THE SPADE IN SAMARIA.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3192, 11 April 1911, Page 2

THE SPADE IN SAMARIA.

'EXTRAORDINARY FINDS. The spade in Samaria lias, just brought to light ‘ ‘the earliest specimens of Hebrew writing which have ever been found, and in amount they exceed by far all known ancient Hebrew inscriptions. Moreover, they are the first Palestinian records of this nature to he found.” So says Professor D. G. Lyon, Professor of Oriental Languages at Harvard, the-university which is responsible for these finds. For since 11)08 Harvard has been exploring the large hill in Central Palestine which marks the site of the ancient Hebrew capital Samaria. A full account of this most interesting account is given in the “Harvard Theological Review” (.January). AY HAT THE SPADE REVEALED. The workers with, their spades, 'have found : A Roman statue of heroic size (Augustus); a well-preserved Romap broad; a massive Hebrew structure, be* lived to be the palace of Omri and Ahab, which covered more than li acres; an Herodiah. temple to Augustus; a basilica- adjoining the forum of the Herodian city. “Of unusual interest is a series ot ostraca found durng the past summer at the level of the Osorkon vase, and comprising some 75 fragments of pottery inscribed with records or memoranda in the ancient Hebrew character. “The script in which- these ostraca are written is Phoenician, which was very different from the so-called square character, in which the existing Hebrew manuscripts of the Bible are written. Ift is practically identical with that of the Siloam tunnel inscription, and this fact settles at a stroke the disputed question whether that inscription can he as.old as the time of Hezekiah. It is also the same as that of the Moabite stone of Alesha dating from the nines century 13.C'. This correspondence would suggest an eighth or ninth century as the date of the ostraca, and this view is confirmed by the place of discovery, which would cause them to bo assigned to the time- of Ahab. “The inscriptions are written in ink with a reed pen in an easy, flowing hand, and show a pleasing .contrast .to the stiff forms of Phoenician inscriptions cut in stone. The graceful curves give evidence of a skill which' comes only with long practice. PRESERVED AFTER 28 CENTURIES. “In many of the inscriptions the. ink is so well preserved that the readings are subject to no doubt, and in only a few cases is there uncertainty. Such distinctness after 28 centuries in a damp soil is a marvel. “It is not improbable that thousands of such -records may exist at Samaria. In some part of the hill, less overturned than the summit has been by burrowing of later builders, it is likely that multitudes of business documents giving records of sale, barter, contract and all phases of private and social transactions. FURTHER FINDS' POSSIBLE. ‘Alore ftban this, may we not even hope for historical records? AA’e know that the kings of Israel had their court annalists. And while we may be sure that their work was committed mainly to perishable material, other parts of it may have been written on rtone, pottery or elav. Such possibility is enough to kindle the imagination of every student of Palestinian history. The other parts of the hill may yield. treasures more surprising than Herod’s temple, Allah’s palace, or . the astraca records. “The claim of Samaria.” says Prof.. Lyon, “in comparison. with Greek and Roman sites, is particularly strong, since remains from classical antiquity are already abundant, whereas, notwithstanding much excavation in Palestine, the work at Samaria is the first to bring to light important remains of the earlv Hebrew times.”