he poured forth prayers mingled with tears:  “Lady of Arbela, I am Assur-bani-pal, King of Assyria, the creature of thy hands, the offspring of a father whom thou didst create!  Behold now, this Tiumman, the King of Elam, who despises the gods of Assyria, hath sent forth his host and prepared himself for the conflict; he hath called for his arms to rush to attack Assyria.  Do thou, O archer of the gods, like a bolt falling in the midst of the battle, overthrow him, and let loose upon him a tempest, and an evil wind!” Ishtar heard his prayer, and her voice sounded through the gloom:  “Fear not,” said she, comforting him:  “since thou hast raised thy hands to me in supplication, and thine eyes are bedewed with tears grant thee a boon!” Towards the end of that night, a seer slept in the temple and was visited by a dream.  Ishtar of Arbela appeared to him, with a quiver on either side, a bow in one hand and a drawn sword in the other.  She advanced towards the king, and spoke to him as if she had been his mother:  “Make war boldly! whichever way thou turnest thy countenance, there will I go!” And the king replied to her, “Where thou goest, will I go with thee, sovereign lady!” But she answered, “Stay thou here.  Dwell in this home of Nebo, eat thy food and drink thy wine, listen to joyful songs and honour my divinity, until I have gone and accomplished this work.  Let not thy countenance grow pale, nor thy feet fail under thee, and expose not thyself to the danger of battle.”  “And then, O king,” added the seer, “she hid thee in her bosom as a mother, and protected thy image.  A flame shall spring forth before her, and shall spread abroad to destroy thine enemies:  against Tiumman, King of Elam, who has angered her, has she set her face!” Like Minephtah of old, in the days of the Libyan invasions of Egypt, Assur-bani-pal allowed himself to be readily convinced by the decision of the gods; he did not quit Arbela, but gave orders to his troops to proceed to the front.  His generals opened the campaign in the month of Em, and directed the main body of their forces against the fortress of Durilu, at the point on the frontier nearest to Susa.  Tiumman was not expecting such a prompt and direct attack:  he had reckoned doubtless on uniting his forces with those of Dunanu with a view to invading Karduniash, and suddenly realised that his adversary had forestalled him and was advancing on the heart of his empire.  He slowly withdrew his advanced guard, and concentrated his forces round the town of Tulliz, a few leagues on this side of Susa, and there awaited the enemy’s attack.*

* The site of Tulliz is unknown.  Billerbock considers, and with reason, I think, that the battle took place to the south of Susa, on the river Shavur, which would correspond to the Ulai, on the lowest spurs of the ridge of hills bordering the alluvial plain of Susiana.

His position was a strong one, flanked on the right by a wood and on the left by the Ulai, while the flower