A history of Babylon from the foundation of the monarchy to the Persian conquest (1915) (14780290471)

Identifier: historyofbabylon00kinguoft (find matches)
Title: A history of Babylon from the foundation of the monarchy to the Persian conquest
Year: 1915 (1910s)
Authors: King, L. W. (Leonard William), 1869-1919
Subjects:
Publisher: London : Chatto and Windus
Contributing Library: Robarts - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: University of Toronto



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saccession to the throne, and that would account for theirregarding the same year as the nineteenth according to the abolished system of reckoning.^ This seems thepreferable explanation of the two, but it will be noticedthat, on either alternative, we must regard the first yearof the Nisin era as corresponding to the seventeenthyear of Rim-Sins reign. One other point requires to be settled, and that isthe relation of the Nisin era to the actual conquest ofthe city. Was the era inaugurated in the same yearas the conquest, or did its first year begin with thefollowing first of Nisan ? In the course of the fifth 1 The fact that they had always dated by formulae, and not by numberedyears of the kings reign, is quite sufficient to explain the uncertainty as towhether the accession-year sliould be included in their reckoning. Thus theapparent discrepancy in the double-dates, so far from weakening the explana-tion put forward in the text, really aflFords it additional support andconfirmation.
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HAMMUHABI, KINC; OF IJABYLON, FROiM A RKLIKF IN IHt l;RrU.>H MUSEUM.Biit. Miis., Xo. 22454. THE CHRONOLOGICAL SCHEME 97 chapter the early Babylonian method of time-reckoningis referred to, and it will be seen that precisely thesame question arises with regard to certain otherevents commemorated in date-formulse of the period.^Though some features of the system are still ratheruncertain, we have proof that the greater historicalevents did in certain cases affect the current date-formula, especially when this was of a provisionalcharacter, with the result that the event was com-memorated in the final formula for the year of itsactual occurrence. Arguing from analogy, we maytherefore regard the inauguration of the Nisin era ascoinciding with the year of the citys capture. In thecase of this particular event the arguments in favourof such a view apply with redoubled force, for no othervictory by a king of Larsa was comparable to it inimportance. We may thus regard the last year ofDamik