Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1900-11-08
FIND oE DR.. HILPREGHI.
First Isabylonian Temple Library Ever
Discovered.

slty OF Pennsylyanla, VINO has been ex-
ploriug the mounds of ancient Nippur,
in Asia Minor, arrived in New York
Thursday, on the steamship Friedrich
der Crosse from Bremen. Prof. Hill
prfcht brought with him some of the
tablets marked with cuneiform inscrip-
tions, which he recently discovered in
an old temple in the ruins Of Nippur.
These tablets contain records Of civili-
cation which existed as long ago as
5000 Il. G.
DR.. Hilprecht has been exploring the
mounds OF ancient Nippur for II years.
His oampa gns have heretofore been
successful, but during the past year he
has made the greatest discoveries of
all, the finding of the library of the
ancient Temple of Nippur and the re-
mains OF huge palace, having at least
two stories and containing many evil
dences Of what might be called
modern couvenienoes The library
tablets throw 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.
''The chief point to be remarked,
said the professor, sis that we have
found the first Babylonian temple
library that was ever discovered.
Hitherto we have possessed nothing
more than knowledge of the probable
contents of such library, from copies
found in the royal library of Ashur-
banapol, in Nineveb, which was dis.
covered GU years ago.
This royal library, however, was a
compilation of documents gathered
from all over Babylon, 8, far as it was
at that time known. In the library
which WAS unearthed this year at Nip
pur we get for the FIRST time an insight
into the arrangement of such library,
the disposition OF rooms, and, lest of
all, the different kinds of literature
represented in other words. an idea of
the real characteristics which consti.
tuted such collection. OF special i'm
poi lance is the fact that we have not
only discovered a BabyloniaD temple
library, but the most influential, i'm
portant and Oldest in the country. And
not less interesting ia the fact that no
document discovered ip this library ia
younger than 1900 B. C.-thst is, about
the period when tie fist blossom of
NiEpur's civilization had ended it's life
by the invasion of the Elamites. Baby
Ion, from that time the capital Of all
Baby onia, succeeded as the metropolis
of the district of northern Babylonia.
$50 far. practically only one wing OF
this great library mas been excavat d,
Nearly $4,000 volumes were rescued
from the ruins this year, while, sporadic
cally, at different times during the
progress of the expeditions work, some
600 were found at various localities
in the building, although at the time
had no convincing proof that we were
actually in the library.
"My theory from the first moment
when / examined the ruins at Nippur,
ii years ago, was that in this group OF
mounds, If anywhere, the library OF
Nippur was hidden. The size of these
clay inscribed tablets constituting the
library Of Nippur varies from about
two inches by one, to foot and half
in length by one foot in width. I'm.
fortunately for decipherer they were
made of unbaked clay, and have there
fore suffered considerably by the col
lapse Of the building and by the
humidity of the ground. But we have
all the fragments and it will be pussi
BILE to restore q large number OF the
texts in their completeness. Consid-
cradle difficulty arises from the fact
that all of the Inscriptions are written
in the early Babylonian cuneiform
characters. '-.. h-r'
"As 10 the contents, they included
every branch of literature known. To
the early Semitic peoples particularly
welcome are the lists of words written
in two languages, the Sumerian and
Babylonian. The grammatical exer-
cises, the chronological lists, the many
hymns, written often in terms closely
approaching the Old Testament Psalms
and Proverbs, astronomical and nstro-
logical texts, tablets giving the in
vsntory of the temple, the different
gods worshiped. the income of the
temple from different sources-all these
are invaluable contributions to our
knowledge of the ancient world. They
will considerably increase our knowl-
edge Of the vocabulary of two of the
most ancient languages of the human
raae.o
SIN what manner will thes, discov-
cries affect the Interpretation Of the
Biblical records?"
"They will noticeably affect our
knowledge of the life, the religion and
the arts OF the Hebrews, whose earliest
roots are bound up with the history OF
Babylonia. The library of the Temple
of Nippur@as lost to human knowledge
about the time that Abraham went out
Of Ur. 1t gives US the historical set
ting of the time when Abraham went
into Palestine. Many of the customs
and religions, mentions OF which ex-
listed among the Hebrews, will find here
their fist Interpretation.
1--WE have known all along too little
of this teriod. Now we will be able to
tell what is purely Babylonian and
what is Hebrew. Not through this
library particularly, but through the
discoveries we have made (my former
discoveries and researches about the
time of ARA and Nehemiah, ! we have
received new impulse from tablets
and inscribed Hebrew boles-about 200
of them that we found. The argu
ments are conclusive that the larger
mass Of tina Jewish exies transported
by ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS after the destruc-
tion Of Jerusalem we're settled at Nip
pur and alongside the canals in the
neighborhood. "
1.-THE record from the library at Nip
pur," concluded Prof. HiImecht, ARE
now on their way from Bassora to Con-
stantinople, where they will arrive in
the course OF the next six months The
conditions at Constantinople make 1t
impossible for me to speak as TO the
time when they may be looked for in
this country"
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rn., 49, Tpw r1II