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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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470 EXPLORATIONS IN BIBLE LANDS<br />

They had been laid by unknown persons prior to <strong>the</strong><br />

time of Ur-Gur. One of <strong>the</strong>se sections conta<strong>in</strong>ed many<br />

<strong>in</strong>scribed bricks with <strong>the</strong> short legend :<br />

" Lugalsurzu,<br />

patesi of Nippur, priest of Bel." A shallow rectangular<br />

bas<strong>in</strong> built of burned bricks and coated with bitumen on<br />

its floor and sides, an open conduit lead<strong>in</strong>g from it to a<br />

neighbor<strong>in</strong>g vertical dra<strong>in</strong>, and <strong>the</strong> above-mentioned stone<br />

vase of Gudea <strong>in</strong>dicate that it<br />

was probably reserved for <strong>the</strong><br />

ablutions of <strong>the</strong> priests, for cleans<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> sacred vessels, and<br />

o<strong>the</strong>r functions of <strong>the</strong> temple service for which water was<br />

required. It is possible also that <strong>the</strong> sheep, goats and<br />

o<strong>the</strong>r sacrifices to be offered were killed <strong>the</strong>re. From an<br />

<strong>in</strong>scribed door-socket of Bur-S<strong>in</strong> of Ur previously unear<strong>the</strong>d<br />

<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> eastern half of <strong>the</strong> temple court, 1 it can also be<br />

<strong>in</strong>ferred that a store-room called " <strong>the</strong> house for honey,<br />

cream and w<strong>in</strong>e, a place for his [Bel's] sacrifices," 2 must<br />

have existed somewhere with<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> temple enclosure not<br />

very far from " <strong>the</strong> house of Bel."<br />

The large number of <strong>in</strong>scribed and sculptured objects<br />

ga<strong>the</strong>red <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> lower strata of <strong>the</strong> court of <strong>the</strong> ziggurrat<br />

by <strong>the</strong> American explorers and <strong>in</strong> its upper ru<strong>in</strong>s centuries<br />

ago by <strong>the</strong> later <strong>in</strong>habitants of ancient Nippur, 3<br />

to a certa<strong>in</strong><br />

degree enable us to form an idea of <strong>the</strong> elaborate manner<br />

<strong>in</strong> which <strong>the</strong> temple of Bel was equipped and embellished<br />

<strong>in</strong> early davs. But <strong>the</strong> ru<strong>in</strong>ous state of its walls and <strong>the</strong><br />

verv fragmentary condition <strong>in</strong> which all <strong>the</strong> statues and<br />

most of <strong>the</strong> reliefs<br />

and vases thus far have been discovered,<br />

<strong>in</strong>dicate what <strong>in</strong> all probability will await us <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>terior<br />

1<br />

Comp. <strong>Hilprecht</strong>, "The Bab. Exp. of <strong>the</strong> U. of Pa.," series A,<br />

vol. i, part i, no. 2 1<br />

2<br />

On <strong>the</strong> use and significance of w<strong>in</strong>e, cream and honey <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Babylonian<br />

cults, comp. Zimmern, K. A. T. z , p. 526.<br />

3<br />

E. g., all <strong>the</strong> f<strong>in</strong>e votive objects orig<strong>in</strong>ally deposited by <strong>the</strong> Cassite k<strong>in</strong>gs<br />

<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> temple of Bel, but found by Peters <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> box of a jeweller of <strong>the</strong><br />

Parthian period (pp. 335, seq., above), outside of <strong>the</strong> temple proper.

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