It is remarkable that into this interval falls also the famous era of Nabonassar, which must have marked some important change, dynastic or other, at Babylon.  The nature of the change will be considered at length in the Babylonia a section.  At present it is sufficient to observe that, in the declining condition of Assyria under the kings who followed Vul-lush III., there was naturally a growth of power and independence among the border countries.  Babylon, repenting of the submission which she had made either to Vul-lush III., or to his father, Shamas-Vul II., once more vindicated her right to freedom, and resumed the position of a separate and hostile monarchy.  Samaria, Damascus, Judaea, ceased to pay tribute.  Enterprising kings, like Jeroboam II., and Menahem, taking advantage of Assyria’s weakness, did not content themselves with merely throwing off her yoke, but proceeded to enlarge their dominions at the expense of her feudatories.  Judging of the unknown from the known, we may assume that on the north and east there were similar defections to those on the west and south—­that the tribes of Armenia and of the Zagros range rose in revolt, and that the Assyrian boundaries were thus contracted in every quarter.

At the same time, within the limits of what was regarded as the settled Empire, revolts began to occur.  In the reign of Asshur-dayan III. (B.C. 771-753), no fewer than three important insurrections are recorded—­one at a city called Libzu, another at Arapkha, the chief town of Arrapachitis, and a third at Gozan, the chief city of Gauzanitis or Mygdonia.  Attempts were made to suppress these revolts; but it may be doubted whether they were successful.  The military spirit had declined; the monarchs had ceased to lead out their armies regularly year by year, preferring to pass their time in inglorious ease at their rich and luxurious capitals.  Asshur-dayan III., during nine years of his eighteen, remained at home, under-taking no warlike enterprise.  Asshur-lush, his successor, displayed even less of military vigor.  During the eight years of his reign he took the field twice only, passing six years in complete inaction.  At the end of this time, Calah, the second city in the kingdom, revolted; and the revolution was brought about which ushered in the splendid period of the Lower Empire.

It was probably during the continuance of the time of depression, when an unwarlike monarch was living in inglorious ease amid the luxuries and refinements of Nineveh, and the people, sunk in repose, gave the themselves up to vicious indulgences more hateful in the eye of God than even the pride and cruelty which they were want to exhibit in war, that the great capital was suddenly startled by a voice of warning in the streets—­a voice which sounded everywhere, through corridor, and lane, and square, bazaar and caravanserai, one shrill monotonous cry—­“Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.”  A strange wild man, clothed in a rough garment of