Babylonian and Assyrian Literature

Project Gutenberg's Babylonian and Assyrian Literature, by AnonymousThis eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it,give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online atwww.gutenberg.netTitle: Babylonian and Assyrian LiteratureAuthor: AnonymousRelease Date: January 31, 2004 [EBook #10887]Language: English*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BABYLONIAN AND ASSYRIAN LITERATURE ***Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Andy Schmitt and the Online Distributed Proofreading TeamBABYLONIAN AND ASSYRIAN LITERATURECOMPRISING THE EPIC OF IZDUBAR, HYMNS, TABLETS, AND CUNEIFORM INSCRIPTIONSWITH A SPECIAL INTRODUCTION BY EPIPHANIUS WILSON, A.M.REVISED EDITION1901SPECIAL INTRODUCTIONThe great nation which dwelt in the seventh century before our era on the banks of Tigris and Euphrates flourished inliterature as well as in the plastic arts, and had an alphabet of its own. The Assyrians sometimes wrote with a sharp reed,for a pen, upon skins, wooden tablets, or papyrus brought from Egypt. In this case they used cursive letters of aPhoenician character. But when they wished to preserve their written documents, they employed clay tablets, and a styluswhose bevelled point made an impression like a narrow elongated wedge, or arrow-head. By a combination of thesewedges, letters and words were formed by the skilled and practised scribe, who would ...