Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1916-11-18
MYSTERIES OF ANCIENT ETHIOPIA
SOLVED BY HARVARD EXPEDITION

OF large royal statues OF the Ethiopian
period Investigation showed that
there had been a great restoration OF
the temple after q period of destruc-
! ton. subsequent 10 coo b. c.. and that
the statues OF the Ethiopian kings
found broken during this restoration
had been carried out and thrown into
this place The names OF four kings
were found the Biblical Tirhaka,
Amon-anal. his son Espalta and q
later king named SenlIa.amon-seken
Only the statue Of Espalta was com
pletc. II seemed therefore that there
must be another dump in which the
fragments Of these statues had been,
thrown, but in so vast an area the
chance Of finding the other dump
without excavating the whole seemed
too small for consideration.
Forms New Plans .
This find forces Us to plan some
other way OF attacking the excavation
Of the great temple and | turned 10
the area next to the mountain, think.
ing 10 clear up the rubbish strewn
ground and pile the refuse beside the
back part of the temple. In the
foundation walls of two smaller tenn
pies and while clearing these, with no
thought of anything but archaeological
results, We suddenly came on the
other ancient dump, over 100 meters
from the first dump where we had
found the statues. Here was the head
Of the Tirhaka statue. the crown and
basis of the Amon-anal statue, the
body belonging TO the head of the
Senka-amon-seken statue and the
bodies of two statues of Tanut-amon.
successor to Tirhaka. 1t was the most
astonishing freak of chance in my
whole experience as an excavator. AS
a result we had ten statues of kings
of Ethiopia of the time of Tirhaka
and later. all broken but five of them
practically complete with portrait
heads in royal Egyptian workmanship.
I believe that there are good chances
of our finding the remaining parts OF
the other statues.
Unearth Holy Of Holes
ITO shorten the story. the rest OF
the season was spent in clearing the
ground south of the great temple in
for the excavation of the
great temple itself Here we I'M
covered four small temples on the
site of older temples and one of them |
of considerable interest This was a |
temple built by a king of Ethiopia, |
named ltlanersa, about 600 B. c.. and |
had been preserved from the efforts |
Of previous excavators by a mass of |
huge blocks which had fallen upon ii |
from the cliff. When with infinite |
labor these blocks of sandstone had |
been broken up and carried out, there |
lay the inner chambers with their |
just as they stood when the |
cliff fell about 100 B. c. In the next |
TO the last room stood great altar OF |
black granite carved with offering |
scenes and inscriptions in f1ieroglyph- |
les showing that the altar had been (
dedicated by Itlanersa to Anon of |
Napata. in the small Holy-of Holes,
here were Meroitic statues Of the
yod and curiously enough by some
ancient mistake statuette of Amen
lnhis III. a great king of Egypt in the
eighteenth dynasty. About these
;tatuettes lay the last votive offerings
placed in the shrine by worshippers
# the Meroftic age. We penetrated /
o the foundation deposits under the
back wall of the temple and found
he small tablets of 1tlanersa complet-
ne the history of the temple. titan
.rsa had foolishly built his temple II
light under the overhanging cliff, but
much to our advantage. Almost i'm
nediately the cliff had fallen and
rushed the temple. His successor,
Senka-amon-seken, piously rebuilt the
broken walls and set his name beside
hat OF ltlanersa. Again the cliff drop II
'ed huge flake on the back part of
he temple; again another king, near
y four centuries later. restored the
But in his day the writ
ne of hieroglyphics was nearly lost
lrt and his name can only be sur
missed.
Hork Still Remains
Only at the very end could work
De begun on the great temple A II
ew rooms at the back were cleared
md the foundations of five successive
emples were laid bare. But the great
emple still awaits excavation and an
Irea perhaps 20 times that already
'Xcavated. In few days the expedi-
ion will return to the Sudan and re-
ume the work where it was cut short
" the hot weather.