aldaea as in
Egypt, required, not to speak of the bands of women and men who honoured
the god in meretricious rites. Occupation for this motley crowd was
never lacking. Every day and almost every hour a fresh ceremony required
the services of one or other member of the staff, from the monarch
himself, or his deputy in the temple, down to the lowest sacristan. The
12th of the month Blul was set apart at Babylon for the worship of Bel
and Beltis: the sovereign made a donation to them according as he was
disposed, and then celebrated before them the customary sacrifices, and
if he raised his hand to plead for any favour, he obtained it without
fail. The 13th was dedicated to the moon, the supreme god; the 14th to
Beltis and Nergal; the 15th to Shamash; the 16th was a fast in honour
of Merodach and Zirbanit; the 17th was the annual festival of Nebo and
Tashmit; the 18th was devoted to the laudation of Sin and Shamash; while
the 19th was a "white day" for the great goddess Gula. The whole year
was taken up in a way similar to this casual specimen from the calendar.
The kings, in founding a temple, not only bestowed upon it the objects
and furniture required for present exigencies, such as lambs and oxen,
birds, fish, bread, liquors, incense, and odoriferous essences;
they assigned to it an annual income from the treasury, slaves, and
cultivated lands; and their royal successors were accustomed to renew
these gifts or increase them on every opportunity. Every victorious
campaign brought him his share in the spoils and captives; every
fortunate or unfortunate event which occurred in connection with the
State or royal family meant an increase in the gifts to the god, as
an act of thanksgiving on the one hand for the divine favour, or as an
offering on the other to appease the wrath of the god. Gold, silver,
copper, lapis-lazuli, gems and precious woods, accumulated in the sacred
treasury; fields were added to fields, flocks to flocks, slaves to
slaves; and the result of such increase would in a few generations
have made the possessions of the god equal to those of the reigning
sovereign, if the attacks of neighbouring peoples had not from time to
time issued in the loss of a part of it, or if the king himself had not,
under financial pressure, replenished his treasury at the expense of the
priests. To prevent such usurpations as far as possible, maledictions
were hurled at every one who should dare to lay a sacrilegious hand on