Difference between revisions of "Nineveh"

<p> (See [[Assyria]] .) [[Nimrod]] builded [[Nineveh]] (&nbsp;Genesis 10:11); [[Herodotus]] (i. 7) makes [[Ninus]] founder of Nineveh. and grandson of [[Belus]] founder of Babylon; which implies that it was from Babylon, as [[Scripture]] says, that Nineveh's founder came. [[Nin]] is the [[Assyrian]] Hercules. Their mythology also makes Ninus son of Nimrod. Jonah is the next Scripture after [[Genesis]] 10 that mentions Nineveh. (See [[Jonah]] .) Sennacherib after his host's destruction "went and dwelt at Nineveh" (&nbsp;2 Kings 19:36). Jonah (&nbsp;Jonah 3:3) describes it as an "exceeding great city of three days' journey" round ''(I.E. 60 Miles, At 20 Miles Per Day)'' with 120,000 children "who knew not their right hand from their left" (&nbsp;Jonah 4:11), which would make a population in all of 600,000 or even one million. [[Diodorus]] Siculus (ii. 3), agreeing with Jonah's "three days' journey," makes the circumference 55 miles, pastures and pleasure grounds being included within, from whence Jonah appositely (&nbsp;Jonah 4:11) mentions "much cattle." G. Smith thinks that the ridges enclosing Nebi Yunus and Koyunjik ''(The Mounds Called "Tels" Opposite Mosul)'' were only the walls of inner Nineveh, the city itself extending beyond to the mound Yarenijah. </p> <p> The parallelogram in Assyria covered with remains has Khorsabad N.E.; Koyunjik and Nebi Yunus ''(Nineveh In The [[Narrow]] Sense)'' near the [[Tigris]] N.W.; Nimrud and Athur between the Tigris and Zab, N.W.; and Karamles at a distance inward from the Zab S.E. From Koyunjik to Nimrud is 18 miles; from Khorsabad to Karamles 18; from Koyunjik to Khorsabad 13 or 14; from Nimrud to Karamles 14. The length was greater than the breadth; so &nbsp;Jonah 3:4 "entered into the city a day's journey." The longer sides were 150 furlongs each, the shorter 90 furlongs, the whole circuit 480 or 460 miles. [[Babylon]] had a circuit of only 385 miles (Clitarchus in Diod. ii. 7, [[Strabo]] xvi. 737). The walls were 100 ft. high, with 1,500 towers, and broad enough for three chariots abreast. Shereef [[Khan]] is the northern extremity of the collection of mounds on the eastern bank of the Tigris, and is five and a half miles N. of Koyunjik. There is also an enclosure, 5,000 yards in circuit, once enclosed by a moat at Selamivah three miles N. of Nimrud. Nimrud in inscriptions is called Kalkhu or [[Calah]] in &nbsp;Genesis 10:11; Khorsabad is called Sargina from Sargon. At Kileh Sherghat is the presumed original capital," Asshur," 60 miles S. of Mosul, on the right or western bank of the Tigris. </p> <p> Sennacherib first made Nineveh the capital. Nineveh was at first only a fort to keep the [[Babylonian]] conquests around. It subsequently, with Rehoboth, Ir, Calah, and Resen, formed one great city, "Nineveh" in the larger sense. Thothmes III of Egypt is mentioned in inscriptions as capturing Nineveh. Phraortes the [[Mede]] perished in attempting to do so (Herodotus i. 102). [[Cyaxares]] his successor, after at first raising the siege owing to a Scythic invasion (Herodotus i. 103, 106) 625 B.C., finally succeeded in concert with the Babylonian Nabopolassar, 606 B.C., Saracus the last king, Esarhaddon's grandson, set fire to the palace and perished in the flames, as [[Ctesias]] states, and as the marks of fire on the walls still confirm. So &nbsp;Nahum 3:13; &nbsp;Nahum 3:15, "fire shall devour thy bars." Charred wood, calcined alabaster, and heat splintered figures abound. Nahum (Nahum 2) and Zephaniah (&nbsp;Zephaniah 2:13-15) foretold its doom; and Ezekiel (Ezekiel 31) shortly after attests the completeness of its overthrow, as a warning of the fatal issue of pride, &nbsp;Isaiah 10:7-14; Diodorus (ii. 27) says there was a prophecy that Nineveh should not fall until the river became its enemy. </p> <p> The immediate cause of capture was the city walls destruction by a sudden rise in the river. So Nahum (&nbsp;Nahum 1:8; &nbsp;Nahum 2:6; &nbsp;Nahum 2:8) foretold "with an over running flood He will make an utter end of the place;" "the gates of the rivers shall be opened and the palace shall be dissolved," namely, by the inundation; "Nineveh is of old like a pool of water (though of old defended by water around), yet (its inhabitants) shall flee." There was a floodgate at the N.W. angle of the city, which was swept away; and the water pouring into the city "dissolved" the palace foundation platform, of sundried bricks. Nineveh then totally disappears from history; it never rose again. Nahum (&nbsp;Nahum 1:10; &nbsp;Nahum 3:11) accords with Diodorus Siculus that the final assault was made during a drinking bout of king and courtiers: "while they are drunken as drunkards, they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry ... Thou shalt be drunken," etc. The treasures accumulated by many kings were rifled, as Nahum foretells; "take ye the spoil of silver ... gold, for there is none end of the store;" the people were "scattered upon the mountains" (&nbsp;Nahum 3:18). </p> <p> He calls it "the city of bloods," truly (&nbsp;Nahum 3:1); the wall carvings represent the king in the act of putting out his captives' eyes, and dragging others by a hook through the lips and a cord. Other cities have revived, but Nahum foretells "there is no healing of thy bruise" (&nbsp;Nahum 3:19). [[Lucian]] of Samosara near the [[Euphrates]] asserts none in his day even knew where Nineveh stood. Its former luxury is embodied in the statue of Sardanapalus as a dancer, which he directed (Plutarch says) to be erected after his death, with the motto "eat, drink, enjoy lust ... the rest is nothing!" The language of its inscriptions is Semitic, for the main population was a colony of Asshur, son of Shem; and besides the prevalent Semitic a Turanian dialect has been found on tablets at Koyunjik, derived from its original [[Cushite]] founder Nimrod of Babylon and his band. At Nimrud the oldest palaces are in the N.W. grainer, the most recent at the S.E. The table of Karnak in Egypt (1490 B.C.) connects Niniu (Nineveh) with Naharaima or Naharaim or Mesopotamia. Sir H. Rawlinson published 1862 an Assyrian canon from the monuments. </p> <p> The first kings reigned when the early [[Chaldee]] empire had its seat in lower Mesopotamia. Asshur-bil-nisis, Buzur Ashur, and [[Asshur]] Vatila from 1653 to 1550 B.C., when Purnapuriyas and Durri-galazu were the last of the early Chaldaean monarchy. Then [[Bel]] Sumill Kapi founds a dynasty after a chasm of two centuries. "Bellush, Pudil, and Ivalush" are inscribed on bricks at Kileh Sherghat, 1350-1270 B.C. [[Shalmaneser]] I, son of Ivalush I, is mentioned on a genealogical slab as founder of Nimrud. Tiglath-i-nin his son inscribes himself" conqueror of Babylon"; [[Sargon]] finally conquered it. Tiglath-inin's successor Ivalush II (1250 B.C.) enlarged the empire and closes the dynasty. By a revolution Nin pala Zira ascends the throne, "the king of the commencement" as the Tiglath Pileser cylinder calls him. Then Asshurdahil, Mutaggil Nebo, Asshur-ris-ilim ''(Conqueror Of A [[Nebuchadnezzar]] Of Babylon)'' , Tiglath Pileser I ''(Subdued Meshech)'' , Asshur-belkala; a blank of two centuries follows when David's and Solomon's extensive dominion has place. Asshur-iddin-akhi begins the next dynasty (950-930 B.C.). </p> <p> Asshur-danin-il and Iralush III follow; then Tiglath-i-nin; Asshur-idanni-pal next after ten victorious campaigns built a palace at Calah, 360 ft. long by 300 broad, with man lions at the gateways, and by a canal brought the Zab waters to Calah; he was "lord from the upper Tigris to [[Lebanon]] and the great sea." His son Shalmaneser II took tribute from [[Tyre]] and [[Sidon]] and fought [[Benhadad]] and Hazael. A picture represents him receiving from [[Jewish]] captives tribute of [[Jehu]] king of Israel, gold, pearl, and oil. He built the central palace of Nimrud, opened by Layard. The black marble obelisk ''(In The British Museum)'' records his exploits and Jehu's name. Then Shamas-Iva, Iralush IV and his wife Semiramis, a Babylonian princess, Shalmaneser III, Asshur-danin-il II, Asshur-lush. Then Tiglath Pileser II, probably Pul, usurps the throne by revolution, for he does not mention his father as others do, 744 B.C. Under him "Menahem" appears in inscriptions, and "tribute from the house of Omri" i.e. [[Samaria]] (&nbsp;2 Kings 15:19; &nbsp;2 Kings 15:29). </p> <p> [[Ahaz]] enlisted him as ally against Samaria and Damascus; Tiglath Pileser conquered them and received tribute from Jahu-khazi or Ahaz. An inscription in the British Museum records Rezin's death (Rawlinson's Monarchies, 2:398,399). Tiglath Pileser built a new palace at Nimrud. Then Shalmaneser IV ''(Not In The Canon)'' (&nbsp;2 Kings 17:3-4) assailed Samaria, upon Hoshea's leaguing with So of Egypt, and withholding tribute. In a chamber at Koyunjik was found among other seals now in British Museum the seal of So or Sabacho and that of Sennacherib affixed to a treaty between them, of which the parchment has perished. Sargon ("king de facto") usurped the throne and took Samaria ''(He Says In Inscriptions)'' in his first year; he built the palace at Khorsabad. Sennacherib his son succeeded 704 B.C. and reigned 24 years. He built the palace at the S.W. corner of Koyunjik, covering 100 acres almost, excavated by Layard. (See [[Sennacherib]] .) Of it 60 courts, halls (some 150 ft. square), and passages (one 200 ft. long) have been discovered. The human headed lions and bulls at its many portals are some 20 ft. high. [[Esarhaddon]] succeeded, as he styles himself "king of Assyria, Babylon, Egypt, Meroe, and Ethiopia;" or Asnapper; he imprisoned Manasseh. (See [[Asnapper]] ; [[Manasseh]] </p> <p> He built a temple at the S.W. corner of Nimrud, and a palace at Nebi Yunus. Asshurbani-pal succeeded, a hunter and warrior; his library of clay tablets, religious, legal, historical, and scientific, is in British Museum. He built a palace at Koyunjik, near Sennacherib's. His son, the last king, Asshuremid-ilin or Asshur-izzir-pal (Saracus or Sardanapalus), built the S.E. edifice at Nimrud. The palace walls were from five to fifteen feet thick, erected on an artificial platform 30 to 50 ft. above the surrounding level, and paneled with slabs of coarse alabaster sculptured and inscribed. The plaster above the alabaster wainscoting was ornamented with figures; the pavement was of alabaster or flat kiln-burnt bricks resting on bitumen and fine sand. The Nimrud grand hall is only 35 ft. broad (though 160 ft. long), to admit of roofing with the short beams to be had. The ceilings were gaily colored. </p> <p> The portals were guarded by colossal human headed bulls; thence was an ascent to a higher platform, and on the top a gateway, sometimes 90 ft. wide, guarded also by winged bulls; inside was the great door, opening into a sculpture adorned passage; then the inner court, then the state apartments. There may have been an upper story of sun-dried bricks and wood, for there are no stone or marble columns or burnt brick remains. The large halls may have been roofless, a ledge projecting round the four sides and supporting an awning as shelter against rain and sun. However &nbsp;Zephaniah 2:14 mentions "the cedar work," cedars from Lebanon may have reached from wall to wall with openings for light. </p> <p> The chambers were built round the central hall. In &nbsp;Nahum 2:3 translated "the chariots ''(Shall Be Furnished)'' with fire flashing scythes," literally, "with the fire of scythes" or "iron weapons." No traces of such scythe-armed chariots are found in Assyria; either then it applies to the besiegers, or "the chariots shall come with the glitter of steel weapons." The "red shield" (&nbsp;Nahum 2:3) accords with the red painting of the shields and dresses in the sculptures. The king, with beardless eunuch behind holding an umbrella and the winged symbol of [[Deity]] above, appears in various carvings; he was despotic. [[Kitchen]] operations, husbandry and irrigation implements are represented also. </p> <p> '''Religion.''' The man bull and man lion answer to Nin and Nergal, the gods of war and the chase. [[Nisroch]] the eagle-headed god and [[Dagon]] the fishheaded god often appear in the sculptures. The sacred tree answers to Asheerah, "the grove" (&nbsp;2 Kings 21:7). The chief gods were Asshur, Bel, Beltis or Myletta, [[Sin]] the moon, Shamash (Hebrew '''''Shemesh''''' ) the sun, Vul or Iva the thunder wielder, Nin, etc. "Witchcrafts" and "whoredoms" in connection with Nineveh's worship are denounced by &nbsp;Nahum 3:4. The immense palaces, the depositories of the national records, were at once the gods' temple and the king's abode, for he was the religious head of the nation and the favorite of the gods. </p> <p> '''Language and writing.''' [[Clay]] cylinders pierced through so as to turn round and present their sides to the reader, bricks, and slabs are the materials inscribed on. The wedge ''('' '''''Cuneus''''' '' From [[Whence]] "Cuneiform")'' in various forms and directions, upright, horizontal, and diagonal, is the main element of the 250 distinct alphabetical characters. This mode of writing prevailed for 2000 years B.C. in Assyria, Babylonia, and eastern Persia. The alphabet is syllabic. Determinatives are prefixed to some words, as </p> <p> ↓ - prefixed marks the word as a man's name; </p> <p> ↓↓ - marks the plural; </p> <p> ↓← - marks the dual. </p> <p> It is related to Hebrew, thus, '''''U''''' "and" is the [[Hebrew]] '''''Ve''''' ; '''''Ki''''' is in both "if"; '''''Anaku''''' or Hebrew ''''''Anoki''''' "I"; ''''''Atta'''''' in both is "thou"; ''''''Abu''''' or ''''''Ab''''' (Hebrew), "father"; '''''Nahar''''' in both is a "river." [[Feminine]] nouns end in ''-It'' or ''-At'' ; Hebrew end with ''-Ith'' . '''''Sh''''' is the shortened relative pronoun "who, which," as in later Hebrew; '''''Mah''''' in both asks a question. The verb as in Hebrew is conjugated by pronominal suffixes. The roots are biliteral, the Hebrew both biliteral and triliteral. '''''Μit''''' , "to die"; Hebrew '''''Muth''''' . '''''Sib''''' , "to dwell"; Hebrew '''''Yashab''''' . '''''Τiglath''''' means "adoration." '''''Ρal''''' , "son," the [[Aramaic]] '''''Bar''''' ; sat "king"; ris, Hebrew '''''Rosh''''' , "head." </p> <p> The northwestern palace of Nineveh has the longest inscription; it records concerning Sardanapalus II. Sennacherib's inscription concerning Hezekiah, on two man-headed bulls from Koyunjik, is the most interesting. Bas-reliefs of the siege of Lachish accompany it. (See [[Lachish]] .) By a tentative process recurring proper names were first deciphered by Grotefend, Rawlinson, Hincks, Fox Talbot, Oppert, etc., as in Darius' inscription at Behistun. Parallel parts of the same inscription in snorter language (as the hieroglyphics and Greek on the [[Rosetta]] stone enabled Champollion to discover the former) verified the results, and duplicate phrases brought, out the meaning of words. </p> <p> [[Tombs]] . [[Chaldaea]] is as full of tombs as Assyria is void of them. Probably Chaldaea was the burial place of the Assyrian kings; Arrian (Exped. Alex. 7:22) states that their tombs were in the marshes S. of Babylon. </p> <p> '''Art, Commerce''' . [[Egyptian]] art is characterized by calm repose, Assyrian art by energy and action. Egyptian architecture is derived from a stone prototype, Assyrian from a wooden one, in agreement with the physical features of the respective countries. Solomon's temple and palace, with grand hall and chambers, paneled with slabs sculptured with trees, the upper part of the walls painted in various colors, the winged cherubim carved all round, the flowers and pomegranates, correspond to the Nineveh palaces in a great measure. Silk, blue clothes, and embroidered work were traded in by Nineveh's merchants (&nbsp;Ezekiel 27:23-24; &nbsp;Nahum 3:16). The Chaldaean [[Nestorians]] in the [[Kurdistan]] mountains and the villages near Mosul are the sole representatives of the ancient [[Assyrians]] and Babylonians. </p>

<p> [[Dwelling]] of Ninus, the metropolis of ancient Assyria, called by the [[Greeks]] and Romans "the great Ninus;" situated on the east bank of the Tigris, opposite and below the modern Mosul. Its origin is traced to the times near the flood. See Nimrod . For nearly fifteen centuries afterwards it is not mentioned. In the books of Jonah, and Nahum it is described as an immense city, three days' journey in circuit, containing more than one hundred and twenty thousand young children, or probably six hundred thousand souls. It contained "much cattle," and numerous parks, garden groves, etc. Its inhabitants were wealthy, warlike, and far advanced in civilization. It had numerous strongholds with gates and bars; and had multiplied its merchants above the stars: its crowned princes were as locusts, and its captains as grasshoppers. With this description agrees that of the historian Diodorus Siculus, who says Nineveh was twenty-one miles long, nine miles broad, and fifty-four miles in circumference; that its walls were a hundred feet high, and so broad that three chariots could drive upon them abreast; and that it had fifteen hundred towers, each two hundred feet high. </p> <p> Nineveh had long been the mistress of the East; but for her great luxury and wickedness, the prophet Jonah was sent, more than eight hundred years before Christ, to warn the [[Ninevites]] of her speedy destruction. See also &nbsp;Isaiah 14:24,25 . Their timely repentance delayed for a time the fall of the city; but about 753 B. C., the period of the foundation of Rome, it was taken by the Medes under Arbaces; and nearly a century and a half later, according to the predictions of Nahum, &nbsp;Nahum 1:1-3:19 , and &nbsp;Zephaniah 2:13 , it was a second time taken by Cyaraxes and Nabopolassar; after which it no more recovered its former splendor. Subsequent writers mention it but seldom, and as an unimportant place; so complete was its destruction, that for ages its site has been well-nigh lost, and infidels have even denied that the Nineveh of the Bible ever existed. The mounds which were the "grave" of its ruins, &nbsp;Nahum 1:14 , were covered with soil as to seem like natural hills. But since 1841, Layard, Botta, and others have been exploring its remains, so long undisturbed. The mounds chiefly explored lie at three corners of a trapezium about eighteen miles long, and twelve miles wide, and nearly sixty in circumference, thus confirming the ancient accounts of its vast extent. The recent excavations disclose temples and palaces, guarded by huge winged bulls and lions with human heads. The apartments of these buildings are lined with slabs of stone, covered with sculptures in basrelief, and inscriptions in arrow-headed characters which have been in part deciphered; and these sculptured memorials of the history and customs of the Assyrians, together with the various articles made of glass, wood, ivory, and metals, now brought to light after a burial of twenty-four centuries, furnish invaluable aid in the interpretation of Scripture, and most signally confirm its truth. Our surprise is equal to our gratification, when we behold the actual Assyrian account of events recorded in Kings and Chraonicles. Not only do we find mention made of Jehu, Menehem, Hezekiah, Omri, Hazael, etc., and of various cities in [[Judea]] and Syria; but we discover Sennacherib's own account of his invasion of Palestine, and of the amount of tribute which king [[Hezekiah]] was forced to pay him; also pictures representing his capture of Lachish, &nbsp;2 Kings 18:14 , and his officers, perhaps the railing [[Rabshakeh]] himself, presenting Jewish captives to the king, etc. (See cut and details in Sennacherib .) </p> <p> These mural tablets also furnish a graphic comment on the language of the prophet Ezekiel; and as he was a captive in the region of Ninveh, he had no doubt heard of, and had probably seen these very "chambers of imagery," as well as the objects they represent. We there find reproduced to our view the men and scenes he describes in &nbsp;Ezekiel 23:6,14,15 , etc.; &nbsp;Ezekiel 26:7-12 : "Captains and rulers clothed most gorgeously," "portrayed with vermilion," "girded with girdles upon their loins," "exceeding in dyed attire upon their heads." The "vermilion" or red color is quite prevalent among the various brilliant colors with which these tablets were painted, &nbsp;Ezekiel 23:14,15 . Here are "horsemen riding upon horses," "princes to look to" in respect to war-like vigor and courage; and their horses of high spirit, noble form, and attitudes, and decked with showy trappings. Here, in fine, are the idols, kings, and warriors of Nineveh, in various scenes of worship, hunting, and war; fortresses attacked and taken; prisoners led in triumph, impaled, flayed, and otherwise tortured; and sometimes actually held by cords attached to hooks which pierce the nose or the lips, &nbsp;2 Kings 19:28 &nbsp; Isaiah 37:29 , and having their eyes put out by the point of a spear, &nbsp;2 Kings 25:7 . For other cuts see [[Nisroch, Sennacherib, Shalmanezer]]  and [[War]] . </p> <p> The [[Christian]] world is under great obligations to Layard and Botta for their enterprising explorations, and to Rawlinson and Hincks for their literary investigations of these remains. To the student of the Bible especially these buried treasures are of the highest value, and we may well rejoice not only in this new accumulation of evidence to the truth of the history and prophecies of Scripture, but in the additional light thus thrown on its meaning. How impressive too the warning which these newly found memorials of a city once so vast and powerful bring to us in these latter days and in lands then unknown, to beware of the luxury, pride, and ungodliness that caused her ruin. </p>

<p> [[Nineveh]] ( ''Nîn'E-Veh'' ), perhaps ''Dwelling Of Nina,'' the capital and greatest city of Assyria. It was founded by Nimrod, &nbsp;Genesis 10:11, and was on the eastern bank of the river Tigris, about 250 miles in a direct lino north of the rival city of Babylon, and not far from 550 miles northwest of the Persian Gulf. Assyrian scholars are not agreed in respect to the size of this ancient city. Some, as Layard, regard it as covering a large parallelogram, whose sides were each from 18 to 20 miles long, and the ends 12 to 14 miles wide. This view would include the ruins now known as Konyunjik, Nimrud, Khorsabad, and Keremles. Diodorus Siculus makes the circumference of the city 55 miles, including pastures and pleasure grounds. This view of the great extent of the city is, on the other hand, sharply disputed by Rawlinson, who thinks it highly improbable that this ancient city should have had an area about ten times that of London. He would reject it on two grounds, the one historical and the other topographical. He maintains that the ruins of Khorsabad, Keremles, Nimrud, and Konyunjik bear on their bricks distinct local titles, and that these titles are found attaching to distant cities in the historical inscriptions. According to his view, Nimrud would be identified with Calah, and Khorsabad with Dur-sargina, or "the city of Sargon." He further claims that Assyrian writers do not consider these places to be parts of Nineveh, but distinct and separate cities; that Calah was for a longtime the capital, while Nineveh was a provincial town; that Dur-sargina was built by Sargon—not at Nineveh, but near Nineveh; and that Scripture similarly distinguishes Calah as a place separate from Nineveh, and so far from it that there was room for a great city between them. See &nbsp;Genesis 10:12. He also suggests that a smaller city in extent would answer the requirements of the description in the book of Jonah, which makes it a city of "three days' journey." &nbsp;Jonah 3:3. As already stated, Nineveh was founded by Asshur, or, as the marginal reading of &nbsp;Genesis 10:11 states, Nimrod. When Nineveh became the capital of Assyria is not definitely known, but it is generally believed it was during the reign of Sennacherib. The prophecies of the books of Jonah and Nahum are chiefly directed against this city. The latter prophet indicates the mode of its capture. Nan. 1:1-8; 2:6, 8; 3:18. Nineveh was the capital of Assyria during the height of the grandeur of that empire, and in the time of Sennacherib, Esar-haddon, and Assur-bani-pal. It was besieged for two years by the combined forces of the Medes and Babylonians, was captured, and finally destroyed b.c. 606. Excavations have been made by M. Botta, Layard, Hormuzd Rassam, Loftus, and George Smith. They have brought to light, among others, the following noted buildings: 1. Three ruined temples, built and restored by many kings in different ages. 2. The palace of Shalmaneser, as improved by subsequent rulers. 3. A palace of another ruler, restored by Sennacherib and Esar-haddon. 4. A palace of Tiglath-pileser II. 5. A temple of Nebo. 6. The southwest palace [[Of]] Sennacherib. 7. The northwest palace of the same ruler. 8. The city walls built by the latter king and restored by Assur-bani-pal. See Assyria. The prophecies respecting the destruction of Nineveh are very specific; the prophet seemed to see her in her desolation and exclaims: "Nineveh hath been from of old like a pool of water... Nineveh is laid waste: who will bemoan her?... Thy worthies are at rest; thy people are scattered upon the mountains, and there is none to gather them." &nbsp;Nahum 2:8; &nbsp;Nahum 3:7; &nbsp;Nahum 3:18, R. V. "The Lord... will make Nineveh a desolation, and dry like the wilderness. And herds shall lie down in the midst of her, all the beasts of the nations; both the pelican and the porcupine shall lodge in the chapiters thereof; ''Their'' voice shall ring in the windows; desolation shall be in the thresholds... how is she become a desolation, a place for beasts to lie down in!" &nbsp;Zephaniah 2:11; &nbsp;Zephaniah 2:13-15. These prophecies have been literally fulfilled. The city was destroyed; its very site was lost and unknown for centuries; it has now been found, its ruins opened, but are uninhabited except by wild beasts. </p>

<p> ''''' nin´ḗ ''''' - ''''' ve ''''' ( נינוה , <i> ''''' nı̄newēh ''''' </i> ; Νινευή , <i> ''''' Nineuḗ ''''' </i> , Νινευΐ́ , <i> ''''' Nineuı́ ''''' </i> ; Greek and Roman writers, Νῖνος , <i> ''''' Nı́nos ''''' </i> ): </p> <p> I. Beginnings , [[Name]] , Position </p> <p> 1. First Biblical [[Mention]] </p> <p> 2. Etymology of the Name </p> <p> 3. Position on the Tigris </p> <p> II. Nineveh And Its Surroundings </p> <p> 1. Its [[Walls]] </p> <p> 2. [[Principal]] Mounds and Gateways </p> <p> 3. Extent and [[Population]] within the Walls </p> <p> 4. Extent outside the Walls </p> <p> 5. Calah, Resen and [[Rehoboth-Ir]] </p> <p> 6. Khorsabad </p> <p> 7. [[Sherif]] Khan and Selamieh </p> <p> 8. Nimroud </p> <p> III. Palaces At Nineveh [[Proper]] </p> <p> 1. The Palace of Sennacherib </p> <p> 2. The Palace of Assur-bani-apli </p> <p> IV. Sennacherib 'S Description Of Nineveh </p> <p> 1. The Walls </p> <p> 2. The [[Gates]] - N orthwest </p> <p> 3. The Gates - S outh and East </p> <p> 4. The Gates - W est </p> <p> 5. The [[Outer]] Wall: the Plantations </p> <p> 6. The Water-Supply, etc. </p> <p> 7. How the Bas-Reliefs Illustrate the King's Description </p> <p> 8. Nineveh the Later [[Capital]] </p> <p> V. Last Days And Fall Of Nineveh </p> <p> [[Literature]] </p> I. Beginnings, Name, Position. <p> <b> 1. First Biblical Mention: </b> </p> <p> The first Biblical mention of Nineveh is in &nbsp;Genesis 10:11 , where it is stated that Nimrod (which see) or Asshur went out into Assyria, and builded Nineveh and Rehoboth-Ir, and Calah, and Resen between Nineveh and Calah, with the addition, "the same is the great city." Everything indicates that these statements are correct, for Nineveh was certainly at one time under Babylonian rule, and was at first not governed by Assyrian kings, but by <i> ''''' iššakē ''''' </i> or viceroys of <i> ''''' Aṣ̌šur ''''' </i> , the old capital. To all appearance Nineveh took its name from the Babylonian Nina near Lagas in South Babylonia, on the Euphrates, from which early foundation it was probably colonized. The native name appears as <i> ''''' Ninua ''''' </i> or <i> ''''' Ninâ ''''' </i> ( <i> ''''' Ninaa ''''' </i> ), written with the character for "water enclosure" with that for "fish" inside, implying a connection between <i> ''''' Ninâ ''''' </i> and the Semitic <i> ''''' nūn ''''' </i> , "fish." </p> <p> <b> 2. Etymology of the Name: </b> </p> <p> The Babylonian Nina was a place where fish were very abundant, and <i> ''''' Ištar ''''' </i> or <i> ''''' Nina ''''' </i> , the goddess of the city, was associated with <i> ''''' Nin ''''' </i> - <i> ''''' mah̬ ''''' </i> , Merodach's spouse, as goddess of reproduction. Fish are also plentiful in the Tigris at <i> ''''' Mosul ''''' </i> , the modern town on the other side of the river, and this may have influenced the choice of the site by the Babylonian settlers, and the foundation there of the great temple of Ishtar or Nina. The date of this foundation is unknown, but it may have taken place about [[3Ooo Bc]]  </p> <p> <b> 3. Position on the Tigris: </b> </p> <p> Nineveh lay on the eastern bank of the Tigris, at the point where the Khosr falls into that stream. The outline of the wall is rectangular on the West, but of an irregular shape on the East. The western fortifications run from Northwest to Southeast, following, roughly, the course of the river, which now flows about 1,500 yards from the walls, instead of close to them, as in ancient times. </p> II. Nineveh and Its Surroundings. <p> According to the late G. Smith, the southwestern wall has a length of about 2 1/2 miles, and is joined at its western corner by the northwestern wall, which runs in a northeasterly direction for about 1 1/3 miles. </p> <p> <b> 1. Its Walls: </b> </p> <p> The northeastern wall, starting here, runs at first in a southeasterly direction, but turns southward, gradually approaching the southwestern wall, to which, at the end of about 3 1/4 miles, it is joined by a short wall, facing nearly South, rather more than half a mile long. </p> <p> <b> 2. Principal Mounds and Gateways: </b> </p> <p> The principal mounds are Kouyunjik, a little Northeast of the village of <i> ''''' ‛Amusiyeh ''''' </i> , and Nebi-Yunas, about 1,500 yards to the Southeast. Both of these lie just within the Southwest wall. Extensive remains of buildings occupy the fortified area. Numerous openings occur in the walls, many of them ancient, though some seem to have been made after the abandonment of the site. The principal gate on the Northwest was guarded by winged bulls (see Layard, <i> [[Monuments]] of Nineveh </i> , 2nd series, plural 3; <i> Nineveh and Babylon </i> , 120). Other gates gave access to the various commercial roads of the country, those on the East passing through the curved outworks and the double line of fortifications which protected the northeastern wall from attack on that side, where the Ninevites evidently considered that they had most to fear. </p> <p> <b> 3. Extent and Population Within the Walls: </b> </p> <p> According to G. Smith, the circuit of the inner wall is about 8 miles, and [[Captain]] Jones, who made a trigonometrical survey in 1854, estimated that, allotting to each inhabitant 50 square yards, the city may have contained 174,000 inhabitants. If the statement in &nbsp;Jonah 4:11 , that the city contained 120,000 persons who could not discern between their right hand and their left, be intended to give the number of the city's children only, then the population must have numbered about 600,000, and more than three cities of the same extent would have been needed to contain them. </p> <p> <b> 4. Extent Outside the Walls: </b> </p> <p> It has therefore been supposed - and that with great probability - that there was a large extension of the city outside its walls. This is not only indicated by &nbsp;Jonah 3:3 , where it is described as "an exceeding great city of <i> three days' journey </i> " to traverse, but also by the extant ruins, which stretch Southeast along the banks of the Tigris as far as <i> ''''' Nimroud ''''' </i> (Calah) while its northern extension may have been regarded as including Khorsabad. </p> <p> <b> 5. Calah, Resen and Rehoboth-Ir: </b> </p> <p> [[Concerning]] the positions of two of the cities mentioned with Nineveh, namely, Calah and Resen, there can be no doubt, notwithstanding that Resen has not yet been identified - C alah is the modern <i> ''''' Nimroud ''''' </i> , and Resen lay between that site and Nineveh. </p> <p> The name Rehoboth-Ir has not yet been found in the inscriptions, but Fried. Delitzsch has suggested that it may be the <i> ''''' rêbit ''''' </i> <i> ''''' Ninua ''''' </i> of the inscriptions, Northeast of Nineveh. If this be the case, the Nineveh of Jonah contained within it all the places in &nbsp; Genesis 10:11 , &nbsp;Genesis 10:12 , and Khorsabad besides. </p> <p> <b> 6. Khorsabad: </b> </p> <p> Taking the outlying ruins from North to South, we begin with Khorsabad ( <i> ''''' Dûr ''''' </i> - <i> ''''' Šarru ''''' </i> - <i> ''''' kı̂n ''''' </i> or <i> ''''' Dûr ''''' </i> - <i> ''''' Šargina ''''' </i> ), 12 miles Northeast of Kouyunjik, the great palace mound of Nineveh proper. Khorsabad is a great enclosure about 2,000 yards square, with the remains of towers and gateways. The palace mound lies on its northwest face, and consists of an extensive platform with the remains of Sargon's palace and its temple, with a <i> ziqqurat </i> or temple-tower similar to those at Babylon, Borsippa, Calah and elsewhere. This last still shows traces of the tints symbolical of the 7 planets of which its stages were, seemingly, emblematic. The palace ruins show numerous halls, rooms and passages, many of which were faced with slabs of coarse alabaster, sculptured in relief with military operations, hunting-scenes, mythological figures, etc., while the principal entrances were flanked with the finest winged human-headed bulls which Assyrian art has so far revealed. The palace was built about 712 BC, and was probably destroyed by fire when Nineveh fell in 606 BC, sharing the same fate. Some of the slabs and winged bulls are in the [[Louvre]] and the British Museum, but most of the antiquarian spoils were lost in the Tigris by the sinking of the rafts upon which they were loaded after being discovered. </p> <p> <b> 7. Sherif Khan and Selamieh: </b> </p> <p> Another outlying suburb was probably Tarbicu, now represented by the ruins at <i> ''''' Sherif ''''' </i> <i> ''''' Khan ''''' </i> , about 3 miles North of Kouyunjik. In this lay a temple - "palace" Sennacherib calls it - dedicated to Nergal. In ancient times it must have been a place of some importance, as Esarhaddon seems to have built a palace there, as well as a "seat" for his eldest son, Assur-bani-apli. The site of Resen, "between Nineveh and Calah," is thought to be the modern <i> ''''' Selamı̂eh ''''' </i> , 12 miles South of Nineveh, and 3 miles North of <i> ''''' Nimroud ''''' </i> (Calah). It is in the form of an irregular enclosure on a high mound overlooking the Tigris, with a surface of about 400 acres. No remains of buildings, sculptures or inscriptions have, however, been found there. </p> <p> <b> 8. Nimroud: </b> </p> <p> After Nineveh. itself (Kouyunjik), the ruins known as <i> ''''' Nimroud ''''' </i> , 14 or 15 miles Southeast, are the most important. They mark the site of the ancient Calah, and have already been described under that heading (see p. 539). As there stated, the stone-faced temple-tower seems to be referred to by Ovid, and is apparently also mentioned by Xenophon (see [[Resen]] ). The general tendency of the accumulated references to these sites supports theory that they were regarded as belonging to Nineveh, if not by the Assyrians themselves (who knew well the various municipal districts), at least by the foreigners who had either visited the city or had heard or read descriptions of it. </p> III. Palaces at Nineveh Proper. <p> The palaces at Nineveh were built upon extensive artificial platforms between 30,50 ft. high, either of sundried brick, as at <i> ''''' Nimroud ''''' </i> , or of earth and rubbish, as at Kouyunjik. It is thought that they were faced with masonry, and that access was gained to them by means of flights of deep steps, or sloping pathways. [[Naturally]] it is the plan of the basement floor alone that can at present be traced, any upper stories that may have existed having long since disappeared. The halls and rooms discovered were faced with slabs of alabaster or other stone, often sculptured with bas-reliefs depicting warlike expeditions, the chase, religious ceremonies and divine figures. The depth of the accumulations over these varies from a few inches to about 30 ft., and if the amount in some cases would seem to be excessive, it is thought that this may have been due either to the existence of upper chambers, or to the extra height of the room. The chambers, which are grouped around courtyards, are long and narrow, with small square rooms at the ends. The partition walls vary from 6 to 15 ft. in thickness, and are of sun-dried brick, against which the stone paneling was fixed. As in the case of the Babylonian temples and palaces, the rooms and halls open into each other, so that, to gain access to those farthest from the courtyard entrance, one or more halls or chambers had to be traversed. No traces of windows have been discovered, and little can therefore be said as to the method of lighting, but the windows were either high up, or light was admitted through openings in the roof. </p> <p> <b> 1. The Palace of Sennacherib: </b> </p> <p> The palace of Sennacherib lay in the southeast corner of the platform, and consisted of a courtyard surrounded on all four sides by numerous long halls, and rooms, of which the innermost were capable of being rendered private. It was in this palace that were found the reliefs depicting the siege of Lachish, with the representation of Sennacherib seated on his "standing" throne, while the captives and the spoil of the city passed before him. The grand entrance was flanked by winged bulls facing toward the spectator as he entered. They were in couples, back to back, on each side of the doorway, and between each pair the ancient Babylonian hero-giant, carrying in one hand the "boomerang," and holding tightly with his left arm a struggling lion (Layard, <i> Nineveh and Babylon </i> , 137) was represented, just as at his father Sargon's palace at Khorsabad. The upper part of these imposing figures had been destroyed, but they were so massive, that the distinguished explorer attributed their overthrow not to the act of man, but to some convulsion of Nature. </p> <p> <b> 2. The Palace of Assur-Bani-Apli: </b> </p> <p> In the north of the mound are the ruins of the palace of <i> ''''' Aššur ''''' </i> - <i> ''''' banı̂ ''''' </i> - <i> ''''' âpli ''''' </i> or <i> ''''' [[Assur]] ''''' </i> - <i> ''''' bani ''''' </i> - <i> ''''' pal ''''' </i> , discovered by Hormuzd Rassam. His latest plan ( <i> Asshur and the Land of Nimrod </i> , [[Cincinnati]] and New York, 1897, plate facing p. 36) does not give the whole of the structure, much of the building having been destroyed; but the general arrangement of the rooms was upon the traditional lines. The slabs with which they were paneled showed bas-reliefs illustrating the Assyrian campaigns against Babylonia, certain [[Arab]] tribes, and Elam. As far as they are preserved, the sculptures are wonderfully good, and the whole decorative scheme of the paneled walls, of which, probably, the greater part is forever lost, may be characterized, notwithstanding their defects of perspective and their mannerisms, as nothing less than magnificent. The lion-hunts of the great king, despite the curious treatment of the animals' manes (due to the sculptors' ignorance of the right way to represent hair) are admirable. It would be difficult to improve upon the expressions of fear, rage and suffering on the part of the animals there delineated. The small sculptures showing <i> ''''' Aššur ''''' </i> - <i> ''''' banı̂ ''''' </i> - <i> ''''' âpli ''''' </i> hunting the goat and the wild ass are not less noteworthy, and are executed with great delicacy. </p> IV. Sennacherib's Description of Nineveh. <p> <b> 1. The Walls: </b> </p> <p> In all probability the best description of the city is that given by Sennacherib on the cylinder recording his expedition to [[Tarsus]] in Cilicia. From ancient times, he says, the circuit of the city had measured 9,300 cubits, and he makes the rather surprising statement that his predecessors had not built either the inner or the outer wall, which, if true, shows how confident they were of their security from attack. He claims to have enlarged the city by 12,515 (cubits). The great defensive wall which he built was called by the Sumerian name of <i> ''''' Bad ''''' </i> - <i> ''''' imgallabi ''''' </i> - <i> ''''' lu ''''' </i> - <i> ''''' šušu ''''' </i> , which he translates as "the wall whose glory overthrows the enemy." He made the brickwork 40 (cubits) thick, which would probably not greatly exceed the estimate of G. Smith, who reckoned it to have measured about 50 ft. The height of the wall he raised to 180 <i> ''''' tipki ''''' </i> , which, admitting the estimate of Diodorus, should amount to about 100 ft. </p> <p> <b> 2. The Gates - N orthwest: </b> </p> <p> In this enclosing wall were 15 gates, which he enumerates in full. Three of these were situated in the short northwest wall - the gate of Hadad; the gate of Uru or [[Hadad]] of Tarbisu ( <i> ''''' Sherif ''''' </i> <i> ''''' Khan ''''' </i> ), and the gate of the moon-god Nannar, Sennacherib's own deity. The plans show five openings in the wall on this side, any of which may have been the gate used when going to Tarbicu, but that adorned with winged bulls probably furnished the shortest route. </p> <p> <b> 3. The Gates - S outh and East: </b> </p> <p> The gates looking toward the South and the East were the <i> ''''' Aššur ''''' </i> - <i> ''''' gate ''''' </i> (leading to the old capital); Sennacherib's <i> ''''' H̬alzi ''''' </i> - <i> ''''' gate ''''' </i> ; the gate of <i> ''''' Samaš ''''' </i> of Gagal, the gate of the god Enlil of <i> ''''' Kar ''''' </i> - <i> ''''' Ninlil ''''' </i> , and the "covered gate," which seems to have had the reputation of letting forth the fever-demon. After this are mentioned the Sibaniba-gate, and the gate of [[Halah]] in Mesopotamia. This last must have been the extreme northeastern opening, now communicating with the road to Khorsabad, implying that Halah lay in that direction. </p> <p> <b> 4. The Gates - W est: </b> </p> <p> The gates on the west or river-side of the city were "the gate of Ea, director of my watersprings"; the quay-gate, "bringer of the tribute of my peoples"; the gate of the land of Bari, within which the presents of the Sumilites entered (brought down by the Tigris from Babylonia, in all probability); the gate of the tribute-palace or armory; and the gate of the god Sar-ur - "altogether 5 gates in the direction of the West." There are about 9 wide openings in the wall on this side, 2 being on each side of the Kouyunjik mound, and 2 on each side of that called Nebi-Yunus. As openings at these points would have endangered the city's safety, these 4 have probably to be eliminated, leaving 2 only North of Nebi-Yunus, 2 between that and Kouyunjik, and one North of Kouyunjik. Minor means of exit probably existed at all points where they were regarded as needful. </p> <p> <b> 5. The Outer Wall: The Plantations: </b> </p> <p> To the outer wall of the city Sennacherib gave a Sumerian name meaning, "the wall which terrifies the enemy." At a depth of 54 <i> ''''' gar ''''' </i> , the underground water-level, its foundations were laid upon blocks of stone, the object of this great depth being to frustrate undermining. The wall was made "high like a mountain." Above and below the city he laid out plantations, wherein all the sweet-smelling herbs of [[Heth]] (Palestine and Phoenicia) grew, fruitful beyond those of their homeland. Among them were to be found every kind of mountain-vine, and the plants of all the nations around. </p> <p> <b> 6. The Water-Supply, Etc.: </b> </p> <p> In connection with this, in all probability, he arranged the water-supply, conducting a distant water-course to Nineveh by means of conduits. Being a successful venture, he seems to have watered therewith all the people's orchards, and in winter 1,000 corn fields above and below the city. The force of the increased current in the river Khosr was retarded by the creation of a swamp, and among the reeds which grew there were placed wild fowl, wild swine, and deer(?). Here he repeated his exotic plantations, including trees for wood, cotton (apparently) and seemingly the olive. </p> <p> <b> 7. How the Bas-Reliefs Illustrate the King's Description: </b> </p> <p> Sennacherib's bas-reliefs show some of the phases of the work which his cylinder inscriptions describe. We see the winged bulls, which are of colossal dimensions, sometimes lying on their sledges (shaped like boats or Assyrian ships), and sometimes standing and supported by scaffolding. The sledges rest upon rollers, and are dragged by armies of captives urged to action by taskmasters with whips. Others force the sledges forward from behind by means of enormous levers whose upper ends are held in position by guy-ropes. Each side has to pull with equal force, for if the higher end of the great lever fell, the side which had pulled too hard suffered in killed and crushed, or at least in bruised, workmen of their number. In the background are the soldiers of the guard, and behind them extensive wooded hills. In other bas-reliefs it is apparently the pleasure grounds of the palace which are seen. In these the background is an avenue of trees, alternately tall and short, on the banks of a river, whereon are boats, and men riding astride inflated skins, which were much used in those days, as now. On another slab, the great king himself, in his hand-chariot drawn by eunuchs, superintends the work. </p> <p> <b> 8. Nineveh the Later Capital: </b> </p> <p> How long Nineveh had been the capital of Assyria is unknown. The original capital was <i> ''''' Aššur ''''' </i> , about 50 miles to the South, and probably this continued to be regarded as the religious and official capital of the country. <i> ''''' Aššur ''''' </i> - <i> ''''' naṣir ''''' </i> - <i> ''''' âpli ''''' </i> seems to have had a greater liking for Calah ( <i> ''''' Nimroud ''''' </i> ), and Sargon for Khorsabad, where he had founded a splendid palace. These latter, however, probably never had the importance of Nineveh, and attained their position merely on account of the reigning king building a palace and residing there. The period of Nineveh's supremacy seems to have been from the beginning of the reign of Sennacherib to the end of that of <i> ''''' Aššur ''''' </i> - <i> ''''' banı̂ ''''' </i> - <i> ''''' âpli ''''' </i> , including, probably, the reigns of his successors likewise - a period of about 98 years (704-606 BC). </p> V. Last Days and Fall of Nineveh. <p> Nineveh, during the centuries of her existence, must have seen many stirring historical events; but the most noteworthy were probably Sennacherib's triumphal entries, including that following the capture of Lachish, the murder of that great conqueror by his sons (the recent theory that he was killed at Babylon needs confirmation); and the ceremonial triumphs of <i> ''''' Aššur ''''' </i> - <i> ''''' banı̂ ''''' </i> - <i> ''''' âpli ''''' </i> - the great and noble [[Osnappar]] (&nbsp; Ezra 4:10 ). After the reign of <i> ''''' Aššur ''''' </i> - <i> ''''' banı̂ ''''' </i> - <i> ''''' âpli ''''' </i> came his son <i> ''''' Aššur ''''' </i> - <i> ''''' êtil ''''' </i> - <i> ''''' ı̂lāni ''''' </i> , who was succeeded by <i> ''''' Sin ''''' </i> - <i> ''''' šarra ''''' </i> - <i> ''''' iškun ''''' </i> (Saracos), but the history of the country, and also of the city, is practically non-existent during these last two reigns. The Assyrian and Babylonian records are silent with regard to the fall of the city, but Alexander Polyhistor, [[Abydenus]] and [[Syncellus]] all speak of it. The best account, however, is that of Diodorus Siculus, who refers to a legend that the city could not be taken until the river became its enemy. Arbaces, the Scythian, besieged it, but could not make any impression on it for 2 years. In the 3rd year, however, the river (according to [[Commander]] Jones, not the Tigris, but the Khosr), being swollen by rains, and very rapid in its current, carried away a portion of the wall, and by this opening the besiegers gained an entrance. The king, recognizing in this the fulfillment of the oracle, gathered together his concubines and eunuchs, and, mounting a funeral pyre which he had caused to be constructed, perished in the flames. This catastrophe is supposed to be referred to in &nbsp;Nahum 1:8 : "With an over-running flood he (the Lord) will make a full end of her place (i.e. of Nineveh)," and &nbsp; Nahum 2:6 : "The gates of the rivers are opened, and the palace is dissolved." The destruction of the city by fire is probably referred to in &nbsp; Nahum 3:13 , &nbsp;Nahum 3:15 . The picture of the scenes in her streets - the noise of the whip, the rattling wheels, the prancing horses, the bounding chariots (&nbsp;Nahum 3:2 ff), followed by a vivid description of the carnage of the battlefield - is exceedingly striking, and true to their records and their sculptures. </p> Literature. <p> The standard books on the discovery and exploration of Nineveh are Layard, <i> Nineveh and Its Remains </i> (two volumes, 1849); <i> Nineveh and Babylon </i> (1853); <i> Monuments of Nineveh </i> , 1st and 2nd series (plates) (1849,1853); and Hormuzd Hassam, <i> Asshur and the Land of Nimrod </i> (Cincinnati and New York, 1897). </p>