The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-09-23


fragile of their contents. On these
heaps" Of rubbish the subsequent inhab-
itants built their new cities OF a like
material. So. as city after city well
into decay. II made a foundation for its
successor. and buried its records to await
the explorer.
In the ruins of the City OF Lachish was
found the remains of the residence Of the
governor. with kind OF primitive bar
rack before H. In one of the chambers
OF this building was a small clay tab
let. in shape and style of writing resem-
bling those found at Tell-el-Amarna. This
tablet is most important. ii shows that
the cuneiform writing was in common
use In Palestine about 400 B. c.. GEN.
fury before the conquest by the Israel
ties.
From the depth Of the Accommodations
and the character of its remains Dr.
Petrie thinks that Lachish may have been
built In the seventeenth century before
Christ This corresponds with the eight
zenith dynasty in Egypt, In the time when
IL was making foreign conquests and
when the Syrfans must have had need
Of Notifications.
OF the Notifications OF Iachish there
Is much remaining. DR. Petrie finds that
its walls date from 9To b. c., and I'm proof
OF this he suggests that neither David
nor Solomon would have been likely to
fortify place so near home: the Jew
ish kingdom had too much vitality I'm n
TO need defenses in its interior. He holds
that It was not until the weakened power
OF Rehohoam laid him open to foreign
Invasion that strongholds were needed
within the country
Among the most important objects
found at Lachish are the stone slabs bear
Ing pflasters In low relief They are
supposed to date from the time of Solo
mr. N nd he ar@ tai.
style OF early Jewish architecture and
suggestive of the form OF the famous
temple of Solomon. The use OF rams
horns to decorate a pillar is much like
the bulls skulls affixed by the Greeks
to the architecture Of their buildings. The
shaft of the plaster is doubtless more
sloping than would be the case In nal
lars. but IT suggests that the pillars were
greatly tapered In proportion The orig
inal purpose OF these slabs remains a
mystery.
In the British museum are scuip,ures
from the ruins of Sennacherib's palace
at Nineveh. showing the assault upon
Lashish and its surrender. OF this siege
by sennacherib the Bible story from H.
Kings reads. simply:
Now. In the fourteenth year of King
Hezekiah did Sennacherib. king OF AS
syria. come up against all the fenced
cities OF judah and took them
And Hezekiah. king Of Judah, sent to
the king of Assyria TO T4achish saving.
i have offended: return from me: that
which thou puttist on me will I bear.
Ana the king OF Assyria appointed unto
Hezekiah. king of Judah, 800 talents OF
silver ane thirty talents OF gold"
This destruction was foretold In Micah
H.. 10. in the following:
% thou fnhabitant Of Lachish. bind the
chariot to the swift beast; she Is the be-
ginning OF the sin to the daughter of
Zion; for the transgressions Of Israel were
found in thee
In the first portion OF these museum
bas-reliefs is shown the fenced city OF
Lachish, resting upon Its heap" Above.
It's towers are filled with archers and
others. who rain lighted torches upon
the wooden cars under cover OF which the
battering-rams are worked, and upon the
tall wicker screens. behind which bowmen
and spearmen and singers are assailiuS
the defenders. Here and there are scaling
ladders reared against the walls. From the
principal gate captives are issuing. and In
the immediate foreground two soldiers are
In the act Of impaling a youthful prisoner.
side by side with his father and mother.
This was an atrociously cruel mode OF
execution. devised by the Assyrian kings
for important captives. and practiced by
the Turks until quite recently.
In the second portion OF the sculptures
Sennacherib sits on his splendid throne
of bronze and fvories. while his great
officers present the prisoners from the
fallen city. Above Is the inscription:
"Sennacherib. King of the World. King
or Assyria. safe on throne and caused
the spoil OF Lachish to pass before him"
The victorious monarch grasps bow and
arrows as symbols of his warlike prowess
and recent success. Behind the throne
stand two eunuchs. holding fy-faps over
the kings head. and behind them Is
large tent over which Is the Inscription:
TENT Of Sennacherib, King of Assyria."
Below is the kings chariot with its at
PENDANTS. ono OF whom carries n state um-
brella. and on the left captives are be-
ing dispatched. Palms. vines and olives
adorn the landscape. The distinctly Jew
ish type OF face OF the Inhabitants of La
chish also may be noticed
The great gate through which the prts-
oners are represented passing was dis
covered by Dr. Pctrie. He found the
steps and the guardhouse in good prcser-
walton. Altogether. the delving into the
mysteries Of Tel-el-Hesy is regarded as
having thrown remarkable light upon Old
Testament history.