The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-11-08
Ace of the World

(CnlCaEO -CnrOnlCie.)
New York--PrOfeSsO H V. HiC-eCht
OF the University of Pennsylvania, who
has been exploring the mounds OF an
Gent Nippur, in Asia Minor arrived in
this port yesterday from Bremen. Pro-
lessor HilDreCht brought with him some
OF me tabIetS marked with cuneifOrm in
IN an old temple in the ruins Of NioDur.
These tablets contain records Of civiliza-
JIon which existed as long ago as $3.50
b. Chat is. as long before Abraham as
Abraham was before our time.
Professor HflDrecht's coming has been
awaited anxiously by students interested
IN the remote past because his discoveries
are believed TO have reorganized the chro-
nolOgy of Biblical times, extending it
back many millenniums prior TO the old
time reckoning of the deluge. Therefore
he is looked upon as a messenger bearing
news Of the earliest records Of civiliza-
ton. His progress from Nippur has been
one long series of personal triumphs. He
was hOnored by the sultan of Turkey, Of
fered prOfessoTShips in German uniVer-
sites, entertained BY Prince. Ruprecht Of
Bavaria, by the Duchess of Anhalt. sister
Of the King Of Denmark, and made a
member Of several geographical societies.
DR.. HilDrecht has been exploring the
years His campaigns have heretofore
been most successful, but during the
past year he has made the greatest dis
c0veC4es Of aIl-the finding of the library
of the ancient temple of NiDpur and the
remains of a huge palace, having at least
two stories and containing many evil
dences of what might be called modern
cOnveniences.' The library tablets throw
q strong light on how people lived at
Nippur at ABOUT the time Adam and Eve
were heretofore supposed TO be living In
the garden of Eden.
Some of these tablets are dictionaries,
architectural plans, building lists, gram
NAUTICAL exercises, contracts, bills of sales,
histories and chronological lists. and not
only do they form a complete record of
the time. but they indicate that the CIV
iliz9tiOn then existing was many thO@-
sands OF years old. They supply many
gaps which are known TO exist in Gen
esis; they turn light on the origin of the
Jews and the Jewish religion, and they
are wonderfully cOrrOborative of the facts
outlined in the Old Testament
THE chief point TO be remarked said
the professor, is that we nave found the
first Babylon1an temple library that was
ever discovered And not less interest
ing is the fact that no document diScOv-
cred in this library is younger than 2990
b. C--that is, about the period when the
ended its life by the invasion OF the Elan
ties.
so far practically only one wing of
this great library has been excavated.
Nearly 1900 volumes were rescued from
the ruins this year. while SpOradically at
different times during the progress of the
expeditions work some 10000 were found
: at various localities in the building. al
prooI that We were actually IN the Il
brary.
These discoveries will noticeably ef-
( feet our knowledge OF the life, the reng-
ion and the arts Of the Hebrews. whose
earliest roots are bound up with the his
( tory of BabylOnia.
''The library of the temple of NiDpur
was lost to human knowledge about the
time that Abraham went out to Or. II
[ gives US the historical setting of the time
when Abraham went into Palestine. Many
} of the customs and religions, mentions
( OF winch existed among the Hebrews, will
1 find here their first Interpretation