The Lafayette advertiser. [volume] (Vermilionville [i.e. Lafayette], La.) 1865-19??, 1908-01-21
9EWEfAsE SYSTEM OF THOU.
SANDS OF YEARS AGO.
House Builders of Bismya, Probably
Ionian City, Showed C~onsiderao'
ingenuity in Continuance That
Carried Off Waste Water.

It is generally supposed that 1t is
only modern man who has perfected
a system of drainage and sewerage
to carry from his house and city the
Gyerfowipg rain water and hlth and
garbage which accumulate.
In the excavation Of Bismy4. the
ancient Sumerian Or pre-Babylonian
city which fiourished $500 years ago,
a remarkable system Of drainage. per
fectly adapted TO the alluvial plain
a the Mesopotamian desert, has been
discovered.
BabyIonia Is perfectly level; from
Ragdad to the Persian gulf there is
not the slightest elevation, save for
the artificial mounds or an occasional
changing sand drift.
In most places there is a crust Of
hard clay upon the surface. baked by
the hot sun of summer time, so hard
that it resembles stone Parts of the
desert are perfect for bicycle riding.
Beneath the crust, which at Bismya
u seldom more than four feet in thick
ness, and in places entirely lacking.
Is loose. caving sand reaching to an
unknown depth. Drainage in such a
country, without sloping bills or
streams Of running water, might tax
the ingenuity of the modern builder.
In constructing a house the an
dent Sumerian of more than 5000
years ago first dug a hole into the
sand to a considerable depth; at Bis.
mya several instances were found
where the shaft had reached the depth
a IA meters beneath the foundation
Gf the house.
From the bottom he built up a yer.
teal drain of large, cylindrical terra.
Gotta sections, each of which is pro-
vided with grooved fianges to receive
Grain were 10 inches in diameter and
dix in height; the thickness of the
vail was about an inch.
The tiles were punctured at inter
Vals with small holes. The section at
The top of the drain vas semispheri.
vided with m opening to receive the
water from above. Sand and potsherds
we're then filled in about the drain, and
4 was ready for use.
The water. pouring into it, was rap,
idly absorbed by the sand at the bot.
tom, and II there it became clogged
The water escaped through the holes
ID the sides of the tiles.
The temple ut Bismya was provided
With several such drains. One palace
Was discovered with four; a large
6ath, resembling a modern Turkish
bath and provided with a bitumen
6oor, sloping to one corner, emptied
Ia waste water into
In clearing out the drains at the
oernple we removed dozens Of shallow
tsrra-cOtta drinking cups, not unlike
& large u In shape and size. Evil
dently It received the waste water of
Z drinking fountain. and the cups had
accidentally dropped within.
In the Bismya temple platform, con.
afructed about 2,750 b. C. we uncov.
ered Z horizontal drain of tiles, each
Of which was about a yard long.
Ard not unlike in shape those at pres.
en- employed. 1t conducted the rain
water from the platform to one OF
Ne vertical drains.
The B~abyIonians of a later period,
VINO buried instead of cremating their
lsad, carefully provided their GENE
1nries with drains. The graves were
mail house-shaped structures entire
II, or partly above ground. and when.
Grer they were found upon the sloping
ode Of q mound, they we're protected |
asove by q breakwater, while along
0e sides were square. open. brick
drains.
The result was that some Of the
Qxves. although thousands of years
Id. ana constructed OF unbaked clay, |
ofill In . perfect state Of preser
U6A-8cientilc American.