MYSTERY SIGNETS

Shannon News, 20 July 1926, Page 4

MYSTERY SIGNETS

SEAL OP DANIEL’S DEN OP LIONS. Among the seals of Babylon upon which Mr. Sydney Smith, assistant m the Assyrian Department at the British Museum, lectured recenitly, is that of Darius, who is said to have staled up Daniel in the lions’ den. To a "Daily Chronicle” representative, Mr. Smith showed some of the seals about which a gooiL deal of conlrovorsy has arisen. By the experts the Darius seal is considered .extremely interesting. It shows the king in his chariot hunting a l'ion among the palm trees, and if Daniel was really placed in a den of lions this is in all probability the king who secured it with his seal. The fact is, however, that Daniel’s adventure is regarded by scholars as a piece of political propaganda arranged at the time when Antioclius Epiphanes wanted the Jews to worship his divine statue's. The story of Daniel and his survival was intended to implant l'aich in the Jews. Similarly scholars have established that the wicked. Nebuchadnezzar story was intended as a veiled attack on the Greek King of the second century. Mr. Smith has another seal which is mysterious in meaning. It is the one which shows a man and a woman, a free, and a serpent, and it has been associated with the Adam and Eve creation story. “We have tried to kill this story,” said Mr. Smith, “but people still come to see the seal under a false impression. It is believed to be a picture of a god and goddess and a date palm. People still come to ask for the Seal of Abraham. There are about 1200 Babylonian seals in the British Museum, ranging in date from and B.C. 500. “Another seal is the ‘Noah’ seal, which shows Tsit-Napishtim in his ark. Professor King thought this illustrated the story of the deluge, V said Mr. Smith. “The King’s god came and announced there would be a flood and on the seal the King is depicted showing a Babylonian parellel to the Bible story.” Endeavours have been made by Mr. Smith to forge tools similar to those used by the Babylonian artists - who made the seal's, and the claybrick documents upon which the seals were stamped. It has been found very difficult, however, to reproduce tools which successfully make the hieroglyphics.