The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1876-08-09
Palestine Exploration.
From the New York Observer.


DIR. Selah Merrill, Archaeological of
the American Palestine Exploration
Society, in his preliminary report,
says:
g ] was absent about eighty-one
days, and more than half that time
was devoted to that portion Of the
Jordan Valley which lies east of the
river and between the Lake of Tibe-
rias and the Dead Sea. including the
wadies and foothills clear to the very
summit of the Gilead and Moab
mountains. This region was more
imperfectly known than even Moab
and the Hauran. The east side of
the Jordan Valley has a special in
terest for the Christian, from the
fact that our Saviour sometimes fol-
lowed the road leading through it on
his way to Jerusalem. The road
crossed the Jordan Immediately be-
low the Lake of Tiberas, and follow
ed down the east side, until just be-
low the Jabbok, where it recrossed
and followed down the west side Of
Jericho. There are just below the
mouth of the Jabbok the remains of
the ancient bridge. which, there is
reason to believe existed in Christ's
time. Along this road the Christ
ians fed to Pella. their place of ref
uge during the destruction of Jeru-
salem and along this road also d
portion Of the army of Titus march
ed on its way to besiege the Holy
City. So little has been known of
this region that we have thought of
Christ as passing along a lonely road
when he went from fair Galilee to
Jerusalem by this valley route; but
there could be no greater mistake.
The Jordan Valley on the east side,
between the Lake Tiberias and the
JabbOk, was a paradise of cities and
gardens and cultivated fields, and
well watered in every part. l have
found the ruins of at least a dozen
important places between the points
just named, which show that in
Christs time there was here a dense
population.
In regard to Ramoth Gilead,
Penuel, Mahanaim, and Succoth, [
think that my researches have
brought to light such facts that
shall be able to locate these places
with a good degree of certainty, so
that the student of the Bible will
hereafter be able to follow definitely
the route pursued by Jacob on his
journey from Padan Aram to the
Land of Canaan. 'Succoth is both
a town and a region, and lays Just
south of the Jabbok, in the Jordan
Valley, which at that point is very
wide and exceedingly fertile. There
are a number of important ruins lust
there, which | shall describe in due
time. Among my identiications of
biblical sites [ may mention here
that Of Beeshterah, one of the Le-
vitical cities, in the territory of Ma
nasseh, east of the Jordan, that was
allotted to the sons of Gershom
(Josh. xxi, 27), which name is still
retained in Bish'ra (or Bisherah). a
place about two hours little west
or north of Edrel (the modern Deraa).
where are ancient ruins and a mod
ern village.
q have also examined with great
care the question of the site of the
ACities of the Plain and have
brought to light facts which [ hope
will help settle it with a good de-
gree of certainty. ~ The Bible
does not state that these cities were
submerged, nor that their sites were
destroyed. (2) There is abundant
evidence that the Dead Sea former
ly covered much more ground than
it does at present. 80 The region
at the south end of the Sea is not
habitable now, except in a compare
lively small portion, and 1000 years
ago it was much less so. a. The
region at the north end is habitable !;
and there exist here five 'tels,' or
mounds, all of which have ruins
upon them. The tel which is near
est the Mountains of Moab, stands
apart from the rest and above them
and its ruins are among the oldest
I have yet seen in the country. This
is called Tel Ektanu accent on the
ED. This name / learned from the
Arabs who lived in that region.
o. If the cities were at the north
end of the Dead Sea, this Tel Ekta-
nu would be exactly in the direction
that Lot would take in his fight.
(6.) This place is also more suitable
as to distance for the time allowed
| to Lot between dawn and sunrise,
while every other proposed site of
'Zoar makes the distance two or
three times too great. a. That the
little city was also in the plain, and
doomed to destruction with the 9TH
ers, is clear from Gen. xix. 21 ; but
it was saved at Lots intercession and
/ became his temporary efuge. Hence,
we are not to seek for the little
city in the hills, but on the plain
near the hills. to which conditions
Tel Ektanu corresponds exactly. /
am sorry that | must ask you to be
satisfied for the present with this
brief statement of some of the
grounds on which [ base nv conclu-
sion that the Cities of the Plain
were at the north end of the Dead
Sea. You will see. however, from
what 1 have stated, that the dis.
covery of this Tel Ektanu is one of
great Importance.
Among matters of general inter
est l have discovered two groups OF
hot sulphur springs east of the Jor.
Z l