REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 165 



dwellings, both ancient and modern. Among these were some oi the 



most noted ruins as well as several of their most populous villages. 

 The largesl model, which was about 15 feet square, represented the vil- 

 lage of Znni on a scale of 1 to <!<>, all of the important details being 

 carefully reproduced. The arts and industries of these people were 

 represented by cases containing large collections of their textiles, bask- 

 etry, pottery, agricultural implements, and household utensils. The 

 mound builders were represented by several carefully prepared models 

 of noted mounds from different parts of the country ; among these were 

 the Great Elephant Mound of Grant County, Wisconsin, and the Large 

 and Small Etowah Mounds of Bartow County, Georgia, with samples 

 of pottery and other articles taken from them. 



EXHIBIT OF BIBLICAX AKCH^EOLOGY. 



Owing to the wide-spread interest in biblical studies, Dr. Cyrus Ad- 

 ler, Assistant Curator of the Section of Oriental Antiquities, was called 

 upon to prepare an exhibit which should enable Bible students (of 

 whom it is estimated that there are already more than four millions 

 in the Sunday-schools of the United States) to see something of the 

 results of the work of the numerous specialists who have devoted their 

 time and energies to the study of the people of Bible lands, and to be- 

 come familiar with some of the interesting objects which have been col- 

 lected and studied, with a view to the better understanding of the lan- 

 guage, history, art, social life, and religion of these people. Nearly 

 all of the most interesting objects secured by archaeologists are in for- 

 eign museums, and the time was too short to have casts of them made 

 and forwarded ; but by the co-operation of a number of people in this 

 country who had articles in their possession, and by the liberal use of 

 photography, it became possible to get together considerable material, 

 which with the articles already in the possession of the Museum made 

 a very instructive exhibit. The collection was not confined to the Is- 

 raelites, but included all of the people with whom they came in contact. 

 u Owing to the unparalleled conservatism of these people," says Dr. Ad- 

 ler, " proper names, dialectic forms, architecture, costumes, and, what 

 is more surprising, considering the changes of faith, even religious 

 practices have persisted in the East through thousands of years." and 

 the collections therefore properly included many objects still in use. 

 The exhibits were arranged by countries, including Assyria and Baby- 

 lonia, Egypt, Elam, and Palestine. They contained objects from a 

 period beginning 3800 years B. < '.. and continuing to the presenl time, 

 including royal seals and impressions of same, casts of obelisks and 

 tablets containing pictorial aud historical inscriptions, photographs of 

 the Egyptian pyramids, sphinxes, sculptures, mummies of noted kings, 

 with specimens of plants, shells, lamps, and costumes collected in the 

 several countries named. Among the more interesting objects were the 

 casts of the Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser II, the Rosetta Stone, the 

 Moabite Stone, and the Siloam Inscription. 



