The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-07-16
SOME NEW BOOKS.
T i,i valley q the Jordan ana neyor

vplete with historical interest, 1t set forth
in two volumes entitled The Jordan Valley
and Petra, by DR.. WILLIAM LrBsEY, profes-
sor of physical geography In Princeton
University, and DR.. FRANKLIN E. HosKINs
Of the Syria Mission at Beirut Putnams).
IL seems that come twenty years ago.
s-hen tho two writer's we're In Princeton.
they formed q compact TO Het Petra ana
rhe country east and south Of the Dead
Sea. During the two intervening decades
DR.. Hoskins had been engaged In missionary
S.vork In Syria, and had thus become &C.
1i,Atrted With the land. the people, the
Arabic language, and, not least among his
Qualifications, with the Government ON
Gals, whose aid and favor made the journey
here recorded possible. We may say at
the outset that tho travellers covered more
than, coo miles on horseback. and that
IN tho course Of their journey they spent
thirty -four days east Of the Jordah For
the purpose OF studying the valley Itself
they crossed and recrossed that river many
times between It's cradle and its grave,
And also pushed eastward into Moab and
southward into Edom, whence they pro-
ceeded to Petra, which, as frontier fortress,
situated at a point where Syria. Arabia
and Egypt converge. played a memorable
part in Roman times. The authors OF this
Interesting narrative do not, on course
Jtypfess to have been pioneers lhey
recognize many obligations to Dr. George
Adam Smiths Historical Geography OF
the Holy Land" In view Of the Informal
ton presented in that work, he would be a
bold writer who should presume to oner
anything new and startling concerning
the geography Of the tract west OF the jon
dsr The authors Of these volumes, now
ever, have unquesuonably made some
hAlpful contributions to our knowledge
OF the land east of that river and especially
that part of it which lies beyond the So
called Eastern Range. which for two CEN
turtles was sArouded in impenetrable
mystery, and only during the last three
decades has begun to disclose Its secrets to
me aeographer, the geologist the archeeol-
logist and the hstori 1t is, OF course
the chapters containing the observations
made by the travellers in the trans jordan
country, and especially in the Jaulan,
the so-called Decapolis, Moab. Edom and
Petra, that invite particular attention.
! l..
It is we'll known that the Jaulan lies east
oil the sea 81 DdllltS dIlti II scBuiotSA avn,
that basin by the Eastern Range. Curiously
enough. the name OF this part OF Syria has
never been changed since the time OF Moses.
In Deuteronomy 1t ia Golan. In the days
of Joshua also 1t Is Golan; in Josephus the
name is still the same; the Romans
called il Gaulantis. aad for upward
Of a thousand years 1t has been
what it is to-day, the Jaulan. 1t
IL q clearly defined territory OF about $50
square miles. geographically 1T resembles
o huge turtle back, the western edge OF
which is some 200 feet lower than the east
ern.; The northern and middle sections
are rugged and stony. while the southern
section is relatively smooth and adapted
TO tillage. The soil Ia volcanic; the sur
face Of the ground Is strewn with blocks
Of basalt. Viewed ss q whole, the Jaulan
IL the richest grazing country IN Syria. We
are told that the spring pasturage reaches
the height Of a man. completely obiiterating
the roads All winter long and late into
the droughts OF summer the suooulent
grasses afford the richest fodder TO the
Bedouin docks.
We are reminded In the book before us
that when the Promised Land was divided
the Jaulan fell to the half tribe OF Man
asseh; its chief city, Golan, was Levitical
city In the days of the Jewish monarchy and
the prophets: 1t was Christian for nearly
400 years, from A. D. 24s until the Byzan-
tines suffered their last crushing defeat at
the Yarmuk in 8s4. Since the seventh oen-
fury of our era it has been in the hands
OF the Arabs, except for the short period
when the Crusading banners hoated on the
castles In the neighborhood OF Banias
Even In the time Of the Crusaders the coun-
Try had fallen into decay. and for the last 400
years It has been favorite abiding place Of
nomadic Bedouin tribes, who of course
have had no interest in the preservation OF
tho ancient monuments. Certain portions
OF the land are claimed by the Druses
here too, the Circassians, since the con-
quest Of the Caucasus by Russia. have
formed about dozen settlements. and a
3 small fraction OF the tract has been bought
by the Jews.
Immediately south OF the Jaulan lies
q district famous in Greek and Roman
\ times. and loosely described as the De-
capolia To tho numerous Greek and
Roman. monuments In this region. and
especially to the ruins Of Gadsra and
Jerash (Gerasal, our travellers devote
two chapters. 1t will be recalled that
tho Dscapons was a league of Greek cities
formed to resist the pressure Of the various
Semitic influences by which they were
encompassed Nominally or originally ten,
the numb er varied at different periods,
and at one time included at least eighteen
large towns. or these cities only one,
Scythopolis. was west of the Jordan; all
the rest were on the great roads which
started from scythopolis and ended in
fortresses far out In the Syrian desert.
While the details OF the circumstances
under which the cities composing this
league were founded are unknown, We
see undoubtedly in the Decapolis product
Of the Greek immigration which flowed
into Syria after the conquest OF that country
by Alexander the Great. and which was
systematically encouraged by the Seleucid
dynasty at Antioch. The Greeks first
absorbed the ancient Phlistine and Phe-
nioian cities and then gradually pressed
eastward beyond the Jordan, sometimes
occupying old sites, as at Klamath, HUNS
and Damascus, and sometimes building