The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1920-12-29
ANCIENT RELICS
FOR CHICAGO "U'
Institution Gets Collection Of
\ Egyptian Curiosities.
HAS FINE ORIENTAL MUSEUM

/
Valuable pecimens-Gives univer.
sity One Of Finest Collections in
country-Rule Of British In Meso.
potamia Great Blessing, He Says.
Fresh from the Near East, 81 big
boxes Of relics of ancient Egypt and
Babylonia have been unpacked at the
University of Chicago. They were
brought recently after an adventure
some trip by DR.. J. H. Breasted, pro-
fessor of Oriental history and Egypt
Ology. In the judgment of museum
officials here, they make the Oriental
museum at the University of Chicago
the finest of its kind In the United
States.
The university professor and his
staff of four were the first white men
to cross the Arab state after it was
proclaimed, going from Bagdad to
Aleppo. At times the expedition tray
eled at great personal risk.
The aim of the party was to survey
the most important buried cities of the
Near East in regard to the work of
excavation. Doctor Breasted said he
saw ancient cities, now merely mounds
of ruins, that were not on the map
and were totally unknown to science
Because of his knowledge Of CON
ditions in the country behind Syria,
Doctor Breasted was asked by the
British government at Cairo to 60 on
diplomatic mission to the British
foreign office at London and at the
expense of changing his plans for re-
turning home, he did so, Doctor
Breasted disclosed here.
Arabs Hostile to English.
The traditional friendship of the
Arabs for the English has now turned
to hatred, Doctor Breasted reported.
This, he said, was due to the British
giving over Syria to the French after
they had promised the Arabs their own
kingdom in recompense for the help
they gave the British against the
Turks.
British political agents were being
murdered by Arabs in Mesopotamia
while the University of Chicago expe-
dition was in that country, Doctor
Breasted said. He related that Brit
ish colonel who knew the Arabs init
mately was later killed at the Identical
camping place the university party
had stopped at short time before.
'The English rule in Mesopotamia
is, however, the greatest blessing that
ever came to the country" Doctor
Breasted said. ut Is accomplishing
wonders in quieting the turbulent
Arabs and in bringing in civilized
conditions. Anyone who knows the
Near East cannot fail to rejoice at
the British occupation, and most of !
all the archaeologist."
Bears Out Bible Story.
Notwithstanding this hostility to the
British, the party determined to push |
on without protection across the des-
erts to the Mediterranean. They for
tunately found the Arabs friendly to
Americans.
One of the prizes brought back to
the Chicago Oriental museum is an
Assyrian prism chronicling the de-
struction of Sennacharib's army before
Jerusalem. This great Assyrian king
had carried host against Jerusalem
and sorely troubled Hezekiah, king Of
Judah. 1t is related in the book Of
Isaiah that Hezekiah sent for the
prophet Isaiah, that Isaiah prophesied
that Sennacharib would not enter Je-
rusalem, but would return to Assyra
by the way that he came, and that the
Assyrian army would suffer great
destruction.
"This Is a six-sided prism contain
ing the royal annals Of Sennacharib,"
Doctor Breasted said 1T relates the
chief campaigns Of his western wars
and chronicles this incident told Of in
Isaiah. There is similar prism in
the British museum but ours is three
years older, and it is the first in the
United States"
A flint knife blade with sharp
edge, which Doctor Breasted charac-
terized as the finest piece Of Clipped
stone known to man, is another Of the
prizes of the collection. Still another
is a small blue vase from Egypt, where
glass was first used, which the pro-
fessor said showed the first artistic
use made Of glass.
A picture Of early Egyptian home
life is afforded by a group Of 25
figures found In an Egyptian tomb.
Servants making bread, washing, max
ing music on drum and doing other
familiar things about the house 1000
or 5000 years ago, go to make up the
most complete group of the kind 1t is
said, that has ever been uncovered
in one tomb. 4s