BACK TO CARTHAGE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19255, 20 August 1924, Page 4

BACK TO CARTHAGE.

NEARLY 3000 YEARS AGO. SURPRISING DISCOVERIES SEVEN-STOREY SKYSCRAPERS. American. archaeologists working under the auspices of Harvard University are making some amazing discoveries in Tunisia, North Africa, on and about the site of ancient Carthage. They are proving conclusively the old adage that nothingis new under the sun —not even Americas skyscrapers, cf which New York is so fond cf boasting. For Carthage had skyscrapers nearly 3000 years ago and built them so solidly that, they are not only standing today, but, to all intents and purposes, they are just as good as they ever were! Visiters to Tunis have for years known of the existence of a number of oddlooking buildings tuat clustered half-buried in the desert sands near Medenine, in Southern Tunisia, not far from the site of ancient Carthago, They resembled nothing else in the world ns much as a group of “bee-hive” coke-ovens. Apparently built of plaster and stone, and laved for centuries l.y the clean sands, they are white as driven show and glisten in the bright sunlight. Recently the Harvard archaeologists who have been working at Carthage were attracted by the add-looking structures. History records that an ancient fort was located at Medenine. But the buildings as they appeared did not in any manner resemble forts. So they decided to dig around and find out about them. SAND PILING UP FOR CENTURIES. The sand that had been piling up through the centuries at the sides of the buildings was cleared away, but the foundations they had expected were not disclosed. _ Instead, the excavators were amazed to find what lliev thought a.t first was a basement. They continued to dig, and one after another they unearthed more storeys, until, in a number of instances, as many as seven were found before the foundation was reached. There they discovered, too, stone pavements and .streets, and realise.! that (hey had reached the level of the town, as it existed 2000 years ago. More than a dozen of these ancient skyscrapers have been unearthed, some of the seven-storey ones being from 45 to 50 feet in height. Apparently—and this will bring a chortle from many apartment house riwellnra they were “walk-ups,” for no elevators have jet been found. Qn the outside of the skyscrapers are staircases, leading to the various apartments. 'The plaster of which the skyscrapers were built is very much similar to the concrete of the present, day. But the ancients erected these tall structures without recourse to iron or steel reinforcement. Inside the apartments of_ some of tne_«o skyscrapers were found articles as siirprisin;T as (lie tall buildings them selves. For instance, the archreologists discovered what are undoubtedly children's toys made of clay. There are tiny camels and elephants. and a crude attempt at a chariot, with movable wheels of wood A! any small pitchers have been found, which, from the hiornglvhpics on them, have been identified as babies’ nursing bottles, indicating that the mothers of that time were modern in many ways. GIRLS’ TOILET REQUISITES. Modern, too. was the woman of 3000 years ago. Apparently, according to the discoveries in the ancient skyscrapers, she had all the toilet requisites of the girls of to-day. dugs have been found which contained the olive oil always rubbed into milady's skin before retiring. There are howls” which contained henna for the hair, and other bowls for orris mot. which, wlmn pulverised, made a splendid face powder for jhe dark-skinned beauties. There are bottles for perfumes and dishes for sandal-wood anil herbs which were used in the hath. And. just to show that not one item was overlooked, there are tiny howls which contained coloured salves, which the ancient women used as rouge, likewise there are odcl-lnoking lubes for all the world like the present-day cigaretteholder. which were 'undoubtedly used for the coloured salve and were the forerunners of the modern lipstick. Of the skyscrapers themselves, they wdre undoubtedly used as apartments, and not as business offices. Each contained three nr four rooms—without hath. But on the first floor of every building were found pools for community bathing.