palace at Nineveh is, perhaps, the most magnificent of Assyrian ruins. He subdued Babylon, carried on a triumphant campaign in Phoenicia and Syria, and was prevented from overcoming Hezekiah, whom he "had shut up like a caged bird within Jerusalem," only by a sudden pestilence that swept away 185,000 of his army.1 But, if we may trust Sennacherib's own account, his expedition against Judah was by no means so disastrous as might be inferred from the Hebrew chronicle. It will be noted that he omits all mention of the disaster at Jerusalem. "I then besieged Hezekiah of Judah," he says, "who had not submitted to my yoke, and I captured forty-six of his strong cities and fortresses and innumerable small cities which were round about them, with the battering of rams and the assault of engines, and the attack of foot-soldiers, and by mines and breaches made in the walls. I brought out therefrom 200,150 people." Fall of Assyria (606 B.C.). — The end, however, was not long delayed. Cruelty, pride, luxury these were the vices of that warlike people which prepared the way for their overthrow. In alliance with Nabopolassar, King of Babylon, the Scythians and Medes invaded Assyria and laid siege to Nineveh. When hard pressed and hopeless, the Assyrian king, Sin-shar-ishkum, set fire to his palace and perished in the flames. The city fell 606 B.C. From this disaster the empire of Assyria never recovered; and henceforth that great power, which had dominated western Asia for centuries, was lost in the movements of still mightier nations. In this destruction was fulfilled the remarkable prediction of the Hebrew prophet Zephaniah a few years before. "The Lord," he said, "will stretch out His hand. 1 2 Kings 19: 35, 36. against the north, and destroy Assyria; and will make Nineveh a desolation, and dry like a wilderness. And flocks shall lie down in the midst of her, all the beasts of the nations; both the cormorant and the bittern shall lodge in the upper lintels of it; their voice shall sing in the windows; desolation shall be in the thresholds; for He shall uncover the cedar work. This is the rejoicing city that dwelt carelessly, that said in her heart, I am, and there is none beside me; how is she become a desolation, a place for beasts to lie down in! every one that passeth by her shall hiss, and wag his hand.”1 Renaissance of Babylon. With the destruction of Nineveh and the overthrow of the Assyrian empire, Babylon once more became the dominant power of the Tigris-Euphrates plain. Nabopolassar, who had taken part in the campaign against Nineveh, was succeeded by Nebuchadnezzar (605562 B.C.), whose long reign was the most splendid period of the new but short-lived monarchy. A picture of his grandeur is given in the opening chapters of the book of Daniel. Nebuchadnezzar made numerous military campaigns, in one of which he subdued the whole of Syria. Not long afterwards Zedekiah, King of Judah, backed by an alliance with Egypt, rebelled. Jerusalem was captured by the Babylonians 587 B.C., and all the people, except such laborers as were absolutely necessary for the cultivation of the soil, were deported to Babylon. A detailed account of the event is given in the last chapter of 2 Kings; and in the 137th Psalm there is a pathetic picture of the Hebrew captives in their foreign home: "By the rivers of Babylon There we sat down, yea, we wept, 1 Zeph. 2: 13-15. At this time Babylon, with its towering, many-colored temples, its sculptured palaces, its verdant hanging gardens, and its lofty castellated walls, was the most splendid city of the world. Fall of Babylon (538 B.C.).—The successors of Nebuchadnezzar did not partake of his greatness. Of AmilMarduk, known in the Old Testament as Evil-Merodach, but few records have descended to us. A pleasing glimpse of him is given in the closing verses of the second book of Kings, where his humane treatment of Jehoiachim, King of Judah, is particularly mentioned. The last king of Babylon was Nabonidus (555-538 b.c.), who was distinguished for his interest in the archæology of his country. Unfortunately his interest in its early records led him to neglect its welfare during his own reign. It is particularly charged that he let the fortifications of Babylon fall into ruin, and that he neglected the worship of Marduk. A deep dissatisfaction laid hold of the people. As a result, when Cyrus, King of the Persians, invaded the country, he was received into Babylon without a struggle. This event, which occurred 538 B.C., reduced Babylonia to a province of the Persian empire. Belshazzar, whose impious feast is the subject of the fifth chapter of Daniel, appears from several inscriptions and tablets to have been the son of Nabonidus, the last king of Babylon. As prince regent or as heir to the throne, he may have been properly called by the author of Daniel "King of the Chaldeans." The Darius mentioned as the victor and governor of Babylon was probably a general or viceroy of Cyrus. Civilization. Though three monarchies, as we have seen, successively occupied the Mesopotamian region, there was but one civilization. The Babylonians and As syrians were of Semitic origin. The Semitic peoples are highly endowed; and whether Babylonian, Hebrew, or Arab, they are characterized by a glowing imagination, quick invention, and restless impatience of control. Whether in discourse or in architecture, they conceive beautiful forms. The civilization of Babylonia and Assyria, at which we marvel to-day, was a product of Semitic genius. The form of government, as in all Oriental countries, was an absolute monarchy. The will of the sovereign was law. As despotism depends ultimately on physical force, the monarchies of Mesopotamia rested on a military basis. While many of the sovereigns were humane and devoted to the welfare of their realm, the majority, perhaps, were chiefly concerned with their own pleasure and glory. They were often ambitious, tyrannical, and cruel. Science. Babylonia may be regarded as the original home of astronomy, which was associated with the rites of religion and the superstitions of astrology. Observatories, which were built in connection with the temples, existed in all the principal cities. The signs of the zodiac were marked out, maps of the stars were made, and eclipses were recorded. The year was divided into twelve lunar months. The week consisted of seven days, and included a day of rest, like the Hebrew Sabbath, in which ordinary occupations were suspended. The mathematical sciences reached an astonishing development. A tablet found at Larsa contains a table of squares and cubes from one to sixty; and the plot of an estate lying outside the walls of Babylon shows that the art of surveying was understood. Architecture. The architecture of Babylonia and Assyria was determined in large measure by the character of the building materials at hand. As there were no stone quarries in the wide alluvial plains, the people were forced to the use of bricks, which were either dried in the sun or burned in kilns. The temples and palaces were built on immense platforms from twenty to forty feet high. The palaces, which often covered several acres of ground, consisted of narrow halls and large open courts. But little use was made of the arch and column. At the principal entrances to the halls stood colossal winged bulls or lions with human heads, figures that seem to have symbolized the swiftness, strength, and intelligence of the national character. The interior of the halls was decorated with elaborate panels from nine to twelve feet high, which were covered with inscriptions and bas-relief sculptures representing martial events, hunting scenes, or mythological characters. The space above this sculptured wainscoting, together with the entire ceiling, was decorated with paintings, gildings, and richly carved mouldings, the whole resulting in impressive splendor. Sculpture. The Babylonians and Assyrians excelled in sculpture. Whether carving seals or gigantic symbolic figures, they exhibited an admirable skill. We find at once freedom of conception and carefulness of execution. The dignity, strength, and conscious power of their humanheaded bulls witness to high artistic gifts. The Babylonian sculptor was not hampered, as was the Egyptian artist, by a rigid conventionalism. He understood anatomy and studied the forms of nature; and as a result, there is often a surprising realism in his portrayal of animals and the human form. Through his fidelity to life we are made acquainted with the physiognomy, the dress, and the customs of Babylonia and Assyria thousands of years ago. |