Evening star., 1931-12-13
M|ZPAH Of ANCIENT
EWS|S UNCOVERED
City That FIourished in Era
of Exile Yields Traces of
Prehistoric Man.
BY THOMAS n. HENRY.

Spades Of archeologists rapidly are
uncovering the ancient Hebrew City Of
Mixpah, miles north Of Jerusalem
which is mentioned frequently In the
Old Testament and which was a popu-
lous hilltop town In the long period be-
tween the Judges and the Exile
The story rs told by William F. Bade
director OF the Palestine Institute. in
the annual report of the Smithsonian
Institution, issued this week. Step by
step, during the past three years, the
excavators have uncovered evidence
which checks the biblical story Of the
city in the tribal territory of Benjamin.
They have found the ancient sanctuary
and place Of sacrifice. They have dis
covered fortiications built about 900 B.
c., when, according to the biblical ac-
count, the city was refortified Structures
have been uncovered which. dated by
coins, turn out to have been built in the
days Of Judas Maccabeaus, who used the
city as stronghold. The excavators
have gathered artifacts showing the oc-
cupancy Of the city during the early
bronze age.
Prehistoric Cave Found.
The excavation Of one cave in the
hillside, Bade says, has furnished an
epitome of the human history of the
site from about 700 B. c., approximate
ly the time Of the invasion by Sen
nacherib and the Jewish exile, back
through early bronze-age pottery. Here
was found the story of an old tragedy.
The earliest inhabitants of the hillside
presumably used the cave TO bury their
dead, but within the ipclosure was
found a kiln filled with pottery that
never had been fired. Presumably it
was intended for burial purposes, but
some evil fate overlook both the living
and the dead before the job could be
completed.
The last discovery Of the present year
was Of vaulted passage and long
flight Of steps leading below the city
wall to a rock-hewn cistern, the con-
tents OF which remain unknown. This
dates from the time Of the citys occu-
pancy by the Maccabees, and the secret
passage constitutes the mystery which
the eXcavators are most eager TO solve
next year.
Nobody knows the final fate of Miz-
pah, but one of the latest discoveries
this year was Of a Roman tomb dating
from the days of King Herod, the cruel
governor who ruled Jerusalem during
the boyhood Of Jesus. The New Testa-
ment doesn't say what happened to
historical records show that his cruel
ties to the Jews when reported in Rome
caused such an outburst of humani-
tartan sentiment that he was recalled,
tried and banished to Gaul, where he
disappears from history. The finding of
the tomb dating from his reign may
throw new light on the condition Of the
country during the boyhood Of the
Messiah.
Lost History Rebuilt.
Recent discoveries through Europe
and Asia Minor are yielding much ma
terial for reconstructing the lost history
of the human race before the dawn Of
history. according to an article in the
report by George Grant MacCurdy Of
Yale University. This Is seen especi-
ally in reports from Egypt, believed by
many to be the cradle of civilization. 1t
has been possible to extend Egyptian
chronology back into the old stone age,
where crude implements have been un-
covered similar to those found in Eu-
rope when that country was inhabited
by the Neanderthalers.
In France, DR. MacCurdy reports
further digging in the site of Les Eyzies,
Dordogne, whose upper levels have been
explored for years in search of ancient
implements, has brought to light rich
deposit OF eoliths-crudely fashioned
stones presumably from the hands OF
men who occupied the country before
any of those whose skeletal remains
have been found.
Complete Sequence Found.
Excavations in the cave CT Mugharet
el Wade, in Palestine, have brought to
light a complete sequence of cultural
material from that of the Romans,
Greeks and Arabs down TO that OF
men who lived during the Mousterian
period, at least $4,000 years ago. One
of the most notable recent fnds, DR..
MacCurdy reports. is that of another
Neanderthal skull in gravel pit near
Rome, where also were found fossils
Of elephants rhinoceri and other
ancient animals. Mere ancient human
skeletons have been recovered from
excavations in CZechoslovakia, asSo-
ciated with the bones Ct the man.
moth The latest Of these shows signs
that the bones were Scraped with flint
instruments and leads to the suspicion
that the owner may have been victim
OF cannibals.
Prom a Polish asphalt deposit has
come a complete skeleton Of a woolly
rhinoceros, which was one Of the con-
temporaTieS of early man. From a
deposit near Irkutz, Siberia, associated
with bones of mammoth and Woolly
rhinoceros, came a curious carved
human figure, similar TO several found
in France scar the Bay Of Biscay. The
distance is 1000 miles. Ancient man
must have been more Of a wanderer
than he generally is credited with
being This same curious figure, DR..
MacCurdy reports, now is beginning to
crop up in italy and Germany. Its
meaning affords a new mystery for