The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-06-04
A DISCOVERY OF EXTR
INTE lest.

One of h most interesting of all the
wonderful discoveries made by Ameri-
can, English and other explorers and
e~xcavators is the discovery made near
the ancient city of Gambia, in the island
of Crete, SO well known to New Tesla
ment students. 1t is the fortunate work
of the Oxford (England) explorers.
According to Homer's Had" his i'm
mortal poem of quite 700 years before
Christ, Minos was a god who was one
of the Internal judges. But there is
reallyreason to think that this Homeric
god was after all a human being and
was king in Crete 1000 years before the
Christian Era. Ruins have been discov-
cred near the old city of Gambia that
promise much for the revelation of
Minos as an earthly potentate rather
than a god of ancient mythology or an
Homeric legend. There are the remains
of a once gran. immense palace, with
spacious court, some of the walls of
which in fact remain. 1t is thought that
it was really the palace of Minos. We
give a part of h findings as reported
in The New York Saturday Review by
Mr.. John Swinton, a we'll known north
ern writer: -
First, there was a spacious
court surrounded by a wall which is
still about six feet in height; the main
approach to he palace was through
wide double gates, near which were two
affairs, the bases of which are yet to be
scene. Immediately behind another
court ran a long corridor. opening off
into more than a score of store cham
bers, many of which contained, as some
of them yet contain, huge brown clay
jars for storing oil or wine, these jars
bearing scrolls or other ornaments, and
formerly numbering, it is supposed,
yer a thousand, for hundreds of them
are still there. No idea of the original
appearance of the great fabric can yet
be given; it's apartments n chambers
cannot yet be defined or numbered, for
but parts of the walls and a few steps
of some of the staircaseS remain. A
spacious room that can be outlined vas
probably the royal presence chamber;
it was paved and walled with stone, and
had stone shoulders, apparently for
%sitters, while at one side was a lofty
seat of gypsum rock, once richly cary
ed, possibly the kings throne"
There are frescoes, figures and other
works, as we'll as miniatures Of women,
Soio ~ NC e LIN, tiioS ~
as we'll as many beautiful vases"
The Oxford psychologists and explor-
ers Ia not yet published their reasons
for believing that the palace of King
Minos has indeed been found, but the
reasons will be published hereafter.
Tablets of two kinds have been found,
but they have not yet been deciphered
and what they reveal is not known. Mr..
Swinton says: when the mysterious
tablets can be read, interpreted, and
brought within comprehension much
may be learner concerning the sover-
eighty that existed in Crete a thousand
years before Rome was founded. 1t is
possible that among the f~rescoes which
have been discovered there may be a
likeness of the mighty Minos himself"
Probably the civilization to be reveal
ed will be older h ven that of Egypt
and Babylon. There were one hundred
cities in the small island of Crete, it is
said and the Oxford explorers will ex-
tend their operations beyong Gambia be
fore their work is complete. Such re-
markable DISCOVERIES must appeal to the
intelligence of people in all lands. 1t is
most notable that a great palace has
been discovered that probably was built
when the world was not 200 years old,
and today some of its tablets, ~frescoes,
and sculptures remain.