220 . REPORT— 1872. 



the ruins before nightfall ; but early in the morning Dr. Giusburg and IVIr. 

 Klein went to examine them more closel)^ Unlike Kerak, Kirjathaim, and 

 other ancient places, the ruins of Kabba, which are about a mile and a half 

 or two miles in circumference, are situated almost on a level, Avith the ex- 

 ception of one part, which is on a very low hill. On the northern side are 

 the remains of an old temple, with several columns still standing. Qliere arc 

 on all sides caverns, large and small, cisterns of various dimensions, and wells 

 of all sorts, which show that the i^lace in its entirety must have been of great 

 importance. There are, moreover, scattered among the ruins, large blocks 

 of basalt, which are hewn into smooth stones for use, and which are evidently 

 of much older date than the bulk of the ruins. 



It was here they saw a basalt slab, of almost exactly the same dimensions 

 as the celebrated Moabite Stone, which had evidently been prepared for an 

 inscription, but which, for some reason, had been left uninscribcd. Several 

 others of smaller size were also seen, which, from their slabby appearance, 

 Avere apparently intended for tablets. These ancient relics aiford every op- 

 portunity to the dealers in Moab and Jerusalem, whose cupidity has been roused 

 by the discovery of the Moabite Stone, to supply the demands of the market. 



The impression that was formed of the ruins of Eabba is, that though there 

 are among them many vestiges of the Boman period, such as pillars, cisterns, 

 extensive roads, &c., there are very few relics of an older date. To examine 

 Habba thoroughly, as it ought to be done, one should remain on the spot, and 

 work quietly for at least a week, turn up all the important stones, and in- 

 vestigate and measure all the various pools, cisterns, and caverns. This, 

 however, we could not do. But after a close examination of the place and 

 its surroundings, they came to the conclusion that liabba is not the ancient 

 Ai; the antiquated form of III, or AE Moab, as it is stated on the most 

 recent maps. Eabba is almost in the centre of Southern Moab, whilst the 

 Scripture Ar Moab was on the confines of the Arnon, and marked the ex- 

 treme northern limit of the trans-Arnonic Moab, Vahab in the Saphia de- 

 fining the southern frontier (comp. Dent. ii. 36; Joshua xiii. 16; Numb, 

 xxii. 36, and ibid. xxi. 13 and 14). The Greek name Areopolis was first 

 given to the ancient Ar Moab on the Arnon, and afterwards, when Ar Moab 

 was destroyed by an earthquake (comp. St. Jerome on Isaiah xv.), it M'as 

 transferred to the modern Rabba. 



We left Eabba at 8.2.5 (Feb. 15th) on Thursday. At 9.30, travelling 

 N.N.E., wo came to a place called Kasr Eabba ({. e. the Palace of Eabba). 

 The ruins here, though small, are exceedingly massive. The stones of which 

 the palace was built are cnormousty large ; they are bevelled, and somewhat 

 resemble those of the old wailing-place at Jerusalem. The bases and cor- 

 nices of columns which lie about on the ground measure 4 feet 8 inches in 

 diameter. The fact that in many parts of the shattered walls the bevelled 

 part of the stones was turned the wrong way, shows that the buildings have 

 been shaken by a violent earthquake. 



In leaving Kasr Eabba at 9.55 we saw, at a distance to the left, ruins on 

 a hiU, which are called Shichan. On the greater part of the way to these 

 ruins, the old Eoman road is still most distinctly traceable. Whilst some of 

 our party were marching with the mules to the Arnon, we galloped to Shi- 

 chan, which we reached at 11.20. It is 4700 feet above the Dead Sea, and 

 has a very remarkable cistern on its summit. The distance between Kasr 

 Eabba and Shichan is about 8 miles. In descending the summit we found 

 ourselves for at least a mile and a half on regular terraces, M'hich had evi- 

 dently been most carefully cultivated in olden days.^ 



