The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-05-09

Edgar j. Banks in Scientific. Amerl-
can: The excavations conducted by
the Germans In the Mesopotamian val
ley began in 1899, n are still con-
tinued. The ruins of several Baby
lonian cities, Abu Habba, Fara, Bah
ylon, and of the Assyrian capital AS
sur, have been uncovered In a most
systematic manner The results have
been meager in ONE of the ruins; in
others they have been of the greatest
archaeological Importance. The general
oversight Of the entire field has been
in the hands Of DR.. Robert Koldewey,
an architect who has personally super
intended the excavations at Babylon
and who has had a large and varied
career in oriental excavation work.
He has been assisted by several As
syriologists AND architects; of these.
DR.. Maresh, now In charge of the work
at Assur, deserves great credit.
Abu Habba, a small ruin in central
Babylonia, and Fara, a few miles far
Their south, were the first to attack the
German eXcavatorS; the results at
these two ancient sites were compare
lively insignificant. At Abu Habba,
trenches revealed scarcely more than
the walls of the houses from a middle
period of B~abylonian history and the
work was soon abandoned. At Fara,
a low mound, half a mile in length
and about half as wide, work was on
tinued for about nine months, with d
force Of 200 men,. Beginning at olie
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
a house appeared they were followed
until the nature of the structure was
revealed. The results were few. An
abundance of pottery, some marble
vases, vertical drains of tiles and wells
only were discovered. Finally, when
the system of ranches had been car
ried the entire length Of the mound.
a large palace of an exceedingly early
age appeared. In the chambers were
several large clay tablets covered with
primitive cuneiform characters. 1t
happened hat in a fight during the
work an Arab was killed, ~whereupon
the excavations were stopped by the
| Turkish government. The inscrip-
| lions revealed the ancient name of the
city of Shurippak, the scene of the
| B~abylonian story of the food which
| appears in the Gilgamish epic.
The Germans then turned their at
| tention to the ruins of Babylon on the
left bank Of the Euphrates, seventy
miles south of Bagdad. Unlike most
Babylonian cities, the site of Babylon
had never been quite forgotten. Trav-
| elers of every age have described it
bricks bearing cuneiform inscriptions
with the name of NebuchadnezzaT
were taken to the British museum. and
the ruins have long been a profitable
source of revenue to the Arabs who
have searched among them for bricks
Hillah, a city of 10000 people, is con-
structed of them. The courtyards OF
- - nr- ! CN - n r-n n rf
paved with them; they have been en-
ployed in the construction of an irri-
eating lam across the Euphrates, anC
still the supply seems ineXhauStible.
The ruins of Babylon consist OF
three large and several small mounds
Surrounding them is a ridge of dirt
reaching in places to a considerable
height, and representing the city walls
Herodotus says. the walls were 1856 fee
high and IS feet wide. Other writer.
claim that they were forty-two to fiji
ty-six miles in circuit; that they were
surrounded with $50 towers, and pierre
ed with 100 gateways with gates O.
bronze. Though the Germans have at
tempted to trace the walls Throughout
their extent, they have but partly sue
ceeded. yet it seems that the ancien
writer's were fairly accurate IN thel
descriptions. -
Of the three larger mounds, Babil
the one to the north, still retains it!
ancient name. Square in shape, 1T rls'
es to a height of over 100 feet. Spe'
cially here have the Arabs long beer
digging for bricks. The Germans have
laid little attention to this mound, ex'
cept to examine the walls which thu
Arabs have uncovered. DR.. Koldewe1
believes that an ancient structure
which gave rise to the Biblical stor!
of the Tower of Babel, stood there
At the base the Arab diggers have re
vealed the huge arches of passage
ways leading through the mound, ant
Tthey have led some scholars to believ'
that they supported the famous hang
ing gardens of Babylon. It is supposed
that the overhanging foliage Of TIT
several terraces had the appearance
of being suspended In, the air. g..
The central OF the three larg'
mounds is the Kasr, or the fortress, 81
named by the Arabs, because Of TIL
Imassive walls which have always pro
jected from the, surface. Here tn
Germans, have made their most. re
markable discoveries. 1t Is the custom
of the Germans to employ a force o
200 men the year around. The mel
are divided into gangs Of twelve each
lat the head of the gang Is the pick
man, who loosens the dirt; his, pay 1
men with triangular hoes who scrap
the, dirt into baskets; their pay Is /
cents a day. The remaining eight me-
of the gang are basket men who carr,
the dirt from the trenches to. the. dunn
or the car; their pay Is 10 cents a day
Small children are employed at tn
rate. of a cents a day, 1t, Is only q
Babylon that a narrow iron track wit