BIBLICAL ANTIQUITIES. 



A DESCRIPTION OF THE EXHIBIT AT THE COTTON STATES 

 INTERNATIONAL EXPOSITION, ATLANTA, 18Q5. 



By Cyrus Abler, Ph. D., 

 Custodian, Section of Historic Religious Ceremonials, TJ. S. National Museum, 



aud 



I. M. Casanowicz, Ph. D. 



Aid, Division of Historic Archwology, U. S. National Mtiseum. 



INTRODUCTION. 



The Section of Oriental Antiquities in the U. S. IsTational Museum 

 was established in 1887, and in 1889 there was added to the Museum 

 a Section of Religions Ceremonial Institutions. Although not at all 

 identical in scope, it was found best for practical reasons that the 

 exhibit of these two sections in the Atlanta Exposition should be 

 united in the form of a collection which, for want of a better name, may 

 be called Biblical Antiquities. The space allowed was an alcove 20 by 20 

 feet. All of the subdivisions of this subject were represented, so that 

 there was no i)ossibility of completeness in any direction. Neverthe- 

 less, the exhibit had an educational value, as being the first collection 

 put together at an exposition which attempted to show in outline all of 

 the possibilities of study in this most important field. 



It has, therefore, seemed proper that a record be made of this collec- 

 tion as it was actually shown at Atlanta, in the order in which it was 

 shown, and without any attempt to fill out the deficiencies which are 

 known to have existed. Such a description will, it is hoped, be of 

 service to teachers and students, and may possibly furnish a sugges- 

 tion to those who are interested in the establishment of small collec- 

 tions which touch the interests of so many persons, who, without being 

 special students and investigators, are yet deeply concerned in any- 

 thing that relates to the archu'ology and history, the ethnology, and 

 the art of that portion of the eastern world around the Mediterranean, 

 to which the culture and civilization of later Europe aud even of 

 modern America can in a great degree be traced. 



The limitations of space caused some apparent incongruities; never- 

 theless, it can be said that nothing was shown which did not bear 



upon Biblical history and antiquities. 



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