Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-02-14

bic majoica. These are refuse from
camps and not from dwellings, for the
Persians and the Arabs never erected any
buildings over Susa's ruins, but every
year nomad tribes came there to set up
their black tents. Below these beds.
which dated back not beyond the middle
ages, Persian remains fill maximum
thickness OF two metres. Here are found
broken walls, pavements, water-mains,
uninteresting sepultures made in the
shape OF rough urns. an abundance oil
fragmentery enamelled vases, some
coarse pottery, iron and bronze nails,
pieces Of metal and coins of the Antio'
chuses and the Arsacides. All these re
mains clearly indicate the epoch in which
we must rank this level; il begins with
the Macedonian conquest, to end proba-
bly with the rise Of the Sassanids, and
covers about five centuries from $50 b. c.
10 22G A. ID.
"During this period no large building
seems TO have been erected at Susa, no
important transformations seem to have
taken place in the forms OF the tells.
Private houses were raised over the
ruins. not only on the citadel mound and
the royal city mound, but also in all the
vicinity. This Is shown by the nature or
tho bricks scattered over the ground. by
fragments of vases, and also by many
other certain signs. With these vestiges
O, the Graeco-Persian epoch / must also
mention a few Greek vases, fragments,
decorated with black ornamentations.
These vases were certainly brought from
Greece or Asia Minor. Should they be
attributed TO Greek captives deported to
susa by Achemenid sovereigns. by Alex
ander's troops. or by his successors? This
question 7 cannot answer, but their APP
nearance here is a very curious fact.
underneath the Graeco-Perslan re-
mains | expected TO find important beds
~ the Achemend period, with walls,
navements. and perhaps also motives OF
Recommendation. Such was not the case
Aside from the encircllng fortncauOhs'
Which we're cut through by the opening
Il trenches Nos. Z ana IA, the AcheIheI,lu
orocb has left no percepuble traces. we
GA merely n few fragments II enamelled
bricls or slabs, a few gray limestone
ices with remains OF mOuldings, some
Debris NJ Guted columns. Small beds OF
ART eeer, 10 have taken the place OF
noorings I'm very narrow rooms, the Wails
80 which have completely disappeared. II
NAV be possible that trenches Nos. ana
IA are outside Of the Achemenid construc-
lions. and that they traverse open GROUND
or a yard; at any rate, they reVealsu 10
fOTtlUcAilOn wall ~ t+'+f A''f-'f,
ever. save the inclosing wall already men,
toned.
At one and half metres below the
C;raeco-Persian remains begin the ANA
nita debris which covers the ruins them
selves In these rubbish heaps was found,
besides bricks enscribed with the names
~ AnZan kings, enamelled pottery. be-
longing certainly to the Achemenid pc
riod. II Is to this last epoch that l
ascribe a terra-cotta tablet found at that
level and bearing on its two sides a
cuneiform text, and on one Of the edges
a series of seals, some of them being of
the unrest Greek style, one representing
a reclining figure of a river with its usual
attributes. This level contains also some
| Graeco-Persian sepultures deeply cut
into the layers Of debris. This fact ex-
nIains the presence OF fragments of a
| date nosterior TO that Of the level IN
which they are found. Below this heap OF
rubbish are the ruins with their frag
| rnents Of wall and pavements. These
ruins could have been foreseen from the
! abundance Of inscribed Anzanite bricks
| which were found in the upper level II
the wallis vicinity. The inscriptions OF
these bricks, numbering to-day more
than 500 like the writing on the stone
| monuments 10 be mentioned later, have
| not unfortunately. been read yet. The
| Assvriologue Of the expedition. the Rev