the Upper Sea may be taken to be the Mediterranean, though it may possibly have been Lake Van or Lake Urmi.  But whichever of these views might be adopted, it was clear that Lugalzaggisi was a great conqueror, and had achieved the right to assume the high-sounding title of lugal halama, “king of the world.”  In these circumstances it was of the first importance for the study of primitive Chaldaean history and chronology to ascertain approximately the period at which Lugalzaggisi reigned.

The evidence on which such a question could be provisionally settled was of the vaguest and most uncertain character, but such as it was it had to suffice, in the absence of more reliable data.  In settling all problems connected with early Chaldaean chronology, the starting-point was, and in fact still is, the period of Sargon I, King of Agade, inasmuch as the date of his reign is settled, according to the reckoning of the scribes of Nabonidus, as about 3800 B.C.  It is true that this date has been called in question, and ingenious suggestions for amending it have been made by some writers, while others have rejected it altogether, holding that it merely represented a guess on the part of the late Babylonians and could be safely ignored in the chronological schemes which they brought forward.  But nearly every fresh discovery made in the last few years has tended to confirm some point in the traditions current among the later Babylonians with regard to the earlier history of their country.  Consequently, reliance may be placed with increased confidence on the truth of such traditions as a whole, and we may continue to accept those statements which yet await confirmation from documents more nearly contemporary with the early period to which they refer.  It is true that such a date as that assigned by Nabonidus to Sargon is not to be regarded as absolutely fixed, for Nabonidus is obviously speaking in round numbers, and we may allow for some minor inaccuracies in the calculations of his scribes.  But it is certain that the later Babylonian priests and scribes had a wealth of historical material at their disposal which has not come down to us.  We may therefore accept the date given by Nabonidus for Sargon of Agade and his son Naram-Sin as approximately accurate, and this is also the opinion of the majority of writers on early Babylonian history.

The diggings at Nippur furnished indications that certain inscriptions found on that site and written in a very archaic form of script were to be assigned to a period earlier than that of Sargon.  One class of evidence was obtained from a careful study of the different levels at which the inscriptions and the remains of buildings were found.  At a comparatively deep level in the mound inscriptions of Sargon himself were recovered, along with bricks stamped with the name of Naram-Sin, his son.  It was, therefore, a reasonable conclusion roughly to date the particular stratum in which these objects were found to the period