Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1916-12-28

sition is by no means primitive The date of this
book is 1890 B. G..
Geography was taught, as were astronomy and
history. In the collection is the Oldest history yet
found, a tablet giving the list of Babylonian kings
going back to the food. The claim is that it is a
record of 25,O00 years; but this may be disputed,
since the names of the monarchs, which seem to
be those of men who reigned successfully, may be
OF men who ruled simultaneously, in kingdoms
that were adjacent. A conservative estimate is
that this history covers $4,000 years.
There is a book on botany, teaching the people
how to raise the date palm, an important crop of
the times. Agricultural books abound, for the
temple had a collegiate department, Just as have
Cornell and other American universities, where
scientific farming was taught. The Babylonians,
as is well known, were remarkable engineers and
past masters in the field of irrigation. 1t is not
surprising that Doctor Langdon has found many
records of this in the museums Babylonian COL
lection. We learn, again, Of canals being dug,
and of a tablet that chronicles the opening of a
great waterway, like the Panama canal-the cele-
bration over it, the presence Of the king, and the
pride felt in the great skill of its engineers.
Further documents are reported verifying previ-
Gus assertions that the Babylonian woman re-
ceived an education equal to mans, took her place
with him in certain lines, and was compensated
with the same wage as he.
Books had no cases and when found are often
crurhbled, broken, cracked or so badly Clipped
that parts Of the translation must be guessed at
or omitted entirely. Others. fortunately, are found
intact.
Letters, on the other hand, were sent in en-
velopes, also of clay. When the tablet letter had
been duly inscribed and signed, it was rolled in
a fine clay powder and slipped into a hollow clay
pocket. More clay dust was then shaken in, so
that layers of powder were packed about the con-
tents of the pocket and the letter could not get
rubbed or scratched. The clay opening was then
sealed and stamped with the sender's ring.
Afterward, the address was added and a slave
dispatched with 1t. Later, we know that Baby
lonian and Sumerian governments supported regu-
lar postal systems. It Is quite possible that that
regime was in existence in 1900 B. G.
Many letters are found with seals unbroken,
and these are marvellously preserved in their soft
powdered pads. We can only surmise the reason
for their sealed state. Perhaps a man kept sealed
copies of the most important letters he had to
write. Duplicate copies of records and transac-
lions have been unearthed, sometimes miles apart;
and the same practice could have held, nationally,
of letters.
Some Of these letters may never have been
delivered, thanks to nm inefficient postal service
in some particular locality; or, .and this is more
plausible, the breaking out of frequent revolutions
could have conceivably crippled the Babylonian
.poSL my dhu - many iStlciS uIlue
livered.
Individually the oldest undelivered letter in the
world is in the Babylonian collection of the Uni
versity Of Pennsylvania museum. Its date would
be 2200 B. c., and Doctor Langdon opened and
read 1t only last week.
1t is from a master to his slave or to some I'M
derling or employee. Obviously, II. is only one of
several letters, since 1t refers to previous corre-
spondence and to a previous transaction over
which the writer is perturbed. It's archaic SUI
merriam Is dictaterial, overbearing and peevish.
and rants of some unsatisfactory flour deal that
the underllng has undertaken. One wonders
whatever became of that fouri
Other tablets now being catalogued have pic
lures on them. One, a hunting scene, reminds
one Of the prehistoric cave drawings found in
France. There Is another of a battle scene. very
much broken but rare and interesting.
The coming OF Doctor Langdon to the Unlversi-
ty of Pennsylvania museum is timely and for
tunate. The Babylonian division has had no Gu