New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-07-06
THE OLDEST HISTORY.
EXPLORATIONS IN NORTH
ERN BABYLON AND THEIR REsULTa
mr. HAYNES AND PROFESSOR HnPREcHr HAVE
RESTORED THE FIRST CHAPTERS IN
THE WORLDS CIVILIZATION. .,i

From The London Times.
To have unearthed the ruins Of the oldest city u
the world, the foundations Of which were Iaid some
six or seven YEARS eefo5e sne mr
indeed be proud such good fortune seenis 70 haze
fallen to the lot OF Mr. Haynes, who for nearly
expedition engaged in "xcavating the great mouals
OF Nurar, In Northern Baoyonia the site q i Ins
or the Ode Siss i Bel r'p Of the semtes
The history Of the expedition which since 1883
its great work has beei 30 quietly done that II has
attracted but little att: ltion except among stndsnu
University OF Penasyl!i ia. the funds hitch have
amounted to about $1,000 being provided BY
petitions of 1850 partook rather OF prospect.
ns nd a as Si
about ten thousand tablets and inscribei oble;'s.
son. Saram:sin whose date. b, c. 800 was by
many regarded as the starting point Of 5abylorian
difficulties with the Porte delayed the work for
three years IN lss, the explorations were rene we'd
been carried on contin isIy ever since and have
even by the most ardent advocate Of Babyionia1
explorations and the history Of civilization has
The methods OF Systematic research, such as were
employed by Curtius. schliemann and Petrie. work.
Stratum after stratum Of the ruined city notns
with care the position Of every object, no matter
had never been applied until now. and the result Is
a complete revolution In our knowledge. BY this
read like book. each stratum 1t is uncovered
furnishing us with a chapter OF Its lOng-.ost his
tory. The story OF Nippur read In its ruins 10
indeed remarkable one
The great mounds of Nuffar situated the
bank Of the dry Shat-en-Nil. a great
main artery navigation canal which
nected Babylon with the Persian Gulf The CEN
trail feature of the ruins Is vast conical mound
called by the Arabs Bint el Amir. the Amirs
daughter" which rises to height Of nearly
twenty-nine metres above the surrounding plain
This mound marks the site OF the great zlggurat
temple stage tower first built by Cr-tiur or
Ur-Bahu. he was formerly called-about B. e.
$780, and subsequently repaired and added TO by
later kings. This vast structure the central
point of the explorations by Mr.. Haynes.
We have long been familiar with another OF the
great stage towers erected by Ur-Gur at Mugay-
var. the ancient Ur but the one at Nippur Is the
first that has been thoroughly explored. The
tower a basis J9m. by 90 m. and Is built.
Ike most of these Babylonan towers, with the
angles to the cardinal points. 1t appears 10 have
consisted. like that OF Ur of three stages only,
seven, like the later towers at Babylon and
Khorsabad Each stage had thick coating OF
plaster composed of clay mixNl with chopped
straw; and TO protect the lower stage from the
winter rain IL faced with kiln-burnt bricks
and coating Of bitumen. The ascent was on the
southeast side. and here II would seem Mr. Haynes
has made most important discovery. Two walls
of burnt brick, 3.i0m. high. l6.32m. long and I'm.
from each other. were built out into the temple
courtyard. and this causeway filed in with
crude bricks and formed broad roadway leading
up 10 the tower The whole temple Enclosure Is
surrounded by a massive wall Of which more than
thirty courses still visible.