Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-01-07
Se,es on American Arehrolog,-No. $.

! WHENCE CAME THAT OLD CIVILIZATION?
Various theories, some OF them very wild and
| irrational, have been advanced to explain the
origin of the rumei cities in Mexico and Cen
trail America. At the present time, something
more is known of the ancient history OF the
country than was possible three hundred years
| AFRO; but this will be the topic Of separate
| paper There Is, however, nc history of these
old cites-no authentic historical record of the
people who built them. Therefore, thcorzing
has, very naturally, been stimulated to great
activity; and most of the theorists have been
controlled by the old, unrcasoning tendency to
assume that civilization found in any place. es
pecially in the olden times, must have been
brought and established there as a foreign pro-
duction. Most of the HYPOTHESIS used in this
case, have presumed, as a matter of course,
that the original ciyilizers came to this CONT
nent from Europe or Asia.
THE "LosT TRIBES OF ISRAEL"
One of these theories is, that the original civi-
zers of Mexico and Central America were the 'lost
ten tribes of Israel" This theory was advanced
very early, and it has been persistontly defend
cd, although nothing can be more unwanaDted
ish monks who first established missions in the
country; and, to explain the cross found in the
ruins as symbol, they added another theory,
namely, that the gospel was preached in
America, by ST. Thomas. The Israelitsh by
pothesis was supported by Lord Kingsborough,
whose great work on the Mexican Antiquities,
entities him to our respect. 1t has been upheld
by others who have not deemed it
necessary to estimate, in a reasonable way,
what was possible 10 those Israelites. Ac-
cording to this theory, the "lost ten tribes of
Israel" left Palestine, traversed the whole extent
of Asia, crossed over into America at Behring's
Strait, went down the Pacific coast to Mexico,
and established a wonderful civilization in the
region where the great ruins are found. It's
pure fancy, possible only to men Of a certain
class, and no longer finds favor anywhere. In
telligepce and culture were not by any means
peculiarities of those "ten tribes" and such
journey, if it had been possible, would have re
suited in utter barbarism rather than any notable
phase of civilized1ife Even the Jews who re-
manned faithful to Moses, although important
on account of their scriptures and their religion,
were not remarkable for civilization. They
were incapable of building their own temple
without aid from the Tyrians. Moreover, there
is not anywhere either fact, a suggestion, or
circumstance Of any kind, to show that the Cost
ten tribes" ever left Syria. They were 'lost"
to the Jewish nation, because they rebelled,
apostatised, and, to great extent, were alb
sorbed by other peoples in that part Of Asia
Some of them appear to have been still in Pal
estine, in the time of Christ.
THE MALAY THEORY.
Another theory, much less Improbable al
though not satisfactory, is that civilization was
brought to Mexico and Central America across
the Pacific, from the great island empire of the
Malays, of which Java was the metropolis. We
know that such an empire formerly existed and
that it was extensive and powerful. 1t was still
in existence when the Portuguese first went to
India round the Cape of Good Hope; and we
have works of several writers who saw aul de.
scrlbed it some six hundred years previous to
this first Indian voyage Of the Portuguese.
1t was maritime and commercial; it had fleets
Of great ships; its influence seems to have
reached most of the islands of the Pacific Ocean;
and ruins that have been examined in java,
show the character of its civilization. There is
special significance in the fact that dialects ofthe
Malay language are found in most of the Pacific
islands, as far, in this direction, as Easter Isl
and The language of the Sandwich Islanders,
for instance, is Malayan and has close rela-
tionship to that now spoken in the Malay Isl
ands. The navigation of the Malays was very
extensive. They probably came TO the coast of
America; for tits not easy TO believe they could
fail to do so, after taking such control of Easter
Island as to leave their language there; and ac-
cOrdiug to the old traditions ofboth Mexico and
Peru, the Pacific coast, in both countries, was
ancently visited by foreign people who came
in ships. But there is nothing Malayan in
either the antiquities or the ancient speech OF
these countries.
That there was communication between east
ern Asia and America, in very ancient times,
through the Malays or otherwise, is in high |
degree probable. This continent was known 10
the japanese and Chinese, long before the time
OF Columbus. Accounts of it were recorded in |
their books, previous to his time. They called |
it "Fusang," and, evidently, at some period, had |
been accustomed TO make voyages to some part |
ofthe American coast. But neither the Malays, |
the Chinese, nor the Japanese, came here as |
for there is not trace of either ofthese
peoples in the old ruins, in the ancient language
of the country, or in anything we know of the |
people whom these American ruins represent.
THE PHGNICIAN THEORY.
The hypothesis of many intelligent investiga- |
tors makes the Pheuicians the original ciyilzers |
in America; and this theory has found more |
favor than any other The Phenicians were a |
great maritime people, it is argued; they made |
voyages on the great exterior ocean, and |
nothing is more probable than that they came |
to America, and established colonies in the re-
gion where we find ruined cities This view OF |
the matter is encouraged by the finding of SYM
bolic devices, in the ruins, similar to those of
the Phoenicians and by a current tradition of |
the natives, that the early ciyilizers were bearded
white men who "came from the east in ships" |
Therefore, it is urged the people described in the
native books and traditions as "Colhuas," must
have been Ph9nicians. 1t is easy TO believe
that, in ages much older than Sidon or Tyre,
the people known to us as Phenicians, had COM
munication with America. The ancient belief
in the existence of great continent, beyond the
Atlantic, must have been due to knowledge
-diuCS W u0duo VI AuClI NOyd3tsJ lUlptIItCIiy |
or never clearly communicated to
other nations. That communication must have |
taken place at very remote period, for the i'm
perfect recollection of the "great Saturnian con.
tinent," across the Atlantic, appears to have
been even more ancient than the constrained
voyage Of the Tyrian ship, related by Diodorus
siculus. The great people represented to us in
history, by the Phenicians, had communities
established all around the Mediterranean, in
prehistoric times, that may have been as old as
Egypt. They had great ships apd great knowl-
edge of navigation. II was by no means i'm
possible for them to fluid America ani establish
colonies here, or engage in trade with any civ
ilzed people existing on this side of the ocean.
But if it were true that the civilization found
in Mexico and Central America, came from the
Phenician race, itwould be true, also, that they
built in America as they never built anywhere
else,-that they established language here
radically unlike their own,-and that they used
a style of writing totally different every woy