The Washington herald., 1908-01-01
REGRET TABLET FAKE
AssyriOlOgists Are Sorry Hill
pPeCht Case Is ReOpened.
EX0NERATED TWO YEARS AGO
Trustees of University OF Pennsylva-
MIA Reported on Original Charges
vivinE of Case Is AnnOying-PrOf.
HiIpre-ht Accused Of "Big Head"


New York. Dec. ST am very sorry
the old charge of literary dishonesty
against DR.. Hilprecht, OF the University
Of Pennsylvania, has been revived by the
resolutions passed at a meeting of the
American Society of Biblical Literature
and Exegesis in Philadelphia yesterday.
1t is a painful subject.
The matter has been disposed of so far
as the university Is concerned by the ac-
ton OF the university trustees in exon
Grating Prof Hilprecht so far as Ameri-
can Assyriologists are concerned, they
are convinced that Prof. Hilprecht mag
ines things which probably never hap
pened-positively never happened,
This comment was made by a gentle
man holding an important professional
position. and who is recognized as a high
authority IN Assyriology. Because OF his
sincere regret that the Hilprecht contro-
3 versy has been reopened. which includes
a feeling Of censure against those who
& have reopened it, he declined to permit
his name TO be used in connection with
any discussion Of the case. but con
sented TO make further comment for the
sake Of making clear the present status
Of the controversy.
ExOneFated Two Years Ago.
The generating report of the univer-
sity trustees" he continued, was made
nearly two and a half years ago; so, if
course. the original charges against Prof
Hilpreeht We're made some time longer
8 ago than that; yet, since they were first
made, Prof Hilprecht has offered no evil
dence to refute them, and has made but
one formal admission TO them Of which
am aware. That was in his introduction
10 one of his volumes issued couple of
8 years ago in the series The Babylonian
Expedition of the University of Pennsyl-
vania. In that work he briefly mentioned
s the charges and promised TO speak fur
ther on the subject.
This he has not done, so far as I am
aware.
4 hoped then that the subject would
be dropped, but the trouble is that some
of the younger men who did important
work in the expedition were wholly lg-
nored by Prof. Hilprecht in his reports
and other writings.
"All American Orientalists know that
those young men did valuable work; We
all know that Hilprecht did little or moth
ing Of the work. That should satisfy
them and induce them to let the painful
subject rest
HilDFecht In Charge.
''The expedition pursued It's search and
made excavations for eight or ten years
at Nippur As 1 recall the facts, DR.
Peters was the first field director, Prof
IIilpreeht having general control. in the
first season Prof Hilprecht left Nlppur
after :. short visit, declaring that he did
not believe the excavations there would
reveal anything.
But, as the world knows, very i'm
portant finds were made, and then Dr.
Peters resigned from his position on the
expedition staff, owing to his dissatisfac-
ton with Prof Hilprechts management
Dr. Peters was succeeded as field director
s. by ]. II. Haynes. who had assisted DR..
Peters. and Mr.. Haynes had practically
concluded the work Of the expedition be-
fore Prof. Hilprecht returned to Nippur
We know that Prof Hilpreeht did not
personally find any OF the bricks or tab
lets or other objects; that, indeed they
were ali boxed and ready for shipment
before he arrived, and he saw only a
few which were unpacked for his inspec-
tion.
However. what was found there was.
IN sense. found by Prof Hilprecht as
ne was the titular head Of the expedi-
tion; but you must understand that the
controversy RACES around some tablets
which never were in Nlppur, surely
R9ver in the Temple Library. so-caIle5
81 but one OF which is described by Prof
Hiiprecht in his writings-and pictured
81 toO-as having been found by him in the
Temple Library Of Nippur The tablet
in question was bought by Prof Hfl-
preeht from Daniel T. Noorian. a mer-
chant OF this city
Probably Has "Big Head"
Prof. Hiprecht is a charming man.
personally, and an able scholar. too. but
as / have said. he is possessed OF an
imagination which plays him tricks.
That IS our way Of explaining his trouble.
L might be called the big head The
complaint sometimes afiicts learned men
with a great ambition"
The reporter next called upon MIR. d.
T. Noorian, a dealer in antiquities at a93
Fifth avenue
Yes" said Mr. Noorian. 4 bought the
tablet Prof. Hilprecht has described as
having come from the Temple Library of
Nippur. / bought it from a dealer in the
city OF Bagdad, ana sold 1t, with others,
TO Prof Hilprecht"
There can be no doubt as to the iden-
stity of the tablet?"
Certainly not I had described the
tablet accurately. One Of those I pur-
chased and described is the one pictured
and described in Prof Hilprechts book. D"