No CrossRef data available.
Article contents
Art. II.—Translation of some Assyrian Inscriptions: No. III.—The Inscription of Bellino
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 14 March 2011
Extract
In the year 1856 I printed, not for publication but for private distribution, a few pages entitled “Assyrian Texts Translated,” of which I did myself the honour to present a copy to the Royal Asiatic Society. It commenced by a translation of Bellino's, Cylinder, as represented at plate 63 of the first volume of inscriptions published by the British Museum, in several parts of which, however, the cuneiform signs are very incorrectly and confusedly represented. Most of these imperfect parts I omitted, though of some I attempted a translation.
- Type
- Original Communications
- Information
- Copyright
- Copyright © The Royal Asiatic Society 1861
References
page 76 note 1 Monogramme encore à expliquer. La forme du précatif à la troisième personne du pluriel, au féninin, nous démontre qu'il s'agit ici de plusieurs déesses. Quant au dieu Hou que lea Grecs expriment Aώ, et qu'ils interprètent par, τό φξνοητν la lumière intelligible, il est nommé nanlar “le gardien,” et il préserve la terre du feu et des eaux. Dans cette qualité, il préside à la construction des canaux.
page 78 note 1 This long list is exactly the same on the Taylor Cylinder. It therefore deserves great confidence as a synopsis of the Aramœan tribes near Babylon.
page 79 note 1 The preceding events occurred in the beginning of his reign, which was accounted a portion of the last year of the reign of Sargon his predecessor.
page 80 note 1 Timibel or timin, the clay cylinder placed in the foundations of a building, and accounted very sacred. Often written timibelna or timinna.
page 80 note 2 Niniveh.
page 81 note 1 Beth Namari. The word occurs twice consecutively.
page 81 note 2 The sense is here truncated; the scribe, not having room for more in the line, omitted the remainder, which probably stated what building was opposite the fourth side of the palace.
page 81 note 3 Tibki is the plural of tibik, in Hebrew tipik 
, a well-known measure. Gesenius explains it manus expansa: palma. It comes from the verb to stretch out. I think it was a measure of nine inches, the full stretch of the fingers, σπιθαμη in Greek. If so, Sennacherib's own inscriptions covered 120 feet of wall. But this seems too little. Oil the other hand, if we take it to mean a full stretch of the arms (οργυτα of the Greeks, from ορεγειν) or six feet, the sculptures must have extended over 960 feet, which seems too much.
page 81 note 4 Or, I left to the last (akhralik).
page 82 note 1 Probably a wooden casing for the interior of wells, which would be necessary in a sandy soil. And the shar trees, to resist the wet for a long time, must have been of the resinous pine genus.
page 82 note 2 One hour's walking distance, or four miles.
page 82 note 3 Literally, “shall name their name.”
page 82 note 4 The object of stating the number of the lines of writing was in order that no part of it should be fraudulently erased. In this instance, indeed, there could have been no motive for such a fraud. But the scribes had probably got into a habit of mentioning the extent of the writing. The singular nature of the concluding phrase, which is quite unconnected with the king's annals, and only concerns a private individual, I have already endeavoured to explain in the notes which accompanied my translation of the inscription of Tiglath Pileser presented to the Society in 1857. These clay cylinders, beingwell written and convenient to read, were probably rather expensive to prepare; and they seem to have been frequently presented, doubtless along with many other objects, as birthday presents to various individuals, for which reason they were inscribed with their names and titles when they had any, as “Prefect of the city of Karkamish,” “Prefect of the city of Lakhiri,” and the day of the month which was their birthday, is mentioned.
page 89 note 1 Mr. Norris has since informed me that this Cuneiform sign for ‘tsib’ has been long known to him. But I believe it is not in any of the published alphabets, and in printing this paper a new type had to be cut for it.