Ninyas, his son, under her care. Ninus was buried by Semiramis, according to one tradition, in a very singular manner. She caused his own palace to be converted into his tomb, by having it entirely covered over with a vast mound of earth, said to be the only memorial of the site of Nineveh after its destruction. This token of affection and mode of burial are disputed by two other traditions, one of which says he was buried at Babylon, and another, that he ended his days at Crete, whither he fled on being dethroned by Semiramis. Ninyas, the reputed murderer of his stepmother, is described by some as a very weak and sensual character; and his successors, showing little of the spirit of Nimrod, became proverbial for sloth and luxury; leaving no names worthy of record. According to others, Ninyas, making no wars, regulated his extensive dominions with such wisdom, that he laid the foundations of an empire which lasted over a thousand years; a record more creditable than if he had made many wars and conquests.

1

Strabo says that Nineveh was much larger than Babylon. Diodorus Siculus describes it as about twenty miles long, twelve miles broad, and sixty miles in compass. This agrees with the prophet Jonah, who speaks of it as "an exceeding great city of three days' journey," twenty miles a day being the common computation for a pedestrian. It was surrounded by large walls 100 feet high, so broad that three chariots could drive abreast on them, and defended by 1,500 towers, 200 feet in height. Nineveh is made important in scripture, by having two of the books of the minor prophets, Jonah and Nahum, making reference almost exclusively to it. In the latter, a perfect poem, the threatenings against Nineveh are continued, says Dr. Adam Clarke, " in a strain of invective, astonishing for its richness, variety, and energy. One may hear and see the whip crack, the horses prancing, the wheels rumbling, the chariots bounding after the gallop

'Jonah iii. 3.

ing steeds, the reflection from the drawn and highly polished swords, and the hurled spears, like flashes of lightning dazzling the eyes, the slain lying in heaps, and horses and chariots stumbling over them!" A little more than a hundred years after Nahum's prophecies of its destruction, Nineveh was destroyed, B. C. 606 or 612. From that

time no mention is made of Nineveh by any of the sacred writers; and the most ancient of the heathen authors speak of it, as a city once great, but now destroyed. For about two thousand years even the traces of Nineveh were lost to the world; so utterly "Nineveh is laid waste."

1

Much interest has lately been excited by the wonderful discoveries of Mr. Layard, and the museums of the world. are being enriched by means of the excavations made by him on the site of ancient Nineveh. Palaces buried under the sand for twenty-four centuries are brought to view; with their walls partly faced with alabastar slabs, nine to twelve feet long, covered with paintings and sculptures; serving the double purpose of ornament, and of historical annals, by commemorating battles and great events. In these the king is always represented as much larger than other men, and is foremost in hunting scenes, battles, sieges, triumphs, and religious ceremonies; all of which are painted on the walls in great variety, and in gorgeous colors. Nimrod, the giant hunter, may have been represented; or the impression may have started from him that kings were to be thought of as giants. The immense winged bulls and lions with human heads, standing ten to sixteen feet high at the doorways, the space covered, and the thickness of the walls, in some places fifteen feet, give us some idea of the grandeur of the palaces; while the paintings and relics found reveal their national and domestic manners, their character, and religious condition: all agreeing with such accounts of them as we find in the Bible.

Nahum iii. 7.

Endicott & Co. Lith N.Y

KING SUPE

DING REMOVAL OF COLOSSAL BULL, KOUYUNJIK (From I ayard's Nineveh.)

In regard to luxury and "the pride of life," the ancients doubtless equaled the present day. Mr. Layard says, that the Assyrians, "in form, color, ornament, and artful disposition of attire, and in careful decoration of their person, seem to have given the pattern of luxury to all other people; and it appears as if they could never be outdone. An ancient Assyrian, in the very height of the mode in his day, painted his eyebrows and his cheeks, whitened his complexion, sometimes even washed in milk, and had the whole skin rubbed over to make it smoother and softer. He curled his long hair with the greatest exactness, as also his mustaches, and even curled or carefully plaited his beard. If natural hair was wanting (theirs was usually abundant) its place was supplied, as among the Egyptians, by false hair. From his sandals to his cap, from his dagger-hilt to the point of his sword-sheath, all was labored ornament; necklaces, earrings, amulets, seals, &c., displayed the ingenuity of the Assyrian artisan, and the pride and riches of the Assyrian noble. The same may be said of household furniture. Silver and gold abounded; the chair, the footstool, the couch, the bed, the throne, shone with the precious metals, or displayed the most delicate and tasteful workmanship.in wood or ivory. Even the pottery was of elegant forms, and the use of glass was known."

From their peculiar forms, the Assyrian letters are usually called cuneiform, that is wedge-shaped; they have also been termed arrow-headed or nail-headed. It is said that these letters were formed with the thorns of the Acacia, arranged and cemented to a block, which was then used to stamp the bricks.

The exact fulfillment of the prophecies foretelling the degradation of Egpyt; the dispersion, and also the preservation of the Jews; the destruction of Babylon, and of Nineveh; the state in which the ruins of those cities were 1 Deut. xxviii. 64; iv. 27.