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

DURING 19 CENTURY: ASSYRIA AND BABYLONIA 391
time of Sargon and Naram-Sin, who in all probability were
the original builders of the southeast enclosing wall.
i. Pre-Sargonic Ruins. According to the date furnished
by Nabonidos (comp. p. 273), from which we have no reason
to deviate, the pavement of Sargon and Naram-Sin
marks the period of about 3800-3750 b. c. in the history
of Bel's sanctuary at Nippur. As we saw previously, the
accumulation of debris above this pavement during the
subsequent 3500 years amounted to 16 or 17 feet, including
the clay pavement of Ur-Gur—which alone was 8 feet
thick — or 8 to 9 feet, disregarding the latter. This is comparatively
little for such a long period, considering the rapidity
with which ordinary mud buildings, such as doubtless
occupied the temple court at different times, generally
crumble and collapse. However, we must not forget that
every ruler who laid a new pavement razed the ruined
buildings of his predecessors and levelled the ground for
his own constructions. But a real surprise was to await us
in the lowest strata. In descending into the pre-Sargonic
period below Naram-Sin's pavement, which itself lies
six to
eight feet above the present level of the desert, Haynes
penetrated through more than
thirty feet of ruins before he
reached the virgin soil, or thirty-five feet before he was at
the water level. 1
What do these ruins contain ? To what period of human
How was this great accumulation
history do they lead us?
beneath the level of the desert possible ? What geological
changes have taken place since to explain this remarkable
phenomenon ? Such and other similar questions may have
come to many thoughtful students when they first read these
extraordinary facts. Naturally enough, they also occupied
the mind of the present writer seriously for the last six
1
These measurements are quoted from the results of an accurate survey
of the remains at the southeast court of the ziggurrat by Geere and Fisher in
1 900, when I was personally in charge of the excavations.