The Lost City of Adab 1 ' i %|,| / ";'M^"|('1j*)'| | Edgar James Banks l (Stanttll Wttfrmttg |fitag BOUGHT WITH THE INCOME FROM THE SAGE ENDOWMENT FUND THE GIFT OF Hcm-ij W. Sage 1891 fjjRmf... Lifoi/jL 3777 Cornell University Library DS 70.S.B5B21 Bismya: or The lost city of Adab 3 1924 028 551 913 Cornell University Library The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924028551913 The Author as an Arab. Bismya or The Lost City of Adab A Story of Adventure, of Exploration, and of Excavation among the Ruins of the Oldest of the Buried Cities of Babylonia By Edgar James Banks, Ph.D. Field Director of the Expedition of the Oriental Exploration Fund of the University of Chicago to Babylonia With 174 Illustrations G. P. Putnam's Sons New York and London Gbe IRnfcfeerbocfter press 1912 t.v. Copyright, 1912 BY EDGAR JAMES BANKS Ube TKniefeerbocftei: ipresg, mew ffiorft The University of Chicago office of the president Chicago, June 12, 1912. On the recommendation of the Director of the Baby- lonian Section of the Oriental Exploration Fund of the University of Chicago, permission has been granted to Dr. Edgar J. Banks, Field Director of the Fund at Bismya, to publish this account of his work in Mesopotamia. Dr. Banks was granted full authority in the field. He is entitled therefore to the credit for successes therein, as of course he will receive whatever criticism scholars may see fit to make. Dr. Banks is solely responsible for all statements made in this volume. The University hopes and believes that the book will be of advantage to those interested in these explorations. Harry Pratt Judson. PREFACE THE following story of exploration and of excavation is intended to describe in a popular way the remarkable discoveries made by the author in the Babylonian ruin mound of Bismya. With the excep- tion of Tello, where the French have excavated for many years, no other Babylonian ruin has yielded so many and such beautiful objects of ancient art. A perfect marble statue and the fragments of other statues ; hundreds of fragments of stone vases engraved, inlaid, and inscribed; gold, copper, and ivory objects; several thousand tablets of clay ; the graves, the weap- ons of war, the temple, the palaces, the private homes, the household utensils, even the games and the toys of the children, unite in forming a distinct picture of the life and civilisation of the people of Babylonia of five thousand or more years ago. A lost city was found; names of forgotten kings and rulers were re- to archae- stored to history ; questions, long puzzling the ologist, have been answered, and others have been presented for him to solve. The story of the recovery of this oldest of civilisations should appeal not to the scholar alone, but to the reader who is interested in days and things long passed, and specially for him has it been written. E. J. B. Greenfield, Mass. — CONTENTS PAGE CHAPTER I The Beginnings Earlier American Expeditions—Consular Officials—Proposed Expedition to Ur of the Chaldees—A Babylonian Dinner To Constantinople . I CHAPTER II Struggles with the Turks Process of Obtaining an Irade—Hamdy Bey—Delays—Mugheir on Private or Public Land—Permission Refused—Birs Tell Ibrahim—Bismya—In Robert College—The Committee Discouraged—Mr. Irishman's Offer—To Troy—In Phrygia —Antiquities Turned to Lime—Collecting Ancient Coins Nasriddin Hodjah 8 CHAPTER III Success The Fleet in the Mediterranean—The Oriental Fund of the University of Chicago—Application for Senkera—The IradS Granted—The Text of the Irade—The Commissioner- Leaving Constantinople ....... 24 chapter iv Crossing the Desert An Attractive Kavass—Samos—Haidar Bey's Bride—At Beirut- Ahmed and his Costume of Red—To Drive across the Desert —Wasms—The Mirage—Kariatain—Tadmur—Camels—In Quarantine at Sukneh—A Desert Marriage—Fellow Tra- vellers—Arab Robbers 34 — — — — viii Contents PAGB CHAPTER V Along the Euphrates Deir—Women Swimming across the Euphrates—Negro Musicians —Game along the Euphrates—Lost at Night—Food on the Way—Ana—Cholera—In Quarantine at Haditha—An Arab House—Ahmed the Great Robbed—Whistling for Evil Spirits—Sulphur Springs—Wadi Bagdadi—Hit—Bitumen Springs—The Painted Chamber—Crossing the Euphrates . 51 CHAPTER VI In Glorious Bagdad The Turkish Telegraph System—The Governor—Employing a Dragoman—Antiquity of Bagdad Kuffas—Nebuchadnez- zar's Embankment—The Walls and Gates of Bagdad—The University—The Tomb of Zobeida—An Ancient Minaret Modern Bagdad—Streets—Dogs—Houses Serdaubs—Jews —Joshua's Tomb—The Bridegroom and Scape-Goat—Graft 68 CHAPTER VII Among the el-Bedier Mule Stage to Hillah—Applicants for Work—Bedry Bey—Kol- dewy at Babylon—The Lion—Nebuchadnezzar's Palace Babel—The Tower of Babel—Divanieh—Soldiers—The On Bashi—A Reed Mudif—To Ibra—El-Bedier—Sheik Segban —The Mudir ......... 85 CHAPTER VIII TO BlSMYA The First View of the Ruins—Dr. Ward at Bismya—Dr. Peters at Bismya—The Surface of the Mounds—A Contract with the Sheik—Drehem—Hiring Workmen—Searching for the Moon Beiram The Feast . — . I00 CHAPTER IX The First Days at the Ruins Digging for Water—The Temple Discovered—The First Night at Bismya—Saltpetre in the Soil—The Excavations Begun— A Bottomless Pit—Water—Dungi's Brick— A Sand-Storm 1 12 —A Contents ix PAGE CHAPTER X Methods of Work The Condition of the Workmen—The Gangs—Wages—Pay Day —Implements Used in the Excavations—The Dump—Where to Dig—The Difficulty of Recognising a Wall—The Tablets —Discoveries Rewarded by Double Pay—Hours of Work Singing—Arab Battles . .121 CHAPTER XI Troubles and Successes Work at the Temple—The Goddess Nin-har-sag—Frightened by Our Own Men—A Site for the House—Searching for Bricks A Marble Arm—An Ancient Grave—A Stone Statuette A Boat Vase—Seid Sella!—The First Pay Day—The Coffee Rejected—"Owners" of Bismya—Correspondence with Abdul Razak—The Gold of Naram-Sin—Burial Urns— The "Owners" at Bismya—The Head of a Statue—The Iron Horse 132 CHAPTER XII The Ruins The Size of the Ruins—Canal Beds—Ridges and Valleys—The "Real Bismya"—Pots of Gold—How the Mounds are Formed—How the Treasures are Buried . 151 CHAPTER XIII The Palace at Mound I Foundation Walls—Lack of Doorways—Outer Walls Faced with Bricks—The Uses of the Chambers—Tablets—Ruins Beneath the Palace—Seid Sellal as a Watchman—The Mudir Desires a Salary—Sand-Storms—A Strike—Our Caravan Robbed . 1 59 CHAPTER XIV The Cemetery Houses for Graves—Foul Air—Pottery Broken by the Formation of Crystals—Beads and Rings—The Age of the Graves— Coloured Vase—A Cistern or Bath—Caravans of the Dead— Our Immam ... T 73 — x Contents PACE CHAPTER XV The Oldest Statue in the World Modern Graves—Enclosing Wall of the Temple—Abbas Dis- covered a Statue—Digging out the Statue—The Missing Head—Abbas is Rewarded—The Inscription—Translations of the Inscription—The Lost Adab Discovered—The Date of the Statue—Controversy Regarding Early Babylonian Dates 185 CHAPTER XVI Life in Camp A Clay Demon—A Battle—The Intrigues and Dismissal of Latinik —Making Bricks—Our Desert House—Our Household—Ani- mals—Food—Fuel—Stealing Provisions—Huts of the Work- men—The Dress of the Men—The Women—Bread Ovens Religion—Diseases and Remedies—A Desert Theatre . 207 CHAPTER XVII The Temple The Plan of a Babylonian Temple—The Temple Shaft—A Copper Lion—Burial Urns—Potsherds on the Desert Level—The Early Occupants of the Site;—The Sumerian Temple—The Crematory—The Temple of Sargon and of Naram-Sin The Temple of Ur-Engur and Dungi—The Last Occupants of the Mound ......... 234 CHAPTER XVIII Treasures from the Temple Why the Statues were Broken—Heads and Fragments of Statues A Semitic Head—A Statuette—The Temple Dump-Heap— Sources of Stone for the Vases—Plain Stone Vases—How the Vases were Shaped—Purposes of the Vases—Inscribed Vases—Engraved Vases—Inlaid Vases—Lamps—Alabaster Cows—Ivory Objects—Copper Objects— Bitumen . 251 CHAPTER XIX To Koot and Return Need of an Engineer—Cholera in Busreh—Ruaija—Lubaija— ——A Contents xi PAGE A Babylonian Shepherd—A Turkish Bath—The Arrival of the Engineer—On the Shatt el-Hai—A Canal Boat Cholera—Licorice—At Hai—Lost in the Desert—Attacked by Arabs Night in —At a Sand-Storm . .277 CHAPTER XX With Our Guests to Para Arabs Announce the Coming of Guests—A Wild Cat—Caving of Dirt—Umwi—Dr. Ussher in the Temple Shaft—Abu Habba —Fara—Systematic Excavations—An Arched Sewer—Kol- dewy's Camp—A Snake—Chicken ..... 289 CHAPTER XXI The Semitic Quarter Private Houses—A Barrel-Shaped Cylinder—Seals and Seal Impressions—Nezaza's Business Documents—Copper Spear Heads, Arrows, Nails, Hairpins, and Needles—Surgical Instru- ments—A Baby's Rattle—Cosmetics—Gold Jewelry— Public Bath—A Shaft to Older Ruins .... 299 CHAPTER XXII The Library Tablets in Mound IV—How the Tablets are Excavated—The Contents of the Tablets—Shafts of Ancient Excavators—Sur- viving Walls—Bricks—Large Tablets—-Development of the Form of the Tablets—Their Size—Development of the Signs —Compound Words—Minor Objects—The Wells . .316 CHAPTER XXIII Miscellaneous Discoveries Graves in Mound VI—Toilet in Mound VII—A Clay Pot with a Peculiar Mark—City Walls—Sling Balls—Stone Imple- ments—The Evolution of the Brick and the Brick Mark Bricks of Odd Shapes—Vertical Drains—Pottery—Kilns . 332 CHAPTER XXIV Closing for the Summer The Babylonian Seasons—The Heat at Bismya—Annoyances— — — xii Contents Delay of the Monthly Check—Robbed—A Chess Board Arabs Moving an Encampment—Held up on the Canal—At Nippur—On the Shatt en-Nil—Escape from Quarantine .