The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1891-05-22
LETTERS OLDER THAN SOLOMON.
axissivss Exchanged 40 years Before tfis
Fathers Birth Dag UP IN Egypt

The Smithsonian Institution has just
received Information, mot yet printed
or made public in this country. OF the
recent discovery at Tei-el-Amaria. In
Upper Egypt, Of a number Of iablsts
relating to the history OF Jerusalem
aud dating back GOO years earlier than
any records hitherto known. When II
Is understood that These tablets Of
stone are letters passed between the
King Of Jerusalem and tho Pharaoh Of
Egypt 400 years before the birth Of
David, who was the father OF Solomon,
soase notion will be formed Of their
extreme interest. These letters were
written, SO DIR. Cyrus Adler told ..
writer for the Star. about tho year 1900
b. c.. and east great light upon the
relations OF Egypt at that ancient
epoch. This Of course was long be-
fore Jerusalem was captured By the
Jews.
At that time Palestine was federa-
ton of independent cities. each Of
which. like Jerusaiem, was governed
by .tprefect''-this word meaning
literally King OF City, Neverthe-
less. these towns paid tribute TO the
Pharoah, and it was 10 relation 10 this
tribute that several Of the letters found
were addressed to the ruler Of Egypt
by the King of Jerusalem. Abdi-Taba-
In them he tries to explain. with dug
respect. that he occupies more indes
pendent position than the other Pre-
fects and ought to be treated accord
| ingiy. Fer example. in one missive be
| says:
..Behold. this city Of Jerusalem
neither my father nor my mother has
| given unto me, but the call of mighty
| King"
This refers TO the ancient custom in
Palestine by which rulers were some
times chosen in consequence Of sap
| posed divine call and without any
| reference to hereditary law Having
i been summoned to his throne by the
/ Deity, ,Abdf-Taba argued that he should
be treated more leniently with regard
| TO tribute. In another Of the letters be
says:
.Behold. neither my father nor my
mother has appointed me to this place.
but the mighty King has made me
| enter into the house of my fathers
That the mighty King" spoken Of
was the Deity is proved by the fact
that to him as authority is referred an
| oracle inscribed upon another tablet.
which says that: s.As long as ship
sails upon the sea- so long will Mesopo-
famia and Babylonia conquer"
The chief aim of the three other let
tiers written by Abdi-Taba Is to ask the
Pharaoh for military aid against the
foreign conquerors invading Palestine.
and especially the district Of Jerusalem.
These warlike strangers he calls peo-
pie of Habiri-in other words. they
were Hebrews. 1t seems hardly prob
able that the Hebrews as a nation
should have invaded Palestine ut so
early a date. and so it is likely that
these, were some advanced tribes Of
Israel which settled down west Of the
Jordan. and made incursions from time
to time. In one of the letters on this
subject Abdi-Taba says:
ssrhe Habiri people are couquering
the cities of the Kingr-i. e.. the cities
} tributary to the Pharaoh therefore
: the King may turn his face TO his sub
!. jects and send troops. IL the troops
arrive this year the countries Of the
King. my Lord. may be saved. but II
no troops arrive the countries Of the
King. my Lord. will exist no longer
: This tremendous .'findr at Tel-el-
Amaria includes 200 tablets. largely OF
Babylouian cuneiform script which ID
} thus discovered for the first time To
have been in use at SO early period in
: Egypt and Palestine Many of the
other tablets are dispatches OF about
: the same date from projects of othef
; cities of Palestine to the Pharaoh.
J Some of the inscriptions are in an nm.
known language, which no one has 60
far been able to translate. 1t is funny
: to think that Solomon himself would
Q have looked upon these tablets as re
' mote ANTIQUITIES - WASHINGTON Star.