Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-05-11

| cade around the pool. together with a
! built stairway connecting it with the
! street. may De referred to Herod. M
| merous house-walls and mosaic frag-
ments We're discovered. and were prob
! ably the remains of eXtramural villas OF
/ Hadrians time.
| During the excavations I'm the TyropO-
| con Valley the explorers came upon the
I remains Of a church which. It was
| known once existed at Sloan. The origi-
nal church Is supposed 10 have been the
work of the Empress Eudocia the wife
| Of TheOdosius. who spent the last ten or
eleven years Of her life in exile at Jerusl-
lem. At "A later date the church was re-
built and enlarged. probably by Justinlan.
The church. which consisted of a nave.
terminating I'm an apse and two aisles,
was found 10 be remarkably well-pre-
served for a building which had been bu-
ried for so many centuries, some parts
of it being almost intact. The floor was
found to be largely covered with mo-
sales.
Near the Pool of Sloan an unsuccess-
full search was made for the tomb of
{ David. Traditional but spurious, "tombs
of the king" and an equally spurious
tomb of David" are already among the
sights Of the Holy City; but the real sep
uchre Of the kings Of judah has yet 10
be recovered. If IL still exists. Among
those who believe in its continued exist
ence beneath the present surface is that
eminent French archaeologist, Professor
ClermOnt Ganneau. who has done so
much FOR Palestine research. He has IN
dicated, with some confidence by means
OF a schematic plan, the exact spot where
the tomb OF the kings may be looked for.
In bend Of the tunnel which connects
the Virgins Fountain with the Pool Of
Sloan he believes the Royal vault TO be
concealed.
We are told by Josephus that Herod
the Great, in search Of treasure, opened
the tomb OF the kings by night, and, en-
tering secretly with few friends, saw
flame burst out from the sacred spot,
and two OF his guards fell down dead.
IIerod scrambled out I'm terror, and, In
memory Of the OCCASION erected at the
mouth Of the vault a proptiatory monu-
ment. Near the spot indicated. but APP
parently not exactly on it, DR.. Bliss
caused a search to be made, but without
success. NJ. CiermOnt Ganneau was the
first to suggest that the entrance 10 Da-
vids tomb was not the ordinary Jewish
doorway cut i'm the vertical rock. but
pit. similar to the entrance to sepulchres
found i'm Egypt and Phoenicia Before
complete test can be made Of the theory
IL will be necessary 10 clear an extensive
area in the bend caused by the tunnel.
which bend the archaeolOgist attributes
TO the necessity Of avoiding the Royal
vault. That. we may hope. will be done.
discovery was made which supports the
view that the tomb Of David was OF the
shaft type Near the so-called "Tombs
Of the Kings" 20 the north Of the Da-
mascus gate. on property belonging to The
Anglican College. tomb was discovered
entirely sunk i'm the rock and resembling
those found I'm the North 1t shows that
that style Of sepulchre was used much
farther south than had been previously
supposed.
During Dr. Bliss's prosecution Of his re-
searches in the south OF Jerusalem dis
covery of exceptional interest was made
near the scene Of his labors, but. in this
case. the discovery was brought about by
no human agency. but was entirely due
TO the elements. During a violent storm
the Zion Gate Dab Naby Daud), mas
sye inbound door I'm the modern wall,
was blown down. and revealed an in
scribed stone set i'm the wall behind, about
fifteen feet from the ground. Every in'h
almost Of Sueiman the Magniicents
great wall had been examined for inscrip-
tions. but the inscribed stone at the Iion
Gate had escaped the observation OF the
keen-eyed antiquaries til the storm rem
dered IT visible 10 all. II Is I'm Latin. and
IS one OF the very few Roman inscriptions
discovered at Jerusalem. 1t is a vOtive
tablet TO Jupiter, on behalf OF the welfare
and victory of the Emperor Trajan Of the
Roman people. erected by the Third Le-
gion. and thus takes us back 10 the inter-
val between the destruction Of Jerusalem
by Titus. and the founding OF Aella Capt.
tolina. From 1T we learn the interest
ing fact that the Third Legion, as well
as the Tenth. was at Jerusalem. between
the time of Titus and Hadrian. The In
scrlption is as follows: "To Jupiter SAID
pis. Best and Greatest, for the salty and
victory Of the Emperor Trajan, and Of
the Roman people. a standard-bearer Of
the THIRD LEGION (CyrenaIca) has
NJ a., +. r. q. 5.