The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1899-07-15
STUDY OF PALESTINE
THE MOST IMPORTANT FIND IN
RECENT YEARS.
Valuable Relic Of the Past-PictoriaI
Map on a Vast Scale of Christian
Palestine and Egypt of the Early
Centuries.
(SDecia Letter \

made in Palestine in recent years has
been the Madeira mosaic, which throws
no little light upon the geography OF
contemporary Syria. The Palestine
exploration fund cannot be directly
credited with it's discovery, but it is
mainly due to the influence of its op-
erations that the people of Palestine
have learned to set a due value upon
and preserve such remains of antiquity
as happen to come under their notice,
In this case the actual discoverer was
not an official agent of the fund, but
1t is very probable that if the work OF
the fund had not influenced intelligent
Orientals this important relic of the
past would have attracted no attention
and might ever have been destroyed
1t is almost the story of the Moabite
stone over again, but, though the
Madeba mosaic was partly mutilated, it
was so treated from no superstitious
motives, but from something like care
lessness.
Madeba, or Medaba, where the sensa-
tional discovery was made in Deem
Der, 1896, is an ancient site in Moab
on the eastern side of the Dead sea.
between Heshban (Heshbon) and Dbl
ban Oibon). 1t appears to have been
in early times an important Christian
center, and, after a desolation of thir-
teen centuries, it is again peopled by
Christians, who migrated thither from
kerak about twenty years ago. Re
mains of churches and basilicas are
very plentifully strewn about the place
and are mingled anonymously with
the modern squalid abodes of the in
habitants. The meanest house 1--WE
read) has a beautifully carved Intel
or door post; built in the rudest wal
may be found a graceful Corinthian
capital. In front of the dirty, dark
houses are courts with fine slabs OF
stone. One chamber, which is shared
alike by the owners and their chick
ems and goats, is ioored with a beauti,
full mosaic.
The mosaic which has made Madeira
famous in our day is a unique relic
and is nothing less than a pictorial
map on a vast scale of Christian Pal
estine and Egypt of the early centuries
Fifteen years ago the Greek patriarch
of Jerusalem received a letter from one
of his monks in Moab, informing him
of the existence of a fine mosaic pave
ment at Madeba, containing the names
of such cities as Jerusalem, GAIA, Nea-
pc.is, ETC., and asking fo- instructions
as tn mh At utaDc bn chn1I1d ta1o in rp.
gard to it. His beatitude apparently
cared for lone Of these things, for he
took no notice of the letter. Some
years later Eis successor, coming upon
the letter, sent instructions that the
mosaic should be included in the
church which was about to be built al
Madeba. During the erection of the
church the mosaic-which until then
was almost COMPLETENESS much dam
aged, and, like the Moabite stone, is
now more or less fragmentary. The
one who is regarded as the practical
discoverer is Father Cleopas, the IL
brarian of the Greek p~atriarchate, who
was the first to make a sketch of the
map. This unique geographical mo-
sale is referred to the fifth century. II
gives the tribes of Israel, each with Its
chief towns. The administrative dis
tricts into which the country was di-
vided at that period are also given,
Each city is represented by a promin,
ent building. Jerusalem, Nablus anG
GAIA are shown encircled by walls. The
chief gates can be made out, and, in
the case of Jerusalem, the principal
streets. 1t need hardly be said thai
the distances between the several
towns marked and their relative posi-
tons are not mathematically accurate
Special interest attaches to the plan
Of Jerusalem which the historical mo-
sale supplies. AS has been already
said, the leading streets of the holy
city are marked. The street leading
from the Damascus gate to the ole
Zion gate seems lined with columns
At its northern end, near the Damas-
Gus gate, is a prominent column, which
the distinguished Palestine explorer
Sir Charles Wilson, suggests may be
the million from which distances were