The sun., 1909-02-07

Thenceforth until 600 B. c., when Nineveh
the capital was destroyed, Assyria was
the preponderant Semitic state in western
Asia. though there we're some intervals of
Baby ylonisn self assertion. Itis well known
that In the time OF Asshurbanipal (sss- -o2o
b. C.) the Nile country was occupied by
the Assyrians ss far south as Thebes.
VIII.
A much more important and interesting
part in ancient history was played by
Babylonia. The earliest inhabitants OF
Mesopotamia were a non-Semitic race,
the so-called Sumerians, almost certainly
Mongolian, using an agglutinated Lam
gusRe. which differed in its vocabulary,
its root forms and It's grammar from the
Semitic type. This earliest population,
dating back to the beginning Of the fifth
pre- Christian millennium, is shown by
statues now in the Louvre to have been
short Of stature and thickset, brachi-
cephalic. with high cheekbones, fat face.
broad nose and almond shaped eyes,
and 10 have been either beardless or to
have had the head and face shaven.
! Upon the earlier Sumerisns. as the Mon
golic people lie named. came. before 1000
B. c., the Semites. as conquerors or part
Of the land. which after some hundreds
Of years fell wholly under their control.
Thus a second element was added to the
population. Somewhere about $500 b. c.
a second Semitic immigration reinforced
the first and marked the completeness OF
Semitic domination. After the final con-
quest by the Semites. about 225O b. c..
the use Of the Sumerisn tongue was
largely confined to religion AMI magic.
To the worlds speech il has given at
least ono familiar word. sabbath
| According 10 the chronology accepted
by Mr.. Gilmore She earliest Sumerian
documents date back to about i5c0 r. c..
At that time there were cities which pos
sessed an advanced civilization. where the
social fabric was already complex. The
division Of labor had been accomplished
and public works were carried on by the
government The condition was such
that a long antecedent development has
to be assumed. As early as 1000 B. c. tin
and antimony were used to harden copper
and make il moro fusible. The Nippur
arch is placed by Hilprecht prior to 1000
B. &. 1t is certain that this period was
marked by regulated commerce and large
international intercourse. Cadastral sur
veys were made by the government in
the fifth pre- Christian millennium as the
basis for taxation and for the regulating
Of sales OF land. The whole impression
given by the usages respecting slavery
is that OF mild and comfortable civili-
| ha Ia bai0 hxr
the tendency Of Law and custom respecting
marriage. While polygamy was legal
the many projections thrown around a
wife and her dover. the hindrances to di-
vorce and the penalties for II and the
mutual agreements to abstain from polyg-
amy indicate that the practice was pre-
dominatingly homogeneous The status Of
woman was relatively high. She could
hold property, could trade. and might
maintain and defend actions at law. A
partnership between man and wife in
the conduct Of business is often matter
OF record. In fine. the freedom of woman
lonian life.
A further proof Of the existence OF a
complex civilization is furnished by the
manifold activities Of the early popula-
ton. Besides shepherds and agrioultur-
ists there were weavers, fullers and dyers,
brickmakers. potters. smiths Of various
sorts and carpenters, stone cutters, gold
smiths and jewellers and carvers in wood
and ivory. The learned professions in
cluded besides the priests scribes who
acted as teachers. librarians. publishers.
notsries. physicians. astronomers and
musicians. Gold. silver copper and
ivory and later bronze. glass and lapis-
lazul were employed in the useful and
ornamental arts. The civilization thus
described was not Semitic but Sumerian-
Akkadian as the preponderating weight
Of scholarship now st1rms. Akkadian and
Sumerian were names for dialectio
varieties OF the same pre-Semitio speech.
The Semites came In upon this civiliza-
ton and adopted and adapted II. 90 that
its ideals became theirs-even the the
ology being taken over and remoulded In
the Semitic consciousness. We should
add that while Mr.. Gilmore comedies the
refinement OF this Sumerian civilization
he deems il not improbable that the high
scientific attainments Of Babylonia In the
millennium which Immediately preceded
the Christian era have been mistakenly
read back into much earlier times, He
pronounces doubtful the claim that
eclipses were correctly predicted before
the ago Of the Assyrian asoendsncy;
though at an early date the periodicity
Of these events was we'll known, and rec
ords Of eolipses and dissertations we're
kept at Borsipps and Siprar. 1t is we'll
known that in B. C. SIS the capture Of
Babylon by Cyrus the Great caused the
rule OF western Asia to pass from Semites
TO Arysns;.a a rule which was held by the
latter until at the end Of another millen-
mum Arabia once more discharged it's
hordes and In the Mohammedan Con-
quest made new era. NJ. w. II.
The Remsn Law ana the English Com.
|. mon Law.
Those who wish to zee sharply defined