Discovery of a City Nine Thousand Years Old.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 11788, 5 April 1900, Page 1

Discovery of a City Nine Thousand Years Old.

* A SCRIPTURAL CITY EXHUMED. AkcUvKOLOOICAI treasures of intense interest recently unearthed in Nippur, Babylonia, have just been brought to America. By means of them it will be possible to reconstruct the civilibation of nine thousand years ;*-go — seven thousand years before the beginning of the Christian era. In the tenth chapter of G enesis there is mentioned a city called Cneuch. This city "was later partially buried, ami long afterward the modern city of Nippur ■was built on its site. Excavations in Nippnr are now revealing the history, customs, and character of the people of that almost inconceivably remote period when Caench was a civilised city. Professor Herman von Ililprccht, of the University of Pennsylvania, is responsible for these discoveries, and the treasures considered of some great importance are now in the university's free museum in Philadelphia. He lias 1-wen greatly aided in this work by Sara Y. Stevenson, author of the recent history of " Maximilian in Msxico," who has taken deep interest in the work of the university. Sargon I, who lived 3800 8.C., was before the present excavations the earliest Babylonian king 1 known to have existed. But the story of dynasty after dynasty previous to Sargon's time is now being unearthed. A cuneiform tablet, 6in. by 3in., mad© of clay, gives King Nebuchadnezzar's account of his restoration of the tower of Babel. Another of similar size contains the inscription of King- Amraphel, who was defeated by Abraham, near Damascus, ?.200 it.c, The oltle .t known inscription is that of Lugal Zaggist, .King of Babylonia, wliich shows the style ot character used 6500 years ago. An extraordinary discovery is the origin of the hand printing press. This is {raced back to 3800 B.C. This, the most ancient printing press in the world, was found in the ruins of Nippur, and contains the inscription of " Naram-Sin, builder oi the Temple of Bel." ' * In the lowest stratum that has been explored was found an arch of the type hitherto considered Roman. This arch is the oldest in the world, and demonstrates that the art of building keystone arches was known 7000 years ago. Bronze and iron objects, beautifully coloured pottery, which, if found in the upper strata, would undoubtedly be pronounced Grecian, were likewise discovered. The bulk of treasures fomid at Nippur are in the shape of cuneiform tablets, numbering about 40,000. They disclose almost every kind of literature — syllabaries or dictionaries, historical fragments, chronological lists, astronomical and building inscriptions, religious texts, votive and contract tablets, lists of taxes, plans of estates, multiplication tables. &c. The expedition also secured specimens of different kinds of sarcophagi used by the Babylonians. Most of these are slipper shaped, made, of thick, half-burned; clay, and were covered originally -with a. blue glaze, which in time turned green. Other specimens, bath tub shaped, in addition to the different kinds of buriaL urns used, have also been preserved. Pottery of all descriptions, sizes, and shapes, from tombs and houses; jewellery in gold, silver, ivory, shell, and. stone; tools, weapons, utensils, and coins' in bronze and iron are "well represented in the remarkable collection. On a table of clay about sin by 4in is a receipt for a 3'ear's tax for seven estates, given by Marashu Sons, real estate agents, of Nippur, 450 n.c. The ruins of Nippur cover an area of several hundred acres in the midst of the desert. From inscriptions on tablets it is known that there was a wall about the city several miles in circumference, cut by four city gates. Most of the work so far lias been spent in excavating the ruins, of the Temple of Bel, because in this temple *ongregated all the civilisation and learning of the age. The excavations and the results are considered tha most important ever known.