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Explorations in Bible lands during the 19th century - H. V. Hilprecht

Explorations in Bible lands during the 19th century - H. V. Hilprecht

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DURING 19 CENTURY: ASSYRIA AND BABYLONIA 281<br />

came up for discussion, and representative scholars from<br />

o<strong>the</strong>r nations began to participate <strong>in</strong> a<br />

thorough ventilation<br />

of <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>g subjects. The Sumerian question arose, 1<br />

and with it a multitude of o<strong>the</strong>r questions. If one riddle<br />

was solved to-day, ano<strong>the</strong>r more difficult presented itself tomorrow.<br />

Our whole conception of <strong>the</strong> orig<strong>in</strong> and development<br />

of Assyrian art and literature, of <strong>the</strong> beg<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>gs of<br />

cuneiform writ<strong>in</strong>g, of <strong>the</strong> historical position and <strong>in</strong>fluence<br />

of <strong>the</strong> primitive <strong>in</strong>habitants of Babylonia, of <strong>the</strong> age and<br />

character of Semitic civilization <strong>in</strong> general, and of many important<br />

details closely connected <strong>the</strong>rewith seemed to be<br />

<strong>in</strong> need of a thorough revision. The Assyriological camp<br />

was soon split <strong>in</strong>to factions, often fight<strong>in</strong>g with bitterness<br />

and passion aga<strong>in</strong>st one ano<strong>the</strong>r.<br />

The extraord<strong>in</strong>ary results of De Sarzec's epoch-mak<strong>in</strong>g<br />

excavations at Tello furnished a mass of new material which<br />

was eagerly studied at once and essentially helped to extend<br />

our horizon. But important as <strong>the</strong>ir <strong>in</strong>fluence proved to<br />

be on <strong>the</strong> gradual solution of <strong>the</strong> Sumerian problem, on<br />

<strong>the</strong> clear<strong>in</strong>g of our views on Babylonian art and civilization,<br />

and on <strong>the</strong> many o<strong>the</strong>r questions <strong>the</strong>n under consideration,<br />

be<strong>in</strong>g felt alike <strong>in</strong> palaeographv and philology,<br />

archaeologv, history, and ancient geography, <strong>the</strong>ir greatest<br />

significance lies, perhaps, <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> fact that <strong>the</strong>y gave rise to<br />

<strong>the</strong> methodical exploration of <strong>the</strong> Babylonian ru<strong>in</strong>s and<br />

k<strong>in</strong>dled fresh enthusiasm for <strong>the</strong> organization and despatch<br />

of new expeditions. The statues <strong>in</strong> dolerite and <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>scribed<br />

bas-reliefs<br />

and cyl<strong>in</strong>ders from Tello had clearly shown that<br />

<strong>the</strong> ru<strong>in</strong>s of Sou<strong>the</strong>rn Babylonia conceal sculptured rema<strong>in</strong>s<br />

of fundamental value, and, moreover, that <strong>the</strong> period to<br />

which <strong>the</strong>se discoveries lead us is considerably older than<br />

that which had been reached by <strong>the</strong> previous Assyrian ex-<br />

1<br />

Started <strong>in</strong> 1874 by Professor J.<br />

Halevy of Paris. On <strong>the</strong> whole subject<br />

comp. Weissbach, Die Sumerische Frage, Leipzig, 1898, and Halevy, Le<br />

Sumerism et P histoire Baby/otiienne, Paris, 1901.

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