The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-08-05

| CorrOberate the Mosaic Account OF the
! BeeinninE of the Worid-How the Tab
lets arc Numbered and What Zach Con.
| tains-Exact Words of the Script and
| Wher,n They Differ From the Biblical
Standardization of the Sun.
New York, Aug. 4.-The Herald says:
From under the buried runs Of the an
cient city OF Ninevah come stone tablets
| telling a new story Of the creation OK
! the world.
In many respects they corroborate the
| Hebrew account, as contained IN the
Bible but in others they give an entlreiy
new version and bring forth many fresh
and important facts.
| The tablets were found under the ruins
of the great palace OF Sennacherlp by
Professor Smith, the famous EngHsh
| Assvrnologist, where they had lain, MD
den from the sight of man for more than
two THOUSAND years.
| Ninevah Is one Of the most prominent
/ ancient cities mentioned in the Bioie'
and in its ruins have been found many
of the most important records bearing
| mon the early history OF mankind IL
was in this mighty city that Sennacherfo
built his famous palace, which next 10
SoIonon's Temple, was undoubtedly the
finest building the world mas ever
known. In this palace he founded the
great library of Ninevah, which was oy
far the most important library that ever
| ax;sted 1t contained the HISTORICAL
writings of all the foremost scr!oes OF
that early period, and also the writings
of other historians who had lived CEN
turies before. Sennacherib sent mes
sengers and copyists to all parts OF ohe
world TO gather up the important DOC
umen.s bearing upon the origin OF the
world the birth of man and the deluge.
These were brought to the palace and
nlaced in the great chambers oullt es-
pec:ally to preserve them.
| Some Of these messengers were sent
to the then ancient city of Bcrsippa' IN
Babylonia. where, in the Temple OF Neoo
they found wonderful tablets relating 70
| fro Great ton, which were supposed 10
have been written about $500 B. Z. hese
tahle.sT together with copies OF those
| that could not be moved. were taken "a
the palace, where they were considereo
the most important documents that the
library possessed. They were written
| in the cuneiform language and were
even then in a somewhat mutilated STATE
owing to their great age. They re-
manned m the library during the whole
time the ppalace existed. When. gen.
erat,ons afterward, it fell and sank into
aecay these tablets-the Oldest records
Of the creation Of the world-were buried
| IN the ruins. where from that time they
law hidden from sight and unknown to
| the world.
SIX OF these tablets have now been re-
covered. They bear the indeliole stamp
OF the utmost antiquity, and pr1ng 70
Ugh, many new features of the creation
no, mentioned in the Bible. On one
point-namely, the creation Of the sun
| moon and stars-they give radically
different account TO that contained in
the Old Testament. They place the
order as follows:-First. the stars; sec
ond, the Zodiac; then the Seasons. the
Eau;noxes, the Solstices the Night, the
| Month. the Day and last, the Sun.
In the Bible this order is just reversed
the Hebrew account giving it as follows
First. the Sun; second. the Day; then
the Moon. the Night, and last. the
| Stars.
The six tablets were probably written
| in a uniform order. each containing the
story where the other left off. AS nearly
as can be determined, they were written
in The following order:
Tablet description Of the Pre-Crea-
tive state and the first Day.
Tablet The creation of Light and the
war between light and dark
ness.
Tablet 3.-The victory Of the former and
the separation OF Heaven and
Earth; the Punishment Of the
Dragonof Chaos to the depths
| Of the underworld.
| Tablet 4.-The Creation Of the Earth and
Vegetation.
| Tablet 5.-The Creation and the Order
ing of the Heavenly Bodies
Tablet e.-The Crea ton OF Cattle and
Creeping Things and the Gre
alton of Man.
THE FIRST TABLET
The portion Of the first tablet that has
been dec,phered reads:
lat THE TINE ON HIGH. THE
HEAVENS WERE UNNAMED.
2.-BELOW ON THE WIDE EARTH
A NAME WAS NOT RECORDED
3.-THE FIRST-BORN OCEAN WAS
THE BEARING MOTHER OF
THEM ALL.
THEIR WATERS. AS ONE. WERE
FOLDED TOGETHER.
6.-THE CORN FIELD WAS UNFAIR.
VESTED. THE PASTURE HAT
NOT SPRUNG Up.
WHEN AS YET THE GODS HAT
NOT COME FORTH ANY OF
THEM
S.-A NAME WAS NOT RECORDED
ORDER DID NOT EXIST.
s.-THEN WERE MADETHE GREAT
GODS.
1o.-LANHONN AND LAkHASfN
CAME FORTH.
I1-UNTIL THEY SPREAD.
la-FAR EXTENDED WERE THE
DAYS. UNTIL THE GODS OF AN
SAR AND KI-SAR WERE MADE
13-THE GOD ANU.
The numerals az the left indicate ths
lines as they we're inscribed upon IN.
tablet.
The great Importance of this inscrip
~