The royal letters that have been recovered throw little light on
military affairs and the prosecution of campaigns, for, being addressed
to governors of cities and civil officials, most of them deal with
matters affecting the internal administration of the empire. One letter
indeed contains directions concerning the movements of two hundred
and forty soldiers of "the King's Company" who had been stationed in
Assyria, and another letter mentions certain troops who were quartered
in the city of Ur. A third deals with the supply of clothing and oil
for a section of the Babylonian army, and troops are also mentioned
as having formed the escort for certain goddesses captured from the
Elamites; while directions are sent to others engaged in a campaign upon
the Elamite frontier. The letter which contains directions for the
safe escort of the captured Elamite goddesses, and the one ordering the
return of these same goddesses to their own shrines, show that
foreign deities, even when captured from an enemy, were treated by the
Babylonians with the same respect and reverence that was shown by them
to their own gods and goddesses. Hammurabi gave directions in the first
letter for the conveyance of the goddesses to Babylon with all due pomp
and ceremony, sheep being supplied for sacrifice upon the journey,
and their usual rites being performed by their own temple-women and
priestesses.
Pages:
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325
326