Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1900-11-17
ESaag fnss-Ri7ahta snsnbdnn, Ips ssuldsB snn1mEr q, 1900


iron SUNDAY 3
An sort ~ opisioss.
lAwyersS ana FlumkersS5 1000 s1eaFs
The soriental lnvestigations and dis
coyeries of recent years have extended
our knoHledge$of civilized maj and his
works into q remote part, replacing In
ar5any instances legend with historic
truth and speculation with contempt
Tary Testimony.
With the daily life and beliefs
OF the ancient Egypt lie earlier
discoveries have aireagsy u.slde VI la
miliar. The finds OF the past year in
the Roman Forum, in Crete and in
Macedonia also aerve to throw new
light on older civilizations and confirm
scripture references which have been
sorely puzzling our Biblical critics.
The Acts of the Apostles" give an
ccoun OF Paul's visit to Philippi,
using the word Muir to denote q dts-
trict In Macedonia. Its g~enuineness has
long been questioned by scholars, but
IL seems that documents have been dis
covered in the ruins of Macsdonia
which use the snme word to denote di-
visions in that district.
So also with reference to the Poll
tarchss OF T~hessalonica. The name
which occurs nowhere in Greek litera-
1, ~. 49, 3noo, r$tnn An : q N
arch In the ruins OF the city, stating It
was erected when certain persons were
"Politarehs of the city"
OF still greater Importance are the
recent findings in B%abylonia, since
they establish the existence OF a civlli-
cation a%ntedlating Christ by 5000 OF
1000 years.
Totthe University Of Pennsylvania
we must now give chief credit in the
excavation OF those ruins and making
known their treasures to the world,
Unaer Its auspices important digginss
have been made In Babylenia which
have been recorded by DR.. Peters in his
two volumes on Nippur and have also
been OF great a~sststance. to Dr. Jas
trow In his recent work on the Baby
lonianaAssyrlan religion. 1nvestiea'
tons are being conducted by Professor
Hilprecht, who is making accessible e
scholars the old inscriptions found 81
N1ppur, a city supposed to have bcA
older even than Ur Of the Chaldees
mentioned in Genesis as the birth place
of Abraham.
On digging thru4the sand. writes Pro
feseor Hilprecht, he came upon an an.
cient city, in the center OF which was 6
temple. Beneath this were discovered
the ruins OF an older temple, and In; the
virgin soil below was found q etill more
ancient temple, dating from a perfoe
previous to the common Christian reck'
oning Of the deluge-at least 5000 BIC
In these Last ruins they M upor
|Caineh, which, with the cities Of Babel
Erech and Accad, was, according T.
Genesis, the beginning Of the kingdom
of Nimrod.
One of the mort interesting finds II
this locality was an ancient pot which
some milleniume g had been used b,
an old priest as a receptacle for treas
ures which even at that primeval da.
had an archaeological value. Some Of the
treasures in this little museum Of anti
quities date az far back az 1900 B. g.
This potscontained a number OF tablet!
Iof which there are 1.72o covered will
lcuneiformswritings. These tablets ar
literary, historical and pathological. n.
document IL Of later date than 2280 3
IC.
There are many more rooms, write!
Professor II, to be uncovered, all o.
which, 1t is supposed, contain sirniia,
records. Further explorations r ex'
pected to show that Nippur was as i'm,
portant 5000 years B. C. az it was 800
years B. c., and that 1t anticipated tn,
time when Babylonian civilization tool
the lead by at least 2, 900 yeare.
Among the remarkable discoyerie.
made by Professor Hilprecht is an elab
pur, by which an avenue exirts for tn,
easy disposal Of sewage into the cana
shatt-en-Nl. In the palace AFRO wer,
found the remains Of q carefully plan
ned toilet department, foreshadowinl
the open plumbing arrangements of to
day.
Commenting on the nature Of thes
discoveries, Bibffa has this to say:
M one can read an account of tn,
work OF Proferaor Hilprecht withou
being struck by the fact that the peopl
of 1000 years ago lived very much az ",
do today. There was the same apprecia
ton of literature and art. as shown Ii
the cuneiform scrip. and in their sculp
ture. Wealthy people lived in the cities
md employed attorneys to manage 3thei
tenantry, who lived In the country Of
farms. When they bought jewelry
written guaranty went with 1t. In tn
archive bon of MaraHher Sous, attor
ney of ancient Nippur. there was foun,
a tablet guaranteeing an emerald set Il
a ring good for twenty years.
Homes were built on an extensive, no
10 say modern plan. and were furnishe.
more or less m~agnihcently, az evidence
In the palace mentioned above. FORTH
catione were built. wars were carrie
ion. conqueFts were made. and heroe
We're glorifed. People when they die
We're not thrown hastily into the earth
but were laid carefully away In ella
coffinr. which are found today still COY
cred With the heautiful blue glaze wit
which they were decorated by the an
|cient undertaken. And for the benefi
OF posterity science was studied and 1nu
ssums were planned that they might b
found in the dawn of the twentieth cen
fury, and the history OF the race read q
q sermon in stones"
i NHHA ~n1aa~~ ,klVo-~ -. . /.