Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1900-05-24
NJ Observation-Disclosures DE1AAw ~, 1A1 $1,000
BEFORE ABRAHAM WAS

by the University of pennsy lvania, under
10 d;rection of Prof. IL. V. liilprecht,
the worlds authority on Assyrian his
tory. Tho article reads in part:
.:Prof, Hilrrecbt has been constantly
finding FRAGMENTS of tablets, OF vases, OF
urps, of sarcophagi, No.. each fragment
inscribed with some enlightening faof,
or perhaps with some puzzling state
msnt, the meaning of which was not q.
certained until later. He was able. ny
tines to corroborate many historlchi
statements concerning kings peiore
Christ. and at others to ill completely
many gaps in the long line of succession
until thew traced back to the days OF VI
Cur. 800 b. c., Marlin Sin and MS
father, Sargon l., $500 b. u, and 10
fifteen kings who lived previous to Sar-
pon. II was in the temple area tnat
the frapmentary evidence of these rulers
was found. The temple was the temple
Of Bel or Inlil, around which the re-
ligion Of Nippur had centred. 1t is curl
Gus, however, that in the three CT tour
strata marked by the successive plat
forms OF the temple everything was in
such fragmentary condition. 1t was
sometime before the investigators sue
ceeded in learning that this damage was
the result Of raid by the Elimities, who
came down from the north about 2, 200
B. 8. and sacked Niprur. They carried
away to Elm every article OF value
which thew could take. What they
could not take they broke into pieces
and scattered. The proof of this Is that
some Of the spoil Of this ancient raid
is today being dug up on the site OF OLD
Susa.
"Among the fragments of pre- Sar-
gonic times is one which told OF a king,
Enshneshur- ana. and his achievements
in defending Kengi from the enmity Of
the CITY of lSish. The significance OF
this and other fragments of similar
character, however, was never realized
go much as when they were collated
with that great find which revealed the
existance Of one of the greatest men OF
ancient time-King Lugalzaggisi, the
oopoueror of the world The fragments
we're found in the sanctuary of the
temple. The fragments were parts OF
vases scattered and broken, sometimes
into the very smallest of pieces. But
when properly placed together they re-
yealed the longest inscription yet de.
cjphered concerning the fourth and fifth
millenniums b. G. The deciphering oil
this Inscription must have been a stu
pendous task. Prof. Hilprecht says:
:" The text was restored by myself
from So fragments of Ga different vases
under the most trying circumstances
The work was just as much !mathe
NAUTICAL task as it was photographic
| and pathological problem. On the basi
i Of photographed evidence, / selected
. $50 pieces out of a heap of 900 frag
3 ments and particles. Then succeeded
{ in placing five fragments together
{ whereby i obtained the beginning an
4 ends of each column. The
followed the tedious work of arrangin
the little fragments and determinin
their exact position, although ofte
enough cot more than few traces c
. the original characters were loft
guide me.
This document is perhaps the mos
wonderful in existence. Certainly it
!. the Oldest of any length, and, taken !
y = connection with other fragments Of th
!. time, it tells marvellous story of huma
life as it existed between 5000 an
. 1000 years ago. Here it is briefly, I
4 compiled from the findings of Pro
q Hilprecht:
y 1.-THE first king of whom there
, any record was Ensbagshur ana, lord
n Kengi. Kengi was the ancient nan
n Of Babylonia. 1t signified land of Il
!, canals and reeds so that the gener
= character of the country at least nu
ia then have been very similar to that
y the present time. Kengi was then
70 an advanced state Of civilization, ~
' = was inhabited partly by senites al
/. partly by Sumerians. The Sumeria
' -,.l& .t- =
i. they we're to the Semites what Il
n cultural difference was greater, pc
to dom is not yet known, though In {
g Genesis 10, 10). But the religio
I, centre of Ksngi was the temple Of I
q god Bel or mill in Nirpur, which "
o. Calneh. Nippur was under the especi
care of thhe kings of Kengi, each
whom was called patesi, a title viii
signitied that the king was grei
10 sovereign, lord of the temple, and oh
H. servant of its god. Patesi gal Inlil,
Great Priest King of Bel, meant Vi
'rt the king was ruler by divine rigl
nd Other temples had their pa.esis, W
were not kings, but who enjoyed pri
q, leges which virtually made them rul
no of the cities and towns in which |
temples were located.
~, lat this early time Kengi Y
'2o greatly harassed by the people Of XII.
a nearby city. Kish enjoyed cult
nn its own, and its patesl was an am
No tious man, who desired to extend
influence outside of his own city
les kingdom. Nearly every city was q xii
TN dom in those DAYS. Kish Law in
north of Kengi and the people Of |
mn latter place ealltd it gul shay, that
on wicked of heart and ga gul,
'teeming with wiokedness. On
W indeed, Utug, the patesi Of Kish,
an croached SO far on Babylonia or Ke
:, that he obtained possession of Nipn
Il. for there is record showing thai
~ presented large sand stone vase to
god Bel, in the temple of Nippur.
vase fragments have been found
which was recorded the fact that
shagshur ANA, that most ancient XII
my marched against Kish with an arr
and defeated its patesi. The spoi
,ch this expedition was presented to
the the god of Nippur. Later on. anot
zed king of Kengi marched against X
and not only invested tho city,
I'M captured Its ruler, En- Bildar, carry
will home VIGOROUSLY his statue,
ect shining silver, the utensils,
pill property and depositing them in
by, temple of Bel But this success Of
md Sumerians, who were the natural ru
nu- of Kengi, was evidently short lived,
'ek, presently another king of Kish,
Shulpauddu, is found to have offe
less several inscribed vases in the tempt