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

DURING 19TB. CENTURY: ASSYRIA AND BABYLONIA 297
served at different times, render a separate treatment of the
origin and history of every campaign almost imperative.
We therefore propose first to relate the history and progress
of the four campaigns in
their natural order, and afterwards
to sketch their principal results— due as much to the
extraordinary efforts of the subscribers and the careful watchfulness
and directions of the committee at home as to the
faithful services and self-denying spirit of those in the field
— in their mutual relation to each other, and chiefly from a
topographical point of view.
A. ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF THE EXPEDITION.
First Campaign, 18SS-89. The meeting at which Dr.
Peters submitted his plans to the public was held at the
house of Provost Pepper on November 30, 1887.
About
thirty persons were present, including Dr. Ward, the previous
leader of the Wolfe Expedition, and
Professor Hilprecht,
as the official representative of Assyriology in the
University of Pennsylvania. Both had been invited by
the chairman to express their respective views with regard
to the contemplated undertaking. In the course of the
discussion it became more and more apparent that the enthusiastic
originator of the new scheme and the present
writer differed essentially from each other on fundamental
questions. On the basis of Dr. Ward's recommendation, the
former declared in favor of a large promising site, like Anbar,
Nuffar, El-Birs, etc., as most suitable for the Philadelphia
excavations. He proposed that the staff" of the expedition
should consist of four persons, a director, a well-known
Assyriologist, formerly connected with the British Museum,
and the photographer and the interpreter of the Wolfe Expedition
; and he estimated the total expense for a campaign
of three consecutive years, as previously stated by him, at
$ 1 5,000. The present writer, on the other side, pointed out