horses, camels, monkeys
and baboons of different kinds, stags, lions, wild bulls, antelopes,
and--strangest of all--the rhinoceros and the elephant. One of the
nations, as already mentioned, is that of the Israelites. The others
are, first, the people of Kirzan, a country bordering on Armenia, who
present gold, silver, copper, horses, and camels, and fill the four
highest compartments with a train of nine envoys: secondly, the Muzri,
or people of Muzr, a country nearly in the same quarter, who are
represented in the four central compartments, with six envoys conducting
various wild animals; thirdly, the Tsukhi, or Shuhites, from the
Euphrates, to whom belong the four compartments below the Muzri, which
are filled by a train of thirteen envoys, bringing two lions, a stag,
and various precious articles, among which bars of metal, elephants'
tusks, and shawls or tissues are conspicuous; and lastly, the Patera,
from the Orontes, who fill three of the lowest compartments with a train
of twelve envoys bearing gifts like those of the Israelites.

Besides this interesting monument, there are very few remains of art
which can be ascribed to Shalmaneser's time with any confidence. The
sculptures found on the site of his palace belonged to a later monarch,
who restored and embellished it. His own bas-reliefs were torn from
their places by Esarhaddon, and by him defaced and used as materials in
the construction of a new palace. We are thus left almost without
materials for judging of the progress made by art during Shalmaneser's
reign. Architecture, it may be conjectured, was modified to a certain
extent, precious woods being employed more frequently and more largely
than before; a fact of which we seem to have an indication in the
frequent expeditions made by Shalmaneser into Syria, for the single
purpose of cutting timber in its forests. Sculpture, to judge from the
obelisk, made no advance. The same formality, the same heaviness of
outline, the same rigid adherence to the profile in all representations
both of man and beast, characterize the reliefs of both reigns equally,
so far as we have any means of judging.

Shalmaneser seems to have held his court ordinarily at Calah, where he
built his palace and set up his obelisk; but sometimes he would reside
for a time at Nineveh or at Asshur. He does not appear to have built any
important edifice at either of these two cities, but at the latter he
left a monument which possesses som