surface about one
hundred acres of ground, of which a small portion only has been
thoroughly examined.2

N ebbi Yfinus, the other artificial tumulus within the enceinte of
Nineveh, covers an area of about forty acres. It is of an irregular
shape, but more precipitous and abrupt than Koiyunjik, especially on its
western face, which originally joined the wall of the city, though now

1 Colonel Rawlinson was daily thus employed in a most inclement season:
book in hand, sometimes seated in a swamp, sometimes protected only by an
umbrella from the torrents coursing down from above, he persevered and succeeded
in obtaining copies of all the legible tablets uncovered within the mounds both of
Nineveh and Nimrfid. It was ludicrous and interesting indeed, to witness the
shifts he was occasionally put to to obtain a glimpse of light upon a defaced and
uncertain character of the inscriptions. His activity of mind and body in the
pursuit of his favourite study in every, situation, is certainly deserving of the
success which the public and his numerous friends most cordially wish him.

2 We insert for the benefit of the curious that Koiyunjik contains about
14,500,000 tons of earth, and its neighbour, Nebbi Yunus, 6,500,000. On the
supposition, therefore, of 1000 men being able to excavate and remove 120,000
tons of earth annually, these artificial eminences would require respectively about
120 years and 54 years for their completion by this number of people. In their
construction, women as well as men were employed by the despots of the day.
This we learn from the inscriptions decipher-ed by Colonel Rawlinson.

TOPOGRAPHY or NINEVEH. 3:27

separated from it by roads on the north and south. A deep ravine
divides the surface, which is generally flat, into two portions 3 the east
one being used as a cemetery, by the inhabitants of a village occupying
the summit of the western and larger portion 3 on the north edge of
which is a conspicuous white building, traditionally covering the last
resting-place of the prophet J onah.1 The site, therefore, in Mahome-
dan eyes, is a sacred one, and hence the erection of the village adjoin-
ing, chiefly iiihabited by Kurds,- who are muleteers and cultivators of
the flats around. As a necropolis it is also a favourite spot, from its
. propinquity to the shrine; and the base of the mound is therefore
thickly studded over with the last emblems accorded to humanity——
the head and foot-stone that connect him with his mother earth. This
‘ it is that renders excavation of the tumulus so difficult; but no one
who passes can doubt but it conceals, like its neighbour Koiyunjik, a
stately edifice of an Assyrian age,2 and likely, from the sanctity
attached to it at the present day, to have been a much-revered spot,3
even in the early times we are considering ,' for, singularly enough,
the later sects—even prejudiced Mahomedans—are not exempt from a
certain credulity and veneration always attaching to mysterious per-
sonages, and to spots4 traditionally invested with interest, as the them
tree of their pilgrimage and operations.

1 The Christians deny that Jonah died in Nineveh, but acknowledge that a
Christian church occupied the place of the present Mahomedan mosque and tomb,
said to have been built over the former on the Mahomedan occupation. See Rich ,
ii, 32, in a foot note. i

2 Since this was penned, the Pacha of Mosul has opened the mound by the aid
of convicts employed for the purpose. Two splendid bulls, much defaced, and some
chambers formed of slabs bearing the Cuneiform legend, were exposed on my last
visit in April of this year. The bulls are about nineteen feet high, contiguous to the
so-called tomb of the prophet, and if anything, below the foundation of the edifice.

3 If Ninus really had a sepulchre in Nineveh, we are disposed to regard this
tomb of Nebbi Yi‘mus as the mausoleum honoured with the title of “Busta N ini”
by Ovid and by other writers, who, more or less conflicting in the circumstances
of’ his burial, make the whole of Asia Minor, from Tarsus to Babylon, the scene
of it. We shall allude to the subject again in the paper on Nimri’id, the great
pyramid of which being supposed by some to represent the real tomb.

4 On the outskirts of Mosul, on the opposite side to Nineveh, we have the
recognized grave of Seth, the third son of Adam. The tomb is much revered by
both Christians and Mahomedans of the district. Nebbi Allah Shyth, f‘ Seth, the
prophet of God,” is the usual name and title uttered in speaking of him; but are
we to credit- the tale of his burial here, or does the site mark the last resting-place
’ of a pagan personage of a. subsequent age and less direct lineage from the original
Adamrof our race ? Considering the extraordinary monuments of Assyria but
lately revealed to us, we‘might indeed be justified in the expectation of meeting
still older records on this soil; for Ninus, in archaic relation to antediluvian Seth,
' is but as a youngster of the human race. See map, Sheet iii.

VOL. XV. 2 A

328 TOPOGRAPHY or NINEVEH.

The peaked cone, surmounting the cupola of Nebbi Yfinus, can be
seen from a considerable distance, and, stuccoed White, it glitters in the
landscape as the most conspicuous object in Nineveh. Its peak was
ascertained as 136 feet above the junction of the Khosr with the Tigris,
though the mound itself is believed to be of less elevation than Koi-
yunjik. Accuracy in this respect, surmounted as the mound is with
- houses, could not be expected, and, unfortunately,the constant rains
we experienced so relaxed the cobwebs fitted horizontally in the! tele-
scopes of our theodolites, that angles of elevation could not be relied
on ,' though those given cannot be far from the truth.

The above eminences exhibit the only vestiges that are in any way
remarkable within the area of Nineveh. There are, however, some
low mounds of debris accumulated north-west of Koiyunjik, which
point out the situations of buildings 3 and, on the rising grounds to the
east, here and there, may be traced the alignments of others just
above the surface of the soil. They offer nothing of interest, and we
agree in the opinion given by other travellers, that the enclosure never
contained any vast connected pile of buildings, like our modern cities,
but, on the contrary, exhibited spaces of garden, and occasionally plots
of open ground spread over with tents, as maybe seen at present within
the enceinte of Baghdad. Under whatever dynasty, indeed, Assyria
is viewed, we must always attach to its people inclinations favourable
to nomadic life, consistent indeed with the aspect of the country, and
their great origin as pastoral races. The love of wandering, moreover,
must, as now, have made these families difficult of control ,‘and hence,
doubtless, the policy of fencing them around with fixed abodes soon
became apparent to those who, phrenologically speaking, possessed
the organs of government and power. We believe, indeed, that the
disposition in the people to stray had originally as much to do with the
construction of the enclosure before us as considerations of defence had:
in the meantime we are deviating from our own path in the topography
of Nineveh, which we resume with a short account of a spring in the
central ditch, No. 13 of the map.

This pool, at the present time known by the Turkish name
Demlamajeh,1L is situated in a recess of the west bank of the excavated
channel. It appears to ooze from a stratum of limestone just showing
below the superimposed conglomerate of the bank; and whether it
has wept on unnoticed since the fall of the Assyrian monarchy or
not, we leave others to determine. Tradition has, however, invested

1 &>."\N&'Q corruption of Demlamékeh, a term applied to a water oozing
drop by drop. It is Turkish.

TOPOGRAPHY or NINEVEH. 329

its waters, which are pure and wholesome, with remedial properties in
various diseases, that have, doubtless, in this singular country, been
handed down from age to age , and the grotto before it, supported by
its humble pillars and neatly executed arch of a venerable appearance,
clothe it also with the honours of age, even did not the singular
custom of antiquity,1 that of driving nails in the crevices of the stones,
remain to our view at the present day: “as a nail sticketh fast
betheen the joinings of the stones,” is here indeed literally witnessed,
for we have large nails, driven in to their heads, filling the crevices
of every seam. Were the practice a modern one, as suggested by
Rich,2 nails of every period would be found embedded in the masonry,
expreSsive of the benefits derived from the virtues of the water, for
Rich regards them as sacred relics; but why the presiding nymph
should be wooed by the hammer and the votive offering of a nail, as
he supposes, we have yet to learn.3 We incline, therefore, to the
belief that the arched masonry of the period was so far defective in
the science of keying that the processs of studding with iron nails was
necessary to the firm union of the blocks in the formation of the arch 3
otherwise the nails would be found in conspicuous crevices only, and
not, as they are, wedged around the entire seam.

The little fount of Demlamajeh has, however, other attractions for
the English traveller, nor can he read a name carved on the grotto
there without sympathy and regret; sympathy for the bereaved lady
so feelingly mentioned in the delightful pages of "Kurdistan and
Nineveh, ’and regret that Claudius Rich, who, with a true antiquarian
eye, so critically examined and ably wrote upon both Nineveh and
Babylon, should not hims'elf have been spared to witness the results of
his foresight, achieved by Layard a few years later only. For the
first detailed notices of these places we are certainly-indebted to that
eminent man, who, as a traveller, treated all subjects, whether

‘ geography, history, or antiquities, with an inherent skill that cannot
fail of being appreciated by those who follow his foot-prints on the
same soil. Nothing, indeed, is wanting in his descriptions, though
he was but a passer-by; and for labour in detail, where he had op-
portunities of survey, he cannot be surpassed. Like the geologist,

‘ Ecclesiasticus xxvii. 3.
3 Layard regards the arch as the work of a. Greek or Roman age. We think

i ‘ otherwise, from the prevailing practice noticed in Ecclesiasticus, which would, we

presume, refer it to a still earlier period.
3 Rich, in his “Kurdistan and Nineveh,” deems these emblems expressive of a

registered vow in the event of recovery from sickness—Vol. ii. ., page 34

2A2

330 TOPOGRAPHY 0F NINEVEH.

indeed, who predicts the existence of precious metals from observa—
tions of the soils, Rich, thirty years ago, presaged the existence
of Assyrian monuments in the mines from whence they have been '
exhumed.1

The prejudices of the Osmanli had, however, not then relaxed, or,
from Rich’s well known liberality and zeal, our museums would have
been stored with Assyrian relics at the commencement of the present
century. At that time all that we knew of either Nimrfid or Nineveh
was from the pen and pencil of Rich, whose survey, engraved in the
volumes edited by his widow, will be found as correct as the most
diligent enthusiast can desire; indeed, were it not for the renewed
inquiry into Assyrian subjects, the present survey we have the honour
of submitting to the public might have been dispensed with, for its
value chiefly consists in corroborating the fidelity of his positions;
and otherwise, though quite unnecessary, stamping his narrative with
the broad seal of truth. He was the first real labourer in Assyrian
fields.

Before concluding we may be permitted a few words on the
identity of the ruins we have so often traversed, and have attempted
to delineate as they exist “in situ,” opposite to Mosul, at the present
time ,' for it appears to 11s that Layard, in remarking, “the evidence
afforded by the examination of all the known ruins of Assyria further
identifies Nimrfid with Nineveh, and that the former represents the
original site of the city ” (Vol. ii., pp. 245, 246, of Nineveh and its
Remains), is in error. That the former was endowed with the name2
as a part of the district of Nineveh, or as the capital of a subsequent
date, we will not deny; but that it was “ par excellence” the capital
of Assyria from the earliest times we cannot subscribe to. In the
disquisition upon giving a new locality for the capital of Nineveh in
favour of Nimrfid, the eminent explorer and writer on Assyria has

called in the whole of the surrounding ruins intermediate between the
i Tigris and the Z'ab, to aid in swelling the confined area of the latter
to the rank and dignity of a metropolis! The same argument3 that
has been adopted for Nimrfid in the same sense is surely applicable
also to the larger quadrangle around Koiyunjik, which, beSides

1 We infer this from his rough notes and from his fragments, Cuneiform and
other carefully preserved relics, though he nowhere directly asserts their exist<
ence. His journals are, indeed, only the lesults of observations, not of reflection,
his death preventing his opinions being embodied with the former.

2 We shall endeavour to explain this further when considering the position of
Nimrud 1n the paper accompanying its plan.

3 Itinerary and inferred census 00f population from the pages of Jonah.

TOPOGRAPHY or NINEVEH. ~ 331

traditionally bearing the actual name of Ninevel11(Ninua) for ages,
is capable of containing all the Assylian vestiges yet foundo at
Nimrud and its locality. The b1oad walls and noble wate1 defences
of the former appear to us,i11deed, of 111010 i111p01tance in a categorical
inquiry of this nature, than all the historical accounts published of the

, capital since the flood. 2 'lhese are more or less vague and conflicting,

and mislead instead of i11st1'.uct They should, the1efoic, one and all
be set aside in favour of ocular evidence, where, as in this instance, we
have it,‘ even if, from the earliest times, arbitrary opinion, founded 011

V tradition, had not decided in fixing the Nineveh of the woild. In

opposition, the1ef01e, to Ctesias and D10do1 us,3 to Stiabo and Ptolemy, 4

» we must be allowed to retain the capital Wl1e1e it is self— evident its

founder established it. We cannot consent, indeed, to sell its bi1th~
right- for the mess of flummerg/ the former5 two have presented 11s with,
though even at the present day the Tigris is confounded with the
Euphrates by half the population of the dist1ict. Xenophon, in the
Anabasis, though he mentions not the name of Nineveh, makes the
city in ruins opposite Mespila the capital of the kingdom of the

1 The characters >->'1e icsent the name in the Cuneiform
>— Y P

writings of Assyria, equivalent to the Hebiew, rm 3 The Septuagint writes
the name Nwevi, Nwsvn, and the ordinary Greek writings Nix/0g, as the form,
while in Latin it is denominated N mus See Kitto, under Nineveh,- and Colonel

Rawlinson supplies >—:YY " VERY <Y:Y as the monogram fo1 the city

2 The Khésr boundary, as the most accessible point, would require the bulk of
the population for its defence. We shall refer again to this subject when c011-

sidering the position of Nimri’id in the next paper.

3 These authors place it on the Euphrates, an egregious but common enough
error, as we have before pointed out.

4 Nimrfid is evidently defined as the Nineveh of these geographers, and at the
period they wrote it doubtless held the title, according to Eastern usage, after the
destruction of the capital. Strabo’s identifying the region as Calachene is
conclusive, however, ' we think, of Nimrfid’s not holding the original title of
Nineveh, for it has been recognised by Colonel Rawlinson as the Kalkhu of the
Cuneiforin writings, and the Calah of Genesis x. As such, it was doubtless the
principal city of Calachene, the name of the district in Strabo’ s time, and, horn
being the last inhabited, known also as the representative of the original Atur 01
Nineveh, its contemporary city from the first foundation of the monarchy there.

» f5 If Aristotle, Plutarch, Aulus Gellius, and Joseph Scaliger are correct in

their estimate of the character and writings of Ctesias, his fragments should cease

to be qiioted as authority for anything. We believe the'statements of the latter ,
geographers, Strabo and Ptolemy, to apply exclusively to Nimri’id while it held

,rank as the capital of a later age. ‘Ve shall consider the subject again in the

description of N imrfid.

332 TOPOGRAPHY or NINEVEH.

Medes,‘ at least, we presume so, from its extent in comparison with
the neighbouring Larissa, which can be no other than N imrud, and
the fact of its requiring the special interposition of the gods for its
capture by the enemy. Xenophon, indeed, is nowhere so lax as any
of the other ancient writers that have been quoted, and in geogra—
phical details he far excels them in perspicuity and acutencss. In the
region we are considering, every foot of his masterly retreat is
apparent, and if aught were wanting, either in distances or description,
to recognize the whereabouts of the Greeks at the time of passing the
Great Castle and city of the Medes, we have the very name of
Mespila, by a simple transition of Oriental orthography, rendered in
the modern one of Mosul.1 ,
Lastly, we have the tomb of Jonah erected on one of the principal
mounds within the area of the city, bearing to this day the name of
the capital to which his mission was especially ordained. Though his
reputed death and burial here may not obtain sufficient credit to
warrant its positive identity as Nineveh, still the name of Jonah
itself in connexion at all with the desolate site before us, brought
down from age to age in a country where habits, customs, and
traditions are proverbially as unchangeable as the sun above, stamps
it with a reputation that might otherwise be questionable. The name,
however, has doubtless been applied to other ruins occupying
contiguous positions, and, indeed, as we have said before, we consider
the territory included between the Tigris and the Zéb, south of the
Khosr, as comprehended in the preper name.2 The positions of
Selamiyéh and Nimrud, as being inhabited to a later date, would
retain the name after the abandonment of the capital,8 and in this

1 Mespila, or Mw-qrz’ihac, “central gates,” &c., named, we presume, by the
Greeks from being midway between the Persian Gulf, the Euxine, the Mediter-
ranean, and the Caspian Seas. The term, after Alexander’s conquest, soon
became converted into Muspil and Musvil, to be further corrupted into the

Arabicised Mosul, after the Mahomedan conquest. J4)" signifies “joining or

connecting,” and is equally‘applicable to a spot from whence emanated the
diverging caravan routes that led to Persia, Mesopotamia, Syria, and Northern
Asia Minor, in early times as in the present day, when we see it as the central
mart which connects the traders of the surrounding countries in one common
pursuit. .

2 In the same way as London and its environs are included under the same
general term of London, When not necessary to particularize a single locality; but if
we speak of the city of London, the words must be held as significative of the
city’s limits alone.

3 Many instances of this may be quoted; Seleucia retained the name Babylon
long after the original Babylon was destroyed, and Baghdad, even at the present
time, is named sometimes after the original Babel ; at least, the episcopal chair of

an“...

5823*“;wa a. , .-.

Wvavnafw‘ ~ 1 " "

TOPOGRAPHY or NINEVEH. ~333

way Yaki’it, and other Arab geographers not over-critical in inquiry,
became possessed of their knowledge of Assyrian sites, that is, by the
simple traditions of a new people. These have dwindled to mere
villages since the Arab geographers passed from the scene, and hence
the name of Nineveh or Ninua again attaching to its primitive
position in proximity to Mosul, which place in the present day even
affords the patronymic of Mosulawi, not only to its own inhabitants
but to these of the villages at a considerable distance around, the

I country north of the Zéb at the same time receiving the title of Ardh

Mosul, in much the same way as may be supposed the capital,
Nineveh, gave its name to the identical district in olden time. The
extent of the Nineveh of Jonah, its population, and much cattle, need
not, therefore, alarm the greatest sceptic, though we must confess the
dimensions given to the city by Diodorus Siculus,1 to be as
irreconcilable with truth as the most determined Munchausen of
ancient or modern times could desire. We are, however, more
inclined to attribute error to the stadia of his manuscript than
culpability to himself or his informant, particularly as he gives a
correct distance of seventy furlongs or stadia, when describing the
flight of the rebels, as the interval between the mountains and the
capital of Nineveh, a few pages further on.2

We no“r close this paper, with hope it may in some measure

_ elucidate the map, on which every care has been bestowed to render

it descriptive of the interesting spot. Our observations extend to
Nineveh alone, as all connected with the modern Mosul3 will be

the Bishops of Babylon, after Seleucia was ruined, took root in Baghdad, and still
stands, though in a tottering and disreputable state, as the seat of a bishop bear-
ing the title of Babylon. Seleucia, too, gave its name to other places after it was ,
abandoned, and 0f Eski Baghdads, or “ Old Baghdads,” we have a goodly assort-
ment, though in these cases the name of Baghdad has returned to the original

site; the “ Old Baghdads” being ruins of more modern positions, founded by I
caprioe, or necessity, and again deserted for the original city. The modern

7 Basreh too stands on the site of Abileh, which name is lost and replaced by that

of the city of Sindbad, now seen in ruins five miles west, of the modern Basreh,
bearing with the ignorant the name of J ama Ali only, that of part of a. mosque,

the single pile left erect there.
,Insteadof four hundred and eighty stadia, the circuit of the walls is but one-

eighth, or sixty stadia.
2 Compare Book, chap. i., 101, with page 121 of the same book and chapter,

’ in the English tranlation of Booth.

‘ 3 With respect to ‘it we quote the apt words of Sir Anthony Shirley, in

'Purchas, p. 1387 of the 2nd vol. ‘After speaking of Nineveh, he adds: “within

one English mile of it is a place called Mosul, a small thing, rather to be a.
witnesse of the other‘s mightinesse and God’s judgement, than of’ any fashion of

- magnificence in itselfe.”

r'
I

’ 334 TOPOGRAPHY or NINEVEH.

sufficiently explicit in the map itself, and any/comments we have
indulged in not hearing on the subject we have undertaken, it is
hoped will be received as inserted only, to relieve the tedium of
geographical detail. We have, however, to remark that the whole
country contained in the plan is under cultivation, even to the
summits of the walls of Nineveh and the eminences of Koiynnjik
and Nebi Yunfis, wherever the plough canfurrow uninterrupted by
the artificial obstructions of the ancient works. These fields and
furrows have been excluded from the plan to render objects more
distinct; but the reader himself can reflect how much the little
implement of husbandry, in the action of centuries, has had to
perform in reducing man’s works to their present height, and what
remains for it to effect ere the crumbled walls be swept to a level
with the surface of the plain, which, to the west, between it and the
Tigris, is mostly of comparatively recent sedimentary formations,
added to annually by the detritus of structures worn down by the
combined efforts of rain and the plough. That the walls which, after
so great an interval of time, show such remnants, must have been
originally of ample dimensions and strength, we cannot doubt, even
if historical records were silent on the subject ; and these relate, that
four hundred thousand men were thrice defeated before the city was
laid siege to 3 and then, to effect its capture, after an investment of
two years, the rivers, at the interposition of the Gods, brought about
what man had hitherto been unable to achieve.1

To reconcile this part of the account, however, with modern
appearances, we have only to picture to ourselves an unusual flood
in the Tigris, with the dykes in possession of‘ the enemy, and an
extraordinary downfall of rain swelling the Khésr to such an extent
as to break down its triple dams at No. 27, near the east and
principal wall. The prophecy that “Nineveh could never be taken
by force till the river became the city’s enemy,” would be easily
fulfilled by their destruction, and the panic—stricken king, under the
conviction that the oracle had been accomplished, must have at once
abandoned his empire and his life. “Their memorial had perished

1 Diodorus Siculus, book ii., chap. 2, makes the Euphrates the destroyer of the
city. This is a confusion of names which we have endeavoured to point out as
till common enough in the country. After great reflection in connection with
the surface levels of the locality, we, however, conclude the Khosr, and not
the Tigris, to have been chiefly instrumental in its ruin, the more so as the
walls contiguous to the Tigris are in all respects, as regards’the admission of
the river within them, as perfect as ever they Were. There is indeed, no trace
of a rupture on the side of the Tigris which can be attributed to the effects of
the stream.

' TOPOGRAPHY or NINEVEH. 335

with them,” indeed, had not the literary acumen of Rawlinson been at
hand to develop the wonderful discoveries of Layard. To the former,
in anticipation of the approval of Government, we have inscribed the
map of Nineveh.l Though but a small tribute, it is one of admiration
for the physical and mental energy which, in the fields of Cuneiform
and geographical 1nqui1y, he has peiseV eringly displayed, and which
we have been an eye- -witness to fo1 many years past

p Nimrud and its topography forms the subject of the next paper to
accompany Sheet 11. of our maps. The limited time at our disposal
would not admit of separate plans being made of the excavations at
eithei place. The excellent work of Layard, however, supplies all
deficiencies on this and every other subject that may be 1equired for
a full comprehension of the vestiges of Assyria.

TOPOGRAPIIY 0F NIMRUD,
Illustratiwe of Sheet‘2nd of (71-6 Vestiges of Assyrian.

Though we have for consistency’s sake lent our endeavours to
maintain the capital of Assyria on the spot it has so long occupied,
and have objected in the previous paper to the grounds on which
Layard has essayed to transfer the dignities of the metropolis to this
place, we quite concur in his general observations respecting N imr1’1d,
which, geographically considered, it is presumed held the second
rank among Assyrian cities, and it is not unlikely that it attained a
greater importance after the destruction of the original Nineveh ; the

' ‘position and religious character of its edifices rendering it, we infer, a
‘ favourite residence of the monarchs of Assyria. In Eastern wars, too,
the destruction of the capital from the earliest times appears to have
been the chief incentive to conquest ; and, razed as the original
Nineveh is stated to have been on its overthrow by the Medes, the
remnant of its people would, after the excitement had passed away,
naturally congregate in the neighbourhood of the sacred edifices, and
ar0und their altars endeavou1 to eiect again a shelter for their wives
and children, before settling down in their turn as a subjugated but
protected race.

In the plenitude of power, and, indeed, while advancing towards
that state, we may conclude that the Assyrians, as well as other
nations ambitions of conquest, would first of all secure themselves
from foreign invasion; additional grounds for placing the capital on
the banks of the Khosr are thus furnished, as, protected as the

1 Sheet lst of the Vestiges of Assyrian

336 TOPOGRAPHY or NINEVEH.

territory otherwise is by the Tigris, by the Zab, and by the hilly
range of Maklub defended again by the Gomel or Ghazir- Sn, the
north— western boundary, skirted only by the small rivulet, 1s by far
the weakest point. Common prudence alone would, therefore, dictate '
the necessity of establishing the bulk of the population on the most
accessible position. Hence the situation of Khorsabad at one
extremity of the line, and Nineveh, the capital of the country, pro-
tected also by the Tigris, at the other. These, connected by a series
of posts at dams situated at intervals along the Kho’sr’s course, in
relation with the noble’water-defences of the metropolis, by keeping
the Khosr at a high elevation, must have answered admirably as a
bulwark against approach from the assailable quarter ,- and, for these
reasons also we must regard the locality of Nimr1’1d as peculiarly
adapted to the situation of a provincial town in which might be
established the cherished emblems of religion, the temples necessary
to them, and the palaces essential to either the magnificence or
recreations of the Assyrian kings ,' for protected by contiguous rapid
streams, but a small force was needed to watch over the security of
the position where tranquillity invited to the Observances of the faith,
as well as to the enjoyments incidental to existence in a semi-
barbarous condition of society. >
That Nimrl’id, as the representative of Nineveh, remained
inhabited to the last as the protected asylum of its scattered people
there can, perhaps, be little doubt, for the broad face of the country
speaks of its abandonment by the Tigris at a period long subsequent
to its foundation ,' and the excavated canal brought ‘with such
diligence and ingenuity from the distant Zéb, supplies a conjectural
page in its history which, affirmative of its sanctity as a cherished
position, points to its occupation as a city so long as the tunnel and
canal on the west bank of the Zéb remained open and intact 3 and, as
was the custom in ancient as well as in modern times, it doubtless
bore also the name of its great archetype, Nineveh. We may date its
' decline and final desertion from the time the former was severed from
the aqueduct by an encroachment of the river. When this event
happened we cannot ascertain, for history is silent ; but identified as
Nimrud is with the Larissa1 of Xenophon’s Anabasis, we learn that it
was deserted at least twenty-two centuries back, and, perhaps, for a —
considerable period previous to his passage through the country.
The account he gives of its capture during an eclipse of the sun has
reference doubtless to its degradation on the fall of the Assyrian
monarchy. The recital shows, however, that the current of events

1 Book III.

 

’ TOPOGRAPHY or NINEVEH. 337'

connected with these interesting ruins had not then stagnated 1n the
dark abyss of time.

Notwithstanding the additional materials placed at our disposal
by the recent discoveries, we must ever remain dependent in a great
measure on conjecture for the comparative antiquity of Assyrian sites.
Even with the correct interpretation of the Assyrian records, after
years of learned and patient investigation by Rawlinson and others,
' we may not be nearer the truth in this respect, for the tablets appear
to be records more of individual prowess than of historical or
geographical detail, though among them there are legends of great
value, doubtless, to both sciences. In considering the relative
antiquity of several cities comprised within the limits of an original
kingdom like Assyria genealogical lists would seem to be the surest
guide for the attainment of correct results. These, however, can only
be regarded as approximate landmarks to the key of inquiry, not as
the “ open, sesame” of truth itself ,' for after all they may serve only
to recognize the restorer of a palace, or perhaps the ingenious
decorator of an apartment that existed before, perhaps, without “the
foreign aid of ornament,” even previous, indeed, to the invention of
letters or of sculpture. Certainly the elaborate execution displayed
at Nimrud in the construction and fittings of the galleries and apart-
menu, in the finished detail of costume and arms, and in the carving
of its many—lined slabs of masonry, all point to an era of refinement,
both in art and science, that could not have pertained to the dawn of
Assyrian existence, but must have been the creations of long study,
founded on system, during years of prosperity and repose.1 The
surest test of antiquity must be sought for, therefore, in the earlier
hieratic forms of sculpture, which we believe canxbe traced in the
coarse stone and colossal bulls2 of Koiyunjik and Khorsabad, perhaps
covering still ruder forms of a more primitive type, in the same way
, as the creations of a subsequent period, when higher art prevailed,

are found displacing the works of a past generation.

From all we saw, indeed, in our hasty survey of the llimrfid
palaces, we are inclined to regard them as the last monuments of
Assyrian skill when she had reached her zenith of prosperity, and her
people the acmé of comprehensiveness, as mental endowments were

1 Layard notices of one of his early discoveries that it surpasses thOSe of
Khorsabad. ——See “Nineveh and its Remains,” Vol. I. ., chap. ii, p. 41; and

a aim in page 63 he adds of others, “although the relief was lower yet the outline
was, perhaps, more careful and true than those of Khorsabad,” and this

description is apparently characteristic of the earliest palatial sculptures of
Nimrfid: see page 64.

" Some of these bear only a few letteis or a name for an inscription

338 TOP‘OGRAPHY OF NINEVEH.

then developed in the race. To these gradual developments we
must ascribe, perhaps, the fickle nature of their worship as charac-
terized in the religious emblems now open to inspection; and, if the
winged deity of the Persians, found in most of the monuments of the
Achaamenian kings at Behistun, Persepolis, and other places, as is
generally admitted, originated in Assyria, we must conclude that the
emblem itself, copied by the Persians, pertained to a form of doctrine
which, though blended with primitive idolatry, at all events embodied
an idea of one supreme god, distinct from terrestial beings yet
likened unto humanity, indeed, having for its type the great model of
the Creator portrayed in the 1st chapter of Genesis.1 This model is
nowhere found at Koiynnjik and Khorsabad, but is represented on
the monuments of the later palaces at Nimrud,2 and adopted by the
Persians, affords evidence that Nimrfid existed long after the for-
mer were deserted, for efligies such as this are not the idle creations
of a day, but must have become the accepted emblem of Jehovah only
after matured reflection had ended in conviction as to former error.
With individuals such transformations occur only after years of
thought ,' with nations in the enjoyment of prosperity and peace, they
may be effected either in the course of a generation, or of centuries.
Whether the reformed mode of worship connected with this emblem
was disseminated from Palestine3 through Assyria into Persia or
whether it sprung forth in Assyria and radiated to the east and west,
is an intricate question. That it obtained as the latest symbol of
divinityin Assyria can scarcely be denied from its adoption. by Persia;
that it became engrafted on the pure Sabaean doctrines held by
enlightened generations preceding may be verified, perhaps, on the
relics in our museums; and that both succeeded to Iconism, or the
corrupt idolatry practised soon after the re peopling of the eaith,
subsequent to the flood, we may presume from the light thrown on
the subject by Biblical writers, and from .the absence of the effigy
among earlier idols, as the monsters of Polytheism themselves stand

1 Verses 26 and 27. ‘Let us create man in our own image and after our
likeness. ” The artists of every age have, perhaps, put a too literal interpretation

on the text.
3 Layard’s Nineveh, Vol. II. ., p. 202.

3 We have the figure on a cylinder bearing the Phoenician inscription,

FlArfie )( __ |( P43: Tfjl$ P 0 PM? and see a similar efligy on the

wall of a mummy pit in Egypt, described under the head of “Burial,” in the
Biblical Cyclopeedia of Kitto. It also abounds on the cylinders of Babylonia and
Assyria in connection with symbols of Sabaeism, the sacred tree and bull of
Assyria; these cylinders, however, we regard as of an era far later than others on

which the figure of Ormuzd 15 not seen.

TOPOGRAPHY or NINEVEH. 339

revealed to us in the subterranean passages of Koiyunjik, which
we believe to have been the abode of the primitive hierarchy of
Assyria. These colossal homotaurs, which seem to have presided
over the early mytholbgy of Assyria in the absence of Ormuzd him-
self, winged as they are express care and protection, while their
human features imply Godhead in the more exalted faculties of the
mind.

Thus intellectually formed, the fabricators of such works could not
remain in ignorance of a still higher order of creation, apart from the
globe they occupied. The firmament above them, by day and night,
exhibited a splendour over which they had no control, but which their
reason led them to view as replete with omens, good and evil, to man-
kind. The result of study and contemplation soon exhibited the
latter in the divinations and sorceries the Chaldeans were so cele—
brated for ,' and to the former may be traced that profound system of
astronomy, which, above all other sciences, leads the mind into regions
Where it is lost in wonder and amazement at its own diminutiveness.
In the science, then but imperfectly developed, men could only con—
ceive a Great Cause in invisible action, and took to worshipping it
through its most prominent and mysterious works, the sun, moon,
stars, air, earth, fire, water, and the winds.1

The imagination would, however, still intrude the portrait of an

’ invisible origin, and as in the first chapter of Genesis we are told,
“Man was made after God’s own image,” it is not surprising that
the idea became a prevalent one with the whole human family who

" thought on the subject at all, and that the representations of the deity

. should appear anew divested of their more brutal forms and elevated

high above the earthly groups in the picture ,' the diminished propor- '
tions, at the same time, conveying a rude perspective idea2 of “His
habitation in infinity and space, while the winged circle surrounding
the figure not i-naptly illustrated His attributes of ubiquity and eter—
n1ty ” Compared, indeed, with existing emblems of holy and evil
personages, where the limbs and features are painted with daguerreo-
type exactness, we may deem the Assyrian Ormuzd as the most simple
and pure of the class.3

But under whatever phase we view Nimr1’1d, whether in relation

1 Herodotus, in Clio, Art. CXXXI.

- With our extended ideas at the present day, a single eye invested with a
halo of glory, relict as it is' of pagan ages, serves to typify the all-seeing but
invisible origin of nature.

‘ 3 In the East, there is a vast number of miserable edifices boasting the title
»of Christian churches, wheee exterior aspects are the least ofl'ensive parts about

340 ’ TOPOGRAPHY or NINEYEH.

to its claim to remote antiquity, or' as a sacred position of a. later
Assyrian period—it is full of interest. In the latter sense, we are
inclined to regard it as a seat of Magism, where the occult sciences,
blended with faint notions of a pure deism, were earliest fostered, and
disseminated in a corrupt form, which subsequently provoked and
led to the reformation of Zoroaster. Birds hovering over, and bearing
away the entrails of the dead in the Nimri’id sculptures, seem to savour
of Magian funereal Observances, in much the same Way as Ormuzd is
represented presiding over the living groups. In the generality of
the Nimri’id sculptures, indeed, we'were struck with the disproportion
between them and the more colossal forms of the monster groups of
Koiyunjik and Khorsabad, while those of the human class at the
former place, invariably wear a marked superiority in size, as well as
in elaborate execution, over similar personages in the mounds of the
latter places. To us this seemed particularly illustrative of the march
of mind in the progress of time, as claiming for man an intellectual
position in advance of the animal creation, while, at the same time, it

withdrew from Nimrud pretensions to a very remote a’ntiquity.1 Its
tablets too exhibit a copiousness of legend quite in accordance with
accumulated events. They show, moreover, that composition and
petral calligraphy excelled in its schools, and that operative talent
was acquired, in the ratio demanded by the increasing pedigree and

deeds of a long line of kings.
On the other hand, however, the claims of Nimrfid to be regarded

them; for within they are full of unseemly pictures executed in the very lowest
style of painting, for art we cannot call it. Curzon, in his “Monasteries of the
Levant,” gives a ludicrous account of some of these daubs, which disgrace human
nature, however low the intellect may be; and on this soil from whence so many
noble monuments have been exhumed, the Christian traveller has to deplore the
low standard of the Christian mind, which, in the present day, can reverence
efligies of holy personages compared with which the idols of the Assyrians are
singularly superior, both in ideal expression and human design.

1 Whether these horned human bulls, lions, &c., received in Assyria, at any
time, divine honours or not, is a subject involved in some obscurity; on cylinders
from Assyria and Babylonia, the bull is often an attendant, or, indeed, made the
seat or throne of Jehovah. In later times, when the veil had been raised which
obscured the baseness of human reason, these monsters may have been degraded
to a subordinate place in the temples, preparatory to their exclusion altogether.
That they were deified in Egypt, and countries bordering on the Mediterranean,

' there can be no doubt, from numerous scriptural notices of the worship; and that
their frontal decorations served to typify sovereignty and power, if not divi-'
nity, in the personages who adopted them, we have full warrant of from the
pages of Daniel and the coins of the Macedonian period. ‘Alexander the Great is

- always thus decorated and, to the, present day, among Orientals, is scarcely known

"by any other title than we ll )5 Zu’l Kurnein, “ the two-horned” Majesty.

mvrmmr g : -

45‘s»
... ‘

(r

are"

TOPOGRAPHY or NINEVEH. ’ 341

as of a synchronous era with the ruins opposite Mosul now denomi-
nated Nineveh, must not be set aside, for, they are cogent, and time
perhapsfwill pronounce them conclusive, though we cannot agree with
Layard that “Nimrr’id represents the original site of the city,”1 for
reasons we have specified both inthis and the preceding paper on the
capital. Actuated by a fair spirit of inquiry, we express dissent on
what may be considered pure geographical grounds alone. We have
no desire indeed to overset theories founded on the ample experience

"and erudition which the able illustrator of Assyrian monuments has

brought to bear upon a subject intricate and bewildering in a super-
lative degree; and our hints, therefore, it is hoped, will be regarded
only in the light of suggestions placed by, the wayside, to smoothen
and not obstruct the progress of others in the great road to truth.
That other great cities of the day were established at a cotemporary
period with Nineveh, is evident from Bible relation, confirmed by
existing ruins on the spot represented by Sheet III. of our “ Vestiges
of Assyria,” all of which have been more or less explored by the enter—-
prising Layard, who, after careful analytical reasoning “ in situ,” has
pronounced the early structures of Nimrud as deserving a first rank in
the classification of human fabrics in this part of Asia, if not in the
world.2 A synthetical conclusion in some measure Verified by Rawlin—

son, who from recent investigations is inclined, with little hesitation,
to identify Nimrfid with the Calah of our Bible and Chalakh (Xahax)

’/ of the Septuagint.3

. We now call attention to the second sheet of the vestiges of the
Assyria, in which we have endeavoured to delineate the features of
the country where Nimrfid or Calah once flourished, as a considerable

~ city. of that region, if not the actual seat of dominion. Layard, with

much reason, ascribes to Assyria two periods or dynasties, in which
the more recent monuments of its people were separated from the
earliest, perhaps by an interval of many centuries. Adopting this I
view, we must“ refer the statements of the geographers Strabo and
Ptolemy‘as to ”the position of Nineveh, to the later period, when
Nimrfid stood alone as the “ Omega ” of the Ninevite kings, and pos—
sessed the name in virtue of its singular position, after the earlier“
cities had ceased to erist. The former places it between the Lycus

7 1 Nineveh and its Remains, Vol. ii., p. 246.
'2 Nineveh and its Remains, Vol. ii., p. 225.

i ‘ 3, Genesis x. ll._ 'The ”:7? of the Jews, and Colonel Rawlinson recognises;

the cognate farm of Kalkhu >:YY g“; ll< in the Cuneiform inscriptions...

342 TOPOGRAPHY or NINEVEH.

and the Tigris,1 the latter on the first of these streams. In a strict
sense we cannot demur at either relation, for though actually bor—
'dering on the Tigris, there is no doubt but that Nimrud latterly
derived its water from the Zéb or Lyons by means of a great aque-
duct, ingeniously conducted from that stream to the south-east angle
of the city where it borders on the Shor Derreh, a petty rivulet but
boisterous winter torrent, having its source in the isolated hill of Ayn-
es~safra to the north-eastward. The embankments of the great canal
alluded to, Where unbroken by the river, are traceable in their whole
extent to the Zzib,‘ and in a subsequent age, when the famous tunnel
at Negfib2 had been left dry by the waywardness of that stream, we
find an underground tunnel or Kariz3 connecting Nimrl’id with the
waters of the Ghazr—Su. We have spoken of this work in the
description of the general sheet of Assyria. At present the statement
serves to shew the important position held by Nimrr’id during the
latter dynasties of Assyria, for though almost within arrow’s flight
of the Tigris, even after its abandonment by that river, the con«
struction of a broad canal twenty—five miles in extent, through a hard
pebbly soil, was deemed indispensable to the requirements of its
population.“

At the present time Nimrr’id stands abandoned alike by the Tigris
and the Zéb, and the viscous current of the Shor Derreh rivulet,
mingled as it is with bitumen oozing from thermal springs in its bed,
seems only to mock its desertion by the sweeter streams, as it ejects
itself over the surface of the plain beyond. The Tigris at the present
day in the low season never approaches nearer to the ruins than a mile
and a quarter, while the Zéb, since the destruction of the canal, pursues
its course at six miles from its walls. That its palaces and halls,
when erected were, like the original Nineveh, begirt by pleasant waters,
there can be no question 5 nor is great invention requisite to depict the
constant struggle which man had with the element in the remote ages,

1 It is not at all improbable but that Ptolemy’s position has no reference what-
ever to Nimrnd, but to the Nineveh of our map, opposite to the modern Mésul.

2 This is referred to in the Cuneiform inscription by the characters Y; E

g: >~<Y< :E: >Y< Yg. ~ Negnb is a modern Arab name, literally .

4 :11, “ a hole ” or “ perforation.”
3 .UK Persian compound, the name of an underground tunnel for conducting
a. stream to lower grounds‘ where the intermediate land is of a higher elevation.

4 See also general paper on this head, where the work is deemed one of a reli-
gious design.

TOPOGRAPHY or NINEVEH. 343

to keep it subordinate to the objects he had designed. We have, as
we have previously mentioned, a conjectural page written on the
face of the valley before us ; everywhere the progress of the Tigris is
well marked, from the period when its waters first embraced this early
temple of the human race, to their divorce and subsequent attachment
to the rugged outline of the precipices bounding the valley of the
river to the west. Traces of its career in the remoter ages are still
discernible in the abraded cliffs on which the edifices of Nimrfid stand,
as also in the shallow indenture at their base, once occupied by the
ample stream, but now almost obliterated by the plough. It seems
probable, indeed, that the valley of the Tigris here, as well as in the
neighbourhood of Nineveh, was more confined at the period we speak
of, and that the same causes1 have acted in a greater degree to widen
it to its present extent. Deeper beds, occupying intermediate positions
‘ between the eastern boundary of the valley and the present channel,
mark alSo the Tigris’s course in amediaaval period. That named Serat
a1 ’bu Debban2 by the modern occupants, bears unmistakeable evidence
of the wayward character of the current which doubtless caused at
the same time so much anxiety in the minds of a free people, for
in the progress of the stream westward, they must have felt bereaved
of theirprincipal defence. Hence, doubtless, the construction of the
great dam Awaiyeh3 across the channel of the Tigris, the remains
‘of which, still the terror of raft-men, have given rise to many ludi—
crous traditions, and formed a subject for exaggeration even with
Enropean travellers.4 In the low season the Tigris tumbles and roars
over the massive masonry it is composed of; and, on a calm night, can
~ be heard at many miles’ distance, moaning as it were a requiem over
departed grandeur. We witness here, indeed, the vanity of human
labors from the beginning, and require no written tablets to chronicle
the ever—constant-action of nature which time has portrayed with a
truthfulness that will endure; the traditions of the country ascribe the
erection cf the dam both to N imrud and Darius, but in the last name

\ 1 Fluid pressure on the inferior or southern curves, perhaps assisted by earth-
quakes

UU ”if“ Ll *4 “ The prowler' 5 way,” an expressive metonism common

to the Arabs.

3, JET “ Sound,” -“ the tumbler.” It is also called occasionally the “ Sakhr
Nimrfid,” or “ N imrfid’s rocks.”

4 The quaint old Tavernier describes the rapid here with a fall of twenty feet;

and in our English translation of his voyages it is still further improved upon by
the rendering of twenty fathoms. See his Voyages.

VOL. xv. 2 B

344 TOPOGRAPHY or NINEVEH.‘

we may, perhaps, discern a Median occupation of the city, long after:
its first foundation, when such a work became necessary to confine the
receding waters to the eastern clifi’s, in" order that the town should
not be insulated from so essential an article. Appearances on the
west bank of the river lead us to conclude that the work was of some
extent, and if we are not mistaken, a portion of it will be found
extending below the soil as far as a tongue from the rocky ridges
lying to the W.l\’.W.1 The opening of the great canal from the
Zéb, dates we presume, from the partial or total destruction of this
work.

We need not enlarge on the geological features of the tract con-
tained in the second sheet of the vestiges of Assyria. They are in
most respects similar to those in the locality of Nineveh, excepting
that the higher ridges west of Mosul, which join the Sinjar groups of
rocks, abut, with a less easy decline, on the valley of the Tigris in the
neighbourhood of the Zéb. The ridges on either side of this stream,
indeed, from the Kara Chokh2 range to Sinjar, appear mere continua—
tions; the higher portions separated only in the line of their direction
during the process of cooling, into vertical laminae, While the lower
undulations thrown off from them are mere bubbles cropping forth on
the surface, when the ridges themselves are depressed beneath the
superstrata, generally of limestone and conglomerate, over the whole
region. The Tigris, as far as Nimrud, is upheld on its southern or
inferior slope by one of these laminae, which, acting as agreat barrier,
terminates at Mishrak, a rocky elevation or cape surmounted by three
conspicuous peaks when viewed from the north.3 Here, however,
the opposition ceases, and both it and the Zéb have availed themselves
of the outlet afforded by one of these deep depressions, to break
through the superficial bubbles of the crust, and, after many tortuous
checks, unite to form one grand stream, coursing silently, but deep,
through comparatively plain lands, in a more steady course towards
Babylonia. ’

The effect of this antagonism, has, however, operated to widen
the valley of the river in the struggle of ages; and like a‘ great
serpent, the more scope it has obtained, the wider it has spread
its convolutions. These, sinuous enough in the low season, are ex-
tended over the greater part of the valley in the spring, filling up the

1 We had not the means of crossing the river with our instruments to prove
what is advanced, nor would time admit of the delay in the construction of rafts. , .

2 The name of a high mount on the summit of a ridge, crossing the plain
between the Lower and Upper Zab.

3 This will be better seenon Sheet III.

TOPOGRAPHY or NINEVEH. 345

deserted beds 5 and in periods of flood the waters, like a vast sea, even
reach the deserted abodes which, centuries ago, they both furnished
and protected. Like the victims of Tantalus’ cup, a besieged people
in Nimri’id may, indeed, have [perished from thirst in sight of the
fluid which, a few months or even days later, inundation brought to
their very doors. At these times the fine crops in the valley are
swept away, and their owners, with the little household furniture
they can snatch, accompanied by their families and cattle, beat a
precipitate retreat. Security is afforded them on the wrecks of the
Assyrian palaces. In the autumn and early spring, as represented
the map, the valley of the Tigris consequently presents a broken
surface. Broad isolated fields, lying either cultivated or fallow, con—
‘trast prettily with the excavated hollows left by the receding river.
These exhibit pools of water interspersed with a dark scrub or broom,
the natural product of old watercourses 3 while the rich waving green
.of the. crops, enamelled with every variety of wild flower, now under
the light of a spring sun, now in the shade of a passing cloud, glit-
tering with the early dew or the passing drops of an April shower, com-
bine‘to render Nimri’id in these months a favorite locality with most
men. With the nomad andother lovers of Nature, modern or ancient,
it must always have held a two—fold estimation. The mud hamlets of
- Naife‘h-Deréwish1 and Nimri’id, as winter abodes of the present occu-
pants, infested with wild cats, crawling with vermin, and crumbling
under the wretchedness of construction, shew, however, that man alone
disfigures a scene Where nature has ever ‘been bountiful, and where he
himself, branded as a “ barbarian,” once stood pre—eminent and conspic-
uous enough to excite the admiration of states deeming themselves
civilized only after thirty centuries of progress. If “barbarian ”
then, how. shall we designate him now? For the ethical speculator,
indeed, an ample and instructive field is open on the banks of the
Tigris ; though we will not deny a similar theatre exists on the shores
of the Thames also. Philosophers, sentimentalists, utilitarians, “ et hoc
genus omne,” have drunk alike of the former as of the latter, yet now,
except in Australia and in other remote isles of Oceania, we can no

t

0/
corruption of Darius or Darayfish. It is not unlikely, considering that Dara or
Darius is traditienally invested with the tales and works of the neighbourhood as
well as his great prototype Nimrfid. Both names, indeed, may have a patent
signification, though'used as mere meaningless epithets in the mouths of ignorant
wanderers of the present day; for, perhaps, they are the only traces left in the
minds of men of the two powerful dynasties in which Nimrfid flourished; in the

~ ‘ latter as the chief,‘m the former as a secondary city.

1 U“) lJQ Derawish: this name has been thought by many a Mahomedan

2B2

~

346 TOPOGRAPHY or NINEVEH.

where find man so attached to the zero of human happiness, which he
has sunk to from the enjoyment of a full measure of prosperity and
power. Ambitious only of freedom, he is content in his rags, and
will not barter them for the silk and ermine of a shackled existence;
though covetous enough of the latter if able to possess himself of them

by

“ The good old rule . . . . the simple plan,
That they should take who have the power;
And they should keep who can.”

We have again wandered a little from the subject in hand, but
Bedouin-like, our disposition is to stray from the direct path to scan
the expanse around; and in the absence of other interesting objects, we
may be excused plucking an inviting flower, so long as we delay not
to extract it by the roots. We will now quit Layard’s hut in the
plan, and direct our steps eastwards, along the margin of the old bed
of the river, past the mouldering walls of the mud hamlet that has
usurped the name of the “mighty hunter Nimrod,” pertaining to the
long—buried vestiges of the splendid halls beyond 5 our guide is the
high pyramid marked 7 in the plan.1 Before we reach it, however,
we are sensible of having stumbled into a hollow way,2 filled from a
ravine and winter torrent coming from near Tel Agfib or Yakfib,
north of the city. Absorbed as we are in the dark piles before us, we
heed not the swamp we are wading through, further than to observe,
on coming to the margin of the ruins, that the conglomerate of the
tertiary rocks bounding the east edge of the valley has not only been
scarped artificially, but is also well worn by the water-attrition of a
long period. The conclusion at once is, that the Tigris itself flowed
here3 at a very remote time, and this is further confirmed by the contin-
uation of the bed, and a well marked water~line or beach, as far south
as Tel Chiméh.4 This bed now receives only the winter contributions
from the ravine north, and the Shor Derreh rivulet south, of the city,
which latter, when Nimri’id was in a flourishing condition, we are led
to believe, had its debouchure lower down, on the line of the embank—
ment of the great canal, where we see the opening5 below the isolated
'undulation south of the eastern suburbs. This isolated piece of rock

1 Sheet II. of the Vestiges of Assyria.

2 No. 6 of the plan.

3 No. 6 of the plan. .

4 Refer to the general plan for this artificial pile. Its distance would not
admit of including it in the large scale of Sheet II.

5 Marked f on the plan.

TOPOGRAPHY or NINEVEH. 347

soil1 appears, indeed, from the debris of buildings upon it, and from its
singular conformation, to have been connected originally with the
rock undulations on which the city was first designed ,' the great em-
bayment that we now see separating them, having been formed by the
combined back-water action or eddies of the Tigris, and the pressure
and percolations from the Shor Derreh in the lapse of ages. The
walls of the city, broken and incomplete to the south, look certainly
as if their terminations had been swept away by the floods. North of
Nimri’id the character of the country is the same; unless separated by
rain—courses it averages a height of twenty and thirty feet above the
valley of the river where it abuts on it, but more distant undulations
rise to an elevation of eighty and ninety feet, culminating in still
higher points, about five and a half miles north of Selémiyeh.

Breaking through the crops or tertiary bubbles here bordering the
valley to the east, the chief stream is the Shor Derreh rivulet,
emanating from springs in the hill of Mar Daniel. At seasons it is
quite dry in the lower part, owing to the water being turned on to
the upper plains for irrigation, but in the winter and Spring the
torrents come down with great violence. The same may be said of
the next, an inferior rill2 coming from the plains and undulations
north of Tel Yaki’ib. They are both lost in the valley of the Tigris, at
points separated only by a mile and a half of undulating land.

The tongue at the end of this has been selected for the site of
Nimrfid, the second, as we deem, in rank of the Assyrian cities.
Compared with the capital Nineveh, itpis insignificant in size, though
equal in interest, as the mine from whence England, by the exertions
of ,Layard, has obtained her principal monuments of a people pre-
viously looming as shadows only in the mist of history. What
remains of the 'enceinte of Nimrfid occupies an area of a little less
than a thousand acres. The northern half of the city only appears to
have been protected bya regular wall, which is still traceable; but
’unlike similar structures at Nineveh, they could not have been
remarkable for great altitude or dimensions. The noble water—
defences of the capital are wanting too to this city, it being sur-
rounded on the north side by a mere moat of no great extent,
apparently fed by the damming up of the Tel Yaki’ib ravine to the
north, the waters of which being subsequently led into the ditch at
the northeast angle of the city, thus connecting them with the 'Shor
Derreh stream on the east, and the Tigris to the west, when it flowed

‘ Marked C on the plan.
2 Rich calls it Karadash ravine. We could get no fixed name for it, it having
as many aliases as a. police prote’gé in England.

6

.348 TOPOGRAPHY or NINEVEH.

past the platform of the palaces, then, as we infer from appearances,
erected on the margin of that stream. The more prominent and
regular walls of the city are as near as possible in the direction of the
true cardinal points 5 the northern one having an outwork or project-
ing buttress1 just midway of its length. Gates appear to have been
situated at uncertain intervals in the wall. They will be best seen
by reference to the plan, as also will the broken and irregular align-
ments of the city to the south, a great part of which is seemingly
wanting, being, as we suppose, swept away by the combined action of
the rivulet and the river as described in the preceding paragraph.
As at Nineveh, the interior displays no evidence of buildings beyond
a reddish hue of pulverized brick imparted to the surface of the
undulations, which are higher than the walls beyond, though in the
iorth—west angle we thought the alignments of houses were traceable
in the soil. The plough has, however, done its work here also, for
the mansions of rich and poor, if they ever existed within, are alike
levelled, nor are the stately temples of its rulers left unfurrowed, the
coulter and share, aided by the atmosphere, having, indeed, atomized
every structure exposed to their action, and Where the cypress should
stand as the fitter emblem of their sepulture beneath, we find its
place usurped by the waving richness of spring crops.

Though now occupying the extreme south-west corner of Nimri’id,
the platform enshrining the temples and halls of its kings appears
anciently to have held a more central position with regard to the sur-
rounding town, then extending, as we have surmised, much further
to the south. Be this as it may, the platform surrounds all that is
now attractive on the spot, and once contained the trophies that now
adorn the Assyrian halls of our Museum. The four palaces from
whence these were extracted occupy the west face and south-east
corner of this platform, which is an irregular parallelogram in shape,
the north side being somewhat shorter than the southern ; it encloses
an area of sixty acres. Layard has named the interior palaces, the
north-west, the central, the south—west, and south-east edifices, which
nomenclature we have retained as appropriate.2 Encircled by a much
worn parapet rising at present a few feet above the platform Within,
they form of themselves a separate enclosure inside the city wall.
On the north-west corner of this, where it is connected with the latter,
is erected the Great Pyramid that looms so conspicuously over the

/

1 See description of the Great Pyramid. _

2 Deep ravines separate the apartments on the west and south face of the
enclosure. The torrents of centuries, coursing from the summit of the mounds to
the plain, have in a great measure defined their extent.

TOPOGRAPHY or NINEVEH. 349

Assyrian plains. It rises 133 feet above the low autumnal level of
the Tigris, and about 60 feet above the platform of the palaces.1
Recent excavations have shown the pile as based upon a rectangular
plinth of brickwork, aligned in the direction of the cardinal points,
and faced with finely cut blocks of limestone, having recesses in the
sides at regular intervals, and a semicircular bastion projecting in the
centre of the north wall, much in the same way as the buttress
- described in the enceinte of the, city. Above the base it is composed
of sun-dried bricks; its apex, worn down as it, is at present, rose
doubtless to a much greater elevation. The crumbled debris scattered
over the sides has not only entombed the base in the wear of centuries,
but has nearly obliterated its pyramidal form, still faintly traceable in
the rounded outline of the mass. No remains have yet been found
Within this singular structure, although evidently designed for a
special purpose and not raised as the creation of fancy alone. Shut
out as the N imrfid palaces are from the other Assyrian positions in
the neighbourhood by intervening undulations of some altitude, we
are disposed to View its erection simply as a tower of communication,
whenCe alarm or religious Observances might be either signalled or
seen from a distance around. The whole plain to the foot of the
mountains, is distinctly visible on a clear day from its summit, but a
few feet, lower down all is bid by the contiguous land. It is only
reasonable, therefore, to refer its elevation to a specific object such as
this, without seeking to identify it with the “ Busta Nini,” placed by

ancient writers in several localities of Asia Minor.2 From the absence
\

‘ These elevations may be a little in- error, from the causes noted in the pre-
vious paper. Rich made it 144% feet, but he had not instruments with him for any .
acciirate measurements. Rich’s “- Kurdistan and Nineveh,” v01. 11., chap. xviii.,
p. 132.

2 Were Ninus entombed in Nineveh at all, we should perhaps seek to identity

A the site of his mausoleum with that venerated at present as the last resting-place
of the prophet Jonah, from the simple fact of the first Christian fathers not
recognizing the grave as that of the missionary of Nineveh. Yet doubtless a
grave existed there, and we may infer a more than common grave, from the fixed
and unswerving bigotry of all Orientals in receiving, in this respect, what has
traditionallydescended from age to age; nor is it likely that early Mahomedans,
keen in inquiry on matters of this nature, and doubly prejudiced, as they were,
against Christian edifices, would blindly accept a Christian chapel, perhaps

' - decorated with the hated emblems of their faith, as the sepulchre of Jonah, unless
a. tomb invested with necrological honours from a remote period rendered the
spbt, in their eyes,‘worthy of memorial and preservation, Rich, who took great
interest in such subjects, spent much time in inquiry during a residence in the

neighbourhood, and he states that the Christians distinctly deny J onah’s burial on
- this spot (Kurdistan and Nineveh, Vol. II., chap. xiii., p. 32); and in this,

350 TOPOGRAPHY or NINEVEH.

of such a monument in the capital, while we witness similar ones on a
smaller scale spread over the whole country, we are inclined to view
it as a religious erection of a later dynasty at a time when the practice
of the early Persians, “ who made their altars the high places of earth
o’er-gazing mountains,” first came into vogue. The sacred fire blazing
from its summit might have conveyed the signal of sacrifice or prayer
to all similar positions around, answering in the latter respect to the
minarets of Islamism in our own day. Recent excavations have
shown too that it served for other national purposes; it having borne
on its south face a grand tablet commemorative of a series of events
recorded on a single stone, perhaps of thirty tons in weight. Thrown
down from its position, it now lies in fragments at the foot of the pile
between the north-west palace and an adjoining apartment, which,
to distinguish it, is named “the Temple of Mars” in the plan before
us. But Whatever cause may be assigned as the origin of this
singular monument, it has served as an attractive object on the plains
of Assyria for many ages past. As a ruin it excited the attention of
Layard and Rich in the present century, as it did that of Xenophon
upwards of three hundred years before the birth of Christ. He names
it Larissa ,' and from his description it would appear that the masonry
of the base, so lately exposed again, was then conspicuous, though it
could scarcely have been more perfect than it is now. Nimri’id,
indeed, in every phase of its singular history, is pregnant with interest
to the European, whether in connection. with the footprints of the

respect most authors agree with them, placing his tomb at Gath-hepher and Tyre
in Palestine, the pseudo-Epiphanius even allotting a portion of the cemetery of
Cenezoeus to the reception of the prophet’s body.—See “De Vitis Proph.” and
the Paschal Chron., quoted by Kitto, The Christians had, however, a. sort of
hermitage on the site of the present tomb. This hermitage, dedicated only to
Jonah, in Christian veneration for his mission to Nineveh, may have been erected
near the principal feature of the N ecropolis, generally, from the sanctity attached
to the dead, the last memorial of a city. Its position on this might be regarded in
keeping with the character of an edifice raised by austere piety and enthusiasm ;
and, on the Mahomedan invasion, a pardonable deceit connecting the chapel and
the grave, while it preserved both from ruin, may have originated and perpetuated
an error which renders the site a “noli me tangere” position to the spade of the
antiquarian. Could we convince the ’Ulema of such an error, and point out the
prophet’s grave to them in Palestine, Islam credulity, partaking more of supersti-
tion than respect, might deem the work a charitable one which separated the
corrupt relics of their race from the remains of a heathen and proscribed people;
a little money would then put us in possession of the mysterious contents of the
mound. Since the above was written we heard of operations having been com-
menced by the Turks themselves, and on gour way to England examined some

colossal specimens of Assyrian sculpture on a. level with the foundations of the
supposed tomb of the prophet. I

TOPOGRAPHY or NINEVEH. 351

indomitable Ten Thousand, or in relation to its own previous career
of glory and renown. Invested with local traditions, the long winter
night of the Arab is enlivened too by their relation, and though he is
not over-critical in regard to the truth of the narrative, he is as much
interested in his subject as the most ardent philosopher of our schools.

In the superficial sketch represented by our plan there is little else
attractive in the ruins of Nimri’rd. The palaces, buried in the interior

platform, have been minutely described in Layard’s interesting pages.

We saw them under the disadvantages attendant on the preservation
of the sculptures 3 for they had been but partially cleared again of the
rubbish heaped over them on Layard‘s departure. We saw enough,
however, to satisfy an ample curiosity, and only regretted that the
brief time at our disposal from other active duties, would not admit of
detailed plans being made of the interior on a large scale. These would
require a long residence on the spot, and, moreover, to effect them, the
halls and temples must be laid bare again, at an expense perhaps in-
commensurate with the object in view. The eastern suburb appears
to have been formed after the modelling of the original town. Its
mounds1 on the south side higher than the platform of N imrl’ld, though
lower than the great pyramid, would seem to cover other monuments
of the period 5 and, indeed, were excavations undertaken on a grander
scale, under an able superintendent, we should doubless derive as much

- material as archaeologists could ever expect to possess, or, indeed, as

the nation at large could desire.
There are, moreover, other positions contiguous to Nimri’id which
would yield similar relics 3 one of which, under the modern name of

»- Selamiyeh, that of an Arab village of an early Mahomedan era, occu-

pies a portion of Sheet II. of our vestiges of Assyria. Now only a
miserable hamlet, it was of considerable importance, even in the better
days of Islam, theOriental geographers, in a confused manner, identify-

ing the site with Athur or Assyria.2

But ,without these notices, we couldvnot fail to recognize the
crumbled and almost obliterated walls as the structures of a syn-'
chronous period with Nimrfid and Nineveh. Their remains enclose
an area, at present, of four hundred and ten acres; but part ’of
the city, at no time of very greatxextent, has been swept away
by the Tigris, or severed from its precipitous position by the shock

'1 About eighty-three feet above the level of the plain. I am led to believe

these eminences were somehow connected with the canal from the Zab. Perhaps

the water was raised by machines erected here for the supply of the western
palaces, on the great dam being ruptured by the flood.

-“ See Yakfit, in M’ajim a1 Buldéu; and Abulfeda, under the head of ML ,

352 TOPOGRAPHY or NINEYEH." ,

of an earthquake. The alignments of the south-west face, now on
the edge of the cliffs, washed at times by the Tigris, extended fur-
ther to the west while the city was in existence, and the north-west
wall, meeting it from a northerly direction, formed a right angle
overlooking the stream. This angle, and all that stood upon it, has
long since disappeared in the flood _; but under the debris of more
recent edifices, forming high mounds in the interior, we might be cer-
tain of meeting with Assyrian monuments, as we have done at. other
places.1 The soil, indeed, cannot be scraped even without exposing
long-covered buildings, the materials of which are prominent also in
the sections of the ravines passing through the city. Similar ravines
confine the city on the north and south ,' the former having warm
springs, like the Shor Derreh, in its bed, that emit petroleum, and, at
the same time, aid other sources in tainting the otherwise pure air of
the locality with fumes of sulphuretted hydrogen, which, in a dense
state of the atmosphere, lie sufficiently low to infect the whole plain.
An alkaline clay, much prized in the baths of Mosul and by the Arab
females of the neighbourhood, abounds too in the banks of this ravine.

We have no more to. offer on the subject of N imrfid, and, indeed,
fear having already said too much. The present aspect of the spot has,
however, suggested ideas, which, though in some measure foreign to
our subject, we have ventured to pen, to relieve the dryness of geogra-
phical narrative 5 and in the accompanying plan have endeavoured to
delineate the features of the locality as faithfully as we are able. To
the enterprising explorer of the region, as a competent judge of its
merits, and as a small token of the interest we have taken in his career
and discoveries for the last twelve years, we inscribe Sheet 11.2 of the
Vestiges of Assyria, feeling assured of the approval of the Govern-
ment of India, under whose authority the survey was made during the

last spring.

NARRATIVE OF THE NINEVEH SURVEY.

WE have now done with the more-known vestiges of ancient
Assyria, and those who require other detailed features of the region
included in Sheet III. must follow us in the narrative of the survey,
where occasional particulars of its modern aspect will be found inter- ’

1 A fragment of la fine cylinder, bearing a genealogical inscription, was obtained
at Selamiyeh. Cuneiform-stamped bricks, with a new form of name, and a stone
With crouching lions, of a somewhat rude type, procured from the village, bespeak

too a mine of antiquities, not‘yet examined.
2 On .a plane scale of one thousand feet to an inch.

ToroeRArHY or NINEVEH. 353

Spersed among the notices of our daily proceedings. These are re-
corded only as an estimate of the pains taken to render the work as
perfect as possible in the short interim allotted to our labours.

The East India Company, ever the liberal patrons of science, at
the request of the trustees of our national museum caused the survey
' to be made. More pressing duties, however, prevented its accomplish-
ment at an earlier pe1iod than the last spring, when we set out from
B Ighdad on our errand, with the instruments and party necessary to
7 the undertaking. We were at a loss, however, for an assistant, until
Dr. Hyslop, with the sanction of Colonel Rawlinson, generously offered
his aid for the purpose, and, through his active exertions in the field,
' we are mainly indebted to the completion of the survey, for our time
was very limited indeed. To his zeal in the department, the Flora of
the Nineveh region will be known. We will not forestall his obser-
vations on this head, but acknowledge his ready compliance with our
views with the thanks it deserves.

To ascertain the meridian distance of the region we were proceed-
ing to from Baghdad, it was necessary to make a caravan journey by
easy stages, to give full effect to the performance of the chionometers,
two of which, excellent instruments by Dent, we had with us. They
acted admirably on the way, and gave results when compared with a
carefully adjusted dead-reckoning from day to day, as creditable to
their own excellence as corroborative of the care with which they had
been carried from stage to stage. The daily traverses made on the
road, with the astronomical observations taken, are embodied in the
Appendix. It will suffice here to record that the great minaret of
- Mosul, in latitude 360 20’ 16” north, has a meridian distance of
1° 16’ 52” west of Baghdad, a quantity which cannot be far from
the truth. The other observations on the journey will form the basis
of another map, that of (the great military road between the modern
"capitals of Assyria and Irak, now under construction, and continued
as leisure will permit. We therefore abandon the records of this part
of-our journey for a time, and open our note book at the Upper Zéb,
which stream we reached in thirteen days from Baghdad.

Here we experienced the first great delay we had met with, for it
occupied from 2 P.M.- on the preceding day until the morning of the
next to cross the stream by the frail and diminutive rafts worked by
the villagers of the two Kellaks, who are a mixed people of Yezidis
”and ‘Boht Kurds, cantankerous enough in the exercise of their vocations
as ferrymen across the stream.

Such delay the traveller experiences on the great post road of
‘ Turkey, and, if all else were satisfactory, this fact alone angurs ill of

354 TOPUGRAPHY or NINEVEH.

the administration. Though we did not get dinner until midnight, we
must cease grumbling, to admire the pretty scene open to us at sun—
rise, such as is presented by gentle pastures, sloping t0 the banks of
the stream, and covered with the flocks and first lambkins of the sea—
son, frisking around the black tents of the shepherds, which dot the
emerald carpet spread by nature on the banks of the Zéb. Ascending
the tongue lying between it and the Ghazr-Su we see the great plain
of Shemamek, bounded by the Kara—chokh hills, dotted with the '
tumuli of former races, on the left of the Zéb. To the west, beyond
the meeting of the Ghazr, the view is interrupted by the ridges from
the Jebel Maklub and Ayn-es-Safra, shutting out the great Nineveh
plain. We observe, however, a conical pile, just capping above the
ridge, and are told it is Keremlis, a structure of an unknown age and
people. This glimpse of a past generation increases an anxiety for a.
nearer inspection; but we descend into the glen of the Ghazr by an
easy decline, and find ourselves shut out from all beyond it. Here an
ancient tumulus, called Tel Aswad by the Arabs, and Minkubi by Rich,
points perhaps to the position of a keep that anciently guarded the
ford of the Ghazr, which stream becomes at times a fractious torrent,
quite impassable to caravans. When we passed it was brawling over
pebbly beds in different channels.

We had to make a long detour in search of the most shallow places,
and some amusing incidents were derived from the alarm of our Bagh-
dadis, as, with their clothes drawn up to the chin, they endeavoured to
stem the torrent. An hour brought us on the level of the ridges t0 the
west, and the Nineveh plain, its habitations, and singular tumuli, were
at once spread out before us ,' but the capital still lay hid behind the
undulations which border the Tigris to the east. Here the green mea-
dows of the insecure tracts are, exchanged for the ridge and furrow
peculiarities of tilled laud, interspersed with the hamlets of a compae
ratively civilised people, which, pleasing enough in the prospects they
hold out to the owners, afford at this season but a dull track for the
traveller, especially when softened by the moisture of constant rains.
The pace is thus a heavy one to the city, and is much lengthened, for
the upper way has to be kept near the base of the isolated hill of
Ayn-es-Safra, which has on its summit the remains of a Christian
church, dedicated to Mar Daniel, a venerable pastor of an early Chris?
tian period. The hill is sometimes known by the latter name, but the
former, “the bile fountain,” is its real appellation, derived from a
sulphur spring at its base, which is said to possess remedial proper—
ties in hepatic derangements of the system. Birtullah is next passed,
Which we are informed is a Christian village. This boasts of a stone

TOPOGRAPHY 0F NINEVEH. 355

house, that had been a few years ago the pretty mansion of a Mosul
pasha ; and an oblong building of stone, on the east of the hamlet, is
pointed out as the church dedicated to the Virgin, who with the
Syrians, Jacobites, and 'Chaldean Catholics in all this tract, has even a
higher ve-neration than is accorded to her by similar sects in the West.
. But we must pass on, as a drizzling rain is urging us to shelter our-
selves in the city, and besides shuts out the features in the landscape
around. We shall, however, pass them again ,' in the meantime we
ascend the undulations near the hamlet Kojak, and, for the first time,
I see the Tigris again, since quitting it at Baghdad. On the west of it
the domes and minarets of Mosul are dimly visible through a driziling
* mist, and prostrate before us are the walls of the celebrated city whose
history but a short time ago lay buried in the piles on either hand.
We Sweep past the white tomb, which bears the name of the mis-
sionary of Nineveh, erected on the summit of one of them 3 and, ere the
reverie we have fallen into is well commenced, it is broken again by
the clattering of our cattle’s feet over the boards of the floating bridge
which connects the living city with the dead. Thus, fairly in the
muddy Streets of Mosul, we add 130 the bustle and animation which
prevails, even on such a miserable wet day. We were, however, soon
housed in the comfortable room of the lady1 whose hospitality is so
generously dispensed at Mosul, and at her table were introduced to
'two of the members2 of the commission sent to explore the antiqui-
ties of Mesopotamia by the government of France. Through the
zeal of Colonel Rawlinson, and the activity of our friend Layard,
these learned savans will, we fear, find themselves forestalled. In the
,evening we inspected the gold mask, vases, gold earrings, necklace,
and other curious relics daily obtained from Koiyunjik, as well as a
vast amount of written tablets, lying stored for (transmission to Eng-
land. There was ,also a gold Coin of Tiberius Cwsar, fOund near a
tOmb, a relic, doubtless, of Roman occupation.

‘For the'three Subsequent days we were prisoners, as it Were, in
Mosul. ‘It‘rained incessantly day and night, and though nothing could
be'atten’ipted in the field, our route from Baghdad was well calculated

‘ and protracted within‘doors. With a limited time only, it was neces—
sary to do something, and on March 12th we acCordi’ngly moved out,
indefiance of the wet, and pitched our camp "in the swamp at the foot
6f the Koiyunjik mound. Colonel Rawlinson had joined us «the day
before, on a tour of inspection of the work 'now in progress by excava-
ting parties. The ‘13th, however, gave promise of amendment in the

1 Mrs. Rassam. 2 Messrs. Fresnel and Oppert.

\

356 TOPOGRAPHY or NINEVEH.

weather, and, as soon as the ground was fairly dry, the base for future
operations was measured, and piles, where needed for triangulation,
were erected in the neighbourhood. Angles too, were taken at the
principal points, and the heights of the mounds of Nebi Yunus and
Koiyunjik ascertained.

The next day, being Sunday, the people rested, but we were com-
pelled to proceed with the construction of the map, or,_with the short
time at our disposal, coupled with the wet weather, we should never
complete the work in hand. The latitude of our principal position
was well ascertained to-day, by the sun’s favouring us for awhile, and
the azimuths for meridian values were procured also. Thus we had
fairly commenced 3 and while our labours were in progress on and
around the mound, the French artists attached to M. Fresnel’s party
were occupied in sketching the sculptures.

March 15. Daybreak. We were on the mound of Koiyunjik, and
managed to procure the first round of good angles, it being a brilliant
clear morning. These enabled ten principal positions to be calculated
and plotted on the map, and by the time these were finished, the
hour was convenient for corroborating the latitude of the previous day.
This differed but one second from that of yesterday, and was thus far
satisfactory. While this was in operation, the French consul, M. Place,
made a visit to the camp from Khorsabad, which he is still excavating
with but little success. Colonel Rawlinson had, however, gone to visit
the pasha, and in the afternoon we traced in the whole of the western
wall of Nineveh, south of the Khosr, measuring it and its curves with
a chain the whole way. From its contour it is evident the Tigris
once flowed along it, into the position it now holds south of the city.

March 16. The great mound of Koiyunjik was measured around
the base with the chain. The bed of a stream to the north, and the
present channel of the Khosr to the east, show that it was encircled by
a stream of water, and appearances suggest its having been led in from
the north-east angle of the city wall. There is a dried-up well near
the mill of Armushiyeh, where the stream seems to have bifurcated
in olden times. This work was placed on the map in the forenoon,
and the latitude was again ascertained, but 4” less than yesterday.
In the afternoon the northern alignment of the walls of Nineveh were
traced in their rectangular form, and the debris of edifices within
marks the principal ones as having existed there. Visited the north
gateway, which we designated “the porch of Bulls.” The mound on
its eastern side has been opened by Layard, and the interior exposes a
magnificent sight to those entering suddenly from without, for colossal
bulls of an excellent form, with human heads crowned with the

#1")? 2w

Toroennrnr or NINEVEH.‘ 357

peculiar tiara of K-oiyunjik, stand in grim and stately majesty in the
depth of the caverns of the wall. These are unfinished, as if the
sculptor had suddenly dropped his chisel and fled in alarm. Most of
our party were inclined to take the same course, and, certainly, an
indescribable feeling of awe seems to creep over one while contem-

- plating the groups in the mysterious position they occupy. Our

Arabs christened them “Jemas,” or “Buffaloes,” being the animals
“they are acquainted with as most resembling them in size. From this
position the wall was carried over the natural rock ridges of the
country; and a little beyond the highest part we observed the spur to
have been cut through to form a moat for the protection of the north
side of the city, in connection with the works of a similar kind on the
east face. The survey to-day was completed as far as the Khosr’s
passage through the east wall, the height of which was ascertained as
given in the general sketch. Returning to the camp along the
Khésr’s'course we suddenly came upon a party of young girls, who
had selected a nook of the stream to bathe in out of the direction of
the usual roads. Like water nymphs, some dived, while others hid
themselves, as they thought, from view, by assuming a crouching
attitude with their hands concealing the face, like the ostrich
imagining itself hidden when itself blind to exterior objects around.»
It is evident they had not anticipated the prying eye of the surveyor

' so close to them, for their clothes were at a distance and could not be

reached without a greater exposure, so they quietly maintained their
attitude, and the laughing of those swimming in the water told of the
enjoyment afforded by the discomfiture of their companions. It was
a pretty sight, however, and the water streaming from their long jetty
hair down their fair and supple figures, glistening wet in the burning -
sun, offered a feature of modern Na'iads such as is seldom seen, and,
moreover, sadly deficient in the human groups represented in the
ancient halls in their vicinity. Those Assyrians, we suspect, were a
jealous and crusty race, or they would have favoured us with a few
full—length specimens of their “ womankind.”

' ‘ March 17. Operations were continued around the mound of Nehi
Yfinus, and its entire circumference measured with the chain, to the
amusement. of the villagers who inhabit the modern buildings
contiguous to the tomb of Jonah. They offered, however, no

Vmol-estat‘ion ; and a loquacious “Syed,” after assuring us on his own
authority that Nineveh in reality stood here, volunteered a mass of

information quiteforeign to that sought ; but he pointed out an old
course of the Khésr, contiguous to the west wall of Nineveh, which

~- We subsequently traced to the deserted bridge of three arches stand--

358 TOPOGRAPHY or NINEVEH.

ing on the plain 3 showing that this rivulet changed its course to its
present outlet into the Tigris not very long ago. After breakfasting
at the camp and placing the morning’s work upon paper, we pro—
ceeded to the east wall, south of the Khésr, where we left off yester-
day, and traced it to-day as far as the conspicuous mounds which rise
high above the wall where cut through by the Keremlis road. Here
parties were employed extracting the finely-cut blocks of stone which
seem to form the base of the mural defences of Nineveh. These bear
mostly a Cuneiform legend of a line or two only. The examination
of the various fosses that defended the capital, occupied the afternoon.
They are certainly well designed for their purpose, and when the
dams were properly attended to must have surrounded the capital
with a triple belt of water in this part, or, when necessary, isolated it
altogether from the contiguous country, in the midst of a large lake.
Other stations were taken up today on the hill of Arbachiyeh for
extending the triangulation. We had from this a full view'of the
plain as far as Khorsabad. The shady green slopes of the ancient
tumuli contrasted with the lively verdure of the fields, and the White
tomb and mud structures of the present population, in a remarkable
and pretty manner, rendering the several objects very distinct in the
telescopes of our theodolites, though we experienced much difficulty
in naming them for angular values from the stupidity of our guides.
On our return, as night set in, we suddenly missed one of our party,- as
if he had been spirited away. We scurried over the plain and
ascended the dykes in every direction without success; and while
bewildered and alarmed at his abrupt disappearance at that hour, he
stood at our feet in the grey dusk and silence of evening as if by
enchantment. We had forgotten the little grotto of Demlamajeh and
the pure water of Thisbe’s fountain commemorated by Rich. Our
friend, however, had not, and being thirsty after the_day’s fatigue, he
had dropped suddenly into the deep trench where it exists, unknown
to the party preceding him, and, to our relief, as suddenly emerged
again when we were in real alarm for his safety. The night-
threatened to be a wet one, and the clouds, accumulating in heavy
masses on the Kurdistan hills, augured. ill for our operations on the
morrow. We found on our arrival at the tents a company of dancing _
boys preparing for our amusement, but being able to dispense with
the disgusting performances of this class of Turkish hybrids, they
were dismissed, much to the chagrin of themselves and their native
admirers.

March 18. The circuit of the ancient city was completed by
measuring the walls in the south-east quarter, to the dam, the remains

TOPOGRAPHY or NINEVEH. 359

of which are yet visible in the bed of the Tigris, on the south of the
city. Yaremjeh, an ancient pile, was visited and its position ascer-
tained from angles on its summit. These, too, extend our triangula-
tion to the east and south-east. .The pile itself has been washed by
the Tigris many centuries back, and may, indeed, occasionally, in
periods of inundation, still stand in the flood. Half of it has been
swept away, exposing a section in which pottery and large limestone

’ slabs form alternate strata with about eight, feet of earth. The

artificial portion is quite distinct from the marl and loam formation of
the original clifl' it reposes on, and puzzled us much in conjectures
relative to its construction and use. Rich says the natives regard it
as the “potteries of Nineveh,” suggested to them, doubtless, by the
quantity of urns embedded in the soil, which, however, led us to
conclude its origin was owing to the use of the site during a long
period as a N ecropolis for the dead, as at present. The top is covered
with graves and tombs, and a village of the name stands on the neck
connecting it with the cliff, formed by the wash of the Tigris in a
remote period. The margin of the river, its islands and sand-banks,
were traced on our way back to camp. ‘

March 19. The storm that had been impending the last twenty-
four hours burst on us last night, and before morning our camp and
the village of Armushiyeh were as isolated positions in a “ Slough of
Despond.” The heavy squalls threatened to blow the tent down, and
it required all our ingenuity to sleep within the compass of an
umbrella spread out to shelter us from the drippings from the roof.
It was impossible to map in such a damp atmosphere. We, therefore,
betook ourselves to the saddle, and the day partially clearing enabled V
us to transfer the northern plain, with its villages and river face, to
the map. On this many edifices doubtless stood in an Assyrian age;
for the present villages of Bé-’Aowireh, Beysan, Reshidiyeh, Sherif-
khén, and Gubbeh1 are known to have relics of the times thickly
spread in the soil on which they are built. The monastery of Mar
Georgiz or J orjez stands at a distance, like a castellated mansion of
the Crusade era, on an ancient tumulus; and the portion of a
quadrangle a little south of it, near the elevated ridges, points to an
Assyrian position half swept off by the floods. The mound at

. Sherif—khau, or Sheri Khan as it is now corrupted, has proved to be a

temple of Sennacherib’s, and the remains of a fine canal on the east of

”it 'would seem formerly to have led the waters of the Tigris to
Nineveh after it was abandoned by the stream. A fine cylinder,

1 7'. ' . 3. “no
Jude - UM - eta—t»; — ab we,» — e.”
VOL. xv. 2 C,

360 TOPOGRAPHY or NINEVEH.

some valuable tablets, and other curious trifies, have been found here,
but no sculptures that we know of.

We were caught in a heavy thunder-storm, and had to take shelter
in the village of Beysan, where we were invited into a smoke-
begrimed hovel, destitute of conveniences of every. kind. It was
evident the inmates cared for nothing but mere animal existence; and
as we are by no means particular, we lit our pipes and listened to the
conversation of the groups which soon assembled around. A
Baghdad pundit astonished the community with his tales, fully
believed by the ignorant and unwashed villagers of this district. A
Suni himself, his sarcasms were particularly levelled against the
Shiahs, whom he accused of every crime against God and man,
confounding them in his category of infidels with the singular classes
who form the population of Reshidiyeh and Sherif-khan. These
villagers are of the “ Ila Ilahi” persuasion, or, as they are named
here, Cheragh Sunderans, or “extinguishers of light,” from their
religious ceremonies being mysteriously conducted in the dark, and
hence are attributed to them the orgies which are said to have been
i enacted on the festivals of Venus, both in Greece and Babylonia.
The license that is said to pertain amongst them we are not prepared
to deny ,' we believe it, however, to be much exaggerated by those not
admitted to their Observances, which exclude all other sects. They
are an inoffensive people, and, while tenacious of the intrusion of
others on their belief, they readin enough cloak their true religion by
the profession of Mahomedanism, perhaps dreading the persecutions
which they have been too often subjected to. We shall allude to‘
them again presently, and in the mean time hasten back to our camp, .
having been debarred visiting their villages by the furious squall
which lasted for two hours, in which hailstones formed of transparent
crystals of ice on the outside, had, as a nucleus, a pellet of snow
within. We had never witnessed them of such a size, the largest
which we measured being an inch and a half in diameter. Our
horses, exposed as they were, became frantic with the pelting they
received, and tried hard to break away 3 one, indeed, succeeded in
doing so, and scoured through the swampy loam of the plain as if
wild with torture and affright.

The next day was one of pitiless rain, accompanied by heavy gusts
of wind , and, as nothing could be accomplished in furtherance of the
survey, we devoted it to exploring in the bowels of Koiyunjik, in the
vaults and temples of which we were, in some measure, sheltered
from the downapour above, though our progress was, rat—like, through
the drains below. ' We Were greatly entertained, however, with the

TOPOGRAPHY 0F NINEVEH. 36‘].

scenes opened to our view. The galleries from hall to hall, tunnelled
out by Layard, exhibit sculptured has-reliefs on all sides. We see the
mode of transporting the colossal bulls from place to place by the
Assyrians, and the order of march of their armies, in which the various
corps are distinguished by peculiar equipments of arms and dress.
Descriptive scenery of the country passed through is detailed with a
minute regard to local features, and the animal and vegetable produc-
. tions are delineated on the shores, or in the rivers and seas adjacent to
the line of march. Here are crabs, fish, and tortoises ,' land and aquatic
birds, and a variety of trees and shrubs, either spread on the plain, or
covering the sides of the hill paths, in the branches of which are
perched the nests and younglings of the feathered tribe, craving for
food, or essaying a flight on their own account, in the true fashion of
nature. The entrances to the halls are guarded by colossal bulls, and
watched over by various demi-gods in the Assyrian mythology, of
which the biped merman 0r mermaid is the most genteel, habited as it
is in a scaly robe, terminating in a fin-tailed skirt of great elegance
and propriety of curve. In the king’s apartment we have the monarch
occupying the state chair, surrounded by regal emblems, among which
the tent, chariot, and umbrella are conspicuous. He wears the peculiar
tiara of the Koiyunjik sovereigns, something resembling the head of the
Persian of the present day. Before him his chamberlain is offering gifts,

- While captives are kneeling in supplication, emblematic of his power
in life and death. Then are displayed a long string of prisoners, and
the spoils of war, attended both by horse and foot, among whom is
observed a cart drawn by oxen, bearing sacks of plunder, whereon
are seated tender women, not wanting in maternal solicitude, though
absorbed in the contemplated horrors of the fate awaiting them. Con- ’
solation appears to be derived from the kisses bestowed on the infants
in their arms, and we envy while we admire the mind of the Assyrian
sculptor, who, amid the stirring scenes he has pourtrayed, has not for-
gotten the emotions which characterised humanity, even in the fiercer
ages of War and blood. Other females follow on foot behind, and are
distinguished from eunuchs by their loose robes and long hair, the lat-
ter being habited in; girdles, and conspicuous by elaborate bushiness of
‘tonsure, though the faces of both are alike smooth and undignified.
N ext are camels laden With booty, attended by an armed escort. Then
follow the regular troops, those helmeted and plumed, bearing a lance,
sword, and dagger, comprise the heavy-armed legions, in advance of
the archers and slingers, both of which bodies are faithfully represented
by their weapons, and by a lighter dress and gait on the march.\ ‘The
» siege operations against a doomed city are next shewn on a centre

2 C 2

362 TOPOGRAPHY or NINEVEH.

panel; the ladders are placed against the wall, and some who have
ascended are hurled headlong from the battlements, while torches,
stones, and other missiles, are discharged from the works on those
below, with the intention of destroying the engines which are being
pushed up an inclined plane, in contiguity to the walls, so that the
people concealed within can undermine while protected from the enemy.
There is the “ testudo,” serving as a shield before the archers, to
render their aim more sure and deadly than it would otherwise be.
Similar operations are designed on the walls of another apartment,
which perhaps was dedicated to Victory. The entrance is by a narrow
way, flanked with the portraits of two hideous griffin-headed monsters,
menacing with a mace in one hand and a short dagger in the other,
preceded by a human figure with extended arms, as if denouncing
vengeance against the rebellious subjects of the great king. Here the
besieged city has fallen, and the punishment of the refractory inhabi-
tants is witnessed in the impalements and slaughter going on around.
Women and children are flying by a postern door for safety in the
neighbouring glens, and the whole is, perhaps, as true a picture of
Assyrian government as can be desired. The much-disfigured remains
of two somewhat diminutive elephants are not far removed from this
hall. From their high position in the mound, we suspect them to have
originally occupied a loftier post in the edifices of Koiyunjik, and
their disfiguration seems also to imply their exposure for a great length
of time. We think them creations of an age subsequent to that of the
temples adjoining, from the above surmises coupled with the appear-
ance of an inferiority both in design and execution, when compared
with the majestic forms of similar animals at no great distance to the
north of them: we mean those of the colossal homotaurs, in the great
“ hall of bulls.” Though defaced at present, the attitude and propor-
tions of these display majesty and dominion in no common degree, and
arranged as they are in stern array in the dark caverns of Koiyunjik,
closely attended by the castigating and lion-crushing figure of the
Assyrian Hercules, we confess to a feeling which partook of mingled
admiration and alarm, though not usually taken aback by such or
any other prodigies. We were somehow impressed with the idea
that the presiding genius of the temple would momentarily issue
from the dark labyrinths beyond, and demand the reason of our intru-
sion. Our flesh crept indeed at the thought of the forty stripes save
one, which might be inflicted by the sentence of. a “baker’s dozen”
from a lictor, armed with a tribracheated weapon such as he grasps.1

‘ He is armed with a “ cat o’three tails ;” an instrument squared upon to suit
modern ideas for the maintenance of discipline. »

\

TOPOGRAPHY or NINEVEH. 363

Certainly as works of. art they are fine creations of mind and chisel,
and we are at no loss to conceive the illiterate multitudes of that day
prostrating themselves before images like these, when we see the
Christian community of the present time reverencing the puerile pro-
ductions of the most degraded art, as displayed on the walls of the
churches in the immediate neighbourhood, 1 and, indeed, in all parts of
the East. The chambers and galle1ies of Koiyunjik that have been
opened, exhibit also a mass of 1ecords 1n the Cuneifonn characte1, both
separate and attached to the sculptures 5 and will doubtless yield more,
if properly excavated. We have an idea that other works of a still
more primitive age lie entombed beneath” the floors of the present
apartments, which we thought were considerably above the base of the

-mound. Not a third of this large pile has yet been systematically

examined, and we shall soon have to deplore the wreck of the sculp—
tures already exposed, for calcined as they are, from the effects of fire,
they must moulder and fall from the positions they occupy 3 nor will
they bear removal from the walls.

March 21 was devoted to investigating the positions 011 the west of
the river, but we had some difficulty in getting there, owing to the
flooded state of the Khosr and Tigris in the last three days. The
former we forded, with the water up to our saddle-flaps, and the latter
was crossed in the ferry-boat, after much delay, owing to the rapidity
of the current. The bridge, warped over to the western shore, now
floated useless, in a sheltered position alongside the houses of Mosul.
In the ferry—boats horses and men are promiscuously jumbled at much
risk, particularly when one of the former may be viciously disposed,
which happened in this case. To keep the peace, however, water had
to be sprinkled among them, and, in a short time, when the splashing
of the oars and the shouting commenced, in order to extort “ bakshish”2
from the passengers, their vice had subsided in alarm, at their own'

, position on the moving flood. We were struck at the number of dumb

people employed as ferrymen 1n Mosul, and, for our own part, c0uld
have Wished the proportion still greater. It would have saved the
pressure on the tympanum, which pained us greatly, while subject to
the din occasioned by the shouts and anathemas that were bandied
about by the mob , but we found ourselves at last on the other side,

1 None can look upon the daubs hung up in the monastery of Mar J OI‘JIZ, or 1n
other similar edifices, without painful evidence of the low standard of the Christian
mind here.

2 An Arabicised Persian word from L‘) 3 1. " 4‘ “to beston” ? It' 1s in com-

mon use allover Egypt, Syria, and other parts of Asia Minor, where it- implies
“l'1rge=se.

364 TOPOGRAPHY or NINEVEH.

and proceeded to the great minaret of the city. Through the civility
of Syed Mustafa, the holy personage in charge of the mosque, we were
allowed to ascend the lofty column, which overlooks the whole plain
to the base of the mountains, and beyond the Zéb also. Nimrnd and
, the various positions were clearly in view, and we had the gratification
of obtaining a good round of angles, which corroborated every position
we had independently determined. The mulla’s people gave us all the
information we desired. Our proceedings, however, furnished scope
for speculation in the townspeople below ,‘ some thought we were
looking for a position to plant guns upon against the town, which it is
thought we are not long hence to occupy 3 while others turned over
the idea of the ruined mosque being required for a Christian church,
when that event should take place 5 it having been the site of one, we
believe, before the Mahomedan invasion of the country. The present
building was raised by Noor-ed-din, in the 755th year of the Hejrah.
The double spiral staircase is still in good repair, but the column itself
is somewhat bent, and shaky in appearance. The architecture displays
the neat and compact brickwork of most of the older Saracenic build-
ings, in fine preservation for its age.1 Our next proceeding was to
stroll carelessly through the northern quarter of the town, and it being a
Sunday afternoon, we derived some pleasure from the appearance of the
gay groups of Christian ladies and children, dressed in every variety
of colour, seated in the green grass which overspreads the open part of
Mosul, from a little north—east of the great central mosque to the walls
on the north. The men, in black turbans, were congregated in knots
at a distance beyond. Their amusements were not, however, derived
from conversation alone 3 for we observed a passing bottle and heads
alternately thrown back contribute a little to the exhilaration of the
parties, though there were no gross exhibitions to offend. We were
saluted respectfully, in passing onwards to the Bélsh-Ta’tbiyeh,2 a mo—
dern pile of some strength and elevation, forming the north-east angle
of the Mosul walls. This is said to be built on the foundations of the
old monastery of Mar Gabriel, a Christian edifice of early times. It
is Washed by the Tigris when high, and stands seventy-five feet above
the cliffs, near which are some sulphur springs, called ’Ayn-al—Kabrit,3
bordering the stream. Bash-Tabiyeh is in some repute as a dungeon
of more than ordinary strength and depth. We did not test it by a
descent into its vaults, but passed gradually onwards, along the ram—

1 Upwards of five centuries.

2 Turkish, signifying “chief bastion; ”Mm Dub

3 M 1A1” U755 Arabic.

TOPOGRAPHY or NINEVEH. 365

parts of the town, to the Sinjar gate,1 every bastion of which, and
indeed around the whole town, was duly added to the map in the
evening. -The wall is a simple looped curtain, of no great strength,
supported by irregular. semilunar «bastions, varying in size, having a
ditch, on an average of twenty feet in depth by fifty broad, beyond it.
The positions of the principal tombs and public mosques were also
carefully ascertained, as well as those of the gates on all sides of the
‘ city. The pasha’s private residence, and the barracks for the artillery,
stand on the margin of the Tigris, to the south—east of the walls, and
the arsenal, or Top-Khaneh,2 intermediate between them and the
gateway called Baib-et-Tépef’ or “Gate of the Gun,” near the water
entrance to the town. Some little distance east of the Tép-Khaneh is
the venerated mosque of Khidhr Elyas, one of the many buildings
dedicated to the prophet of that name distributed over the Mahomedan
empire.‘ To the west again is the tomb of antediluvian Seth, or that
of some one who has usurped the honours of his name and burial.
Nebi Allah Shyth,‘5 “Seth, the prophet of God,” is the title given
him by all sects, and, from the concourse of people visiting the shrine,
it is one of more than ordinary sanctity. These tombs, and the public
buildings as above enumerated, south-east of the town, are very pic—
turesque objects at a distance, but a nearer approach shews the former
surrounded by the huts and tents of the miserable population of the
suburbs; and the distant beauty of the pasha’s residence and barracks
is dispelled by the want of regularity in the design of the wings, which
appear to haVe been pitched upon the main buildings as circumstances
suggested the necessity for their construction. Yet, we believe, they
were actually planned as they stand. Taste, however, is purely con-
ventional in Turkey, whether as regards architecture or costume, indi—
vidual convenience being more consulted than elegance of design 5 and
in the cut of “in‘expressibles” they have, in our opinion, the advantage
' of us in both respects. There is a tolerable market beyond the walls,
on this side of the town, and the bazaars within are well supplied with
fruits and grain, both of which are plentiful and cheap at all times.
The houses are superior to those of Baghdad, inasmuch as they are

Jl‘simli gig Bab-es-sinjar. 2 MB 9:119 Turkish-

39);,“ 6.9L? Compound Arabic and Turkish
4 It 1s known also as the J ama-al-ahhmar, or “ red mosque,” though its snow-

white appearance belies its name. Al to"?

5 ‘ A .3 3-, Al.“ L535 Arabic.

366 TOPOGRAPHY . or NINEVEH.

built of limestone and a coarse gypsum, abounding at no great distance. -
The streets are not however to our taste, being narrow, irregular, and
cobbled with a huge pebble, most inconvenient to the feet of both
horse and foot, especially after heavy rains. Cemeteries exist in the
open parts of the town within the walls, but amply stocked burial-
grounds border the town ditch, from the Béb-es-Sinjar to the tomb of
Seth eastward. There are a few raised tombs on these mounds of

corruption, the principal of which are named Penjeh, 35b, and

Kathyb-al—Ban, uLfdl M. Our occupation obliged us to take
stations near some of the graves, and we were much disquieted in our
task by the plaintive cries which recently-bereaved women were
uttering over their buried relatives beneath. One young and strikingly
handsome creature heeded not our presence, absorbed as she was in her
grief. Her heart seemed breaking indeed, by the depth of her sobs, as
she threw herself at full length on the ground and embraced the envied
soil which separated her from the departed. We quitted the scene of
such lamentation, glad enough to recross the Tigris, to our camp in the
desolations of Nineveh; but we shall return to Mosul again, after the
completion of operations to the south.

Having spent an intermediate day in laying down the preliminaries
requisite for the construction of Sheet III. of the vestiges of \Assyria,
we struck the camp at Koiyunjik, and were in full march for Nimrnd,
on the morning of March 23. Crossing the Kho’sr, now much subdued,
we kept near its old bed, along the west wall of Nineveh, and then
ascended the undulations beyond the ravine, to the south of it, in a
direction for the village of Kara-qush, (“ black eagle.”‘) The road lay
past the hamlets of Kojak,2 and Eytler-koi ,3 which latter borders on
a defile and torrent coming from the plains and rising grounds to the
north—east. These as well as most of the villages in the Mosul district
have reservoirs for accumulating rain-water in their vicinity. Some
“ hubara,” a species of bustard, were here and there observed on the
route. They were, however, too wary for our guns, but we neverthe—
less enjoyed a breakfast “ al fresco” 'on the heights, in which Soyer’s
patent stove was brought into action with success. We pushed on
again, stopping to take angles occasionally for determiningthe posi-
tion of the Lak-koi4 and Aliresh5 villages. Near the former, another A
ravine with a torrent is passed, over a substantial bridge built by a
liberal and pious Arab, as a charitable work. An inscription records

1 ’0‘.‘

my); Turkish. 2 «5,3 3 9'5)§jl-M“"l Turkish.

d .

4 5.53; dd Turkish. 5 at.) LJL: Persian?

 

TOPOGRAPHY or NINEVEH. 3671

the name and purpose of the founder, and a fine ancient “ teppeh”l
stands on the slope of the ridge, not far distant from it, in the direc-
tion of the village. The map, however, shews the situation of these
as well as other places ; we therefore confine ourselves to noting the
beauty of the country, which in this season can scarcely be equalled.
The gentle slopes of the ridges are of an emerald green, set off by
herds of antelopes gamboling in the distance, and large flocks of sheep
enjoying the pastures on every hand. A plentiful variety of flowers
diversifies the picture; and though we were in the saddle the whole day
until dark, in taking up new positions for the survey, we experienced
no fatigue. As night set in. we reached the camp, pitched in a clear
open spot, near a reservoir at the Christian village of Kara—(lush, which
occupies the crumbled mounds of some ancient position we are still
ignorant of.

We seemed objects of much curiosity to these people, and were
favoured with the glances of the fresh ruddy-faced girls, that passed
to and fro with their pitchers, for filling at the reservoirs. Their open
smiling countenances offered a pleasing contrast to those of the shy
and sallow beauties in the towns. They were evidently amused at
our proceedings, and we thought were quizzing our whimsical costumes.
The men stalked about, morose, yet silently inquisitive, though keep—
ing at a respectful distance. This seemed odd, considering we were
Christians like themselves, and had anticipated a far different recep-
tion, when our wanderings should throw us among those of the name.
It proved otherwise however. In every Christian village we came to
we found the men abrupt in character and speech. The courtesy
. generally experienced by the Englishman from all sects and classes of

Mahomedans was absent in the Christian villagers, who strolled about
with a “brusquerie” that was marked, if not openly annoying. T he
priests of the community kept aloof, nor did the head men, as is the
custom in Mahomedan places, ask the stranger if there was anything
needed to his wants. It appeared mysterious, and after witnessing
similar behaviour subsequently in other places, we set the Christians
down as the most thoroughly unenlightened sect in the Turkish empire.
They certainly enjoy a greater freedom here than in other parts of the
same territory, and rudeness may therefore be partly the result of
comparative independence ; but we have since thought, in connection
'With the accounts we have heard, that much which we witnessed was
due to our persuasion as protestants alone. Led by the priesthood, ,
and protected by the Roman-catholic powers, this may happen with the

“‘ Mound,” ml; Turkish.
?

368 TOPOGRAPHY or NINEVEH.

ignorant; nor can we well express surprise at it, when the better edu-
cated of the clergy here, to suit their own purposes of exclusivenessw
as was lately the case at Diarbekir—seek to injure the protestant
missionaries of America in the opinion of the Turkish authorities, by
insinuations latently propagated by themselves. ,

March 24. The caravan was dispatched as yesterday, by the road
leading direct from Kara-qush to Nimrud, while we continued our
survey. Before proceeding, however, we visited the outside of the
Syrian catholic church dedicated to the Virgin for the purpose of
examining the Cuneiform—inscribed bricks brought from the neigh-
bourhood of Keremlis, for the repairs of the building. These bricks
looked quite fresh and new, and, according to Colonel Rawlinson, were
impressed with the name and titles of Sargon. Prayers were perform-
ing in the church, in a monotonous chaunt; and booted as we were, we
had no curiosity to enter. The interior of the village, and costume of
the people gave, however, no favourable idea of their wealth or clean-
liness, and we passed on, concerned at the prospect presented by the
first Christian village we had alighted on. A wet sponge appeared to
have been drawn across the brilliant clear sky of the previous evening,
and exposed us to passing showers. Bellawat,1 an artificial mount, lay
on our left, where we proceeded for angles, which we got from the
summit of one of the two tombs built upon it. It is sometimes named
Kara-teppeh,2 or “ black mound 3” the former name being also that of
a village a little to the south-east of it. The appearance of a ditch
surrounds the pile, and inclines us to regard it as an ancient keep
or stronghold, for the protection of the fine valley watered by the small
rivulet, which, coming from the ’Ayn-es-Safra hill, flows past Keremlis
and Kara—(lush onwards to Nimrud, and an imperfectly defined cause.
way, from the mound across the ditch, in some measure confirms the
idea. Rape in full blossom covered the bed of the latter, in pretty
relief to the dark mound and green sward beyond. Plou‘ghed fields
and cultivation cease below this point, where the territory of the
roving Arab is entered upon. The tents of a party of Dellim3 were,
indeed, adjoining the mound, and we had scarcely dismounted when
the chief rode up, and courteously invited us to his camp, in the follow~
ing terms : “ Peace be upon you ! in the name of God enter our tents ,'
they are yours; come and partake of what we can lay before you.”
The words of the Mussulman robber, empty as they may have proved,

w

1 .. ~ . . 2 ... . .
9‘13“. Arab1c WE, Turlush

3 These are of the same tribe as the great family of the name owning the ter-

ritory on both sides of the Euphrates, between Felugia and Hit. Blood feuds have
caused them to separate. -

 

'VTOPOGRAPHY or NINEVEH. 369

sOunded grateful on our ears, and cast a deeper shade over the Chris-
‘ tian picture we had just left; for the courteous frankness of the Arab
contrasted well with the surly silence of him who has had the Samaritan
for a guide. ‘ i

We had breakfasted again “alfresco,” and resumed our movements
' onwards to KhidhrLElyas,1 a Christian church, over a piece of country
hitherto vacant in our maps. Rain fell, and we bent our steps towards
the building of the above name, partly from curiosity, and partly to
_ shelter ourselves under its roof. We could not, however, gain admit-
tance, the low and strong door being fastened, and all our shouts
proved abortive in procuring answers from within. Some of our
' people proposed to fire the gate, but this, of course, we would not per-
mit, and after waiting patiently for an hour, we quitted the spot,
having examined the sacristy, partly sunk under ground, in the base
of an Assyrian mound near the chapel. This is a much—revered spot,
where Mar Behnan, or, as it is more properly spelt, Mar Behnam,2 an
early Christian martyr, is said to he interred. It dates as far back as
about the third century of Christ, and is, perhaps, one of the oldest
sanctuaries now standing devoted to Christian Observances. It bOasted
formerly of an excellent library, and has still, we believe, one or
two pictures of holy personages, by the early masters, though they
are at present torn and defaced. From without it has the appearance
only of a stronghold, there being nothing in character to denote it as
the abode of religion and peace. It has, indeed, on many occasions
had to stand a siege, in the precarious position it holds, subject to the
assaults and demands both of the Bedouins and the Turkish soldiery.
‘ We observed people moving off as we approached, and the adjoining
villages were tenantless also 5 a sure sign of alarm, perhaps caused by
our movements from hill to hill, in furtherance of our work. The
sacristy is a neat circular apartment, ornamented with marble pieces,
erucifixes, and inscriptions in the Estrangelo character. It is said to
be connected with the chapel by a subterraneous passage, similar to
that which leads from the outside to the interior of itself. This we
. could not hit upon, and we heard it had been blocked up when the
Turkish soldiery on one occasion tore up the marble floor, in search of
treasure said to be Concealed there. Marble ornaments, inscriptions,
and scrolls of great beauty, are reported in the fittings of the altar
and chancel of the church itself 3 all of which bear a very early date,
andvare much—esteemed relics. We were, thereof, disappointed at not
viewing the interior. The inmates, ignorant of our intentions, acted

1 WU“ .391 "I‘ The prophet Elias.” ’1 (UM “ good name.” -> Persian.
0‘ J

370 TOPOGRAPHY or NINEVEVH.

wisely in maintaining a strict concealment. But they were evidently
watching our proceedings, as when we got about musket-shot 03 they
shewed themselves on the walls, and had we returned and urged an
entry a second time, it would perhaps have led to an open fight.
Some of our Roman-catholic servants, indeed, some days after proceeded
with the intention of praying there, and had nigh been shot for their
zeal, by the Friar Tuck order of monks who watch over its security.
Khidhr Elyas, the name of the prophet Elias, is a mere “nom de
guerre,” given to the place by the Christian priesthood in troubled
periods, to enlist the sympathies of the Mahomedans, who venerate all
the inspired personages of Jewish history and tradition. ‘
We now bent our steps along the valley of the Sh6r Derreh,1 on
the same track, indeed, Which the harassed 10,000 Greeks doubtless
took twenty-two centuries back, and in a short time stood on the
crumbled walls around the palaces of Nimrfid. Crossing the great
waste in the interior of the ancient city, a hare sprang from its seat
among the mounds and afforded a burst for a few minutes 3 the horses
were, however, too tired for a run over the ploughed lands, and
puss ‘shewed she had the advantage, by soon doubling out of sight.
We gave no more than a passing glance at the excavated palaces in
the platform around the great pyramid, but made direct for the tents
pitched near the mud hamlet of Nimri’id, where Layard so long had a ‘
dwelling, and within their walls worked-in our triangulations of the
preceding days, previous to the commencement of further operations.
March 25. The day broke with a threatening aspect, but after
readjusting our instruments, the new base line was measured for the
large-scale survey of N imrud exhibited on Sheet II. In the middle
of our task the rain broke‘on us in a perfect storm, compelling us to
return for shelter to our tents, and these afl'orded but a poor retreat.
We were soon in the midst of a sea of water, the whole plain around
being submerged by the torrents that fell. The Wind, too, blew a
hurricane, and at one time, notwithstanding the ropes were “backed,”
threatened to leave us exposed to its fury by carrying off the tents
from above us; fortunately the gale took off in an hour or so, but
everything was completely saturated. It required all our care, indeed,
to keep the maps and instruments from being spoiled. Such a palpa-
ble darkness at midday could seldom be witnessed; earth and sky
seemed blended in one general gloom, as if the anger of the gods still
rested on N imrud 3 the curse of Job in its fullest extent seemed,
indeed, about to be realized while the storm lasted. The wild cats

, .~. . . . .
if)" J)“ Turkish for stagnant brackish water in ravmes.

 

TOPOGRAPHY or NINEVEH. 371

which infest the ruins were driven from their haunts, and coursed
over the plain, through pool and mud, like “legion possessed” in
search of a securer retreat in the mud hamlet adjoining. Further
Operations it was evident were at an end for this day, but the morrow
brought with it better auspices, and the base was completed, not
a Without risk of rheumatism to the whole party. A good round of
angleswas obtained from the summit of the great pyramid ,' these
enabled us to compute its position independently of astronomical ob-
V servations. These were, however, obtained also, and in a very satis-
factory manner corroborated our triangulations; an agreement cer~
tainly not anticipated, considering the unfavourable weather we had
' encountered. From the summit of the pyramid the whole of the
great plain is distinctly in view, but a few feet down the intervening
laud shuts out every thing beyond the distance of a mile or so. This
fact alone inclines us to think it was used as a pharos for signalling
the places around 3 the trenches through it in every direction lead to
the conclusion of its being a solid structure, such as is described by
Layard‘. The great tablet lies in fragments on its south side, and a
fine view of- the excavated galleries faced with sculptured slabs in the
various palaces is obtained from this eminence. Mosul and the ruins
of Nineveh are distinctly seen too, though at eighteen miles distance;
as also the numerous Assyrian tumuli in the plains south-east of the
Zzib. In the afternoon the Tel Kema1 was examined and added to
the map, with the line of water-margin where the Tigris anciently
flowed along the palaces of Nimrud to this spot. We experienced
some difficulty, indeed, in extricating ourselves from the swamps
. occasioned by'the waters of the Shér Derreh flowing into its bed.
It was nightfall before we reached the tents.

The following day was fine, and the,extent of the walls of Nimri’id
was completed. .While effecting this, some party had set fire to
the bitumen springs in the bed of the .Shér Derreh; the fumes and
smoke tainted the Whole plain around—this practice appears to be
a prevalent one with the idle Arabs in the vicinity. To-day, our
horses exhibited much fatigue, from the necessity of visiting every
spot in order to fix the positions aright.

March 28. A leaden mantle had again been cast over the whole
‘ p sky, and shortly after daybreak rain fell in torrents, precluding all
Works abroad; but the confinement served to bring up the map, and
‘theindoor work of calculations, &c.

1 L6 L}; “Truffle mound,” Arabic.

3'72 , TOPOGR-APHY' or NINEVEH‘.

March 29. Raining still, and the effects of it beginning to tell on
our wearied beasts as well as on ourselves. The best horse, indeed,
appears in the last agonies, and various remedies are brought to bear
on the case by our Arab friends , an old greybeard Moslem is called
in to recite a particular verse from the Koran, adapted, as he says, to
such accidents ,‘ but it failing, at young girl was produCed as a second-
ary resource in such cases. Lifted by one of the bystanders, she
was seven times placed astride on the prostrate animal, while the
greybeard chanted anew the formula prescribed for such maladies.
Still the horse remained obstinate, and would not recover, and at last
a proposition was made to walk him thrice round the graveyard of
the village, could he be only made to stand. By dint of blows and
manual exertion, he was at last placed on his legs, and with difficulty
dragged through the ceremony that was announced as a certain resto-
rative. Alas, however, it was ineffective as the former, and elicited a
laugh on the horse falling again, after the termination of the ordeal.
This was conclusive of a want of faith in the infidel portion of the
bystanders, and hence the failure of the remedies in the minds of our
Arab friends. These facts are mentioned, only to show how simple
Arab credulity is, and to what extravagant acts superstition will lead.
An Arab of the Zobeyd, at no great distance, we are informed too,
possesses a stone of wonderful powers in case of strangury; but‘the
incredulity we had already displayed was sufficient reason for its
being hid from us, as its properties, we were told, would certainly
deteriorate, if exposed to such influences. Copious bleeding, however,
brought about what the charms had failed to produce, and we were
gratified in the evening, on our return from tracing the river’s banks
to the northward, to find the animal again on his legs, though sadly
enfeebled by his late exertions. The old beds of the river with its
modern course, including the great dam at Awai, were traced-in "this '
day 5 the French party from Khorsabad were our guests for this
evening. They had arrived in the morning and occupied the day in
examination of the ruined chambers and palaces in the mounds of
Nimrl’id. On this occasion a sheep was killed for the workmen by
direction of Colonel Rawlinson, and the feast was enlivened by Arab
chaunts,‘ and dancing to the sclind of the “ dumbek, ” the “ dafi“ ”1 and
the lyre, kept up to a late hour.

March 30. All nature is gay enough this morning under an un-
clouded’sky, and many new and gorgeous flowers are opening under

1 Arab names for a species of drum.

0

fl , .mewnmwgu
«

 

TOPOGRAPHY or NINEVEH. ‘ 373

such influences, to be consigned, however, to a premature blight, as
soon as their beauties attract the keen eye of our botanical companion.
The earth over the ancient palaces was literally enamelled With the
little delicate lily which, Colonel Rawlinson believes, gave its name
to the celebrated Susa, or Shiishan of scripture. The ancient
beds of the Tigris to the south were traced in to-day, the principal
one being that of Sirat al ’bu—debban, or “ the prowler’s way,” which

bears evidence of being occupied by the river for a very long period.

It is now quite dry, and affords a species of broom used by the Arab
women of the encampments around in the clay ovens hastily erected
wherever these people pitch their tents. We passed many camps in

. our wanderings of to-day, and were welcomed at all 5 men came forth

inviting us to dismount, while women bore on their heads well-
plenished bowls of buttermilk, which we did ample justice to under
the fatigue we had undergone. The principal tribes, at present pas-
turing on the Nimri’id plains, are the Shememteh or Shematteh, a
branch of the great family Zobeyd, now occupying Babylonian ’Irak;
the J eheysh, another part of the same great tribe, both separated for
adong period ; the Agadat, which are members of the powerful
tribes of the same name, owning the tract west of the Euphrates
between Anah and Deir ,- .the Hadidin, originally from the Syrian
plains about Aleppo and Antioch 3 the Al’bu-Bedran, another portion
of the Zobeyd; the Al’ bu—Selman 3 the J aif ; and the Jebour. These
are all, in fact, discontented members of larger tribes, who have sought
asylums here, either from oppressions, or from having blood feuds of
long standing with the more powerful families they are connected

‘ with, and are so far degraded as to have lost the Bedouin character

and habits, still professed by some of the families they sprung from. .
They are now but partially nomade, for they occupy mud villages in
Winter, and wander in the spring only for the benefit of pasturing
their flocks on the fertile lands adjoining these fine streams. The

' eastern suburbs of Nimri’id and valley of the Shér Derreh were added

to the map to-d'ay.

' ‘ From this time to April the 14th, the minor details around Nimri’id
were filled in, and the course of the ancient canal, leading from the
zab, was traced as far as Gubbeyeh, a high mound with evident
remains of building around it in the soil at the base 3 this is on the

' bank of the Zaib near its junction with the Tigris—it would, doubt-
. less, yield Assyrian relics if opened. Near this are located a party of

Ma’amreh Arabs, also! of the Zobeyd families: they are all Syed's or
descendants of the Prophet, and, if we are to credit their own tale,

3’74 -TOPOGRAPHY* or NINEVEH.

not robbers but simple “Momenin,” or those who prefer peace and
the study of religious doctrines to violence and 'a predatory life.
They had the appearance, indeed, of sanctified beggars in irags, as '
readyto steal as to pray 3 they were, nevertheless, well-disposed and
courteous, living here in great dread of the Shamar Bedouins located
in the wilds on the other side of the Tigris, who, they inform us, fre-
quently cross, though the river is at a great height, and carry off all
before them. A few nights ago three women of their party were
suddenly set upon by a band that had crossed the flood on inflated
skins: they were stripped of everything, and sent back to their tents
“in puris naturalibus,” an outrage of only recent perpetration among
true Bedouin families, who, by their rude laws, until very lately, under
every provocation, spared women an indignity of this kind. Such
atrocities shew how degraded the Bedouin has become, but in justice
to him we must say they are committed in retaliation of injuries which
the female members of his family have suffered at the hands of the
Turkish soldiery when they have fallen into their power. We cannot
be surprised, therefore, if the Bedouin virtues, under such examples,
give way to acts that were formerly foreign to their nature.

Our further operations among the ruins of Assyria must be summed
up in outline, for we are pressed with time, and indisposition will not
permit of a lengthened detail. Layard has treated so fully on these
subjects that we should, indeed, be engrossing public attention to little
purpose, were we to dwell further on these, at present, well known
localities. The contents of his second volume, now put into our
hands, warn us that we should stop, it will therefore suffice to say
that the ruins of the ancient Assyrian town, now occupied by Sela-
miyeh, were carefully surveyed, as were the features of the country,
heretofore unknown, occupying the space between the Zéb and
Khorsabad. The maps themselves, we trust, will be explicit enough
on these points ,' and in concluding, we hope to add to our knowledge
of these interesting regions by a more extensive examination, at a no
very distant period. The hills bordering the Ghazr-su and the Zéb
yet require more detailed notices; and the great ruins of Shemémek
and Arbil, prolific as they are in ancient sites, should find a place in
our maps, which, by—the-bye, are grievously faulty and defective as
they at present stand. These we propose to amend as opportunities
offer, and append to the present sheets some astronomical and geode-
sical data, which, in connection with the work before us, will aid in
filling a material blank.

 

 

#2:“: #
£de .8 $53352 afioama

.ceham .8 wonazfigo one.

    

       

.aaaoh umsmgm

.3534
no EH2” m0 vmdom n£®>®EMZW
2%me 3 352 ~
.0h 2 @fidlmfifiu/NIA‘NEHOQ
we“ aim Boga “@553; L
. QDL cammaom 313 y

£80 .0852 woow oi mo unmama
.2528: use y

-5? u a: £5 .3 Eggs:

 

:22 $25 :3 3%.,

figs: 3% N44 .35}

msfimNréSoZ

@5ch

.fifisgzéoz

Ea:€fln§2

WEESQM

J

o
t
o

.23 $3

 

.H NHQZHmnH<

  

  

         

   

“3.52 H62

            

  

mwvawfi finch.

   

wmfioz page?

  

wknwz

    

.5494

 

Ewnfim $2

 

axiom

 

  

 

 

33.3 .mm 0:. .3233 a. E25333 2: 3.. $5.53 2: 3.9 33353 9333332333

 

 

 

53.3.3.
333

an.

43 39......
ms...
1%..

.... 3.5
$3. 3,3

.353: an:

3.. 338335

 

S

cm

mm

3

S

S

3“

mm

 

.3 3.2 .23. .3 cm

.3 322 .2?» S cm

.533": .Z .2 mm 3 mm

.3 3.3 .3 a .3. 3..
3.3.2.3 .53. em ......
.3333 .3 .32 3. mm
.3, a... .z .z 3. S «m
.3. 33 .z .z om 33 «m

.3 «3 .z .z 3. mm «m
..3 S .2 .38 m 3.

3% .z .78 mm mm

o :30

 

.Z S on em
.2 «3. ma mm
.Zo : cm
.Z 8 mm. mm
.Zm mm mm
.2 3 N. 3
W .Z H mm 3%
._ .Z cm 3 .vm
_ .2 may 3m 3m

.Zm a. .vm

.2 mm mm mm

2 x 0

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

.3 a. 3m

.3 .3. om
.3 .3. 3
.3 3 S .3 m... 5
.3 3 m .3 S a
.3 3 S .3 3 z
.3 .3 8 .3 S 8
.3 m3. 3 .3 a m
.3 mm ... .3 a. w
.3 a a .3 an a
.3 o. w .3 S ...

I \

 

xx

 

 

33335 .w:€mom

.833 9558.5

25 8 6533
$33 5.53qu

333333330 ..nogtwgo
8.8383. $2385.53

33 33

 

 

605.330 335359

G 33:: 33::
.3. 32¢: .33 m:
.3. .32 mm o .3 S a o
O .333: 33:;
...h. 3...: o .33 3o
.3. .39: o .333 o
.3. .333; .3mm3o
.3. .3 2 m: .3 mm 3.:
O .383: .333:
.x. .m ma mmo .mmmgo
O .3 o w o .3 c a o
2 x O \x x O
m. .
m .m . 532353330 .céawawm
u. M $325.5 3:33 38¢
m.“ 38¢ 38553 3.53333

.8 83233.5 .

333%:3 «c 83983:.

353.

 

2.3383930 .ommAmH dz“

2: he can: 555 mm

.3 mm 5
.3 .vm m
.3 m .2
.3 m: cm
.H hm m
.H mm m
.H mm a
.Q 3. w
t. .
Mmda 62

33052335 33283835

£335 3m

o+o+o+o+o+®v

o+®o+o+

G

$9“;qu

 

:09qu

 

.833 338823 823. 3:333 me 832an

:35. 2: 3.3
39352 3322:»
335 was 38:35

3.3:; 2: 3o
£83 353 83

€32 32.35
mo 25.55 .3 .Z

33an 25 we
.3 .z 3:3 83

33.5%

25.338 53$

25 «a $95 in

38.3 33205
as» .3 $550

as;
we 23238 5.82

.383 .553
33253
:ENMAaEE

35:8 «.552

$3.3 a; .3 92.33

 

3:332 232233 .3535

eaN .333: of. no
3:03 a 032:3 .333
£224

95,633. .333. .334

_ is
.333 2: no 335—

3 93.33 .3333 5:2.
:35. #3333

$333
V5559 222a .3323.

03:3 .Eaaéfié3

33:3 .EE

33:3 £333.33.

.25 E22
23 E .324 333

$55M 23033

333.835. 2—... 3.0 £333.32 swam

 

323533930

3. 32:83

 

 

.Qdafiadm ho Mhfloz

.3833 3.3542

 

“fies—N was ESEN \c 3.3.3.30 2% 383.333 38% $33.33» go 339...»?ka 3333§ ~58 ~s£S§§EV “S \a. £33333 33.38.33 WNQNS
.§<HOAOWHE 9Z4 fififiwmfl mo mag HASHHZWG HE MO ZOHBODMEEZOO Ema. Mom _ _

 

 

 

3...... ..régtwwm 5.52.... 1

2D

XV.

VOL.

 

3

'76

TOPOGRAPHY 0F NINEVEH.

TRAVERSES made on the Journey to Mosul, for the delineation of the
Road between it and Baghdad, commencing'from the “Khan
Nahrwan,” which is in Lat. 33° 53’ N., and 6 miles East of the

latter city.

1ST TRAVERSE.--FEB. 26TH, 1852.
KHAN NAHRWAN to DELLl ABBAS.

Courses corrected for Variation throughout, which is 4° West ; average rate
3 miles per hour.

 

 

Courses.

N. 67° 30' E.
N. 67° E.
N. 63° E. ....... :1
N. 57° E.
N. 48° E. ........
N. 39° 15’ E. ........
N. 50° E. ........
N. 24° W. ........
N. 45° E. ........
N. 41° E. ........
N. 76° E. ........ .
N. 74° E. .......

s. 73° E. ........
s. 83° E. .......
N. 12° 30' E. ........
N. 80° E. ........

 

i’l‘imes.- Distances.

 

m.
3

25
4O
25
36
20
29
30
4O
60
30
30
15

5
50
65

 

t

'15
1 ‘25
2'00
1 '25
1 '80
1'00
1'25
1 '25
2 '00
3'00
1 '20
1 ‘00

'75

'15
2 '00
2 '75

 

N.

 

‘057
‘488
'908
‘681
1 '204
'774
'803
1 '142

 

1 '414
2 ‘264
'290
'276

1 '953
'478

._—.—~_

12 '732
‘237

12 '495

 

I

 

S. E. W.

 

 

1 ‘414
1 ‘968
1 '164

 

. 961

'219 ’717
‘018 “149
'433

2 '708

_— .——____ _—_..-...—..

'237 16 ‘563 '508
“508

16 '055

W

Diff. Lat. 12' 30" N.
00. N. 51° 57{ E. 20-3

Diff.

.Long. 19’ 15" E.

miles.

 

’I‘OPOGRAPHY OF‘ NINEVEH.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Diff: Lat. 17’ 47” N.’

Co. N. 7° 26’ E.

 

 

 

 

Difl'. Long. 2’ 49" E.
17 '9 miles.

.2D2

 

37 I
.2ND TRAVERSE—FEB. 27TH, 1852.
,1
DELLI ABBAS to KARA TEPPEH.
Courses. Times. Distances. N. S. E. W.
\m.
N. 4° E. .. 70 3 '00 2 '993 '209
N. 6° E. .. 78 3 ‘88 3 ‘859 '406
-N. 59° 30’ W...... 13 '65 '334 '558
N. 21° E. ....... 22 1 '00 '934 ‘358 ..
N. 26° ~E. ........ . 4O 1 '50 1 '348 '658
N. 30° E. ........ 25 1 '00 ‘866 ‘500
N. 43° E. ........ 35 1 ‘70 1'24?) 1 '159
N. 34° E. ........ 15 4-75 '622 .419
N. 28° E. .. 10 '50 '441 '235
N. 16° W ......... 25 1 '25 1 ‘202 ‘345
N. 18° E... .. 25 1 '25 1 '189 ‘386
N. 1° E. .. 95 4'50 4'500 .. '078
19 '531 4 '408 ‘903
’903
3 ’505
Diff. Lat. 19’ 32" N. Diff. Long. 4’ 15" E.
Co. N. 10° 29’ E. 19 ‘9 miles.
3RD TRAVERSE —-—FEB. 29TH, 1852.
- I
KARA TEPPEH to KIFRI.
Courses. ' Times. Distances. N. ’ S. E. ‘ W.
,7 m.
N. 17° E. .l 65 3 ‘25 3 '108 '950
N. 16° E. ............ ' . 20 1 '00. '961 '276
North .................... 23 1 ‘15 1 ‘150
‘N. 8° E. ' ........... 25 1 '25 1 '238 '174
N. 16" E. 7 27 1 '35 1 ‘298 '372
N. 2° W. ........'.. 43 2 '15 2 ‘149 '075
N. 27° W. ............ 22 1 '10 '980 '499
North 68 3 ~35 3 -350
N. 6° W. ............ 14 '70 '696 '073
N. 6° E. 20 1 '00 '995 ‘105
N. 12° E. 5 38 1'90 1 '858 '395

378 TOPOGRAPHY OF NINEVEH.

4TH TRAVERSE—MARCH 1ST, 1852.

KIFRi to 13132 KHURMATi.

 

Courses. Times. Distances. N. S. E. W.

...___....———____._.__.

 

 

 

 

 

   

N. 64° W. 70 3 '50 1 '534 3 '145
N. 55° W. ............ 38 1‘90 1 '090 1 '556
N. 72° W. ............ 27 1 '35 '417 1 '284
N. 72° W'. ............ 14 '70 '216 '666
N. 71° W. ........... 26 1 '30 '423 1 '229
N. 69° W. ........... 40 2 '00 '717 1 ‘867
N, 69° W. ........... 60 3 ‘00 1 “075 2 '801
N. 66° W. ............ 15 '75 '305 '685
N. 61° W. ............ 48 2 '35 1 '139 2 '055
N. 48° W. ........... 12 ‘60 '401 ‘446
N. 36° W. ........... 15 '75 '607 '441
N. 31° W. ........... 7 '35 '300 '180
N. 25° W. ......... 33 1 '65 1 ‘495 '697
North ................... 10 '50 '500

10 219 17 052

Difl". Lat. 10’ 12" N. Difi‘. Long. 20’ 49" W.
Go. N. 59° 13’ W. 20 '0 miles.
5TH TRAVERSE.——-MARCH 2ND, 1852.
I» I
DUZ KHURMATI to TAOUK.
Courses. Times. Distances. . . . W.
N. 34° W. ............ 2 '517
N. 51° W. ............ 2 '059
N. 26° W. ...........
N. 26° W. ............ ‘811
N. 26° W. ............ . ,
N. 32° W. ............ ~ - '397
N. 44° W. ............ ‘ 1 '042
N. 30° W. ' 1 750
N. 8° W. ............ ' '035
N. 30° W. ........... ‘ 1 '250
' 9 '861

--——-————————-———————_—______

Diff. Lat. 14,13" N. Difl‘. Long. 12/ 00" W.
00. N. 134°. 36’ W. 17-3 miles.

TOPOGRAPHY OF NINEVEH.

6TH TRAVERSE—MARCH 3RD, 1.852.
TAOUK to KERKI’JK.

379

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Courses Times. Distances. N. S. E. W.
N. 16° W. ............ 25m. 1 '05 1009 '289
N. 53° W. ............ 50 2'50 1 ‘505 1 '_997
N. 32° W. ............ 40 2'00 1 '696 1 '060
N. 27° W. ............ 20 1 ‘00 891 '454
N. 25° W ............ 10 '50 ‘453 '211
N.'33° W. ............ 30 1 '50 1 '258 ‘817
N. 33° W ........... 55 2 '75 2 ‘306 1 '498
N. 7° E.’ ............ 80 4'00 3 '970 '488
N. 7° E. ............ 35 1'75 1 '737 '213
N. 14° E. ............ .10 '50 '485 ‘121
N.‘27° E. ............ 10 '50 '446 ‘227
N. 29° E. ............ 30 1 '50 1 '312 ‘727
N. 17° E. ........... 40 2 '00 1 '913 '585
18 '981 2 '354 6 '326
2 '354
3 '972
Diff. Lat. 18’ 59" N. Difl". Long. 4’ 45" W.
Co. N. 11° 31’ W. 19 '4 miles.
7TH TRAVERSE.——MARCH 4TH, 1852.
KERKUK to ALTUN KIUPRI.
Courses. Times. Distances2 N. S. E. W.
N. 57° W. ............ 50m 2 '50 1 '362 2 ‘097
N. 34° W. ............ 37 1 '85 1'534 1 '035
N. 57° W. ............ 28 1 '50 '817 1 “258
N; 63° -W. ............ 17 '85 '386 -757
N. 28° W. ............ 10 '50 ‘441 '235
N. 37° W. ............ 23 1 '15 '918 '692
N. 23° W. 25 1'25 1 '151 '488
N. 3° W. ............ »10 '50 '499 '026
N. 60° W. ............ 33 1 '65 “825 » 1 '429
N. 63° W. ............ 22 1 '10 '499 '980
N. 17° W; ............ 10 '50 “478 '146
N. 33° W. ............ 10 '50 '419 '272
N. 37° W. ............ 7 '36 “288 '217
N. 3° W. ............ 13 -65 '649 -034
N. 15° W. 15 '75 '724 '194
North .................... 35 1 '75 1 '750
*N. 10" W. ............ 22 1 '10 1 '083 “191
N. 78° W. ............ 3 '15 '031 '147
IN. 65° W. ............ 23 1'15 '486 1 '042
N. 40° W. 67 3 '50 ‘ 2681 2 '250
N. 31" W. ............ 30 1'50 1 '286 ‘773
, 18 ‘307 14 '263

 

« Difi“. Lat. 18’ 19" N.

Difl“. Long. 17’ 30 " W.
Go. N. 37° 53’N. 23 '2 miles.

I380

TOPOGRAPHY 0F NINEVEH.

8TH TRAVERSE.——~MARCH 6TH, 1852.
From ALTUN KIUPRi, on the Lesser Zéb, the Zéb-el-Asfal of Abul

Feda, to ARBIL, of Alexander’s Campaign.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Co. N. 1i° 27' W

 

 

 

26 ‘1 miles.

9TH TRAVERSE. -——MARCH 7TH, 1852.

 

 

| _ ‘
Courses. Tinies. Distances. N. S. E. W.
m. l
N. 16° W. ........... 47 2 '35 2 ‘259 '648
N. 25° W. ........... 30 1 '50 1 '359 ‘634
~N. 3° E. .......... 39 1 '95 1 ‘947 '102
N. 5° W. ............ 29 1 '45 1 '444 .. '126
N. 25° W. ........... 50 2 '50 2 ‘266 1 “057
N. 17° W. ........... 48 2 '40 2 ‘295 '702
N. 8° W ............ 10, '50 '495 ‘070
N. 15° W. 45 2 '25 2 ‘173 '582 .
N. 11° W. ........... 85 4‘25 4'172 '811
N. 6° W. .. 125 7'25 7 '211 '759
25 ’621 '102 5 '389
'102
E 5 '287
1 s I
~Difl“. Lat. 25’ 37" N Diff. Long. 6’ 25" W.

From ARBiL to KELLAK, on the Upper Zab, the zab el—Ala. of

 

Abul Feda
. Distances. N. W-.
N. 63° '20 1 '960
N. 43° '00 '682
N. 35° W '85 1 '061
N. 68° . ‘30 1 ‘205
N. 77° . '95 ‘926
N. 48° . '25 '929
N. 59° W. '45 1 2'43
N. 53° . '60 479
N. 53° . '20 '160
N. 70° . '05 2 '866
.S. 75° . '35 '338
S. 77° . '95 1‘900
N. 89° W. '55 '027 1 ”550
S. 61° . ‘00 . 1‘749
7 '080 1 '500 17 '048
1 '500 -
5 '580

 

 

W

' Difi'. Lat. 5’ 35"'N. Diff. Long. 21’ W.
Co. N. 71° 49’ W. 17'9 mil‘es.

TOPOGRAPHY 0F NINEVEH.

10TH TRAVERSE—MARCH 8TH, 1852.
KELLAK, on the Upper Zéb, to MOSUL and NINEVEH.

381

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lat. of Mosfil by daily Results
Lat. of. Mosfil by Synoptical Table...

Mean Lat. of Mosfil
Difi‘. Long. Mosfil, W. Baghdad, by daily Results,

 

Diff. Long., Mosfil, West of Baghdad 1° 18’ 00" W.
36° 19’ 34" N. ‘
36° 19’ 56" N.

+ 30’ to Minaret

D9

Means. -- Mosfil Minaret West Baghdad

«io’.

 

 

36° 19’ 45" N.

 

 

 

 

N. 83° W. ............ 38m 1 '90 '232 1 8886
N. 80° W. 59 2 '95 '512 I 2 '905
N. 68° W. ............ 71 3 '55 1 '330 3 ”292
N. 42° W. ............ 24 1 '24 “921 '830
N. 57° W. ............ 38 1 '90 1 “035 1 ‘593
N. 61° W. .......... 48 2'40 1'164 2‘099
N. 80° W ............ 24 1'20 '208 1 '182
S. 72° W. ............ 33 1 '65 '510 ' 1 ‘569
S. 85° W. ............ 85 4 '25 . ‘370 4 '234
S. 77° W. . 60 3 ‘00 '675 2 ‘923
I " 0'402 1 '555 22 '513
I I 1 555
. i—-——-
I 3 547 I
. . I 1
Diff. Lat. 3’ 50” N. Diff. Long. 27’ 50" W
_ 00. N. 80° 13’ W. 22 ‘5 miles.
Aggregate of Daily Results.
I N. S. E. W.
Feb 26,1852. Difl.Lat.I 12’ 30" Dlfl‘. Long 19’ 15"
Feb. 27, ,, ,, 19' 32" ,, 4' 15"
Feb. 29, ,, ,, 17' 47" I ,, 2'49"
Mar. 1, ,, ,, I 10’ 12" ,, 20’ 49"
Mar. 2. ,, ,, I 14’13” I ,, 12’00"
Mars 3, ,, ,, 18’ 59" ‘ ,, 4’ 45"
Mar. 4, ,, ,, g 18’ 19” I ,, 17’ 30"
Mar. 6, ,, ,, I 25’ 37" ,, 6’ 25"
Mar. 7, ,, * 5’ 35" ,, 21’ 00"
Mar. 3, ,, . ,, I 3/ 50" ,, 27' 5o"
. . ____I __ I______
‘ Diff. Lat. from Khan} 20 26’ 34"N 26’ 19” I 110’ 19" W.
Nahrwén .............. ‘ 26’ 19” E.
Lat. of Khan Nahrwén 33° 53’ 00" N. — .
—————-———~ Diff. Long., Mosul, West} 8 4, 00,, W
Lat. of Mosfil ............... 36° 19’ 34" N. of Khan Nahrwén ,'
Khan Nahrwfin, East of Baghde .. . 6’ 00" E.

I 1° 18’ 30" W.

by Synoptlcal Table 10 17' 02" W.

1° 17’ 46" W.

TOPOGRAPHY 0F NINEVEH.

382

A

 

as? N. 2: saga .B E a: .z $.38

 

 

=8 E L $3QO 285 £39 3:0 3.23% _ =8 2 03 ..._............am§ mo .3
3m. + .25 “o 85% 38$ .259 2:0 35% .3 2 0mm ..... Bed—mam mo .3
.330 mo 836 gm ‘3 0H ............. Egmfi :85 “682 .33 a5 a: so om $3QO £82 £82

5. a .3 ‘3 0% .z ........... .......... .33: 3 flag
a. S .5» E a: .z fig 3 32
H. a 5» gm 0: .2, ES 3 FEM 5:?
m. mm é an 9?, .z ................. Wang £24 3 «ism
v. 3 .3 35 0: .Z xwfiom 3 M55.
m. S E ‘3 a; .z €39 s sagas 25
o. om E ‘3 0% .z Easfi SE 3 Eg
a. S .m g oh .2 .. 3Q 8 Hague SQ
a. S . _ .m AWN 02 .z agave 23H 3 $9,? 55
m. cm .m % 03 .z 534 £5 3 @532 fig
o. E .m g ow .2 swing sag 2: 3 Swamam

 

 

$33me .momsoo .3an mo mwaaz

 

.3on was. wwwsmsm 232502, 31% 358 $23me mid 3330 we 03ij Eoflmoakw 4

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

\\ TOPOGRAPHY OF NINEVEH. 383
STATION 4TH (3111) TRAVERSE.)——FEBRUARY 29TH, 1852.
/
' . KIFRI.
Mer. Alt. * Rigel for Latitude.
930 52' 40”
Index Error 30
93 53' 10
46 56 35
Ref. and Finn. — 54
46 55 41
9o
43 4 19 N.
Dec}. 8 22 49 S.
Lat. of Kifri 34"4'1' "30 N.
Altitudes Qf Venus.
Time by D. 12859 Alt. Alt. Alt. Alt. Alt.
11-111-5- 011/ 011/ Oil! OIII 017/
5 56 35-5 64 24 20 64 11 20 63 58 30 63 46 00 63 33 45
5 57 8'3 + 30 + 30 + 30 + 30 + 30
g :7 f1) 64 24 50 64 11 50 63 59 00 63 46 30 63 34 15
5 53 44 32 12 25 32 5 55 31 59 30 31 53 15 "31 47 7
2818.8 —132 -133 —133 —133 _134
, 8, 32 10 53 ‘ 32 4 22 31 57 57 31 51 42 31 45 33
- 5 5/ 39 83 56 08 83 56 08 83 56 08 83 56 08 83 56 08
Chron S + 6 47 34 41 30 34 41 30 34 41 30 34 41 30 34 41 30
6 04 26 150 48 31 ‘150 42 00 150 35 35 150 29 20 150 23 11
Long T 2 59 43 75 24 15 75 21 00 75 17 47 75 14 40 75 11 35
3 04 38 43 13 22 43 16 38 43 19 50 43 22 58 43 26 02
H Diff. 7'7”?5
231 3 000244 000244 0-00244 000244 0 00244
4 _4_ 51 0-08501 008501 0-08501 0-08501 008501
4 1 ii 6 9 40140 9 40297 9 40452 9 40602 9 40750
’ 1”" 237.0 9-83559 9-83603 9-83646 983687 983728
+ 3.57 9 32444” ' 21-32645 9 32843 9-33084 9-33223'
5 59-55 —_ “'— "'""—
D301. 9 93 3'52 N.
——.'T‘ h. m. s. h. m. s. h.m. s. h. m. s. h.m. s.
111w 3 38 48-1 3 39 21-1 3 39 53-7 3 40 25-1 3 40 56-5
58 53-8 58 53-8 58 53-8 58 53-8 58 53-8
11.11115. 10”'96 1 12 56-85 1 12 56-85 1 12 56-85 1 12 56-85 1 12 56-85
3 5 50 38-75 5 51 11-75 5 51 44-35 5 52 15-75 _5 52 47-15
32 88 + 12 41-63 +12 41 -63 +12 4163 +12 4163 +12 41-63
4- | i.- 73 6 3 20-38 6 3 53-38 6 4 25-98 6 4 57-38 6 5 28-78
3 m 33 7: 5 56 35-5 5 57 8-3 5 57 40 5 58 11 5 58 44
+ - - ”—- *—“-'“ ——':-:5 “74-44-73
0 58 2009 2:433 6 45 08 6 45 98 6 40 7
Rt. 850. 9 0 58 53-79 6 45-98
. 6 4633 m s
. ‘ 6 44. . .
H. Dllf- 9 357 227 30 11.12859. 8. M. T. Kh5n Nahrwfin, Feb. 25th 5 41-48
- 3 s M T W Gain in 99 hrs. at 11 5. daily ........ . .............. 45 -37
1 28 071 g-gg- s‘ 59- - g :3 42 11.12859. 8. M. T. Khan Nahrwén, Feb. 29th 4 56-11
4‘51: 63-; 1160' S.M T ”84374—2 D. 12859. s. M. 1‘. Kifri, Feb.29th 6 45-42
: + 28-773 Dlfl Long mT1me . 1 49 3
1- _ 22 46 34-28
g @1145. 3: 47 03-15“ 2 h MS 3.73
’ ————- D. 12860. s. M. '1‘. Kh5n Nahrwén, Feb. 95 6 3-
% Mcwm'Goentre' 11.12860. S.M.T.Kifri, ..........;.Feb.29th 8 43-42
' . , 1113. Long.inTimeW.... 49-69
- H.136. 493 - ====
_ 1494’ m. s. o I ‘
gr 5% ' 33 11.12859 = 1 49-31 = Diff. Long. ....... .. ...... 0 27 2’6 E.
5 555 ‘4 11.12860 = 1 . 49-69 = Diif. Long.-... ...... . ..... 0. 27 25 E.
'- 1'53-1 Means gigs Kifri E. K1155 Nahrwén ............... 0 27 22 E.
33.1522 . Mn Nahrwain E. Baghdad ............... LU
139114 12 41'63' VKifriE.Baghd§d... .............. ...... '0 33 2211.

 

W

 

384 TOPOGRAPHY 0F NINEVEH.

STATION 5 (4TH TRAVERSE)—MARCHL IST.
DI’Jz KHURMATI.

Mer. Alt. * Rigelfor Latitude.
93° 29’ 40”
Index Error + 30
93 30 10
46 45 5
Ref. Par. — 55
46 444 10
90

43 15 50 N.
Dec}. 8 22 49 S.

Lat. of Dfiz Khm'mati 34 53 0]. N.

 

A ltz'tudes of Venus.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Time byD 12859 Alt. Alt. Alt. Alt. Alt.
11111-5. 01:: or 011/ 011/ or”
6 4 28-3 62 36 00 62 20 5'0 62 10 40 62 2 30 61 54 00
655 ~+30 +30 +_3_0 +30 +30
6 5 31 *2 36 30 62 21 20 62 11 10 62 3 00 61 54 30
6 5 {1’35 31 18 15 31 10 40 31 5 35 31 1 30 30 57 15
6‘6 _135 _136 —136 —137 —137
77 08's 31 16 40 31 9 4 31 3 59 30 59 53 30 55 38
6 5 26 80 25 13 83 25 13 83 25 13 83 25 13 83 25 13
Chron. s. _+ 5 16 34 53 1 34 53 1 34 53 1 34 53 1 34 53 1
6 10 42 "149 34 54 149 27 18 149 22 13 1‘49 18"07 . 149 13 52
Long. Time 2 58 24 74 47 27 74 43 39 74 41 6 74 39 13 . 74 36 56
T. from Noon 3 12 18 43 30 47 43 34 35 43 37 7 43 39 10 43 41 18
. II
H- 1313- 76'7 0-00287 0-00287 0-00287 0-00287 0-00287
. / 3 0 08602 0 08602 0 08602 0 '08602 0 08602
12 9,. 230-1 941887 942063 9'42181 9-42276 942373
153. . 9 83792 9 83842 .9 83876 9 83903 9 83931
245-4 9 345 68 9 34794 934946 —9- 35068 9 35193
+ 4‘ 05'44 — —_I —— —\
6 30 41 2
9 Deal. M h. m. s. h.m. s. h.m. s. h.m. s. h.m. s.
3 4A 4145 3 4-5 19'9 3 45 45‘5 3 46 6'3 3 46 27'7
,, 1 318.5 1 3 18-31 1 318-31 1 3 18-31 1 3 1831
11.11113. 1097 1 9 11.17 1 9 11-17 1 9 11-17 1 9 11-17 1 9 11-17
3 m 5 57 49-38 5 58 14-98 5 58 35-78 5 58 57-18
12 5 3291 +15 59 55 +12 2955 +12 2955 +12 29-55 +12 29 55
9'19 m 6 10 18-93 6 10 44-53 6 11 5-33 6 11 26 73
+3510 6458.3 655- 6531- 6552- 66125
1 2 43:21 5 12 53 5 13-93 5 13-53 5 13-33 5 14 23
9 145.555. 1_3 18-31 5 13.93 —- ——*—_ ——-— ——————
5 13-53
5 13-33 m s
H- D111 9'30; 5 254:: D. 12859 8 M. T. Khén Nahrwén, Feb 25111 5 41 48
EL: Gum In 123 hrs 911118.119.in .................. —56 37

       

12l%

   

1159- S-M-T- 5 13‘45 1) 12859.8 M T341155 Nahrwfin Mar. 181; 4 45 -11
1 867 D.60. 8- 59 2 9 D.12859. s. M. T. D112 Khurmati, M51155 5 13 ~45

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

+ 29 872 D.60. S. M.T. ’7 2245 - - - ‘ ”—_.
, 22 50 1896 ____~ D1fl‘. Long. 111 Tune 28 34
(9111,1154 g2 50 48-83
4- .
.___._ m. s.
1 9 11 17 - D.12860. S.M. T. K555 Nahrwén, Mar. lst 6 53 73
D112860. S. M. T. Dfiz Khurmati, Mar. 131. 7 22 45
. _ . - . . Difi. Long. inTime ....... 28 72
H. DIE. '519 - ~—
3 .
121%;‘1'557 0- , ,,
104 ,. D. 12859— = 288: 341— : Difl‘. Long. .......... . .......... 0 7 5 E.
—- 1661 D. 12860 = 28 72—- = Diif. Long. .................... . 0 7 11 E.
' 12 31 21 Means give Dfi'z Khurmati E. Khan Nahrwfin ' 7 ‘ 8 E.
Equa 12 29- 55 , ‘ Khén Nahrwén E. Baghdad .................. 6 . E.
Dfiz Khurmaxzi E. Baghdad, ........... . 13 8 E.
' W

ll

 

TOPOGRAPHY OF NINEVEH. 385

STATION 6 (51311 TRAVERSE)-——MARCH 2ND, 1852.
TAOUK.

M er. Alt: * Rigel for Latctude.

Time byD. 12859
h. m. s.

amma-
10
i—l
o

6 ‘ 0

Chen. S. M. T. + 4 2
6 6 27
Long. Time 2 57 40
Time from Noon 3 8 47

 

ll

1:1. Difi'. 76” 4

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3
6 J. -
31;; 3-8
2400
+ 4 00-6
7 1 18 7
9 Bed. “7“‘5'1—9
90
P. 1); 8‘2 5‘4 4'1"
H. Diff. 10’"98
3
'- ' 82-94
6 316‘ 1 09
3 .36 5 6
+“3‘4‘5'8
6111.134 1 7 64
1 7 41 07
11.1112. 981;
2'7 945
6 '86 931
3 .1. 465
1 “‘+' 29 7341
2254 3-009

’2

(D Rt. A50. 22 54 32'35

24 ‘
ACOmp.®Centre 1 05 2765

 

 

 

 

 

H. Diff. '540
1 3-
1'620

0 85 54

3 9‘: 27

—- 1'701

12 1875

’ Equa. 12 17'05
I: —

57.5.5
030301
.099

93° 00’

Index E1101

98 00 ‘

46
Par. Ref.
46
90
43
Decl. 8

Lat. of Taouk 35

Alt. Alt. Alt. Alt.
0 I II 0 I /I 0 I II C I II
64 41 30 64 31 45 64 21 25 64 12 50
+ 30 + 30 + 30 + 3
64 42 00 64 32 15 64 21 55 64 13 2O
32 21 00 32 16 7 32 10 57 32 6 40
—-132 —-132 ~132 —133
32 19 28 32 14 35 32 9 25 32 5 07
82 54 41 82 54 41 82 54 41 82 54 41
35 746 35 746 35 746 35 746
150 21 55 150 17 02 150 11 52 150 7 34
75 10 57 75 8 31 75 5 56 75 ‘3 47
42 51 29 42 53 56 42 56 31 42 58 40
0 00333 000333 000333 0400333
0 08732 0 '08732 0 '08732 0 '08732
9 '40780 9 '40896 9 41019 9 41121
. 983263 988296 983331 933360
N M M M
h. m s. h. m. S. h. m. s. l1.m. s.
3 40 37’5 3 41 2'1 3 41 28'3 3 41' 50'}.
1 7 41'07 1 7 41'07 1 7 41'07 ‘ 1 7 41'07
1 5 27‘65 1 5 27'65 1 5 2765 1 5 2765
5 53 46'22 5 54 10'82 5 54 37'02 5 54 5882
+ 12 17'05 +12 17'05 +12 1705 +12 1705
6 6 3'27 6 6 27' 87 6 6 5407 6 7 15 87
6146'0 6210 6236 6257'5
4 17'27 4 17 87 418'07 4 18' 37
4 18 07
‘ 4 18'37
. . . m. s.
71 5?. D. 12859. S.M.T.Kl1e’1nNahrwén,Feb.25th 5 41-48
M. T. 4 17690 - Gain in 147 hrs. at 11 5. daily .................. 1 7‘34
59 v 2 19'3 D.12859. s. M.T. Khan Nahrwén,7Mar. 2nd 4 34 14
M.T. 6 37 '195 D. 12859. S. M. T. Taouk, Mar. 2nd ......... 4 178%
Diff. Long. in Time ............... 16 '245
4 E
D. 12860.8 ..M T. Khén Nahrwan, Mar 2nd 6 53 73
D. 12860. S. M. T. Taouk, Mar. 2nd ......... 6 37' 195
Diff. Long. in Time ............... 16-535 ‘
& o I”
‘ 1). 12859 = 16 245 = Difl. Long. .................. 0 4 4 W.
1). 12860 = 16-535 = Diff. Long. ................ LLB—W-
- Means 've Taouk W. Khén Nahryvén ........... 0 4 6 W.
511 Nahrwén E. Baghdad ............... 0 6 00 E.
Taouk E. Baghdéd .............................. 1 54 E.

+

30

10”
80

40
20

u. an
OI $.11

351V.
49 S.
46 N.

 

Altitudes of Venus.’

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

386

TOPOGRAPHY 0F NINEVEH.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

STATION 7 (6TH TRAVERSE).—MARCH 3RD, 1852.
KERKUK.
filer. Alt. * Rigel for Latitude.
92° 19/ 40
Index Error + 30
92""—20"10
46"10' ‘5‘
Par. Ref. - 56
46 9 9
90
43 50 51 N.
Dec]. 8 22 49 s.
Lat. of Kerkfik 35 28 02 N.
‘ Altitudes of Venus.
Time by D. 12859 Alt. Alt. Alt. Alt. Alt.
. Ill. S.
15 58 21 6% 4'7 2’6 6% 3'7 5’0 6% 26 1'5 6% 8 0’0 65 57 3’0
558 46 + 30 +30 +30 +30 ___+§
5 59 14'5 66 47 50 66 38 20 66 26 45 66 8 30 65 58 00
3 823,5 33 23 55 33 19 10 33 13 22 "3‘3 ‘4-‘15 32 59 00
n 7 —128 —128 —128 _129 —129
~9 56 5? 0 '33 22 27 33 17 42 33 '11 54 ' 33“ 2'46 32 57 31
5 59 22 82 24 17 82 24 17 82 24 17 82 24 17 82 24 17
+ 3 50 35 28 02 35 28 02 35 28 02 35 28 02 35 28 02
6 03 12 151 14 46 151 10 01 151 04 13 150 55 5 150 49 50
2 57 40 75 37 23 75 35 00 75 32 6 75 27 32 75 24 55
3 5 32 42 14 56 42 17 18 42‘ 20 12 42 24 46 42 27 24
H' ”‘7' 76 3 0 '00383 0 00383 0 '00383 0 '00383 0 '00383
6 4 22M 0 08914 0-08914 0-08914 008914 008914
I m 7.6 51-39498 939615 939757 939980 9-40108
0‘ _ 982760 982793 982833 9-82896 9-82932
“55 6 931555 9-31705 "'9'-"3'1‘88'7' 932173 932337
+ 3 556 7;; = a = fi
7 31 47
QDecl. 9;?) 35 42'6N- h.m. s. Q h.m. s. h. m. s. h.m. s. h.m. 3.
~ 336 23-5 836 47-9 33717-3 338 3-9 338 30-7
2.11 32 24 17-4 1 12 04-04 1 12 04-04 1 12 04-04 1 12 04-04 1 12 04-04
-——-E 1 1 44-61 1 1 44-61 1 1 44-61 1 1 44-61 1 144-61
11.1116. 10.99 5 50 12-15 5 50 36-55 5 51 05-95 5 51 52-55 5 52 19-35
3 + 12 4-05 +12 4-05 +12 4-05 +12 4-05 +12 4-05
6 4, 32.97 6 2 16-20 6 2 40-60 6 3 10-00 6 3 56-60 6 4 23-40
[1° 1.10 5 58 21 3 58 46 5 59 14-5 6 0 3. 6 0 27-50
+ 34.07 3 55-20 " 3 54-60 ”3‘55-“5‘ 3 53-60 3 55-90
9 Rt. A566 1 11 29.97 ,3} 54-60 —' —-—_—_ —_
, 3 55-5
1 12 4 04 3 55.90
H Difl. 9.295 D 59 2 21'2 D. 12859. s.M.T.K115n Nahrw5n,1‘eb. 25thué'415348
' ' 3 1160' g- 59 3 33:? Gain in 171 hrs. at 11 5. daily ........... . ...... 1 18-34
6 _,5 27-885 D‘ ‘ ' —,_+_ D. 12859. s. M.T. Khén Nahrwén, Mar. 3rd 4 23-14
| 1 I 930 ~60- S- 6 95'4- 11.12859. 8. M. T. Kerkfik, Mar. 3rd 3 553
+ 28-815 Diff. Long. in Time ............... 0 2784
22 57 46-57 " "—7
(a Rt. Asc. 32—58—15-3'9‘ m
4 . s.
_ D. 12860. S. M. T. Khén Nahrwén, Mar. 3rd 6 53:73
Compt- Centre 1 01 44 61 V . 11.12860. s. M. T. Kerklik, Mar. 8rd 6 25-4
' Diff. Long. in Time 28-33
‘H. Difl’. 56;) - —-
6 +0 1680 s_
56 D. 12859 = 27-84 = Diff. L0ng................ 3 6 5’8 w.
— 1-736 D. 12860 = 28-33 = Difi‘. Long ........... 0 7 4W.
12 5 '79 Means give Kerkfik w. Khén Nahrwén 7 01 w.
12 ‘4-05 Khan Nahrwén E. Baghdad 6 00 E,
---- — Kerkfik w. Baghdéd ........ . ....... .. "“l-W

 

 

TOPOGRAPHY OF NINEVEH.

387

Observations made at the Halting Stations on the road from
Baghdoid to Mosul.

IST STATION—KHAN NAHRWAN.—FEBRUARY 25TH, 1852.

Bearing W.S. W. 300 yards.

Lat. of Place of Observation

No.

a / II
33 53 OON.

3N.

....... . ......... 33 53 03N.

 

S

’ m. s.
Chronometer. Dent. 12859. S. M. '1‘. Baghdad, February 23rd 5 39 '05.
Chronometer. Dent. 12860. S. M. 1‘. Baghdéd, February 23rd 6 32 '09.

Gaining Daily 11.
Going Mean Time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sun’s Lower Limb P.M.
Times by a Watch. Alt. Alt. Alt Alt. Alt.
h.m.s. 11/ 01/! 01/! 011/ Gill
3 13 30 54 5 20 53 53 2 53 39 40 53 33 1 53 25 4
3 19 5'5 + 30 + 30 + 30 + 30 + 30 Index Error.
3 19 46_ 54 5 50 53 53 50 53 40 10 53 33 40 53 26 10
g 38 2%.: 27 2 55 26 56 55 26 50 5 26 46 50 26 43 5
_.."__. + 14 24 + 14 24 + 14 23 + 14 23 + 14 22 Corr. Semdr.
97 52 5 27 17 19 27 11 19 27 4 28 27 1 13 26 57 27
, 3 19 34 99 16 39 99 16 39 99 16 39 99 16 39 99 16 39 P. D.
W. S. M.T. + 6 50 33 53 5 33 53 3 33 53 3 33 53 3 33 53 3Lat.
3 26 24 160 27 1 160 21 1 160 14 10 160 10 55 160 7 9 Sum.
Long T- 2 57 40 80 13 30 80 10 30 80 7 5 80 5 27 80 3 34 5 Sum.
23 44 52 56 11 52 59 11 53 .2 37 53 4 14 53 6 7 Diff.
_ Equat. __ 13 24 —— __"'"“— ——"‘_‘ ———%—' ———"“"“:
T. from Noon 15 20
000572 0 00572 0-00572 0-00572 0-00572 Cosec. P. D.
008064 0 09094 0 08084 008034 0 03084 Sec. Lat.
H. D. 922989 923208 9 23457 923575 923711 Cosin. 3 Sum.
15.} | 55-75 9 90199 9 90227 9 '90260 9 90275 9 90293 Sin. Diif.
13-93 “9 21844 9 22091 9 22373 922506 ‘ 9 '22660
D001. 9 16 52 '8 S. _ —.—" —* —.____
9 16 38-9 9. ‘
P. D. 99 16 38-9
W h.m. s. h.m. s. h.m. s. h.m. s. h. m. s.
3 11 57-4 3 12 32-3 3 13 12-1 3 13 31-1 3 13 53
+13 253 + 13 25-3 + 13 25-3 + 13 25-3 + 13 25-3 Equatn.
H-D- 3 25 22-7 3 25 57-6 3 26 37-4 3 26 56-4 3 27 18-3
15%| '404- 318 30 319 5-5 3 19 46 320 4-5 320 26-5
_ -101 "—T“ W —6"5fi '—6'5F9 ”’m
13 2541 g is; = :-
Equa. 13 2631 6 51-4
“— 6 51-9 m. s_
6 51'8 D. 12359. s. M. T. Baghdad February, 23rd......... 5 39-05
5 I 259'9 Gam m 54 hrs. at 11 a. daily .... ........................ .. —24-'75
W. s. M. T. 25th 6 51-98 1). 12859. s. M. T. Baghdad, February 25th ......... 5 14-30
D. 12859. F. Watch 1 10-5

 

D. 12860. S. M. T. Ba

D. 12859. S. M. T. Khén Nahrwén, February 25th 5 41 '48
Diff. of Long. in Time

27 '18

 

E

gha5d, February 25511 ......... 6' 32-9

D. 12860. S. M. T. Khan Nahrwén, February 25th 6 53‘73

Diff. ofLong. in Time... ...........

s.
D. 12859 = 27 '18 = Difl". Long. ..

D. 12860 = 20-83 Diff. Long. ..................
Means give Khfin Nahrwén, E. Baghdéd

  
  

20 '83

 

 

 

 

_ 388 TOPOGRAPHY 01‘ NINEVEH.

2ND STATION (ls'r TRAVERSE)—FEBRUARY 26111, 1852.
DELLI ABBAS. ' V
Place of Observation 150 yards E. of the Bridge over the Khalis.

M er. Alt. * Rigel for Lat.
95° 7’ 20”
Index Error + 30
95 7 50
m
— 53

m
90

MN.
Decl. 8 22 49 s.

Lat. of Delli Abbas 34 4.- 9 N.

Corr.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Altitude? 9/“ Venus. ,
Time by D. 12359 Alt. Alt. .415. ' Alt; Alt.
h-m-s- 0/11 01/! 0/11 0/11 01/!
5 54 38-5 63 4 00 62 46 2 62 31 50 6217 40 61 44 00
5 55 22-5 + 30 + 30 + 30 + 30 + 30
g 25 58'5 63 4 30 62 46 5o 62 32 20 62 18 10 61 44 30
5 5‘33 335 "1 '32 '15 ' 31 23 25' 31 16 10 31'“ 9—5 30 52 15
0__ —134 —135 —135 ——136 —137
L550 31 30 41 31 21 00 ‘ 31 14 35 31 7 29 30 50 33
5 56 _8 35 29 09 85 29 9 85 29 9 85 29 9 35 29 9
Chums-+620 34049 3449-3449 3449 3449 .
' 6 02 53 '151' 3 59 150 55 ‘8 50 47 53 150 40 47 150 23 56 '
Long. Tune 2 59 20 75 31 59 75 27 34 75 23 56 75 2o 23 75 11 58
T. from Noon 3 03 33 44 01 18 44 5 44 44 9 21 44 12 54 44 21 20
H. D. 774-9
3 0 00135 0 00135 0 00135 0 00135 0 00135

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3 1 9/33 '7 0'08178 0-08178 0‘08178 0‘08178 0‘08178
1:5 9 939761 939977 940157 - 9-40327- 940732
3 :4- 0 6 984194 9-3-4252 9-84299 934345 9-84455
533-2 " 9-322 68 932542 932769 9 32985 9-33500
+ 3 58-2 —~——- —————-—~ —-—-—-——— -—— ~——-—
4 26 53 7
9 Dec]. 4 30 51 N-
90 h. m. s. h. m. s. h. m. s. 11. m. s. h.m. s.
P D 85 09 09 3 38 19-3 3 39 4-1 3 39 41-5 3 40 17-5 341 42-5
' “ 45 44-84 45 44-34 45 44-34 45 44-34 45 44-34
H D 10495 124133 12413-3 1 2413-8 12413-8 124138
3 5 4317-94 5 49 2-74 5 49 40-14 5 50 16-14 5 51 41 14
W +13 14-42 +13 14-42 +13 14-42 +13 14-42 +13 14-42
3 ’ L 5;; 601 32-36 6 ‘2'17-16 6 2 54-56 6 3 30 56 6 4 55-56
§ 36 9 5 54 38-5 5 55 22-5 5 55 53-5 5 56 35 5 53 0-5
+ 33.48 ~ 6 53-86 6 54-66 ' 6 56-06 6 55 56 6 55 06
45 11-36 g Egg-:32 ,
Q Rt.Ascn. 45 44'84 . .
___ g 5:: 56 m s
5‘06 D12859 SMTKh’ Nah ' Fb25 '3
,,, . . . . . an rwan, e . th 5 41 4-8
“-9- 9 49g 276-40 Gain in 265 hrs. at 11 8. daily ..................... —12 15
“mm D. 59. s. M. '1‘. 6 55-28 13.12359. s. M. T. Khan Nahrwan, Feb. 26th 5 29-33
3 L ~ 471 D. 60. s. D. 59 1 25- 1112859. 8. M. ’1‘. Deni Abbas, Feb. 26th 6 55-28
31‘ if; 79 D. 60. S. M. T. 8 2028 Diff. of Long. in Time ......... 1 25'95
+ 28831 - —
@115. Asc. 22 35 17-37
22 35 46'20 . m. s.
24 D. 12860. 8. M. T. Khan Nahrwén, Feb. 26th 6 58-73
Compeenm-Tso' D. 12860. s. M. T. 11511145555, Feb. 26th 3 20-28
———-—-— Diff. Long. in Time ............ 12655
H. D. 429 '—
3
1 287 m. s. o , ‘,
3 t .36 21 ‘ D. 12859 = 1 25-95 = Diff. Long. ..... . ............... 0 21 29 E.
1 1.; 3 D. 12860 = 1 26-55 = Diff. Long. ..................... 0 21 37 E.
— 1‘80} Means give Delli Abbas E. Khén Nahrwfin ......... 0 21 33 l.
13 15-72 Khén Nah‘rwén E. Baghdad ..................... 0 6 00 E.
Equa. 13 14'42 Delli Abbas E. Baghdad ................... U 27 38

 

TOPOGRAPHY OF NINEVEH. 389'

3RD STATION (2ND TRAVERSE)———FEB. 28TH 1852.
' KARA TEPPEHg

Place of Observation—
M er. Alt. Sun’s Lower Limbfor Lat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

,, 94° 14' 30”
H. D. 56 335: Index Error + 30
__.__ 94 15 00
641116—911 47 7 30
D 1 8+ 3 31;): q Corr. Semdr. + 15 22
60- __-_'_ 47 22 52
CongDecl. 8 12 24"] S. ‘ 90
42 37 8 N.
Dec1. 8 12 25 s.
LahofKéraTeppeh§4 24 43 N.
Altitudes Q)" Sun’s Lower Limb.
Time by Dlh 12859 Alt. Alt. Alt. Alt. Alt.
. In. S.
8 54 13-5 5% 00 0' 5% '9 0'0 5°5 16 1” 5% 26 3’5 5% 35 4”
8 54 403 + 30 + 30 + 30 + 80 + 30
g g; 3&5 55 00 30 55 9 80 55 16 45 55 27 5 55 36 10
8 55 58'5 27 30 15 97 34 45 27 38 22 27 43 32 27 48 5
2-. + 14 26 + 14 26 +14 27 + 14 27 + 14 28
2 75 9 8 27 44 41 27 49 11 27 52 49 27 57 59 28 2 83
, 8 55 05 98 15 24 98 15 24 98 15 24 98 15 24 98 15 24
Chron. s. + 6 50 34 24 43 34 24 43 34 24 43 34 24 43 34 24 43
' 9 1 55 160 24 48 ‘160 29 18 160 32 56 160 38 06 160 42 40
. Equa- — 12 57 80 12 24 80 14 39 80 16 28 80 19 03 80 21 20
T g 43 53 52 27 43 52 25 28 52 23 39 52 21 04 52 18 47
Long. ime 5 4 —---- —‘ ———————‘ = ——+———
5 49 18
. y 12
. T. from Noon—6 10 42 0-00453 0011453 660453 000453 000453
“‘—““ 0'08355 ' 0-08355 0-08355 008355 008355
, 9 23069 9 22904 9 22770 9 22580 9 22410
:- 9'89925 989903 989885 989860 9 89838
E. H. Difi". 56733 9'21809 921615 921463 9-21248 921056
” 33.834 .
. 10 4 939 .
" 1 315 94 11- m. S- h. m. s. h. m. s. - h.m. s. h.m. s.
- 6,0 I 34.867 3 11 51'4 3 11 25-1 3 11 3-9 3 10 33-7 3 10 6-9
+ 543.67 848 8'6 848 34-9 84856-1 849 26'3\ 849 58-1
8 9 35-5 + 12 57 37 +12 57-37 +12 5737 +12 57-37 +12 57-37
D561. ——-—8 1- 242 9 1 5-97 9 1 32-27 9 1 53-47 9 2 23-67 9 2 50-47
90 a 57 3' 854135 854 40-3 855 15 855 32 85558-5
RD. 98 15 24 6 52:47 6 51-97 6 51 97 6 5167 6 51-97
—————— 6 51 97 _ _...__.. __
6 51'97
6 5167
6 51-97 m. s.
H. D. 453 m D. 12859. S.M.T. Khén Nahrwén, Feb. 25th 5 41-48
6 D 59 S m Gain in 66 hrs. at 11 5. daily ..................... — 30'25
2-718 D160: Sj 59 1 45 D. 12859. s. M. T. Khén Nahrwz’m, Feb. 28th 5 11-23
101 % 57 D 60 S M Tm D. 12859. S.M.T. Kara Teppeh, Feb. 28th...,6 52°01
1 —;o 7 ' ' ' Difl‘. Long. in Time ............... 1 40-78
+ 2-800 —-—
12 54-57
Equa 12 5737 m. s.
. D. 12860. s. M. T. Khén Nahrwén, Feb, 28th 6 53-73
D. 12860. S. M. T. Kara Teppeh, Feb. 28th... 8 3701
Diff. Long. in Time ............ 1 43'28
m. S. o , ,,
D. 12859 = 1 40-78 = Diif. Long 0 25 12 E.

  

D. 12860 ~_- 1 43-28 = Diff. Long .
Means give Kara Teppeh E. Khén Nahm an 25 30 E.

 

 

390

TOPOGRAPHY 0F NINEVEH.

AT THE SAME STATION AS YESTERDAY.-—FEB. 29TH, 1852.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tim‘c by D. 12359 Alt. 4113. Alt. Alt. Alt.
1. m. s.
13 27749 46 1'1 5'0 4°6 2’2 5'0 4’6 34 3'0 4°6 4'2 2'5 4’6 50 4'5
32320 +30 +30 +30 +30 +30 _
3 23 52 ”‘46"1'2 20 46 23 20 46 35 00 46 42 55 46 51.15
8 99 14.5 23 6 10 23 11 40 23" 17 30 23 21 27 23 25 37
82937 +142 +142 +143 +143 +143
143 52" 23 20 12 23 25 42 23 31 33 23 35 30 23 39 40
3 23 46 97 53 10 97 53 10 97 53 10 97 53 10 97 53 10
Chron. s. + 6 40 34 24 43 34 24 43 34 24 43 34 24 43 34 24 43
8 35 26 155'33' 5 T551335 155 49 26 155 53 23 155 57 33
Equa. — 12 46 77 49 2 77 51 47 77 54 43 77 56 41 77 53 46
—'-3 22 40 54 23 50 54 26 5 54 23 10 54 21 11 54 19 6
Long. Time 2 59 40 h— “‘— ‘*— h— ——*“‘ '
'5 23 00
12
. - N on 6 3 00
T mm ° —7— 000413 000413 000413 0-00413 0-00413
0-03355 003355 003355 0-03355 0-03355
9 32435 9 32273 9 32101 9 31935 9 31361
,, 9 91053 9-91033 9-91007 9-90939 9-90970
. . ‘ 9-32261 932074 ‘ 931376 931742 —'9-3' 1599
H. lef. 56 6: —————_ —_._ ~— __
340 03
30 1 23 34
6 3‘5 5 67
1 3% 96 h.m. s. h.m. s. h.m. s. h.m. s. h.m. s.
6,0)37’505 3 33 13—1 3 37 47-7 3 37 15-5 3 36 53-9 3 36 307
+ 615.1 821-119 32212-3 322 44-5 323 06-1 32329-3
7 46 55.2 +12 46-3 + 12 463 + 12 463 + 12 46-3 + 12 46-3
Dec} 7 53 10 s 3 34 23-2 3 34 53-6 3 35 30-3 3 35 52-4 3 36 15-6
- - 90 ' 327 49 32320 32352 32914 329 37-5
6 39-2 6 33-6 6 33-3 "' 633-4 6 33-1
1" D‘ {Hi-L 3 38‘6 E a = a
6 33-3 ‘
6 33-4
6 33-1
. m. S.
"172 .5 ) {93 1 D. 12359. 3.14.52.10.51. Nahrwén, Feb. 25th 5 41 ~43
. 1];- (538' g 29 g 32132 Gain in 393 1113.36 11 3. daily .................. — 41-02
3'33? D‘ ' ' 11.12359. 3; M. T. Khén Nabrwan, Feb. 29th 5 00-46
360 3 4g -60-S- M- T- 8 33'62 1112359. 3.1431. Kara Teppeh, Feb. 29th... 6 33-62
1 3; 8 Diff. Long. in Time ............ 1 3816
+ 3-143 ' ""
12 43-16
Equa. 12 4630 m s
D. 12360. s. M. '1‘. Khén Nahrwén, Feb. 29th 6 53-73
D. 12860. S. M. T. Kara Teppeh, Feb. 29th... 8 33 '62
Diff. Long. in Time 1 39'89
E
m. s. , ,,
11.12359 = 1 33-16 = Diff. Long. .......... .. 8 24 33 E.
D. 12360 = 1 39-39 = Difl. Long. .............. . 0 24 53 E.
Means give Kara Teppeh E. Khén Nahrwén 25 \45 E.
Means by Yesterday’s Observations ..... . ........ 25 30 E.
Kara Teppeh E. Khan Nahrwén 25 7 E.
Khan Nahrwén E. Baghdad 6 ,0 E.
31 7 E.

KARA TEPPEH.

Altitudes Qf the Sun’s Lower Limb.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kara Teppeh E. Baghdad .......... ..

 

 

 

 

TOPOGRAPHY OF NINEVEH-

391‘

STATION 8TH (7TH TRAVERSE)a-—MAROH 5TH.
ALTI’IN KIUPRI.
100 yards N.W. of the Khz’m. 011 a Mound.

M (27*. Alt. Sun’s Lower Limbfor Latitude.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2h. 56111. Long. Time. 0 , ,,
H. D. 57/’-90 96 8 20
2 Index Error + 30
11580 96 8 50
30 5 28'95 48 4 25
20 » 4 19‘30 Corr. Semdr. + 15 22
' 6 T‘s-1.279 m
169'84: 90
+ 2 49'8 41 40 13 N.
5 52 2‘2 D601. 5 54 52 S.
D601. #554359 b- Lat of Altfin Kiupri 3:) 45 21 N.
Altitudes of Venus.—Mm'ch 4th, 1852.
Time by D. 12859 Alt. Alt. Alt. Alt. Alt.
- 11.111. 5. o I I/ o lyll o I II o I // o I ll
11. D. 5 55 39 8 56 45 68 45 10 68 6 50 67 43 20 66 51 50
5 56 9 + 30 + 30 + 30 + 30 + 30
5 57 48 M68 57 15 68 45 40 68 7 20 67 43 50 66 52 20
2 a? 4%5 34 28 37 34 22 50 34 3 40 33 51 55 33 26 10
_ —125 —125 —126 —126 —128
9.9 49 2" 34 27 12 34 21 25 34 2 14 33 50 29 33 24 42
- 557 53 8154 3 8154 3 8154 3 8154 3 8154 3
01000.8. 2 40 33 45 21 33 45 21 33 45 21 33 45 21 33 45_21
, 6'00 33 152 6 36 152 00 49 151 41 38 ‘151 29 53 151 4 6
' Long Tune ‘2 56 ‘20 76 3 18 76 00 24 75 50 49 75 44: 56 75 32 3
T. from Noon 3 04 13 41 36 6 41 38 59 41 48 35 41 54 27 42 7 21
_ - . w . -1- . 1 ._ .,,__,--‘-.-
11-13115 75”‘3 040435 000435 000435 000435 0 00435
__ 009070 009070 0-09070 0-09070 0 09070
226 8 938200 938346 9-38830 9-39124 9-39760
4 1 313 50 , 9 '82213 9 82254 9 52390 9 82473 9-82654
2318 929918 Efflg 930725 931102 9-31919
+ 3 51-8 -—-—”"" “— --—-— --=--— —--—
8 2 5-3 N. '
9 Dec]. .8 5 57 11. m. s. 11. m. s. h. m. s. 11. m. 5. 11.111. 5.
90 332 2 332 31-5 334101 33510-5 337 22-5
RD, 81_’_’_54 03 1 16 27-41 1 16 27-41 1 16 27-41 1 16 27-41 1 16 27-41
m 58 1-89 58 1 89 58 1-60 58 1-89 58 1-89
5 46 31-30 5 47 00-80 5 48 39-40 5 49 39-80 5 51 51-80
11.1). 1100 +11 5059 +11 50 59 +11 50-5 +11 5059 +11 50-59
3. 5 58 21-89 5 58 51-39 6 00 29-99 6 1 30-39 6 3 4239
33-00 555 39 556 9 557 48 558 49-5 6 1 1
4 I 45- 73 _ 2 42-89 2 42-39 2 41-99 2 40-89 241-39
1 15 53-68 2 41-99
QRt Ase. 1 16 2741 2 40-89 m. S.
. Jfli" D.12859. S.M.T.Khé.n Nahrw5n,Teb.25th 5 41-48
H. D. 9 '276 2 09 ‘55 Gain in 195 hrs. at 11 5. daily .................. 1 29 '37
3 1159- SM-T- 2 41'91 D.12859. s. M. T. 1(1150Na11m5n, Mar. 4th 4 12-11
27.828 D. 60- S. 59 2 41 D.12859. S.M.’l‘. A1t1’1n Kiupri, Mar. 4th... 2 41-91
4194 618 1160-, SM-T- 5 22‘91 Diff. Long.in’.l‘ime 1'3—0-2
+ 28-446 —"‘""'
. 23 1 29-66
@Rt.Asc.23 1 5811 m. s.
24: 1112860. 3. M. ’1‘. Khén Nahrwzin, Mar. 4th 6 53'73
m D.12860. S. N. '1‘. Altfin Kiupri, Mar. 4th... 5 22-91
‘ _' ' Difi.Long.inTime ............ 1 30'52
11.1). '578
» 3
r. m. s ' o I II
4 I _4_ 1 ’3‘; D.12859 = 1 30- 2 = Diff. Long ..... .. ..... . ......... 0 22 33 W.
”_ 1.772 D. 12860 = 1 30-82 = Diff. Long .................. _0_22_42_V_V.
11 52-36 Means give Athm Kiupri, W. Kha’m Nahrwén ...... 22 37 W.
E “a 11 50.59 Khén Nahrwén E. Baghdad ........ . ........ . 6 00 E.
‘1 Altlin Kiupri W. Baghdad W16 37
w
2 E

392

TOPOGRAPHY OF NI‘NEVEH.

STATION 9TH (8111 TRAYERSE)——MA.RCH 61H.
ARBIL.

The place of Observation immediately at the N .W. edge of the base of

Time by D. 12859
11. m.

13
C71 CAD 53016101

Chron. S. M. T. + 4 10

6 3 21
Long. Time 2 56 10
T. from Noon 3 7 11

 

 

 

a

H. D. 74”'6

43

6 2238

1’6 7'5

1 1 315 1-2

2325

+ 3 525

9 2 9'2

QDec'l. 9 6 01-7
90

1’ D 80 53 58 if

11 D. 11”~02

3

33 '06

6 515 11-0

1 515 1'8

+ 34'34

1 24 4190

Q Rt.Asc 1 25 16-24

 

 

CD

53

a .

5’
3565

 

H. D.

 

 

the Mound forming the Citadel.

Mer. Alt. * Sirius for Lat.-
740 37’ 30”

Index Error +

74 38
37 19

Ref. Par. —- 1

37 17

90

52 42

Dec]. 16 30

Lat. of Arbil 36 11

30
00

00
16

44

16 N.
76 S.

()0 N.

 

Altitudes of Venus.

 

 

 

5.15. Alt. A15. Alt.
6’8 4'0 8’?) 6% 19 2'0 6°23 5 (5'0 691 5'1 2'0
+ 30 . + 30 + 80 + 80
68 41 00 68 19 50 68 5 30 67 51 50
34 20 30 34 9 55 34 \ 2 45 33 55 55
_125 —126 —126 ~126
34 19 ()5 34 8 29 51: 1 19 33 54 29 ’
80 53 58 80 53 58 80 53 58 so 58, 58
36 11 00 36 11 00 36 11 00 36 11 00
I51 24 O3 151 13 27 151 6 17 150 59 27
75 42 1 75 86 43 75 33 8 75 29 48
41 22 56 41 28 14 41 31 49 41 35 14
000550 000550 000550 000550
0 09306 0 ‘09306 0 09806 0 '09306
9'39269 9 '39531 989707 939874
982025 982101 982152 982201
931150 9‘31488 9'31715 9‘31931
N2 _.__ _._—— ___..——-—~——— __._———
h. m. 8. 11.111. 8. 11.n1. s. h. m. s.
3 35 18'?) 3 36 128 3 36 495 3 37 243
1 25 16-24 1 25 1624 1 25 16-24 1 25 1624
50 3670 50 3670 50 36'70 50 3620
5 51 1124 5 52 5'74 5 52 4244 5 53 1724
+1] 22'?» +11 22'26 M +11 22.26
6 02 33-50 6 05 28-00 6 04 04-70 6 4 89-50
55825 558585 5593:; 609
4 31-00 4 29-50 ‘4—31 ~70 __.__4 30-50
4 29'50 -" —_'-'- ——
4 31.70
4 30-50
122-70
11; 2351311511 4 33'?” D. 12859. Randown yesterday.
D 60 S.M.T. 4 53 175 \
1). 12860. 8. M. T. K1155 Nahrwén, Mar. 6th I16 53 '73
D. 12860. s. M. T 5400, Mar 6th ... ........ .4 53 175

‘ m. s.
Arbfl W. Khén Nahrwén, 2 00555 = 30
Khan Nahrwain E. Baghdad

6
ArbflW.Baghdéd 24
fi_

 

 

Difi‘. Long. in'l‘ime" 2 00 555

l

00
1

1'1 W.

TgPOGRAPfionE,HINEVIuL>

_ STATION 102;! (9TH TRAVERSE)-fMARCH 7TH,

KELLAK.

On the Upper Zéb, at the North and of the Village.

Time by D. 12859

Chron. S.

Long. Time
T. from N00

H.

h. m. s.

1]

Diff. 74”‘1

03

 

 

9 Dec]. 9 35 43'2

P. D. 80 24 17

H.

6‘95

Q Rt. Ase

H.

 

Diff. 11”'04
3

3312
1'10
+ 3422

1 29 6'49

. 1 29 40‘71

 

 

 

 

Difl". 9”'22g

ly‘a 27'678

 

 

23 12 3630

23 13 04‘90
(91%. Ass. 24
Compfienh 0 46 55-1

 

H. Diff. '629

Equa.

W

 

1'88
63

1 '950
11 9 '46

11 7'51

slilfi

 

 

 

 

N1.

M er. Alt. * Siriusfor Latitude.
740 271 45/:
Index Error fl
74 28 15
37 14 7
Ref. Par. — l 16

37 12 51
90

52 47 09 N.
Dec]. 16 .31 16 S.

Lat. of Kellék 36 15 53 N.

 

Altitudes of Venus.
Alt. Alt. Alt. Alt.
0 I II 0 I [I O I II 0 I II
70 55 30 70 36 25 70 26 30 70 18 00
+ 30 + 30 + 30 + 30

393

35 28 ()0 35 18 27 35 13 30 35 9 15
~122 —122 —122 ~123
35 26 38 35 17 05 35 12 08 35 7 52
80 24 17 80 24 17 80 24 17 80 24 17
36 15 53 36 15 53 36 15 53 36 15 53

152 6 48 151 57 15 151 52 18 151 48 02 1

'76 3 24 75 58 37 75 56 09 75 54 01
40 36 46 40 41 32 40 44 01 40 46 09

35 307

80 24 17
36 15 53

514317

75 51 38
40 48 31

———‘—‘_—“ ——_’a—— —" Ea; HESS—i.

 

 

 

 

 

0'00612 0‘00612 0'00612 0'00612 0‘00612
0 '09351 0 '09351 0 '09351 0 '09351 0 '09351
9 '38195 9 '38438 9 '38562 9 '38670 9 '38789
9 '81354 9 '81425 9 '814-61 9 '81492 9 “81527
929512 929826 929986 230125 9 30279
h. m. a. h.m. s. h. m. s. h. m. s. h. m. s.
3 30 581 3‘31 47'5 3 32 127 3 32 34‘7 3 32 591
1 29 40'71 1 29 4071 1 29 4071 1 29 40'71 1 29 4071
46 55 '1 46 551 46'55'1 46 55 ‘1 46 55'1
5 47 33 91 5 48 2331 5 48 48'51 5 49 10'51 5 49 34'91
+11 7'51 +11 7'51 +11 7'51 +11 7'51 +11 7'51
5 58 41'42 5 59 3082 5 59 5602 6 00 18'02 6 0 42'42
5 55 465 5 56 36 5 57 1'5 5 57 235 5 57 49
W92 W 2 54-52 2 54 52 2 53-42
2 54'82 ——-‘ ‘—“. —— —— __._._———-—
2 5452
2 5452
2 53-42 \
27220 111. s.
S.M.T. 2 54-44 D. 12860. S. M. T. Khén Nahrwén,Ma.r.7th 6 53-73
S. 59 295 D.12860. S. M. T. Keilék, Mar. 7th ..1...... 3 24-04
S. M.’1‘. 3 24-04 Difi. Long. in’l‘imgww...” 3 29'69

 

\

0

m. S.
KeBak, W. Khz’m Nahrwén ....... 3 29-59 = ‘6 52 23 w.
- Khén Nahrwén E. Baghdéd.................. 6 00 E.

Kenak.w. Baghdad ... ,o 46 23 W.

2E2

 

 

394

TOPOGRAPHY OF NINEVEH.

Sights at Mr. Rassam’s House (British Consul).
MOSUL.

To find the Lat. and Long. of the Minaret of Mosul, bearing 299° 300 yds.
MARCH 11m, 1852.

Mar. Alt. Sun’s Lower Limbfor Latitude.

 

11. 111.

Long. in Time 2 59.
58”'85

2

117 70

30 13 29 42
20 5 19 62
2 5415 1 96
16870

+ 2 48-7

3 31 386

Decl. 3 34- 27'3

 

Time by D. 19859
11.111. 5.

H
0‘
61 01mm

011mm. S. +
Equa.

Long. Time

 

 

T. from Noon 6 27 4:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

O I /I
-30 99 39 25
1. Error + 30
99 39 55
49 49 57
Corr. Semdr. + 15 24
. 50 05 21
90
39 54 39N
Decl. 3 34 27 s.
- _ Lat. House 36 20 12 N.
N. 61° W. 300 yds. = Diff. Lat. 14-6 yds. 01‘ + 4
Lat. Mosul Minaret 36 :20 16 N
Attitudes of the Sun’s Lower Limb—March 10th.
Alt. A15. Alt. Alt. Alt.
5’0 4'4 3' 530 5'2 2'0 5’0 5' 4'0 5’1 ’8 5'0 51 18 6'0
+ 30 + 30 + 30 + 30 + 30
50 45 00 50 52 50 51 00 10 51 9 20 51 18 30
25 22 30 25 26 25 25 30 5 25 31 40 25 39 15
+ 14 13 + 14 13 + 1.1 13 + 14 13 + 14 13
25 36 4:5 25 40 38 25 41 18 ”2‘5 48 53 25 55' 2
94131 94131 9113 91131 94131
36 20 12 36 20 12 36 20 12 36 20 12 36 20 12
155 53 26 156 02 21 156 06 01 156 10 36 156 15 11
77 59 13 78‘ 1 10 78 3 00 78 5 18 78 7 35
752 22 30 52 20 3° 52 18 42 52 16 25 52 14 07
0 00107 0 -00107 0 00107 0 00107 0 00107
0 09391 0 09391 0 09391 0 09391 0 09391
' 9 31834 931719 9 31609 931472 931335
11. D111. 53”-73 939574 9-8-9355 959337 9-5-9815 9-89792
,2 9-31-2116 931072 9 30941 9'30’785 9-30625
352158 i—E; mu.— m u—a—ua- ————‘
20 3 19-57
4 515 3-91
7)__ . .
4 “filial 11.111. 5. I1.m. 5. 11.111 3. l1.m. a. 11.111. 5.
“-1977 3 35 27-1 3 35 5-7 3 34 45-1 3 3419-7 3 33 54-1
3r 6 19‘1'7 8 24 32-9 3 24 54-3 8 25 14-9 8 25 40-3 8 26 5-9
a 55 }1 s + 10 27-4 + 10 27-4 +10 27-4 + 10 27-4 +10 27-4
Dch 4-001 30‘77 ' 8 35 00-3 3 35 21-7 8 65 42-3 8 36 7-7 8 36 33-3
3 9 s 34 53-5 8 3.1 55-5 3 35 15-5 8 35 41 8 36 6-5
1- D- 9* 01 31 26-8 26-2 26-8 26-7 “271—3
W 26-2 W -—_’———- -———— ——
H. Diff. '657 96 '8 -
6 26'7
3-942 26‘8
20 g 219 733 m. s.
4 5‘3 44 D. 59. S. M.’1‘. 26166 D. 12860. S.M.T. Khén Nahm‘én, Mar. 10th 6 53-73
4 5‘5 .. 44 D.60. s. 59 57 D. 12860. s. M. T. Mosul (House) Mar. 105111 2366
+ 4'219 D. 60. S.M.T 1 2366 D111. Loug.in Time ............... 5 30-07
10 2315 ~--—-— - a
Equa. 10 27-399

 

Mosul (House), W. Kluin Nahrwén 5 30-07 = 1
Minaret, N. 61° W. 300 yds. = Diff. Long

Mosul Minaret, W. Khén Nahrwén . .
Khan Nahrwan E. Baghdad

Mosul Minaret W. Baghdad ......

 

III. S.

...........

0/
22

  

 

-l/

31 W.
9 W.

1 22 40W
600E.
11640W

z

TOPOGRAPHY OF NINEVEH .

395;

Sightset the Camp of Koiyunjz'lc Village 07' Aramushz’yeh.

RUINS OF NINEVEH.

M er. Alt. Sun’s Lower Limbfor Latitude.

 

 

 

 

 

 

MARCH 14TH, 1852. MARCH 15TH, 1852.
h. m. 3.
Long. in Time.................. 2 52 30
H. D111.» 59-13 181 5’9 5’0 182 4'7 1” II. D111. 59-19
2 50 59 55 51 23 35 2
1111-26 Par. Ref. 42 —- 41 0 1. 15123-3
30 5 99'56 50 59 13 51 22 54 3 a 59
‘20 8 19"” Semdr. + 16 6 + 16 6 20 3 1973
2 ~11 197 ————— ——:—~ 2 415 1-97
35___ 51 15 19 51 39 00 ———+
169'50 . 90 90 1696]
+ 9 49‘5 38 44 41 ‘N. 38 21 00 N. 2 49‘7
D601. 2 20 47'4S. D801. 2 23 37 s_ 1 59 57 s_ Dccl. 1 57 7‘08.
Corr- Decl- 3 ‘23 36'93. Lat. of Koiyunjik 36 21 04 N. = 36 21 03 N. COI‘T- 13001-33? 576:7 9-

__._.——-——+
__.—n—

 

 

Altitudes of the Sun’s Lower Limb.
MARCH 13TH, 1852.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Time by D. 12859 Alt. Alt. Alt. 5 A11. Alt.
. I. m. s.
18 89 4o 54 2’1 0’6 5’4 2'9 2'0 5’4 3’6 5’8 5’4 4'5 g8 54 5’4 9'8
8403-5 +30 +30 +3 + +.
8 40 24'5 54 21 30 54 29 50 54 37 20 51 45 40 54 54 30
8 4(1) ‘fii 27 10 45 27 14 55 27 18 40 27 22 50 27 27 15
ELL—:— +1421 +1421 +1422 +1422 +1422
M 27 :5 06 27 29 16 27 33 02 27 37 12 27 41 37
8 4° 95'“ 92 50 42 92 50 42 92 50 42 92 50 42 92 50 42
139113 - 9 38"? 36 21 4 36 21 4 36 21 4 36 21 4 36 21 4
3 3° 47 "156 36 5-3 156 41 2 156 44 48 156 48 58 156 53 23
LongT 9- 59 30 78 18 26 78 20 31 78 22 24 78 24 29 '78 26 41
5 38 17 50 53 20 50 51 15 50 49 22 50 47 17 50 45 04
12 __.—__.... __. __.... __.—__.. ________.
TfmmNoon 6 21 4::
”a.
0 00054 0 00054 0 00054 0 00054 0 00054
0-09399 009399 009399 0-09399 0-09399
H D 523.05 9'30678 930550 930435 930307 9-30171
' ' 6 9-88982 988961 988941 9-88920 988897
354.30 929113 928964 928829 928680 928521
- 2 18% 1‘97
. 3 5-95
+ :3 15.9 h. m. s. h. m. 5. 11.111. 8. 11.n1. s. h.m. 5..
2 44 26.5 3 29 55-6 3 29 32-3 3 29 11-3 3 28 48-2 3 28 23-6
8 30 04-4 8 30 27-7 3 30 48-7 8 31 11-8 8 31 36-4
1368.92) 50 42 + 9 38-5 + 9 38-5 + 9 38-5 + 9 385 + 9 38-5
. ~ 8 "9 42-9 8 40 06-2 8 40 27-2 8 40 50-8 8 4114-9
P'D’ 92.1.2. 8§9 40 840 3 5 840 24-5 840 48 84112
' 2-9 2-7 2-7 2-3 " 2-9
2.7 s —=— :— _—
H D111. '693 g; '
6
4-158 2'9
20 1 231 '35 ', . .. s.
2‘51.— ‘23' 1159- S-M-T- 2'7 D.12860. s. M. T. K1511 Nah1wan,Mar.13th 6 53-73
+ 4-452 1160- S- 59 1 30 D. 12860. s. M. '1‘. Koiyunjik ......Mar. 13111 1 32-7
9 3403 D60. MM. 1 32‘7 D18. Long.in Time.............. 5W1-
Equa 9 38-48 __.—_-

 

" o I II
D. 12860 = Koiyunjik, W.‘ Khén Nahrwén ...... 1 20 15 W.
Khéu Nahrwén E. Baghdad 6 00E.

Koiyunjik.W.Baghdéd , 1 14 15W.

 

 

396 TOPOGRAPHY 011 NINEVEH.

Sights for Rates, at tize same Spot. '
KOIYUNJIK.

APRIL 13TH, 1852.

Altitudes qf the Sun’s Lower Limb.

Time by D. 12859 Alt. Alt. Alt. 4113. Alt.
h' m' s' O I I/ O I [I O I II 0 I I/ O I II
8 51 52 76 46 20 76 55 4 77 4 30 77 12 30 77 21 50
852165 +30 +30 +30 +30 +30
g 2% 42'5 ' 76—46 50 _ 76 5‘6 10 77 '5""00 77 13 00 77 ‘22—‘20
8 53 2g 38 23 25 38 28 5 38 32 30 38 36 30 38 41 10
1316 +14 51‘ +14 51 +14 52 + 1452 +14 52
~— 38 38 16 38 42 56 33 47 22 38 51 22 38 56 02
852 59 8053 6 8053 6 80 53 6 8053 6 8053 6
013011.11. :_4___ 36 21 4 36 21 4 36 21 4 36 21 4 86 21 4
8 43 59 155 52 26 155 57 06 156 1 32 156 5 32 156 10 12
Equa- ;_3L 77 56 13 77 58 32 78 00 46 78 2 46 78 5 6
8 49 99 39 17 57 39 15 37 39 13 24 39 11 24 39 9 4
Long. '1‘. “ 2 52 30 ‘ =——."__—: = 7.: _—_._...— ‘—.—=
"5‘ 56 59
12

T. ffom Noon 6 03 00 7
0 '00552 0 '00552 0 '00552 0 '-00552 0 @0552
0 '09399 0 '09399 0 ‘09399 0 '09399 0 '09399
9 '32012 9 '31874: 9 '31742 9 ‘31623 9 '31484:
9 '80166 9 ‘80130 9 ‘80095 9-‘800644 9 “80028

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9'22129 9‘21955 , 9'21788 9'21638 9'21463
11.1113. 51-38 ' '
6
326 28
3 | 513, 2 72
~329'00 h.m. s. h. m. s. h.m. s. h.m. s. h.m. s.
—- 5 29'0 3 12 37‘6 3 12 13 3 11 49'4: 3 11 28'4 3 11 3'9
Decl. 9 12 22's 8 47 22.4 s 47 47 8 48 106 8 48 316 8 48 56-1
9 6 53‘8N. + 30 + 30 + 30 + 30 + 30 ~
BO..____ 347 52-4 84817 84840-6 849 0115 84926-1
1’. 1).. 80 53 06'2 8 51 52 8 52 16‘5 8 52 40'5 8 53 2 8 53 25
__ 359-6 3595 359'9 4004 358'9
3 59.5 — = — ——
3 59'9
4 00‘4
3 589
H. Diff. ‘650 . 19 58'3 m s
. 6 13.59. F.M.T. 3 59‘66 1) 12859 S M T K ' ' I
5. » » -\ . . . . . 01yun 1k, March 13th 0 2'7
3 l 1. 5 93g D. 60. S. D. 59 5 7 D. 12859. F. M. T. Koiyunfiik, April 13th 3 59'66
“Si—3.937; D.60.S.M.T._1flfif Ga1nin 31 days 4 02-36
0 26.09 Dally Gain...”mm-.1.mun"... 0 7818
‘ Equa. 0 30-02
~

 

' m. s.
D. 12860. S. M. ’1‘. Koiyunjik, March 13th 1 327
D. 12860. S. M. T. Koiyunjik, April 13th ...... 1 07'34
Gain in 31 days 25-36

 

DailyGain ..... 01—0818

 

 

 

 

 

 

Time by D. 12859 Alt. Alt. Alt. Alt. Alt.
ll‘m-S- 0/ II 0/ n 0 Ill 01/! 011/
9 21 13-5 94 34 10 94 42 20 94 49 50 94 58 20 95 19 00
9 21 34 47 17 5 47 21 10 47 24 55 47 29 10 47 39 3o
99153. +159 +15 9 +159 _+159 +159
3 3,? 13.; 47 32 14 47 36 19 47 40 04 47 44 19 47 54 39
—_£— 7967 7967 7967 7967 7967
110 06'9 33 19 40 33 19 40 33 19 40 33 19 40 33 19 40
9 ‘32 02 159 58 01 160 02 06 160 05 51 160 10 06 160 20 26
- + 23 79 59 00 80 01 03 80 02 55 80 5 3 . 80 10 13
9 22 25 32 26 46 32 24 44 32 22 51 32 20 44 32 15 34
+ 44 —— —-— —— ”—— —‘—’——-—
9 23 09
2 57 40
6 25 29 ,
12 0 -00790 0 00790 0 00790 0 00790 0 00790
”5’3'4—31- 0 '07803 0 ~07803 0 '07803 0 -07803 0 -07803
a 9 24039 9 23892 9 23758 9 23604 9 23229
9 72957 9 72917 9 72880 9 72837 9 72734
9 -05589 9 05402 9 95231 9 -05034 9 -04556
' . ' 52 35
H Dlfi. 5 h. m. s. h.m. s. h. m. 5. 11.111. 5. h.m. a.
261.75 2 37 40-3 2 37 19-2 2 36 59-9 2 36 37-7 2 35 44
30 4. 26.17 9 22 19-7 9 22 40-8 9 23 00-1 9 23 22-3 9 24 16
5 T1a 4‘56 — 43‘3 — 43'3 — 43'3 - 43‘3 —- 43'3
2.92.28 9 21 36-4 9 21 57-5 9 22 16-8 9 22 39-0 9 23 32-7
W 92113-5 92134 92154 92215-7 923 9-7
10 58 45-7 22-9 23-5 22-8 23-3 23-0
.__.——- 0 - —— —— m .———-—n
Dec]. - 10 53 53-5 N. g;
' __.___.__9° 23-3
P. D. 79 06 06'5 23.0
115-5 m. 5.
~ D. 59. S.T 23-1 D. 12859. F. M. '1‘. Koiyunjik, April 13th 3 59-66
D. 60. S. 59 5 45 '85 Gain in 5 days, at 7818 5. daily ........ .......... + 39'09
D. 60. S.M.T. 6 895 D. 12859. F. M.T. Koiyunjik, April 18th...... 4 38-75
' z D. 12859. s. M. '1‘. Baghdad, April 18t11......... + 23-1
H. Diff .573 Diff. Long. in Time ......u...-u. 5 01'85
5 —'—“u——"_‘
2-865
30 3 286
5 .1; 48
— 3-199 . .. . m- 3-.
0 46'48 D. 12860. S. M. T. KelyunJlk, Aprll 13th...... 1 07 ~54.
E 0 4&2“ Gain in 5 days, at 818 5. daily ........... .. — 4’09
9W1- _ D. 12860. s. M. T. Koiyunjik. April 18th...... 1 03-25
D. 12860. s. M. '1‘. Baghdad, April 18th 6 8-95
Diff.Long.in Time 5 5-70
m. 5. O I!
D. 12859 = 5 01 ~85 = Diff. Long..........,........... 1 15 28
D. 12860 = 5 057 = Diff. Long................ ...... 1 16 25
Means give Koi unjik W. Baghdad ....... ..... . l 15 56 W.
By the rate up, oiyunjik W. Baghdad .........,..... 1 14. 15 W.
Means of Rates, Koiyunjik W. Baghdad... 1 15 5 W.

 

TOPOGRAPHY. OF NINEVEH.

BAGHDAD.
Sights for Dzfi'. Long; between Koiyunjz'k and Bagh-ddd.

APRIL 18TH, 1852.

Altitudes, Sun’s L. Limb.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

397

 

 

 

398

ART. VI.— 0n t/ze Orilzoyraphy of some of the later Royal names
of Assyrian and Babylonian history.

[Read 18th Non, 1854.]

To THE SECRETARY OF THE ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY.

SIR: Baghdad, October 2, 1854.
MUCH as I dislike discussions which have anything of the character of
controversy, I am tempted by the interest I naturally take in Cunei:
form research, to put together a few explanatory notes, with a View of
remedying the confusion that Dr. Hincks’s recent publications in the
Literary Gazette1 have introduced into certain later portions of the
Assyrian and Babylonian history.

I have nothing to say at present to Dr. Hincks’s chronology of
Sargon and Sennacherib, agreeing as I generally do with his dates
from B.C. 722 to 680, but it must not be lost sight of that we both
take our stand on the numbers employed in Ptolemy’s canon, or rather
on the agreement between the canon and the inscriptions, in regard to
a consecutive series of dates relatively to each other, and that we are
as yet entirely unsupported by Greek, Hebrew, 0r. Egyptian synchro-
nisms. If then it should so happen that there is any radical error in
Ptolemy’s chronology, the era of N abonassar for instance not having
really commenced on February 26th, B.C. 747, or the subsequent Chal-
deean dates being improperly adapted to the Egyptian calendar (and
Dr. Hincks’s own observations on the Assyrian intercalation would
seem to show that this is not improbable); if, I say, we are thus
foundng on erroneous premises, then our conclusions, though rela-
tively correct, will be positively wrong.

Under such circumstances, I am disposed to treat with every
respect Mr. Bosanquet’s proposed rectifications, founded on astronomi-
cal calculations, which it may be presumed are of the utmost precision,
and I shall wait for the verification or otherwise of Ptolemy’s dates,
by’the application to his eclipses (recorded as far back as the reign of
Merodach Baladan), of the same astronomical test which Mr. Bosan-a
quet has already applied to the eclipses of Thales and Hezekiah, before
I undertake either to support or to modify my published views on the
Assyrian chronology ; but with regard to the historical nomenclature
no such reserve is necessary.

1 See No. 1944, of April 22, 1854, and No. 1959, of August 5, 1854.

AssYRIAN AND BABYLONIAN NAMES. 399‘

Dr. Hincks’s views on the later Assyrian succession, so far as I can
understand them, may be thus stated:

Sennacherib had two sons 3 the elder, Assurnnadin, and the
younger Assur-alclz-z'ddz'n (the ’A7rpwvd8109 and ’Ao‘aapd5wos of the
canon); and the latter, who was the Esar—Haddon of Scripture, had
again three sons, Assur—bani—bal, Assu-r—yuckum-bal, and Shamas-akh-
iddan, of whom the two first reigned successively in Assyria on the
death of their father, and the third synchronously with his brothers in
Babylonia.

Now this latter triumvirate is certainly fictitious, depending alto-
gether on a mistaken reading of the Cuneiform names; and even the
distinction of the two sons of Sennacherib, to which I was formerly
opposed, requires some explanation.

The name of the eldest son of Sennacherib, who was placed in the
government of Babylonia, on the second expulsion of Merodach Bala—
dan, in the former king’s fourth year, is written, on every monument

which I have examined, as Y >>—@ H»Y (l( >15. On one of
the_Koyunjik hulls, however, according to Mr. Layard’s copy (B. M.
series, pl. 61, l. 5), the variant reading is found of Y »»W ééq 331$.

This then is the name which I used to suppose to be the same as Esar-
Haddon (for reasons that I shall presently explain), and which Dr.

Hincks appears now to read as Assur-nadén, regarding the final >§é

either as a separate word (“ by name” 2), or as a non—phonetic adjunct.
The reason why I formerly confounded this king with Esar-Haddon,

whose name is generally spelt as Y >>g §T » or Y »»Y&
Egg €24 HFY, was that I had positive proof of the first and

third elements of the two names being identical, and that I thus
fancied J Y (K or $87 might be exceptionally used for (tic/L;

but upon mature consideration I do not think that explanation tenable,

and I now propose therefore to read Y >—>—@ V? Y (R $

or Y >>I¥ €€<Y >§é as Asskur—nad’m-éddina, “Asshur is the
giver of the gift.”1
It will perhaps appear strange to Dr. Hineks that I should read

1 I may here observe that one element of the royal names of Assyria and
Babylonia is usually a monogram, representing a verbal root, which may be pro-

nounced as a participle, or the aorist, or even as the verbal noun: 91¢ 01‘ €24

thus represents the root nadan “to give," and may be pronounced as nadin, or
iddz'n, or perhaps even as adin.

400” ON THE ORTHOGRAPHY 011 THE

>16 ‘as iddz'na, regarding it as a monogram for the root “ to give,”
absolutely equal to ~28}, but I believe there is positive proof of

this identity 5 for on One of the Nabonit cylinders found at Mugheir,‘
the king of Assyria who repairs a temple at Babylon, and who can

be no other than Esar Haddon, is named Y >>Ya g3< >§<K
Asskur-akh-iddina, the last element answering to the ordinary >— or

$4 #7 ; and again, on Lord Aberdeen’s stone, which I stated

long ago to belong to Esar Haddon,1 and which it does, I confess,
surprise me to find Dr. Hineks still attributing to a spurious Shamas-
alclzez'ddcm, there is an example of the same variant orthography 3 the

king’s name in col. 1, l. 1, being written rrYQ Ewé £8; JY

and in col 2,1 18, as >>YQ :H'H'é VX. In many other

.names too, such as Y >>Y (:étl >148 #, Merodack-nadz’n-
{delinan »>-Y >E 51¢ W :YW, Nabu-nadin-iskun, &c., the

same power is to be recognized.

I now proceed, however, to the more important question of the
three sons of Esar-haddon, and I reiterate what I published in the
Athenaeum of March 18th, 1854, that the king in question was
succeeded by his son, Asshm‘-bani—pal, and that Dr. Hincks’s Asw-
yuckum-bal and Shamas-akh—iddan have no existence. The nameof
this son of Esar-Haddon, who succeeded his father on the throne, is

composed, as usual, of three elements; 1stly, Asshur, >»W, or
>-»‘Y&; 2ndly, bani, the participle of 7133 written ,7; or :Y fl, -
and 3dly, ll’ or E* 2132*7, (ml or goal, “a son,’ so that it means

" Asshur is the creator of a son.”
It is singular that Dr. Hincks should not' have discovered that the

. >— A . . .
s1gn *, amongst its varlous uses, represents the root 1132;}, and 1s

pronounced bam', as there are hundreds of examples of this employ-
, ment of the character in the-inscriptions ,2 but it is more singular still .
that he should have affixed to the letter in question the power of

‘ See the last note to my letter in the Atheneeum of March 18,1854.
‘ 2 Thus on the Chaldaean bricks “ builder” of the palace or temple- is written

indifi'erently :Y 7L and * >lf~, 6mm and mubani, 8120., &c

 

ASSYRIAN AND BABYLONIAN NAMES. 401

yuckum,‘ as it involves a double error ,' firstly, that of mistaking the

letter M for ”ii—7 in the name of >>Y >E Q’I’l‘ Ll, and

secondly, that of attributing the name in question to Nabopolassar,
the father of Nebuchadnezzar, instead of to Nabonidus. From the
first moment when I examined the Warka tablets in the British
Museum, and copied the dates, which Dr. Hincks appears to think he,
has recently discovered,‘~‘ I had very little doubt but that the name

»Y >15} Q42; Ll referred to Nabunit, and I published this
identification above three years ago, (Jour. R. A. 8., vol. xiv, part 1

p. 9, note 2.)3 The reading has-since been confirmed by a hundred

1 I may here note, that £23: the final element in so many Babylonian

names, is the monogram for the root “$13. “ to protect ;” and is, I believe, always

pronounced as the participle vatsur, or utsur, rather than as the aorist yutsur.

2 These dates, which Dr. Hincks' announced to the Trustees as discoveries in
April of the present year, were communicated by me to Mr. Birch and Mr. Vaux,
early in 1851, on being permitted to examine the Warka tablets, in their rooms at
the Museum.

3 The {last letter of the name is, in the passage here referred to, incorrectly
printedas %a The true form is J“ or “i, (No. 224 of my alphabet), of

which the ordinary phonetic power is duh. In this name, I presume that Qr¥¥e

must be a determinative, and that L I represents some object of which the name

is m’t. It is however just possible that the name Y >>Y >3 &% M

may be pronounced phonetically Nabu-imduk, or Nabo-indulc, answering in fact to
the Nafiawidoxog of Abydemus, as quoted by Eusebius, and to the Nafioo’wdnkog
of Berosus, as quoted by Josephus; and in the latter form I would further suggest
thatthe A was the error of a copyist for x; at any rate it is quite certain that
the same king, Whose name is generally written Nafiovndog, or Nafiémb‘og, has also

the appellation of _Na6anm'doch and Naboandel (for Naboandech), precisely as in
7 the inscriptions the two names of Y >—>—Y >— t: 01' Y >>Y >3

>—

wi as easy Y »—7 as; as is

indifi'erently. The explanation also which 1 would offer of this singular jumble is
as follows : the verbal element in names may be pronounced as the aorist or the

participle,- apparently at option. In this name I suppose the root to be 133,
which is constantly’used in the inscriptions with a great variety of meanings; here

' » it probably means “to console,” Nabu-m't (for Nabu-m'd, the final sonant being,

always sharpened) signifying “ N ebo the comforter,” while Nabu-z'nduk is “ N ebo,
consoles you.” I confess I have never seen any other instance of a pronominal
sufiix being added at option in the composition of a proper name; but there must,

\ I presume, be some such irregularity to account for the discrepancy of orthography

which, occurs bothinthe Greek and Cuneiform rendering of, the name.

402 on THE ORTHOGRAPHY on THE

examples, Nabunit naming himself on his bricks and cylinders indiffe-

rently >—>—Y »E 1;:, or »» >E' >IY qu— EaY,
or »»Y »E &>H~ M, and the three several and equivalent.

forms occurring "not unfreqnently in the courseof the same inscription
I do not pretend at present to explain how it happens that

.Q% M has the phonetic power 'of m't, but the fact is undoubted,

and Dr. Hincks therefore must abandon all his readings of Nabu-bt'n-
yuchur, Shamsz' bin, Ben-Hadad, Assur-yuckura-bal, together with his
three sons of Esar-Haddon, and a number of other historical illustra-
tions, which he has recently delivered “ex cathedra,” with the same
confidence that characterizes his announcement of genuine readings,
and which are thus calculated to mislead enquiry, and to retard the
progress of discover.y
The only single addition which I have to make to my sketch of
Assyiian hist'01y, as published 1n the Athenseum of Mamh, 1854, is,’
that in the S. E. palace at Nimrud many relics have been recently
found of the son of Asslmr-bmzi—pal, whom I ‘Ilftllle provisionally '
Ass/mr—cm{If-tit,1 and that under this king, who reigned probably from
RC. 645 to 625, must therefore be placed both the Scythian inroad and
the destruction of Nineveh by the Medes. _
H. C. RAWLINSON.

Letter from Dr. Hincics, in reply to Colonel Rawlz‘nsooz’s N ote on tize
Successor of Sennackerib.

Ktllyleigh, 00. Down, 29th Nov. 1854.
Dear Sir.

I observe that a communication from Colonel Rawlinson was read
at the last meeting of the Royal Asiatic Society, containing what he
conceived to be rectifications of statements made by me in a report
and letter of mine published in the Literary Gazette. I trust the
Society will accept a communication from me, tending to show that
these are by no means rectifications.

Of Colonel Rawlinson’s two objections, the first is of little impor.
tance. He says that the true name of the eldest son of Sennacherib is
not Assur-nadin, but Assur—nadin-z'ddin. I have met with this name
in three different forms in three different Bull inscriptions copied by
Mr. Layard. In one the name is distinctly Assur—nadt'n. In the

1 Meaning perhaps “ Asshur is the chief of (lit, stands over) the gods.”

ASSYRIpAN AND BABYLONIAN NAMES. 403

other two an addition to this is found, which I at first read sumt'.
Afterwards, I found an explanation of the wkole conclusion of the
\name on a tablet in the British Museum, from which I inferred that it
should be pronounced nadin, without any addition. Unfortunately I
have mislaid my notes of the inscription on this tablet 3 and I am
. therefore unable to give my reasons for thus reading it more specifi—
cally than I havedone. It is a matter of but little moment. ‘
All the other points of difference to which Colonel Rawlinson has
referred in his communication may be reduced to this :-—A certain royal
I name appears on tablets in the British Museum, and on bricks found
at Babylon on the river side, which Colonel Rawlinson believes to be

* ‘ a variant of the name of Nabu-nalu'd or, as he calls him, Aruba—nit
7

who began to reign in 555 13.0. 3 but which I believe to be a variant of
the name of N abopolassar, who began to reign seventy years earlier.
The question is, which of us is right? That it is one or other of these
kings seems pretty evident ,' for the father of this king is mentioned,
and he was not a king. He was, according to Colonel Rawlinson,
ZVabu-dirba, and filled the high office of “ Tuba—emga.” Colonel Raw-
linson has adduced, in support of his theory, a statement of Berosus
that Nabunit executed some considerable works at Babylon ; but
Berosus mentions the outer walls of the city as all that he built;
whereas the bricks are from the river side. On the other hand, in the
‘ great inscription at the India House, Nebuchadnezzar distinctly men—
tions these works by the river side, as having been completed by him—
self 3 they having been commenced by his father, Nabopolassar, whose
bricks might, therefore,.be naturally expected to be found in their
_ foundations. Besides, if Mr. Layard‘s copies be correct, the final chaa
racter in the disputed name is interchanged with one which is interl-r’,_
changed with the character which ordinarily expresses the last element
in the names of Nebnchadnezzar and his father,—yuckm~, as I read it.

,That is to say, YY< is interchanged with A, _ which is interchanged

*—
With %¢. On these grounds, I must retain my opinion as to the
person to whom this name belongs ,' and of course I attach no weight
to the objections brought against my other readings, that they are
dependent upon, or connected with, this. The rectification which
appears to me most needed is that Colonel Rawlinson should cease to
{attribute to Nabunahid the bricks and the buildings and the parentage
' of N abopolassar. ' ’ A

p ' Believe me to remain, yours very truly,
E. Norris, Esq. ‘ ' ,, . Enw. HINCKs.

404

ART. VIL—Notes on Abu S/zahrez'n and Tel el La/mz.
By J. E. TAYLOR, ESQ.

[Read 5th May, 1855.]

ALTHOUGH my visit this year to Abu Shahrein has been unproductive
of any very important results, yet the description of the ruins will, I
hope, prove sufliciently interesting, to render the transcription of the
rough notes I made upon the spot, not altogether superfluous.

The first aspect of the ruins, when approaching them from the
Hazem, is that of a ruined fort, surrounded by high walls, with a keep
or tower at one end, situated on an eminenCe, in the centre nearly of
the dry bed of an inland sea. They are ‘situated, in fact, in a deep
valley, for the most part covered with a nitrous incrustation ,' but
with here and there a few patches of alluvium, scantily clothed with
the shrubs and plants peculiar to the desert. This valley is bounded
on the east by the low pebbly and sandstone range called the Hazem,
which separates it from the plains around Muqeyer and the Euphrates.
Its boundary towards the south is the Qassaim Dafneh, which joins on
the Qassaim itself, the boundary of Abu Shahrein to the west. I
may here remark that the Hazem does not join on to the Qassaim
Dafneh, but ends nearly opposite to it, in a bunch of mounds, called the
Ghanar. Between it and the Qassaim Dafneh is a deep gorge, which
leads the superflous waters of the Khanega1 into that part of the Abu
Shahrein valley called the Suleybeea. This in the rainy Season be
comes a perfect sea. In summer, the Suleyb and other tribes who
encamp here, dig wells in its lower portions, which supply them with
brackish water.‘ In winter, although slightly saline, the water is more
palatable. The Hazem near this place rises as steep and perpendi-
cular as a cliff, and is composed entirely of a soft kind of sandstone.

The Qassairn is a ridge composediof sand and pebbles, which forms
an almost uninterrupted boundary to the low country bordering on the
Euphrates, and ends in the desert, nearly opposite Shenafieh, a. mud
fort and village on the Euphrates, nét far from the Bahr 111 N ejef.
Beyond the Qassaim, but parallel to it,‘i~2~ and stretching equally as far,
is the stony district of the Hejerra, so cilled from the numerous blocks
of black granite with'which it aboundsknd which are indigenous to

l The Khanega is a species of Wadi, whic‘ from its low level, collects rain
water in considerable quantities. When completely full it bursts over the country.
The greater part of the water finds its way to the $uleybeea. The Khanega is about
sixteen hours south-west of Sfik esh Shuiukh, and is a favourite camping-ground

of the Dhef yr.

 

 

 

 

 

 

University of Pennsylvania Library
Circulation Department

   
       
   

Please return this book as soon as you have
finished with it. In order to avoid a fine it must
be returned by the latest date stamped below.

M-7l 9

 

)7uuax

 

 

 

«r‘ , :; grt
an
an a... w.
wumwmm :22: z m m
.I. .I. E G
. m R 2 M
mm m m c m
,mmm w a
. mnhfl Iu .D N
NU Dr G” ,

   

= .; = . ,4 . . .,,»
a := an a 2 =2: _. , p.

Iclunnncnnlrlnznscusullunlxuuaas===8=c=33333u=xau283:“ . 5 ,.nm wflv

vzwpuzmznun->xm¢munmu

  

 

)