The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1902-12-27

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derful story Of misty centuries that
intervened between the time Of the
creation and the time Of the Patriarch
Abraham may now belargelY revealed
through discoveries which have been
made in the ruins Of the City OF
Nippur, or Babylon, These dlscov-
cries were made by scientists sent out
by the University Of Pennsylvania.
Professor H. " Hilprecht, who has
been in charge Of this work, has just
returned TO the university from Con-
stantinople, where he has been for
eighteen months classifying the
results of his work.
The matter upon which Professor
Hilprecht has been engaged consists
Of 10000 clay tablets from the icl-
perial library Of Nippur. This
library was discovered by Professor
Hilprecht twelve years ago. Slace
that time, through his efforts, prpb.
ably one-eighth OF the historical
tablets contained in the library have
been recovered Most Of them are
now stored in the Imperial Ottoman
Museum at Constantlnople. A COM
paratiyely small portion was brought
to the University Of Pennsylvania.
AS the request Of the director OF
the Ottoman Museum and with the
sanction Of the sultan, the professor
took charge Of the classification and
interpretation Of the tablets. III
this work he has been engaged for the
last eighteen months After stay
of few months at the University Of
Pennsylvania, where he will lecture
upon bis discoveries, he will return tc
Constantinople, and will divide his
time between the museum there aud
the ruins of Nlppur, where he hopes
to complete the exploration Of the
library. He win devote his life tC
the work, and has a mighty task
before him. He estimates that the
library will yield at least l50, 0OC
tablets. When these are recovered
he aud his assistants hope TO classify
and translate them.
'The contents OF the tablets which
we have recovered" /" said Professor
Hilprecht, when seen at the univer
, sity, twill altogether change th'
ideas of the world IS to the state O
civilization and knowledge Of tina
early people. 1t will be seen that th,
} Babylonians knew 1900 years befor
the Christian era, that the earth wa
: round, and that their astronomer
took the same views of celestia
! phenomena as we take now.
c "Nippur is, ln fact, sixteen cities
: one built above another. We hav
by no means reached the lower 0
d these buried cities, Much Of th
Z temple library has been brought here
e and is now in the museum Of tn
University Of Pennsylvania. Th
e temple at that early period was no
I only place of religious worship. ]
i was also the school; the college. Th
i priests we're the teachers Of a
branches Of knowledge, and 1t wa
j therefore, natural that the librar
a should be in the temple
Y The inscriptions on tile tablet
). which we have discovered are i
q cuniform character Their deciphe
h ing is matter Of much dificulty, fc
, we have no Babylonion alphabe
d But we have made some progress
the translation Of the tablets, an
have thus obtained glimpse If IL
maryels which await US in this grei
I library
: The Babylonions were gre'
\ astronomers aud great mathemat
clans. On a tablet which l recent
= found we're the most minute astr
Z nomieal calculations as to the col
= stellatlon Scorpioe The calculation
+ as to the positions and movements
y the heavenly bodies we're remarkabl
- and showed pretty clearly that Il
. astronomers 1900 b. Q. were
proficient ia their Science in son
4, respects as those Of today
as Another tablet which l have