New-York tribune., 1900-07-08
BOOKS FROM BABYLON.
THE BRITISH MUSEUMS REMARKABLE
COLLECTION OF CLAY TABLETS
From The London Standard.

!
lie. For many years the authorities have been
extending their collection both by expeditions
to the East under the direction Of DR. + A
W. Bulge. the Curator Of he Department of
Oriental Antiquities. and by extensive purchases
from native dealers The result of this quiet
work. which has been carefully carried out is
the acquisition of objects quite Unequalled by
any other national museum. Not only is the
collection highly representative Of all classes
Of BapyIonlan and Assyrian archaeology. but il
/ contains specimens Of BabyiOnIan inscribed
tablets in perfect preservation. Indeed, il is
perfectly astonishing 10 see letters and account
books from BabylonIan temples, more than four
thousand years old, fresh if just taken
from the Dotter's oven.
The collections have been arranged his
toTcaily. and the section illustrating the origin
and growth of various systems of cuneiform
writing is most excelientIy displayed. Com
meucing with linear archaic inscriptions dating
from about b c. 1900. can follow the de-
Felopment and spread Of this curious script
down to the age of Darius Hystaspis. 3. c.
81. and through Greek times until late
period B. c. -. In this section most in
teresting exhibit is that Of some paper casts Of
the Behistun inscription taken by Sir Henry
Rawlinson, which led 70 the deciPhering Of the
cuneiforn inscriptions, 1t IS only httlng that
the father of ASsyroiogy should be thus repre-
scented in the great museum with which he was
SO long associated.
On Passing to the table cases the first exhibit
is that Of a curious series Of circular clay
plaques, neatly inscribed. These documents,
which date from 3 c. 300 are really the tithe
rolls of the ancient temples Of Southern Chal-
dea- Each tablet relates to an estate and gives
the estimated value OF the various fields, accord
The plaques are all carefully dated by some I'M
pCrtant event occurring in the year when they
were prepared. Such deeds had to be complied
frequently. since the winter floods removed the
| boundaries of the estates
The next case contains a remarkable series of
clav deeds relating to trade and commerce dat
ing from B. Q 23O0-2l0C. Many of them have
attached triangular pieces Of clay. ike seals 10
1-,IIrro charters and nearly all are in duplicate,
I one COPY iucIcsed within the other Among the
most interesting objects the unique series of
r5vaI letters Of khammurabI, or AHraphei,
which are contemporary with the age OF Abra-
ham. These wonderful Ittit Gay l@o-glN 7 aL
each accompanied by their clay envelopes and
show how the King managed not ehlS business "
I of State. bat the private d-alIS oI 0'e
Of his subjects: and many of them relate 10
I cases Of exorbitaut usury. The movement OF
troops and the provisioning Of garrison towns
49,. 5aer~fIe7 with the fullest detail, and from
hen we can reconstruct the history OF the
period with considerable accuracy. .+- -,
Letter writing was quite general a. Lt'7 &C.
riad ana from the varying haudwriunss IL ~
evident that great numbers OF the plolT 49,.
read and write Indeed. the C'fIsSi lLl'-'- 80
here exhibited became the hi'lI' t"l - - ~.
mo throughout the East. in the case Y' -l1
mfesives from Tel FL AmaTna, d a., -L.s ;.I,fI
Of which IS now exhibited IhtSe Ni'tllg 80
raaor7s from Egypt. Chaldaa SNTla anu -Ni'i''.
Naharaim have restored 20 US l4S l,...f HIsl..f -
Western Asia a century hetgre the Israelte IN
IN +he eacfion relating to the later Bahyloni1n
.+l- ~, eoa af the c4ptivlty. tha re- has been
RANGED p most interesting series OF dated con
tracts Some of these contain the fet"FuS 4l
commercial transactions Joy l'rlSIaZA5iL. ''-'-
l+-
rnaneh Of silver upon the security oi a nous
A fine series OF Baby louIan bricks or an aSeS -
exhibited and one of these is r~IuarNabLe- IL
hears an inscription OF Nab'uIduS a. I. .-'.''.
and on il is a clear IrnIgInt OF the foot or tle
workman who trod It while wet. olhet m
rar-stire bricks are those Of the Elamite Kings
of SIIsa or Shushan. some of which have the
/ birIrnen used as mortar still attached TO them.
Gf Fabvlouian literature there are several
valuable examples shown-a fragment Of the
relu@e Tablet several portions Of medical ana
magical books fragments Of works on astroi0gy
hi r1lF fr.H. D 4
voca bjlary of Kossean words. with Bahylonian
/ TRANSACTIONS To astronomers the valuable lists
| Of calculations Of the new moon. by which TO
regulate the calendar Will be Of great interest.
as they date from 3. c. - down 20 a century
NIesopotanlia much attention was paid to time
| measuring, and kind Of nautical almanac
seems TO have been compiled. Mathematics are
represented by tables of square and cube roots,
and by a curious list of calculations Of the re
suit Of multiplying the numbers from one %
nifty by forty-fve. This was, no doubt, used 10y
astronomers.
In the archaeological cases we have fine stone
maces Of the earliest BabyIouian kirgs, and a
/ number OF excellent specimens of bronze cast
ing. Students Of the giyptiC art Will find many
important additions to the collection Of engraved
cylinder seals. among them being several royal
ones. Recognizing that a good collection de
serves a good catalogue. the trustees have is
sued an admirable guide which embraces all
the Assyrian Department. The work Is clearly
written by DR., Bulge and Nh King. his as