The Portland daily press., 1895-05-17
TOWER OF BABEL.
Smithsonian Institution Making a Minia-
ture Model to Send to Atlanta.

The Smithsonian Institution is prepar-
ing miniature model of the Tower of
Babel for the exposition at Atlanta. 1t
will be in all respects, SO far as possible
faithful reproduction of the famous
original. The latter was the greatest of
the many magnificent temples of Baby
Ion, being 40 feet high. That does not
seem much compared with the Washing
ton monument, Euu people in those days
were not accustomed to tall structures,
and the ancient capital of Assyria was
situated in the midst of vast plain
where there were no natural elevations
to serve for comparison. The model in
question will be five feet eight inches
square on the first story. When it is
stated that the first story Of the actual
Tower of Babel was 272 feet square, a
notion will be given of the proportion.
The original building was constructed
in diminishing stories, each one being
smaller square than that beneath. This
was common style of architecture in
| Assyria, and from it was evolved the
Egyptian pyramid. The stories for the
model are square wooden frames of
different izes SO made that they may be
superposed one upon another. These
frames, after being put together. will be
| faced on the oustide with veneer of
plaster OF Paris.kwhich will initiate the
sun-dried bricks of which the tower was
composed.
The building of the model is under the
charge of DR.. Palmer. I, The work, how
ever, is superintended by DR.. Cyrus
Adler, who has made an exhaustive
study of the historic Tower of Babel.
Mechanically speaking the most diff
cult part of the job is the casting of the
plaster of Paris that is to initiate the
bricks. Every brick on the exterior of
the structure is represented, and this is
accomplished by making single mould,
in which the little bricks are laboriously
indicated. From this mold many casts
are made, and so the whole surface is
covered. The Babylonians had no stone,
and SO were obliged to employ for ali
their buildings such sun-dried bricks,
which were made and squared by hand
They did not understand the use of mold
for the purpose. Naturally, structures
of such material soon crum bled and did
not last very long.
The Tower of Babel stood upon an ele-
vated platform of earth 600 feet square.
This was surrounded and retained by
wall of bricks ten feet high. Both plat
form and wall will be represented in the
model, which will be quite an imposing
be painted in different colors to initiate
the original building according to de
scriptions give of it in Assyrian litera-
ture. The first story was black, in honor
of..Saturn; the second story orange for
Jupiter; the third story red for Mars; the
fourth story covered with plates of gold
for the sun; the fifth story white for
Venus: the sixth story dark blue for
Mercury, and the seventh story covered
with plates of silver in honor of the
moon.
| The old Babylonians were worshippers
of the sun and knew lot about astrono-
my. The Tower of Babel was an obser-
vatoIy, from which the priests gazsd
upon the stars in the heavens, drawing
portents from them-presumahly for
sale at SO much portent. The model
will have no windows for it is not
known whether or not tine original edi-
fee possessed any. Nobody as yet has
been able to discover how the house of
the Assyrians were lighted. 1t may he
| that all ther light required for this
mighty temple was admitted from the
top. which was presumably open to the
sky. The stairs were on the outside and
not on the inside of the building. They
also will be shown. In fact no detail
will be omitted that may help to give a
notion of the exact appearance of this
wonderful edifice of antiquity.