The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-11-14
IN ANCIENT CANAAN
Gezer, Whose King and People Were
Slain by Joshua, Unearthed rs
by Scientists. g.
London Cablesram to st. Louis GLOBE
Democrat.

London CableSram to st. Louis GLOBE
Democrat
The quarterly statement Of the palas-
tine exploration fund has a PAPER by
Professor MacAllster which ma:ks almost
a new Gel arturo in Palestine archaeology.
1t Ct scribes excavations at Telleljez.lci.
on the right of the road from oais<l to
Jerusalem. The site was identified as
Ceser, the Canaanite city, the king and
people of which were slain by Joshua.
The excavations revealed four series OF
ancient walls and four layers Of strata,
which. putting aside the buildings of later
date. mark the site of the city rs occupied
by four different sets of Inhabitants.
The first and second layers wee not al
ways d!stIrguishable. There were three
urhewn monoliths IA inches high, with
smaller ones between and under an ad-
joining pavement; jars containing he
chnrrcd bones Of infants. which would
,eln to indicate that it was a place Of
sacrifice. where children passed. through
the fire 10 som predecessor Of Molo:h. ID.
Two caves We're discovered. One, dat
ing from the first or second city, was 10 by
yards and covered by layer sometimes
root deep of human ashes and bones,
which often had been inperfectly con-
sumed. Professor MacAllister believes
that the cave itself was a crematory, and
that later race, probably that Of the third
city, used it for the inhumation Of bodies,
which were deposited in a crouching pos
ture all over the floor. The other cave.
which was bell shaped, has been used as
a cst by the occupants of the fourth and
latest city. but it contained six skeletons.
Five persons had been buried. The sixth
was the upper half Of girl who had been
cut in two, with saw, indicating that
she had been a human sacrifice. This
idea was confirmed by the finding of the
decapitated heads Of two girls of about
- ~.
The bones and the pottery relics dis
covered make 1t possible to assign histori-
cal positions to the successive occupants
Of the city. The older race was slender
and short, none exceeding 67 inches, and
most of them only 81 inches in height.
The skulls were thick and heavy and re-
semble those Of the earliest occupants of
Europe in the Neolithic age. They were
certainly a pre-Semitic race. The uncre-
mated remains Of the inhabitants of the
third and perhaps the fourth city show
that they were taller the average height
being sc inches, while some Of them
reached II. They were also more
strongly built, their faces were
longer. their noses more prominent and
their skulls more circular. They probably
belonged to the earliest wave of Semitic
immigration that is, the primitive Amor
ties.
The pottery Of the earlier race was
coarse ana rude, but that of the latter
was better shaped. Neither confirms to
the Egyptian or Phoenician designs The
jars were wrought stone. and Clipped
flint tools were found. The pre-Semitic
people who burned their dead were not
acquainted with metal. Those who came
later and who buried their dead had good
weapons Of copper and bronze This Is
remarkable, as cremation in western Eu
rope came in with bronze. The site OF
Gezer was therefore first inha bited by an
aboriginal Of Palestine Neolithic people,
who cremated their dead, and next by a
primitive Semitic race in the copper age.
both practicing human sacrifices Then
there were two later Semitic occupations
by the Scarabs, the indications being that
the former Of them was not less than 1000
| years B. G..
I Other relics proved that there was com
mun1cat1on with Egypt and one ella,
cylinder indicates there was direct or in.
direct trade with Babylon.