The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-04-24

~. Vsnursrst ssa sSe Desass &c.


Pref. Hlpr~cht II the University % Penn
sylvania Rad found among tho tAhlsas
~ the Temple Library u Nippur ths
oldest vcrulOn OG tho BAbyloniAn Dslugs
story. The announcement w. arst made
~ The professor e q party which DO
srd his wife gave In the Quaker CITY 81
q fashionable women'a club. Before IN
entirely lay audience the profeasor mod
s~sly suggested . compArison between
hinssh and George smith. vhO almost
forty years ago announced the hnding
e a fraxFn@nt Of the BAbyloniAn- Ansyrian
iS-luRs story on one q the taDlsts %
Asurh&nip~ls library IN the British
Museum.
Tbs method % announcing . scientific
discovery has the charm % novelty.
Fancy Charles Darwin saying 10 his wife
after h had prepared hIA paper On the
-OriRn u Species Now. my dear, lst
IN give q pink tea and toll our nsiahbors
all about my great discovery Instead
Darwin rad he paper before . ANAL
group &C scholars az the Royal Soctety.
~hile George smith laid his results befOre
q small body - scholars IN the rooms
&C the Society q Biblical Archsology
Theus antiauated methods are nov out
~ date Ev-n archaeology must keep
up To the times The scholars were en-
ciyNded from the sancttIm % fashionable
soc,ety and Pruf Hilprecht received the
unanimous and enthusiastic commsnda-
lion Of hi. auditors. who must have been
pasticuisfIy impressed With the proses-
sors denomination that his tablet had
CONFIRMED the Bible. though he prob
myth. because u was old could confirm
what frOm the orthodox point % view
n q record of divine revelation. The
nswspapers were OF course bet into the
secret a day ar two beforehand. and
80 the morning after the party all the
Phfladslphla psp-rs brought full &C
counts Of the epoch making discovery.
which. according To one account written
~ Or Hugo Rsdau, who appears 70 act
a. Prof. HilprsCht's advance agent and
manager was destined 20 usher in .
new period In the history Of religion
The public alton containing the pro-
traxor'a authentic account Of the din
oovery hss now appeared a. q fasciculua
IN the oticisl publication OF the Baby
lonian Expedition n Is entitled The
Eaylieaa VERSION o. the BabviONtaR DsiuOs
Story and ne Tsmpis LibVarT ~ NipPuS.
~ n. v HnPRECHT tCniversity Of Penn
syiveniaI. The reviewers task must be-
Gin with a criticism Of the title. The lttIs
fragment consists Of fourteen broken
hns- only four 81 which contain q suficient
numbsr Of words 10 give some connected
senss. u 10 not the -oldest- tables con-
taininR an account of the Deluge. nor IL Il
IA any proper sense Of the word q new
aversion % ne Deluge story. nor 10 Il
o. all certain that u comes from the
so-calbe1 Temple Library Of NippuT.'
ID n q bat Of the Deluge story. 90 that
that mart Of the title may stand. The
claim that IL represents q closer approach
% the Biblical story % the Flood than that
from AsIrbanipal's library rests in part
upon arbitrary RESERVATIONS % the text
which cannot stand tho test % criticism.
IN part upon q mistraDalatiOn Of passage
in the Hebr~S text and IN part upon the
uss ~ a method which. however effective
10 producing a sensation. u most unscten-
tifc
Prof. Hilprecht claims that the table.
belongs 10 the period -betwesn 2iS7 D. c.
and 2oO6 r. G. or IN round figures about
mo- q. C THIS hs says sTnPhsticAlly. /
-is the very lAtesi date 20 which the frag-
rnent possibly can bs assigned. both &C.
cording % IT, place Of discovery and the
photographed ., id~nce presented by the
tablet itrelf Incidentally he refers 10
his t-rny-I reduced chronology. which :
places the dynasty of lain about 30 years
later than previously done by Assyri- I
oloeiats and historians.- but he has ap- !
parently forgotten that the reduced I
chronology IN due tn Mr. l.. W King og /
the British Museum. who discovered that ,
the hrst dynasty WAS Immediately sue.
coded by the CASsits rulers. Why was /
THE detail omitted;
Prof Hilprecht tells us that this Del /
uZe- fragment VAS found IN q box Of
tablets from the fourth campaign Of the |
University 81 Pennsylvania excava-
tons az Nippur usos- iSOoI and that theae |
tablets caua from the lowest % the |
strata m that part ~ the mound in which !
the professor plac-@ the Temple Lii |
hrary Nov N" large find Of tablets |
IN the fourth campaign was made nv I
Ir ,. n Hsvp@-. Who vas N charge ~ 4
the exravatiOn-. That boa of tablets,
a. all the other boxes. vas packed before |
Prof hilprechts arrival IN Ntppnr on |
March I. iSs' for . stay 81 two and q half I
months. Witch was hus first visit a. the 7
mounts after Ar interval n eleven years I
No~ apparently the professor memory /
hAs again tailed him. Tor IN his Official /
ancount 81 uis fourth campaign Baby. |
ionisn Expcsiition Series u. Volume I
psge Ss, he critictses Haynes sharply for |
failing To keep . record Of the level at |
" hich the tablets were found. He adds |
expressly m a note that Haynes did not |
even keep = record how they we're found. ,
How then can Prot Hilprecht know IN /
regard 10 sny particular tablet that II l
vas found IN the lowe~t- stratum Il
10 kno~n through MIR Fisher. the architect |
who scconpanIsd the fourth campaign, |
tina, the tablets were wrapped In paper /
and put into boses together. without !
reference 10 ~h"rc th~y were found. and |
m no particular order since In M.
Official account ~ this fourth campaign |
Prof Hilpr~'-ht lo~~s no opportunity 20 J
bslittle Haynes work he was presunn-
ably telling the truth whom he aid that
No records were kept ~ the place where |
aaktlafa we're found Hta pre~aas ae.t.