Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-08-04
KEY To BYZANTINE
ART FOUND DURING
PERIOD Of DANGER
Painting of Third Century in
Syria Unearthed by an
Archaeological.

Observation-Disclosures of the
Associated Press.)-Archacology has
its dramatic moments. The ancestry
Of Byzantine painting hitherto con-
siderably obscure. was discovered
while hostile forces were closing IN
upon the Investigators in Syria, and
all Investigations we're completed Iii a
single day prior to the shifting of the
protecting British lines. according t. a
report by Prof. J. II. Breasted. of the
University Of Chicago. which is about
to be presented to the French Acad-
envy of Science. Contents of this re-
port have just been made known for
the first time in this country IN an
Interview given by Prof. Breasted to
the Associated Press.
The investigation was made, accord
ing to Prof. Breasted, under his dircc-
ton after the return of the Mcsopo-
tamian expedition of The oriental in
stitute Of the University 1T Chicago
and its arrival at Bagdad late in
April. 1920. The British civil au-
Breasted and his party to ascend the
Euphrates to a ruined Roman fortress
at Salihiyah, on an informal archaeo-
'S1o "a ptuiLItu Ou lhrii DChoAi. Aht
Chicago scholar welcomed the COM
mission. but asked that he might first
complete some researches in Persia.
He was secretly informed that delay
would make the Euphrates mission
impossible, as the British were pre-
pairing to withdraw their lines on the
upper Euphrates almost 100 miles
down the river.
1t developed that while the British
forces had occupied the ruined fortress
Capt. NJ. c. Murphy had discovered
in a chapel in the ruin some wall
paintings evidently of ancient origin.
This discovery was communicated to
the authorities through 1t. Col: q,
L~eachman. Miss Gertrude Bell,
whom Prof. Breasted described as An
intrepid explorer and archaeologist.
was consulted, and suggested that
Prof. Breasted be sent to the fortress.
Accordingly, he set out with his party
and arrived on the scene the day be-
military frontier.
Ours was the first western expe-
dition.' said Prof. Breasted. ITO cross
the new Arab state from Bagdad to
the Mediterranean after it was pro-
claimed. The fortress of Salihiyah
was difficult of access even when 1t
was within British lines. and it is un-
likely that another expedition will soon
penetrate into this remote and inhos-
pitable region"
ON the way to Salihiyah the party
was entertained at the British camp.
and 1t. Col. Leachman cleared out
his office to make room for the
a~rchaeologist's five field beds.
The chapel of the fortress vas de-
cided by the investigators to have
been the temple not only of Roman
DICTIONARIES but likewise of some orr
entail cult. This appeared from the
character Of the paintings, some of
which had 10 be uncovered by clear
ing rubbish which had accumulated in
the ruin. One of the paintings ap-
peared 10 show a local oriental family
at worship. another showed a group
of Roman soldiers ~worshiping before
images Of the deified emperors. The
oriental ~personages portrayed had
hands appraised in a gesture recognized
Is one employed in eastern religious
rites: among them was a gorgeously
dressed omar thought to be a local
ruler, such as Zenobia. the famous
queen who defied Rome. The name
Inscribed beneath her figure resembled
in form that of Zenobia, who ruled
PALMYRA, only 100 miles away.
I'VE cannot even conjecture" said
Prof. Breasted. the nature of her
relations to the Roman power which
is commemorated in the other group"
Necklaces terminating in aotus
flowers were among the devices fIgur-
ing in the oriental group
That we have in these wall scenes
m example of the mostly lost an
cestry of Byzantine painting is evil
dent" said Prof. Breasted. from
comparison of them with the early
mosaics surviving at R%avenna. This
ruined Roman fortress at S~alihiyaE
has thus furnished a new and un-
paralleled example of the transition
from decadent. orientalized Hellenistic
art to the byzantine art from which
reviying Europe inherited so much"
The party concluded that the
probable date of the paintings WAS the
third century. when east and west
met in Syria" 1t was noted that the
face which the British officers had
described as the best painted was. By
tho TINA the scholars arrival scratched