yet little difference in form from their Babylonian models and the
historical data were of the slightest. This type persisted until the
latest days of the Assyrian empire in the inscriptions placed on the
bricks, or, in slightly more developed form, in the inscriptions
written on the slabs of stone used for the adornment of palace or
temple. For these later periods, they rarely have a value other than
for the architectural history, and so demand no further study in this
place. Nevertheless, the architectural origin of the historical
inscription should not be forgotten. Even to the end, it is a rare
document which does not have as its conclusion a more or less full
account of the building operations carried on by the monarch who
erected it.

It was not long until the inscriptions were incised on
limestone. These slabs, giving more surface for the writing, easily
induced the addition of other data, including naturally some account
of the monarch's exploits in war. The typical inscription of this
type, take, for example that of Adad nirari I, [Footnote: BM. 90,978;
IV. R. 44 f.; G. Smith, _Assyr. Discoveries_, 1875, 242 ff.;
Pognon, JA. 1884, 293 ff.; Peiser, KB. I. 4 ff.; Budge-King, 4 ff.;
duplicate Scheil, RT. XV. 138 ff.; Jastrow, ZA. X. 35 ff.; AJSL. XII
143 ff.] has a brief titulary, then a slightly longer sketch of the
campaigns, but the greater portion by far is devoted to the narration
of his buildings. This type also continued until the latest days of
the empire, and, like the former, is of no value where we have the
fuller documents.

When the German excavations were begun at Ashur, the earliest capital
of the Assyrian empire, it was hoped that the scanty data with which
we were forced to content ourselves in writing the early history would