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

710 EXPLORATIONS IN BIBLE LANDS
thereby free from too close a surveillance, which migjht
incidentally have become dangerous. Of course the role
which he had to play quite often interfered with his exact
topographical survey of the region and copying the inscriptions.
But notwithstanding this difficulty, he brought back
with him nearly 700 inscriptions (about 50 of medium length,
the remainder consisting of only a few words or a few lines)
as the rich fruit of his memorable travels. He was the first
and is as yet the only European to advance northward
as far as Wadi Nejran and to traverse the so-called South
Arabian Jof, the ancient land of the Mineans. He was also
in Marib and Sirwah (see under Arnaud, above), where he
could stay, however, only a few hours, thus failing to gain
substantial results. On account of Halevy's tour, the year
1870 marks a new epoch in the study of the ancient history
of South Arabia. The report of his travels appeared in
1872. 1 In geography his achievements were less important,
because at each place the distinguished explorer was allowed
to stay only a short time.
But his collection of inscriptions,
published also in 1872, proved the more valuable on
account of Halevy's critical notes, which laid the first real
foundations of Sabean philology.
In 1870-71 Heinrich von Maltzan 2 made a few short
trips from Aden along the coast. The value of the book
in which he describes them 3 is much increased by the great
variety of information that he gathered in Aden from the
natives of Eastern Yemen and of Hadhramot, — information
now largely, if not altogether, antiquated in view of the
much more thorough investigations of Count Landberg 4
in
1
Rapport sur une mission archeologique dans le Yemen, in "Journal Asiatique,
series 6, vol. xix. For a fuller report see Bulletin de la Societe de
Geographie, 1873 et 1877 {Voyage au Nedjran).
2
His book on A. von Wrede's travels, published in 1870, was mentioned
above in connection with the year 1843.
3
Reise nach Sudarabien, Braunschweig, 1873 (with maps).
* Comp. his Arabica, parts 4 and 5, Leiden, 1896 and 1898.