The sun., 1883-11-04

Exploration and Discovery In Carmel.


that havo been campod on the highest sum |
nit OF Mount Carmel have visited no fewer |
than twenty rains OF ancient towns and VIII |
iaces OF these / have discovered six which |
vcrc heretofore unknown. tho others having |
been found ten years ago by tho officers OF the |
Royal Engineers sent out to survey Palestine |
by the Society for Palestine Exploration.
Prior TO that time this historic locality was
a terra incognita. The tourists who vlsi-
ted tho mountain. like the pilgrims who
,ourneved thither for devotional reasons. |
satisfied themselves with u short stay at the
convent and even then did not understand that
land region thirty-nve miles in circumference.
where almost every hilltop was crowned with
and ,IIii anea apected beauties Of scenery. ''
il is only after so exhaustive an examination
ssn a. be nSNS formsd Of the extent OF the the poS @"
pston By Which hvS Sarmsi saSie wss % i'm
tent to which its lovely hills and valleys were
cultivated These ruins a S1sb great sS.y
they Il ," we're built Of most solid materials. and to
Judge by some OF the architectural remains.
and the elaborate carvings and devices, they
must have contained some .7i , handsome buiidnGs;
sSp1 ss. x Sp feet TSe s dS door
sii,t, were often seven or eight feet long by two
feet feet six by two feet. In these we're holes or
s IL ovsr the GoS2s
with devices: these were usually hexagons and
other rS Ornamental scrolls. Sometimes there was
an animal such as an sass Sr ar epnhra
bosses or crosses; here and there was n corncs
with u norid carving evidently of the Roman
rle" some M's OF these ruins have been nhabiedGy
later inhabitants. who used the old stones for
D the hay se ,Ge
ready made uuarries of the country people Of
the present day, who come and carry of the
notable and melancholy instance of this
has occurred in the ,rs case Of place called t.,
ten % years ago by the officers of the Palestine
tapflhhn tai Of What once had been an ancient jewish
synagogue still standing its door jambs and
OF the Witch formed
closing coonnnde were in position. and formed
saH
saa s
the building must have been built at a different
s sxe ye Gss o my hf S
snE this M to se. ad Ut ons 1 doSr S'h u
a stone eft. The inhabitants OF. "a MosIem
village about two miles distant had within the
last decade made II clean sweep Of all these
most interesting remains. Fortunately they
still exist in the Palestine Society's memoirs
measurements. which wore made by the survey
and have since been published.
the carvings which are to be found'uron them.
the objects, OF Interest which mainly ehurnc- Iv
mills and wine presses. often in IL very perfect
state of preservation. tombs and csterns;
more than IA dozen OF these. On two ,occa-
sions they, were hewn out, of the living
had had usually diameter Of eight ,eet, with
a. raised rim outside nine or ten inches
high and raised socket in the centre, ssntrs, il, i'
upright fitted II, to hold the bs
plsrced through the centre. Throusl
extended far besond d the circamierenee Of ths
lower stone. the horse was attached whiei
its broad edge around the lower stone over til,
olives; From the lower stone quite, gs r,,;,. wa:
soeE whek M cEe ie OIL ' % tes n @
near these mills huge limestone rollers abop
nsss q osT
ssvs II sssssS ss5ss sss iss ssss
ash s tny
presses were nothing n more more than huge M yats
abSye sTound '9S shape
sometimes pits eight or nine feet square an
The limestone hillsides in the neighborhoo
OF these ruins were almost % inSanra6y honey
one instance found an inssriptSn ion in Gree
Of OF only y',oe' one chamber eight Or ten Zee
SQUARE; but were s1metimes larger, an a
,nsu apeosoIia. sometimes both The kokim mar ar
tunnel,shaped hap exc e;xHeayatdionns ud ms usually fee
aeorpse a. Sa The 9caIus % Is an % obioss tomb Wit
conveniently to contain a body. It is cut ont
the living rock. as we'll as the arch which oyer
sseess opening out Of the central %.c con
tainiPg several locuIi on mpre ere than Hne 9eef
0n Saa 'rfhs, the @ ' whics cn
required TO be rolled a couple, Of fec
oss are the S%R snasa ty an but
stone slab not nnfreGuently ornamental wit
and Of demijohn shape. or open rock hewn re.
ervoirs or tanks. AT one ruin IN found an eStsr M
sauars,i all close together divided only Gy n. Ha
twenty feet TO the s9il at the b,ottoT
reality 'GiS,y" thsy are pr probably, much despe
In some cases stone steps lead 70 the bolton ,
evidently sprung arches 10 form the ROOT, 4
there can be little doubt that the most OF the the
number and extent Of these cisterns it is MAJ
itest that the inhabitants were. in some il
stances. entirely dependent upon them Il
their water supply.
At the southeastern extremity OF the mouI
tain is the spot known as s. the place Of burr
ing or sacrifice because tradition assigi
IT as the locality where Elijah had his col
troversy with the prophets of Baal and In con
memoraIion thereof the Jarmelite monks n
at this moment building "A church there. ar
using. by the way, some of the carved stones
ancghborng ruin regardless of all antiuu
rian considerations. feel. therefore. mali
nant satisfaction in the conviction AT which
have arrived that they are building their chur,
ont spot which is inlisputably not the pla
on which the altar Of Elijah was erected. II v
are to believe the biblical record. for it is
iuli view Of the Mediterranean. and IL won
pave been quite unnecessary for Elijah to t.
ms servant to 81, upand look toward the sea
Tor there is no higher point to go up TO- and
could sec the sea himself. But about mi
pile of stones in locality which wou
exactly fulfil tho required conditions.
IN thickct OF underwood The stones a
placed one upon the other without cement Al
nj iDl,t tnnl md aiIyI,f