have been in the thirteenth century B.C. This comes to about the same date.
Berosus and Critodemus are said by Pliny to have made the inscribed stellar observations reach to 480 years before the era of Phoroneus; the latter date was supposed to be about the middle of the eighteenth century B.C., 480 years before it, comes also to about the same date.
These three instances are given in Rawlinson's "Ancient Monarchies," p. 149.
Diodorus makes the Assyrian empire commence a thousand years or more before the Trojan war.
Ctesius and Cephalion make its foundation early in the twenty-second century B.C.
Auctor Barbarus makes it in the twenty-third century B.C.
These and other notices probably point to about the same period, the time when Nimrod united Babylonia into one monarchy, and founded Nineveh in Assyria.
Before parting with the consideration of the first tablet, I will give a small fragment, which I provisionally insert here for want of a better place.
1. . . . to thee . . . . .
2. Bel thy father sent me . . . .
3. thus . . . . heard . . . .
4. When in the midst of those forests . . . .
5. he rejoiced at its fragrance and . . . .
6. at first . . . . .
