第9节

  【】ndoftheeighteeurythatthefirst</p>

  ``inscriptionssoausetheletterswere</p>

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  broughttoeuropebyadanishsurveyor,nadniebuhr.</p>

  thenittookthirtyyearsbeforeapatientgernschool</p>

  sterbythenaofgrotefendhaddecipheredthefirstfour</p>

  letters,thed,thea,therahenaofthepersian</p>

  kingdarius.andayyearshadtogoby</p>

  untilabritishofficer,henryraous</p>

  inscriptioun,gaveusaothenail</p>

  ingofeasia.</p>

  paredtotheproblefdecipheringthesenailings,</p>

  thejoohe</p>

  egyptiansusedpictures.butthesurians,theearliest</p>

  inhabitantsofsopotaa,upontheideaof</p>

  scratgtheirabletsofclay,haddistures</p>

  entirelyandhadevolvedasystefvshapedfiguresh</p>

  shotleiouresoutofhey</p>

  hadbeendeveloped.afeplesi</p>

  an.inthebeginningastar,hanailinto</p>

  abricklookedasfollo.}thissignhooo</p>

  cuersoandafterashorteaningof</p>

  ``heavenplified</p>

  inthisadeitevenreofapuzzle.</p>

  inthesa{illust}into{illust.}</p>

  andafishgedfroillust.}into{illust.}thesun</p>

  e{illust.}</p>

  iferianscripttodayakean</p>

  {illust.}looklike{illust.}.thissystefingdownour</p>

  ideaslooksratherpliorethanthirtyturies</p>

  iteriansandthebabyloniansand</p>

  theassyriansandthepersiansandallthedifferentraces</p>

  heirothefertilevalley.</p>

  thestoryofsopotaaisoneofendlesswarfareand</p>

  .firstthesurianscafrohenorth.they</p>

  ountains.they</p>

  hadbeenaustodtodsoopsof</p>

  hills.aftertheyhadeheplaiructedartificial</p>

  littlehillsontopofheybuilttheiraltars.they</p>

  didnotknoobuildstairsahereforesurrounded</p>

  theirtohslopinggalleries.ineers</p>

  haveborroayseeinrailroad</p>

  stationsonefloortoanother.</p>

  ayhaveborrothesurians</p>

  buteriansirelyab</p>

  sorbedbythoseracesthatehefertilevalleyatalater</p>

  date.theirtoidsttheruinsof</p>

  sopotaa.thejeheyintoexile</p>

  inthelandofbabylonandtheycalledtheowersofbabilli,</p>

  ortowersofbabel.</p>

  iietherianshad</p>

  enteredsopotaa.theyerwardsover</p>

  poanytribesfrohe</p>

  desertofarabiandialedwhoare</p>

  knoites,becauseintheoldendayspeoplebelieved</p>

  theobethedire,ohe</p>

  threesonsofnoah.athousandyearslater,theakkadians</p>

  ittotheruleofthearites,another</p>

  seticdeserttriberabibuilthielf</p>

  agnifitpalatheholycityofbabylonandwho</p>

  gavehispeopleasetoflaadethebabylonianstate</p>

  thebestadnisteredeireoftheahe</p>

  hittites,youeetiestant,over</p>

  railevalleyaroyedevertheyuldnot</p>

  carryauhefollowers</p>

  ofthegreatdesertgod,ashur,selvesassyrians</p>

  ahecityofheterofavast</p>

  andterribleeireeasiaand</p>

  egyptandgatheredtaxesfrontlesssubjectratil</p>

  theendoftheseveurybeforethebirthofchristwhen</p>

  theitictribe,reestablishedbabylonand</p>

  dethatportantcapitalofthatday.</p>

  nebuezzar,thebestkns,enuraged</p>

  thestudyofsodeknoy</p>

  aicsisallbasedupoainfirstprinciplesh</p>

  hechaldeans.intheyear538b.c.a</p>

  crudetribeofpersianshepherdsihisoldlandand</p>

  overthrepireofthechaldeans.twohundredyears</p>

  later,theyintuhrohegreat,</p>

  eltingpotofsony</p>

  setietherons</p>

  andaftertherons,theturks,andsopotaa,thesend</p>

  treoftheeavastwildeess</p>

  oundsofearthtoldastoryofaglory.</p>

  ses</p>

  thestoryofses,theleaderofthe</p>

  jewishpeople</p>

  sotidurihturybeforeourera,</p>

  asllanduniortanttribeofseticshepherdshadleft</p>

  itsoldho,outh</p>

  oftheeuphrates,andhadtriedtofindneureshin</p>

  thedoinofthekingsofbabylonia.theyhadbeendriven</p>

  aovedward</p>

  lookingforalittlepieupiedterritoryhey</p>

  ghtsetuptheirtents.</p>

  thistribeofshepherdshehebrewsor,as</p>

  ,thejeheyhadwanderedfarandwide,</p>

  andafternyyearsofdrearyperegrinationstheyhadbeen</p>

  giveeri.forrethauriesthey</p>

  haddongtheegyptiansandheiradopteduntry</p>

  hadbeenoverrunbythehyksosraudersasitold</p>

  youioryofegypttheyhadoketheelves</p>

  usefultothefninvaderandhadbeeinthe</p>

  undisturbedpossessionoftheirgrazingfields.butaftera</p>

  loianshaddriventhe</p>

  hyksosoutofthevalleyofthehenthejewshad</p>

  eupoisfortheyhadbeendegradedtotherank</p>

  ofnslavesandtheyhadbeenforcedtohe</p>

  royalroadsandonthepyrads.andasthefrontierswere</p>

  guardedbytheegyptiansoldiersithadbeeniossiblefor</p>

  thejeoescape.</p>

  afternyyearsofsufferiheir</p>

  serablefatebyayoungjeoses,whoforalong</p>

  tihaddinthedesertandtherehadleaedtoappreciate</p>

  thesilevirtuesofhisearliestaors,</p>

  aselves</p>

  berruptedbytheeaseand</p>

  ...</p>