st every country upon his
borders; attacks and reduces six important nations, besides numerous
petty tribes; receiving the submission of forty-two kings; traversing
the most difficult mountain regions; defeating armies, besieging towns,
destroying forts and strongholds, ravaging territories; never allowing
himself a moment of repose; when he is not engaged in military
operations, devoting himself to the chase, contending with the wild bull
and the lion, proving himself (like the first Mesopotamian king) in very
deed "a mighty hunter," since he counts his victims by hundreds; and all
the while having regard also to the material welfare of his country,
adorning it with buildings, enriching it with the products of other
lands, both animal and vegetable, fertilizing it by means of works of
irrigation, and in every way "improving the condition of the people, and
obtaining for them abundance and security."

With respect to the general condition of Assyria, it may be noted, in
the first place, that the capital is still Asshur, and that no mention
is made of any other native city. The king calls himself "king of the
four regions," which would seem to imply a division of the territory
into districts, like that which certainly obtained in later times. The
mention of "four" districts is curious, since the same number was from
the first affected by the Chaldaeans, while we have also evidence that,
at least after the time of Sargon, there was a pre-eminence of four
great cities in Assyria. The limits of the territory at the time of the
Inscription are not very dearly marked; but they do not seem to extend
beyond the outer ranges of Zagros on the east, Niphates on the north,
and the Euphrates upon the west. The southern boundary at the time was
probably the commencement of the alluvium; but this cannot be gathered
from the Inscription, which contains no notice of any expedition in the
direction of Babylonia. The internal condition of Assyria is evidently
flourishing. Wealth flows in from the plunder of the neighboring
countries; labor is cheapened by the introduction of enslaved captives;
irrigation is cared for; new fruits and animals are introduced;
fortifications are repaired, palaces renovated, and temples beautified
or rebuilt.

The countries adjoining upon Assyria at the west, the north, and the
east, in which are carried on the wars of the period, present
indications of great political weakness. They are divided up among a
v