Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1894-09-26
Remarkable Discoveries.

An account Of the sciru'ific explora-
| tion Of the ruins of NitTer, near anci' ut
| Babylon, which is being made by Amer
lean scientists under the auspices OF
the Babylonian Exploration Fund,
which was subscribed by Philadel
phians in 1888, has been furnished the
State Department by Minister Terrell.
The work of excavating began in 1887,
and has been continued by DR.. Peters
aud Dr. Hilpricht, only the former be
ing now engaged. From $50 to $50
Arabs are constantly employed. In the
number of tablets, brick inscribed vases
and in the value of cuneiform exits
found. the American enterprise is said
TO rival the explorations of Layard at
Ninevah. DR.. Hillpricht, the distin
tinguished Assyrian scholar of the Uni
versity of Pennsy lvania, remains al the
museum at the request OF the Turki>h
government to translate inscr ipfions
and arrange the tablets ami OF her II lies
dating back TO 1000 b G..
Many tons of ahlets, sarcUphagi and
| The like have already arrived at the
mu%enm at Cunstan,innple. an the
| Sultan. III recognition al the se,N ct,~ al
| I;it. American professors. iits Promised
| that the University Of Pennsylvania
shall receive one Of all duplicate aIr
! tiquts
! Minister Terrell says that this enter
prise has revealed an antiquity of the
human race nearly ten centuries older
than science had knowledge of before.
| The religion, government, habits of
| life, and, to IA great extent, the customs
of men who lived 1000 B. G. are revealed
by the inscriptions which are now be
ing translated and arranged by Profes
sor Hillpricht. Thus far 20, 900 inscrib
ed tablets of clay and stone have been
discovered, being Inscriptions which
include promises to pay debts; deeds,
| contracts and records of important
public and private events. One tablet
seen by Minister Terrell was a promise
to pay borrowed money, with interest,
in sheckles in the reign of Cambyses.
About $50 Hebrew. Mandic, Arabic and
Syrian inscribed bowls have been dug
up. These are more than all the mu-
seums of the world possessed before.
There are also hundreds of seal cylin
ders, many silver and gold ornaments
worn thousands of years ago by the
! Inhabitants of the region between the
Tigris and Euphrates. About 1000
vases of alabaster, of marble and other
stone, are among the discoveries, with
votive offerings of lapislazuli, magne
site and agate, and household Orna-
ments of iron, bronze and clay. The
Temple of Bel (the god of the people)
| is being dug around and laid bare. 1t
is estimated that sixty volumes will be
required to contain all the TRANSACTIONS
of the tablets. The first volume edited
by Professor Hillpricht has recently
appeared, and has received general
praise from eminent European scholars.
American professors now in Roberts
| College assert that the scientific world
now owes its Oldest Semetic texts to
this expedition; that they found over
sixty feet below the surface of the earth
evidences that Niffer was one thousand
years older than scientists had believed;
ALSO that of the 125 Babylonian kings
whose names and eras are known,
eighty were found described on tablets
excavated by this American enterprise.