MEDES & PERSIANS

Hokitika Guardian, 12 January 1929, Page 6

MEDES & PERSIANS

RABAT (Morocco) Nov. 3. •Cuneiform writing dating hack to the sixth century before tbe Christian ora and tending to show that the Assyrians 'or tho Medes conquered and colonised Morocco, has been found, it is stated, by Captain Odinot, a French explorer. 2*2 miles north of Fez, the Sultan’s capital. The inscriptions, which were discovered in subterranean galleries in tbe mountains, resemble in many respects'the Babylonian writing found at Ur in Chaldea. Captain Odinot believes that the inscriptions prove that the Berbers wore not the original inhabitants of Morocco, hut that the modem Moors are tbe descendants of the Assyrians, Medes, and Persians and great warlike nations of Biblical time 1 -. He said to me: AVe came on the grotto containing a number of ancient tombs, with wellpreserved cuneiform writing, wffi'n. lie had almost reached the crest ot the mountain. The rock had collapsed, blit we'cleared the entrance to the underground cav'-’ni. and crawling on all jV • r . <r. u nfc the peril of being rim abed 1 ,be rocks which began 1 in. ling a'mu. us. we cam;- on «ix S: ••copLslabs of which were cove"".! with inscriptions similar to those . iiiund at the entrance. A STEEL PEN. Tt was obvious that the writing had beejn made with a steel irs’rani.'nt. fis reiAarkablo state of proserva > appeared to be due to the inscvbe 1 slabhgving boon anointed fr.;q icntly wnli oil or varnish of some kind, so ms i< iisei them for some form of worship an ! this protective' covering lias guarded them against the ravages of time. After crawling for son; distance along the underground gal'ow wo aimo on a large chandler in which we found two stone axes, one wi'tii ’ts handle broken, which had been very finely sculptured. Captain Odinot added that he wished to warn others who might seek to explore the ancient galleries against tic danger of being entombed by falls oT rode