Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1922-06-09


Iogy has its dramatic moments. The
ancestry of Byzantine painting"
hitherto considerably obscure, was
discovered while hostile forces were
closing in upon the investigators in
Syria, and all Investigations were
completed in a single day prior to the
shifting of the protecting British
lines, according to a report by Prof.
u. II. Breasted, of the University of
Chicago, which is about to be pre-
scented to the French Academy of
Science. Contents of this report have
just been made known for the first
time in this country in an interview
given by Prof Breasted to the Asso-
ciated Press.
The investigation was made. ac-
cording to Prof. Breasted, under his
direction after the return of the
Mesopotamian expedition of h e
Oriental Institute of the University
of Chicago and its arrival at Baghdad
late in April. 1920. The British civil
authorities at this time asked Prof.
Breasted and his party to ascend the
Euphrates to ruined Roman fortress
at Salihiyah. on an informal archaeol-
|ogical expedition on their behalf The
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 Enphrates 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 fort
ress, Capt. NJ C. Murphy had dis
covered in a chapel in the ruin some
wall paintings evidently of ancient
origin. This discovery was commune
Gated to the authorities through It.
Colonel G. Leachman Miss Gertrude
Bell. whom Prof. Breasted described
as an intrepid exnlorer and archaeol-
ogist. 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 dav before the withdrawal
of the British military frontier.
ours was the first western expedi-
tion." said Prof Breasted. ito cross
the new Arab state from Baghdad to
the Mediterranean after 1t was pro-
claimed. The fortress of Salihiyah
was difficult of access even when II
was within British lines. and it is un-
likely that another expedition will
soon penetrate into this remote and
;nhospitable region
On the way to Salihivah the party
was entertained at the British camp
and Lt.-Col. Leachman cleared out
his office to make room for the ar
chaelogists' five field beds
The chapel of the fortress was de-
cided by the investigators to have
been the temple not only of Roman
legionnaires but likewise of some
Oriental cult. This appeared from
the character of the paintings, some
of which had to be uncovered by
clearing rubbish which had accumu-
lated in the ruin. One of the paint
ings appeared to show a local Orient
al family at worship. another showed
"a group of Roman soldiers worship
ping before images of the deifled en-
perors. The Oriental personages por-
trayed had hands appraised in a ges-
ture recognized as one employed in
Eastern religious rites; among them
was a gorgeously dressed woman
thought to be a local ruler such as
Zenobia, the famous queen. who de-
fed Rome. The name inscribed be-
meath 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 re-
lations to the Roman power which is