"سرد لرحلة إلى موقع مدينة بابل في ١٨١١، طُبعت الآن لأول مرة: مذكرات على الأطلال؛ مع نقوش من الخرائط المدبئية للمؤلف: ملاحظات على طبوغرافية بابل القديمة،بقلم الرائد رينيل؛ في إشارة إلى المذكرات: مذكرات ثانية على الأطلال؛ في إشارة إلى ملاحظات الرائد رينيل: مع سرد لرحلة إلى برسبوليس: طُبعت الآن لأول مرة، مع كتابات مسمارية نسخت في برسبوليس ولم تُنشر من قبل: كتبها الراحل كلوديوس جيمس ريتش، المحترم، المقيم البريطاني السابق لشركة الهند الشرقية في بغداد. حررته أرملته." [‎٢‎٥‎٦] (٤٧٤/٣٩٩)

256
JOURNEY TO PERSEPOLIS.
point; and on this point, which is the westernmost
extremity of the defile, are the sculptures of Nakshi
Rustum. The most remarkable objects are four
tombs of kings of the ante-Alexandrian dynasty. On
the third from the point are two long tables of cunei
form inscriptions in the upper compartment; one on
each side of the priest and altar, and two on the
lower, one on each side of the door. They are the
longest of all the cuneiform inscriptions I have ever
seen. In fact there is a prodigious quantity of writ
ing on them, but so small, and so high up, and so
much worn, that I should think it impossible to copy
them. The two tables on the top, I conclude, con
tain the original Zend ; and the other two, which are
rather larger, the two translations, or copies, in the
second and third species. All these sepulchres have
been violated; and from a little distance the sarco
phagi, or at least three of the tombs, may be seen
through the apertures broken in the doorways. The
Sassanian tablets are under these, and are very
coarse and heavy productions. Nevertheless the one
which represents a woman suppliant has a consider
able effect from a little distance; and one could not
help being somewhat afflicted to see the majesty of
Rome, even the Rome of Valerian, so humbled be
fore a barbarian.* There is a very long and minute
Sassanian inscription, which it would be now almost
* The emperor Valerian was defeated in battle and taken prisoner
nearEdessaby Sapor, the king of Persia, a.d., 260. —See " Gibbon's
Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, 0 vol. i. ch. 10. p. 274.
Quarto edition.