Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-07-01
RUINS OF BABYLON
Show How the People Lived in Anei'
ent Times.

RUINS OF BABYLON
Show How the People Lived in Anoi-
ent Times.
The excavations conducted by the
Germans in the Mesopotamian valley
began in 1899 and are still continued.
The ruins Of several Babylonian cities,
Abu Habba, Fara, Babylon and Of the
Assyrian capital, Assur. have been un-
covered in a most systematic manner,
writes Edgar ]. Banks, in the Scien-
tific American. The results have been
meager in some Of the ruins; In 9TH
ers they have been of the greatest ar
theological Importance. The general
oversight of the entire field has been
in the hands Of DR.. Robert Koldewey,
an architect, who has personally sup
erintended the excavations at Baby
lon and who has had a large and va
ried career In Oriental excavation
work. He has been assisted by sever
al Asylriogists and architects; Of
these, DR.. Maresh, now in charge Of
the work at Assur, deserves great
credit. The funds for the support Of
the excavation have been provided by
the Deutsche Orientgeselischaft, to
which the German emperor has been a
liberal contributor. This German ac-
tivity in Mesopotamia far surpasses
that Of any other, nation, which ac-
tivity may be due to the fact that
the German government would in
crease Its influence in that part Of the
world. perhaps with the hope that
when the German railroad across the
northern desert of Bagdad shall have
been completed, this land Of mineral
wealth and ancient ruins may be
practically German territory.
Abu Habba, small ruin in central
Babylonia and Fara, few miles far
ther south, were the first to attract
the German excavators; the result at
these two ancient sites were compare
lively Insignificant. At Abu Habba
trenches revealed scarcely more than
the walls Of houses from a middle
period Of Babylonian history and the
work was soon abandoned. At Fara,
a low mound, half a mile in length
and about as wide, work was continu-
ed for about nine months, with a
force Of 200 men. Beginning at one
end Of the ruins, trenches about ten
feet wide and five feet deep and a few
yards apart, were dug entirely across
the mound, and whenever the walls
of house appeared, they were fol-
lowed until the nature of the struc-
ture was revealed. The results were
few. An abundance Of pottery, some
marble vases, vertical drains Of tiles
and wells only were discovered. Fin
ally, when the system Of trenches
had been carried the entire length Of
the mound, in large palace Of an ex-
ceedingly early age appeared. In the
chambers were several large clay tab
lets, covered with primitive cuneiform
characters. It happened that in a
fight during the work an Arab was
killed, whereupon the excavations
were stopped by the Turkish govern
ment.
Arch Older Than Rome.
A valuable discovery at Fara was a
large arch sewer beneath the city.
Though we have long been taught
that the arch was Of Roman origin,
the arch of this sewer was perfect
and symmetrical and from an age
not far from $500 B. c., when the
pre-Semits Sumerians occupied the
land. The bricks used In its con-
struction were plano-convex, resembl-
ing in shape and size a small loaf Of
bread. They were burned to a dark
red. The plano-convex bricks ap-
pear to have been the first bricks ev-
er employed. 80. 80
Could the excavations have contin-
ued few weeks longer more remark
able discoveries might have resulted.
However, the Germans then turned
their attention to the ruins Of Baby
lon on the left bank Of the Euphra-
tes, 70 miles south of Bagdad. Unlike
most Babylonian cities, the site OF
Babylon had never been quite forgot
en-. Travellers of eevry age have de-
scribed 1t. Nearly a century ago large
square bricks bearing cuneiform In
scriptions, with the name Of Nebu-
chadnezzar, were taken to the British
and their ruins have long
been a profitable source Of revenue
to the Arabs who searched among
them for bricks. Hillah, city Of
10000 people is constructed Of them.
The courtyards Of the houses and a
large city square are paved with
them, they have been employed in
the construction Of an irrigating dam
across the Euphrates and still the
supply seems inexhaustible.
The ruins Of Babylon consist Of
three large and several small mounds.
them Is a ridge Of dirt,
reaching to considerable height, and
the city walls. Herodo-
tus says the walls were 335 feet high
and IS feet wide. Other writer's
claim that they were from AZ to 56
miles In circuit, that they were sur
rounded with $50 towers and pierced
with 100 gateways with gates OF
bronze. Though the Germans have
to trace the walls through
their extent, they have but partly sue
ceeded, yet 1t seems that the ancient
writer's were fairly accurate in their
Tower Of Babel, Perhaps.
OF the three large mounds, Babel,
the one to the north, still retains its
ancient name. Square in shape, 1t
rises to height Of over 100 feet. Es-
pecially here have the Arabs long
been digging for bricks. The Ger
mans have paid little attention to this
mound except to examine the walls
which the Arabs have uncovered. DIR.