The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1913-08-15
STORY OF NOAH
FOUND ON STONE
Hieroglyphics Confirm Bible Ac-
count Of Great Flood.
Slab Oldest Ever Dug Up Gives
Duration Of Rain as Seven
Days-Names Many Gods.

Philadelphia - The Bible story Of
Noah and the flood is confirmed in
many details BY hieroglyphics written
at least 1000 years ago by a historian
who lived in ancient Babylon, accord
ing to announcement made by the Uni
versity of Pennsylvania.
The writing on a tablet-an epic of
great length purporting to reach back
to the creation Of the world been
deciphered at the museum of the uni
versity by DR.. Arno Poebel, the an
nouncement says. The tablet, said to
be the oldest ever recovered from OBJ
livion, was dug up in Nippur several
years ago by museum expedition.
In strange symbols so finely written
that the entire poem is contained on
seven inches square, the primitive his
torian hanks back to the beginning of
all things. Then there were several
gods, chief Of which were Anu and
EMIL, and goddess, Nintu, the tablet
says. Nintu was the goddess who
created mankind, whom she called
"my creations.
Like the first chapter Of Genesis,
the Babylon poem opens with recital
of the creation. Nintu, godmother of
humans, is lamenting that the other
gods seem bent on their destruction.
cat that time Nintu walled like
woman in travail" reads the transla-
tion. "The holy Ishtar walled on ac-
count of the people. Enki, god of
wisdom, held counsel with Anu, EMIL
and Nintu over the proposed destruc-
ton of mankind. Ziaguddia, high
priest of Shuruppak, made obeisance
to the gods and prayed, prostrating
himself in humility"
The Ziaguddia of the Babylons, it is
believed, was the Noah of the He
brews. The tablet tells of Ziagud-
dia's learning from the great god,
Enki, that mankind was to be destroy
ed "by rain storm" Then comes a
description Of terrific wind and rains.
"After seven days the rain storm
had passed over the land and carried
away the huge boat.
Then the sun god came forth, she'd
ding light over heaven and earth. Zia-
guddia opened the roof of his ship and
the light of the sun god was let in"
This version differs in respect to the
duration of the flood described in Cen
esis. There it was said to have lasted
40 days.
When the water subsidized Ziaguddia
prayed to the gods with a loud voice,
the poem continues, and sacrificed an
OK, sheep and something with "a
great horn" Through the interces-
sion Of Nintu the gods forgave the
surviving human beings and gave
them Immortality, which they did not
possess before the flood.
DR.. Poebel has announced that he
will make public later literal trans
lation of the epic. From other tablets
found by the expeditions, it would ap-
pear the announcement says, that
AGO, 600 years interviewed between the
creation and the flood, although one
epic writer asserts with painstaking
accuracy that the exact time was 49,
223 years and some months (exact
number undecipherable) and 18 days.
The particular tablet from which
the story of the flood was translated,
the announcement states, may be as
old as 4,400 years, and is reasonably
certain to be no more recent than the
reign of Hamurabi, about 2100 B. C.
1t is regarded as the worlds most an
cient historical writing and is in fairy
good state of preservation.