Page:Discovery and Decipherment of the Trilingual Cuneiform Inscriptions.djvu/296

Rh Babylonian inscriptions with the character seen on Babylonian bricks and in the East India House Inscrip- tion. He published two elaborate tables in illustration of this theme, and offered a few suggestions as to the meaning? of the sims.^ His later contributions deal chiefly with the Assyrian inscriptions, which, since the excavations made by Botta, began to attract the largest share of public attention. In 1850, he wrote on Khorsabad, on the Assyrio-Babylonian phonetic system, and on Assyrian mythology. Among his more important contributions to Assyriology are his treatise on the Assyrian Verb (1 So 5-0) and his Assyrian Grammar, begun in 18(iG.^' The last was left unfinished, and, strange to say, no notes were found among his papers to assist in its completion. Like Jacquet, he seems to have chart^ed his memory with the whole Ijurden of the complicated task he had set himself to accomphsh. Few scholars enjoyed a higher reputation for extra- ordinary acumen in unravelliniJf the difficulties of this intricate suljject. The 'intuition' he displayed was specially remarkable, and often led him to anticipate (conclusions that other scholars only reached by a slow and arduous course of inquiry. Even Eawlinson, who shared to a high degree in this rare gift, often found liimself anticipated by the Irish scholar. Hincks, for example, was the first to decipher the name and titles of Nebuchadnezzar in the India House Inscription and in many other places, where Grotefend thought he had found 'forms of prayer.'^ This was, however, after he had received the Behistun Inscription, where 'Nebuchadnezzar ' was found by Eawlinson in the Persian column.'*

» Tram. 11, 1, Acad. loc. cit. pp. 242, 244, 253.

- In Journal of Sacred Literature, 1855 ; J. R. A. S. (1866), vol. ii.

^ Trans. JR. I. Acad. loc. cit. p. 243.


 * Id. p. 233 ; J. Ii. A. S, x. Ixx.