Here awaiting our inspection are the relics of antiquity, taking us back to the times of

the books of Nehemiah, Daniel, Jeremiah, the Kings, and Genesis. Here are the authentic

and original records of such Bible characters as Nebuchadnezzar, Sennacherib, Cyrus,

Darius and Merodach-Baladan.  Here we may read the actual names of such as

Belshazzar, Hezekiah, and Omri. Here are references to Babylon, Ur of the Chaldees,

Jerusalem, and Susa (Shusan). Surrounding us are records of kings, armies, statesmen,

commerce, religion, and art. The relics consist of rock inscriptions, inscriptions on

temple walls, tombs, monoliths, obelisks, pavement slabs, bricks, foundation stones,

boundary stones, seals, tablets, laws engraved upon stone, and a real tangible "Ebenezer."

Surely such a resumé should evoke from every believer a note of praise to God for such a

demonstration in these days of the veracity and absolute trustworthiness of His inspired

Before examining the objects of interest, the reader may value a word or two relative

to the strange language which everywhere presents itself to the eye. The Assyrian

writing known as Cuneiform (or "wedge-shaped" writing), was not invented by the

Assyrians; they only adopted and adapted the style of writing from their predecessors, the

Accadians. The Accadians did not use an alphabet, but a system of heiroglyphics.

Consequently, when the Assyrians adopted the signs already in use, these signs became

possessed of a bewildering variety of powers and pronunciations.

Perhaps a simple illustration will help the mind. An Englishman looking at the

figure 5 pronounces the sign "five," while a Frenchman looks at it and says "cinq," so the

same sign has two distinct sound values, although the same meaning. Now if these sound

values be used alphabetically, irrespective of their original meaning, in some words the

"f" sound will be intended, in others the "c" sound, just as the word is English or French

in origin. Take another example from our own language. We write viz. and call it

"namely," we put i.e. and call it "that is." To us it presents no difficulty, but imagine a

Chinaman endeavouring to find out how the three letters v i z could by any system of

juggling be pronounced "namely," and you will appreciate the problem and the key to the

Assyrian language. The key to the English examples are, (1) the desire to abbreviate, and

(2) the use of a dead language. This is precisely the case with the Assyrian. This is a

crude attempt to illustrate the reason of the difficulty met with by the decipherers and

Assyrian presents to the enquirer some four or five hundred distinct characters, each

of them possessing more than one value. The Assyrians themselves felt the difficulty,

and their Scribes drew up tables of words giving the Accadian and Assyrian word

meanings and signs, which by the providence of God are in our possession to-day. When

the inexperienced observer is told that certain curious shapes originally represented