History of Egypt Chaldea Syria Babylonia and Assyria by G Maspero Volume 3

177 Pages·2021·14.66 MB·English

The Project Gutenberg EBook of History Of Egypt, Chaldæa, Syria,
Babylonia, and Assyria, Volume 3 (of 12), by G. Maspero

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Title: History Of Egypt, Chaldæa, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, Volume 3 (of 12)

Author: G. Maspero

Editor: A.H. Sayce

Translator: M.L. McClure

Release Date: December 16, 2005 [EBook #17323]
Last Updated: September 7, 2016

Language: English

Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HISTORY OF EGYPT, CHALDÆA ***

Produced by David Widger

HISTORY OF EGYPT

CHALDEA, SYRIA, BABYLONIA,

AND ASSYRIA

By G. MASPERO,

Honorable Doctor of Civil Laws, and Fellow of Queen’s College, Oxford;

Member of the Institute and Professor at the College of France.

Edited by A. H. SAYCE,

Professor of Assyriology, Oxford.

Translated by M. L. McCLURE,

Member of the Committee of the Egypt Exploration Fund

CONTAINING OVER TWELVE HUNDRED COLORED PLATES

AND ILLUSTRATIONS

Volume III.

LONDON

THE GROLIER SOCIETY

PUBLISHERS

Drawn by Boudier, after J. Dieulafoy. The vignette, which is
by Faucher-Gudin, is reproduced from an intaglio in the
Cabinet des Médailles.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER I—ANCIENT CHALDÆA

CHAPTER II—THE TEMPLES AND THE GODS OF CHALDÆA

CHAPTER III—CHALDÆAN CIVILIZATION

APPENDIX—THE PHARAOHS OF THE ANCIENT AND MIDDLE EMPIRES

List of Illustrations

Frontispiece.jpg El Hammam (the Bath)

006.jpg One of the Eagle-headed Genii.

009.jpg Bel-merodach, Armed With the Thunderbolt, Does Battle With the

Tumultuous Tiamat.

011.jpg a Kufa Laden With Stones, and Manned by A Crew Of Four Men.

012.jpg the World As Conceived by The ChaldÆans

017.jpg a God-fish

025.jpg Gigantic ChaldÆan Reeds

027.jpg the Marshes About The Confluence of The Kerkha And Tigris.

030.jpg the Gathering of The Spathes Of The Male Palm Tree

032.jpg a Winged Genius Holding in his Hand the Spathe Of The Male Date-palm.

033.jpg the Heavily Maned Lion Wounded by an Arrow And Vomiting Blood.

034.jpg the Urus in Act of Charging

035.jpg a Herd of Onagers Pursued by Dogs and Wounded By Arrows.

036.jpg the Chief Domestic Animals Op The Regions of The Euphrates.

037.jpg the Sow and Her Litter Making Their Way Through A Bed of Reeds.

040.jpg Map of ChaldÆa

042.jpg Two Fish-like Deities of the ChaldÆans.

045.jpg Page With One of the Tablets Of The Deluge Series.

048.jpg Shamashnapishtim Shut Into the Ark.

051.jpg the JudÎ Mountains Sometimes Identified With Tub Ntsib Mountains.

057.jpg Gilgames Strangles a Lion.

060.jpg Gilgames Fights, on the Left With a Bull, On The Right With Eabani.

068.jpg Gilgames and Eabani Fighting With Monsters.

071.jpg the Scorpion-men of The Mountains Of MÂshu."

073.jpg Gilgames and Arad-ea Navigating Their Vessel.

082.jpg Gilgames Struggles With a Lion

084.jpg Chronologic Table

085.jpg Table

086.jpg Table

087.jpg Table

96.jpg the Seal of Shargani-shar-ali: Gilgames Waters The Celestial Ox.

096a.jpg Painting in Color of Charioteer

097.jpg Page Image

098.jpg Page Image: the Arms Op The City and Kings Of Lagash

099.jpg Fragment of Bas-relief by UrninÂ, King Of Lagash.

101.jpg Idingiranagin Holding the Totem of Lagash.

102.jpg Idingiranagin in his Chariot Leading His Troops.

103.jpg Page Image. Vultures Feeding Upon the Dead.

104.jpg Piling up the Mound of The Dead After The Battle.

105.jpg King Urnina and his Family.

108.jpg the Sacrifice

109.jpg Sitting Statue of Gudea

111.jpg Plan of the Ruins Of Mughîer

112.jpg Statues from Telloh. And Head of One Of The Statue of Gudea.

114.jpg Plan of the Ruins Of Abu-shahreyn

115.jpg an Arab Crossing the Tigris in a “kufa.”

117.jpg an Assyrian Kelek Laden With Building-stone.

001.jpg El Hammam (the Bath)

124.jpg Chapter II

126.jpg Plan of the Ruins Of Wakka

128.jpg a ChaldÆan Stamped Brick.

134.jpg the Temple of Nannar at Uru, Approximately Restored.

135.jpg the Temple of Uru in Its Present State, According To Taylor

136.jpg Further View of the Temple Of Uru

137.jpg Lion-headed Genius.

138.jpg the South-west Wind

141.jpg Sin Delivered by Merodach from the Assault of The Seven Evil Spirits.

142.jpg Struggle Between a Good and an Evil Genius.

145.jpg the God Ningibsu, Patron of Lagash.

152.jpg the Adoration of The Mace and The Whip.

153.jpg a Protecting Amulet.

169.jpg the God Sun Receives The Homage of Two Worshippers.

170.jpg Shamash Sets Out, in the Morning, from The Interior of the Heaven by The

Eastern Gate.

171.jpg Shamash in his Shrine, His Emblem Before Him On The Altar.

173.jpg Ishtar Holding Her Star Before Sin.

177.jpg the Birds of The Tempest

178.jpg Ramman Armed With an Axe.

179.jpg Ramman, the God of Tempests and Thunder.

186.jpg Shamash Fights With zu and the Storm Birds.

186a.jpg the Plenisphere Taken from The Temple Of Tentyra

186b.jpg Text of the Plenisphere

190.jpg Ishtar As a Warrior-goddess

191.jpg Nebo

203.jpg a Votary Led to the God To Receive The Reward Of The Sacrifice

204.jpg the Sacrifice: a Goat Presented to Ishtar.

205.jpg the God Shamash Seizes With his Left Hand The Smoke of the Sacrifice.

208.jpg Decorated Wrappings from a Mummy (color)

209.jpg Chald.an Coffin in the Form of a Jar

209a.jpg a Vaulted Tomb in Uru

210.jpg ChaldÆan Tomb With Domed Roof.

111.jpg Chaldean Tomb With Flat Roof.

213.jpg the Interior of The Tomb

220.jpg the Goddess Allat Passes Through The Nether Regions in Her Bark.

221.jpg Nergal, the God of Hades; Back View.

226.jpg Ishtar Despoiled of Her Garments in Hades

229.jpg Dumuzi Rejuvenated on the Knees of Ishtar.

233.jpg Etana Carried to Heaven by an Eagle.

230.jpg Endplate

239.jpg Chapter III.

244.jpg the King Urnina Bearing The “kufa.”

248.jpg the Plan of a Palace Built by Gudea.

249.jpg Terra-cotta Barrel-right

250.jpg Plan of the Existing Buildings Of Telloh.

251.jpg Decoration of Coloured Cones on the Façade at Uruk

252.jpg Pilasters of the Facade Of Gudea’s Palace

255.jpg Stone Socket of One Of the Doors in The Palace Of Gudea.( Right)

258.jpg Stand of Black Stone from the Palace Of Telloh.

262.jpg Female Servant Bare to the Waist.(left)

262.jpg Costume of a ChaldÆn Lady (right)

266.jpg a Soldier Bringing Prisoners and Spoil.

268.jpg Manuscript on Papyrus in Heiroglyphics

271.jpg Page Image

272.jpg Page Image

274.jpg Page Image

276.jpg Tables

279.jpg the Tablet of Tell-sifr, Broken to Show The Two Texts.

280.jpg Tablet Bearing the Impress of a Seal

294.jpg an Egyptian Slave Merchant

208a.jpg Chaldean Houses at Uru.

208b Plans of Houses Excavated at Eridu and Ubu.

300.jpg ChaldÆan Household Utensils in Terra-cotta

311a.jpg ChaldÆan Stone Implements.

311b.jpg ChaldÆan Stone Hammer Bearing an Inscription.

312.jpg ChaldÆn Implements of Bronze

313.jpg Vase of Silver. And Bull Of Copper.

315.jpg ChaldÆan Cylinder Exhibiting Traces of The Different Tools Used by the

Engraver

318.jpg Egyptian Manuscript

318-text.jpg Egyptian Manuscript

322.jpg the Michaux Stone (left)

323.jpg the Other Side of The Michaux Stone (right)

324.jpg Two Rows of Shadufs on the Bank Of a River.

325.jpg ChaldÆan Farming Operations.

327.jpg the Farm Oxen

329a.jpg Cooking: a Quarrel.

329b.jpg Scenes of Pastoral Life in ChaldÆa.

330.jpg Fight With a Lion

331.jpg the Dog in Tub Leash

332.jpg ChaldÆan Carrying a Fish. (left)

333.jpg the Onager Taken With The Lasso.

337.jpg Page Image

340.jpg ChaldÆan Map of the World.

341.jpg Astronomical Table

352.jpg a ChaldÆan Amulet.

354.jpg Magic Nail of Terra Cotta

355.jpg Egyptian Cornice Bearing the Cartouches of Ramses I.

357.jpg Lists of the Pharaohs Of The Ancient Empire

358.jpg Lists on the Monuments

359.jpg Lists on the Monuments

360.jpg Lists on the Monuments

361.jpg Lists on the Monuments

362.jpg Tailpiece

CHAPTER I—ANCIENT CHALDÆA

The Creation, the Deluge, the history of the gods—The country, its cities its inhabitants, its early dynasties.
“In the time when nothing which was called heaven existed above, and when nothing below had as yet received the name of

earth,* Apsu, the Ocean, who first was their father, and Chaos-Tiâmat, who gave birth to them all, mingled their waters in one, reeds
which were not united, rushes which bore no fruit.” ** Life germinated slowly in this inert mass, in which the elements of our world lay
still in confusion: when at length it did spring up, it was but feebly, and at rare intervals, through the hatching of divine couples devoid of
personality and almost without form. “In the time when the gods were not created, not one as yet, when they had neither been called

by their names, nor had their destinies been assigned to them by fate, gods manifested themselves. Lakhmu and Lakhamu were the first
to appear, and waxed great for ages; then Anshar and Kishar were produced after them. Days were added to days, and years were
heaped upon years: Anu, Inlil, and Ea were born in their turn, for Anshar and Kishar had given them birth.” As the generations
emanated one from the other, their vitality increased, and the personality of each became more clearly defined; the last generation
included none but beings of an original character and clearly marked individuality. Anu, the sunlit sky by day, the starlit firmament by
night; Inlil-Bel, the king of the earth; Ea, the sovereign of the waters and the personification of wisdom.*** Each of them duplicated
himself, Anu into Anat, Bel into Belit, Ea into Damkina, and united himself to the spouse whom he had deduced from himself. Other
divinities sprang from these fruitful pairs, and the impulse once given, the world was rapidly peopled by their descendants. Sin,
Shamash, and Kamman, who presided respectively over the moon, the sun, and the air, were all three of equal rank; next came the
lords of the planets, Ninib, Merodach, Nergal, the warrior-goddess Ishtar, and Nebo; then a whole army of lesser deities, who ranged
themselves around Anu as round a supreme master. Tiâmat, finding her domain becoming more and more restricted owing to the
activity of the others, desired to raise battalion against battalion, and set herself to create unceasingly; but her offspring, made in her
own image, appeared like those incongruous phantoms which men see in dreams, and which are made up of members borrowed from
a score of different animals. They appeared in the form of bulls with human heads, of horses with the snouts of dogs, of dogs with
quadruple bodies springing from a single fish-like tail. Some of them had the beak of an eagle or a hawk; others, four wings and two
faces; others, the legs and horns of a goat; others, again, the hind quarters of a horse and the whole body of a man. Tiâmat furnished
them with terrible weapons, placed them under the command of her husband Kingu, and set out to war against the gods.

* In Chaldæa, as in Egypt, nothing was supposed to have a
real existence until it had received its name: the sentence
quoted in the text means practically, that at that time
there was neither heaven nor earth.

** Apsu has been transliterated kiracruv [in Greek], by the
author an extract from whose works has been preserved by
Damascius. He gives a different version of the tradition,
according to which the amorphous goddess Mummu-Tiâmat
consisted of two persons. The first, Tauthé, was the wife of
Apasôn; the second, Moymis, was the son of Apasôn and of
Tauthé. The last part of the sentence is very obscure in the
Assyrian text, and has been translated in a variety of
different ways. It seems to contain a comparison between
Apsû and Mummu-Tiâmat on the one hand, and the reeds and
clumps of rushes so common in Chaldæa on the other; the two
divinities remain inert and unfruitful, like water-plants
which have not yet manifested their exuberant growth.

*** The first fragments of the Chaldæan account of the
Creation were discovered by G. Smith, who described them in
the Daily Telegraph (of March 4, 1875), and published them
in the Transactions of the Society of Biblical Archæology,
and translated in his Chaldæan account of Genesis all the
fragments with which he was acquainted; other fragments have
since been collected, but unfortunately not enough to enable
us to entirely reconstitute the legend. It covered at least
six tablets, possibly more. Portions of it have been
translated after Smith, by Talbot, by Oppert, by Lenormant,
by Schrader, by Sayce, by Jensen, by Winckler, by Zimmern,
and lastly by Delîtzsch. Since G. Smith wrote The Chaldæan
Account, a fragment of a different version has been
considered to be a part of the dogma of the Creation, as it
was put forth at Kutha.

Drawn by Faucher-Gudin from an Assyrian bas-relief from
Khorsabad

At first they knew not whom to send against her. Anshar despatched his son Anu; but Anu was afraid, and made no attempt to

oppose her. He sent Ea; but Ea, like Anu, grew pale with fear, and did not venture to attack her. Merodach, the son of Ea, was the
only one who believed himself strong enough to conquer her. The gods, summoned to a solemn banquet in the palace of Anshar,
unanimously chose him to be their champion, and proclaimed him king. “Thou, thou art glorious among the great gods, thy will is
second to none, thy bidding is Anu; Marduk (Merodach), thou art glorious among the great gods, thy will is second to none,* thy
bidding is Anu.** From this day, that which thou orderest may not be changed, the power to raise or to abase shall be in thy hand, the
word of thy mouth shall endure, and thy commandment shall not meet with opposition. None of the gods shall transgress thy law; but