The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-12-31
EXPLORATIONS AT NlPPUR.
WORK Of THE UNIVERSITY OF PENN
SYIVANTI MEN ~ BABYLON.

DIR. Tnlcott Williams summary OF tho EN-
pedition sent Ont From Philadelphia
Nearly 1900 Tablets ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
of Graves ODcned-Tho Other Relies.
At the meeting OF the Archaeological Institute
Of America at New Haven last week DR. Tacott
Williams Of Philadelphia gave q summary Of
the work done thus far by the liubylonian expo
dition to Nippur, conducted by the Babylonian
Committee u tho Department OF Archaeology
and Paleont)ogy Of the University Of Pennsyl
yana. Aftcr giving an account II the origin
Of the expedition and paying tribute to the Sui
tan and other officials of Turkey for their gen
crous cooperation DR.. Williams said
The expcliti1i as originally organized con.
sistcl q d. Haynes as director, with Clarence
+ Fisher. a graduate Of the School Of Archtcc-
ture Of the University Of Pennsylvania, and
Valentine Gecre, an English architect This
fall Dr. II. V. lIilprccht left Philadelphia In No.
vcnltcr and expects TO reach Nippur, whero he
will take charge Of the general supervision Of
the field work. which has been closely followed
by him during its progress DR.. Haynes and
his assistants who reached Port Said Nov. z,
1893, were delayed by the bubonic plague at Bns-
sorah and by an epidemic Of smallpox In Bag.
dad At this point Mr. Cicero was taken i'll with
typhoid pneumonia and Mr.. Fisher was detained
at Bngda1 for his until II too late for an
unacclimated person TO venture on trip to Nip
put Both Mr.. Gcere and Mr.. Fisher. however.
reached Nippur last October Or Haynes,
conpanicl by Mrs Haynes, whose services have
been OF great value 20 the expedition, reached
Nippur early In February. Tho Anei and other
Arab tribes In the ucighborhood wero found
peaceful ami wcll.disposei 10 the expedition
with 200 II 400 persons employed only two ncci-
dents have taken place rom caving earth. and
these have not been serious a remarkable proof
az las with which the labor nf excavation
has been conducted
The first four months OF exploration were
devoted TO the south western part Of the ruins,
TO the west Of the ancient canal which divides
Nippur into two rnrts snd the search Tor collins
This is n pnrt OF the ruins In which as yet COM
paratycly little has been done ~ the close
Of this period. June 10 thirty.scvc cases were
packed with the results Of the exploration whose
trenches had been carried TO tho depth of sixty
feet These consisted Of g76 perfect tablets and
3 797 imperfect tablets Of various periods, or
ATS in oil Among them orc two rectangular
inscribed prisms seven and q half inches long.
an octagonal and q pentagonhl inscribed prism.
There wcro found twenty-five seal cylinders.
two concal seals three disks, a vase OF wood,
twenty Hebrew inscribed bowls ten perfect and
I'VE imperfect bronze bowls mirrors md other
objects Thirteen stclao Of baked brick were
found and one fragrcntary stella.
Other objects yielded were silver and bronze
rings, bracelets, nose and earrings, anklets and
beads, coins pieces Of Jade, a gold plate, 9xI4
centmeters. from the CONN Of a Ne )-Babylonian
woman. i've lamps and other objects Of the Sns-
sanlnn period Graves were opened 10 the num-
Der OF 1871. OF these 2S3 contained III, skeletons
OF adu Its 81 OF infants and SO Of youths over
thirty skulls have been procured; IL graves con.
taincl two skeletons 3.hree OF four and burial
N.N II IT
collins were OF the types already found and de-
scribcd as slipper, bath tub box and bread
tray 0i being under the nrst category The
orientaii,n o! the collins was carefully observed
and oi the total number 80 wcre with the head
81 the northeast or caSt-northeast OF the collins
l05 contained Jars bottles or cuus and lOI SOM
form Of personal ornament No collins were
found below the depth Of twenty i've feet
in June. a. the heat increased and the Their
momctcr AT this date was daily registering lo5
degrees in the shade and l25 degrees in shadows
under indirect radiation. the work was transferred
from the general cxpl"rn,ion # tho region west
81 the canal go n systematic excavation Of the
caste IN and northeastern bGrt ~ the temple area,
G. mining tic examination suspended in 1890.
WAS tho removal 81 tho earth which had been car.
RED over m the cwuTs" 81 pr"unuS exploration,
the m ., SSpERGT BENG lnIct S as sr"gs
nc"rIng. TIE work q laying bare this part u
me temple area has now h.cn in yr, gress through
men NJ work. Tn, walls and other structures
lHt bar carly in this y"rlod were preserved until
To- measure ana cumpl g. them. work which has
been ~ progress during nCtohcr and November.
Jewish r"mlinS, p,st.c Christian were found n his
remains included bowls Il which large number
have already ben found at Nippur An in:
scritcd human saul Wa Hlsr found object -
lin nnl London. u this Gvcl, an ;Nicnian coin
cylGcntiy brought up from lower period. wcro
ais discovered
AS tho exploration went on the level Of Ur
Cur. with its crude bricks, was first reached and
later TINT Il NEtGm Sin The heavy buttrcss
wall .; crude brick which was exposed has in the
past been considerably weathcrcd, Its removal
will undoubtedly ley bare still earlier structure.
IL the course Of these excavations u broad area
nj the Nnram Sin pavement bns been laid bare.
and II is intended, fast the walls above this
arc plotted and drawn, 10 continue the work VI
exposing this pavement One object Of the eN-
pluration at this point has been 10 nd the north.
eastctn gate Of The temple, but this has SO far
cludcd search. Early in the work Of the exca-
one with twenty five characters end another
with eighty, ami stone stella Later. as THO
BS,SGmsn. e S9r.I Sin was reached small
and a torso Of black stone badl; broken wero
discovered. \ large vase Of black stone, 2 feet
Ia, inches high and foot a inches across,
with eleven lines Of inscription. while broken.
has been discovered complete on the level Of Cr
Ninih Anin.cre;,ng pedestal Of crude, bricks
by ST.. al, its, base and ST., by @. at
its top has tocn laid bare at the l'r Cur level
The suggestion is made by Dr Haynes that 1t
was intended rs q pedestal for StG,ucS A bronze
saw, bronze and silver nallhcads Of tho type de-
scrbcd by DIR. Peters and Fragments Of statues
have also been found
The broken condition Of the statues confirms
the view which has already been expressed by
Dr Hlprecht that in c2So I} {. the trmre was
sacked and everything likely 10 proveof interest
TO an nrchGOlogist 1900 years after Christ was
carefully broken during the reign al Hamrlurabi
In tho strata over the eastern corner Of tie tenn
pie adjoining the section where in 1898, tho torso
OF nm inscribed statue in dioritc had been found
the fragment o! q marble vase Of the ancient
King Lugal-zhggisi was discovered, supplement-
ing In n most welcome manner the text Of tho
mutilatcd passage in the first column of the pub
lished long insCI ption >ot less important arc
two complete bricks, each containing in three
sections the legend OF n hitherto unkn patesi
Of .,Nippur, Lugal,sur.s'I who apparently lived
in the fourth millennium before our era From
the same trenches came the large fragment OF a
brick Of AShuT -rlil-ilani, son II Ashurbauapal
oi ASIyria who like histwo predecessors repaired
portion Of the temple, and, rs was sh own by tho
results Of the first years campaign ruled even in
NippuI several years after HnhylNn had already
proclaimed It's independence under NRbalopnSsaT
.htr researches AT or near the level Of Naram
Sln have brought tolight polished disk 81 marble
inches mn in ipt,,n