The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-08-11

grams" But these lines employ only such signs as are we'll known from their use in the historical inscriptions. and I assign to them the meanings which they always have in such texts as concern the dimensions of buildings. But this. would be a very large ouild- ing indeed. The great Temple or Mer- odach at Babylon. by many fdentlned | with the Tower of Babel, was only 1SO cubits high If we consider these di- mensions as those of tower 1t must have been nearly 1000 feet high. Such a height could only be that of noun tain. Then it would be difficult to ac- count for the presence of the animals recorded below. There were no anil mals kept in the Tower of Babel, so far as we are told. The animals whose names can be recognized are not such as we have any reason to suppose were kept by the Kings of Ninever in men, agerie or geological gardens.
 The mythical character of the build ing seems evident. The next two lines give other dimensions in precisely sim liar terms to those used in describing the terraces or platforms on which the kings erected their places. Interpret ing the signs in the same way as Is all ways done in such cases the substruct- ure of this strange building was 40 cubits across and 7SS cubits along its side. There is no suggestion of a height.
 Now, the Ninevite version of the Chaldean tradition above referred to, contempdates the Ark as house" oIf boat or raft. It may be questioned whether in these texts height" neces- sarily means vertical height" If not We may suppose a boat 7SS cubits in length over all and TAO cubits in breadth amdship. carrying a box shaped house 660 cubits long. 390 cu- bits broad and 150 cubits high above the deck. It is possible that the roof eloped from central ridge. Also the dimensions given may be those of a rectangular raft. In either case there would be a free space 10 cubits wide along the sides and 64 cubits wide at the ends, to serve as deck prone made" If we preefr to take 660 cubits as the height. part of this may have been submerged; but in any case we ehould have q curious shape for an ark. though one quite admissible for an imaginary temple tower.
 The animals named, so far as I am able to recognize their ideographic des- criptions, are dromedaries, camels horses, mules, asses, both male and female of each species. forming one group; then oxen and COWS of various sorts, sheeps. goats. antelopes or gabeles. hares, with their young ones and of both sexes. forming a second group. The first group seems to be the animals. mans helpers and ser wants; the second group are possibly those clean animals used for food. It may be noted that the antelope or gazelle is frequently depicted as asso- ciated with Ishtar. or Venus. who plays such prominent part in the tradition of the flood. No numbers are given, in marked contrast to the Biblical nar- rative, but there were evidently pairs in the first group. and it would not be difficult to make out seven for the bovine race and sheep. In the many herd lists of Ninevite kings the num- bers of each sore are. of course, al ways given. Hence we can scarcely think of the animals in a farmyard
 Then follows a list of birds. most of which are not yet to he identified with any certainty. though nearly all the ideograms occur also in the lists of offerings made to the gods. Such birds were in all probability used for food. The list ends with the dove, then the swallow. then the raven. The order is the same. The raven would hardly be kept in any domestic estab- lshment few of the other creatures. except perhaps antelopes, would be kept in a menargerle.
 The extraordinary dimensions of the building, the singular selection of anil
 nals, as remarkable for it's omissions as for its contents. seem suited to no other exclamation than We have here a summary estimate of the size and con tents of Noah's Ark.
 may add that the shape of the tab let is unusual. one side being fiat, the other convex. The contour Is a long ayalr like that of a pressed dgs The