GEOGRAPHICAL EXPLOHATIOX OF MOAB, 227 



Arocr ; and " the city that is in the midst of the river " (Josh. xiii. 16) is no 

 doubt indicatorl ])}• the remains iu the luxuriant strip of scmitropical verdure 

 that fringes the Arnou far below it. 



Here, from the news of a sad domestic affliction, brought to us at Eabbah 

 by a messenger who had been beaten and robbed of the letters by the scouts of 

 the Kerak ruffians, Mr. Klein, to whose aid we are really indebted for the 

 success of our expedition, through his masterly knowledge of the language 

 and his friendship with the Eeni tSakkr, was compelled to leave us and return 

 hastily to Jerusalem. He was accompanied by Dr. Ginsburg. 



From the northern crest of the Arnon bank a good view could be obtained 

 of the general lie of the Wadys which here furrow the high land. 



The Arnou, or Wady Mojib, is formed a little above where we crossed it 

 by the junction of three ravines of nearly equal height, the northern one 

 named by Zadam Wady Seideh, the name given iu all the maps to the central 

 one, and the others Mdkhauas and Balhua. 



A ride of three miles across a dreary highland plain brought us to Dhibau, 

 another double city on two knolls, whose caverns, cisterns, underground store- 

 houses, and semicircular arches present no peculiar features. To the west of 

 both knoUsis a little stream, near which the famed monolith was found, and 

 in which water was running. All the surrounding hiUs are limestone, and 

 there is no basalt excejit what has been brought here by man. It is need- 

 less to say that no inscribed remains now exist above ground ; but we found 

 a very finely dressed basaltic oil-press, with the upper stone lying close to 

 the outer cylinder, by the bank of tlie stream. 



Prom Dibon we struck eastwai'd, by the route taken by Messrs. Palmer 

 and Drake, towards Um Rasas. The road lay up a wide depression, wliich" 

 could scarcely be called a valley, known as Kurm Dhibau (the vineyards of 

 Dibon), and continuously for three miles were the traces of the vineyard- 

 ridges across the slopes. These are " the plains of the vineyards " of Judges 

 xi. 33, the route taken by the Amorites after their discomfiture by Jephthah. 

 llujum JSclim, a shapeless inconspicuous heap, is the ouly ruin on the way 

 from Dibon to Vm liasas. This latter seems placed too far east by Palmer, 

 who has also erroneously marked the Hadj road as touching it, and placed 

 it ten miles too far west — a mistake not to be wondered at when we con- 

 sider the very great difficulties under which Mr. Palmer and Mr. Drake 

 accomplished their visit. 



A Eoman road does, however, touch Um Easas from Heshbon to the south. 

 Um Easas was of necessity very hastily examined by our only predecessors, 

 and is of much greater extent than had been imagined. The outline of 

 the city and its walls, appai-ently repaired at a later period, is perfect, — no 

 grass-grown mounds, but simply fallen or falUng buildings, with streets 

 encumbered bj' the masonry and countless arches ; no heathen temples 

 within the city, but five Christian churches, one of them probably a cathedral, 

 and all of the Basilica type. The apse was generally perfect, with the 

 plinth and beading decorated by bosses carved with alternate heads and crosses. 

 Some of them we photographed. Outside where we were camped was the 

 amphitheatre, now grass-groM'n, and several very deep cisterns, not very 

 large superficially. 



The most interesting ruin here is a Christian mortuary tower, which Mr. 

 Palmer has sketched, close to the ruins of a Byzantine church, of which we 

 took photographs. This tower is a landmark for miles round, and ludicrous 

 traditions are locally attached to it. 



Um Easas appears to me to be probably the " Thamatha " of the ' Notitio,' 



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