Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-02-14
MIR. DE MORGANs DISCOVERIES IN
MOST ANCIENT PERSIA.
TIE EXPLORATIONS IN A CITY
That Existed Forty-Five Centuries
Before Christ, and Was Destroyed
Pages of History.
Pages q
New York SUM

always insisted on attributing an Asiatlc
origin TO the Pharaonic civilization IL
was not without amaZement and regret
that those interested In his researches
saw him leave partly unexplOred this land
which he had made so productive OF scien-
tinc wonders But the explorer had laid
out for himself the task OF tracing back
the stream Of humanity TO its springs,
and this carried him once more 10 the
land Of the Biblical mysteries. Now for
the second time the French Government
has sent him at the head of scientific
expedition TO Persia, where France has
secured from the shah the monopoly OF
archaeological excavations. 1t Is at Susa
that Mr. de Morgan's first annual re-
port 10 the Minister of Public instruction
is dated This report. although called
a summary, is a very detailed one, and
covers all the archaeological work done
at Susa from November 3. 1887, until June
/. 1898. and was read by NJ. Leon Henzey
before the Academy Of inscriptions IN
Paris.
No country has history more wrapped
in darkness than this mysterious lana
Of Elan, or AnZan, as 1t Is also called.
At a time that corresponds TO the thlrd
Egvptian dynasty-that is TO say, forty
five centuries before our era-the Tura-
MAN element ruled over both Chaldea
and EIam Then toward the thirty-elghth
century Z. c. appeared I'm Chaldea the
| first Chaldean dynasty with Shargina of
Agadea, or Sargon the older and a long
struggle took place between the Senlluc
people OF Chadea and the Aryans OF
ELAN Tho migration Of the Assyrians
toward the north, and Of the Shepherds
westward. and their invasion of Egypt
in 275O B. c., and also Abraham de-
parture from Chaldea, may be attributed
TO this pressure coming from the east
This eliminated under the SUSAN King
Kudur Nakhunta in the conquest OF Ne
sopotamia The Elamite ruler laid waste
the plain, pillaged the Chaldean temples,
! and transported their gods TO his royal
/ city. The goddess Mana, the protective
| deity of Ur, was carried in captivity ana
o Turanian dynasty was established over
| Chaldea. The Semitic element had been
| crushed. This occurred in 22S6 3. c. Then
| I'm 1904 b. c. a revival Of the Semitic
power In Chaldea took place, and In litO
| b. C. the Assyrian empire was founded
| The old race war between the Semites
| and the Aryans from Elan was resumed
with new intensity.
| In 1900 Il. G. Chaldea was conquered
bv the Assyrians; in 64S b. c. Babylon
| was captured by Assurbanipal, ana the
! ruler from Nineveh determined 10 give
| death blow To the Eamite Kingdom
After two successive campaigns he closed
| his victories by the capture or Susa IN olo
| y q This event Assurbanipal recorded
! With the minutest detail in his trlumphai
| annals, and the only complete pages OF
| Elam's history that have come TO US are
those relating its downfall. The victor
tells us how ne entered the royal palaces
OF Susa and captured the treasures which
had been accumulated b. the first King
| of Exam and his success and on which
no enemy had ever laid his hands.
Among the plumber captured the con-
| oueror mentions "thirty-two statues OF
Kings in silver, gold, bronze, and marble
! from the city Of Susa," which no carried
away to the land Of Assur. Not even
the names Of those Kings are known
now. but their history may be expected
TO be found written on the ruins of their
| temples and palaces After its destruc-
ton Susa remained abandoned ITO the
wild beasts Of the desert, TO the snakes
and TO the gazelles," as the conquer0f
records. Later, during the Achemenid
epoch, Susa was rebuilt on the ruins by
Assurbanipal, 10 be captured and pilagec
once more by the Greeks Of Alexander
the Great. 1t fell again into decay anc
complete abandonment. From the Ache
menid period, Susa's history is fairly wei
known; previous to this IL is a fascinating
problem to be solved.
Mr.. de Morgan's report Is to detailed to
| give in full, and only the most important
results obtained during this first cam
paign Of excavations will be present d.
on his arrival at Susa the explorers first
care was to examine the ground IN oruei
tO see if the observations made by MIN
during his previous visit in 1881 were cor
rect. The tells er mounds Of Susa he
considered as having been made by the
accumulation Of rubbish and debris lel1
by the successive occupants OF the ground
| Give mining galleries OF exploration were
sunk at various levels, cutting through
| the highest mound, called the tell OF
he citadel They showed that from tht
/. lone age down 10 the first centuries OF
2 1Ur era this place had been an important
,ettlement.
While this work was in progress, Nj
de Morgan had 10 devote his attention Il
the construction Of a shelter Tor his star
and the stores belonging 10 the eXpedi
| lion. This he intended 70 erect at the 700
of the hill outside the site OF the ancien
city. but for reasons or salubrity ant
safety he was compelled 10 reserve OF
the highest part OF Susa's tel com
handing strategic position, where a rea
fort was erected. In spite of this pre-
caution he was obliged occasionally TO re
sort TO the use of American repeater
- the best diplomatic argument. INT
archaeological scouting Of the ground hat
been done only in part when the opeI
trenches were started on December =
ls97. at various places in the mound know
as that of the royal city, wher'
the Dieulafoy expedition discovered Ar
taxerxes's apadana, or palace, and th'
enamelled brick decorated panels no VIII
The Louvre, in Paris The results OF thii
new exploration of the ground Will un
ouestionably bring about very important
changes in the plans of this structure a.
recorded by the first explorer. Mr.. G
Jecouier. who had been Mr.. de Morgan.
collaboration in Egypt had the direction
OF this part Of the work. He not only
explored a large part Of the apadana
never exhumed before, but also obtained
| evidences of another Achemenid struc.
ture. erected on the same ground below
the foundations of ArtaXerxes's apadana
In several places traces of still Older
buildings were also detected Ley are
most likely Elamite. but at this point
excavations must be considered as having
been only fairly started.
The most interesting ground explored
was the mound known as the citadel.
Here, especially In Trenches Nos. and
IA, were observed the most perfect eX-
amples Of the super-position OF structures
Of the successive epochs. This section
through the mound is 80 metres long. 10
metres wide, with an average depth Of .
metres; that is to say, 1t involved the ex-
cavation OF $500 cubic metres. Mr.. De
Morgan says in his report: