Palestine Exploration Fund - Quarterly Statement for 1894/Quarterly Statement for October 1894
THE
PALESTINE EXPLORATION FUND.
NOTES AND NEWS.
The excavations in Jerusalem have been carried on without interruption during the past quarter, and, notwithstanding the great heat and the fatigues and responsibilities involved in this work, the health of Dr. Bliss and his party has been, on the whole, well preserved. The discoveries made in the course of the excavations have been laid down from Dr. Bliss's plans on an enlarged Ordnance Survey plan by Mr. Armstrong, under the supervision of Sir Charles Wilson.
Herr Baurath von Schick has sent a number of notes full of interesting information respecting archeological discoveries, changes in and around modern Jerusalem, &c.
One very valuable find, outside the city, on the north, is a beautiful mosaic pavement, with Armenian inscription, of which we are enabled to publish a description and photographs.
The "Tombs of the Judges" and the land around them are reported to be for sale. It would be lamentable if these extremely interesting tombs were to be quarried away, as is very likely to be the case if they fall into the hands of the speculator or the property becomes the site of one of the new settlements springing up around the Holy City. Probably they might be purchased for a comparatively small sum.
The Rev. J. E. Hanauer, who now resides at Jaffa, having recently gone up to Jerusalem on the business of his Society, sends an interesting account of a visit which he took the opportunity of making to the excavations under Dr. Bliss's guidance. He alludes to the more favourable auspices under which the work is now being done as compared with that carried through with so much tact and skill under Sir Charles Warren. Then the Governor and leading inhabitants took little interest in the progress of the work, but now his Excellency Ibrahim Pasha, the Mutaserrif, affords it his full countenance and protection. Dr. Bliss spoke most gratefully of the kindness and courtesy shown him by the authorities.
Having, when a young man, been employed as interpreter in connection with the excavations under Sir Charles Warren, Mr. Hanauer not unnaturally looks back to the influence exerted on the native workmen by the English non-commissioned officers then engaged in the work, who, he says, left behind them among the fellahin of the district traditions which still influence their successors—as regularity, implicit obedience to orders, and so on.
Mr. Hanauer draws attention to one of what he calls the minor details of Dr. Bliss's work, namely, that in the spot which has long been called "the Baths of Tiberius," and which Dr. Sepp suggested was probably the site of one of the great public baths erected by Hadrian, Dr. Bliss has actually discovered extensive remains of Roman baths and fragments of tiles of the Tenth Legion which was stationed at Jerusalem after its destruction by Titus.
The Water Supply at Jerusalem.—The Turkish Ministry of Public Works has determined upon the reconstruction of the ancient water conduits of Jerusalem, dating from the age of King Solomon. By this means it would be possible to convey 2,500 cubic metres of water daily to the Holy City. Of this it is proposed to give 1,000 mètres away free of charge to the poor of Jerusalem, the distribution to take place at the Mosque of Omar, the Holy Sepulchre, and other places frequented by pilgrims.
The new conduits are to be joined to the ancient aqueducts of 'Arrûb, and are to be carried through a tunnel 3,570 mètres in length. The total outlay in connection with these works is estimated at 2,000,000 francs.—Standard.
The following have kindly consented to act as Honorary Local Secretaries:—
The Rev. F. W. Cox, Wakefield Street, Adelaide, in place of Rev. W. Roby Fletcher, deceased.
The Rev. W. Moore Morgan, LL.D., The Library, Armagh.
Henry Thompson, Springfield, Frome, in place of Rev. R. Raikes Bromage, who has left the district.
Mr. Walter Besant's summary of the work of the Fund from its commencement has been brought up to date by the author, and will be published shortly under the title, "Thirty Years' Work in the Holy Land." Applications for copies may now be sent in to Mr. Armstrong. Price as before.
The first edition of Major Conder's "Tell Amarna Tablets" having been sold within the year, he has prepared a second edition, in which a new chapter is added, giving in full the Royal letters from Armenia, Elishah, Babylon, Assyria, &c., which are of great historical importance, and which contain allusions to the revolts in Palestine, and to the defeat of the Hittites. Major Conder has corrected his translations of the other tablets, and has added a new preface and some notes, including further translations. He has also treated the Mythological Tablets.
The Committee having secured the rights and interests of the publication of "Judas Maccabæus," have issued a new edition revised by the author.
Major Conder writes: "The first edition of 'Judas Maccabaeus' appeared in 1879, and was well received. During the fourteen years that have followed I had no occasion to look at its pages, until the present edition was called for; but I am glad to find little to correct, though much might be added. During this interval I have revisited many of the scenes described; have lived in Moab, and have ridden through the oak woods of Gilead. In the resting times, between more active years, I have had occasion to study more completely the subjects touched on in this volume, and further discoveries have cast some new light on the period."
"A Mound of many Cities," a complete account of the excavations at Tell el Hesy, with upwards of 250 illustrations, is now ready. This book, which will perhaps become the most popular work of the long list of books issued by the Palestine Exploration Fund, is a history by Mr. F. J. Bliss, of a Tell, or Mound, in Palestine, from the first building erected upon it, 2000 years B.C. to its final abandonment, 400 B.C. Mr. Bliss is a young American, educated partly at Beyrout, partly at Amherst College, Vermont. He is perfectly familiar with the language of the Fellahin. He took up the work upon this Tell where Prof. Flinders Petrie left it, and carried it on until he had compelled the Mound to yield up its secrets. He is the master of a free and lively style, and his work is interesting, not only for the story he has to tell, but also for the manner in which it is told. The work is also illustrated by very numerous drawings of objects found, plans, sections, and elevations.
In the history of this Tell we go back far beyond the beginning of European civilisation. A thousand years before David, a thousand years before the siege of Troy, a city stood upon the bluff overhanging the stream which is now called Tell el Hesy. The site formed a natural fortress. The first city was built by the Amorites. This city was taken, sacked, and destroyed, in one of the countless tribal wars. But the site was too important for the place to be left long deserted; another town was raised upon the ruins. Note that they did not clear away the rubbish when they re-built: they raised the new town upon the débris of the old. On the second town fell the same fate as that which destroyed the first. Then came a third, a fourth, and so on, until the ruins which are now covered with grass hide the remains, certainly of eight, probably of eleven cities. Probably the last city, which was not re-built, was destroyed about the year 400 B.C.
The broken pottery and other remains found on the various levels serve to give a date to the destroyed city. Thus, at a certain level, Phœnician pottery is found for the first time; at higher levels, Greek pottery. But there was also found an unexpected and very precious treasure in the shape of a cuneiform letter, on a clay tablet. The letter is written from the Governor of Lachish to the Egyptian Pharaoh, and the writer, Ziraradi, or Zimridi, is mentioned in the Tell el Amarna Tablets as Governor of Lachish. We also learn from the same authority that Zimridi was murdered by servants of the Pharaoh. The letter in the original cuneiform, with its transliteration and translation, will be found in the volume. In a word, the complete story of this Biblical City is here presented. It is the first time that one of the Tells of Palestine has been excavated, and therefore the first time that any of them has yielded up its secrets in illustration of the Biblical narrative. It is a history which is attractive from its subject, and made doubly attractive by the light, easy, and lucid manner in which Mr. Bliss presents it to the readers.
Price to subscribers to the Fund, 3s. 6d.; non-subscribers, 6s.
Mr. George Armstrong's Raised Map of Palestine is attracting much attention, and it is difficult to supply promptly all the orders that come in for it.
This raised map is constructed on the same scale as those of the Old and New Testament maps already issued by the Society. These were reduced from the scale of the large map (1 inch to the mile) to 38 of an inch to the mile, or the fraction of 1168960 levels, as calculated by the engineers who triangulated the country, of whom Mr. Armstrong was one from the commencement to the end, are followed exactly. No other correct raised map of the country is possible, because the Survey of Palestine is copyright and belongs to the Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund. Without raising the question of piracy, however, no other trustworthy raised map is at all likely to be attempted, because the knowledge of the country requisite can only be possessed by one who has stepped over every foot of it, and because the labour which Mr. Armstrong has given to the work—extending over many years—will scarcely be expended by any other person, now or in the future. This labour will be partly understood when it is explained that the map was prepared by the super-position of small pieces of cardboard, many thousands in number, cut so as to represent the line of the country, and laid one above the other. The work occupied all Mr. Armstrong's leisure time for seven years. In its unfinished state the map presents the appearance of a completely terraced country. It embraces the whole of Western Palestine, from Baalbeck in the north, to Kâdesh Barnea in the south, and shows nearly all that is known on the East of Jordan.
The natural features of the country stand out prominently, and show at a glance the relative proportions of the mountains, heights, valleys, plains, &c.
Names are given to the coast towns and a few of the inland ones; other towns are numbered to correspond with a reference list of names.
With this map before him the teacher or the student is enabled to follow the Bible narrative exactly; he can trace the route of armies; he can reconstruct the roads; he can understand the growth and the decay of cities, their safety or their dangers, from their geographical positions. It is a magnificient addition to the many works which this Society has given to the world. It illustrates the practical usefulness of the Society, while it adds one more to its achievements in the cause of illustration and explanation of the Bible Lands The map should be in every public library, and every public school, and every Sunday School. Its price is necessarily high, because the work is most costly to produce. It measures 7 feet 6 inches by 4 feet, and can be seen at the office of the Fund, 24, Hanover Square, W.
The map is cast in fibrous plaster, and framed solidly; it is despatched in a wooden box, for which an extra charge is made, but this is partly returned on the return of the box. The price to subscribers, partly coloured, is £7 7s.; if fully coloured and framed, £10 10s. The price to the general public is £10 10s. and £13 13s.
The partly coloured raised map has the seas, lakes, marshes, and perennial streams coloured blue, the Old and New Testament sites are marked in red, the principal ones having a number to correspond with a reference list of names, the body of the map is left white.
The fully coloured raised map has the seas, lakes, marshes, and perennial streams coloured blue, the Old and New Testament Sites are marked in red, the principal ones having a number to correspond with a reference list of names, the plains green, the rising ground, hills, and mountains in various tints, the olive groves and wooded parts of the country stippled in green, and the main roads are shown in a thin black line.
Photographs of the raised map are now ready. Size 1612 inches by 812 inches, 5s. each; 8 inches by 4 inches, 1s. each.
Subscribers to the Palestine Pilgrims' Text Society who have not sent in their application for cases for binding the translations issued by the Society, are reminded that these are now ready, and that the whole issues—Nos. 1 to 26 (up to date)—have been arranged in chronological order, so as to make 10 volumes of equal size.
Index to the Quarterly Statement.—A new edition of the Index to the Quarterly Statements has been compiled. It embraces the years 1869 (the first issue of the journal) to the end of 1892. Contents:—Names of the Authors and of the Papers contributed by them; List of the Illustrations; and General Index. This Index will be found extremely useful. Price to subscribers to the Fund, in paper cover, 1s. 6d., in cloth, 2s. 6d., post free; non-subscribers, 2s. and 3s.
The new railway from Jaffa to Jerusalem has been laid down on the sheets of the large and small maps. Copies of these sheets are now ready.
The museum of the Fund, at 24, Hanover Square, is now open to subscribers between the hours of 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., every week-day except Saturdays, when it closes at 2 p.m.
The Committee have to acknowledge with thanks the following donation to the Library of the Fund:—
"The Buildings of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem: Measured Plans and Sketches." By George Jeffery, F.R.I.B.A. From the Author.
"Jerusalem Explored." By Ermete Pierotti. From Major-General Sir Charles Warren, K.C.B., Q.C.M.G., R.E., &c. The Committee will be glad to receive donations of Boots to the Library of the Fund, which already contains many works of great value relating to Palestine and other Bible Lands. See list of Books, July Quarterly Statement, 1893.
It may be well to mention that plans and photographs alluded to in the reports from Jerusalem and elsewhere cannot all be published, but all are preserved in the offices of the Fund, where they may be seen by subscribers.
The first volume of the "Survey of Eastern Palestine," by Major Conder, is accompanied by a map of the portion of country surveyed, special plans, and upwards of 350 drawings of ruins, tombs, dolmens, stone circles, inscriptions, &c. Subscribers to the "Survey of Western Palestine" are privileged to have the volumes for seven guineas. The price will be raised, after 250 names are received, to twelve guineas. The Committee are pledged never to let any copies he subscribed for under the sum of seven guineas. A. P. Watt and Son, Hastings House, Norfolk Street, Strand, W.C., are the Sole Agents. The attention of intending subscribers is directed to the announcement in the last page of this number.
Mr. H. Chichester Hart's "Fauna and Flora of Sinai, Petra, and the Wâdy Arabah," which forms the second volume, can be had separately.
M. Clermont-Ganneau's work, "Archæological Researches in Palestine," will form the third volume. The first portion of it is already translated, and it is hoped that the concluding part will soon be completed.
The maps and books now contained in the Society's publications comprise an amount of information on Palestine, and on the researches conducted in the country, which can be found in no other publications. It must never be forgotten that no single traveller, however well equipped by previous knowledge, can compete with a scientific body of explorers, instructed in the periods required, and provided with all the instruments necessary for carrying cut their work. See list of Publications.
The Old and New Testament Map of Palestine (scale38 of an inch to a mile).—Embraces both sides of the Jordan, and extends from Baalbek in the north to Kadesh Barnea in the south. All the modern names are in black; over these are printed in red the Old Testament and Apocrypha names. The New Testament, Josephus, and Talmudic names are in blue, and the tribal possessions are tinted in colours, giving clearly all the identifications up te date. It is the most comprehensive map that has been published, and will be invaluable to universities, colleges, schools, &c.
It is published in 20 sheets, with paper cover; price to subscribers to the Fund, 23s.; to the public, £2. It can be had mounted on cloth, rollers, and varnished for hanging. The size is 8 feet by 6 feet. The cost of mounting is extra (see Maps).
In addition to the 20-sheet map, the Committee have issued as a separate Map the 12 sheets (viz., Nos. 5-7, 9-11, 13-15, 20-22), which include the whole of Palestine as far north as Mount Harmon, and the districts beyond Jordan as far as they are surveyed. See key-map to the sheets.
The price of this map, in 12 sheets, in paper cover, to subscribers to the Fund, 12s. 6d.; to the public, £1 1s.
The size of this map, mounted on cloth and roller for hanging, is 412 feet by 634 feet.
Any single sheet of the map can be had separately, price, to subscribers of the Fund, 1s. 6d. Mounted on cloth to fold in the pocket suitable for travelling, 2s. To the public 2s. and 2s. 6d.
Single copies of these maps in sheets, with cover, can be sent by post to all foreign countries at an extra charge of 1s.
A copy of names and places in the Old and New Testament, with their modern identifications and full references, can he had by subscribers with either of these maps at the reduced price of 2s. 6d.
Branch Associations of the Bible Society, all Sunday School Unions within the Sunday School Institute, the Sunday School Union, and the Wesleyan Sunday School Institute, will please observe that by a special Resolution of the Committee they will henceforth be treated as subscribers and be allowed to purchase the books and maps (by application only to the Secretary) at reduced price.
The income of the Society, from June 22nd to September 22nd, 1894, was—from annual subscriptions and donations, including Local Societies, £188 15s. 7d.; from all sources—£366 10s. 4d. The expenditure during the same period was £719 5s. 3d. On September 22nd the balance in the Bank was £147 16s. 2d.
Subscribers are requested to note that the following cases for binding, casts, and slides can be had by application to the Assistant Secretary at the Office of the Fund:—
Cases for binding Herr Schumacher's "Jaulân," 1s. each.
Cases for binding the Quarterly Statement, in green or chocolate. 1s. each.
Cases for binding "Abila," "Pella," and "Ajlûn" in one volume. 1s. each.
Casts of the Tablet, front and back, with a Cuneiform Inscription found in May, 1892, at Tell el Hesy, by F. J. Bliss, Explorer to the Fund, at a depth of 35 feet. It belongs to the general diplomatic correspondence carried on between Amenhotep III and IV and their agents in various Palestinian towns. Price 2s. 6d. the pair.
Casts of the Ancient Hebrew Weight brought by Dr. Chaplin from Samaria, price 2s. 6d. each.
Casts of an Inscribed Weight or Bead from Palestine, forwarded by Professor Wright, Cambridge, Mass., U.S.A., price 1s. each.
Lantern slides of the Raised Map, the Sidon Sarcophagi, and of the Bible places mentioned in the catalogue of photos and special list of slides. In order to make up complete sets of the Quarterly Statement the Committee will be very glad to receive any of the back numbers.
While desiring to give every publicity to proposed identifications and other theories advanced by officers of the Fund and contributors to the pages of the Quarterly Statement, the Committee wish it to be distinctly understood that by publishing them in the Quarterly Statement they neither sanction nor adopt them.
Subscribers who do not receive the Quarterly Statement regularly are asked to send a note to the Secretary. Great care is taken to forward each number to all who are entitled to receive it, but changes of address and other causes give rise occasionally to omissions.
The authorised lecturers for the Society are—
The Rev. Thomas Harrison, F.R.G.S., Hillside, Benenden, Staplehurst, Kent. His subjects are as follows:—
(1) Research and Discovery in the Holy Land.
(2) Bible Scenes in the Light of Modern Science.
(3) The Survey of Eastern Palestine.
(4) In the Trade of the Israelites from Egypt to Canaan.
(5) The Jordan Valley, the Bead Sea, and the Cities of the Plain.
(6) The Recovery of Jerusalem—{Excavations in 1894).
(7) The Recovery of Lachish and the Hebrew Conquest of Palestine.
(8) Archæological Illustrations of the Bible. (Specially adapted for Sunday School Teachers).
N.B.—All these Lectures are illustrated by specially prepared lantern slides.
The Rev. J. R. Macpherson, B.D., Kinnaird Manse, Inchture, N.B. His subjects are as follows:—
(1) The Work of the Palestine Exploration Fund.
(2) The Survey of Palestine.
(3) The City of Jerusalem.
(4) Eastern Palestine.
(5) Calvary and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
The Rev. J. Llewelyn Thomas, M.A., Aberpergwni, Glynmeath, South Wales. His subjects are as follows:—
(1) Explorations in Judea.
(2) Research and Discovery in Samaria and Galilee.
(3) In Bible Lands; a Narrative of Personal Experiences.
(4) The Reconstruction of Jerusalem.
(5) Problems of Palestine.
(1) Modern Discoveries in Palestine.
(2) Stories in Stone; or, New Light on the Old Testament.
(3) Underground Jerusalem; or, With the Explorer in 1894.
Bible Stories from the Monuments, or Old Testament History in the Light of Modern Research:—
(4) a. The Story of Joseph; or, Life in Ancient Egypt.
(5) b. The Story of Moses; or, Through the Desert to the Promised Land.
(6) c. The Story of Joshua; or. The Buried City of Lachish.
(7) d. The Story of Sennacherib; or Scenes of Assyrian Warfare.
(8) e. The Story of the Hittites; or, A Lost Nation Found.
Professor Theodore F. Wright, Ph.D., Cambridge, Mass., Honorary General Secretary of the Palestine Exploration Fund for the United States. His subjects are as follows:—
(1) The Building of Jerusalem.
(2) The Overthrow of Jerusalem.
(3) The Progress of the Palestine Exploration.
The Rev. L. G. A. Roberts, 67, George Street, Hamilton, Ontario. His subjects are as follows:—
(1) Work in and around the Holy City.
(2) Work outside the Holy City.
(3) Popular Lecture upon the General Results obtained by the Fund.
Application for Lectures may be either addressed to the Secretary, 24, Hanover Square, W., or sent to the address of the Lecturers.