Bismya or The Lost City of Adab

484 Pages·2005·59.25 MB·English

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
tbe itnickerbocker lpress
1912
COPYRIGHT, 19X2
BY
EDGAR JAMES BANKS
be kItnicferbocker press, Pew oork
THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
Chicago, June 12, I912.
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-
stored to history; questions, long puzzling to the archae-
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.
v

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 Irad--Hamdy Bey-Delays-Mugheir
on Private or Public Land-Permission Refused-Birs-
Tell Ibrahim-Bismya-In Robert College-The Committee
Discouraged-Mr. Leishman'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 Irade
Granted-The Text of the Irad--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
vii
**
Vvillili Contents
PAGE
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 BISMYA
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 . . . . . . Ioo
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 . 112