BABYLON AND PERSIA

XL" KURUSH THE KING, THE AKII/EMENIAN."I. Of the three cylinders mentioned on p. 281,awd-the one brought over by Mr. H. Ras- Fail of the° _ Median Emsam,which surpasses both the others in p're, 549 b.cimportance as an historical document, contains theannals of the reign of Nabonidus, last king of Baby¬lon, and the capture of Babylon by Kyros. .In thesecond column we read as follows :". . . Against Kurash (Kyros), king of Anshan, came Ish.Islituvegu's (Astyages') army revolted against him, cap¬tured him and delivered him over to Kurasli.Kurash (marched)into the land of Agamtunu (Agbatana), the royal city.He tooksilver, gold, furniture, valuables ;from .\gamtunu he carried off alland brought to Anshan the treasure and goods which he hadcaptured."Further on Kyros is once named " King of Persia."This cylinder was written in the reign of Kyros asking of Babylon.Another, known more especiallyas " the Nabonidus Cylinder," and somewhat earlierin date, alludes more briefly to the same event.*"... He (the god Marduk) caused Kurash, king of Anshan,his young servant, to go with his little army.He overthrew thewidespread Sabmanda" (" h'xxba.xvm?,," a. name here given to theMedes), " he captured Ishtuvegu, king of Sabmanda, and took histreasureto his own land. "* This is the famous cylinder which helped to establish the dateof the first Sargon of Agade. See " Story of Chaldea," p. 213.289 u