Myths and legends of Babylonia and Assyria (1916) (14781767142)

Identifier: mythslegendsofba00spenuoft (find matches)
Title: Myths and legends of Babylonia & Assyria
Year: 1916 (1910s)
Authors: Spence, Lewis, 1874-1955
Subjects: Assyro-Babylonian religion Mythology, Assyro-Babylonian Legends Cults
Publisher: London : Harrap
Contributing Library: Kelly - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN



Text Appearing Before Image:
ans who had perished in hiscampaigns against Babylonia had been slaughteredby Dibbarra. Lesscf Gods Some of the lesser Babylonian gods, like Damkuand Sharru-Ilu, seem to have attracted a passinginterest to themselves, but as little can be found 229 MYTHS OF BABYLONIA AND ASSYRIA concerning them in Babylonian texts, it is scarcelynecessary to take much notice of them in such achapter as this. Most probably the Assyrians ac-cepted the Babylonian gods on the basis not onlyof their native reputation, but also of the occur-rence of their names in the ancient religious texts,with which their priests were thoroughly acquainted,and though, broadly speaking, they accepted prac-tically the whole of the Babylonian religion andits gods in entirety, there is no doubt that some ofthese by their very natures and attributes appealedmore to them than others, and therefore possesseda somewhat different value in their eyes from thatassigned to them by the more peace-loving peopleof the southern kingdom.
Text Appearing After Image:
Procession of Gods Rock-relief at Malatia (Anti-Taurus range). Order from rightto left: Asshur, Ishtar, Sin, En-lil, Shamash, Adad, and Ishtarof Arbela.—From Religious Belief and Practice in Babyloniaand Assyria, by Prof. Jastrow (G. P. Putnams Sons). 230 CHAPTER VIII: BABYLONIAN STAR.WORSHIP A NCIENT Clialdea was undoubtedly the blrth-JL\ place of that mysterious science of astrologyX 1. which was destined to exert such influenceupon the European mind during the Middle Ages,and which indeed has not yet ceased to amuse thecurious and flatter the hopes of the credulous.Whether any people more primitive than the Akka-dians had studied the movements of the stars itwould indeed be extremely difficult to say. Thisthe Akkadians or Babylonians were probably thefirst to attempt. The plain of Mesopotamia ispeculiarly suited to the study of the movementsof the stars. It is level for the most part, and thereare few mountains around which moisture can collectto obscure the sky. Moreover the cli