The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1872-04-11
The Ancient Ophir.
Is IL Identical with the African Dia-
mOHd Fields:

DIR. Petermann, the geographer,
in II letter to the Oststee Xcitung,
expresses himself satisfied by the
lateNt report of the German explor-
cr, Herr Carr Mauch, that the dia-
mond fields in East Africa are iden-
teal with the Ophir of the BiblA,
from which King Solomon is said to
have conveyed gold and ivory and
precious stones to Jerusalem for the
construction Of the temple. The
whereabouts Of the anci nj Ophir
hts long been disputed point.
The porugese, on taking posse4ion
Of Sofala, invested that colony with
he Biblical character Legends
were atlirme ed to be current among
the natives that the rich gold mines
and the buildings Of which ruins
were still yisable, owed their orig II
to the Queen of Shcba, and Lopez
even asserted he existence Of an
cient documents proving the re-
moval in ancient times of god and
precious stones to Jerusalem. These
as ,ertions cannot, however, il Herr
Petermnnu's opinion, stand beside
che discoveries 1naie III our new
tolonies by Britton and Mauch
Mcrcnsky and Gru'ncr Zimbabye
is the place. Its ne'ghborhood is
rich in alluyial gold, precious stones,
and diamonds It possesses ruins
If extensive piles OF buildings, the
sttucture of which shows them to be
of unquestionablo and remote
antiquity. Ornaments and lnstru-
ments are still found that could not
possibly have been left there by
Phocnicians. Three days journey
from Zimbabye, similar ruius have
been found, and the surrounding
country is rich in all that fayors
agriculture. The present inhabl-
tants have been in possession only
about forty years, and they regard
the ruins and relics with n kind Of
awe, due to tradition, which invests
them with sacred character The
geography oil the pace tallios ad-
mirably with the iniicat!ons ivcn
in The Bible. Phoenicians vessels
would naturally sail along the
eastern African coast for the Red
sea, and proceeding by this route
they would be about three years
coming and going, as stated in the
Bible. Herr Petcrmaun concludes
with cut at the practical sense"
Of the English, who with the most
native coolncss" have annexed the
valuable territory.
But, on the other hand, Dr.. Pc
termann's theory is fatty contracted
by Herr Kiepert, no less compe-
tent authority on geographical
questions, who protests against the
revival of a controversy which has
by common consent long been re-
garded as closed, for the Gland Of
Ophir" has, in his opinion, conclu-
sively been proved to be situated in
India. The words used in the Old
Testament to denote the various
articles carried thence to Jerusa-
lem-viz E: gold, ivory, pcaco1ks,
monkeys, etc.-are indisputably of
Sanskrit origin, and the name Abhira
has been accepted as corresponding
even genealogical to the "Ophir" of
the Jews. The distance tallies per-
fectly with sthat indicated in the
Bible, and moreover, it is recog-
nized fact that Phoenicians traded
largely with India, whereas their
commerce with the African coast,
despite Herr Petermann s ingenious
surmises, must be admitted to rest
wholly on hypothesis. The ancient
ruins found at Zinbabye and in its
vicinity are no proof at all, Tor
where, asks Herr Keipert, have
similar ruins been found owing their
origin to the Phoenicians did not