Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-06-21
ANCIENT BABYLONIAN LIFE,
It's Manners and Customs ms Told In Old
Gudcn, Built 1000 Years Ago-Its
Luxurious Apartments and Splendid
Grounds.
(From the London Globe.)

AZ long ago as 1877, the late M. de
Sarzec. French consul at Bassorah, while
excavating in tho mounds of Tel-Lo, on
tho HE, in tho marsh district of
the Afadz in the extreme south OF Baby
lonia, discovered two remarkable inscribed
records. These were two large clay barrel
shaped cylinders, closely covered with
archaic writing. Tho larger of the pair
contains thirty columns of text and more
than coo of writing, and the smaller about
100 less. Although these important rec
ords have been nearly thirty years among
the trcasurers of the louvre no complete
translation OF their contents has been
made.
This delay was due to two circumstances.
FIRST, the very archaic character of the
writing, which was a reduced form of that
usually employed on the bricks and stone
monuments of the oldest kings of Chaldea;
and In n second case to their being in the
ancient Sunerlan language, the speech OF
which scholars had but little knowledge
until recent years. Both these difficulties
haVc now been overcome, tho text having
hecn copied by Dr. Ira Price, an American
aaayrIoioa'st, md the difficult task Of
translation has now been most successfully
completed by Professor F. Thureau-
DHhgit1.
Now that tho fun translation of the two
d"cumeniH Is before us. we gain the most
wonderful Insight into the life, manners.
customs ana religion OF the people Of
Bhbylonia of 400 years ago possibly. The
story OF the origin Of these cylinders il cot
clearly before us, and It Is one of curious
interest. A drought had visited tho Ia nd
and there was no water for irrigation
the lncreHSH GROW mot ~ thn -
waters sparkled not, nor rose in their
splendor." Naturally the priest. king ar
viceroy saw in this visitation the hand of
the city god, Nin-girsu. and turned to him
with prayer and sacrifice.
"AH kinds Of rich things he offered In
sacrifice.' He is troubled chiefly about
the dream. which has already been de-
scribed' hut this is interpreted for him by
the goddess Nina, who tells him that II ia
the god Nin-cirsu who has appeared to
MN IN tho form Of n colossal divIpit
crowned with the divine storm bird q
dei1oation OF tho lightning, and riding on
p hurricane and. assisted by other divini.
tles' gwen him the plan NJ the templo he
IS to Guild.
II IS To he noticed that it Is always a
goddess whom the vicerov cnnsults in ,hs
trouoIe. mus he says: "To my motber T
"'ihS my dream, that the divincr (of .ha
e"uS' VINO knows what ! desire may reveaI
l" me the meaning" This clearly ind,
cat"S " peHcf IN the power of wise Uo,pe,
'' "''hes 10 interpret dreams and visions
~ appears that the chief oracle Of the
temple was the sleeping chamber of tbe
"'Vlh'ty' where as We are told, was the
Sacred couch richly decorated. and where
'he dreamer dreamed his dream and the
goddess appears and explains II.
me inscription are Interesting for tho
HSht 'hey throw on the manners and cus.
TOMS or this city. Gudea always calls him
SeIl inc N!Ceroy CpatesD Of the god. while
the d1vlnity is always addressed as King
ana II IL evident that the government was
Il theocracN, and G1ldea the earthly repre
sentative of the God King. In this rela
tonship we have the key to the long ac-
count of the construction Of this tamnla
"h1ch Is an idealized form Of the roval
palace IN the city. Accordingly we see all
the component parts Of this building.
Before the great gate, guarded by huge
serpents. and dragons with protrudine
tongues was the great tank for lIstra-
ton, or "the bronze sea- The chief parts
of the adifce We're "the council chamber "
and the Judgment hail. " In the private
apartments was 'the banquet chamber
with its golden table and couch. Here the
god and his consort fed upon whitehead
honey, milk, vino and pure bu~t,er'-food
untouched by fre-"and each day ths
pious ruler replanished their table"
In the inner part Of the building was the
harem, whore the goddess Bau dwelt. at.
tended by seven virgins" There was a
garden fun of beautiful trees and flowers
which cast n pleasant shade and in tho
branches OF which doves rested. Here also
was 1.-THE fountain OF pure water from
which the gods drink" Musicians are
mentioned, who played on harps, pipes
and cymbals and on the great horn Of thc
god.
Adjacent 10 the temple palace were
stalls for cattle. including the Erea'
famous bulls that none could pen. anc
the sacred cows Of the moon god" Their,
were folds for sheep and goats and tamS
g~azelles. Here, too. was the stable of the
sacred ass Of the god. who drew hi,
chariot. and the house Of his driver, for
the horse was not known as yet. Parks
lakes and ponds alive with fish were II
the DOMAIN. Such Is the picture Of E
Ba%hylon,an palace. which we see through
this description Of the temple built by
Gudea some 1000 years ago.
As to the life of the people. there Is &
passage in the second cylinder which is o.
immense value. on the day the Divine
King entered his new temple. an octav
of festival was proclaimed. a period o.
Joy and peace thus described: During
seven days, the female servant was equa
with her mistress and the manservant OF
a par with his master, in his city. Tit
strong and the weak lay side by side, Or
the evil tongue the wicked words wer'
changed to good. and all evil was turned
from the temple. All paid attention a
the laws of Nine-Nin-girsu, the orphan
was not oppressed by the rich, and thu
widow suffered not from the mighty"
II is curious to notice how closely thi'
happy state In the days of Gudea agree
with that in the golden age OF Ham
murabi, some five centuries after. on
special point to he noticed is the pre-
IcedenCe given to women; the wife anC
mother prVcede the husband and father
and the mnidservant the man servant, anC
the goddess is often mentioned before he
lcOusort,