﻿418 
  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1943 
  

  

  and 
  fig-trees 
  and 
  pomegranates 
  ; 
  a 
  land 
  of 
  oil-olive, 
  and 
  honey 
  ; 
  a 
  land 
  

   wherein 
  thou 
  shalt 
  eat 
  bread 
  without 
  scarceness, 
  thou 
  shalt 
  not 
  lack 
  

   any 
  thing 
  in 
  it 
  ; 
  a 
  land 
  whose 
  stones 
  are 
  iron, 
  and 
  out 
  of 
  whose 
  hills 
  thou 
  

   mayest 
  dig 
  brass" 
  (1). 
  The 
  "Promised 
  Land," 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  today, 
  is 
  a 
  

   sad 
  commentary 
  on 
  man 
  r 
  s 
  stewardship 
  of 
  the 
  earth. 
  

  

  The 
  "Promised 
  Land" 
  which 
  3,000 
  years 
  ago 
  was 
  "flowing 
  with 
  milk 
  

   and 
  honey" 
  has 
  been 
  so 
  devastated 
  by 
  soil 
  erosion 
  that 
  the 
  soils 
  have 
  

   been 
  swept 
  off 
  fully 
  half 
  the 
  area 
  of 
  the 
  hill 
  lands. 
  The 
  soils 
  have 
  

   been 
  washed 
  off 
  the 
  hills 
  into 
  the 
  valleys 
  (pi. 
  2, 
  fig. 
  2), 
  where 
  they 
  

   are 
  sorted 
  : 
  the 
  finer 
  particles 
  are 
  swept 
  out 
  in 
  flood 
  waters 
  to 
  change 
  

   the 
  beautiful 
  blue 
  of 
  the 
  Mediterranean 
  to 
  a 
  dirty 
  brown 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  

   horizon 
  ; 
  the 
  coarser 
  particles 
  are 
  spread 
  out 
  on 
  former 
  alluvium 
  where 
  

   they 
  are 
  still 
  cultivated 
  but 
  in 
  a 
  progressively 
  reduced 
  area. 
  Acceler- 
  

   ated 
  run-off 
  from 
  barren 
  slopes 
  continues 
  to 
  cut 
  gullies 
  through 
  the 
  

   alluvial 
  valleys 
  and 
  to 
  carry 
  erosional 
  debris 
  out 
  to 
  choke 
  up 
  the 
  

   channels 
  of 
  streams 
  flowing 
  through 
  the 
  coastal 
  plains. 
  

  

  In 
  times 
  past, 
  such 
  erosional 
  debris 
  together 
  with 
  sand 
  dunes 
  blown 
  

   in 
  from 
  the 
  coast 
  created 
  marshes 
  in 
  the 
  plains; 
  then 
  malaria 
  came 
  

   in, 
  practically 
  depopulating 
  the 
  lowlands. 
  The 
  hills 
  also 
  have 
  been 
  

   greatly 
  depopulated 
  as 
  shown 
  by 
  the 
  studies 
  of 
  Dr. 
  Guy 
  (5) 
  . 
  A 
  survey 
  

   of 
  ancient 
  village 
  sites 
  abandoned 
  and 
  now 
  occupied 
  discloses 
  how 
  the 
  

   hill 
  lands 
  of 
  Palestine 
  have 
  been 
  depopulated 
  since 
  the 
  seventh 
  cen- 
  

   tury. 
  The 
  watershed 
  of 
  Wadi 
  Musrara 
  of 
  312 
  square 
  miles 
  draining 
  

   the 
  western 
  slope 
  from 
  Jerusalem 
  to 
  Tel-Aviv 
  was 
  divided 
  into 
  three 
  

   altitudinal 
  zones 
  : 
  (1) 
  the 
  plain, 
  0-100 
  meters; 
  (2) 
  the 
  foothills, 
  100-300 
  

   meters; 
  (3) 
  the 
  hills, 
  300 
  meters 
  and 
  over. 
  In 
  the 
  plains 
  outside 
  

   marshy 
  areas, 
  32 
  sites 
  are 
  now 
  occupied 
  and 
  4 
  abandoned 
  ; 
  in 
  the 
  foot- 
  

   hills, 
  31 
  occupied 
  and 
  65 
  abandoned 
  ; 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  hills, 
  37 
  occupied 
  and 
  

   127 
  abandoned. 
  The 
  break-down 
  of 
  ancient 
  terrace 
  walls 
  and 
  the 
  

   erosion 
  of 
  soils 
  to 
  bedrock 
  on 
  the 
  upper 
  slopes 
  is 
  sufficient 
  reason 
  to 
  

   account 
  for 
  the 
  reduction 
  in 
  population. 
  Erosion 
  in 
  the 
  hills 
  as 
  well 
  

   as 
  marshes 
  with 
  malaria 
  in 
  the 
  coastal 
  plain 
  has 
  been 
  sufficient 
  to 
  

   reduce 
  the 
  population 
  of 
  the 
  "Promised 
  Land" 
  to 
  one-third 
  of 
  the 
  

   Roman 
  and 
  Byzantine 
  period. 
  

  

  Palestine 
  can 
  never 
  be 
  restored 
  to 
  its 
  original 
  condition 
  as 
  the 
  

   "Promised 
  Land" 
  ; 
  it 
  can 
  be 
  much 
  improved 
  over 
  its 
  present 
  condition 
  

   as 
  the 
  splendid 
  works 
  of 
  the 
  Jewish 
  colonies 
  on 
  5 
  percent 
  of 
  the 
  total 
  

   area 
  have 
  demonstrated, 
  but 
  the 
  lands 
  have 
  been 
  so 
  devastated 
  by 
  

   the 
  irreversible 
  process 
  of 
  soil 
  erosion 
  in 
  the 
  uplands 
  that 
  they 
  can 
  

   never 
  be 
  restored 
  to 
  their 
  original 
  productivity 
  as 
  the 
  "Promised 
  

   Land" 
  — 
  it 
  is 
  too 
  late. 
  This 
  case 
  brings 
  home 
  the 
  tremendous 
  lesson 
  

   that 
  sloping 
  lands 
  may 
  be 
  damaged 
  beyond 
  full 
  restoration; 
  that 
  

   unless 
  suitable 
  measures 
  are 
  taken 
  in 
  time, 
  land 
  resources 
  are 
  reduced 
  

   in 
  the 
  face 
  of 
  increasing 
  populations 
  with 
  their 
  augmented 
  demands. 
  

  

  