DISCOVERY OF AN ASSYRIAN LIBRARY 3,500 YEARS OLD.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 2671, 24 August 1889, Page 6 (Supplement)

DISCOVERY OF AN ASSYRIAN LIBRARY 3,500 YEARS OLD.

PROFESSORSAYCE'S DESCRIPTION OF IT. The Victorian Institute, of London held its annual meeting at Adelphi Terrace on July Ist. An immense audience crowded the hall in every part, the president, Sir (Jcorgc Stokes, Bart., President of the Koyal Society, took the chair. The proceedings were commenced by mentioning that the Emperor of Brazil had sent a message expressing special interest in the Institute's Journal, and desired to obtain it regularly for translation. The report for the past year was then read by Captain Francis Potijie, tho honorary secretaiy, by which it appeared that the number of Home, Foreign, and Colonial members had increased to over 1,300, and there had been an important advance in the practical work of the Institute in investigating philosophical and scientific questions, especially any questions used by those who unhappily sought to attack religion in the name of science. The adoption of the report wa.s moved by Sir Henry Darkly, G.C.8., F.K.S., and seconded by Admiral Sir Leopold MeCTmtock, l'Mi.S., after which it was announced that family matters, coii.-i"<jueut 0" the death of h'is father, prevented Piofessor Sayee'.-i presence, nnd bo had chosen the Ko v. Dr. Wright, author of "The Hiitites," to read tho address. It gave an historical description of what has become known in regard to the conquests of Ameuophis 111, as shown by the archives of his palace, whreh have only lately been discovered, and which the Professor went last winter to investigate on the spot before writing tho Address for the Victoria Institute. Of the tablets and inscription.", hi! said :—" From them we learn that in the fifteenth century before our era,—a century before the Kxodus,—active literary intercourse was'going on throughout the civilised world of Western Asia, between Babylon and Kgyt and the smaller states of Palestine, of Syii.i, of Mesopotamia, and even of Eastern K;:ppadokia. And this intercourse was carried on by means of the Babylonian language, am! the complicated Babylonian script. This implies that, all over the civilised Ivisfc, there were libraries and schools where the Babylonian langnng') and literature were tiuighl and learned. Babyiuiian appeared to have been as much t'le language of diplomacy and cultivated society in' French has become in modern times, with tho difference iliat, whereas it does not take, long to leiru to rend French, the cuneiform syllabary required year?, or hard labour and attenti'-n liii'ore. it could be acquired. We can now iindeisi'.nd the: uieV.ih):; of tin: ii-ime'.of the t'an.-.ani-tish city whi.ih stood near IT:jbron, and ■which seems to have been one otth;; nr.is.l important of the towns of S-uithern Palestine. Kirjith-Sephor, or "PiOn!:town," must hive been the scat of a faiuoiu; library, ein.-istine; mainly, if no! altogether, as tin; Tel el-A:n:iiT.:i tablets inform u.-:, of clay tablets inscribed with cuneiform char.ieters. As the city also bore the name of Di-bir, or " Siv.etuary." we may conclude that the tabi-ts w.-re stored in its chief (-■siplc, !;ku the libraries of Awyria and P. ihy'oni-i. It may be that they sire still lying under the noil, awaiting the day win n tho of th./excavat.or .-hall I'vsti.ic them V, ihe li'di';. 'file literary inll-.u'iKV of Bibyhmia iirtheage before the l*ne!)ti.-h conquer, of Palestine explains ihe i ccurrence of the nvriey of Babylonian deities among the inhabitants of "the West. Moses died on the summit of Mount Nebo, which received its name from tiic Babylonian god of literature, to whom the great temple of Borsippa was dedicated; and Sinai itself, tho mountain "of Sin," testifies to a worship of the Babylonian Moon-pod, Sin, amid the Solitude.; of the desert." /doU-h and _ Malik v ,s ;. _!) %- I'-.nian divinity like ilimiirm, i.bo Air-god, after whom I'lore, than one locality in Palestine was named, and Anat, tho wife of Ann, ibe Sky-;;'od, gave her name to the:' l.'.ilesiiuo Anali, as well as to Ana'hi'lh, tho city of "tho Aiiatgoddesses." In (i careful reading of tho tablets Sayco caino upon many ancient names and incidents known up to this present only from their appearance, in the Bible. All tliOM! lie carefully described, aa well as several reforenco.-i in tho tablets to tho Ilitfites. In regard to another point ho Baid : —" Ever since the progress of Egyptology made it clear that llameses 11. wan this Pharo of tho oppression, it was difficult to understand how so long , an iutcrval of time aa the whole perio:! of the 18th Dynasty could lie between him and tho'new king' whoso rise seems to have been followed almost immediately by tho servitude and oppression of tho Hebrews. The tablets of Tel elAmarna now show that the difficulty does not exist. Up to the death of Khu-en-Aten, (ho Semite had greater influence than the native in the land of Miiiraiin." Ileferring to those who have formed opinions as to t'ic non-historical character of tho Pentateuch, Professor Snyeo said : —" The Tl el- Airiania tablets have already overthrown the primary foundation ou which much of this criticism has been built." Professor iSaycc closed bis paper wit.h a pororaUon of passing- eloquence us to the duty of floarchinir for the rich libraries that must lie buried beneath the sunds of .Syria and Palestine, a matter tho importance of ■which has been urged in tho Victoria Institute's Journal more than once, especially in tho List volume, presented to ail its supporters. A vote of thanks was passed to Professor Sayco for his splendid address, and to Dr. Wright for reading it. This Wiis moved by the Loid Chancellor in a speech of grea) iiikrc.-'t, in which he said there was nothing more interesting in the literary hijtory of mankind than such discoveries as those alluded to in the address, which he considered a perfect mine of wealth. M .Naville, (he Kgyptian discoverer, hiving expressed his admiration of the labours of Professor Sayce, and declared the discovery the greatest one of the present conturv, a vote of thanks to the President was then moved by Sir Kisdon Bennett, F.R.S., seconded by Admiral 'Sir Krasnms Ommanncy, F.K.S., and conveyed to the. president by (.'aplain Creak', i'. U.S. T'ois ele.ed the proeeediie.v. .-.•■■ d ties member- ;,.„;( [|::ir £11 f> ,:i ildi ellJlCli tO '.If! -Mll.-'Cill,!, '.lilLiV j'ciVe-.!,;):<:iif ; were served.