The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-09-25

. lhnu. ana was Ofrnnle Nv npn-Nrnit'
Iraopl" Known as the Sumerians kinG
hold, that 18th peoples ~er- not In
dlg"noTs to the laud. While the earliest
SGmrrian settlement belongs To remote
prr,od It, remains show that the Tacr
lw which Il was founded appears a. that
/ time To have already attained To a high
level " culture Few certain traues Of
! prehistoric man have he~n found IN the
country Ming leaves open the posi-
hihty that traces of their remains NAV
have hecn DESTROYED nv inunda tons, 90
which tho country was alWays subject
In the Earliest period. although thor
sculpture and pottery were rude. they
built houses in witch they lived and tenn
pies IN which they ~orshirpsd their gods
They were rich in cattle and .ncrsaHs'd
the natural fertility % the country by
! irrigation The great antiquity Of their
culture ~ atteSted by the writing; this
in the early period is 50 far removed from
! the original hieroKlyphs that u ~ only
possible To ascertain what the original
pictures were hy knowing the values
the signs possessed. The development
ot their script, King holds. took place in
their PREVIOUS home Whore this origi-
.
sli ghtest trace. for the evidences offered
/ IN placing u IN central Aaia. in Iran. or IN
/ any other part Of the world where they
/ evolved the element IT their culture. are
/ by no NEE ns 81 a satisfactory character
The early Semitic portion Of the Baby
! lonians. Il IL certain. King says. reached
tho Euphrates by way Of the Syrian coast
and founded their nrst settlements in
Akkad or northern Babylonia. This view
Is in accord with that recently advanced
regarding Amur7G a. the home 81 the
northern Semtes; Tor the Syrian land re-
ferrsd to il called Amurru in the insc rip
tlons HUT with other scholars King has
little regard for the culture Of this Semitic
people The Sumeriana he contends. not
only played the more important role in
originating and moulding the culture
called IA nv lonian but he gos~ so far as 10
remark that Re bylonian civilization and
culture originated With the Sumerians
The Semite- merely borrowed from the
Sumerians The Hammurabi Code. a.
well as the later reli gious and mythology
ical literature Of Babylonia and AssyriA.
were largely derived from SumeriRn
sources This view presupposes tina. the
Semites. who were already in possession
Of part Of the land long before the earliest
period knoWn. were practically devoid
Of n culture and religion when they en-
tered or that they gave up their own and
adopted that % the non -Semitl a. Sumerian
people who had also entered the valley
and lived south Of them. and whom in
time they conquered. This view il based
on evidence alone from Surnerian sources,
for excavations have not yet revealed the
elements which made up the civilization
Of the Ssmites however rude or harba-
rous som. may insist II was IN this pre-
historic age
II evidence has been found IN Egypt to
show very early contact with the Civiliza-
ons 81 western Asia. or the country
AmurrI. mulsnnums prior tn IA. time
~ the earliest known history 81 that land
surely ~ must no conceded that the Cul-
tar" ~ ms people was well established
and Did IN - dsv"lormsnt II ~, there
for" almost inronCctvable that those who
s'uIgrat"d from Amurni INTO tho Flu
pirates VALLEY Kay" up their own culture
and religion ain an Is ancient traditions
for that - = non semitic people who had
Z, 80 entered th. country hut lived south
u them. The script and clay a. tho writ
ing material Il tho Sumerians. ~ well Rs
many other elements Of their culture
entered INTO that Of the country hut the
Bahvlon,an language. although greatly
anrchai hy Sum"rian loan worSr -
semitic SOW scholars are finding that
rnor- and NOR. 81 that which mads. up
~" rulturr ~ the Babvlonians j. Semitic
hlt M . Sun"rian garb Douh'ls=s u
-. l..
were deficient ~ the plastic arts and no
great monumental romans IT an archl-
-ac'ural character a 10 h.. found hut until
excavations nr" conducted IN the early
semitic centres i seems Il must remain
an open question Ne tn what elements
made M ~ even prrdoIn,natsd ia the
which u" call Bahvlonian
4 striking position taken Nv King m
contrast with ,"rtain Assyr'ologis's - IN
hi reduced chronology tn" length ~
tL. perlod covered IN tins volur. ~ his
history winch trRinG with tn" EARLIEST
insc-iution and ends with the founding
~ 'ha Hlmmurabi dynasty "a little t~for-
?Oy y e. ~ not much NOR" than thou
sand wears Others have made this
,..r,od Vv wears longer than King makes
4. lie finds no 'racrs RI civilization
a. carly ~ the neolithic and pre- iynA-tIc
r-.riod ~ Fgyp'ian history although he
admits that tho period 81 development
prior to IN" earliest known 10 Bahvlonia
- AZ indefinitely long one. which becomes
necessary 10 account for the advanced
state m which things are found Natur-
alIv. II - not impossible thai IN some 81
IN. many untouched ruin hills 81 Baby-
Iona traces will be found earlier than
thosa discovered But ~ the present II
must ha conceded with King that Fgyp
tan HISTORY greatly ant~'ir tes that ~
Rnhvlonia Yet while this ~ true. the
history ~ Bahylonian civilization fur !
nishas IN. student Of origins and evolu-
ton with most valuable material because
Of tire mass ~ inscriptions on clay and
stone that hnve hecn recovered from
their hiding PLACES.
The numbsr 81 original inscriptions !
belonging 70 the third millennium y. G. |
prior to the days Of Abraham. b~aring |
on almost every phase n the civil and
domestic and religious life of the people. |
can 10 reckoned 10y the hundreds Of |
thousl nds. and vet the work 81 -Sca- I
waiting Bahylonian ruins can h. said TO !
~ only IN Its infancy When all the ,