Assyrian Discoveries; An Account of Explorations and Discoveries On the Site of Nineveh, During 1873 and 1874. by George Smith ...

This historic book may have numerous typos, missing text or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1875. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... Chapter XXIII. CONCLUSION. Difficulty of work.--Short time.--Good results Babylonian kings.-- Assyrian kings. -- New inscriptions. -- Uncertainty of chronology.--Assyrian history Jewish history.--Pnl.--New light on the Bible.--Origin of Babylonian civilization.--Turanian race.--Semitic conquest.--Flood legends.-- Mythology.--Connection with Grecian mythology.--Astronomy.--Architecture.-- Importance of future excavations. N the previous chapters I have described my travels and researches, and have given some account of the more prominent results of the expeditions. So far as my two visits to the East are concerned, they were both of such short duration that they could not yield such complete or satisfactory results as I could have wished; but the great number of interesting inscriptions I discovered under such difficulties, and in so limited a space of time, ought to speak strongly in favour of completer and systematic excavations on these ancient sites. My excavations at the two sites of Kouyunjik and Nimroud, taking out the period I was stopped by the Turkish officials, altogether did not last four months, but so rich were these mines of antiquities that I obtained over 3,000 inscriptions and fragments of inscriptions, beside many other objects. These inscriptions and objects were not of slight interest, but included some texts and antiquities of first-class importance. In one great and valuable direction the expeditions have been quite successful, the majority of the fragments of inscriptions found form parts of texts the other portions of which were already in the British Museum, and the new fragments enable us either to complete or greatly enlarge several of these inscriptions. Perhaps in no part of cuneiform enquiry have the late researches added more to ...