The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-07-04

S'So"' hiBn, io.5zm. long, ana I'm. from oach
other. were built out into the temple courtyard,
ana this causowNy was filled In with crude
bricks and formed a broad roadway leading up
to tho tower. The whole temple Enclosure is
surrounded by a massive wall, of which moro
Than thirty courses are still visible.
The arrangement Of this temple and tower
OF UrGur bears a most striking resemblance TO
the carly Egyptian pyramids. especially Medium
and the stepped pyramid of Sakkara, while tho
causewaT recalls that of tho second pyramid OF
khafra. which connects IL with the so-called
temple OF the Sphinx. Tho question often sng-
gcsted by psychologists has been. were these
stepped pyramids connected with the temple
towers Of Chaldea or borrowed from thcmi
There Is now, however. q possibility OF our re-
versing this question. in the light of these dis
coveries at Nippur. The pyramid we know was
but an elaboration Of the Mastaba, and the re-
semblance between these and the towers at Ur
and Nippur is most striking.
I'm the face of evidence from Nippur we may
have to reconsider the question Of Chaldean In.
huence on Egypt, and, indeed, possibly reverse
the old theory. The tower rests upon q massive
brick platform Of crude brick. Excavations
conducted below this revealed the existence Of q
second pavement of much finer construction,
boing built of kiln.burnt bricks of great size
the dimensions being 5Ocm. square and of great
thickness. Nearly the whole of these bricks
were Inscribed. and bore the stamps Of Sargon 1.
and N~aram-Sin. his son. and its date. therefore,,
Is just a thousand years prior to the buildings of
Ur-Gur-namely, B G. $500. From tho inscrip-
tions of both these Kings 70 know that they
both built largo portions OF an older temple of
Multi. for the bricks bear tho inscription,
Builder of the temple Of Mullil, and dedicated
q number OF vases to tho temple inscribed with
their legends. These buildings have been en-
tircly removed, and the surface OF the vast plat
form levelled for tho reception Of tho ediices Of
Cr.Gur.
Proof OF the great buildings of Sargon and
his son Ia afforded by some excavations to the
northwest of the temple. Here was q line Of
mounds which marked a rampant. and Mr..
Haynes in 1895 cleared q portion Of 1t and un-
earthed one of the most extraordinary pieces of
masonry ever discovered. The foundation con-
sisted OF a solid bed of clay mixed with straw
and puddled down, resembling some Of the con-
structions found by DR.. s~chlicmann at Hissar-
hk. Upon this foundation and plinth was con-
structed q solid brick wall. 50 feet in thickness
and rising to an unknown height. The builder
of this wall was Naram-Sin. whom so many
have regarded as q mythical king. 1t is prob
able that this rampant formed also q broad road
way round the city.
Directly to the southeast Of the great tower
and close to the great rampant Mr.. Haynes dis
covered o chamber lin. long, 3.54m. wide. and
2.6O high. As there was no doorway 1t was owl
IDENTIFY q vault entered from above. Its floor
rested upon tho platform Of Naram-Sin, and it
formed O communication between the two strata
The inscribed bricks proved it to have been
built by Ur-Gur. What was it's purpose is ex-
planned by the discovery OF a second chamber
of the same kind Immediately below it In this
second chamber q brick stamp of SarRon was
found imbedded, and broken stamps and some
few tablets were found In the room. The OK
PLANTATION is now easy. Round the walls ran q
narrow shelf. on which some tablets and brick
stamps were found. The hambers were the
archive chambers Of the temple; the smaller
one that Of Sargon, which had been partly re-
stored by Ur-Gur. while the second was that Of
the King, built up to the level OF his own pave
ment.
1T Is clear that at some time between the time
of Ur-Gur, B. c. $500, and the rise of the Kasstts
dynasty, b. C. 1900. the archive chamber had
been broken into and largo numbers of objects
carried away and the rest broken and scattered
There can be little doubt that this disaster tool
place during tho terrible Elamito invasion IN
b.. C. 1885. when all the principal temples were
pillaged and their treasures carried to thu
Flamite capital. We have a proof of this afforded
by a small disc of agate found in the ruins
which bears on one side q dedication by Dung
to Multi. and on the other a dedication by Bar
naburyas. h. C. 140o, whica states that IL wal
taken from the palace of Susa in the land o
| Elam.' The amount of debris from the pave
l ment Of Naram.sin to tho top of tho mount
B IL IL metres In height. and this. we know
I took close on 1000 years to accumulate
Mr.. Haynes, encouraged by the success o
. his work in the upper stratum, proceeded
Q tn excayate to reach the virgin soil. whicl
4 he did at the depth of 9.26 metres, passtnl
through the debris of ruined buildings. accumu
+ lations of broken pottery. and Fragments OF In
8 scribed stone objects and well-constructe
t drains. These remains prove the existence of a
o least two temples below the pavement Of Naran
n Sin, which at the most rapid rate Of debris az
l. cumulation cannot be assigned to q later dat
than between six and seven thousand years b
fore the Christian era This lowest stratum ha
Il been much disturbed and the buildings pillaged
a still, sufficient remains to reveal TO us earle
IS phases of Babylonian civilization than we hav
t ever seen. The first structure discovered wa
"a an altar Of sun-dried bricks. Am. by 2.46. Th
upper course had a rim Of bitumen. and upo
q the altar was q large deposit OF white ashei
d Round the altar was n low wall marking til
N sacred Enclosure. Outside Of this inclosuI
were found two immense vases OF terra cotti
O These great specimens Of early pottery wei
# each 63.5cm. high and decorated with roI
pattern. We have here In this simple, sacre
T. precinct the germ from which sprang the gree
N temples of Chaldea-the altar. with Its temino
,f entered only by tho priest, and the Two Gre'
q. vases for publication. replaced In after times |
the creator and lesser absu, placed before Il
"A temples. A somewhat similar construction WI
ID discovered at Sippara, but its archeologic
a value was not recognized. Southeast of Il
IA altar was found a remarkable structure. q brio
b. platform, I'm. square and 3.3sm. high, built
"A dne upbaked bricks. Round the base OF tn
n. Mr.. Haynes found a quantity OF water vent
m which indicated u connection with some rece
nv tacle below, and on sinking beneath this sol
X. mass he found q drain passing underneath Il
us platform. in the roof of which was tho Garlic
no known keystone arch. 1t ia 7lcm. high. and h
a a span 5lcm. The bricks are well baked al
Joined with stiff clay as mortar. Thus the p
m oritv of Chaldea in tho use of the keystone ar
q is clearly established.
lover 20, 600 tablets. as well as numerous
be scribed fragments OF vases and stella have BIO
- -0aouarod from this alto. II il, therefore, Gle