New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-01-19

far away was another structure almost buried
the stones Of which were as massive as those
found in the early remains Of Greeks or Etrus-
cans. At first Mr.. Bent was puzzled because
no mention was made by early geographers OF
Yeha, place which must have been conspicu.
Gus in its time. But he solved this problem upon
finding fragment of Nonnosus which named
Ave as place between the ancient towns OF
Adults and Aksum He at once identified Ave
with Yeha. and was supported I'm this by the
purport Of the inscriptions at Yeha, which he
submitted to Professor Miller. Of Vienna, 70 be
deciphered. All these inscriptions are mere frag-
ments One Of them contained words which
Professor Miller translated. He built his house
A. w NJ" With Bents suggestion before him
the professor at once that the letter M
was the old Sabaean terminal, so that II was
easy to read AVIAN" lie supposes the inscrip-
ton to mean simply that the god raised his
house-that is, his temple-at Ava. Thus Yeha Is
now looked upon By both Bent and Miller as the
seat Of the earliest Sabaean civilization. SUPER
seeded in later centuries by Aksum. where tho
change from Sabaean 10 Ethiopc gradually took
place. An approximate date for this change is
furnished by the longest inscription found at
Aksum. Mr.. Bent conjectures that the Abyssin-
ian King Allan belonged to the fourth century
Of our era. 1t had been supposed from the mar
rative OF another traveller, Mr.. Salt. that this
king left a scuptured history Of his reign in
form Of writing partly Sabaean and partly
E,thiopic But Professor Miller. upon the evil
dence OF the squeeze taken by Mr.. Bent, de.
cides that the script is purely Sabaean, but late.
1t Is accompanied by an inscription in Greek
which is also extremely late. The date Of the
inscription is important. because the contents
are now found to be entirely pagan The King
Aizan calls himself son OF the god OF war,
Ares. Other deitics are named, and the traces
Of monotheism once supposed to exist in this
monument are now effaced. In the fourth GEN.
fury after Christ, then. Abyssnia was still a
heather country. On the other hand, the earlier
inscriptions at Yeha. read alternately from left
to right and from right to left, may date from as
remote a time as the eighth century before
Christ. They have the literal forms and other
characteristics Of the earliest period Of Sabaean
history.
The argument is completed as far as possible
by DR. Garson's discussion of the anthropometrio
data collected by Mr. Bent The eminent an
thropologst does not question the Semltic-that
is Sabaean or Arabian-admxture in the
Abyssinian tribes, but devotes himself TO judg
ing which Of the tribes has the least of negro
district In which the Sabaean ruins are found
are still most like the Semitic stock. AS to the
exact relationship Of the so-called Himyaritic
tribes with the South Arabians. he expressed in
| decision but he concludes Il feel convinced that
we are not likely to be able to unravel the
| anthropography Of Northeastern Africa until
| such time as ample records have been obtained
regarding that Of Arabia and the countries north
Of the Persian Gulf"
| The church art OF Abyssinia, such as It 10.
| Mr.. Bent derives from Byzantine sources. His
| view is sustained by an elaborate painting OF
the Crucifixion. which he obtained almost sur
reptitiously and placed in the British Museum
A copy of that painting forms the frontispiece
to this volume. The remaining illustrations are
largely from photographs taken by Mrs. Bent
A large map indicates the route travelled by thu
explorers.