The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1891-02-14
OLDER THAN SOLOMON.
WRITTEN 400 YEARS BEFORE
HIS BIRTH.
Discovery Of Number Of Tablets Relating 10
tho History Of Jersssleus-eo0 Years
Older Than AM History Hereto
fore knorn 20 Exist.


The Smithsonian Institution has
just received information. not yet
printed or made public In this country,
OF the recent discovery at Tell-el-
Amaris. in Upper Egypt, Of number
OF tablets relating 10 the history OF
Jerusalem and dating back 600 years
earlier than any records hithertofore
known. When IL Is understood that
these tablets OF stone ara letters
passed between the King OF Jerusalem
and the Pharaoh OF Egypt 400 years
before the birth OF David. who was
the father Of Solomon. some notion
will be formed OF their extreme
interest These letters we're written
about the year 1900 b. g.. and cast
great light upon the relations OF
Egypt at that ancient epoch This. OF
course, was long before Jerusalem
was captured by the jews.
Al that time Palestine was a fedora
ton OF independent cities. each OF
which, like Jerusalem. was governed
By a perfect" this word literally
meaning liking OF city, Neverthe-
less, these towns paid tribute to the
Pharaoh. and 1t was in relation TO this
tribute that several OF tho letters
found were addressed to the ruler al
Egypt by the King OF Jerusalem.
Abdi-Taba. In them he tries TO ex-
plain, with due respect. that he occu-
pies more independent position than
the other projects. and ought to be
treated accordingly. For example
in one missive he says:
Behold. this City OF Jerusalem
neither my father nor my mother has
given unto me. but the call OF mighty
king.
This refers 10 the ancient custom In
Palestine by which rulers were some
times chosen In consequence OF sup
posed divine call and without any
reference TO hereditary law. Having
boon summoned TO his throne by the
Deity Aoai-Taba argued that he
should be treated more leniently with
regard to tribute. In another OF the
letters he says:
Behold, neither my father nor my
mother has appointed me 10 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 tab
let which says that "as long as q ship
sails upon the sea- so long will Meso-
potamia and Babylonia conquer"
The chief aim OF the three other
letters written by Abdi-Taba is TO ask
the Pharaoh for military aid against
foreign conquerors invading Pales-
tine, and especially the district OF
Jerusalem. These warlikc strangers
NO calls people OF HabIri-in other
words. they were Hebrews. IL seems
hardly probably that the Hebrews as
n nation should have invaded Pales-
tine ut go early date. and so IL Is
likely that these wore some advanced
tribes OF Israel which settled down
west OF the Jordan and made incur
sions from time 10 time. In one OF
the letters on this subject Abdi-Taba
says
THE Habiri people arc conquering
the cities OF the king. O.. the cities
tributary 10 the Pharaoh therefore
the king may turn his face TO his sub
jects and send troops. IL tho 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 find" at Tell-el-
AmarIa includes POO tablets. largely OF
Babylonian cuneiform script which Is
thus discovered for tho first time to
have been in uso at so early period
in Egypt and Palestine. Many OF the
other tablets are dispatches OF about
tho same date from prefocts OF other
cities OF Palestine 10 the Pharaoh.
Some OF tho inscriptions arc In an un-
known language. which no Que has so
Tar been able to translate. IL 10 funny
to think that Solomon himself would
have looked upon these tablets as re-
mote antiquities. Washington Star