SCIENCE- GOSSIP. 



301 



iDnjjuc of the olclest-knnvyn ract- inhaliilini; the 

 rcgii)!!. They were the Suinerian penple. There- 

 fore we linrl thill the yiiiiii(! folks of Unliylon had to 

 learn i\ut only the current language of the period, 

 which must have varied considerably in the several 

 thousand years when it llourished, bill also to read 

 ancient records in the Sunicrian language and in the 

 intricate cuneiform or wedge-shaped characters then 

 used in writing. That the education imparted was 

 very thorough is evident from the comparative 

 absence of bail spelling on the tablets. It is clear 

 from the examples in existence, that education became 

 very general lliroughoul the people, for we find 

 every class, from the kings to the slaves, carrying on 

 correspondence in such a manner as to take it for 

 granted that it could be read and answered without 

 professional assistance, as is now so common with 

 .'\siatic people of the lower orders. For those who 

 desired further instruction there were universities ; 

 for, though the Habylonians were eminently a com- 

 mercial people, education seems m have been held in 

 the highest estimation. 



The records of primeval liabylonia indicate the 

 coni|uest of the Sumerians by the Semites ; but it 

 was from the former race that the latter learned to 

 live in cities. It appears evident that the Semitic 

 race .idopted much of the higher civilisation of the 

 Sumerian people, for we find their influence on the 

 Habylonians to the end of the records. The first 

 rulers of the nation were the high-priests of a 

 mythological religion. These in time became priest- 

 kings, and then the Church was severed from the 

 State, for they come to be described as kings only. 

 For how many untold centuries this condition existed 

 is unknown ; but some three thousand years after the 

 lime mentioned above, in connection with the city 

 of Eridu, or about 3800 B.C., a definite Semitic 

 ICmpire was founded by Sargon, after which history 

 becomes more intelligible and nearly consecutive. 

 I Hiring those early three thousand years the fusion of 

 the Sumerian and Semitic races seems lohave become 

 complete. Under Sargon the empire extended to 

 the Mediterranean Sea, and practically ruled the 

 world so far as then known. 



In a short article like this it is not possible to 

 trace the admixture of other racial influences which 

 went to make up Babylon in its ultim.-ite splendour 

 and power. We may refer our readers to the book 

 under notice for much further information. We will, 

 however, return to our tablets and consider some of 

 the points referred to on them, with regard to 

 sociolog)' and science. These tablets have been 

 found in immense numbers in various parts of what 

 was ancient liabylonia. They were evidently trea- 

 sured and cared for with all the p.ains taken in a modern 

 library. The tablets were catalogued, so thai the 

 librarians could at once find any document required. 

 The collections of tablets were apparently under 

 State control, for they acted also as registries of 

 deeils. The catalogue was founded on the first line 

 of the "book," which consisted of one or manv 



tablets. They were arranged on shelves, and some 

 short lime ago one of these libraries, containing aUjul 

 32,000 tablets, was une-arthed at Tello in .Southern 

 C'haldca, where every tablet or Inxjk was still in 

 order, just as arranged in the age of Gudea 2700 D.c. 

 Literattire of every kind was represented, history and 

 chronolog)', geography, law, private and public cor- 

 respondence, despatches from generals and pr<x:lama- 

 tions of the king, philology and mathematics ; 

 natural science in the shape of lists of beasts and 

 birds, insects and stones, astronomy and astrology, 

 iheology and the pseudo-science of omens. There 

 were copies of deeds and contracts, of legal decisions, 

 inventories of properties, and much that has not )'et 

 been translated. Fvery large city had its library, both 

 in babylonia and Assyria ; so there is yet doubtless 

 much remaining undiscovered. Edited copies of the 

 great national epics were kept in the provinces for 

 reference by the people, and there is evidence that 

 they were in request. One point is remarkable, and 

 thai is the exact care taken in re-editing or in 

 copying not to mutilate the original, a virtue that has 

 not descended to our own age. Kven in time of war 

 the libraries were respected, and during the see-saw 

 of conipiest they were removetl by the conquerors. 

 Would this had been so during ihe Christian era ! 



Even the earliest tablets indicate considerable 

 advance in a social system founded on individual 

 rights, rather than on the strength of might. The 

 position of the women in regard to equality with 

 men during the many centuries of Babylonian pro- 

 sperity was perhaps stronger than at an)- other tinie 

 in the world's history. Both married and single 

 women could trade, independently or in partnership 

 with men, the former with either their own husbands 

 or with other men. They were educated equally 

 with men, might possess independent property, and 

 were fully protected by marriage seltlcments, numbers 

 of which are extant. These settlements, which appear 

 to have been in the usual course, provided for the 

 wife's position in case of the husband's death or of 

 divorce. Though professedly polygamists, such a 

 condition was rare, as the settlement provided that 

 a second marriage constituted divorce of the first, 

 with a suflicient provision for the first wife. 



Marriage seems to have been entirely a civil con- 

 tract with cash penalties, and, when broken, forfeit- 

 ure of portion of the goods and furniture. The law 

 courts were admirably organised, with six judges in 

 attendance for each case. The lawyers, like the 

 medical practitioners, with the librarians, also the 

 priests and the Government officials, belonged to the 

 professional classes. There were bankers with fixed 

 rates of interest for regular customers ; men of large 

 means who financed, when necessary, a war for the 

 king, or found the money to dig a canal or for other 

 public works. Contracts for these and many other 

 private and public loans are minutely set forth on the 

 tablets, fully witnessed and dated, with the seals of 

 the parties interested duly impressed. Trivate 

 usury also existed, with interest ranging from 10 to 



