The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1876-02-02
HAWAIIAN GAZETTE
AN INDEPENDENT JOURNAL,
DEVOTED TO HAWAIIAN PROGRESS.
Hurled Histories

OF sffordinS, and have become uncertain and def
Gent guides In fact theS hardly touch really
ancient history That which is aulhentic 10 them
does not-Siaie farther hack than about the begin
Ming Of the Olympiads, in the eighth century be-
fore Christ At this time whole family Of great
nations had grown up. fourished and disappeared.
Egypt vas ia the decline Of her thini Empire.
Two or three empires had risen, one upon anoih-
er's ruins, IN Mesopoiamja, and fallen. The
PhGaieians had done their work Of buIdinc com
merce and planting colonies, and most Of their
colonies bad passed their greatest stage Ac-
enriiur 10 the now accepted estimates. the time
of busy lie aud civilization before Greece and
Rome were founded, was quite as long as that
that has elapsed since If not longer. OF the his
tories Of that time the classical writers give lit
lie besides fables. g1esSeS, and vague gossip.
Much Of the best sncieni histories is lost, leav-
ing gaps which ii has been impossible TO FL.
Moreover the old books, honest and true in the
main, are narrei by b.unders aud contradictions,
lost as many modern works are. Bat while, in
the case Of the modern works, there are stand
ards abusdani aud readily acceptable, by which
10 correct or verify them such standards are want
ing with reference TO the ancient authors, aud
tue student has had TO Judge them without col
lateral help. Oflaie. however, the spade has been
the means Of bringing to light many ancient mon
umenis- These are authorities whose auihen-
tcity cannot be disputed. Whatever they es
iabiiSh they fix beyond doubt, for they were II
The time AMI part Of the act which they re
cord.
At Pompei Roman city has been dug out
SO as TO reveal all the phases OF its life on busy
day, except that the people are absent In Egypt,
superficial explorations have disclosed infinitely
the manners and customs, The domestic ami pub
lie life, and the social conditions, with HATS OF
the history, Of people Two or three thousand
years older than the Romans. DR.. Schiiemann
has unearihed city as Old Homers Troy,
probably older, and 10 the same neighborhood, If
it be rot Troy itself He has recovered from 1t
the domestic utensils sacred articles, and treas-
ures OF nation Of whom the world i've years ago
knew nothing. Extensive discoveries have been
made in the sepglehral cities OF the EtruScaas.
people who were civilized and lived il Italy be-
fore Rome was built. Enough Of their inscrip-
tons have been discovered to provoke study and
controversy respecting the afinities Of their Ian
Cuage. What Gen. Cesnola found at Cyprus is
on exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum Of
Art. The two thousand articles or more in the
collection include household utensils toys, re-
spectacle works Of art, toilet articles, weapons,
tomhs and few inscriptions, dating back to iron
five hundred TO about eighteen hundred years be-
fore Christ At Nineveh operations are prose-
euled 10 one Of the Royal iibraries-a suite OF
apartments filed with documents and chronicles
on brick, II dne state Of preservation. They
are genuine records arranged. dated, aud detailed
with circumstance. They include tables Of ehrO-
nolosy. Of which three centuries have been trans-
lated and Published. and histories of their own
reigus related BY the Kings These are genuine
records, well made eompeadIums Of TACT, authen-
tic and defuite. Religious works, books Of sell
enee and All. and business papers have been
found. and traditions which State 10 near the
generally accepted beginning Of The life Of man.
Among the last are the " Deluge Tablet which
has beea extensively Published, and narratives Of
the creation aad The fail Of man, which are prom
ised in full.
Excavations in Jerusalem have led TO dIscoy-
cries which illustrate the Biblical history or are
illustrated By IT, The buried cities Of Palestine
and Moab are 70 be disin,erfed for other ilustra-
iio0s. At Ephesus. Mr.. Wood has uncovered one
Of the most magnificent buildings Of the Greek
architects. The subsod Of modern Rome is ex-
pl0sed for the buildings statues and precious
goods Of the ancient people The soil has been,
or viii be, examined at athens and primitive Ar
Cos and Mycene aud other places in Greece,
wherever It Is practicable The most important
excavation in Greece has Just been begun on the
plain OF Olympia, the spot where the Olympic
games we're celebrated. It was the great na-
tional rallying spot Of Greece All the States
had 3 common interest in it. They built grand
temples there. and brought their most precious
treasures and best works Of art yoiive offerings
and TO adOru it. so that. according to the histo-
risn Dr. Carlas. an accumulation Of treasures
was ioand there, the Ike Of which never existed
anywhere else II they escaped the ravages Of
the barbarsns II Is likely they are there still.
The chances are 10 favor Of their having escaped,
r L =
such as must have insured their being speedily F.
covered up and preserved. The work is con-
Quoted with scientific care and thoroaghness un-
der special agreement With the Greek Govern I
ment. The 6rst report records The discovery Of
The great Temple Of Zans, and is more favorable 1
than the projectors Of the enterprise had reason 4
10 expect
There Is enough Of this digging in prospect to /
employ severzl generations Of antiquaries. The 4
lrnoant Of promising work to be done IN Meso- I
potamia is simply stupenious. The plai2 is Gov /
cred with mounds. each indicating az ancient 4
city. Three Of The four Oldest cities PANIED in 1
The Bible have been identified but not dug iGtO. /
syria is fall Of the mounds OF ancient cities E0st
Of which are wholly unknown. So few Of the 4
oldest monuments of Egypt have been discov-
cred that il is doubted if they now exist. But
Mr. Marriette has found enough at Memphis TO
give him encouragement Runs are to be found
III over Asia aud The neigbboring islands, AID
or ancient American cities may some day be
made TO reveal important secrets.
The recovered inscriptions have restored some
1f the languages OF extreme antiquity. Any one
rho has obSerFed the part which the study Of
aDg-sges plays in the investigation of the origin
nd relations Of the races Of men, may judge that
such discoveries will eOntribote directly and ma
erially to whatever ISOLATION Of the problem Is
reached. The traditions and mYtholOgies re-
covered with the languages will be equally i'm
1o-tant in the sfudv OF Driueyal times