The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-12-11
CARTHAGE FIRST
To HAVE BAN
ON DRINK
Count de Prorok Comes to U.
s. to Interest Students in
Archaeological Finds.
BY JOSEPH r. FLIEsLER.
Cosmopolitan News Service.


BY JOSEPH #. FLEsLER.
Cosmopolitan News Service.
NEW YORK, Dec, IL Carthage.
that ancient colony Of the Phoeni-
! clans, that grew to be the greatest
trading city in the world, that sent
forth ships to explore. armies to
conquer, immigrants to settle other
lands, is to be dug up from the
earthly oblivion in which it was
believed to have disappeared for
ever.
THE legend that nothing re-
NAMED at Carthage has been at
last dissipated," Count Byron Khun
de Prorok, just back from an arch
Biological expedition on the site of
the ancient city, said today. From
researches and discoveries lately
made there we can be certain that
great deal remains. BY careful,
persistent search we may find doc
uments giving HannibaIs side of
the Punic wars. So far we have
only the Roman documents.
Count de Prorok, who married g
wealthy American girl, hopes to
enlist aid of American colleges and
museums in founding an archeo-
logical school for the excavation OF
ancient Cathage and the whole OF
north Africa. He particularly wants
American students to join those OF
Oxford and Cambridge in the trip.
TO Appear IN Capital.
Count Prorok will address the
National Geographic Society at
Washington December Il, showing
there for the first time the com
pleted film of three years work at
Carthage.
I'm three years of excavation we
have found relics which give us a
good idea of the civilization Of Car
thage," said Count Prorol1. ITEM
pies and residences have been I'M
earthed. We have found jewels
and money, vases, urns and lamps.
Carthage was the first city to
have prohibition. Aristotle tells us
the law prohibited civil servants
from drinking Intoxicating liquors.
But we dug up numbers OF babies
milk bottles and jars OF rouge and
perfumes used by the priestesses.
Through the discovery Of the
now submerged sea wall OF ancient
Carthage, close to the present port.
/ I hope to find the punic port Of
the first city on site never dug
before about four kilometers from
the spot it is generally believed to
have been.
''The sea wall was found when
we went up in an airplane to film
some views.
Seek Kings Library.
1--WE hope, next year. vainly I
fear, to find some of the volumes
of the library that was last in the
possession OF King Hiempsal, who
got it from the Romans at Bulla
Rega. Should we be so fortunate
as to discover this library it would
be the greatest archaeological find
ever made. We should have 1000
additional years Of history at our
command.
81 believe that next year we will
discover the actual statue of that
sinister fire god, BaaI Moloch, to
whom the mothers Of the noble fam.
lilies bore their first born as sacri-
fees in times Of disaster.
'Flaubert's 'Salammbo' contains a
marvelously accurate account of the
service to Moloch. The infant, he
| relates, would be placed by the
parent in the arms Of the stolid god
which would then by q mechanical
contrivance raise the child and feed
it to the roaring furnace in its lap
| WOrshippers gasped and mutilated
themselves in other ways before this
dour effigy.
What quirk Of the human mind
made Carthage at once the most
barbaric and the most civilized OF
places?" asked Count Prorok
! Carthage was the richest city OF
| use paper money, or promises tC
pay. At one time the population
was close to million.
I'm the soil we found objects oil
art, jewels, money, temples and
urns with the bones of children
| sacrificed. Beside the remains OF
civilization we found the relics OF
savagery.
Remains Kept Intact.
Everything in Carthage is as we
have found it. Our expedition re-
! moves the surrounding dirt and
leaves the relic Mosaic floors are
left where they are. We have even
glued back bits of fresco that have
been found on the ground. Skele.
| tons buried in walls are left intact,
and enclosed in glass. We want to
show students how the Carthagians
lived and died, on the spot.
There are literally hundreds OF
ruined cities in North Africa. The
French Service de Antiquities has
! done good work in the discovery
and excavation in part Of many OF
| these. come here with the basis
of contract the Service is pre-
pared to enter with American uni
Versities or. museums who may
wish to undertake the work OF
| further excavation.
Zone city was found, with three
! square miles of ruins that have not
been touched.
Father Delattre, oldest of French
psychologists, who for fifty years
has been engaged in the resurrec,
| ton of Christian ruins in Carthage
and North Africa, and Monsigneur
, Lemaitre, archbishop of Carthage
gave me this message before left
! Go as an apostle of old and
appeal to all those who remember
tho OV-iFioo nf tho