The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1902-12-27
HILPRECHT'S DISCOVERIES IN BABYLON.
unearhs the Temple Library Consisting Of More Than
100000 Tablets.
RRoFIcIENcY OF THE ANcIENTs IN MATHEMATICS.
No More Important Archaeological Work Since Schenann
Proved Homer True.

lonians, In their arithmetical tables
multiplication table, for instance) |
went far beyond us. Our multiplied
tion table stops at twelve .t'wrs
twelve. The Babylonian table went
vent up 10 sixty. Their school chill
dren might have sung sixty times
sixty 10 reciting the multiplication
table. Indeed, for astronomical pu--
poses, they carried the table out %
1900 times 1900, being tabulated to
that extent.
"They wanted to know at once the
result Of large calculations; they did
not want to be retarded in their deep
calculations. The Babylonian chill
dren would have been wonders from
our point Of view. Not only did they
have to learn arithmetical tables car
ried out to four figures, bat trey also
had to learn two lauguaees-tne
Sumarian, a colloquisl language, aid
the Babylonian, the tongue Of the
learned And that was in the schools
Of The lowest grade .
Considering what slight records
there are now Of the period before the
days of Abraham--a few chapters in
Grrasi and the legends Of tie Talmud
Professor Hilprecht's discovery ar
proaches the first magnitude in i'm
portance. 1t has already been ascer-
tanned that among the tablets in he
library exist records covering the
deluge, and also historical matter
regarding the earliest history Of
man Ind from the time Of the crea-
lion. This matter closely resembles
the story Of Genesis; but the history,
when properly classified, is expected
to be far more elaborate in detail so
much so that to render the connected
chronicles into English may require
many volumes.
These discoveries result from the
campaign OF the University OF Penn
sylvania for the excavation and ex-
ploration Of the site Of Nipper. OF
this campaign Professor Hlprecht
has been the chief figure. He is now
recognized as the founder OF baby
lonian photography. and as the worlds
foremost student Of Babylonian in
scriptions.
J, Twelve years ago, at the beginning
of the explorations, Professor Hill
precht first rode over the mounds Of
, Nippur aud pointed out what he
, regarded as the mound covering the
J temple library. His theory was moi
} generally accepted by his colleagues
at the time, but as the exploration
progressed a large number Of tablets
we're found under this mound, and I
. was styled "Temple Hill /"
( During subsequent expeditions th'
e excavations were enlarged. Finally
, from the large number Of tablet
E brought to light, Professor Hlprecht'
e discovery came to be generally ac
t cepted When the last unIversit
{ expedition went Co Nippur Professo
e Hiprecbt was put in charge a
4 scientific director, and was able I
!, prove that bis theory was the COZ
y rect one
4 He therefore set to work to uneart
s the great library,s and recoverS
o 10000 tablets all belonging to
= period prior to that Of Abraham, an
II nearly all historical. The fact wa
!. established that the library wa
n thrown into ruins about the tim
d that Abraham started upon his wal
e derings from the land Of the Chaldee,
It and that it had not been disturbe
from that time until the presen
It Twenty-Five feeS Of debris re>tin
T. upon the ruins Of the library reprl
" sented four millenniums Of accum,
j. latiop through the erectiouof built
J. ings aud their decay
Is The library was destroyed BY tt
IF Elamites about 22sO b. G. whe
e, the ROOF fell 10 the tabl IS wei
le scattered in great confusion, IA whic
as condition they were found III
le excavators opened upa series ol 10 n
In which the records had been storel
In In some Of these rooms lodges la
v been cut into the walls, something