Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1911-09-07
EARLY CIVILIZATIONS.
Wc'nnrtn5ie discoveries of Ancient
Ruins In the Old and New world.


Huins In the Old and New world.
Before Babylon. The very sound OF
these spoken words In pleasing. What did
people think. say or do long before the
Mcsopothmian metropolis wns founded? |
what habits, customs ana ways In daily |
NE OF these very ancient races DO we now
inherit md live over again. burely
these questions are of perennial and per |
petual Interest TO W. oil, writes Nhgar L.
Lnrkin in the New York American.
Since the days of the beginning Of mod
crn scientific archaeology until now the
Interest has ever increased until AT pres
cnt 1t Is attracting the attention not only
OF scholars but OF governments ana
wealthy persons In private life The mar
vest II ready for increased discoveries
for II now requires two hours or reauine
each day TO keep In touch with RAPID re-
suits of exploration and excavation pe-
meath sites OF ancient cities the capitals
Of the ancient world.
Recent explorations on the site OF the
prehistoric city OF Sirpovra. In Chaldea'
have revealed buildings and other Things
older than very ancient Babylon. Grah-
aries and storehouses were "Nh'ihed
Conduits and reservoirs for water were
explored Many inscribed baked clay
tablets were secured. These, upon trans
lation, proved to be warehouse accounts
of goods collected rs taxes ana paid into
the kings treasury. but all collected by
the queen.
Assyrian egyptian, Etruscan antiqu-
ties have long held attention, but now
American archaeology is looming into al
most equal. If not fully equal Importance.
The southern portions of the United
States. all of Mexico, fucatan, all of
Central America and the entire northern
half of South America are one huge field
of remains of very ancient civilizations.
Peru Is a center only awaiting capital
and workers The civilization of MayaS,
In Yucntan. was of a high grade For
proof behold the magnificent ruins Of
temples now being cleared out. Columns
all inscribed with elegant writing In stone
await transportation to the collections
now being formed in the United States.
The Bay of Catnpeachy, Gulf of Hon
duras Mosquito Bay and Hll waters
| adjacent to the eastern side of Central
America, according to legend and tradi-
ton, now cover ancient cities and civili-
| cations. But Yucathn. with its ruins COW
creed by dense forests, Is an area of
| archaeological wonders. The islands Of
| the Pacific ocean are storehouses of most
| ancient ruins and archaic sculptures.
Inscriptions discovered from the Rosetta
stone in Egypt in 1854 to those of the
Tell e-Amarna tablets, also In Egypt in
1881, form II distinct part of modern arch
aeology.
The Anurna tablets consist OF several
l RAJ lpt n in ~
written in phenicia and Palestine, ad-
dressed to kings OF Egypt about 400 b. c..
These reveal civilization, laws. commerce
and culture of the times. Really little
has been excavatcd: not even Jerusalem
beneath Baalbec, Antioch, ESbatana.
! Pcrscpois. Nneveh and Babylon.
! TheDcs Memphis and very ancient
Meroe are but little explored below the
surface of the earth. Memphis. In Egypt,
and Saint Adams. In the State Of Oaxaca,
in Mexico. should be cxcavated stimuli
| taneously and finds compared. There Is
a striking similarity. pointing to the
theory that these ancient capital cities
OF nations We're ulded by branches of
tho same great world race. Inscribed
slalSs from Saint Adams are very similar
to those exhurned from Egyptian soil.
The site VI Ahydos. the first historic
capital OF Egypt. has been excavated
down through ten periods. Ten strata
have been explored and the ruins studied
extending from Is. g. iTD to b. c. S70
| Entire rooms filled with most ancient OBJ
jec,a have been opened. MD:aics. glazed
work, ivory statucttes. paintings G,70(
years old. sculptures. portraits equal &c
those Of modern artists were discovered
and cleaned to lie like new. And these OF
Eyypts FIRST dynasty of kings, Figures
Of animals also, in stone, clay and ivory
show that these animals have moi
changed 10 this late day, the 2Nth cen.
tuTy. Vases. bowls. dishes. utensils, al
in ohdurate granite. Seyenito porphyry
quartz and obsiiian adorned roya
.rpulchres and now adorn museums |,
these modern times, Glaz.rgs. inlaying
tho rxing OF gold in exquisite designs OF
large vases were fine arts before Tro,
and Ulysses, as fine as IN Paris o
Vienna. London stands on layers o
ruins. Dig. but 40 such clegan, works o
arr will t. exhumed. The cities of III,
United States are not old enough to lie
post one layer
Whence came this early and refined
art? How Ions does it take for such higl
skill TO evolve or develop? Perfection
was reached at least GOO years age
More excavations are now being mad
tlan ever before. Collectors for prlvat
u"e and for public are fiocklng to place
, where work Is being done And whe
these interesting relics OF bygune aga
and centuries are raised TO the surfac
interest Is intense and increasing