Explorations in Bible lands during the 19th century - H. V. Hilprecht

548 EXPLORATIONS IN BIBLE LANDS
Turgu of the Cassite dynasty, about 1350 b. c. (pp. 376,
seqq.) ; 6. Ashurbanapal, king of Assyria, 668-626 b. c.
(p. 376). Besides the names here mentioned, other members
of the same dynasties have left us traces of their activity
in Nippur through fragmentary walls, wells and houses
containing their inscribed bricks, or in the shape of votive
offerings bearing their names and titles. In the zinctype
facing this page I confine myself to indicating only those
five pavements which could be traced more or less through
the whole excavated temple court, or at least through the
larger part ot it.
The three periods referred to above as being less clearly
defined are, 1. the first dynasty of Babylon, 1 about 2200
b. c. (comp. pp. 480, seqq.) ; 2. the dynasty of Pashe,' 2 about
1 100 b. c.j and 3. the neo-Babvlonian and Persian period.
They are represented by ruined buildings or inscribed documents
found in limited numbers in their respective strata.
According to the evidence furnished by the trenches, the
temple complex as a whole presented very much the same
picture during all the different periods of its long and interesting
history. Of course the stage tower gradually grew
larger, and the temple at its side, consequently (p. 472)
somewhat smaller in the latter half of the second millennium.
The number of chapels, shrines and other houses connected
with the cult of Bel and his large retinue of minor gods
doubtless also varied at
different times, since Nippur, as the
seat of " the kingdom of the four regions of the world,"
more than any other city in the country reflected the politi-
1
Including Rim-Sin of Larsa, whose inscriptions occur in the same general
stratum. For the present, comp. p. 408, and Hilprecht, " The Bab.
Exp. of the U. of Pa.," series A, vol. 1, part 2, no. 128.
2
Represented by several fragmentary boundary stones only in part published
(comp. Hilprecht, /. c, part 1, pi. 27, no. 80, and pi. XII, nos.
32, seq.~), a fine unpublished boundary stone of Nebuchadrezzar I. with six
columns of writing, and a few dated documents (p. 519).