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e e 1€ ne "SuPPosED AnciEnT S INSCRIPTION FRrom A Stave-Prr: OF InvanGa—:(AcTua Size) | SAN FRANCISCO, SUNDAY, MAY 7, 1899. EMITIC [Tripls Terraces Artificial 2 with ornamentationst Pat Cement Flowring Toundation of (Cement) PLANOF.™MOMB0_RUIN Alluyial - g < 7 0 kS G LD e Smelting Monolitk | Furnace § } N C o) @ Remains of © Q | Q I Swelting Furnaces | [N} ' { | | | | @ @ OO Three Boilders {6ranite) Tower Gronite .ana Sosl Central Mombo Ruin. Ornaments on Terrace of Mombo Ruins fTTRrrace. ~Chess pattern. mnd o _ ~—Zimbabye \A\AA pattern (top); single herring-bone (/////[) Pattern (middie); chess pattern (below). Terrace.—Single herring-bone pattern (top) 3 Zimbsbye pattern (middle)y chesa patiern (below). Cpper Ornaments at— © Chess pattern (top): single herring-bone pattsrn (middle); . doubls herring-bone pattern {e<cecc) (below). $ Two paraliel rows of dark tronstone OR H SCHLICH- t recently before the ish Geographical Society an account of his explorations of a most wonderful group of ruins South Africa. At the same time he ade the claim that the land of Ophir s back in the hills behind the ancient t Not for many rs has any paper ted the interest among’ the learned mbers of the Geographical Society that this has The discussion follow- ing its reading was long and vigorous and In the end it was decided that Pro- sor Schlichter’'s discoveries were the important that had been made archael during the last twenty- five years. It was also agreed that the ruins referred to were to be ranked 18 the most important south of the equator. With this conceded the importance of the discoveries in South Africa can irdly be estimated. They will change mpletely the accepted maps of the fvilized belt” of the world 1000 year: (. At this period, it has heretofore conceded, all civilized countries re about the shores of the Mediter- ramean Sea. Palestine, Egypt, Greece ind the adjacent countries were sup- posed to be the countries from which civilization radlated. Now it is shown conclusively that at this perfod the same clvilization existed thousands of miles to the south- ward, in the country that is now called Rhodesla. Tt i alen shown aniia can. een E One row single herring-bone patternB\\\\\) (19p); one Tow doubie herring-bone’ pattern (middle); four rows with chess patern {below). P Agap. G Doubls herring-bone pattern (5»»»5); elght . ws with chess patiern. H Short double berring-bone pattern. I Singie berring-bone pattern (/////{), irondtope AUeTD, near entrance. The width from cast to west (from tarrace to smelting furnaces) is 135 foet; other distauces aré in the sme proportion. clusively that there was communica- tion between the two parts of the world. These ruins are the only traces of old world civilization found in the southern hemisphere. About a year ago Professor Schlichter left England for the purpose of explor- ing the ruins in South Afri His route lay through the Transvaal and Matabeleland, to which he devoted con- siderable time, without gaining any par- ticular knowledge, except some details in regard to the construction of the old Portuguese forts. But while working in the field he heard from prospectors and cattlemen of the Mombo, Inyaga and Zimbabye ruins that have proved to be so won- derful. It appears that the existence of the Mombo ruins has been known for many years, as they are not far from Buluwa but no sclentist had ever made an examination of them. Following are some selections from the paper read by Professor Schiichter: T will now deal with all these factors in the most concise fashion possible. One of the most remarkable finds is the Zim- babye zodlac, .which was found some miles from the Zimbabye ruins, and which i now in the possession of Mr. Rhodes. I am in a position to show you an excellent photcgraph of this most in- teresting document of pre-Christian time, which I have recently taken in Cape Town. These zodiacal signs are repre- sented on what T belleve to be an offering dish of very hard wood, which has been well preserved through all the centuries since the anclent colonists used it. The =adiacal pictures are such that they Unearthing the Ancient Smelting in South Africa. The Furnace Old Furfiace in the Ruins of Mombo, is Supposed to Be 3000 Years It 1s Claimed. Thgt the Gold Used in King Solomon's Temple Was Mined on the Site of These Ruins. could not possibly have been made by African savages, while they coincide in ry respect with other finds which Bent and others have made in Ztmbabye: One of the pictures is an Image of the sun analogous toghe sun pictures which Mauch and Bent found on the monoliths of 7 babye. and analogous algo to finds inor which belong to the Assyro- Babylorfan period. ' And this image of sun has his position directly behind diacal image of the Taurus, and be- tween the signs of the Taurus and the Gemini. But we know that in early an- tiquity the beginning of the year was rep- resented by the zodiacal sign of Taurus. Therefore this position of the image of the sun on our Zimbabye zodiac points 1 early times of antiquity. & document furnishes md proof, because the of the offering dish is represented which as frequentl e as rey g the polar con- the Northern Hemisphere. it-is important that to this very the Matokos have a crocodile wor- Furthermore, it is interesting to note that in ancient Egypt the symbol tiquity stellation of temple was HMkewise .built of unhewn stones, and in two further passages we are told that the use of iron in the con- struction of worship places was consider- ed a crime by the anclent Israelites. Moreover, it is interesting that In the Books of Kings, which were written about 600 years B. C. an old sacerdotai rhyme is found which dates undoubtedly from the tenth century B. C., and refers to a time In which, as we know through Professor - Wellhausen's investigations, the ancient Israelites were by no m addicted to the high and pure monotheis tic worship which made their - religion later on so infinitely superior to the wor- ship of the surrounding natior the time in question the I still_addicted But at ites were ssages of the (as many 7y 0ld Tes it prove) to a solar and milar to that of the : cient vptians, Phoenicl and A ans. This important pa e reads ording to Professor Kaut tion of the Book of Kings), ed the sun in the firmament of n, but he said he wduld dwell in darkness. Now, I have surely built thee a house to dwell in, a settled place for thee to abide in forever.” This is a di- goat). | > the nort Very important for our subject-matter are, furthep ahewnslogles derived from Arabla. I have already shown in the Geographical Journal (July, 1893) that the Sabaeans and other tribes of Southwest- ern Arabia entertained close commercial relations with the territories on the east coast of Africa. Moreover, it s interest- ing to note that the ancient Arablan re- Jigion was also analogous to the Zimbabye worship, belng likewise a worship of the sun and other heavenly bodles. It is a further confirmation of what I have men- tioned, that, according to Doughty’s and Pletschmann's investigations, in North- western Arabia ancient monuments exist which correspond to the Zimbabye con- structions. There we have the same solid confcal structures regularly composed of unhewn stones which we find at Zim- babye. The Arabs of to-day call these structures Riqum. 1 paid particular at- tention to this point when I was at Zim- babye. 1 found that not only the large tower and the small tower in the great circular ruin but also some of those on Zimbabye HIil are absolutely analogous constructions. How far the ancient Phoenician Nura- gen In Sardinia are connected with the Zimbabye constructions I will not decide at present, as they are beyond the sphere of my investigations; but I should not be surprised if we should find further con- GROOOLCVO00000V0S0VOAVVUVUOVOVI VLU0V SUNUOVVRVBVOAVEVOO 00 modern geography. fafeFeReFuRaRsFaluRaRePugaBeRugaFeg=RrRuRaRogeyaye] by the early Semitic races round the Red Sea, vi Why Professor Schlichter Believes the Newly Discovered Ruins Are the Site of Ancient Ophir. 1. An inscription of undoubtedly ancient Semitic characters. 2. Zimbabye was built about 1100 B. C. 3. A Phoenician and Jvdaic trade with Ophir is proved to have been in existence (to take the apar- rowest limits) between 950 and 850 B. C. 3 4. Between 600 and 164 B. C. more than a dozen réports referring to Ophir are in existence in the Old Testament, and Ophir is used n them as a household word. 5. The fact that Alexander found no gold belt in India. 6. Herodotus, during the same period, describes farthest Ethiopia as one of the most extensive gold-producing centers in th2 ancient worid. ¥ A These are the facts, and on thepresent occasion I will abstain from drawing more detailed conclusions. One thing, however, appears to me to be established beyond doubt, through the investigations Mauch, Bent and myself, viz.: that the territories known to-day as Southern Rhodesia were, 1000 years before the commencement of the Christian era, a gold-producing country of a large extent, and colonized : by Jews, Phoenicians and Western Arabians. Rhodesia ruins are the first discovered traces of an “Old World” civilization on the Southern Hemisphere, and they form, as already Carl Ritter expressed it, one of the most interesting links betwlen ancient and of The [=3=-R-FcFoFFoRuRaFaFuF=3-2:ReReF=RePuaRgagagay] e R R R R R R =R R -R=R=R=R-R-F=R=cR=F=F-F=F-F=F-K=ReR-R-R 2R FoF-2-R-F 2-F=3=F=3=F-F=-2 3 :F-3:3 -8 -3 % Fel: for the commencement of the year was the tmage of a hawk. This hawk was, as = very well known, likewise the symbol of Ra. the sun god of the ancient Egyp- tians: and hawks were also worshiped in Zimbabye, as has been conclusively proved by Mauch, Bent, Posselt and others, e these varfous points show that there was an early connection between the Zim- babye colonists and the races of antiquity whieh practiced solar worship and astron- omy. That Zimbabye is of ancient Semitic or Egyptian origin can no longer be donbted, but 1 have further additional evidence to that effect. In 1897, when I was at Inyanga, examin- ing the numerous ancient slave pits there, T was fortunate enough to discover what I believe to be an ancient inscription, of which several letters are still perfectly legible and well incised. Tt has an archalc and quaint appearance, and 1 have al- ready mentioned that is of ancient Semitic origin. it investigate this In order to further problem I have gone very carefully through the Old Testament, where the much-discussed trade in gold production, etc., in connection with the mysterious country of Ophir, is described. T was sur- prised to find that a number of direct analogies between Zimbabye and the ear- ly Israelite worship exist. In the first in- stance the treatment of the stones in Zimbabye, without chisels and other iron implements, finds its direct confirmation in the old Judaic religion. Solomon's rect analogy to the Zimbabye worship. There we have the same fact, viz., that the worship took place in the interior, and that the sacred inclosure was in the darkest part of the temple. But this ancient Hebrew sacerdotal rhyme is still more characteristic In another respect. While in the year 600 B. C., when the First Book of Kings was written, this solar worship was still distinctly noticeable. we have the characteristic fact before us that three hundred years later, when the Judalc religion was far more advanced and refined, and already in its highest moral development, the ““Chronicles’” were written, which are, as is well known, more or less a modified copy of the Book of Kings. And there we notice that the first verse of the sacerdotal rhyme just mentfoned is suppressed and that also the reference to the dwelling of Jahweh is modified. This is in complete accordance with the enormous progress of the Judaic religion in the direction of the exalted monotheism which charecterizes it. From what I have said, we see that, like ntany other indications belonging to the ‘same period, the archaic and unde- veloped Semitic worship of the Israelites was In close connection with the solar worship of other members of the great Semitic family, including Phoenicians, Assyrians, Babylonians, etc. The analogy becomes still more interesting to those who belleve in Professor Wellhausen's interesting theory, who is of opinion that before the detalled Judalc code of worship necting iinks. And T remember that the late Mr. Bent, In a discussion on this sub- ject, mentioned to me that he had found something similar in Upper Egypt. Also the late Mr. Philllps, a well-known Eng- lish trader in Matabeleland, stated, as far as my memory goes, that he found a simi- lar monument more to the west in-Mata- beleland. Summing up all these facts, we come to the conclusion that we have a Semitic cult of a very remote time before us. Bent remarks that he nowhere discovered burial grounds or graves. But I have found, north of Inyanga, what I belleve to be an extensive.burial ground. Owing to the absolute want of boys at the time being, T was unfortunately prevented from doing any excavation work thereon, It is a great pity that when, some time back, some prospectors of what is called “The Anclent Ruins Company” found a number of ancient graves and got out of them considerable quantities of gold, they did not keep the human skeletons which thev found. S From all the astronomical calculatians T could make with the pyramids now standing, I found a date as far back as 1100 B. C. Of course, the cities may have been built before this. The Mombo ruins have been visited by prospectors, etc., before me, but no in- vestigation of them has ever been made. 1In size these ruins (which I call, after the district in which they are situated) are somewhat smaller than the Zimbabye temple, but in construction and ornamen- Furnaces, blowpipes, ‘o1 aped among the ruins, showing that gold mining was the chief industry of the place. Why Professor Schlichter believes the ruins the site of Ophir will be found below. ERLOOUNNNNNN00R000DO00000000NNAU0NNNN0000NNNODNNNNANNN0NODOGNNN NN NN NN NN N GO 0NN NN ancer (constellation 7. Milky Orion_(hunter) (compare L tatjon they are su interesting than rjor to it and far more mbabye, The Mombo ruins consist of a number bulldings. of which the central corre- Sponds to the circular temple in Zimba- byae_ while the otheérs are additional in- closures and fortifications. The gentral building is, from an architectural and astronomical point of view, the most in- teresting ruin south of the equator. The appearance of it is, as I have mentioned before, similar to the Zimbabye temple, but the difference between the two is (and 1 know no better comparison) that of an early Roman basflica of simple’ feature compared with that of a cathedral of the most refined .Gothic period. While we have on the outside wall of the Zimbabye temple only one astronomical pattern and only a few.indications of them on Zim- babye hill, the principal building of the Mombo ruins is literally covered with as- tronomical ornamentations. In spite of various gaps, T have counted not less than twenty-three different ornamentations of the best workmanship. The length of the central Mombo ruin illow to measure it) £ and its average width seventy the whole appearance is, like that of an ellipse. On the western side of the interior of this build- ing is an extensive artificfal platform of the same cement which is found in the in- terfor of Zimbabye, but it has, different from the latter, a much greater elevation, in order to have a perfect view over the surrounding country. The northern por- tion of this central building is formed by three high te beautitully executed, which abruptly end tows the true north. Th rated with Zimbabye and other patterns. This together with the platform, arrangement, analogous to the astronomical ornamentation of Zimbabye and Lundi. The eastern part of the building consists of a number of smelting furnaces, of the same cement the platform. Most of these furnaces are partly destroyed but I found one which is almost intact. South of the principal building are heaps of rub- where remnants of blowpipes, cruci- and quartz are frequent, which c leave no doubt that gold production w the object of the furnaces just described. We recognize therefore in these Mombo ruins the identical features which my predecessors viz.: (1) sol and (3) gold production. Moreover, T am fully convinced that the great number of different ornamentations which the plan shows you had, apart from solar worship, also to do with the observation of the principal planets and stars; but T was not in a position to spend the time necessary to investigate this point thoroughly As the platform from which the obser- vations were taken is at present in a very dilapidated state and as it will take weeks to mathematically arrange and discern the different patterns, while I had qnly days at my disposal, I considered it best to make as carefully as I could the plan of the building before you, and I hope that either somebody else or myself will soon be in a position to ascertain all these further details. This will not be difficult, as the Mombo ruins are easily accessible, being only a short distance from the main road between Bulawayo and Gwelo. A police camp is only eight miles off, and the excellent farm and store of Mr. Rixon (who is known all over Matabeleland) is also in close proximity. After all that T have explained, I should like to say a few words about the much discussed question of Ophir. I am well aware that this name has a somewhat mysterious and unscientific sound. But this is unjustified. At the time when Lassen, Gesenius, Petermann_and others discussed the Ophir question it was from want of definite details that theories of a somewhat unscientific character were started, thus discrediting to a certain ex- tent in the course of the years the whole problem. But nothing is more unjustified, hecause the basts of the whole Ophir problem, viz., the reports of the Old Tes- tament, are in every respect reliable and well defined and are, from a scientific point of view,just as good as the reports of Herodotus, Ptolemy, Pliny and others. My first step in this direction was to examine at what time the various authors of the Old Testament have written thelr OOOOOC‘OOQDOOODDDDDDGOQOODOOCOODOC"C‘000?&OQDQQQ&:U}QQi:(fiQQOQRCUZ(fififlfii}fififififlflfififififlfifififififiQfififififlflfifiaflfifiCU:U:(QQC(QS?QQQQQDDQQQOOOQQDQDOQ&D Hre Ghese the Lost Wines of King Solomon? Professor Schlichter has just reported to the British Geographical Society that he has discovered the site of extraordinary ruins in Rhodesia, South Africa. From the inscriptions he dates the cities 1100 B, C., and says they were inhabited by a people acquainted with Semitic civilization. ibles ard quartz are [ R ReRe R R ReReR=ReFegoReye] intro. Way riod of an- apricornus The crocodile i me when the word Ophir body's mouth without any er_explanation the colony of Ophir could not possibly have been. 4 matter of the past. The resu is that all the re- norts of the Old Testament were written in the period between 600 and 164 B. C. With this fact we have gained a firm for the ssion whether Ophir was in India or Afric Fortunately, the same period comprises the exploits of the basis disc man who first explored Indla, viz., Alex- ander the Great. Among his followers were many o would have collected about a gold belt in India, provided that the latter was actually existing. But no gold country whatever existed there, On the contrary, all Indian tribes were almost devoid of & Arianus, our best and most reliz ource of informa- tion about the campaigns of Alexander the Great, states as emphatically as pos- sible as follow “Alexander and ve refuted of the es direction, with 1 of some who have obviously ot statements. It has thus 1 d that all the Indians through territory Alexander and his army marched (and he marched through many of them) have no gold.” Therefore it is evident that India cannot possibly be the Ophir of antiquity. Now, we know that. with regard to Ophir only the coast countries of the Tn- a yme into’ consideration, and 1 and Equatorial st Africa have been mentioned in connection with the Ophir prollem. But against this as- sumption, stands ‘the clear text three most rel the Old and x:11-22, of the ble and oldest passages in z.—1 Kings, ix:26-28, absolutely unintelligible to me how any one who compares these passages in a 1 and critical trans- lation (for inst that by Professor Kautsch) can assert that the passage in chapter x, verse does not deal with Ophir, as it is most emphatically stated that we have to deal with a sea naviga- tion which extended te remote countries— in fact, to the end of the then known world, and it is therefore clear that this gold land of antiquity could neither have been on the coast of the Red Sea nor on that of Equatorial Africa or Arabia. To what extent, however, the Arabians, es- pecially the Sabaeans, were engaged and interested in the trade with Ophir I have shown in some of my previous publica- tions, and it would lead too far to repeat it here. Summing up, we have facts: 1. An inscription of undoubtedly ancieng Semitic characters. 2. Zimbabye was built about 1100 B. C. 3. A Phoenician and Judaic trade with Ophir is proved to have been in existence (to take the narrowest limits) between 950 and 830 B. C. ° 4. Between 600 and 164 B. C. more than a dozen reports referring to Ophir are in existence in the Old Testament, and Ophir is used in them as a household word. 5. The fact that Alexander found no gold belt in India. 6. Herodotus, during the same period, describes farthest Ethiopia as one of the most extensive gold-producing centers im. the ancient world. . These are the facts, and on the present 6ecasion I will abstain from drawing more detailed conclusions. One thing, however, appears to me to be established beyond doubt, through the investigations of Mauch, Bent and myself, viz.—that the territories known to-day as Southern Rhodesla were, 1000 years before the commencement of the Christian era, a gold producing country of a large ex- tent, and colonized by the early Semitia races round the Red Sea, viz.—by Jews; Phoenicians and Western Arabians. The Rhodesia ruins are the first discovered traces of an “Old World" civilization on the Southern Hemisphere, and they form, as already Carl Ritter expressed it, one of the most interesting links between an- cient and modern geography. —_———— The contempt for mcney and trade characteristic of Japan has lost much of its force. Merchants have risen in social standing, and have even beem advanced to the peerages nce, the following