El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-06-17
STUDY OF PALESTINE
THE MOST IMPORTANT FIND IN
RECENT YEARS.
Valuable Relic of the Past-PictoriaI
Map Vast Scale of Christian
Palestine and Egypt of the Early
Centuries.
Especial Ietter)

| opecldl LeIboT.D
| One of the most important finds
made in Palestine in recent years ha!
| been the Madeira mosaic, which throw.
no little light upon the geography O.
contemporary Syria. The Palestine
exploration fund cannot be directly
credited with it's discovery, but it il
mainly due to the influence of its op
erations that the people of Palestine
have learned to set due value upoI
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 even 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-
t1onal 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 Dibon). 1t appears to have been
in early times ar 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 wall
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 f1oored with 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 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-
polls. etc., and asking for instructions
as to what steps he should take in re-
gard to it. His beatitude apparently
cared for none of these things, for he
took no notice of the letter. Some
years later his successor, coming upon
the letter, sent instructions that the
mosaic should be included in the
church which was about to be built at
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
1iscoverer is Father Cleopas, the IL
orarian Of the Greek patriarchate, who |
vas the first to make a sketch of the |
nap. This unique geographical mo-
aic is referred to the fifth century. 1t |
,ives the tribes of Israel, each with its
hief towns. The administrative dis
riots into which the country was di-
'ided at that period are also given.
Zach city is represented by a promin-
MT building. Jerusalem, Nablus and
iaza are shown encircled by walls. The
hief gates can be made out, and. in
he case of Jerusalem, the principal