New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-05-06
AN ANCIENT LETTER.
EVIDENCE OF FORMER WIDESPREAD
CULTURE IN SYRIA.
MOUND OF MANY CITIES: OR. TELL Ell
UESY ENCHANTED. BY Frederick Jones bhSs'
NJ A. Pp xiii POI. Macmillan & Co.

Among the benefits arising from the numerous
researches in the Orient not the least valuable Il
acquaintance with the Eastern peoples OF the pres
ent day Mere travel served usually to perpetua'e
errors All Arabs were liars to the casual VISITOR
Who had no time to discover whether ne was stating
a fact or turning an unfortunate exception into a
! general law Redouns all robbers and murder
ers and Felahs fit only for slaves. But the men
who spend months or years in excavating run-heaps
find that human nature IS varied among Egyptian
tomhs or on the Syrian Desert as II Is In Civilized
countries Mr. Bliss book exemplides this fact.
lie had the advantage OF Or Flinders Petries eA-
perlence In the neighborhood OF the mound which
| he was to open. Dr. Petrie had kept list or MS
workmcn. with notes OF their pectlarties ana II
surprised the natives greatly when Mr. Bliss with
these notes in hand. ranged them In an order or
merit much as they might have done with each
/ other Apparently they had some superstitious no.
tons on that subject. thinking that the Europeans
had occult means Of detecting their traits. They
may have connected this. In a manner common 10
sayages with the use OF their names In case
Mr. BLISS found that a young Arab, part owner or
the hill I'm which the digging done. called him
self Husscn. though he had given for record thr
name Nasur Il was afraid said he. looking foo-
iSh 80 let him Gr. Petrie) write down my real
name" They had other superstitions connected with
the excavations. T.ayarl long observed that the
natives near Koyunik thought he was digging for
treasure and even gathered up fragments of gold
that rejected these things. But Iayard finally
showed them something az wonderful as the figures
which they imagined In the palaces Of the Jim
| Mr. Bliss found the same magical fancies among the
| syrian peasants whom he employed
Don't bewitch the tell" said an Arab 10 him one
evening
What DO you mean?" asked Mr. Bliss.
"Oh Know what you DO. You come 10 tell
that IS fun OF gold and treasure. and bewitch these
Into the form u potsherls. Then you dig out the
| potshcrds take them 10 your country undo the
SPELL and they turn back TO gold and treasure"
/ Nothing that he could say changed their minds.
/ They were willing believe all that he said 10
them with the addition OF the bewltched pieces Of
| pottery. Tha, he should actually prize burned
| brick with cuneatIc marks remained a mystery 10
| them. His only regret that he found only one
| specimen Of wha, may have been In its day con-
siderable collection 81 antique records and letters
this small brick. II rightly interpreted, H. %
singular interest and value. Not very long ago
| IL was a question whether communication by writ
/ ing was possible say, two thousand years before
Christ. or even thousand years before our era.
Then the evidence began to accumulate which
showed that Official and cour He at the great cen
| tres Of early civilization united by the hands
Of the scribe The reports OF subordinate officials
! 10 central authority the Nile or the Euphratcs
became familiar 10 modern eyes But these officials
might be- mere exles from court among people as
! ignorant Of letters the modern savages. The
cuneiform letter found by Mr. Bliss seems - dis
pei that idea. His excavations were on the site Of
what supposed to be- The ancient fortified town OF
r.achlsh founded by the Amor,es before the set
Element Of the Israetes In Palestine The early
town long retained It's Independence. though sur
rounded by a foreign foe Indeed. II appears %
have had conflicts with Egypt before the times OF
the Israeltes and have paid the necessary trib-
uia for security The ancient fortress was overrun
at last by the Hebrews. From first to last. eleven
towns according to Mr.. Bss's excavations. were
built on the hill The latest ruins belong 10 the
| nth century before Christ-that Is. to period
shortly before the wars Of Alexander the Great In
the East. In most cases these successive towns
show the effects OF war. II Is TO this fact that Mr
Bliss attributes the meagre number OF relies which
he found. From the times Of Thothmes onward.
the country subject to periodical devastations
The wonder IL not that so few things were left but
that any were found No such discovery was to be
anticipated as had been made previously at Tell el
AmaTna. The curious thing IL that the principal
find at Tell 81 IIesy should have been just such
az was missing from Tell el Amarna While former
discoveries showed that writing practised In
high circles II remained 10 be shown that every 1T
lie fortified town might also have its scrlbes and
might keep up brisk correspondence with Its
neghbOrs So far one fragmentary letter can DO
this 1t Is done by the tablet which Mr.. Bliss dis
covered. The date of the letter can also be fixed
approximately According to Major Gender 1t was
addressed Zlmridi and according to Professor
Savcc Zmrdi was Governor Of Iachish In the
time Of Khunaten the King famous in Egyptian
annals for his attempt to change the national re-
lllion. and for his long contest with the priesthood
fourteen or fifteen centuries before the Christian
era Zimrld assas5lnated by Egyptians; he
was probably a rebelious tributary Supposing the
EXPERT testimony as to the date and contents OF the
tablet to he correct. then Its testimony is strong
on the point that civilization 800 years ago In Asia
Minor was not confined to a few great centres. bu;
was Widespread Each minor city may have had It's
arch u
respondence, and portions OF these local historical
uncovered about onefourth OF the hill Of Lachish;
He thinks that when the remainder Is dug up and
sfted that his single tablet WIN be supplemented
by many others. Another point on which the EVIL
dence OF the ancient fortress is strong is that the
civilization supplaned by the lsraees was superior
But all this was n matter OF Indifference to the
workmen. one OF them described the tablet as a
bar of soap. showing that he knew one element In
supposed TO ignore While the aims OF the white EN-
p!oyer were dark to them their manner OF life was
position Of ali the rest I'VE would send a guard
empty" says the author ''and he would presently
m m ws the s to ye
uncanny" on these Wild people the idea OF harvest
share in the gay times. when the whole village
CLEAN Aside from grotesque freedom Of speech.
these people peasants ,S as shs shared the
showed the traits which are often said to be lacking
temper. and submission to authority. II these wan
derers the borders of what was once the land OF
teen miles eastward from GAIA. as famous in the
career Of samson as Early Try in that Of Hera-
mote predecessors they still have the same suavty
Client sdonans, who. too readily gave themselves
up TO ease even IN times OF danger The proof Is
Of recent origin. II looks back to time when life
was more, progressive there than It Is now: hen
that Of the present day In Western lands waA