The daily morning journal and courier., 1894-10-10
DIGGIyG UP OLD BaBYLON.
Progr.s. of Espi rst.on U der the Direc'
 tion of Dr Peters.


 stantinople has made report to the state department giving the results Of the explorations of the ruins Of Miner, near ancient Babylon, which were be- gun and which are being continued un- der the direction of American scien- lists. The expenses have been defrayed by the "Babylonian exploration fund.-" which was formed by gentlemen in Philadelphia in 1888. The work of ex- cavating began in 1887. and, except at occasional intervals. has been actively continued. Dr. Peters and professor Hilpricht, of the University of Penn- sylvania. supervised the work in the beginning,
 IL Is now being conducted under the direction of Dr. Peters, citizen of the United States. The extent of the work has been such that from l50 to 250 Arabs are continuously employed. In the number of tablets, brick, inscribed vases, and In the value of cuniform texts found. Minister Terrell says that his American enterprise rivals, If 1t does not excel, the explorations of Lay ard at Nlneveh and Rassani's excava- tions at Aba Habba.
 pr. Hilprlcht. the distinguished As- syrian scholar of the University of Pennsylvania, is remaining at the mu- seum of Constantinople, at the request of the Turkish government, to trans- ate inscriptions and arrange the tab lets, inscribed bowls and vases, used from 1000 to 4000 years before the birth of Christ. Many tons of tablets, vases. inscribed brick, sarcophagi and the like have already arrived at that muse- um. Professor Hilpricht is assisted in heir examination, translation and ar rangement by Handy Bey, the learned Mohammedan In charge of the muse nm. The sultan. in recognition of the services of the American professor, has promised that the University of Penn- sylvania shall receive one of all dupli- cate antiques.
 MT. Terrell says that this enterprise las revealed an antiquity of the hu- nan race nearly ten centuries older han science had knowledge of before. "The religion, government habits of life and, to great extent, the customs Of nen who lived four thousand years be- fore Christ" says MT. Terrell, "are re- vealed by the inscriptions which are LOW being translated here (Constant- nople) and arranged by Professor Hil- oricht. The worship of one God (BeD vho was vested with sensual and re- Tolting attributes, is more clearly known, and the extent and arrange nent of his immense temple are now re- | vealed.
 Thus far twenty thousand inscribed tablets of clay and of stone have been discovered On these are inscribed promises to pay debts, deeds. contracts and record of all important public and private events. l saw one on which was inscribed a promise to pay borrowed money, with interest, in | 3heckels, In the reign of Cambyses About l5O Hebrew, Mandic and Syrian l inscribed bowls have been dug up These are more than all the museums | # the world possessed before. They
 ave also found hundreds of Babyloni sn seal cylinders, many gold and -sil | 'er ornaments worn thousands Of years rgo by the inhabitants of the regior l ,etween the Tigris and Euphrates | lbout one thousand vases of alabaster | marble and other stone have been dis l covered, with votive offerings of lapis
 azuli, magnesite and agate, and many hundred vases, toys, weapons, instru nents and household implements fl
 iron, bronze and clay were discovered which Illustrates the conditions sur rounding our race 4,000 B. c.
 '"The temple of Bel, I am informed, fl TOW being dug around and laid bare md when finished will be the first tenn
 lie of Bel ever systematically excava
 ed. With over two hundred Arabs, It
 'olossal walls, containing one hundred
 md thirty rooms, have been laid bare
 It's slaughter house, altars, tablets
 archives in stone and treasure-hous
 rave also been revealed. The excava
 ion extended down forty-two feet be low the surface to the foundation of tn
 immense temple. An inscription ol
 tone states that this foundation wa
 established in the lower regions, in tn
 neighborhood of the subterrarean wa
 ers.' Nine sarcophagi have been ex
 lumed and transplanted entire to tn
 museum here in Constantinople. Yer,
 aany crumbled when first exposed t
 atmospheric influence.
 Tt is estimated that it will requir
 'ixty volumes to contain all the valua
 lie cuniform texts and other transla
 ons, with pathological, archaeological I nd historical essays, with .descrir ion of Nlffer, the customs of it's people :. heir religion and their social and pc 'itical life I am informed that tn
 first volume of this work, edited b Professor Hilpricht, has recently bee
 'ssued, and that 1t has received genera ,ncomiums by eminent European scho
 ITS. ...
 q am assured by American professor
 here that the scientific world now owe
 IS oldest semetic texts to this exped
 ion, and that they found, over sixt 'aet below the surfao oe of the earth, e'